The Sun.
London, England, 1859-02-09 00:00:00

ST. PANCRAS WORKHOUSE.

INCARCERATION OF AN ALLEGED
INSANE PAUPER.
Yesterday, at the weekly meeting of the directors
of the poor of St. Pancras, held at the Vestry-hall,
Camden -town, Mr. Churchwarden Attenborough
in the chair,
Mr. STOCKTON said he wished to call the atten-
tion of the board to a subject which he felt, when
they heard it, the board would consider it a duty
they owed to themselves, as well as to the ratepayers
and the poor, at once to investigate. From informa-
tion derived from Mr. Ross, Mr. Furniss and him-
self had on the previous day come to the workhouse
for the purpose of investigating the case of a man
named Stack, an inmate of the workhouse. As he
(Mr. Stockton) intended to ask for a committee, he
would not go in to details, but would simply state
that this poor man having two children at Forest-
gate Schools, one of whom was very ill, if not dying,
had asked to go out to see it. Having been refused,
he got over the wall, and on his return, in conse-
quence of his alleged excitement, he had been sub-
jected to great coercion. This he thought justified
him in moving for a committee of investigation.
Mr. WYATT said the board could not consent to
a committee without knowing the allegations.
Mr. FURNTSS, who had been sworn in as a newly
elected diPector that day, said he should second Mr.
Stockton's motion. The fact was, that this poor
fellow, because he got excited about not being per-
mitted to go end see his child, had been, by order of
some of the authorities, locked up as a lunatic for
nearly a week. When, however, Mr. Stockton,
Mr. Ross, and himself went there on the previous
day, the keeper of the lunatic ward said he had no
business to be sent there, and when they sent for the
doctor, he ordered him out. For their own credit's
sake, he trusted the board would investigate the
matter. If they did not, they might depend upon
it the vestry would.
A lengthened conversation took place, but ulti.
mately the committee was appointed.

UNFORTUNATE EMIGRANTS.—On the 6th of No-
vember a number of Irish emigrants sailed from this port
in the James Foster, and after being at sea for 49 days,
they were landed at Queenstown and sent back here. They
were next put on board the Isaac Wright, which caught
fire on the very night she ought to have sailed. They were
again placed on board the Isaac Webb, which has also re-
turned to port again, after being 24 days at sea.—Liverpool
Albion.

[ADVERTISEMENT.]—.The Recent Changes of Tempera-
ture.—lt is very important that such changes as have
recently taken place in the temperature of the atmosphere
should not be treated with indifference. The public should
be watchful of the effects which these changes frequently
have on the body. The skin and nervous system suffer
severely, erysipelas, blotches, boils, rheumatism, sore
throats, and many other complaints of this nature, fre-
quently arise from this cause. When symptoms of these
diseases show themselves they should be promptly attended
to. Holloway's Pills and Ointment are wonderful remedies
and eradicate the above diseases immediately they present
themselves. The Ointment should be rubbed into the parts
affected, and the Pills taken according to the printed di-
rections.
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A SCOTCH PLEA FOR SCOTCH
NATIONALITY.

(From the Dispatch.)
The Times has done that which Burke thought
impossible; he has raised a bill of indictment against
a whole nation, and probably procured " the ver-
dict of a most impartial jury" in favour of a con-
viction. In short, he has impannelled England to
try Scotland for the crime of patriotism, which it
euphuises into that of " provincialism." A whole
column of its report on the Burns Centenary was
taken up with the subject, and two elaborate
leaders followed. The occasion was remarkably
ill-chosen, because we could really find nothing
provincial in the movement—no self-glorification--
no egotism under the cloak of love of country.
Burns was, indeed, extolled ; but not " Scotland or
the Scotch." Was not the diatribe of the Times
itself a proof that it did not believe in its own
charge ? Would it really have offended a whole
kingdom of its readers had it believed them to be
touchy and liable to take offence ? Was there not
a secret conviction that, after all, the Scotch would
have a good-natured laugh over it—while John
Bull would inwardly chuckle at seeing Sawney
shown up ? We think we know both pretty
thoroughly, and it may be profitable to both to
know themselves and each other a little better. It
is perfectly true that Scotchman are intensely na-
tional. They have a pride of country which they
cannot conceal. There is an unconscious patriotic
egotism about them which is very offensive to
strangers, just as any other egotism is. They ought
to see and to know perfectly well that, however
proud they may be of their own land, the theme
cannot be the least agreeable to the natives of other
lands ; that good breeding is good sense, and that
they should not be so thin-skinned, and, at the
same time, so vain of their nation. They don't
hear Englishmen and Irishmen continually thinking
aloud that their country can whip creation—that
it is curious every great man is somehow or other
English or Hibernian ; they " let their works
praise them." Our contemporary was only too happy
in his ridicule of the jealousy of the Scotch about
their coat-of-arms, about the Scottish lion, and
about England being used to express the United
Kingdom. The Scotch don't mean to be so " stupid
before company"—they are not aware of their
weakness when they indulge in it—they don't know,
when they are extolling Caledonia with such unction,
that their auditors are secretly listening with con-
tempt or disgust at a fellow bragging so about
himself, because he is really not boasting of himself,
but of that which he regards as a most disinterested
idolatry of what he looks upon as far above .
him-
self. But after all is not his " provincialism"
natural ? It is quite certain that Scotland contri-
butes of great men, of men of eminence in ever
line, man for man almost as many as England with.
six times her population and many times her ad-
vantages. It is very remarkable, also, to see so
poor a country bear up so manfully in productive-
ness, in commerce, in taxation, especially—that her
property and income-tax, her customs and excise,
are rateably quite as much as those of England--
that in all subscriptions, philanthropic and public
objects, her liberality is so large and so sterling.
But the real cause of her "provincialism," as it is
called, is that her whole character is intensely dis-
tinctive and national, and that of England is not.
Walk into your kitchen ; can your servants tell you
anything about Milton, aye, or even of Cromwell or
Hampden ? It is very doubtful if they know their
very names. Go to Egham, ask the hedger, or the
ploughman, to point out Runnymede, and to tell
you about it, he will stare, scratch his head, and
cry " anan !" He does not know what you mean.
But no Scotch kitchen can be found where Burns is
not sung and recited—no Scotch ploughman who
cannot tell you all about Wallace and Bruce. We
have walked behind Scotch peasants at the plough
who would talk for a whole day about " Sir Watty,"
as they call Scott. Do any English authors com-
mand such a national tribute ? What is the
reason ? To some extent, perhaps, inferior edu-
cation ; but chiefly because there is nothing
distinctively national about their writings—
nothing sufficiently characteristic and individual
about the thought and features to enable one to say
that can be met nowhere else. Whatever, indeed,
is national, is in individual bearing suppressed. Au
Englishman scorns to brag of his country, although
in his secret heart he looks down upon everybody
that is not an Englishman, although for the world
he would not say so. He is too civilised an animal
for that. In fact, our ideal of him is that he is
emphatically a man rather than an Englishman ; a
Hampden or a Falkland in his type—a simple
citizen. The nationalism of the Scotchman is very
disagreeable ; but has it not its uses ? Has he not
kept his own laws, religion, customs, indepen-
dence ? Has it not given him what the Times calls
his " indomitable pluck ?" Does it not inspire his
emulation and animate his ambition—fire him to
great deeds " for the honour o' auld Scotland ?"
Does it not combine society and heal its distractions
whenever the common interest is assailed ? Selfish
it too often is. Honest John Bull, God bless him!
has no jealousies. He puts the best man, the most
serviceable instrument in the right place, and thus
exalts the Scotch without envy or grudge—content-
ing himself with his joke that Sawney never finds
the way North again. He is welcome to his jest.
"Let them laugh that win."