The Sun.
London, England, 1845-11-25 00:00:00

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241
NORTHERN LUNATIC ASYLUM

77'

(From the Inverness oourier.)
A meeting of the subscribers, tollila Institution' was
held in the Castle on Friday list, for the ptgßosa-fif
organising and adopting the necessary ineasti‘Vr
carrying out that important scheme.-. earpnl4( .'ose
present were—the Mackintosh, Reignipr--% .den,
Ballindalloch, yr.; Sheriff Tytler, Mr. Gfairg'o ; ught ;
Mr. Gollan, of Gollanfleld ; Provost Sutherland, Rev.
Mr. Clark, Rev. Mr. Thorburn, Rev. Mr. Fraser, Kirk-
hill ; Mr. Coiquhoun, Mr. Mackenzie, banker ; Mr.
Waterston, ditto ; Dr. Nicol, Dr. Hugh Fraser, Mr.
Forbes, chemist ; Major Macpherson, Drummond ; Mr.
Ross, Berbice Cottage ; Mr. Burnett, Kinchyle ; Bailie
Rose, ; Mr. Mitchell, C.E. ; Mr. A. H. Rennie, mer-
chant ; Mr. D. Fraser, ditto ; Mr. W. Simpson, ditto ;
Mr. Ferguson, wine-merchant ; Mr. C. Stewart, soli-
citor ; Mr. J. Fraser, ditto ; Mr. A. Campbell, ditto.
Sheriff Tytler having been unanimously called to the
chair,
Mr. CoLcitruousr, convener of the Committee, read the
following report of the it proceedings :
" The increasing prevalence of lunacy through the
county of Inverness, and the obligation upon the local
authorities to confine, at the expense of the parish of
domicile, all persons thus dangerously afflicted, com-
pelled this project as a matter of ordinary prudence, and
apart from all consideration of general philanthropy.
Accordingly, at the annual county meeting of the 30th
April, 1843. the project was submitted to the public. It
was resolved to endeavour to afford the benefit of the
institution to all the northern counties, standing, as they
did, under circumstances of equal necessity ; and a com-
mittee was appointed to solicit subscriptions on this en-
larged and general footing. They commenced their
duties ; but circumstances fur some time were adverse ;
and thiey hail the deep misfortune to lose, almost at the
outset of their labours, one of their most influential,
z-alous, and valued members, by the sudden death of
Mr. Fraser, of Newton. Keenly alive to the true be-
nevolence of the undertaking, he was lending it tLe
liberal assistance of example and of his energies up
to the period of death; and that melancholy event
naturally aft eted, for a time, the exertions of those as-
sociated with him in the Committee. Thus the project
remained in temporary abeyance. But it seemed soon
evident that unless active measures were again resorted
to, there could be no reasonable anticipation of a sacces-
ful issue. A public meeting of the heritors, magistrates,
and clergy, was called accordingly, upon the 10th day
of December, 1844, and the necessity of an immediate
canvass was admitted, and pressed upon the Acting
Committee. They undertook the task. The funds at
that date amounted to 1,5001., and to-day they stand on
the list as 4,7001. This sum is almost entirely the re-
sult of private contribution; for only one parish, that of
Dornuch, in Sutherland, has entered a subsription, and
only one public body, the Caledonian Bank of Inverness,
has given a contribution;—the parish of Dornoch has
taken one share of 211.; the Caledonian Bank has given a
subscription of one hudred guineas. Apart, indeed, from
these two sums, the contributions have been entirely
from the hand of private benevolence. The town and
neighbourhood of Inverness have given most liberally,
and many of the districts of the county with an equal
hand Under very trifling exceptions, the Committee
have, as yet, been prevented from prosecuting their
solicitations throughout the northern counties. Several,
however, of the most influential proprietors of the north
are amongst the contributors ; and this circumstance
warrants the hope that the canvass which is to be imme-
diately commenced may be successful. The Committee,
through two of their number, have applied for subseripe
bons in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester,
and London, confining, unless in one or two instances,
their applicatiol to those connected by birth, or pro-
fession, or trade, with the northern counties. They
regret to say that they failed in many quarters where th 6 y
had the best reason to anticipate success ; bat, again,
there were instances where the claim of enlargatbene-
volence, apart from local feeling, was willingly unfitted.
There were individuals who appeared to consider it a
privilege to have an opportunity of contributing to an
object tending so obviously to alleviate the miser:es of
the poor.

"Such, then, is the amount of the realised funds, and
such is the source from which they have been, to a very
considerable degree, derived. The committee have no
hesitation in stating to the subscribers their belief, that
the subscription will be soon considerably augmented.
An important addition may be reasonably anticipated
from the northern counties, and the result of an influen-
tial communication with India may be looked for with
eonfider.?e. In closing this part of the subject, the com-
mittee have to mention, that, whilst in London, they
had the advantage of communicating with the Lord Ad-
vocate upon the proposed scheme—that his Lordship
became himself a subscriber, and that he obtained for
the institution the benefit of the royal patronage. It is
hoped that such royal countenance may be the means of
assisting the subscription in directions where otherwise
it might not have penetrated. In any event, it invests
the undertaking with an additional interest and import-
ance, and guarantees to the public- an efficient constitu-
tion and management—requiring as it does that that
constitution shall receive the approval of the high officers
of the Crown.

" The committee have made it their endeavour to oh-
Ain the best advice as to the site of the proposed insti-
ution. They have requested the assistance of Dr. Mal-

cola], of Perth, a gentleman eminent in the treatment of
the insane, and whose opinions were matured during an
extensive continental tour amongst similar institutions,
preparatory to the erection of Murray's Asylum, in the
neighbourhood of Perth, with which he has been from
its erection, and stilt is, intimately connected. He
selected four sites as eligible—one on the pro-
perty of Mr. Baillie, the proprietor of Culduthel ;
another on that of Mr. Mackintosh, of Raigmore ;
a third at the Hut of Health, on the estate of
lushes ; and a fourth on the lands of Charleston, the
property of Mr. Baillie, of Dochfour. With the first
of these proprietors, Mr. Baillie, of Culduthel, the
Committee have been in communication, but the terms
of feu demanded of him are quite impracticable, and
therefore the site upon his property adjoining the
Quarry, and close to the march with the Raigmore lands,
is out of the question. The Committee have also corn-
tnunicated with Mr. Mackintosh, but without any result
—that gentleman requiring to know from them the
amount of feu that will be given, and the Committee
naturally enough begging to be informed what is to be
asked, and here the negotiation stands with Mr. Mackin-
tosh. Of course it will be the duty of the subscribers
immediately to open a communication with Mr. Robert-
son of Inshes, and Mr. Baillie of Dochfour, and there-
after to select from those equally eligible sites that which
may be obtained upon the most eligible terms.
". In these circumstances of realised funds and antici-
pated increase, the county committee have considered
themselves required to delay no longer the commence-
ment of the institution. The necessity for.its erection
is every day forcing itself upon their attention. The
number of lunatics confined at the expense of the several

parishes is every day increasing, and the operation of
the New Poor-law Bill must necessarily add to the num-
ber. That Bill directs a course by which reluctant
parishes may be compelled to the humanity of providing
sufficient accommodation for their lunatic poor ; but it
affords no assistance towards securing such accommoda-
tion. The more stringent the obligation upoa parishes,
the more important to them should be the ereelon of a
local and inexpensive institution, such as that proposed.
This is obvious, and will undoubtedly force itself upon
the understanding of all such burdened parishes.
" The Committee, impressed with these important
considerations, submit their proceedings to the general
subscribers, and suggest that, without any delay, the
necessary steps should be taken for the organization of
the Asylum.
" They cannot close the accout of their proceedings
without expressing the obligation under which the insti-
tution is placed to several gentlemen in the south con-
nected with this part of the country. In Glasgow, Mr.
Leith, formerly inspector of the Caledonian Banking
Company, most efficiently resisted the canvass ; and in
London the same beneficial office was with equal libe-
rality discharged by Mr. Macgregor of Choapside. To
Mr. Young of The Sun newspaper the cause is eminently
indebted, for the liberality with which he uniformly ad-
mitted the necessary advertisements in a free and pro-
minent access to the columns of his important journal."
This report was ordered to be printed and circulated
amongst the subscribers. A letter from Dr. Malcolm,
of Perth, containing a report as Co a site for the institu-
tion, and the extent of the buildings, was then read, and
the meeting adopted resolutions, which will be found in
our advertising columns.

One of the most singular and unheard of scenes
perhaps ever witnessed in a Quaker meeting-house, took
place at Baltimore. Shortly after the hour for meeting to
commence, whilst the brethren and sisters were silently
communing with their own minds, one of the delegates
to the assemblage from Pennsylvania, quietly, and
without being observed, stripped himself, and appear_
ing before them in a perfect state of nudity, insisted
on being allowed to speak. He was immediately seized
by his friends, and the partition to the female side of
the meeting closed, and it required almost main force to
compel him to put on his clothing. He afterwards explained
the matter in the following manner :—lie had a dream on
the previous night, and thought that the spirit of the Lord
had appeared before him, and commanded him to humble
himself before the meeting on the next day, by appearing
in their midst with his person exposed, and to address them
in
t etnh situation
there
IN)rearlei
vreeasreedc
t ot o
him
mr tabi ny itiret tHe resi
ywlsi which 0 would
then and there be revealed to him by the Holy Spirit, it
was in the fulfilment of this imaginary command, and whilst
filled with a holy zeal and enthusiasm that he thus acted.
Ile was finally conveyed home, and appears since to be almost
entirely deranged on the subject of religion. These facts may
be relied on as correct, singularly as they may sound, as they
are well known throughout the city.—Anieriecra paper.
WARWICK.—SERIOUS AFFRAY WITH POACHERS.—
On Saturday night last, about ten o'clock, as the gamekeepers
and watchers in the preserves of the Earl of Warwick. were
on the watch in the castle grounds, they heard the
report of a gun in that part called " the Lilacs," when they
immediately hastened to the spot. The first that arrived
was an assistant, named John Miles, who was attacked by
the poachers (of whom three were seen), and very severely
beaten, being left on the ground in a state of insensibility,
when his companions came up. Two of theNrchers. one
named John Stanley, and the other illiam Judd,
were within sight, and in the act of making their es-
cape. They were instantly pursued by two of the keepers,
the former by Harwood and the latter by Mumford, each of
whom succeeded in taking his man. They were secured
in the lock-up, in this town, until Monday morning, when
they were brought before E. Dodd, Esq.,
.the Mayor, and
P. W. Newsam, Es q. in the evidence against them it was
stated by "young Harwood" (a slim stripling, compared
with the tall and robust prisoner lie had taken, Stanley), that
he had found a gun on the spot where he had caught and
apprehendedan
which was in a broken state, the
separated. It was, however,
stock
barrelSt a
beingnlr) ,
loaded,
(composed of powder,
Harwood from the
saistoltv,asapurdovwedadhdyintgh)e, fabeetiogfdrawn rgbey
barrel, in presence of the Magistrates. Miles (who had
been seriously injured about the head and face, appeared as
witness. The case was one of unusual interest, and the
Court was crowded at the. hearing. Both of the prisoners
who had nothing to say in their defence, were committed for
trial at the next assizes.-- Warwick Adrcrtistr.

~-a~la

111(31I WATER AT LONDOS-RRIDOB THIS DAT.
kiereing .. 6 =tante, after 10 I Evening .. 37 minutes after 10.