The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-09-01 00:00:00

HAYDOCK LODGE LUNATIC ASYLUM

A question of some importance with regard to the
pauper lunatics from Liverpool placed in this now noto-
rious asylum, was put yesterday, in the police-court, to
one of the paid overseers. The question was, whether
the overseers and churchwardens had visited Haydock
Lodge lately ? The reply was. " not very lately ;" but a
belit f was added that they were about to go. Mr. Rush-
ton r: joined that they ought to visit the place immediately,
and referred to the appalling fact that, in one year, out of
444 inmates, no less than 112 deaths had occurred. "It
is a bad business," he added. The conversation dropped
at this point; but some facts have since come to our
knowledge, which chew that whoever has anything what-
ever to do with the poor-law, or its adjuncts, is tolerably
certain of being in some say or other damaged or defiled.
The law empowers all parish authorities, who place pauper
lunatics in asylums, to visit them at their discretion, upon
the principle that they have a double care of these unfor-
tuuate beings, as paupers and as lunatics. We apprehend
the legislature never intended or expected that this provi-
sion which, if carried out, would have a salutary tendency
in preventing abuse, should remain without vitality; and
in this opinion many of our townsmen will coincide.
Haydock Lodge first achieved public notice by the memo-
rable petition to the House of Commons from Mr. 0.
Roberts, which was ordered to be printed by the House,
and which contained most grave charges against the ma-
nagement of the establishment, in a physical point of
view. More or less, the system pursued there has been
under notice and discussion to the very day when Mr.
Rushton put the above question to the paid overseer.
Yet we learn that since August in last year, now more
than twelve mouths ago, the authorities of this parish
have not paid a single visit, official or otherwise, to the
wretched beings in Haydock Lodge, who are presumed
to be under their double care! And this, too, notwith-
standing the universal notoriety of the establishment.
The present officers were elected at Easter, and they
seem to have taken no official notice whatever of the
asylum, beyond receiving the usual reports from subordi-
nates. By an arrangement with the county, this parish
has had annually an average of 44 lunatic paupers in this
asylum ; and it is said that out of that number there died
in one year no less than 15. and in another 12. The
deaths there among the pauper lunatics from Liverpool
have been much greater than in any other asylum where
they are sent, among which are those of Lancaster, Cam-
berwell, Kingsland, the Workhouse, and the establish-
ment in Ashton-street. This fact, which must have been
evident from the returns made to the authorities, cer-
tainly ought to have excited attention, if not something
more. It is no excuse to shift the blame on the visiting
justices. Previously to the present year, the parish paid
7s. 6d. per week for each pauper lunatic maintained at
Haydock : this year it has been reduced to 7s. In
June last, arrangements were completed for sending some
of these wretched unfortunates to Camberwell, where
10s., and to Kingsland, where Bs. 6d. is paid per week
for each. The terms in Ashton-street, we believe, are
12s. We hope, now that public attention is so forcibly
directed to the Haydock Lodge establishment, out local
authorities will lose no time in taking measures for an
effective visitation of those who have a strong legal and
mural claim upon their attention. Mr. Mott has been
auccced ect-trt uplarf,AL- by- r.- and Mrs.-vrneutn; Trout"
the asylum at Hanwell.

The foundation stone of ►he new church in the Prince's
Park, of which the Rev. Hugh M'Neile is to be the in-
cumbent, will be laid to-morrow ( Wednesday) week, the
9th of September, by the reverend gentleman himself, at
half-past twelve o'clock. The church will be dedicated to
St. Paul.

HEALTH OF THE TOWN.—We are glad to find that in
furtherance of a recommendation from the Health of the
Town Committee, the Highway board have given orders
that all ashpits, &c., in the town are to be cleaned out
immediately, and in all cases where the parties are too
poor to bear the expense, the Board will take the neces-
sary steps themselves.
DEATH FROM FALLING DOWN A VESSEL'S HOLD.—
Yesterday an inquest was held upon the body of James
Ferguson, who perished in consequence of having fallen
into the hold of a vessel called the John M`Lellan, on
Wednesday last. The deceased, who was 72 years old,
was shipkeeper on board whilst the vessel lay in Toxteth
Dock, and he fell down the after batch in consequence
of the ladder slipping. He was sensible when taken up,
and was conveyed to the Southern Hospital, where he
lingered till Saturday, when he died.
FATAL ACCIDENT.—WAREHOUSE CELLERS.—An in-
quest was held yesterday by Mr. Currie, upon the body
of an old man, named Solomon Myers, a member of the
Jewish persuasion, who, at eighty-four years of age, met
his death by accidentally falling down a warehouse cellar,
in Waterloo-road. On Wednesday, the deceased was
walking along Waterloo-road, and being near-sighted, he
did not perceive the cellar, but fell into it quite suddenly.
From the testimony of Mr. Gildersleeves, house-surgeon
at the Northern Hospital, it appeared that the deceased
had sustained fractures of the right thigh and right arm,
from the effects of which he died on Friday night.
POLICE-COURT, YESTERDAY.—The police business
before the stipendiary magistrate yesterday was more
than ordinarily meagre and uninteresting. The chief
occupation of the court was to dispose of cases of drun-
kenness and trivial assaults. Several persons were com-
mitted for felonies of a small amount, among whom was
a man named William Hughes, for entering a broker's
shop in Great Howard-street, and stealing property
valued at several pounds. Another man, named George
Barnes, was convicted of an assault upon police officer
No. 434, in Whitechapel, on Saturday night. and fined
£5. In default of payment he was sent to the Borough
gaol for two months. _

ANNUAL LICENSING DAY.—The annual licensing
sessions for public-houses within the borough commenced
yesterday at the Sessions-house, the magistrates present
being Mr. Richard Houghton and Mr. R. V. Yates.
There are no less than 1500 applications for renewals.
The order in which they were considered was alphabeti-
cal, according to the names cf the streets. Having ar-
rived at the letter M, the court adjourned till this day
(Tuesday). No licenses were finally refused, but it is
understood that several are down in the " b'ack list,"
with very little hopes of being taken out of it, though no
efforts will be spared by those concerned to effect that
object. The charge for each renewal is 7s. 6d. ;so that
supposing the whole to be granted, the sum of £562 10s.
will be realised to the borough fund. The transfers are
to be taken to-morrow (Wednesday). There are the
unprecedented number of 216 applications for new li-
censes—a fact significant of an increased population, and
an ea tended surface of building within the municipal
boundaries. The magistrates will decide upon these ap-
plications to-morrow week, the 9th instant.
CARNARVON REGATTA.—SeveraI very spirited COE-
tests took place at this festive gathering, on Thursday and
Friday last. The first race was a time race for the Menai
Cup, value twenty pounds ; contested for by yachts,
between eight and eighteen tons, old measurement. , The
cep was won by the " Daring." 17 tons, belonging to H.
Barrett, Esq., beating the Diamond, 17 tons, Hehe, 15
tons, Nautilus, John, and Mary, each 9 tons. On Friday
the Prince of Wales Cup, presented by the Hon. Colonel
Douglas Pennant, and open to all yachts above thirty tons
old measurement, was contested for by the " Vision," 44
tons, and the " Enchantress," 4a tons, the former proving
the winner by eighteen minutes, in a course of rather more
than twenty miles. Tha Vision belongs to Thomas Bir-
chat]. Esq., clerk of the peace for this county. The race
for the Snowden Cup, value thirty guineas, was contested
by seven yachts, and was carried off by
.Mr. Barrett's
" Daring," beating the " Petrel," belonging to NV. w.
Shand, Esq., which came in second, Mr. Little's " Jilt,"
Mr. R. B. Preston's " Ilebe," Col. Pennant's " Dia-
mond." Mr. Mandock's "Queen Victoria," and Mr.
Powell's " Jack-y-Tan." The ra- e for the Carnarvon
cup, value forty guineas, open to all vessels above 12 tom,
came off on Saturday. An objection was raised to the
" Vision" contending for this prize, in consequence tof
having won the cup on the previous day, but the commit.
tee decided that as the " Vision" was the only yacht ori-
ginally entered ready to take up her place on..the first
day, to exclude her would be an act of injustice. The
owners of the other yachts would not therefore enter,
with the exception of the owner of the "Daring," and
she and the " Vision" started for the prize at seven
minutes east twelve. They arrived home, the " Vision"
at 2 32 20, and the " Daring" at 2 47 40, leaving a real
difference of time in favour of fag " Vision" of 15 mi-
nutes 20 seconds, but as there were 27 tons in favour
of the " Daring" to be allowed for at a quarter of a mi-
nute per ton, the " Vision" won the race by eight mi-
nutes sod thirty-five seconds. Mr. Birchall thus won
two cups at Carnarven, and as will be seen from our
report of the Beamaris Regatta, he was there success-
ful in carrying off a £5,0 prip9 with the saw yacht,