The Sun.
London, England, 1861-05-14 00:00:00

KING'S COLLEGE HOSPITAL.

A remarkably commodious, substantial, ang ele-
gant structure, which has been in course of ereet.;on.
during the last three years, at a cost of abot:t
£lO,OOO, is now on the eve of completion, destined,
with the extensive wing built in a similar style a few
years ago, to be the future habitation of this noble,
institution, which, besides being a refuge on a large
scale for the sick and destitute poor, is also a. medi-
cal school of high repute. Little more than 20
years ago King's College Hospital was established
with the view of affording hospital accommodation
to the densely inhabited district between Holb ore.
and the Strand, the population of which in 18 61
was estimated at 400,000, and which until 1839 wa 6

entirely dependent for medical advice and assist—.
ance upon a single dispensary. The Council of
King's College, to promote the efficiency of their
medical school, cordially aided the efforts of influ-
ential inhabitants of the district and other benevo-
lent persons to establish an hospital for the relief
of the sick and destitute poor. The eminence of
the medical and surgical staff of the hospital con-
tinued to attract patients in large and constantly
increasing numbers, from not only all the surround-
ing parishes, but from other parts of London and
the suburban districts, and from the country many,
miles round. In 1840 the patients amounted to,
4,834, but the number during the past year has.
reached 33,153. Since the establishment of the
institution 462,685 patients have been admitted to
the benefits of the charity, of whom 26,464 were
in-patients, 426,991 out-patients, and 9,234 poor
married women attended in their confinement at
their own homes. About 150 beds are in constant
use, accommodating on an average between 1,4004
and 1,500 patients annually. The old workhouse
of the parish of St. Clement Danes, in which the
hospital was originally located, and wi2ere for years
it was " cribb'd, cabin'd, and confined," was SOOll
found inadequate both in the extent and character'
of the accommodation, and the governors,- assisted
by the generosity of the public, purchased ground
and buildings and ere_ ted a portion of a neNY hos-
pital, still retaining the partial use of the old bitild-
ing, by which the accommodation for in-patie uts
was extended, while convenience was supplied t:lr
out-patients resorting to the institution, and num-
bering about 500 a-day. In 1857 the managing
committee, urged by continually growing demands
for further accommodation, and having regard to
the dilapidated state of the old building, made an.
effort to raise £40,000 for the completion of the hos-
pital, by an appeal to the public, which was com-
pletely successful. The second and larger portion.
of the new edifice is now finished and ready l'or oc-
cupation ; the old building will be shortly polled
down, and the continuation of the Carey-street wing
proceeded with ; and the entire new building is eX-
peeted to be completed in the summer of next year,
when the hospital will accommodate 200 patients,
and in respect of convenience and comfort will bear
comparison with any similar institution in the
country. The institution is t: all intents and pur-
poses a free hospital ; all cases of accident and
urgency are at once admitted to the utmost limit of
the accommodation, and no patient is ever turned
away for want of a letter of recommendation. Of
the in-patients fully two-thirds are admitted free,
while out of the half a million out-patients relieved
since the establishment of the hospital, not more
than 10,000 have presented governors' letters. This
vast amount of relief afforded to sickness and suffer:

ing is administered at a cost of between £6,000 and
£7,000 a-year ; and the hospital, being unendowed,
is entirely dependent for support on the annual.
donations of its governors and the voluntary con-
tributions and bequests of benevolent persons. The
nursing department of the hospital is conducted by
the ladies and nurses of St. John's-house, an insti-

tution established for the special purpose of train-
ing nurses in a proper knowledge of their dutiee.
The nurses are young, active women, trained to the
work, who live in the hospital, and, like Miss

Nightingale, devote themselves to nursing. The
hospital is also an important medical school.
Since its commencement 1,300 students have ac-
quired professional experience within its walls and
within a few years the institution has acquired
a distinguished reputation. The new edi-
fice just completed is altogether six stories high,
including basement. It is built principally of brick,
with an imposing entrance from Portugal-street,
to which a flight of steps of Portland stone leads.
On the ground floor is a series of reception-rooms
for patients, with a bath room, and two lifts com-
municating with the wards on every story above,
by which means a patient is gently transported
to the lccality assigned him. A portion of the same
floor is devoted to offices for the authorities and to
a board-room. Each of the floors above, three in
number, consists of a ward 85 feet long by 24 feet
wide, admirably ventilated, lighted by nine win-
dows ; the top of the building is appropriated to
b,Td, bath, and general sitting rooms for the lady
nurses. Access is had to the whole of the upper
portion of it by a vast staircase; and the floors are
all fire-proof. The builders are Messrs. Lucas; the
architect, Mr. Bellamy.

GRAND CIVIC BANQUET TO THE MEMBERS OF
THE ROYAL ACADEMY or ARTs.--The present Lord
Mayor is resolved to impart to the hospitalities of the Man-
sion-house that character of generous and almost profuse
hospitality which distinguished it in the days when Sir
Wm. Curtis was its chief magistrate, and possessed so much
influence in the management of city affairs. At the inaugu-
ral dinner of the Royal Academy, an invitation to the
Mansion-house was given by the Lord Mayor to the whole
of the Royal Academicians, which has been accepted. The
banquet will take place on Saturday, the 25th instant.

THE THAMES EMBANKMENT AND RAILWAY COM-
MISSION.—Yesterday the commissioners appointed by the
Crown to inquire into and report upon this question, re-
assembled at the offices of the commission in Victoria-
street, Westminster. Plans were placed before the com-
missioners, and explained by Mr. J. Sewell, C.E. ; Sir W.
Worsley, of Hovingham Hall, York; Mr. T. Page, C.E.,
the architect of new Westminster-bridge ; Mr. Bazalgette,
engineer to the Metropolitan Board of Works; and Mr.
Burze.

THE UNITED STATES AMBASSADORS IN LIVER-
POOL.—The following members of the United States diplo-
matic body arrived yesterday in Liverpool, by the Niagara,
from Boston :—The lion. Cassius M. Clay, United States
Minister to Russia, Mrs. Clay, two Misses Clay, and three
children; the Hon. C. F. Adams, United States Minister
to England, Mrs. Adams, Miss Adams, and Messrs. H. P.
and B. Adams ; the Hon. J. L. Haldemann, United States
Minister to Sweden, Mrs. Haldemann. and two children.
THE ROMANTIC SUICIDE ON PRIMROSE-HILL.—.-
VERDICT, "FELO DE SE.,,—Last evening Mr. G. S. Brent,
deputy coroner for the western division of Middlesex, and
the jury empannelled on Monday last, re-assembled at the
-Elephant and Castle, King's-road, Camden • town, pursuant
t) adjournment, for the purpose of closing an inquest 0A
the body of Mr. Robert Goreing, aged 34, who committed
suicide by shooting himself on the top of Primrose-hill, on
the 4th instant, as reported in our columns. Several addi-
tional witnesses were called, with the view to ascertain the
condition of deceased's mind immediately preceding death •
After which the jury returatal x yqdict of 4, Isle de 50,', •