The Sun.
London, England, 1869-01-29 00:00:00

THE MEDICAL DIRECTOR GENERAL-Srar

OF THE NAVY.

_ -
The Army and Nary Gazette, besides asserting among the
INUnours of the day that it is intended to amalgamate the
medical with the victualling and transport branches of Or
navy, under the supervision of Rear-Admiral Mends, inti-
mates that, in addition to this reduction of the dignity of the
office, its emoluments are to be diminished to the extent of
£3OO a year. It seems, too, that the title of Director-General
is to be abolished. Now, whatever may be the title of the
medical officer at Somerset House may bear he is the repre-
sentative man of our professiot, and must be the profes-
sional adviser of the Admiralty in all that concerns the
health of the navy, which is a matter of no secondary
weight, and he must be looked up to as the protector of
the vitality of our profession employed in that service.
Therefore it has been hitherto the practice that
the holder of the office should be one of the
senior and most distinguished officers of the depart-
meat-one to whom a large body of educated men
shall look up to with great respect. We concur witli
our contemporary in thinking that the proposed changes
are of a nature to prevent any of the highest medical
men in the navy seeking this mutilated superiority over
their brethren, since the official status he would have
assigned to him will be no better than that of a senior
clerk, and the entire profession in the navy will receive
through him a corresponding depreciation. We sympathise
deeply with our naval brethren in this possibility Of further
degradation relatively to the army ; and we shall anxiously
await the decision of the present First Lord of the
Admiralty, who has taken office under promises to make
himself the perfect master of a difficult position through
personal acquaintance with those officers who have the
practical working of departments in their hands—trusting
that he is not so soon about to subordinate farther, and to
remove still another step from him, the officer who is the
chief guardian of the health of the Royal Navy.—British
Medical Journal.

THE LORD CHANCELLOR UPON PARO-

CHIAL MISSION WOMEN.

A letter on the above subject has been sent to the Vag
by Lord Hatherley, the Lord Chancellor. The followial
says his lordship, are the advantages of this scheme :

"1. The parish is a definite area to be worked, and
instead of broad-cast, haphazard schemes of benevolence,
an aim is given, and the effect of the work can be and i°
watched. Returns are required weekly by the managers
from the lady superintendents of the number of visits
made by the mission woman, the amount of moue,'
received, and other work done. Each manager receives
these returns from specified districts, and visits the
meetings without giving any previous notice. If the
mission be not satisfactorily worked, it is either aban•
doned or suspended. A mission may be closed for all
cause by the managers, on the one hand, or the clergyman'
on the other, at a month's notice.
"2. The mission woman and lady superintendent have
their definite civilising lay work, and the clergyman ig
assisted by their co-operation, not thwarted by controver.
sial zeal.

3. The mission women are of the same class as those
they instruct. A clergyman or lady superintendent might
make many visits without producing the effect desired.
They and the poor, do not often understand each other
when it comes to be a question of interference with domestic
habits and arrangements. .

"4. The test of this effective teaching is furnished by
the returns. In the year 1867 over £7,000 (a portion of it
in farthings) was collected from the poor of 130 n-lissic°
districts. The society commenced its work with six tair
sions, and the deposits in the first year amounted to £Bs'
A steady increase to the numbers of 1867 is a very note'
worthy fact."

The Lord Chancellor then goes on to say : The
average cost of each mission is £35 a year. The clergl:
man is expected to guarantee a certain portion of this
sum, according to the circumstances of the case. Tilie
only items of expenditure are the woman's salary an
occasionally the rent of a central room, the advance loans
being repaid as the capital of each district increases'
The total cost of management in 1867 was only £180;
This cost is mainly incurred by the employment of
one clerk and the hire of an office, at 15, CoeksPul'
street. Scarcely a charity can be named where o°'
much is achieved by so small an expenditure. Those wb°
know with what despair many a clergyman or district
visitor enters a sick room the window of which is closed,
the floor of which is foul with dirt, while the patient 13°5.
sesses neither bed, bedstead, chair, nor table, perhaps
blanket or coverlid, can alone appreciate the transforms'
tion that can be effected by a woman in the same class °I
life as the sufferer, who teaches cleanliness, order, industry'
and foresight, through the medium of Christian kindness
and Christian example."

The Conservative members for West Suffolk, Lard
Augustus Hervey, M.P., and Major Parker, M.P., were en-
tertained at dinner on Wednesday by their friends and 51113-
porters in the Clare district.

•
STORAGE OF DANGEROUS GOODS.—A Liverp-
nOl
merchant has been summoned before the Liverpool stiPeni
diary for having sent to the Sandon Dock one case °
hydrochloric acid, without being marked 66 dangerothl
goods." This being the first case of the kind which b°.
come under the special Act before the magistrates,
gated penalty of £lO was imposed.

WELSH LIBERAL BANQUET. —A banquet is to be
given on the 24th February, at the Freemasons' Tavern'
to the Liberal members of the Principality. The BigA
Hon. 11. A. Bruce, Home Secretary, will preside. 1.
conference will be held at the same place on the dal f°o
lowing, to consider matters in connection with wales in
its political aspects.

The rejoicings in Limerick over the failure of °it)
petition against the sitting members continued through tvit:
nights. Tar barrels blazed in various districts. At h
" Treaty Stone" four were set on fire, and a 01111"-r
number were placed on the O'Connell monument. An e
~;
of Sir Peter Tait was burned amid the mock "keening °f
the populace. The police patrolled the streets, but no dis-
turbance occurred.

--- - -
A man in a cart was crossing the Manchester and
Sheffield and Lincolnshire line on Wednesday as a luggag:
train close by began to move. The result was that before
the horse and cart could get clear the engine caught WS;
and carried them up the line for a distance of twenty Y9r a
before the train cculd bo stopped. The horse w. a 1013110
with three of its legs cut off, whilst the cart and gears 1q,e1.,-0
broken to pieces. The old man, however, who at
in ';,l
cart at the time the engine caught it, escaped with a fe

serious injuries.
Sir Louis Mallet, of the Board of Trade, bad 3,1 i
audience with the Board of the Manchester Chamber of C
Wo7;
memo on Wednesday when a conversation took place i
reference to the recent failure in carrying out the intentn
of the Austrian Supplemental Convention by the Govern,'ll
of that country. Ho detailed the circumstances under Whi.
the British Government was placed with regard to the 01,c1:
mate fulfilment of the convention, and referred also to 01;
negotiations taking place with regard to the revision cf
Russian tariff, the French treaty, and the alleged inaccurfA
of the Board of Trade returns.
The Recorder of Wigan, at the borough seSSiO
/34
on Wednesday, advocated a thorough revision of the hcell
sing system ; and with reference to beer he said he Was :0
favour of beerhousos in which there is no temptation to
drink so-called ardent spirits. But beor was frequel3Tro
adulterated by the infusion of salt and other even 11.0
injurious ingredients, to provoke unnatural thirst. 0
guard against this dishonest and iniquitous system' at
would have competent persons appointed to analyse'
short or uncertain interval; the beer sold in every beer,
house, and even in every public-house. On proof of el)'
deleterious adulteration a heavy fine should be inflicted.
An unfortunate man named Robinson, who otl
bitten by a dog at Halifax several months ago, has died fr°l,7o
the effects of hydrophobia, this being the fifth case of to:e
kind which has ended fatally at Ilalifax during the last f of
months. The excitement caused by the announcernento4
the death was intensified yesterday by the report theta 114,60
dog, which had come from Leeds, had bitten three ehila-bo
at Lee Bank. Two men, who pursued the animal into to
Market-place at Halifax, in order to destroy it, were bill,e
by the animal, which also attacked several other degB3/14, t
street. Thcse were afterwards killed, to prevent fur' °
mischief.;
ter'
The members for East Devon have been ell eir
tamed at a banquet at Sidmouth in celebration of thcio
return. Sir Lawrence Palk said they mielt „ties'
pond up n it that the surrender and confise'ior
of the Irish Establishment was only the btePPflre.
stone to granting further demands of the Roman Cattrrh
The objection that the Church in Ireland was the C"'c
-if a minority applied also to the English Ch the
In his opinion, however, they must retain
Church at all hazards, and the Irish Chtn.ch urch
.t,ause it was ono of the bulwarks of the v-iaSt
in England. And they must do more than that, thelaa it
reform and unite the Church if they wished to gil-tiste•
against the enemies of the faith and Protestantva
Lord Courtenay said although his party had
.13Aprin".
:ts position in the country it had not changed Lfier „Die
cipies. As a compact Opposition they would be wile beet
to give effect to their principles than they would I,l'qt is
had they continued in the position of a Governlnet3...and
minority. Mr. Disraeli bad taken a course pa triPlii;
gentlemanlike ; nothing in his political life became
his resignation, which had inaraensyl (string-t.
Mikis" • '