Star.
London, England, 1829-12-01 00:00:00

HOSPITAL.

ST. ANDREW'S DAY AND THE SCOTTISH

Yesterday being St. Andrew's Day, the Chartered
Incorporation of the Scottish Hospital held their Annual
Festival at the London Tavern in Bishopsgate-street.

Before alluding to the details of the Festival, we consider
it essential to the prosperity of this National Institution,
as well as more effectually to advocate the views of its
liberal supporters, to lay before the public the following
brief statement its nature, objects, and proceedings.
The Scottish Hospital derives its origin from a-Society
formed a short time after the accesion of King James, for
re:iering the less fortunate individuals of the Scottish
trit:on who had upon that event ceme to England. A
charter of incorporation, under its present designation,
was granted by King Charles 11. in the year 1665, em-
powering the Society to hold lands, and to erect an hos-
pital for the reception of the objects of the charity; and
a:i opportunity soon afterwards occurred of manifesting
the benefits to he derived front it. It appear++ from the
records of the Coqxwatien, that, during the great plague,
upwa:ds of three hundred natives of Scotland were
buried at the sole cletrge of the Society, and numbers
mare were nourished Boring their sickness, without sub-
jecting. the parishes where they teaided to the smallest
expense. But exprienco soon evinced, that confine rent
to a charity workhouse was altogether uncongenial to the
fee:ings of the Scottish poor. Tile idea of an hos:+ital,
or receptacle for the ob.:,ects of the Charity, was in con-
sequence relinquished, and the plan of as.-istiug and re-
lieving. them at their own habitations substituted. This
assist nice wits confined to each only of the natives of
Scotland, resident in London, as bad become members,
and paid quarterly contributions to the Society, by virtue
of which they were entitleJ to relief when in want.
Though the claims were thus restricted, the amount of
relief afforded must have been considerable, for the whole
receipts appear to have been, fur a very long period,
annually distributed. At tlie end of a century, after the
first incorporation. the funds were little more than at the
commencement, the annual receipts less, and the Society
was dwindling away.
At that period, the management was fortunately un-
dertaken by a few public-spirited active individuals, who
saw the necessity of a change in its constitution, in or-
der to give efficacy to the establishment, and to enable
it to extend relief to many objects not entitled to claim
the charity—according to the mode which had been
adopted. This was the more necessary, as the number
of natives of Scotland who resorted to London had
greatly increased, and many of them, being disappointed
in their views of obtaining employment and subsistence,
and having acquired no parochial settlement, were utterly
destitute. To enable the Hospital to extend its relief to
those objects, it became necessary to make an application
for a new Charter, which was granted by his late Ma-
jesty, in 177.5, whereby the Scottish Hospital of the
foundation of Charles 11. was re-incorporated, and di-
rected to be governed in all time coming, by a President,
Six Vice-Presidents, a Treasurer, and an unlimited
number of Governors. A donation of ten guineas and
upwards, constituting a Governor for life ; and a sub-
scription of one guinea or more, but less than ten, an an-
nual Governor, so long as such payments shall continue
to be made.

4,056

The admission of contributing members was disconti-
nued, and the Corporation thus became completely a
charitable institution for the relief of poor natives of
Scotland, who might be reduced to poverty and want.
By the zeal and exertions of a number of gentlemen,
subscriptions and donations to a considerable amount
were obtained ; and, in order to provide a permanent
fund, a regulation was made, that one-half of all dona-
tions of ten guineas and under twenty pounds, and the
whole of all donations of twenty pounds and upwards,
should be funded, and the annual income alone applied
to the purposes of the society.
Besides the casual applicants to the Hospital for relief
and passages, a sum of 7001. is set apart for the support
of 70 aged and infirm persons exceeding 70 years of
age, to whom a pension of 10/. per annum is allowed.
The vacancies which occur on tills list, by the deaths of
pensioners, are filled up by ballot, once -a year, upon
which occasion Governors and Patronesses have the pri-
vilege of voting by proxy.—Life Governors or Pa-
tronesses having one vote for every ten Guineas of
donation which they may have subscribed, and Annual
Governors one for every Guinea which they subscribe
annually. Among the Contributors to the Funds, and
enrolled in the list of Governors, the Society has been
I honoured with the names of His present Majesty, and his ,
illustrious Brothers ; his Royal Highness the Duke of '
Clarence and St. Andrew's having been President of the
Corporation for eighteen years. The patronage which
it has received, has not been confined to ►he Scottish
nation, but the nobility, gentry, and all clasees of this the
Sister Kingdom, hare in a most liberal and zealous
manner espoused its cause; in which noble work of Cha-
rity, the female nobility and gentry have taken a con-
spicuous share. Under such administration, and such
patronage, the Society has been progressively increasing
in its respectability, its consequence, the extended exer-
cise of its benevolence, and the liberal diffusion of its
bounty. The change of circumstances, however, which
has taken place in this country since the peace, has
operated in a double ratio upon this Charity ; its annual
income from Subscriptions having materially decreased,
while the number of applications for relief has vcry
greatly augmented. •
The Charity of the Scottish Hospital is r.pplicabk to
the poor mechanic, the artisan, and labourer, natives of
Scotland, with their wives, widows, and children resident
in this metropolis and its immediate neighbourhood ; who,
not having acquired any parochial settlement in this
countr•, would, in age and poverty, in sickness and dis-
tress, or whey in want of employment, be exposed to the
utmost wretchedness or beggary, but for the fostering
care of this Institution.—The number of these poor objects,
dependan't on public bounty, is much greater than is ge-
nerally imagined ; during the last twelve months the num-
ber of poor relieved has been ns follows including those
on the pension-list, who are paid monthly :-
1828 December. 251 1829 June 253
1829 January 233 Ju1y..............252
February 240 August 261
Mach .......257 September 244
April ...261 October 261
May 260 November -238
Besides passages to Scotland to 314 person., men, women, and
children.

The natives of Scotland have long been remarkable for
their emigrating disposition. They are to be found in
every quarter of the globe where civilized establishments
have been made. Wealth and opulence, fame and for-
tune, cannot be the lot of all ; and many, after enduring
haidships and privations of z:l kinds in other countries,
return home in poverty and distress. London is the
great channel through which they take their way, and
they frequently arrive here utterly destitute. To such,
the funds of the Hospital have been always accessible,
its charity being open to every poor Scotchman who cat,
obtain a recommendation. From a view of the numbers

relieved, it is evident, that while the Scottish Hospital
a real blessing to the aged, the diseased, and the unem-

ploved poor of Scotland, resident in Loneen, Westmin-
ster, and the neighbourhood, and affords such ready as-
sistance to the distressed wanderer, and the disappointed
son of industry, it is of incalculable benefit to the com-
ntunitv at large, who are by means of this Charity pre-
vented the ttgonizinT, sight of beholding so great an ad-
dition, as otherwise there would be, to the number of our
destitute fellow-creatures seeking their wretched pittance
ou the streets, liable to be taken up as vagrants, sent to
the House of Correction, and probably subjected to the
t!iseTace of corporal punishment. On all these accounts
the more the Society is made known, the more extensive
will be the patronage with which it will be honoured by a
discriminating and liberal public ; for such charitable aid
and friendly recommendation will be still employed to
advance its merited prosperity and growing usefulness.
Such are the objects which the generous &hinds of the
Institution assembled to support and celebrate yesterday.
The Duke of CLARENCE was prevented from attending
on account of other important engagements ; and his
Royal Highness laid his commands on Colonel M C-
DO ELI., of Glengarry, K.C.11.t0 represent hint on the
interesting occasion. After the usual demonstrations of
respect and regard to his Majesty and his Royal Brother
were manifested with all the warmth and enthusi lam
to which these high personages are entitled, the busi-
ness of the Meeting was blended with its con-
vivialities ; and we were happy to find in the course
of the evening that, including a donation from his Ma-
jesty of 105/.—from the Duke of Clarence 20/.—from
the Duchess of Clartati-;i I' I.—frent th. Duke of Nlon-
tri-so .I.2l.—and Com the Gallant Colonel, who presided,
14)!. IN.—the subseri:.tions annatinced in the c,:rxe
of die evening., amounted to little sho; tof .503!. Itinni-
ficent as these contributions are, tlwy are, lioTever, far
shot of the claims which the Institution p5:v.:,411
on the public. We could gather from the speeches
delivered last night, that while the expont!itartt el :it.,
Hospital amounted la.,t year to 1,700/. the donathot-,
etc. fell short of 1,300/. and thus, the credit and sinkin::-
fund of the Charity must have been deeply trenelteil
It is to he hoped that the Scottish Gentry wi:l b. cote
alive to this fon, and lead so cewhat more of thei
countenance and support than they did vestertlay, to
a cause of which they ought to he proud, and whit l
is more esa-cially their men. The festivities of thit
evening were ettieh enlivened by several excelleci
songs from Nlessr.l. 8R0.% D r KRT. TA rLO anti
CoLLv ea, the national music of the and lie per-
formance of a very snpt‘rilr bind iu the galle,y of the
room,—Anot altoguther the evening Wit: pas*e.l in a
manner highiv a•sreeal:le t., all tli• prties who had Pa..:
generosity and patrioti4in to attend.