The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-03-12 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

(From the Times of yesterday.)

SATURDAY EVENING.—MT. Goulburn's plan for the
reduction of the three.and-a-half per cents., announced
in the House of Commons, has had the singular good for-
tune of encountering little or nothing in the shape of ob-
jection in the city.
There is no circumstance connected with the project of
the Chancellor of the Exchequer that has given more
satisfaction than his intimation that it has not been thought
necessary to make any arrangement with the bank to pro-
vide for possible dissentients to a large amount. Unlike
the last administration, who were perfectly helpless in
financial matters, because they never took their measures
wisely, and had no funds to support them, the treasury
have now a large balance in hand, and need be dependent
on no external aid. At all times this is a most material
power to possess, but it is especially so at a period when
the bank is to be called before the public to treat for a
renewal of its exclusive privileges.
As a practical commentary upon Mr. Goulburn's mea-
sure, it may be stated, that as he offers in exchange for
the present Three-and-a-Half per Cents., and from Oc-
tober next, a stock bearing interest at 3+ per cent. for 10
years, and 3 per cent. afterwards, with guarantee against
further reduction for 20 years more, this may be con-
sidered the same as giving 3 per cent. at once, with gua-
rantee for 30 years against further reduction, and a bonus
of a per cent. for 10 years. Estimating, then, the rate of
interest on Government securities at 3 per cent., the
present value of se. per annum, for 10 years, is £2 2s. Bd.,
which is the equivalent in money offered as a bonus ; in
addition to which must be considered the value of the
guarantee for 30 years, which cannot be precisely calcu-
lated, though evidently worth something when the Three
per Cent. Consols are at 984.
To illustrate this matter further, a person who assents
therefore will receive £lOO in a 3 per cent. stock, with
annuity of ss. for ten years. Thus—
£. a. d.
His Consols are now worth..
His annuity..

Making..
To Compare this with the case of a dissentient to the
conversion, the latter will receive £lOO in money, with
which he can buy £lOl 10s. 6d. in Three per Cent. Con-
sols. the value of which is, of course, £lOO only ; and the
gain of money by assenting is therefore 12s. Bd. per cent.
at present prices without reference to the value of the
guarantee for 30 years.
As the Three-and-a-Half per Cents. of 1818 stand in
a somewhat different position, the tams of the original
contract with Government requiring that they shall only
be paid off in sums of £500,000 at a time,
months' notice previously given, a
s9isvtes rin n
th d
differentthaethoethleorn de-
sc
riptions six
alue iwill probably be created for that stock. The extent
amtaurpkoent
advantagessocfritphrionsof
3rpewr
period in. which the n per cent, may be received, but at
which it
it
sptoocskses consists
the expiration of the 10 years fixed for the duration of the
Three-and-a-Quarter per Cents., or probably much
earlier, all will be in the same situation. A broker of ex-
perience has stated to us that the Three-and-a-Half per
Cents. of 1818 may be worth under these circumstances
_bout 1 per cent. more than the others. It is not easy to
comprehend exactly the mode by which a reduction of
£500,C00 at a time, and by a notice of six months for
each, is to be effected. If one notice is to expire before a
new one is given, the whole operation, as the stock is
£10,000,000, will extend over 10 years; but means may
probably be found of accelerating the process without any
breach of the original contract.
The proposal of Mr. Goulburn to equalize the amount
of dividends payable in each quarter of the year is one
which has also given entire satisfaction, and will have
consequences, apart from the present question of a mere
reduction of interest, full of future benefit to the country.
If there should be, in connexion with this arrangement,.
a sound and judicious course pursued in regard to the
privileges of the Bar.k of England—a question which
must closely follow this now under consideration—the
term " panic " may fall into disuse and be forgotten, and
the trade of the country subside into a permanently safe
and healthy state.
Consols 'for money and the account left off this after-
noon at the advanced price of 914 ; New 31 per Cents.
were 102 k to 1; and Exchequer Bills, 70s. to 725. pre-
mium. A good deal of business was transacted at these
quotations, and the market closed exceedingly. firm.
Foreign securities were generally well supported, and
speculation seems to be rather on the increase. The re-
mittance on account of the Mexican dividend having ex-
ceeded the sum named yesterday by some 50,000 dollars,
.
there was more business transacting in this stock. The
'
full advance, however, was not maintained, since, as the
agents have given notice of the payment of the remaining
half of the October coupon, the amount in hand for the
April dividend cannot fail proportionately to suffer.
Hence the cause of the reaction. Mexican actives, after
touching 35k, left off 35/ to 36, and the deferred, which
was done at 141, closed 14i to A little flatness pre-
vailed in the Peninsula securities, in consequence of sales
for realization. Spanish five per cents. closed 254 to I,
and the three per cents. 351 to ; Dutch two-and-a-half
per cents., 56+ to 564 ; the five per cents., 1014 to IO2;
Danish, 874 to 884 ; Colombian, 144 to ; Chilian, 103
to 105; Buenos Ayres, 37 to 39; Brazilian, 81 to 83; and
Belgian, 103 to 105.

INDECENT ASSAULT.—On Saturday a middle-aged
man, named Patrick O'Connor, the master of a School,
in Benn's-gardens, was brought up on a charge of hav-
ing committed or attempted to commit, an indecent as-
sault upon the person of one of his female scholars, a
child about ten years of age. He was ordered to pay a
fine of £5, or, in default to be imprisoned two months.
This is the second case in which schoolmasters of this
town have been charged with improper offences in the
short space of a month or five weeks.

COLLEGIATE iNSTITLTION.—The anxiously-expected
lectures of the celebrated musician, Dr. Wesley, will com-
mence on Tuesday evening, on which occasion and during
the course it is easy to predict a crowded lecture hall.
We learn that the illustrations comprise selections from
Spobr's double choir movements, from the works of
Mozart, and some fine pieces from the unpublished MSS
of the late Samuel Wesley. The amateur members of
the Philharmonic Society, comprising upwards of forty
ladies and gentlemen have, for some time past, been ac-
tively engaged in the rehersal of these illustrations, and
from the admirable style in which this distinguished so-
ciety accomplish every thing which they undertake, there
is no doubt that full justice will be done to the music.
The advertisement of the succeeding course of lectures
is rich in promise and it only remains for the public to
show their sense of the exertions of the directors to en.
sure the utmost attention being paid to this most inter.
eating and valuable .department of the Collegiate Insti-
tution.

INQUIRY AT THE WORKHOUSE.

On Priday, another investigation took place in the
board-room of the Workhouse, before the Hon. Charles
Clements, assistant poor-law commissioner, into certain
new charges of neglect, which had been preferred by the
governor, Mr. Evans, against Mr. Nightingall, the house
surgeon. There were present Mr. Churchwarden Wilkin-
son, Mr. Bright, Mr. Riding, Mr. Bremner, (solicitor,)
Mr. Urquhart, Mr. Green, Mr. Muncaster, Mr. Clay,
the Rev. Mr. Cragg, and ,several others.
The COMMISSIONER opened the proceedings by reading
documents containing a copy of the charges, and the pre-
vious proceedings thereon. From this it appeared that a
meeting of the honorary medical board had been held on
the 4th instant, at which Dr. Macrorie presided, and
which was attended by Drs. M'Culloch and Gouthvraite,
to investigate the charges alluded to. The first charge re-
ferred to three children in the Low-hill Workhouse, who
appeared to be affected with itch, and who were sent down
to the Workhouse in Brownlow-hill, for the purpose of
being examined and medically treated by Mr. Nightingall.
Shortly after their arrival, the latter, finding they had been
sent into the ward appropriated for such cases, in an excited
tone ordered them back to Low-hill, stating that they
were not affected by the disease. The governor thereupon
applied to Dr. Macrorie, who gave a certificate to the
effect that the three children, Jane Kelly, Catherine
Wordy, and Jane Jarrett, had been shown to him ; that
he considered them bad cases of itch, and that they ought
immediately to be separated from the healthy inmates, and
put under treatment for the contagious
.affection. On re-
ceiving this, the governor ordered the children to the itch
ward, and the honorary medical board passed the following
resolution :—" That the conduct of the house surgeon, in
sending the cases of itch back to the Low-hill Work house,and
not immediately submitting them to proper medical treat-
ment, was highly censurable." The Governor then sub-
mitted the case of William Freeman, a lad of 15, for the
opinion and advice of the board ; and after they had ex-
amined the boy, and finding him labouring under a severe
naphthous affection of the mouth and throat, extending
to the upper part of the wind-pipe, and assuming a very
serious aspect, they resolved—" That, according to the
evidence, Mr. Nightingall, in having not only neglected
this important case, but failed to visit the sick for nearly
a week, has been guilty of great derelection of duty."
They ordered the lad to be placed in the men's medical
ward, and not to be exposed, as previously, to the external
air while under treatment. He had previously been dis-
charged as cured by Mr. Nightingall from the boy's sick
ward.
Mr.EvAlls, the governor of the Workhouse, being called,
said he visited the Low-bill Workhouse on the Ist inst. and
there found the three children named, affected with the
itch. He ordered them down to the Workhouse in
Brownlow-hill. He did not then see Mr. Nightingall,
nor did he enquire for him. He saw Mr. Ratcliffe, who
was that day acting for Mr. Woods, the assistant house
surgeon. Mr. Radcliffe called at his office and told him
the children were affected with itch. They were sent to
the itch ward. Some time after, Mr. Nightingall came
to him, and asked him if he bad sent down three children
so affected. He said he bad. Upon this Mr. Nightin-
gall became very angry, and said he (witness) had no busi-
ness to interfere with his duties ; and that it was his
province alone to attend to such matters. Mr. Nightin-
gall did not say to him that the children were or were not
affected with the disease. Witness did not put the ques-
tion to Mr. Nightingall. Some time after, he (witness)
heard that the children had been sent away. He sent for
them hack again, and took them down the ssme evening
to Dr. Macrorie, who examined them, and gave the cer-
tificate that had just been read. They were sent by wit-
ness to the itch ward. Witness added that a boy named
Jones had been sent back to the Workhouse after obtain.
ing a situation with a shoemaker named Owen, in conse-
quence of itch. He could not say that the boy had been
submitted to the inspection of Mr. Nightingall before he
was sent out, nor d'd he remember whether be himself
(witness) saw him before he left. Jones was away about
a fortnight. It was stated that the boy had given the itch to
a servant man of Mr. Owen; but from further questions
and replies, it appeared possible that the boy might have
caught it from the man. The practice was to submit all
who had got situations through the select vestry to the
inspection of the surgeon before they went out. (In reply
to Mr. Nightingall, witness said he did not know if any
certificate was required of him (Mr. N.) for the boy Jones
before he was sent out.) Witness was then examined on
the case of the boy Freeman. He said that on Tuesday
or Wednesday week, Galloway, the superintendent of the
boys when out of school, came to him with the boy, at the
instance of Mr. Pilkington, the schoolmaster. Mr. Pil-
kington said he (the lad) was too unwell to attend to school
duties. The boy said he had been in the sick boys' nur-
sery for a week, and that nothing had been done for him,
and nothing given him to take, and that he was then
suffering much pain. Previous to being under Mr. Night-
ingall, he had been under Mr. Woods, and had been or-
dered down from the boys' healthy nnrsery by Mr.
Nightingall. Witness sent him to Mr. Nightingall, and
desired the officer to ask Mr. N. why he had discharged
him as cured when he was in such a state. Mr. Nighingall
came to witness and said the boy was doing well. He
was sent back to the ward—not the sick ward—and or-
dered to attend on Mr. Nightingall every day at the sur-
gery. Witness spoke to Dr. Gouthwaite on the following
Saturday, and that gentleman said the case was one which
might be easily cured in the first stages, but if neglected
it might end in death. He desired witness to bring it be-
fore the honorary medical board, specially to be held on
the itch cases on Monday, which he did. In reply to Mr.
Nightingall, witness said he bad communicated to him
the opinion of the medical board, and that the boy was
sent immediately after they had seen him, to the medical
ward, before Mr. Nightingall had any notice whatever—
he not being in at the time. He could not say whether
there was another medical officer in the house at the time.
The boy was now, he believed, under his (Mr. N.'s)
treatment,

Dr. MACRORIE being called, said he had inspected the
children brought from Low-bill, and had given the certi-
ficate read. In reply to Mr. Nightingall. he Raid the ma-
tron at Low-hill had told him that his (Mr. N's) invaria-
ble practice was to visit the children at the Low-hill esta-
blishment every morning. Two of the cases of itch in
question ought not to ye escaped the attention of a
medical man, but one of them might have escaped notice.
The appearances of the erruption in the disease might
be less marked in the morning when Mr. N. saw them,
than in six or eight hours after, when he (Dr. M.) saw
them. This, however, applied to oue of the cases only.
The other two must have been much the same in the
morning.
Mr. EVANS here said that there were 160 children at
Low-hill Workhouse, and that 42 of them had been
brought recently to the general workhouse, labouring un-
der the disease stated.
Witness was further questioned as to the boy Freeman,
and, after describing the disease, said the medical board
were of opinion that such a case ought not to be exposed
to the external air, but should be treated in a warm room,
Ten days, he had heard, had elapsed from the time the
patient was discharged to the time at which he was seen by
the board, and be could not say but that the boy was cured
when discharged. He ought not to have been discharged
unless decidedly convalescent, and, if so, a daily inspec-
tion would be required. It was the opinion of the board,
from the evidence, that the case had been neglected.
Mr. RATCLIFFE, surgeon, (who had attended the house
in place of Mr. Woods,) said he saw the three children
in the reception room on Friday last; inspected them;
found them suffering from itch ; and sent them to the pro-
per ward. Cross-examined.—Mr. Nightingale generally
sent the cases down from Low-hill that required medical
treatment. Several were sent by him last week. Mr.
Nightingall gave orders for the three children to be sentback
to Low-hill in his presence. The disease was, in all the
three cases, in the incipient stage, when witness examined
them. Had not his attention been called to them he
might have passed them over.
EEIZA GILPIN, the nurse of the boys' sick ward, said
Freeman was first admitted there on the 30th January,
and discharged on the 12th February. He was re-admit-
ted on the 17th February, and discharged on the 24th.
Neither Mr. Nightingall, nor any other medical man, saw
him at all during either period of time be was there. He
seemed well, ate his meat heartily, and played about the
yard with the other boys. His mouth seemed much the
same when he was discharged as when he was admitted,
and he did not complain about it. Mr. Nightingall dis-
charged 12 other boys along with him on the 24th Feb-
ruary, leaving 15 sick boys in the nursery. Nothing was
sent that week to Freeman, either as lotion or medicine.
The honorary medical men bad never visited the ward
during the eight months' the witness was there.
Witness, in reply to questions from the governor, re-
lated an instance of her having sent for Mr. Nightingall
to see a child, who had a bad cough, when he spoke rude-
ly and roughly to her, as she supposed, for doing so. She
mentioned the fact to the governor, saying she was afraid
to apply to him, and he told her not to send sick children
to the surgery, as Mr. Nightingall was to come and visit
them.—To questions by Mr. Wilkinson, she said Mr.
Nightingall never refused to come when she sent for him.
He scolded her once, because she allowed a sick child to
be taken by the matror. from the healthy infants' nursery
to the other. Many of the sick children in the nursery re-
quired only opening medicine, which was given by order of
Mr. Nightingall. By M r.Nightingall.—Witness has always
been told that she must not send children from one ward
to the other without orders from the doctor. In the case
stated, the matron, who was her superior, took the child
to the sick nursery herself.—Mr. Clements asked Mr. N.
if he considered it blameable that the matron should so
remove a sick child, and send for the surgeon immediately
after? Mr. N. said it had been the rule that the surgeon
alone should send to the hospital.—Witnees could not say
whether Mr. N. had particularly examined Freeman and
the other 12 children when he discharged them, but she
saw them standing in the usual way to be examined. Du-
ring the last fortnight the sick nursery had been visited
every day by Mr. Nightingale, or Mr. Woods, or both.
GEORGE PILKINGPON, boys' schoolmaster, spoke to
the boy Freeman wishing to be excused from school, on
account of his sore mouth, but •,itness said be could not,
as the doctor bad discharged him as cured. He was taken
to the governor by Mr. Galloway, but afterwards attended
the school doling that week, and appeared to be getting
better. Witness believed he then attended on the doctor
every second day. The boy had complained of his mouth,
but witness thought it was the effect of caustic.
SAMUEL GALLOWAY corroborated the above, adding
that Mr. Hodgkins, the head clerk, was sent by the go-
vernor with the boy to Mr. Nightingale. In reply to the
latter, witness said that the governor told him, when he
took Freeman before him, that if he did not report to him
the cases of boys who were sick, which Mr. Nightingall
knew of and did not attend to, he (witness) would be lia-
ble to be reported himself. He had no conversation with
the governor yesterday.
FIENHY HODGKINS, the clerk, said that he was not
sent to the governor with the boy, that he could recollect
of. He recollected going with three distinct messages
from the governor to Mr. N. In one of- the cases Mr.
Nightingall returned wi h him to the governor immedi-

ately, and he believed it was the case of Freeman. In
reply to Mr. Nightingall, witness said he was constantly
in the habit of visiting the sick wards. and neither the
nurses nor the patients ever complained to him of want of
attention on the part of Mr. N. The cases that had
fallen under witness's notice had always been attended by
Mr. N. or Mr. Woods.
MARGARET THOMPSON, matron of Low-hill Work-
house, said there had been many cases of itch there re-
cantly. Mr. Nightingale was in the habit of attending
there every morning and examining the children, one by
one. About 30 cases had been sent down this last fortnight.
Mr. Nightingall was not formerly in the habit of attend-
ing every morning, since May last, but during the last
month or five weeks had only missed one morning. On
Monday last Mr. M`'..;ulloch visited the house, and sent
down seven children to Brownlow-hill, as being affected
withitch. Some of them did not appear to her to have
ione occmisi to the
spokengo governor of
NI r.
any complaint. Some of the children evaded the doctor
occasionally, but had not been allowed to do so the
last week.
She
having had
complained
on
and discourteously to her, saying shiPintei fered with his
business; and that she was afraidho speak to him about
Sthe children. With this exception, be bad always behaved
Nightingale
kindly towards her. The governor generally visited Low
hill once a week, but the week before last was not there.
The governess had not been there since Christmas-day.
(It was stated that she 11ad been unwell for some time
during the interval.)Witness never saw Dr. M'Culloch
at Low-hill till Monday last. She never saw any of the
honorary medical men there since she went in May last.
The children there consisted of girls and infants.
The case here closed as regarded the charges, and Mr.
Nightingall said he had drawn up a statement in reply,
which he would place in the hands of Mr. Ratcliffe
to read for him, while he himself retired.
Mr. RADCLIFFE read the document. The writer com-
menced by stating that the charges against him were at
once unjust and cruel, and that he was marked out as a
sacrifice to the vindictive feelings of certain parties towards
him. Why did the governor assume that he had neglect
in neglected
the children at Low-hill, before be had ascertained his in-
tentions towards them ? and why had he been such
haste to send them to the ward, without waiting to con-
suit him ? The governor in so acting had obstructed his
(the writer's) plans; superseded his professional judge-
ment, and virtually suspended him from his office. Such
proceedings could not have arisen from any but hostile
feelings towards him. He wished he could view the con-
duct of the medical board in a more favourable light.
Why had he not been sent for, arid heard in his own vin-
dication. He was entitled to expect a fair hearing; but,
in place of that, he was treated like acriminal. The board
had tried, judged, and condemned him, unheard ; whereas
if they had heard his explanation they might perhaps have
entirely acquitted him of all blame. The treatment he
bad received from the governor, as well as the secret con-
struction and prosecution of the charges, convinced him
that he had become the victim of dislike and prosecution.
If he were crushed, and his fortunes and prospects in life
destroyed, he felt that he should fall as an old and injured
servant of the public; but, if he were thus ruined, he
should be compelled not to suffer these proceedings to stop
here, but to bring his case before the tribunals of his coun-
try for redress. He besought the select vestry to in-
terpose between him and his persecutors; and he made
this appeal as one who bad served the parish for the long
period of twenty-one years. It could not be supposed that
he was so foolish, so imprudent, so devoid of feeling, so
unmindful of his duties, as wantonly to incur such charges
as had that day been brought against him. He believed
that the prosecution had its origin in the fact that he had
given evidence on an inquest, the week before last, which,
to a certain extent, affected the governor ; and he was in-
duced to form this opinion, because a system of annoy-
ance had been waged against him ever since, which had
unfitted him for the proper discharge of his duties. He
admitted that a week had elapsed without his having visited
Freeman ; but this he attributed to loss of memory, arising
from onerous duties, and the persecution to which he had
been subjected. He also stated that he had sent cases to
each of the wards from Low-hill on the day in question,
but thought it better to defer the other cases until the
next day as they were doubtful. In the meantime the go-
vernor went up and sent them down.
The COMMISSIONER said Mr. Nightingall had not en-
tered into the merits of the case,

Mr. NIGHTINGALL said he had always been kept in the
dark as to what was going forward, and new rules and
regulations had been adopted, of which he knew nothing.
When he sent Freeman out of the sick ward he considered
him well.

Mr. WOODS, surgeon, was here called for the defence,
and stated generally, that, in his opinion, confinement to
the ward was not necessary in the case of Freeman, and
that he thought air and exercise, combined with local
treatment, would, in the first instance, have effected a
cure. He never considered him in a dangerous state,
neither did Mr. Gill, who concurred with him as to the
treatment—air and exercise being preferable. Dr. Gill
was one of the first surgeons in the town.
This closed the inquiry,—upon which no decision was
of course come to, as the whole evidence, together with
the statement of Mr. Nightingall would be transmitted to
the Poor Law Commissioners—for them to adjudicate
upon.

CORRESPONDEN CE.

AFRICAN GUANO. .
TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.
Sir,—For some time past, a' report has been current in
Liverpool (no doubt originating from parties who have
sent ships to the western coast of Africa) that the Portu-
guese government had sent a force to that part of the
coast whence the Guano is derived, to prevent its being
taken away. We, sir, were the first, in conjunction with
Mr. James Rae, to send a vessel for that article to the
western coast of Africa, the "Ann, of Bristol," Captain
Farr, (which vessel arrived at Dumfries with a cargo of
Guano,) and have orginated so great a stimulant to Bri-
tish commerce and industry. As such report is calculated
to create great anxiety to persons embarked, we beg to
say that we applied to Lord Aberdeen on the subject, and
that his lordship has kindly condescended to inform us
no power has any controul over that part of the coast.
Trusting the importance of the subject will be sufficient
apology for trespassing on your valuable columns,
We are, Sir,
Yours respectfully,

M. McLEOD and CO.
Leicester-buildings, King-street,
11th March, 1841.
LEAGUE PETITIONS.