The Sun.
London, England, 1850-01-03 00:00:00

SCOTTISH HOSPITAL.

A quarterly court of the governors of this institution
was held in the Scottish Hall, Crane-court, Fleet-
street, yesterday afternoon ; Mr. Nesbitt in the chair.
The minutes of the last court having been read and
con firmed,
The HoN. SECRETARY submitted a statement of
the accounts of the Kinloch Trust Fund for the year
ending Dec. 31, 1849. The receipts were :—Cash in
the Bank of England, 551. 10s. Bd.; dividends in
Stock, 1,608/ 15s. ; Sto Ic sold, 409/. 18s. 9d.—total,
2,074/. 4s. sd, The payments v% ere :—Pensions
granted during the y( ar, 1,8221 ; salaries and ex-
penses, 1891. 9s 7d. ; which items, together with a
balance at the Bank of England of 621. 14s. 101.,
made up a total of 2,0741,. 4s. id. The t,,tal am,,unt
of the stook of the trust is at present 53,7501.
These accounts having been unanimously ado, ted,
Dr. WEnsTER rose to read an address of condolence
from the governors of the hospital to the family of the
late Sir Charles Forbes (formerly vice-president of
the charity), and which had been ordered to be
prepared by a committee appinted at the previous
meeting.
The address was unanimously agreed to, and or-
dered to be presented to the family.
Dr. WEBSTER then rose to propose that an address
of condolence should be presented to her Majesty on
the Death of the late Queen Dowager, and warmly
eulogised the character and conduct of that illustrious
lady, the circumstances attending whose decease
and whose obsequies he considered to be among the
most remarkable events ever recorded in history.
The address was then read at length, and was as
follows :

" We, the president, vice presidents, treasurer, and
governors of the Scottish Hospital, humbly approach
your Majesty to offer our sincere condolence on the
demise of your Majesty's illustrious relative Adelaide,
the Queen Dowager—a bereavement which has oc-
casioned deep grief to all your Majesty's subjects of
the United Kingdom.
" We beg leave also to express the sorrow which
we share, in common with our fellow subjects, from
the patronage and liberal support which her late
Majesty was pleased to bestow on this ancient charity,
and the deep interest which that illustrious lady
always evinced for its prosperity, at the same time
that her late Majesty was a generous benefactor to
many other most useful charities of this country.
"It is a source of high gratification that this an-
cient charity, instituted for relieving the necessitous
and deservieg portion of your Majesty's Scottish sub-
jects, has been long honoured, not only with the
favour and support of your Gracious Majesty, but
also with that of your Majesty's royal mother, and
we venture humbly to solicit that your Majesty will
be pleased to continue to the Scottish Corporation
that countenance and protection which it has now en-
joyed for more than two centuries from your Majesty's
royal predecessors.

We likewise beg permission to offer to your
Majesty our sincere and truly heartfelt wishes that
Providence may long preserve your Majesty to reign
over a loyal, united, and religious people, and that
all prosperity and happiness may be vouchsafed to
your Majesty, to his Royal Highness Prince Albert,
and to all your Majesty's illustrious family."
This address was also adopted unanimously, and
having received the seal of the corporation, was ordered
to be forwarded to Sir George Grey, at the Home-
office, for presentation to her Majesty.
There being no further business to transact; the
court then broke up.

THE RURAL POLICE AND AGRICUL-

TURAL DISTRESS.

GLOUCESTER, WEDNESDAY.—The quarter•session'
for this county opened yesterday, and one of the
most crowded meetings of the county magistracy
ever brought together (numbering nearly 100)

assembled on the occasion,` in consequence Of notice
having been given that a proposal would be made for
reducing the county police force one-fifth, and for
reducing the salaries of the remainder of the force,
and also the salaries of all the other officers of the

county, in const quence of the existing distress in the
agricultural districts of the county, and also on ac-
count of the cheapness of provisions. Among the
magistrates present were the Duke of Beaufort, Earl
Fitzhardinge, Hon. Grantley_Berkeley, 1.1. P., Hon.
Craven Berkeley, Mr. Mullings, M.P., Sir NV. Co-
drington, M. 1?., Hon. Mr. Talbot, Sir M. H. Beach,
Sir John Guise, Mr. Ricardo, M.P., &c. Mr. Pur-
nell in the chair.

The CHAIRMAN read the report of the special com-
mittee appuinted at the last quarter-sessions to consi-
der the practicability of reducing the police force and
diminishing the salaries of the county officers. The
report was a very lung one, but it recommendei that
the salaries of all the officers abave 50/. per
annum should be reduced 5 per cent.; all salaries
above 1001. and less -than 2001. to be reduced

0 pa cent• ; and all above 2001. per annum 15

c,nt. A revision of the dietaries of the county

.
prison was recommended, with the view of lower-
ing it, as it was considered too high, and as

affording a premium to crime. The Secretary of
State for the Horne Department had sent down tables
of dietaries for adoption by the Court, but the Chair-
man said it was the duty of the courts of quarter
sessions to form the dietaries, and lay them before
the Secretary of State for approval. It was recom-
mended that in future there should be only one
chaplain to the county prison, instead of two ;
and that the salaries of the chaplains to the
various houses of correction should be reduced
from 1001. to 601,, where they performed other clerical
duty. The clerk of the peace's fees were also recom-
mended to be reduced. As to the police force, the
present number of constables was 250, and it was
proposed to reduce it to 200 ; the second class con-
stables to be paid, as now, 15s. per week ; the first-
class to be reduced from 18s. to 17s. 6d., and the ser-
geants from 21s. to 205.; the officers of superior
grade to be subject to the per can tage reduction of 5,
10. or 15 per cent. according to amount. This would
effect a total saving in the police force of 3,1601. per
annum. The county treasurer's salary was to be
reduced from 1501. to 601. per annum.
The discussion which followed the reading of the
report occupied about three hours.
Mr. HOPKINSON moved the adoption of the report.
Sir W. CODRINGTON, M.P., seconded the motion.
He hoped that at a time of agricultural distress like
the present, when wheat was 20s. per quarter lower
than Sir Robert Peel had said it ought to be to give
the agriculturist any remuneration, the Court would
not call upon the ratepayers of the county to pay
more than was actually necessary for the maintenance
of the peace and order of the county.
The thin. GRANTLEY BERKELEY, M.P., said the
only way in which he would support the motion
before the Court was, with the understanding that at
the expiration of the present year the whole of the
rural police force should be discontinued altogether.
From the experience which he had had of other
counties, where there was no rural police establish-
ment, he was satisfied that the peace of the county
could be maintained and crime repressed without
their aid.
Earl FITZIIARDINGE opposed the reduction of the
force and of the salaries. They would not get good
officers to remain in the force if they reduced their
pay and increased their work. As to the argument
that the police force was not fairly distributed, and
that Cheltenham had more than its fair share, his
Lordship pointed out that a large proportion of the
criminals came from the Cheltenham district. Out of
108 prisoners for trial at these sessions,26 were from
the Cheltenham district.
The Hon. C. BERKELEY maintained that Chelten-
ham had only its fair proportion of the police.
The different recommendations of the committee
were put to the Court seriatim, and all adopted, with
the exception of that recommending reductions in the
police force and salaries, which was reserved for the
last. When it came on for discussion,
Lord ELLENBOROUGH addressed the Court at some
length. He blamed the committee for not keeping a re-
cord of the evidence received on their inquiry, to lay be-
fore the Secretary of State. For his part he regretted
that the Court had not gone to the utmost limit when
they established their police force. He was inclined
to thiok that the County Constabulary Act was in-
tended to be made compulsory. He was of opinion
that a large proportion of the expense of the rural po •
lice force should be defrayed out of the national ex-
chequer. That was the original intention of the
Metropolitan Police Act. The Irish police were
established on the seine principle, and now the
whole of the cost of the Irish police force
was paid from the public revenue, and he
thought this principle should be carried out for all
the police. Without looking to the particular cir-
cumstances of the pressure on the agricultural interest,
which had been alluded to, and which to a certain
degree was to be attributed to the legislative measures
of the Government, there was sufficient to justify this
Court, instead of proceeding with the proposed plan of
reduction, to go at once to the Legislature and ask to
be relieved of one-half the expense of the force, in
order to enable them to continue it in its efficiency.
He had made such a proposition in his place in Par-
liament, feeling that the Government out to bear hall
the expense of the rural police force. They dared
not make such a proposition for reducieg the pay
of an armed force. The principle was not equitable ;
it was a breach of agreement, and contrary to public
policy.
The Duke of BEAUFORT expressed his entire co.

incidence with what bad fallen from Lord Ellenbo-
rough ; but if he had not had the advantage of hearing
his Lordship, be could not have voted for the reduction
proposed.
Earl FITZUARDINGE expressed similar sentiments.
After a good deal of discussion on the part of other
magistrates, the Court decided by 50 votes to 30
against any reduction in the police force, or in the
officers' salaries, except that of the chief constable
(5501. per annum), on which a reduction of 15 per
per cent. was to be made on 3001.