The Sun.
London, England, 1851-12-17 00:00:00

FREE CAACER HOSPITAL, LONDON.

A meeting of the Committee of Management of the
above recently-founded Institution, of which the
Hon. Colonel Ogilvie is chairman, was held yester-
day, at the hospital, in Cannon-row, Parliament-
street, IVestminster. The first report of the medical
officers is an interesting document as regards its being
the first established hospital in this country for the
exclusive treatment of this hitherto considered (not-
withstanding the present advance of medical science)
almost hopeless and incurable disease, which is fatal to
more hundreds annually than that much dreaded
disease small• pox ; and as likewise forming a nucleus
for the efficient medical study, and means of combat-
ing the disease, which is not confined to the poor
alone, the wealthy being alike subject to its insidious
advances. During the few months the institution
has been opened, the surgeons state that, even with
the little publicity which has been afforded to the
hospital, it has brought more than fifty patients, and
all these have been truly deplorable cases, and
in every respect most pitiable objects. In three
cases cures have been pronounced, and the remainder
of those under treatment have all been materially re-
lieved. Many of the cases have been sent up by
medical men from distant parts of the country, thus
acknowledging the desirableness of an institution
expressly devoting all its energies to so unmanage-
able an affliction.

It appears from statistics extracted from the Re-
gistrar General's Reports, that cancer, instead of
being decreased by advancing science, has absolutely
increased so alarmingly, that, whereas in the year
1839, there were registered 463 deaths from cancer
in the London district, in the year 1850 there were
registered 889 deaths from the same disease, although
the increase of population during that period was only
to the extent of one-eighth. In the latter year the
number of deaths in England from this dreadful
malady was 1,298 males, and 3,288 females. These
facts speak loudly of the desirableness—nay, the im-
perative call there is for an hospital devoted exclu-
sively to the treatment of cancer, to alleviate, and, if
possible, to cure one of the most appalling and fatal
diseases known. We cannot too strongly recommend
this charity to the benevolent.

THE FATE OF GEORGE HACKETT, THE
AOTORIOUS PRISON BREAKER.
This notorious criminal, whose daring acts of
plunder and extraordinary exploits in breaking out of
various prisons in the metropolis created so much
attention, has at length so firmly entangled himself
under the operation of the American laws, as to, in
all probability, terminate, at least for some years, his
violent and plundering career. The last American
mail furnished information to the metropolitan police
of Hackett's conviction for the burglary at New
Jersey. His career in this country was one of the
most desperate description, and since the days of
Jack Sheppard, &c., perhaps the annals of crime
dots not afford his equal. He was educated at one of
the principal Ward Schools in the City, but heeded
very little what was done for him in the way
of teaching him a trade. Long before he
had reached manhood, he became very expert
in the art of smuggling, and some very
extraordinary tales are told of him in that
course of life. At length he found himself too closely
watched to carry on that trade, havir'g been convicted
several times before the Lord Mayor, and he joined
a gang of thieves and burglars whose depredations
continue to this day, the gang generally known as
" Hackett's gang" not being effectually broken up.
Providing himself with a swift horse and cart, he with
two or three others succeeded in committing the most
extensive robberies. Whipping off bales of silk, or
other valuable goods, from railway carts as they were
passing along the streets, proved a most lucrative
system of plunder to him. At last the police traced
sufficient to connect him with a daring burglary in
Bond street. He was seen passing down Bishops-
gate-street in his cart, and an attempt was made to
capture him, but he got away by beating the officer
off with a life-preserver. Shortly after he was seen
with his vehicle in Thames-street, and after some
manoeuvring he was arrested, taken before the Lord
Mayor, and sent to Marlborough-street Police-court
for examination, where he was sworn to as being one
of the parties who committed the burglary. He was
remanded, and at the subs( quent investigation he
contrived to get out of the cell attached to the court in
a manner that remains a mystery.
He continued at large for some time, and on the
Derby-day of last year the officer who captured him
in Thames- street discovered him lying at the bottom
of a cart which was passing over London-bridge.
Hackett offered a most murderous resistance, and the
officer was nearly killed by him. However, he was
secured, committed to Newgate, tried, and sentenced
to ten years' transportation. Me was then tempted
by handsome rewards to disclose how he got out of
the cell at Marlborough-street, but he declined
affording information. The authorities of Newgate
then began to suspect that their " bird" was not in
such safe keeping as could be desired. Certain pecu-
liarities in his conduct indicated that he was planning
a scheme to liberate himself, and in order make cer-
tain of his due care, he was at once removed to the
Penitentiary. There he was found to be a trouble-
some charge, and his security being considered even
there doubtful, the Secretary of State directed his re-
moval to the Model Prison, out of which it was
thought impossible he could escape. However, he
had not been there long before he displayed the most
convincing proof of endeavouring to render himself a
" free man. He had made two attempts on the
security of his cell, and on one of the occasions suc-
ceeded in removing two iron bars which protected the
cell window. The governor then placed him, if pos-
sible, in a more secure part of the prison, but he
was not to be long an inmate of the establishment
at all.
The details of his extraordinary flight from the
chapel of the goal one Sunday evening, during the
performance of Divine service, have already appeared
before the public. Large rewards were offered for
his capture,hnaoontwdteotvbebere,p otflhoi
uca etn
dhs c.e o
suoTr
uehgdehrt
teh
refugee
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euvn et
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arr ohe uao
snuodsne,
btolltsuhsepewcats,
laise some
ad por-
tioninthoefntehigehpbroisuornhocolodthoifnTghwamasefso-ustnrdee. t,
pre-
viously become acquainted with a young
woman,
who is stated to be respectably connected, Wanodbny, some mysterious manoeuvring
air companion wasgot to
Liverpool, and with his f • set downsa il for
New York. On reaching that
divest himself of his old
vicious habits. He asso
ciated himself with
the most determined characters,
and eventually he was apprehended, with another
party, for breaking into a gentleman's house, and
carrying off a large amount of plate. He was lodged
in the New Jersey gaol,
detained long before he tried his skill upon the
that establishment. security ofand there he had not been
He contemplated
the most murderous means of escape. As in the
English gaols, the prisoners are frequently
visited by the turnkeys in the course of the
night, and it was upon one of these rounds that
Hackett and his companion were missed from their
cells. The alarm was then raised, and search was
made over the building. Hackett was discove red
secreted in a dark remote recess, in one of the outer
passages of the prison. He had contrived to arm hi oa-
self with a long poniard, and evidently was prepared
to free himself at all cost. No doubt he intended, as,
a part of his plan of escape, to murder the first officer
he met (with, and who would offer him the lest, oh..