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

HOUSE OF COMMONS-WEDNESDAY

Lord P&LMERSTON, in reply to Sir Howard Douglas,
said that the late government had employed Mr. Hood,
the Consul-General at Rio, who was instruc ed, on the
part of England, in conjuitcrion with France, to endeavour

io effect a termination of the hostilities between Monte
Video and Buenos Ayres. Sufficient time bad not elapsed
to allow of information on the subject. but he entertained
a hope that the desired object would be accomplished.
Mr. I.VAKr.sy brought under consideration the case of
Haydock Lodge Lunatic Asylum, in Lancashire, to which
public attention was attracted some time ago, by a petition
to parliament from Mr. Owen Roberts, a surgeon, of
Bangor, who complained of the treatment of lunatics in
that institution. From the official inquiries which had
been instituted, it appeared that Mr. Coode, while he was
assistant-secretary to the poor-law commissioners, had a
beneficial interest in Havdock Lodge, which was under
the management of Mr. Mott, formerly an assistant poor-
law commissioner. Owing to the undue influence pos-
sessed by Mr. Coode and Mr. Mott, pauper lunatics were
sent to Haydock Lodge from no less than twenty different
counties in England, some from the I-le of Man, and some
from the island of Anglesea ; and there they were sub-
jected to treatment which rendered the management of the
asylum one of the most frightful and horrible cases of
heartless cruelty which had ever fallen under his notice.
In that " human slaught r-house," so great e as the mor-
tality that in the second year 112 had died out of 450; and
in the year preceding the Ist of October, 1845, it was
sixty. On inspection by the visiting magistrates, they
were of opinion that the house could only accommodate
367 persons, while 500 had been compelled to live in it.
Mr. Wakley, who spoke at great length, went into much
detail on the subject, describing the dietary and treatment
of the inmates, contrasting the management of the insti-
tution with' that of Hartwell,' and contending that the
sole object of the owners of Haydock Lodge was pecuniary
gain. The subject demanded a complete investigation,
not by the poor-law commissioners, w:io were inte-
rested parties, but by an independent and competent
tribunal. If this were not done during the recess he
would on the very first day of the meeting of parlia-
ment, if he had a seat in the house, move for a committee
of inquiry. But he suggested that a commission should
be appointed, and moved an address to the crown to that
effect.

Mr. FIELD'N seconded the motion.
Sir G. GREY would not say a word i❑ defence of the
management of Haydock Lodge, and admitted that it was
most discreditable to any person in connexion with the
Poo,--law Commission to have had any interest in such an
Institution. The disclosures which had been made ren-
dered it necessary that the case should undergo a search-
ing investigation by the Commissioners of Lunacy ; but
the remedy for the evils of private asylums, which he
feared were generally in a most deplorable state, lay in
the hands of the magistracy, by the erection of county
asylums. At the present late period, and in the absence
of Lord Seymour, who could have given them informati-
on as to the course which the Commissioners of Lunacy
might pursue, be urged the withdrawal of the motion.
After some remarks from Mr. R. Yorke and Mr.
Borthwick,
Mr. WAKLEY withdrew his motion, but renewed his
pledge to r,vive the question, if a searching investigation
did not take place during the recess.