The Sun.
London, England, 1867-10-24 00:00:00

PRICE . 4d.
STAMPED sd.

711 E EARL OF DERBY AT LIVERPOOL

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Yeserlry the Earl of Derby laid the foundation
stone of the New Southern Holpital at Liverpool.
This institution has Lr rnany years performed a
most useful work in Liverpool, and so much have
the demands upon it increased that two years ago."
it was ieiolved to make efforts to erect a larger
building. The project found many friend,l. Messrs.
Culshaw and Sumners, architects, prepared a design
which was accepted, the estimAted cost being £35,000,
including land. Of this sum £21,105 has already been
raised. The site for the new building is in Hill-
street. The frontage will be 300 ft. to Hill-street,
and the depth 180 ft. There will be a central and
two end divisions. The central division will mtain
the administrative department, the operating theatre,
the chapel, the board-room, and offices, and the
o end divisions will be devoted. to nurses' rooms,
affording accommodation for 200 beds. The ar-
rangements for the occasion were very satisfactory.
The party from Knowsley arrived punctually at noon,
and consisted of the Earl and Countess of Derby,
Captain and Lady Constance Stanley, and Colonel
and Miss Wilbraham. Among the others present
were the Mayor of Liverpool, the Bishop of Chester,
the Bishop of Texas, the Dean of Chester, Arch-
deacon Jones, the Rector of Liverpool, Mr. Charles
Turner, M.P. ; Mr. T. B. Horsfall, M.P. ; Mr.
Laird, M.P. ; Mr. S. It. Graves, M.P. ; Mr. G. H.
Horsfall, and other.gentletnen.

The Bishop of CHESTER opened the proceedings
with prayer.
Mr. G. H. HORSFALL then said that in the absence
of Mr. Lawrence, chairman of the Building Com-
mittee, the duty deyolved upon him to present to
his lordship the trowel, and to request him to lay the
first stone of the new hospital. The present hospital
was built in 1812, and was enlarged in 1849, but it
was utterly inadequate to the wants of that large
and increasing neighbourhood. A few months ago,
under the auspices of their worthy chief magistrate,
an appeal was made to the public of Liverpool on
behalf of this institution. The public responded
moat liberally ; they were enabled to purchase and
pay for the land on which they were then assembled,
and had still in hand a considerable balance with
which to commence the erection of the building.
Ile was sure it gave his lordship as much pleasure
to take part in this work as it afforded gratification
to that numerous assembly to see him present.
(Cheers.)
The trowel, a very handsome one, manufactured
by Messrs. Elkington and Co., of Liverpool, was of
solid silver relieved with gold. At the end of the
handle was a finely chased earl's coronet. The
blade was ornamented with an entwined laurel leaf,
in gold, dividing it into two panels, one containing
the arms of the Earl of Derby, the other the follow-
ing inscription :
" Presented to the Right Hon. the Earl of Derby,
K.G., D.C.L., &c., First Lord of her Majesty's
Treasury, Chancellor of the University of Oxford,
&c., in commemoration of his laying the foundation
stone of the New Southern Hospital.
" GEORGE HENRY HORSFALL, President.
" W. CULSHAW, Architects.
" H. SUMNERS, F.R.I .B. A.,}
" Liverpool, October 23, 1867."

His LORDSHIP then proceeded to lay the foundation
stone in a manner which evoked many commenda-
tions of his skill at the masons' craft. Having laid
the stone, he said—Ladies and Gentlemen,—l have
been requested to say a few words to you on this
interesting occasion, but I must request your indul-
gence, for I really am not capable of much physical
exertion. My words shall be very few, indeed the
object for which we are met requires no argument
and no recommendation on my part. Charities of
other descriptions may be objected to, as I know
some have been, on the ground that,, however bene-
volently intended and admirable their object, they
might have the effect of encouraging the very habits
and vices which they are intended to remove and to
obviate. I know that such objections have been
made against foundling hospitals, refuges, and even
to soup kitchens and others ; but with regard to the
hospital there can be no question, no objection can
be made. It is a charity at once large and compre-
hensive, embracing every sect, every denomination,
land every rank, meeting the exigencies common
to our human nature and ways of life. It may
be, certainly, that in this hospital there will
be cases of delirium tremens brought on by in-
temperate habits, but no man will say
for a single moment that a person becomes a
drunkard in the hope of being treated for delirium
tremens in this hospital. (Laughter.) Nor will a man
voluntarily break an arm or a leg, or fracture his
skull for the purpose of experiencing the admirable
treatment he would here receive. The object of this
hospital is for sufferers to obtain relief from their
ailments. It is for the relief of human sufferings,
and all with the slightest feelings of humanity must
have an interest in it. Now, we are not going to
create a new institution, an untried experiment.
We are erecting a new and more extended building
for an existing institution—we are only enlarging
the benefits which have been very many years ex-
pended on a more limited scale. As the extent of this
great town increases, and as the population multi-
plies, it is an invariable fact that disease must spread
and increase in a corresponding proportion. I trust
the time will never arrive, however the population
and the suffering may increase, that there will not
be found abundant charity to meet the exigencies as
they arise from time to time. The great necessity
for the enlargement of the existing institution may
be collected from one or two facts only which I will
trouble you with. In the year 1842 I think it was,
25 years ago, the Southern Hospital was in the first
instance founded, and at that time they provided
accommodation for 50 beds. Since that time-25
years—ladies and gentlemen, you all know what has
been the growth of Liverpool, and what has been the
vast increase of population in this immediate neigh-
bourhood. In the course of a very few years it was
found necessary to increase the number of beds from
50 to 70, and it was subsequently still further in-
creased, until upon an emergency the present build-
ing can contain 106 patients. How has this increase
been obtained ? In the first place, by diminishing
the accommodation, the necessary accommodation,
for the servants and attendants in the hospital, whose
attendance is so highly necessary for the benefit of
the patients; and again, by a still more objection-
able feature, the curt.tiling of the space allotted
to the patients—on some occasions to such an
extent that the proportion to each patient was
less than half what those who attend to sanitary
matters considered to be necessary for the health of
the patients. When you crowd the hospital you
are obliged to resort to this. I need not urge any
more for the necessity of increased accommodation.
It is intended that the building about to b 3 erected
shall contain accommodation for 200 beds, but I
doubt not you will find that the claims on your
charity will in a short time come fully up to the
provision you will make. One circumstance I will
mention, and I think it will be most satisfactory to
those who have received benefit from the institution
in its present form. An infinitesimally small pro-
portion of those who have been admitted have died
in the hospital. By the accounts of last year of
which I have seen any return I see that there were
admitted into the hospital of surgical cases 4,300,
and of these more than 4,000 were sent out abso-
lutely and perfectly cured, and the total number of
deaths was only 57 or 67, I don't remember which.
Of the whole number of patients admitted the
deaths were 124, but more than two-thirds of
these were persons who died within 24 hours of their
admission to the hospital, and were therefore cases
that were almost hopeless, and, I think, should
scarcely have been included in the list. No less
than 24 were brought in dead, whose recovery could
hardly be expected from the mcst skilful treatment.
(Laughter.) I think what I have said will be Bui-
e ieut to enlist you sympathy and aid ins thQ