The Sun.
London, England, 1866-06-20 00:00:00

HUDSON'S BAY

ings.

It appears that the directors of this company
intend to recommend a dividend at the rate of 14s.

per share, payable on July 9, in addition to the Bs.
per share paid in January last.

CRYSTAL PALACE.
The half-yearly meeting of this company was held
yesterday at the London Tavern ; Mr. T. N. Far-
quhar in the chair.
The report, an abstract of which has appeared,
was taken as read.
The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the
report, said that so far as the first portion of the
year had gone the accounts were in a satisfactory
state, and the progress had been of a congratulatory
nature. As they were aware, no financial statement
was submitted at this meeting. In the early days
of the company it was found that the balance for
the half-year to April 30 had been always against
the company, the working expenses being in excess of
the earnings in thatperiod. With the constant efforts
that had been made, the balance of expenses against
earnings had been gradually diminished until about
two years ago, when the balance was placed at the
right side of the aceount, and during the past half-
year a larger profit than in any corresponding half-
year had been attained. Their progress in other
respects had been satisfactory. As to the dividend
for the present year, they had the summer before them,
and he had no reason to doubt that the proprietors
would realise a good and satisfactory result. (Hear.)
All ttieir branches of revenue were in a good state.
They had also the advantage of the private collection
of pictures belonging to Mr. Cousins, which were of
great service to the Palace, and they were much
obliged to him for lending them to the company.
He then explained that they had paid the represen-
tatives of the late Sir J. Paxton for improvements
and additions to the property at Rockhills £3,000,
and that the house and place had since been occupied
temporarily by the general manager. The Board
thought it very desirable that the general manager
should reside as near the Palace as possible, and they
proposed to build a suitable residence near Rockhillm
for the general manager of the company, at a cost
of £3,500. He hoped they would leave the arrange-
ment of this matter to the directors.
Mr. ANDERSON seconded the motion for the adop-
tion of the report.
Mr. BILLINGS moved an amendment to the effect
that Mr. Bowlby, the general manager, continue to
reside at Rockhills; and in the meantime that no
money be expended on a residence for the general
manager, as proposed.
Mr. THOMPSON seconded the amendment.
Mr. PUNCHER recommended improvements in the
refreshment department.

Captain MACDONALD expressed his entire approval
of the manner in which the affairs of the company
were managed in the Palace and grounds.
The amendment was carried by .a large majority,
and the report was adopted, subject to the amend-
ment already carried. The retiring directors--Mr.
H. S. Bicknell, Mr. e Horsley, and Mr. Nasmyth
—were then re-elected.
Sir C. Fox moved a formal resolution, requesting
the directors to make arrangements for keeping the
Palace and grounds entirely closed during every
Sunday.

Mr. GIRDLESTONE seconded the motion at some

length, amid considerable uproar.
Mr. B. LANGLEY moved an amendment to the
effect that two general meetings of the company
having already fully discussed and settled the whole
question, it was not advisable to make any altera-
tion whatever.

Mr. BILLINGS seconded the amendment, which
was carried by a very large majority ; and a vote
of thanks to the chairman concluded the proceed-

The Sick Poor in Workhouse Infirmaries.
Mr. Farnall, Poor-law Inspector, resumed, on
Monday, the adjourned inquiry into the serious
charge brought against the authorities of the Rother-
hithe. Workhouse. The inquiry took place in the
board-room.

Captain Stannock, chairman of the Rotherhithe
Board of Guardians, was first examined, but he
gave little evidence bearing on the case.
Mr. James Blake, a member of the board of
guardians, stated that he, often visited the infir-

maries of the house. There were slight complaints
made and remedied. The meat was cut up in the
common kitchen, and carried across the yard and
garden to the infirmary, but lately it had been car-

ri,2l across in the joint.
In answer to Mr. Hart, who represented the As-
sociation for Improving the Condition of the Lon-
don Workhouse Infirmaries, witness said he did not
remember an old man being choked with a piece of
meat, and then being buried under a certificate of
death from natural causes. He did not know of
other cases. There were no night-stools in the in-
firmary. He knew they were necessary, but did
not know whether the guardians ordered any. The
nurses were paupers, and he did not know whether
they could write. He believed there were closets to
the wards, but not to the upper ones. Had heard
complaints of opium being given to the patients.
Mr. Geo. Nicholls, surgeon, and formerly medical
officer to the house, said that Nurse Briton, against
whom charges had been made, was under him, and
was kind to the patients to the best of his belief.
She took opium. The pauper nurses used to get
drunk when they went out for a holiday.
Mr. Thomas Ford Firth, present medical officer
to the workhouse, said he received a salary of £35
a year, out of which he had to pay for drugs, which
cost about £l2 per annum. The guardians had
made improvements which he had suggested. The
mutton broth and beef tea were complained of. A
man had a cold, and an alteration was made. The
wine, beer, and spirits were complained of. They
were sometimes too weak. He had had to com-
plain of some of the sick not getting the beer he
ordered, them. Miss Beeton complained of the
quantity of stimulants ordered not being given to
the patients. In consequence of this the stimulants
were put under her charge. He remembered the
case of the man dying on the floor of the infirmary
whilst being taken to the water-closet. He had no
confidence in pauper nurses, but he added they
alone watched over the sick—there being but one
paid nurse to superintend the whole. He thought
the sick were treated kindly.
Mr. Farnall—Do you call it kind to set pauper
nurses, in whom you say you have no confidence,
to watch over the sick at night ?
Witness had not heard before that opium was
given to the patients. He occasionally ordered chops
for them, and believed they got them. Was not
aware at the time that the old man referred to was
really choked with the meat, and did not now con-
sider himself bound to accept the statement as true.
The man who died on the floor ought not to have
been taken to the water-closet, but he had no alter-
native but to dirty himself or fro. Taking him
across the ward no doubt accelerated his death.
There were no night stools in the infirmary.
Jane Sharp, a pauper inmate of the nursery,
said she remembered the pauper nurse Briton, and
had seen her act very cruelly to the patients. Had
seen her strip a poor woman namea Fairburn and
beat her on her nakedness. Had often heard
patients complain of Briton's cruelty, but she was
afraid to speak about it. She had no complaint
to make against the master and matron. She re-
membered two inmates named Turner and Derby.
Did not remember the latter having her
beer. Saw maggots come out of Derby's bed. Had
had to pay for the washing of her night gown,
and the laundress had sent it back to her unwashed
because she had no money to pay with. The meat
was very bad at one time.
Hannah Graham, an inmate of the infirm ward,
had seen nurse Briton ill-use Fairburn dreadfully,
pulling her out of bed,.beating her, and pouring
cold water over her. Briton also ill-used a woman
I named Usher, who was dead, by putting scalding
I but poultices on her. She was now contented.
This witness had been put upon mutton chops,
and evidence was taken that she did not get them
regularly.
Miss Becton, who preferred the charges, and who
was formerlyp
spwa id
enourrds
eer
eian
btyh et h
eh oduoseet,o r said sto hma
et
although cho
of the sick, they were not regularly,ii supplied, and
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hheard
utpo
fcoorrnnl
doingiu
osfoi,t. The
esaasidsishtapntl\-,mas notaster
going to cut chops for paupers, it hurt his hands.

Paupers had had to eat what they could get before
Dr. Frith (through whom she made the complaint)
came. After that mutton off the leg was substituted
for the chops, but it was cold and fat.
Maria Field, a pauper nurse, who confessed to
the weakness of drunkenness, corroborated in cer-
tain particulars the other witnesses.
John Salidwell, assistant-master of the house, did
not recoiect scolding Miss Beeton for complaining
about the chops. He did say that cutting chops
'curt his hands, and he wished paupers could be
served from the joint, and they were afterwards so
served. He removed Nurse Briton from the in-
firmary to the body of the house at Miss Beeton's
request. He remembered a pauper falling into a
ditch at the back of the premises and getting
smothered. An inquest was held, and the man was
not, as alleged, buried under a certificate of "death
from natural causes." He then proceeded to state
that he did not remember Miss Beeton reporting to
him her wants for the infirmary ; and to other
matters he gave a general denial.

The matron in her evidence said she did not know
about the ill-treatment proved to have been prac-
tised on the paupers ; but she remembered about the
maggots crawling out of a bed, and she saw them.
She did not know about the spirits being watered ;
she served them to paupers to take over just as she
received them.

The inquiry was then adjourned.
The third and concluding day's proceedings took
place yesterday. Dr. Anstie represented the asso-
tiort.

The evidence brought forward on this occasion on
the part of the guardians was that of Dr. Nichols,
the assistant medical officer to the workhouse, be-
fore Miss Beeton came, who stated that he had not
seen any cruelty on the part of the pauper nurses ;
and the Rev. R. Jones, rector of Rotherhithe, and
chaplain of the workhouse, who attested to the same
thing. This witness was cross-examined by the
commissioner at some length as to what he knew
about the matter, and he said he was sure the peo-
ple, if they had been ill-used, would have told him.
lie thought the paupers' evidence was much exag-
gerated ; but he could not say in what particular,
and he suggested that the woman Briton might have
beaten the patients as a woman might beat a dirty
child.

The witness Graham was recalled, and she, with
every appearance of truth, said her evidence was not
at all exaggerated.
The Commissioner expressed an opinion that he
-thought so, and entreated the clerk, if he bad any
evidence to rebut that given by the paupers, to
bring it forward.
The clerk conTessed he had none, thought strict
inquiries had been made.
A coroner's officer was called to prove that an in-
quest was held upon the man found in the ditch, but
he said no inquest had been held upon the person
who had been choked, or the man who had died
upon the floor of the infirmary.
A pauper wardsman was called to rebut the state-
ments about the patient dying upon the floor, but he
allowed that the man who had got out of bed, be-
cause there were no bed-pans or night-stools, fell
down, and had been got to the bed, " and that was
all," before he died. This witness, who had had to
administer medicines, could not read the name writ-
ten in an open band upon a bottle.
This closed the proceedings, and the report will
be forwarded to the Poor-law Board.