The Sun.
London, England, 1860-02-01 00:00:00

ROYAL FREE HO •PI7AL.

The annual meeting of this hospital was held
yesterday, in the board-room of the institution,
Gray's-inn-road ; General Watkins, one of the
governors, in the chair.

Mr. SMITH, the secretary, having read the ad-
vertisement convening the meeting,
The Rev. J. B. OWLN, chaplain of the institu-
tion, and a member of the committee of manage-.
ment, read the report, of which the following is a
summary :—" The aspect of the finances was
favourable as compared with that of the last year,
whether as donations, subscriptions, ot legacies, the
donations having been £2,504 2s. ld. ; the sub-
scriptions, £1,665 3s. 6d. ; and the legacies, £3,683
3s. 2d. As evidence of the increasing confidence
of the public, the report stated that there had been
liberal donations of £5O each from the Goldsmiths'
and Grocers' Companies ; fifty guineas and an an-
nual subscription of five guineas from the Fish-
mongers', and a further donation of ten guineas
from the Skinners' Company, Also a large
anonymous donation for ten E u ceess ve years
from the Trustees of a Charity Fund,' and
the seventh donation of £lOO from a charitable
lady. These sums had been applied to the
liquidation of outstanding claims, and paying
off the mortgage debt of £5,000, leaving a
balance on the mortgage debt of £3,500, £l,BOO
of which had been recently paid, and the committee
hoped to pay off the balance cif £1,700 this year.
The usefulness of the hospital had kept pace with
the extension of its means. During the year 1859
there had been 1,063 in and 40,290 out patients,
making a total of 41,353 cases of destitute sickness
and persons relieved." _

The report concluded with thanks to the Earl of
Carlisle for his zeal and urbanity in the chair at
the last annual festival in June, and thanks to the
founder, Dr. Marsden, the honorary medical officers,
and the chair man.

The medical report stated that of the persons re-
lieved during the past year, 17,526 had been afflicted
with malignant and contagious diseases, and 18,707
with various disorders ; of accidents 1,848 had been
relieved and cent home; and there had been 2,209
patients under the dentist. In addition to the
above, 959 totally destitute and diseased persona
had been admitted into the wards, of whom 45 had
died and 914 been discharged or relieved. The
number of accidents admitted into the wards had
been 104, of whom 21 had died and 83 been cured
or relieved.

The reports having been universally adopted, and
Mr. E. Mastermau reappointed treasurer, votes of
thanks were passed to the committee of manage-
ment, the medical officers, auditors, treasurer,
blinder, chaplain, secretary, and other officers.
In seconding the vote of thanks to the committee
of management, Dr. O'CoNNon said,:it was a matter
of considerable importance at the present time, when
the question of charitable institutimis was so much
canvassed, to find the affairs of Ilia institution so
admirably conducted. He might:'safely.say that
every voucher of income and ripetiliture was sub-
mitted to the auditors, and passed tby 'them after
careful investigation. This was good evidence that
the management of the institution:elegerved the most
unqualified approval, and accordingly, as the pro-
sperity of the hospital was to be mainly attributed
to the sedulous attention of the committee, the gen-
tlemen composing it were entitled to the warmest
thanks of the supporters of the charity.
Dr. MARSDEN, in replying to the Note of thanks
to the founder, said that his great object, during the
last this ty years of his life, had been to establish
the principle that disease and poverty should be the
only letter of recommendation to an hospital.
Until the establishment of the Free Hospital, there
was no institution in the country that had received
gratuitously the sick and diseased. Thirty-two
years ago—the first year of the existence of the
free Hospital—the patients admitted had amounted
to somewhat more than 800, last year they had
amounted to upwards of 41,000, which, he believed,
spoke a great deal in favour of the principle on
which the hospital was founded. He hoped that if
he lived a few years more he should see the doors
of every hospital as freely open as those of the Free
Hospital. (Cheers.)
In the course of the meeting, on the motion of
the Rev. J. B. Owsx, seconded by Mr. BOWYER, it
was resolved that it was expedient to make some
compensation to the medical officers for their ex-
penses connected with their respective duties, and
that the weekly board be requested to further con-
sider the question, and to make such report and order
thereon as they might think fit.
'1 his resolution was unanimously passed.
It was arranged that the annual meeting should
in future be held, instead of on the last Tuesday in
January, on the first Thursday in February.
The proceedings terminated with the usual vote
of thanks to the chairman, and also with another to
the press, on the motion of 1)r. Marsden, for its
advocacy of all noble and benevolent principles.
With respect to the funds of the institution the
total receipts, including the balances during the
past year, had amounted to £8,549 35., and the
total expenditure to £8,307 Os. 4d., leaving a balanee
in hand of £242 2s. Bd. -