Star.
London, England, 1815-08-26 00:00:00

111.1 D ROUSAS.

The House of Common., among many other im-
portant subjects of internal administration, has en.
tered up a a very ample investigation of Mati.hibitr,es,
riblie and private. The following is a most inteteit-
iot; examinAtion :

BETFILEM HOSPITAL.
Mr. Edward Wait:Md. of Pall-Mall, called hi.

What is }wit. prole:slim A. land-agent.
Have yilt been led in any way to examine into the
tee urneat of it.sane 4 ersons have for many years
been is the habit nf visiting all places where I have
Le.n.el they Lave been emlined.
H eve you ani, and if so, what interest, direct or
collateral, in the subject ?—None whatever, in any
way.

You have no other interest. but motives of general
Lumanity and benevolence ?—None whatever.
Have you visited Bethiem F—l have, fretriently; I
rst visited Bethlem on the 25th of April, 1814.
What observatic,ns diet pm make ?—I whs intro-
duced with others. by Mr. Alderman Cox, an official
governor, whose feelings being overpowered before
e had gone over the men's side, was under the ne.
cessity of retiring to the steward's office, whither he
was soon afterwards followed by us, in consequence
of a rot serge from the steward, who-then informed
iii that Mr. Cox was prevented from accompanying
us further. We solicited permission to continue our
inspection whilst Mr. Cox remained in the Hospital,
but this was declined, and we were compelled to close
our visit on that day. On Monday, the 2d of May,
we revisited the hospital, introduced by Robert Cal-
vert, Esq. a governor, and accompanied by Charles
Callas Western, Esq. Member of Parliament for
Essex, and lour otl.er gentlemen. At this visit, at-
tended by the steward of the hospital, and likewise
by a female keeper, we 'first proceeded t . visit the
women's galleries—one of the s'ele rooms contained
about ten patients, each chained by one arm or leg to
the wait—the chain allowing them merely to stand
up by the bench or form fixed to the wall, or to sit
down on it. The nakedness of each patient was co-
vered by a blanket-gown only ; the blanket-gown is
a blanket formed something like a dressing.gown,
wall nothing to fatten it with in front; this consti-
tutes the whole covering ; the feet even were naked.
Or,e teinale in this side room, thus chained. was an
object remarkably striking ; she mentioned her mai-
deo and married names, and stated that she had been
a teacher of languages : the keepers described her as
a very accomplished lady, mistress of many lan-
guages, and corroborated her account of herself.—
The Committee can hardly imagine a human being
in a more degraded and brutalizing situation than
that in which l.found this female, who held a cohe-
rent conversation with us, and was of course folly
sensible of. the mental and bodily condition of those
wretched beings, who, equally without clothing, were
closely chained to the same wall with herself. Unaware
of the necessities of nature, some of them, though
they contained life, appeared totally inanimate and
unconscious of ezistence. The few minutes which
we passed with this lady did not permit us to form a
judgment of the degree of restraint to which she
ought to be subject; but I unhesitatingly affirm that
her confinement with patients in wheel she was cum-
prilqf to witneis the most disgusting idiotcy, and
the most terrifying distraction of the human intellect,
w Is injudiciuus and improper. Six inrreeted to be
allowed pencil and paper, for the purpose of atuu4

sing herself with drawing, .which were given to her
by one of the gentlemen with me. Many of these
unfortunate women mere locked up in their cells,
naked.and chained on straw, with only out blanket
tot a covering. One who was in that state, by way
of punishment, the keeper described as the most dis-
satisfied patient in the house, she talked coherently,
and complained of the want of tea and sugar, and
Lammed that her friends, whom she stated to be re-
sorctable people, neither came to see her nor supplied
her with little necessary comforts—the patients ge-
nerally complained much of being deprived of tea
an sugar. On leaving the gallery, we enquired of
them, whether the visit had been inceneenient or un-
pleasant, they all joined in saying, No ; but (which
was stiffici,ntly apparent) that the visit of a (tient'
alv...iys pleasant. In the men's wing in the side
room, is patients were chained close to the wall, live
handcuffed, and one locked to the wall by the right
arm as well as by the right leg ; he was very noisy ;
all t' ere naked, except as to the blanket gown or a
'mall rug on the shoulders, and without shoes ; one
complained much of the coldness of his feet ; one of
us telt them, and they were vet y cold. The patients
is this room, except the noisy one, and the poor lad
with cold feet, who was lucid when we saw him,
were dreadful idiots; their nakedness and their mode
of confinement, gave this room the complete ap-
pearance of a dog kennel. From the patients not
being classed, some appear objects of resentment to
the others we saw a quiet civil man, a soldier, a
native of Poland, brutally attacked by another sol-
dier, who, we were informed by the keepers, always
singled out the Pole as an object of resentment; they
said, there were no means of separating these men,
except by locking one up in solitary confinement.—
Whilst looking at some of the bed.lying patients, a
man arose naked from his bed, and had deliberately
and quietly walked alcw paces from his cell door
along the gallery ; he was instantly seized by the
keepers, thrown into his bed, and leg-locked, without
enquiry or observation ; chains are universally sub-
s:ituted for the strait•waistcoat. In the men's wing
were about 75 or 76 patients, with two keepers and
an assistant, and about the same number of patients
ro the worn-it's side; the patients were in no way
distinguished from each other as to disease, than as
those who were not walking about or chained in the
side rooms, were lying stark naked upon straw on their
h-dAeads, etch in a separate cell, with a singleblanket
•'r rug, in V 4 hide the patient usually lay huddled up,
s •f impatient of coil, and generally chained to the
sed pl ice. in the shape of a trough—about aim-
rinh wcte iathis state, r'r chained in the side rooms.

In on. of the cells 'on the lower gallery, we saw
William Nersis; he stated hiMselt to be fifty-five
years nt age, and that he had been confined about
foiirteen years; that in consequence of attempting to
d,Cend himself from what he conceived the im-
proper treatment of his keeper, he was fastened by a
.ong chain, which passing through a partition, ena-
bled the keeper by going mto the next cell, to draw
him close to the wall at pleasure; that to prevent
this Norris mtifil:J the chain with straw, so as to
hinder its passing through the wall; that he after-
wards was confined in the manner we saw him,
narpely, a, stoat iron ring was rivetted round his neck,
from which a short chain passed to a ring mad.: to
slide upwards or d nenwards on an upright massive
iron bar, more than six feet high, ihserted into the
wall. Round his body a strong iron bar, about two
inches wide, was rivetted; on each side the bar was
a circular projection, which being fashioned to and
inclosing each of his arms, pinioned them close to his
sides. This waist bar was secured by two similar
bars, which, passing over the shoulders, were rivetted
to the waist bar both before and behind. The iron
riot round his neck was connected to the bars on his
shoulders by a deuble link. From each of these bars
.another short chain passed to the ring on the upright
iron bar. We were informed he was enabled to
r.iise himself so as to stand against the wall, on the
pillow of has bed in the trough bed in which he Icy ;
'alit it is impossible for him ta advance from the walk
which the iron bar is :soldered, on account of the
,hortncss of I is chains, whirhaecie only tweive incltes•
ioug. It sea., conceive, equally out of his power to
nese in any othur ptyition than on his back, the
ntejections which on each side of vie wai.t bar in-
cluted lei: aims, it itnpte,il)le for hint to
tic on his side, even if tl,e ,lith of t!tie chains from
his.ntck and saouldets wood pet mit at. His right
leg was chained to the travel, in which he had re-
mained thus cncagcd and chained more than twelve
years. To prove the nvcessAry restraint inflicted on
this unfortunate man, he inlainied 113 that he had for
some years been able to withdraw hi, arms from the
manacles which encompassed them. He then with-
drew one of them, and ob4.tving an expression of
surprise, he said, that when his :anti tx ere withdrawn
he was compelled to rest them on the edges of the
circular projections, which was ",-sore painful than
keeping tam within. His pia:.ion, we were in-
formed, was mostly lying down, and that as it was
inconvenient to raise himself and stand upriii,ht, be
very seldom did so ; that he read a great deal of
rooks ia all kuids, history, lives, or any thing that
the keepers could get him—the newspaper every day,
and conversed perfectly coherent on the passing to-
pics and the events of the war, in which he felt par-
ticular interest. On each day that We saw him, he
discoursed codly, and gave rational Hni deliberate
aasivers to the different questions put to hint. The
'whole of thi. statement relative to William Norris
was confirme,: by the keeperd. 'Oil Wednesday, the
7th of June, w:ao we again visited Bethiem, we dis-
,l coveted that all the male patients who were then
naked and chained to their beds in their cells, were
in that situation by vfay of punishment for misbeha-
viour, and not from disease. In consequence of the
discovery made by the gentlemen who.went with me
and myself, of the situation of William Norris, and
of a drawing Which we procured to be made of him
iq his irons,. he was visited by the following Gentle-
men;—George Hoime Somnet, Esq. M.P. ; Lord
•Robert Seymour, M.P. William Smitb, Esq. M P.;
the Him. Henry Grey Bennett, M.P.; It. J. Lamb.
ton, Esq. M.P. ; Thomas Thompson, Esq. M.P.;
and other Member; of the House' f Commons, and
I have now to awe, that at this last visit, I observed
that the whole aithe irons had been removed from
Norris's body, and that the length of chain liom his
neck, which was only twelve inches, had been doubled.
[Phis wilotst delivered in Pimply of William Norris,
reficreti to in his Am r.)
j.)o you know what has beams of **do cba:ns?—:,

I was informed by Mr. Wallet, the new steward
Mr Brilllem Flospit..l, that the chains are now in the
Hospital, and are to be seen. I was at Bethlem on
Saturday week. the 23.1 of April, antio found that the
old steward, Mr. Alav‘iine, no longer held the orrice,
and that a new steward, Mr. Wallet, was filling *Ms
situati-n. Mr. Wallet sent for an official Governor,
Mr. Drpnty Greenaway, of Bishopsgate-street, tout
tend me ; and although the number of patients was
nearly the same as during the last year, I found but
one single one chained to his hvd, and not a single
patient in any one of the side rooms chained to the
wall. Mrs. Fenvick, the teacher of languages, to
whom I have referred, was walking abratt the gal-
lery, who, Mr. Wallet told no, was an entirely dale-
rent creature since she had been treated like a human
being.
How was she dressed?—She was dressed like a
woman. She immediately came up to me, and asked
t
me how Mr. William Fry. with whom she had lived
as a governess, was, and all his ftmily. Mr. Deputy
Greenaway state.l th it a great reformation had taken
place in the ne.;:ital lately, yet y midi in conse-
quence of a speech that Lord Ittibert Seymour bad
made in Patliament ; and that, so far front the in-
spection which tool: pile.. last year havUtp:. done any
harm, he was satisoed that the Hospital had been
essentially. se: ved. The patients, I underst,nid, are
to be remover to the tr.:e, liethlem next Midommter,
a great part of which is to he wv.rmed with steam.
Mr. CI r:xnaway stated', that were that not the case,.
he Mt the necessity rat glazing the cells of the present
Hospital, they in point of fact having been without
any glazing for matty years.
Did the patients smke as many complaints of the
ill treatment they received, as the y had done on your
former visits abil not hear :;spy complaints. Norris
died on the tl.;;th of Febru ay.
Do you happen to know, of 3•ofir own knowled,!e,
any thing concerniag the death of Nor, is, that would
leave pet to believe it was occasioned by the long
confinement which 1w had undergone, and the chains
he had worn ?—No person can donlir that his ih.ath in
all probability was bt ..ng!it on by the state of con-
finement in which he was held.

What was his age ?—I undtrct 111.1 Fifty-five.
Was his body examinee, and rr.t ind his hndy
was di:setted by Mr. lailWreliCV, of St. BATOIOIO.
mew's Hospital. _ _

Were y./11 acquainted with a .perrws of the name
of Matthews, who was confined for many years as a
lunatic in Bethlem (wind the late James Title)
Matthews at Mr. Fox's, who kept a private holo,
London House, Hackney.. He was sent to this pt.'.
vate Madhouse, half at the expellee of Bethlem
Hospital, and the other half at the expence of his 11Wil
friends, in consequence of the repre.entation of Mr
Crowther, the stirgenn to Bethlern Hospital, who,
from his having a bad abscess in his back, thought
that rernaisong within the air of the Horpital
would shortea his 1.1!,!, KIM recommended his being
placed somewhere in the country. I understand that
he bad been confined seventeen years in BetWein
Hospital, during the greater ;,art of which time Lis
relations or friends had been endeavouring to obtain
his liberation, with a view to his being sent to J
nialca, wit ere his wife and family were resi lent. AO
AppliCAtien, I believe, has betn made to the court
of King's Beach, and his liberation refused, but upon
what specific ground I cannot cell. Dining the last
summer Mr. Western applied to the Home Secretary
of State, presenting a petition from his relations for
his discharge. In my opinion, Mr. Matthews was a
very unfit person for coalinement in liethlem, with
out pen, ink, or p..per, the ,INC of knife or fork, any
fire place to which he vault! retire by himself, atiA
shut up of a night bran the time of locking up till
the opening next mornieg ; living a mail of consider-
able accompli.hments an.l great learning, and who
evidently had never kept such society as that in which
lie was, cor:fintd for so many years. The latter years
of his being in 13:elilem he was taken from the gal.'
!eriLs, where the people generally were, and had a
room to himsult.

Do yon know in what way he was confined prior
to his removhl 10 the room yon have just mentioned?
—1 Wee heard from Mr. St4veley, his nephew, that
he w,is confined in the common gAllay,and trequeody
chai:led to his bed.

la Mr. Matthews now alive?—He died tome time
in the last autumn.

• WiITERLOO SUBSCRIPTION.

EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM DUMFRIES, N. E.
August 21, 1816.
C ENTLEM EN —Bollle weeks ago, the Magistrates
and Council of this Borough, having taken into con.
sideration the propriety of opening a Subscription
for the Relief of the Widows and Families of the
Killed, and of the Wounded at the ever' memorable
battle of WaTsni.oo,•l have the happiness to sty,
o.e proposition was agreed to with ptrieet unanimity,
and most cordially supported and recommended prom
the Pulpit by the Clergy Men of the two established
Churches.

Subscription papers having been prepared, Com-
missioners were requested to go through their re-
spective 't \yards, and solicit personally every family
and individual, who were thought to fall within the
scope of such solicitations. Intimation of the inten-
tion, and of the day when the collections were to
take place, having been made from the Pulpits, on
the Sibbath preceding, with suitable exhortations,
the measure has been -attended with the most pleas.
.ing success. The amount of the subscription in this
small town, where we have few opulent inhabitants,
is about Fiie Hundred and Thirty-two Pounds, which
I have now the pleasure, in the name 'of the Magis-
trates and Council, id remitting to the Committee by
my draft on •lessrs. Coutts and Co.

The Committee will see that this business has been
gone it,to here with zeal and alacrity, and surely
nevtl cause was more deserving. Were it necessary,
I could mention instances of most rrecious feelings
in a variety of individuals, in poor and straitened
.circumstances. I will only further remark, that the
same sentiments pervaded the breasts of almost all
oar little community. Wishing you every sumo in
Yonr laudable and praise-worthy endeavours, to re-
lieve the elistrebses of the Widow • and Fatherless,
Qtr. &c. I have the honour to be, Gentlemen,
• Your most ohedient•Servant,
To the Committee for the Waterloo Dayto 81 Alet.
Sathcrtpuut. London. • •

FREYCff JAPERS.

RECEIVCD THIS 14011 SING.

PARTS, AUGUST cS.

An Ordonnance of the King prescribe.: o.e ,prAy
d:smatoling of the•maritime forts and batteties of ,Lc
Coasts of France. The cannon and gnus of every
calibre are to be reterned w the •artiiiery magazine;
before the 15th of nett Sep:ember. The cortip.m.r.
of C3ll,lolTerfr are to be disbandel

The Duke, and Duchess d'Angeolerre
the lith at Poitiers. where they we:e received v. i•
cnihttsl.tsm. and confirmed it:elf- rotate for
on the ltiith. They we-t• tn &tie "
the same d.iy.

If we are to h•lieve Ittters finer Cayna.:.l, :).•:
uf. the Spanish army has prs:ed the Bidass‘a to et:::
France. It is hor..!, lotrevt r, that the reports wt.',
have circulated i tic o.•;,:uttroent t f t!:e Lot..-tr
renees on the arrt.:a;!.::.g occup:itie% by C.
niards of the fort:cases of LI tycrr... :
St. J-stn de Pied Port, will r.ot b. cc t.f rmeJ.
The well-know.: rentimer of the ittl..l,;!ar.:.
those count' ies, their unaritnous devotion to hit 2.:
j:•sty, are the bust trantees of the :!trot;
places in wl..:ch the National Guards Fertuita
duties, with a zeal st:ticli it beyond all praise.
The Preach troops wi:ich occur:ed Roane,
to leave it 01 the 21st, Tit!' the I:,.:ad-clua:L,:rs c.
Marbital Suetet, and on the 242-1 the A :•!trisv.
were to take rwsession of the r.trre 1 i tcc.

The ArrlVT;Can; hare giten or fur (.•
eight worth of silks at Lyons.
NlarshAl Prince Blucher was e7:pectcd at Ale, •

on the ':?lth with his Staff, which consisted GI 4:
tine lutra.lrrki &ricers.
The st.ci,n I Mimber of 11!ni.ipar:c's
fotin.f at Caarleroi, and first publithed at Brus.xl, is
less pirrlani than the first : it contari:s little e:se
Reoorts tit ()Akers of Ord:nu:cc, d.tted from B itt7.
deans, INl.arseilks, Antibes, ice. What is mot:
remarkable in these various Reports is the pe:...ec:
conformity of opinion expressed by tlicir authors cl
the public spirit of the countries which they we::: L.,:•
reefed to itispect.—‘, The Provensak," says one wr..
ter, " /am the Imperial amernment, an:l are di,pusel
to the every thkg tor the cause of the King."—_,,
spirit of the Department of Vaucleuse," se.vs ariothr,
'6 is generally bad, Rosa!itt, and Pati.q. It -.1;i1 rt.-
quire a moveable column of five hundred men
drive out the individuals who have been

" The spirit of the 13 irclelas ( writes, on the 10th
of June, M. Resigny) is always very brd, and we
must have here, at this mrnnent, one of twos:: men
ei—irely devoted (a:lite-twat itverj), q a0.,4„/ „,
dficuitier." .
" To make the Urban Guard of Marseilles draw
cut the national flag (writes another Officer), ire
must draw out cannon on the public places."
If we proceed horn the South to the North, M.
Chiappe informs us, that " the inhabitants of the
Somme are tr-nquil, but very 6,4 eksored." It mutt
be at least admitted, that Bonaparte was, f tied-311y
served in these latter times, and that the naked tr.:o;
was served up to him.
What a contrast between these secret reports and
the public addresses of the same period! Bonaparte,
who, thanks to his agents, knew precisely what length
Ins could go, must have seen that he was a Sovereign
finsuiar/y beloved, and without doubt, in the bottom
of his bean, he retained a rancour sgainst France,
from the effects of which his discomfiture has most
happily delivered us.

It was not, as at first reported, the Amiens dill.
ponce, but one of the heavy coaches passi.lg through
Beauvais, which was lately attacked by Brigands.
PARIS. AUGUST et

The King admitted yesterday to his presence a
Deputation of the Royal Volunteers of Paris. Their
Colonel, M. de l'listang, harangued his MAjesty
.4 Sire, (said he) we are not come to renew our
oath—we never betrayed it. We desire the honour
to compose a part of the guard of your sacred r.
son."-_"" My friends, (answered the King, witt his
accustomed goodness) I know your attachment, a:al
bli.lll never forget your services."

General Flakant has arrived at Ait-les-B.Os.
where he is to remain under the inspection

Police.

A German Paper says. that the lAndweltr se
Confederation is returning home, and will assist at the
harvest.

Doubts are entertained on Cardinal Foch aid
Madame Letitia's obtaining permission to settle ni
Rome.

General Excelmans having obtained permisbinn t
reside in the Department of Puy-de-Dome, Ir•ts r:k,"
lodgings at Riom.
Yesterday afternoon, at two o'clock, two sold"'
of the 95th regiment of the line, who committeJ "
robbery in the Commune of Brezy, were shot bcl,in.l
the walls of the Barracks.

By an ordinance of the King, dated August 169
the city of Paris, for the purpose of assisting in the
discharge of the burthens brought upon it by
force of events, is authorised to impose on itSell; in
addition to its taxes on real property for the years
1816 and. 1817, a sum of 2,134,00 U francs ; and, for
the same years, in addition to the charges on pero'
nal property, .970,000 francs. Then follow regal''
riots for distributing the charge on articles of pros'i'

04 cowing into the sky, intluJing wine, BA-, Meat'
Seca

PARIS. AUGUST u.

Lie Duke dr Berri, who WAS to have returned in
pads in order to be present at the fete.of the King,
Ai prolong his absence by some days. His figh-
is to pri;seed to Alost, after having presided at
I,tie Electoral College of the department of the North.
it is asserted that the two Chansberi will com-
mence their Sittings abuut the middle of September.
51. Moonier. Surveyor of the public buildings, and
on of the celebrated gunstituent, has been named a
candidate fur the electoral body of the arrondisse.
.ihr.t of Grenoble, on the first scrutiny, by a•majosity
b 9 in 113 Voters.---( Gowns Is France.)