The Sun.
London, England, 1869-12-24 00:00:00

TBE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 24, 1869.

be rich is a dangerous thing to do ; prudence, prin-
ciple,
and common sense are very apt to be looked
over in the struggle, and then come vanity and vexa-
tion of spirit. While the Directors may be con-
gratulated upon their acquittal of a criminal charge,
they have to answer for a social wrong inflicted on
many, and the only secondary satisfaction of the
affair is that those who succeed them in commercial
circles may profit by their fate, and at any cost of
immediate gain avoid the risks they ran, and the
dangers they fell into by unwise speculations.

" England takes a great deal more care of her
criminals than of her paupers." Such is the startling
conclusion arrived at by a man of tried experience

and ability, placed iu a high official position, in every
way qualified to express an opinion, and to command
respect for that expression. More care for criminals
than paupers, more watchful tendance of the thief,
the burglar, the wife-beater, the poisoner, the swind-
ling tradesman, the ingenious impostor. If the health or
strength of such as these ilreome affected while they
are under the care of the State, doctors and nurses
are ready to prescribe and to tend them, to see the
proper remedies properly administered, and to give
every chance for the prolongation of lives so vain-
able, and energies put to such worthy account. But
the sick pauper, who cares for him or her ? What
matters one more or less amid the thronging crowds
inside and outside our workhouse walls? The
underpaid parish doctor, who is bidden to
attend to the wants of three or four hundred pa-
tients daily for a remuneration utteriy inadequate
for professional requirements, has enough medical
skill for them even should they be labouring under
agonising and complex diseases. The pauper nurse,
rough handed, reckless, with the harsh arbitrary
manner and loud jarring voice of one of the lower
ranks "dressed in a little brief, authority" is enough
in
the way of guard, and even she must be kept on
duty for a length of time which would stupify the
clearest intellect and deaden the most watchful care.
The result is what might be expected, neglect, rough
treatment, and occasionally terrible mistakes. If
they were criminals who suffered, directors, and in-
spector?, and members of Parliament, and Ministers
of State would be up in arms about the rights of
Englishmen, but paupers are so plentiful among us
that whatever one may profess we are all Malthusiaus
in practice, and hold their lives and deaths as mere
matters of course.

Such at least must be the conclusion of the " in-
telligent foreigner" who reads the report of an in-
quest held on 'Wednesday afternoon by the coroner
for Middlesex. It was one of eight held by Dr. LAN-
KESTER, on that occasion fire of them referring to
parish cases. The woman, whose death was the
subject of the inquiry to which we especially refer,
was named lIANNAtt Burr, and died in that Paradise of
Metropolitan Pauperism, St. Pancras Infirmary,
from the administration of a wrong dose of medicine.

HANNAH BUTT, who was 61, an age which, in the
pauper class, stands for much more than in the better
cared for ranks, was suffering from carbuncle and
debility. A mixture was ordered for her, and at the
same time a strong dose of calomel was ordered
for a young woman in the next bed, who
was ill with pleurisy. The result is soon
told. A careless overworked pauper nurse gave
the medicines wrong, the young woman was not
hurt by the mixture, but the five grains of calomel
put a speedy end to all poor HANNAH Burr's ail-
ments in this world.
iTbe nurse was not present at the inquest, St.
Pancras nurses having had apparently enough of
giving evidence, and a verdict of " Death from
misadventure" was returned. Of course DO
other verdict could have been given, but
subsequent inquiries el acid tte 1 the facts
that there was only one night nurse to 22 ward.:,
containing about 300 persons; that, going on duty at
eight at night, the nurses were kept on duty till
seven the next morning, and then assisted in the
scrubbing until twelve o'clock. The public verdict
on workhouse management will be something a little
more stringent. The three hundredth share of
the attention bestowed by an ignorant, over
tasked woman, who can scarcely know one
patient from another. What would FLORENCE
NIGHTINGALE say to this? Yet the narrow beds have
each their tale of suffering, patiently or impa,iently
barn', self-inflicted or undeserved, but suffering stil!.
Human frames quivering with anguish, human nerves
depressed by the languor of sickness, human hLads
throbbing with every jarring sound, human hearts
craving for the soothing voice of kindness, for
the ministering touch of love. Such aro not
for the English pauper. If he escapes absolute
suffocation, if he be not poisoned by mistake, he must
drag out his miserable d.tys amidst these cheerless
adjuncts. If he were only a criminal ! If HANNAH
BUTT bad only coveted her neighbour's goods or
taken her neighbour's life, breaking the old fashioned
teachings of the decalogue, even as we her neigh-
bours, in this great city of London, break every day
the command to love our fellow-men in regard to
these miserable dependants on the Christian kindness
of the State.

POLICE IN7ELLIGENCE.-7his Day.

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.

NINE TI3IES CoNvicrED.—Patrick Hannan, a
sturdy fellow, dressed in filthy rags, which scarcely
covered his nakedness, was brought before Mr.
Knox by Hewitt, Mendicity Society officer, charged
with begging.
Hewitt saw the prisoner in Piccadilly accosting
ladies in an insulting manner, and following and

threatening them if they refused to give him
anything, and he then took him into custody.
In answer to Mr. Knox,
Hewitt said he bacl known the prisoner as a
beggar for ten years, during which time be had
been convicted nine times for begging, each time at
this Court.

_ .
Barnes, the gaoler, said he had known the
prisoner since he was a child, and he had always
got his living by begging and preying on the
public.
Mr. Knox said he should not deal with the case,
but send the prisoner to be dealt with as an incor-
ri.;ible rogue at the Middlcsex Sessions.
CAUTION TO CABDIIIVERS.—AIexander Ferguson,
cab-driver, badge 1,292, appeared before Mr. Knox
charged with cruelty to a horse by working it while

in an unfit state.
An officer of the Royal Society for the Preven-
tion of Cruelty to Animals watched the case.
The prisoner was driving a horse attached to a
cab in Mill-street, and on Howes, 95 C, examining
it he found it to have a sore on its shoulder, another
on its back, and two wounds on one of its hind legs,
and on speaking to the prisoner about the horse he
said he did not think there was anything the matter
r ith it.

Mr. Knox fined the prisoner 10s. or 7 days.

WESTMINSTER.

THE BOY NUISANCE.—A NICE POINT OF LAW.—
William Jones, a boy about 14 years of age, was
charged with throwing stones in a public thorough-
fare to the danger of passengers.
Police-constable Matthew Stickler, 69 B, said
that he saw the defendant throwing stones last
night in Orford-street, Chelsea. Great complaints
generally had been made of the damage caused by
boys in throwing stones, and there was a tradesman
iiow present to speak to the magistrate on the sub-
ject.

Mr. Burgess, proprietor of the Doyley Arms
Tavern, Marlborough-road, Chelsea, said that he
had felt it his duty to come forward in order to
lessen if possible a great nuisance that existed.
There were a number of boys of defendant's stamp
constantly annoying the residents of the neighbour-
hood. They occupied the pavement by walking
about on stilts, and the amount of damage they did
was beyond conception.
a nice point of law whether
stilts is
ess—Theirlanguage is something fright-
wfualill.lkrrilllgSehuoairdfng t 4 playing a game."
i e
occasion to speak to this boy, and his
answer was revolting. The police do their best to
quell the thing, but the boys are upon the look out,
and when they see the constable they disperse until
he has passed, and then recommence the an-
noyance.

Mr. Selfe—Are the prisoner's friends here ?
.._.

can won come. They say they
deal of trouble for some time Fast.
odloicenmoaani—agThweiyth
him.
He has been a great

The defendant Was s:nt to hard labour for

five days.

D.R. TEMPLE'S RECEPTION _TY H/S

DIOCESE.

There is a hitch, it appears, in the arrangements for the
reception of Dr. Temple on his arrival in Exeter next
Tuesday. The Dean and the clergy generally take a
decided stand against joining in any demonstration in
his honour until ho has been actually installed as
Bishop. The Dean, in a long letter on the subject, points
out that until his installation Dr. Temple will not be the
duly accredited bishop of the diocese. The Town
Council, submitting to the Dean's better judgment, have
therefore (subject to the approval of Dr. Temple)
modified their arrangements as follows :—His lordship
is to enter the city privately on Tuesday, the 26th inst.
On tho following day he will be met at the east gate by
the civic authorities and others, and escorted down
High-street—the main thoroughfare of Exeter—to
Broadgate, which leads to the cathedral. This will
be in accordance with a custom that has prevailed from
time immemorial. At Broadgate he will be received and
welcomed by the Dean and Chapter, and then conducted
by them to the cathedral, whither he will bo acccompanicd
by the large procession by which he was first met. After
the installation, Dean Boyd will entertain his lordship
and a number of the clergy at the deanery or the Royal
Clarence Hotel hard by. On Thursday a &jeimer in the
Guildhall will be held, when the Dean, and Chapter, the
city and county magistrates, and others will assemble
in the Guildhall and hold high festival in honour of the
new Bishop.