The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1847-01-19 00:00:00

might say necessary, of a good and cheap newspaper. The
experiment is a bold one, but the result I hope—l believe
there are already good grounds for hoping—will prove it
to be as wise as it is bold. Long may its projectors and
adopters prosper!
"Let us aid them all we can,
Every woman, ever man;
Smallest helps, if rightly given,
Make the movement stronger;
'Twill be strong enough one day,
Wait a little longer."
I am far from wishing to depreciate the value of the other
portion of our local press. I acknowledge its importance
and its merit. There is " ample scope and range enough"
for all ; and I trust all will prosper, and continue to in-
crease in public usefulness.
In conclusion, I beg that you will join me heartily in
wishing—with especial reference, to the cheap newspapers
of Liverpool—
PROSPERITY TO THE PRESS. . _

Mr. HOGG, Secretary to the Liverpool Mechanics' In-
stitution, replied.
Mr. C. H. DAviE then rose to move a vote of thanks to
those gentlemen who had honoured them with their com-
pany that evening, as deputations from Manchester. An
interchange of material wealth, he said, had long existed
between Liverpool and Manchester, and he thought the
time had now come when there should he an interchange
of mental wealth, the benefits from which would be innu-
merable—(cheers)—and as a first step towards it, he
begged to bid the deputation welcome in the name of the
society, whose desire it was to foster and keep up a
cordial and friendly feeling with those around them.
Mr. R. C. HALL, in secondin€, the motion, entered
lengthily into the subject, but limited space compels us to
omit his address.
Mr. R. LEARE, jun. from Manchester, in an excellent
and effective address, acknowledged the vote. Referring
to the remarks of Mr. Davie—why, he asked, in these
days of cheap transit, should the Liverpool and Manches- '
ter Societies not join in the discussion of some of those
great questions which now interest the world ? It would
not fail to be productive of much good. (The proposition
was received with much applause.) He announced that
the Manchester Athenaeum Society had the advantage
over the Liverpool Society in one respect ; they admitted
ladies to their discussions. At the conclusion of each de-
bate, also, a show of hands was taken, which served as an
index of the progress and tendency of public opinion. As
an interesting illustration of this fact, he remarked that
when the subject of peace was long ago discussed, most of
the members were in favour of time-honoured war ;"
but after the last debate, only two hands were held up in
its favour.

Mr. H. H. SINGLEFIVEST then addressed the meetino-
in a very pleasing speech. He " cordially dissented;
from the opinion of a preceding speaker, that the working
classes had themselves now to blame if they were not well
educated ; and, referring to debating societies, showed
the tendency they had in destroying dogmatism, promot-
ing charity and respect for the well founded opinions of
others. He concluded with proposing " Success to the
Liverpool Mechanics' Institute Mental Improvement
Society."
Mr. GEo. HOLDING, also from Manchester, seconded
the motion in a quaint practical speech, replete with good
sense.
Mr. JAMES BLENKINSOP, one of the earliest members
of the society was called upon to reply :—He described
the practical results he had himself experienced by his
connexion with such Societies. They were not only ad-
vantageous in developing the power of giving expression
to our thoughts, but were the only means by which errors
of thought could be eradicated. He regarded his joining
the Mental Improvement Society as an era in his life that
aroused him from a sleeping lethargy—and though none
of the members aspired to be orators, they acquired the
mode of thinking, and applying their thoughts properly.
After thanking the meeting for their wishes of success,
Mr. LANGTON moved a vote of thanks to the ladies ;
to which

Mr. EDWARDS, in a laconic and somewhat original
address, replied.
Mr. SAMUEL moved a vote of thanks to the President,
Dr. Hodgson, which was carried unanimously.
Dr. HODGSON said, he had had so often to reply of late to
similar expressions of gratitude, that he felt himself a bank-
rupt in thanks, he had to pay more than he had earned,
and they must accept a composition of 6d. in the pound,
and he would apply the remaining 19s. 6d. in the best
form he could, in actual service for the society. The
president concluded amidst the most enthusiastic ap-
plause.
The room was then cleared, and preparations made for
" the festive dance." The arrangements were admirable,
and in every way complete. The band, which was con-
ducted by Mr. Gribbin, played the most popular and fas-
cinating tunes of the day, and whether in the quadrille,
the waltz, the gallopade, or polka, the soul-stirring music
was a theme of general admiration, and while the youth
and beauty of the meeting found recreation in threading
through the dancing throng, the sager portion, who were
seated on the platform, denoted by their smiling faces the
climax of enjoyment.
The refreshments, which were provided in the ante-
room, under the superin'tendence of Mr. Horsfall, were
most excellent, indeed there was a superabundance of
viands of the richest and rarest kinds, as well as tea and
cooling liqueurs. At an early hour in the morning the
party broke up, each delighted with the management,
and many loudly expressed their satisfaction.

THE NEW LIVERPOOL EYE AND EAR

INFIRMARY.

This excellent institution which, in its peculiar pro-
vince, is excelled by none of our charities in the philan-
thropy and utility of its objects, has since its establishment
attained a celebrity far the rapid restoration of the bless-
ings of sight and hearing, amongst those afflicted with a
partial or total deprivation of both, which has perhaps
rarely, if ever, been achieved by any asylum in this king-
dom. This success we attribute, in the first place, to the
generous disposition of our townsmen towards their dis-
tressed fellow-creatures, and, in the second, with not less
justice, to the talent, ze4l, and unwearied perseverance,
over a course of years, of the medical officers—Dr. Ed.
wards, and Hugh Neill, Esq. surgeon.
Entertaining these opinions of the institution, we were
much interested in even a cursory visit to the new and
more extensive premises recently obtained by the com-
mittee for the transplantment of the establishment, and
which is fitted up with all possible neatness, comfort, and
convenience for the patients and their attendants, con-
sistent with due economy. From Harford-street, corner
of Mount-pleasant, the Infirmary has been removed to
the large house, facing down the hater street, and known
as baying been formerly occupied by the late Dr. Carson.
A finer, or more accessible and airy site, could not have
been chosen within the borough, or a building in any
direction more suitable ; the original plan without anti
within being such for convenience, light, and ventilation,
that, beyond the requisite new furniture, comparatively
small expenditure was requisite to immediately adapt it
for the purpose. The house may be said to be almost iso-
lated, as it has three open sides, a main facade (with a
handsome portico) to the west; another frontage to Ox-
ford-street on the south, and an open windowed side, fac-
ing an extensive flagged yard, on the north. The interior
divisions are such (with a fine stair-case lighted from the
roof in the centre) that ample air and light are admitted
into each room, to which easy and rapid access is obtained
without that modern defect of single or lob-sided houses,
of dark and long passages. It is, in fact, at once compact
and spacious as a whole.
The entrance for the patients is by a door into the yard,
from the north branch of Mount-pleasant—a street which,
from its forming (by the way) almost a right angle with
the same named street below, ought long since to have
obtained a new cognomen. From the yard they are ad-
mitted, by a porched door, into the Receiving Room, a
comfortable apartment, painted green, with benches and
forms, and (at this season) a good fire. This is in itself
a great improvement over what could be accomplished in
the old establishment, where, for want of room, the poor
blind or affected in vision, who must be naturally anxious
for advice and relief, were necessitated to " bide their
time" in the open air.
Close to this room (which 'was previously one of the
two front parlours) is, across the hall or front passage,
the Surgeon's Consulting Room, in which he receives
the patients, inspects their peculiar diseases of eye or ear,
performs operations when necessary, and furnishes his
recipes for medicines or applications. The patients fur-
nished with such documents pass homeward by a small
and adjoining laboratory, where their prescriptions are
prepared, and, to avoid confusion (as the number of
applicants is generally great), they depart by another
door into the yard, if not received as in-patients. On the
same floor is the Matron's Room, and others.
On the next floor above, is the committee-room, over
the consulting-room, and in other parts spacious bed-
rooms for patients, with three neat and modernly-con-
structed bedsteads in each, well appointed with mattresses,
bedding, &c., all peculiarly clean and comfortable. We
were much struck, indeed, by the cleanliness and comfort
thoughoutindispensable requisites to that cheerfulness
in the patients, which must be a strong auxiliary to the
scientific efforts of the medical officers. We were induc-
ted by the very civil and assiduous matron into most of
the apartments. In one of theni were seated, round a
cheering fire, many of the male patients, who though with
their eyes bandaged, or partially so, and all of them no
doubt in the expectation of comparatively speedy restora-
tion to the " beams of day," rose from their seats at our
entrance, and respectfully saluted us in their several ways.
This we considered a high and affecting compliment to the
" management" of the institution. There is generally
but one window in each room and in each ward, and
these are more or less obscured by green Venetian blinds,
as the eyes of the patients in convalescence can bear the
light. There are also day rooms and dormitories for fe-
males, entirely apart from the males. In the third story,
or attic, we observed amongst other rooms, one large
room, an apartment with six beds, equally as well fur-
nished as those below, and all beautifully clean.
There are on the premises hot, shower, and cold baths,
with every 'convenience for washing and cleansing the
person. Seventeen beds are in use, and thirty more could
be made up, if the funds would permit. The average
number of Mr. Neill's consulting and in-door patients is,
we learn, 70 a-day, but this is sometimes greatly exceed-
ed. On Saturday se'nnight, he prescribed for no fewer
than 126 applicants. Mr. Barrow, his able assistant, pre-
pares the medicine. . . .

During our very short visit, (not exceeding twenty mi-
nutes,) Mr. Neill, who happened to arrive, took the writer
of this into his consulting-room, and passed before him
about a dozen of his in-patients, variously afflicted with
blindness, exhibiting the eyes of each, detailing the ope-
rations performed, and questioning them as to the state
of their eyes, the period they had been respectively under
treatment, &c. Their replies were most kindly, intelli-
gent, and grateful, and we shall not soon forget the plea-
sing impression they left upon onr mind ; though we
must say that his apparently rapid, but scientific, hand-
ling of their eye-lids was, from want of custom, painful to
us, though by no means, as it appeared, to them.
We learn that between 300 and 400 useful mechanics,