The Sun.
London, England, 1867-02-09 00:00:00

tl
ARDY said last night the condition of things is
very different from that existing when the work-
houses were designed. " They were designed as
workhouses under the New Poor Law to deter
able-bodied persons from going into them, and it is
found they do act as a check in this way ; and now
they are places chiefly for the sick and aged poor,
the very persons whom the country would wish to
see well cared for." There is probably no adverse
opinion upon this point, although the difficulties
attending the application of a better method are on
all sides admitted to be very great. Let us see how
Mr. HARDY proposes to deal with them.
In the first place, with a view partly of ob-
taining the much-wanted increase of space for
the infirmaries, he proposes removing the lunatics
and imbeciles into separate estabablishments—a
suggestion highly commendable for many other
reasons. It is simply impossible that such persons
should be properly treated within the walls of a
close London workhouse, or that they should re-
ceive the treatment most desirable for their ma-
ladies, or the alleviations required by their suffer-
ings of mind and body. It is, in fact, a common
thing for the epileptic and partly afflicted patients
in workhouses to pass after a temporary sojourn to
the lunatic asylum. Still, even with the removal
of these two thousand lunatics, imbeciles, and
idiots, there will be great deficiency of space for the
proper accommodation of the sick. His public pro-
posals with the same end are therefore to place all
children above two years of age in separate schools,
and to remove the fever and smallpox patients, who
are reckoned at 700 or 800, to entirely. different
buildings. The removal of the children is on every

account desirable, while the separation of the patients
suffering from infectious diseases is a measure loudly
called for on sanitary grounds. The infirmaries for
the remaining sick poor would be placed under
separate boards of management, so as to avoid the
evils attending thesystem adopted for the ablcbodied.
An attempt is also to be made to obtain for the infir-
maries a somewhat differently constituted board by the
appointment of one-third of the members by the Poor
Law Board, such persons being selected from resi-
dents in the district rated at not less than £lOO a
year. This proposal, Mr. HARDY admitted, was
a novel one, but he reminded the House thdt in
other parts of the country the justices of the peace,
practicflly the largest ratepayers of the district,
had seats at the Board. The novelty of the sug-
gestion is no real objection to it, since it is indis-
putable that new plans are wanted, and it is
highly desirable that a new class of inspectors
should be appointed, who can devote their atten-
tion exclusively to the management of the sick and
infirm wards.

The manner of meeting the increased expense
entailed by these various proposals was the next
subject for consideration. Mr. IIARDT shrinks from
proposing an equalisation of the metropolitan rates,
partly because he sees serious difficulties in the man-
ner of administering the common fund, and partly,
no doubt, because he fears the opposition which
such a proposal would be certain to encounter. lie
makes, however, some very excellent suggestions.
The lunatics he proposes should be charged on a
common fund, since lunatics do not belong
more to one part of the metropolis than another,
and their claim must be bona fide. The same prin-
ciple applies to the fever and small-pox patients,
whose diseases cannot be simulated, and whose
separation from others are of great importance to
the public health. Also the care and teaching of
the children is to come upon the common fund.
'These several changes will give immense relief to
the overburdened parishes, while they will not press
unduly upon others. The additional charge to the
City of London will be no more than 3!.1. in the
pound, whereas the charge will relieve St. George's,
Southwark, of ls. in the pound, and the general rate
over London will not be more than a penny.
The management and maintenance of the ordinary
local poor is to be left as at present entirely to their
own different districts and unions.

Another very important power to be granted to
the Poor Law Board is to appoint proper officers
n the event of the guardians or managers neglect-

ing to do so. The Irish Poor Law Commissioners
possess this power, though they never found it

necessary to exercise it, and Mr. HARDY believes
the knowledge that the Poor Law Board possess it
will prove quite sufficient to keep the local autho-
rities up to their duty.

Mr. HARDY'S able and interesting exposition
of the difficulties of the case, and of the
manner in which he proposed meeting them,
was listened to with deep attention by both
sides of the House, and at its conclusion he was
thanked by several members for the earnestness and
ability which he had displayed. Judging from the
first hearing the Bill is likely to meet with very
favourable treatment from the House ; and, although
it is very possible there may be some modification
of its details which Mr. HARDY assured hon.
members he did not object to, it is likely that its
leading principles will be accepted unreservedly.
The separation of lunatics and infectious patients,
the special care of the children and of the sick and
infirm, and.the levying of a general rate for these
general purposes without interference with existing
arrangements in other respects are its main features ;
and they are such as commend themselves to the
justice and humanity of all who are anxious to find
a practical solution of the great and pressing
grievances existing under the Poor Law as at pre-
sent administered.

It is satisfactory to find that the affairs of Hun-
gary are in a more prosperous condition, and that
we may really entertain a hope that some good un-
derstanding may yet be arrived at. The formation
of the new Hungarian Ministry is such as to win
the confidence of the people of Hungary ; at its
head is the name of Count. JULIUS ANDRASSY,
which is sure to be a welcome one to all parties.
Perhaps things may now take a turn altogether for
the better, and greater confidence be felt on all
sides. We learn from A gram that the party in the
Croatian Diet, which is favourable to Hungary,
has invited members of the other parties to hold a
conference, so that a speedy union between
Croatia and Hungary may be arranged. This pro-
mises well, and we hope that some definite result
will follow. It is certain that if a union takes
place between these countries that both will become
stronger, and that the cause of freedom must
prosper. The Imperial Government seems to have
learnt a wise lesson of late, and to have resolved,
so far as they can, to put things on a better footing
than they have hitherto been. We hope that
nothing will occur to mar the fulfilment of so
worthy a design, and that as time goes on the good
feeling of the Hungarian people will encourage the
Vienna authorities to concede more and more to
their wishes until the final measure of their expec-

tations is reached.
As for Prussia it seems as if the rulers there were
determined to do their utmost to provo how tyran-
nical and arbitrary they can be. Scarcely a week
passes but we find some new offence committed
against the liberty of the subject and the privileges
of the constitution. It is all very fine for Mr.
BRIGHT to rave about the admirable institutions of

the nations of the Continent, and to declare that
tho day-star of liberty has risen over the glorious