Chapter IX: Introduction (8)

She appears more simple than mad. She says that Mr. Capper robbed her of all her rings and jewels, muff, and all her fine things, when she was first apprehended. She still preserves a broach, and a shilling, which she carefully keeps wrapped up in a number of papers; which shilling, she says, is to pay for a lodging, the first night she obtains her liberty. She takes snuff, and although she feels much in want of it at times, she is so scrupulously careful of her shilling, that she will beg, borrow, or go without the exhilirating powder altogether, rather than break upon this last remnant of her cash.

JANE COOK,

Aged ..., London. This is a married woman, and was servant in a family in London. The family being out of town, she one night set fire to the house in the following manner. She had seen her husband, on the night alluded to, with whom she had very high words, on what account is not known, but, mortified and driven to desperation, she resolved on her own destruction. With this view she procured a quantity of laudanum and gin mixed together: she then went to rest, doubly intoxicated, having first placed a lighted candle underneath the bed.

She soon became insensible. The bed and furniture caught fire, and the flames spread. The watchman on his post observing it, obtained assistance, broke into the house, repaired to the room on fire, where he found the unfortunate woman in a state of complete insensibility, and much burnt. She was taken out; but the house and furniture received considerable damage. She remained ill a long time, from the double effects of poison and fire, and was ultimately found to be deranged.

She betrays no symptoms of insanity, attends divine service, is orderly and regular, and conducts herself very well, but does not recollect setting fire to her master’s house.

HANNAH HANCOCK,

Aged ..., Gloucestershire. This is a miserable looking, diminutive, hump-backed creature, about four feet in stature. She was a pauper in the parish-workhouse, and, while there, she frequently had the care of an infant belonging to the mistress of the poor-house. One day, while nursing the child, and when it was naked, she very deliberately threw it from a two pair of stairs window to the ground, where it was killed by the fall; with equal deliberation she threw its clothes after it. Report says, that she had given notice of her intention to do the child a mischief the day preceding.

She now behaves herself extremely well, and attends divine service, at which she conducts herself with great propriety. She perfectly well remembers the horrible act of destroying the child, but says she was deranged at the time; for if she had not been so, she would have shuddered at an act so dreadful in itself, and for the crime at all times she expresses the greatest sorrow and contrition.

MARY AUSTIN,

Aged ..., Bath. This is a married woman, with a family. In a fit of insanity she had cut out the tongues of two of her children. She is very much deranged, but chiefly melancholy and desponding. She holds very little converse with any person, dislikes company, and is almost always alone. She never goes into the airing-ground with the other patients, but sits on a box, moping within. At times, however, she is in a different state, and speaks; but her insanity palliates the dreadful crime she has been guilty of. She says she cut out her children’s tongues to prevent them telling lies, and that if all mothers would do the same, it would save much tale-telling, idle talk, and mischief.

ELIZABETH BURROWES,

London. This wretched woman was found guilty of destroying one of her children, and, being deranged, was sent to Bethlem. She appears to be perfectly sensible of the crime she has committed, and is in consequence extremely disconsolate, desponding, and dejected. She has no particular insane ideas, but her mind appears to be continually on the rack, most probably on reflection at what she has done.

ANNE MOULD,

Aged sixty-nine, admitted March 28th 1822. The derangement of this miserable old creature proceeds from imaginary remorse, of which she is the constant and pitiable prey. She imagines that she has committed murder upon her unborn infant, and wants, of all things, to be hung. Her story is, that she was with child, that she drank large quantities of rue tea to procure abortion, and that she thus poisoned her infant, deserves to be hung, and hung she must be. She says it is only tantalizing, and trifling with her feelings, to keep her any longer in this house. “Let me go at once to Newgate,” she will exclaim, “I have committed murder, and deserve to be hanged. Pray let me go. Keeping me here is only tormenting me worse. I know I must be hanged, and why not let me suffer at once?”

For hours successively will she sit silent and sad, brooding over her ideal misfortunes, and, if roused from her reflections by a question from any one, she will answer rationally enough upon any other subject. But this cord of child-murder once touched by another, or her own recollection, she instantly relapses to her wonted misery, and repeats her former intreaty: “Oh! let me go to Newgate! I must be hanged! I know I deserve it, and why will you not let me go?”

In all other respects, she is quiet, regular, and cleanly.

FANNY NORTON,

Aged forty-six, admitted in 1818. This poor creature is a single woman. Her malady has never yielded to medical treatment, notwithstanding all the care and attention paid to her case, and she has ultimately proved incurable. Her fancy, like most of the various patients under mental derangement, has its peculiar turn. Her firm belief is, that she brings forth a child every night; but that before the morning arrives, some men, or “fellows,” as she styles them, come and take her child away.

The population of a desert would speedily flourish by the aid of a few such colonists as this poor maniac supposes herself to be.

She imagines herself dreadfully ill-treated. The ruins of her memory seem to be constantly haunted by recollections of former annoyances, previous to her lodgment in this asylum, from the thoughtless and unfeeling rabble, who are so apt to take delight in teasing and imitating the poor wandering maniacs exposed to their mercy. She fancies herself followed by crowds of mischievous boys, who mock, torment, persecute, and throw stones at her; that she is most cruelly teased by them, and that she is obliged to fight for her life every night. She reckons that she has had above a hundred children; but as she feels herself growing old, she hopes soon to have done child-bearing, and that her pains and troubles will be speedily at an end.

She thinks that one of the keepers is her husband, and sends many messages to him by her attendant nurse, which she supposes are regularly delivered, and is surprised at his unkindness in not answering them. She remembers the marriage ceremony was performed with a brass ring; recollects the wedding-feast, and threatens to sue her unkind and negligent spouse for pin-money, or separate maintenance.

She is generally quiet, and has done no mischief; but sometimes she becomes irritated from causes purely ideal; believes every person she sees is mocking and reviling her; then her anger mounts to rage, she foams at the mouth, is in a high state of agitation, and it becomes necessary to confine her in her own apartment, where by degrees, her anger subsides, and she again becomes tranquil, and is released.

MARY BANKS,

Aged forty-seven, admitted 25th January 1819. From the conduct of this woman, it would require no extraordinary effort of credulity to believe her possessed by an evil spirit, or that the most furious of the furies was her familiar. Her appearance carries her age much higher than it is stated, but there is nothing in Billingsgate, St. Giles’s, or any other school of ferocious rage, malice, or eloquence, that can afford even a slight specimen of her pre-eminence in these points; and, when excited, the gross indecency of her language, and the scurrilous volubility of her tongue, cannot be described.

All persons in office here, and especially the physicians, are the favourite objects of her talents, as probably they might be of her talons also, but for the vigilance of the keepers; and any parties who visit the female ward of this establishment rarely escape her abuse.

She imagines that Dr. Wright is the husband of the matron; that she herself is immensely rich, and that the whole building, and all the clothes, money, and other valuables in it, belong exclusively to her.

She thinks ill of all persons indiscriminately, and if she observes any thing new in the dress of the nurses, she immediately tells them it was obtained as the wages of prostitution.

Some time ago the matron inquired of this woman where the nurse was, and she immediately answered, “Oh! she is gone up stairs to lay-in of two young bears: she has been big with them for some time.” Her malady has been long since deemed incurable.

JANE TAYLOR,

Aged twenty-nine, admitted in 1819. This poor young woman, when admitted, was in a very low state of dejection and melancholy. She had been employed as a wet-nurse, in the family of the Hon. H. G. Bennett, at whose instance, when her malady appeared confirmed, she was sent here. She continued in this low state for twelve months after her admission, without any change for the better, and was then deemed incurable. Shortly afterwards she became violent and abusive to all about her, especially to the matron. She has frequently been very mischievous, breaking the windows, and tearing her own clothes into the smallest fragments. Amongst the other illusions of her fancy, she has fallen in love with the physician, Sir George Tuthill. She says she cannot account for this feeling, but she loves him, even to distraction. She is married, has had two children, was formerly a young woman of good character, and of late has conducted herself quietly.

ANNE GIBBONS,

Aged thirty-nine, admitted 8th December 1820. The disordered fancy of this patient was influenced by a thorough persuasion of her own high rank. She imagined herself to be a foreign princess, of blood royal and regal lineage. She considered her confinement here as oppressive and arbitrary in the extreme; and it hurt her excesssively when she reflected, that instead of such treatment, she ought to be riding in her carriage and four.

All this building belonged to her, beside numbers of other princely edifices elsewhere; and she would, some day ere long, convince her hearers of this grand truth, when her carriage and four should come driving up for her.

She was a married woman, but her hatred to her husband was inveterate, beyond all bounds. She often declared, that rather than return to such a monster, she would suffer the most horrible death that was possible.

But, notwithstanding this antipathy to one man, her heart was not insensible to the tender passion towards the whole sex, for she was in love, even to dotage, she said, with Mr. Lawrence the surgeon; and, at the same time, to distraction with Sir George Tuthill. But she could hardly tell which she loved most, or which of them she would have.

She was of an agreeable person, generally quiet and orderly, but her conversation was always wild and incoherent. After twelve months’ confinement here, she was discharged uncured, in December 1821, and was removed to a private mad-house.

SUSAN MORGAN,

Aged twenty-nine, admitted 3d May 1821. This poor young woman was one of the unhappy victims of religious superstition. She had been cook in a respectable family before she received her _call_; but from that time forth she lapsed into distraction, and wild enthusiasm. She was much disordered when here, and entertained the notion that she was with child by ----. She had been with him repeatedly; knew him well, and, in the course of her intimacy with him, became pregnant. When any of the other patients spoke to her, she would gently rebuke them, and tell them to beware how they addressed her; but whether this proceeded from the notion of her pregnancy, or of her personal greatness, was not known. She was a single woman, cleanly, regular, harmless, and inoffensive. She became better of her disease, obtained a month’s leave of absence, came back at the end of that time to return thanks, and was discharged well, in March 1822.

She afterwards went down to Bath, to service, but became again deranged, and, in a fit of despondency, unfortunately drowned herself.

CHARLOTTE WISDOM,

Aged twenty-eight, admitted 31st January 1822. This poor creature was another of the victims of fanaticism. She had been servant in a family, but at some time or other had received “her call,” as it is termed, at one of the religious conventicles, and, in a little time, lapsed into melancholy and despair. Her constant habit was a propensity to biting her nails and finger-ends, and lacerating her flesh, for the purpose of mortification.

She was so merged in despondency and utter hopelessness, that she firmly believed the devil was to have her when she should die. That the evil-spirit had all the power, and the Deity none. That, seeing it impossible to be saved, she had given herself up to sin, wickedness, idleness, and sloth. That this was occasioned by her not believing in God. That she was never more to be happy, but to be tormented for ever and ever.

This was the constant tenor of her lamentations, from morning till night. She could not be induced to repair any part of her clothes, nor even mend a hole in her stocking, wash her skin, or do any thing whatever that could contribute to her own health or comfort; not so much even as to change her linen, unless when forced to do so.

In this wretched state she continued for a considerable time, until at length she had a severe fit of bodily illness, from which, as she recovered, her reason was restored, her despondency vanished, and she was finally discharged well, in August 1822.

DOROTHY MARGERUM,

Aged forty, admitted 11th April 1822. This poor creature is an unmarried woman, but has got a child living, and, whatever was the cause of her derangement, she is the wretched victim of maternal fondness and painful anxiety for her child, which she imagines is starving to death. Every thing she eats she thinks this child ought to have, and she therefore takes her provisions with the greatest reluctance, insomuch, that it frequently becomes necessary to administer by force the sustenance which she obstinately refuses to take of her own accord, and this reluctance has reduced her almost to a skeleton.

Whenever the doctors, or a party of visitors, go round to view the establishment, she instantly accosts them, falls on her knees, and in the most pathetic manner implores and entreats them to let her see her dear child, who is starving to death for want of the food that she eats; and though the evil be merely ideal, this poor creature suffers in her mind all the anguish of maternal woe.

Otherwise she is quite harmless, and at no time inclined to be mischievous.

ESTHER EATON,

Aged fifty-one, admitted July 11th 1822. This wretched creature is, equally with the last, a prey to the bitterest remorse for imaginary guilt. She fancies that she has murdered both her father and mother; that she has undone, by her crimes, all that the Saviour of the world had done for the good of mankind; that the devil has obtained power above the Deity, and that he will have every body. All this, she says, has proceeded from her guilt and infidelity, and her not doing what she ought to have done; and her constant and bitter plaint of woe and despair, from morning till night, is

“What will be done?
What will be done?
The d---l will have us all!
What will be done?”

In all other respects she is quite harmless; but this incessant tone of grief and despair not only aggravates her own malady, but is extremely annoying to other patients; particularly to the melancholy beings whose minds are already too much in unison with her own, and it becomes necessary at times to remove her from the usual airing-ground, to another ground set apart for the basement patients.

JANE LONG,

Aged forty-six, admitted 2d January 1822. This poor lady has a very exalted notion of her high rank and dignity. She was probably one of the radical visitants to Brandenburgh House, and supposes herself to be no less a personage than Queen Caroline. She affects to know every body in high life; calls all persons she sees by wrong names of her own suggestion, and is quite sure she remembers them, in some situation or other where she has been acquainted.

If a party of visitors come round to view the establishment, she instantly adapts a name to each; and affects to know their characters and situations quite familiarly. This is Mr. Somebody, whom she knew in such a situation; that lady is Mrs. Such-a-one, who has had so many children by such a gentleman. To the nurses she is very liberal in her allowance of prolificacy. Some, she says, have had three or four illegitimate children, others now with child, and, in fact, she assumes to know every one, and all their private histories.

When her majesty goes forth to promenade the airing-ground, she generally enthrones herself in a large chair which is there fixed, assumes all the pomp and consequence which she thinks attached to her high estate, and looks down on the surrounding female patients as her maids of honour, or her humble subjects, who owe the profoundest homage to her fancied royalty.

This poor princess was a married woman, and her insanity is supposed to be the result of remorseful feelings for an unfortunate aberration from her conjugal rectitude. She is cleanly, quiet, and harmless.

MARY SMART,

Aged thirty, admitted November 15th 1821. This poor soul was a married woman, with four children. The source of her derangement seems to have been religious despondency. She imagined that she had taken the sacrament unworthily and sacrilegiously, and that her body was full of serpents; and she several times attempted suicide, but was fortunately prevented by the vigilance of the attendants.

She contrived to escape from the hospital, on the 22d February 1822, by climbing over the wall, with another woman, but was brought back, on the 28th of the same month, and the two nurses, in whose care she was, discharged.

She also enjoyed the rank of fancied royalty, and styled herself Queen Mary, and consort to his present Majesty George IV. who she fully expected would come for her in person, or send for her in his state carriage, and a guard of honour. He was her lawful husband, and would not neglect her when the proper time should come; and she expected to go from this hospital very soon, to one of the royal palaces. She had not the least doubt of it.

Notwithstanding this poor queen’s imaginary greatness, she seemed to have had her real destiny in an humble and laborious rank of life. She was generally at work, very industrious, a good servant, and was found very useful in the gallery.

After the expiration of twelve months she was discharged uncured, on the 14th November 1822; and retired, not to Carlton Palace, but to a private mad-house.

CHARLOTTE HARDING,

Aged twenty-nine, admitted 24th October 1822. This was an unmarried woman, and another personage of royal blood. She fancied herself to be Queen Charlotte, and assumed all the august dignity of her high degree, exacting, or at least insisting, on due homage from the ladies amongst whom she moved.

Three crowned heads at once, under the same roof, were perhaps a little too much for the tranquillity of the region they inhabited, especially as there appeared no symptom of a _Holy alliance_ amongst them, to check the machinations of _illegitimate reformers_, for they were rival queens, and maintained towards each other a degree of hostility truly royal. Whenever their majesties appeared all at the same time in the gallery, it became the theatre of a fierce and clamorous war of words, attitudes, and grimace; each claimed to herself the exclusive right of hereditary power, and disowned the other two as impostors and usurpers. In such a contest, it was not to be expected that the neighbouring powers could remain idle spectators; and, consequently, the allies of each princess brought their auxiliary contingents into the field, and contended in this tripartite war, with all the ardour of fancy, vigour of voice, and volubility of tongue, that may be easily supposed to have reigned where so many ladies joined the rival ranks. But on those occasions the rage of conflict generally roused some neighbouring imperious power, in the shape of a keeper, to interfere, when the rival-queens were obliged to retreat to their respective apartments, and defer the decision, to some future opportunity.

Queen Charlotte, alias Charlotte Harding, was discharged on the 12th December 1822.

PHILIPPA MAY,

Aged fifty. This is a native of Ireland; she was tried and found guilty of the wilful murder of another woman, but under the influence of insanity, and being much deranged, she was sent here. She is entirely lost to all intellectual feeling. When in the airing-ground, she picks up stones and rubbish of all kinds, which she calls jewels and valuables. She sometimes strips herself almost to nakedness, tears up her clothes into pieces, and flings the fragments over the wall; and she then will proceed to dress herself in the finest clothes she can lay hands on, whether they belong to patient or servant, no matter to the frantic Philippa. She is inconsistent in all her actions, but dreadfully disordered, which excuses the whole of her improprieties.

ANN MUMFORD,

Aged thirty, admitted May 1822. This unfortunate poor woman is married, and has a family of three or four children, residing near Bethnal Green, but became deranged from unknown causes, and destroyed one of her children, seven months old, by severing its head from its body. She was tried for the fact at the Old Bailey in May last year, but acquitted on the ground of insanity. She believes the devil had directed her so to do. She was sent to Bethlem in a very dreadful state, violent and dangerous in the extreme, both to herself and others. She has attempted, by various contrivances, to destroy herself; tearing the sheets and blankets in slips to strangle herself: she attempted it even with the strings of her apron, but her clothes have since been entirely divested of strings, and made to button. She would bite, kick, or strike any person who approached her; she would frequently speak of her dear infant in affectionate terms, and cry bitterly almost day and night. Latterly she is not so violent, and is not in any restraint throughout the day; but at night she is necessarily secured to prevent self-destruction. She has of late left off conversation, and her only answer to all questions is, “for ever and a day, as the boy sold his top.” She speaks no more than these words by night or day, and passes her time in reflection, weeping at intervals, exclaiming “for ever and a day, as the boy sold his top.” She had an excellent character as a good wife and mother, until this unfortunate malady afflicted her.

ELIZABETH JAMES,

Aged forty-eight, admitted in June 1821. This is a lady of great personal magnitude. She lived for fourteen years in Canterbury Place, Lambeth, where she was well-known, as well for her eccentricities as by the dilapidated state of her mansion, and the clamorous attention paid to her by arch boys and idle gazers.

Various reports are circulated as to the cause of her insanity; some state that she was deserted by her husband, and others that her child met its death by getting into a copper of boiling water, through the carelessness of its nurse; however, her residence became a complete nuisance to the neighbourhood, and it was in contemplation many times to indict her on that account. She was highly eccentric in every particular; every window in the front of her house was broken, and the railings entirely carried away. She lived solitary, without servant or companion, cooked her own provisions, enjoyed the best of every thing, and what she could not eat she consumed in the fire. She had a char-woman occasionally to clean the part of the house she lived in. She was some time ago accustomed to parade in front of her house as a sentinel, with her head adorned with a turban, _à la Turque_, and a quarter-staff in her hand. Mobs frequently collected, and annoyed her and the neighbours very much. She would sometimes sally forth and distribute her sturdy favours indiscriminately upon the heads and shoulders of the gazers. When she went out to walk, she carried a brass ladle concealed in her muff, and was always joined by the arch boys, or, as she called them, “her jolly crew;” but if annoyed or attacked by them, she would draw her ladle and baste them soundly. She has been seen in all parts of the town, in various strange dresses. Leopard-skin apron, odd-looking furs, tippets, muffs, shawls, and cloaks, and always numerously attended, though much against her inclination. One of her Amazonian freaks procured her an assignment to Horsemonger-lane prison for riotous conduct, and from thence she came here.

She has a room in the criminal wing of the hospital, well furnished with goods of her own, and she is permitted to purchase what she pleases for her own use in eatables. If report speaks true, she was much addicted to strong liquors, to which was ascribed her disorder; but here she is strictly debarred all such indulgence; yet her disorder continues.

She styles herself a woman of great and extensive scientific knowledge, “the daughter of the Almighty;” and when displeased, she will look upwards and exclaim, “Joe! Joe! do you think this right? Is this justice? Is this justice, Joe?”

She is at times inclined to violence, but has done no particular mischief. She is certainly a well-educated woman, and has some property; is said to have been honest in all her dealings, and punctual in her payments. She used to attend the Bank to receive her dividends with great punctuality, and paid her bills equally correct. She is of huge size, with masculine features, and has more the voice of a stentor than that of an accomplished fair one.

RECOMMENDATORY ATTESTATIONS,

SELECTED

FROM SEVERAL HUNDRED INSERTED IN

THE VISITORS’ BOOK.

The Grand Duke Nicholas, accompanied by several officers of distinction, went over the hospital, attended by the Treasurer, Dr. Monro, and the resident officers; and expressed the utmost satisfaction at every thing which came under their observation.

R. CLARK,
Treasurer.

* * * * *

The Marquis of Downshire and Lord Marcus Hill inspected this hospital, and found it in a satisfactory state, with the exception of the sinks[13] in the male galleries, from which offensive smells arose.

DOWNSHIRE,
MARCUS HILL.

_28th June 1816._

* * * * *

The undersigned visited the hospital this day, and were particularly gratified at the cleanness, attention, and good order which they observed in every part of the building, and which appeared to be most comfortable and well-aired.

PERCY,
PRUDHOE,
&c. &c. &c.

_7th March 1817._

* * * * *

The Duke of York, accompanied by Sir William Scott and Mr. Pearse, Director of the Bank of England, visited the hospital, and expressed great satisfaction at every thing which they observed in the accommodation and treatment of the patients.

FREDERICK,
WILLIAM SCOTT,
JOHN PEARSE.

_1st March 1817._

* * * * *

H. R. H. the Duke of Gloucester, accompanied by the Earl of Lauderdale, Sir John Sebright, and Col. Dalton, visited the hospital, and expressed great satisfaction at every thing which they have seen in the accommodation and treatment of the patients.

WILLIAM FREDERICK,
LAUDERDALE,
THOS. DALTON.

_15th March 1817._

* * * * *

The Duchess of York, accompanied by Mademoiselle D’Orleans, visited the hospital, and expressed the highest satisfaction at every thing which they saw, in the treatment and accommodation of the patients.

FREDERICA,
LOUISA A. D’ORLEANS.

* * * * *

Lord Combermere, accompanied by Mr. Manning, visited the hospital, and expressed the greatest satisfaction at every thing which came under their observation.

COMBERMERE,
WM. MANNING.

_29th March 1817._

* * * * *

Lord Somerville and Lord Grantham visited the hospital, and expressed their great satisfaction at the state of the building and patients, and the attention of the attendants.

SOMERVILLE,
GRANTHAM,
HUGH SEYMOUR,
&c. &c.

_31st March 1817._

* * * * *

Visited the hospital, and were much gratified at the cleanliness, general appearance, system, and management of it.

MATTHEW WHITE RIDLEY,
ROBERT BUXTON,
MICHAEL ANGELO TAYLOR,
CHARLES WM. BIGGE.

_14th April 1817._

* * * * *

Visited the hospital, and were extremely gratified with the accommodation of the patients, the great cleanliness, and general appearance of every thing belonging to the institution.

TALBOT,
J. C. TALBOT.

_2d May 1817._

* * * * *

Visited the hospital, and were extremely gratified with the general neatness and cleanliness of every part, and the great attention paid to the health and comfort of the patients.

DARTMOUTH,
H. LEGGE,
RICHARD BAGOT,
J. N. FAZAKERLEY.

_21st May 1817._

* * * * *

Mr. Baron Garrow visited the hospital with some friends, and found every thing in the most satisfactory and perfect order.

WM. GARROW,
&c. &c. &c.

_19th June 1817._

* * * * *

The Duke of Leeds and Lord Templetown visited the several departments throughout the hospital, and were much gratified at the order and general arrangements in which they are conducted.

LEEDS,
TEMPLETOWN.

_24th June 1817._

* * * * *

Sir James M’Gregor, Director-General of Army Hospitals, visited every part of the establishment, and found it in proper order, receiving the utmost gratification from the visit.

_9th August 1817._

* * * * *

Lord Harrowby visited, and was highly gratified at observing the great cleanliness and order which appears to prevail.

_9th December 1817._

HARROWBY.

* * * * *

We have visited every part of this large and well-regulated hospital, and have been particularly gratified with the neatness, order, care, and attention paid to the individual patients throughout the whole.

J. G. RIDOUT, M.D.
&c. &c. &c.

_13th May 1818._

* * * * *

We have also visited the different apartments of the hospital, and entirely concur in the above report.

ROLLE,
THOS. HOOPER MORRISON,
WM. DREWE.

_13th May 1818._

* * * * *

Nothing can exceed the cleanliness and good order of the whole of this establishment, and I conceive it does the highest credit to all concerned with it.

I state this after a very minute inspection of three hours.

EDWARD,
(Duke of Kent.)

_19th August 1818._

* * * * *

We have received the greatest gratification from a minute inspection of this establishment, which appears in every respect to be admirably constructed for its object.

GRANVILLE,
R. WILMOT.

_4th February 1819._

* * * * *

We have been extremely gratified at seeing the whole of this excellent institution, than which nothing can exceed its cleanliness, regularity, and the apparent attention that is paid to it, in all its departments.

DARLINGTON,
ELIZ. DARLINGTON.

_30th June 1819._

* * * * *

Having this day (under authority of his Majesty’s Secretary of State for the Home Department,) gone over the building attached to this hospital for the confinement of criminal lunatics, I have much satisfaction in recording, that I found every part of that establishment conducted in the same uniform manner as on my last inspection. The prisoners appeared clean, amply supplied with wholesome provisions, and well clothed; and when I view the nature of the crimes which many of these unfortunate persons had committed, and the terror which had been created in the minds of those persons who formerly had the custody of them, prior to their removal to this establishment, I cannot refrain from noticing, that I did not find one of these prisoners under restraint of either handcuffs or fetters.

JOHN H. CAPPER.

_Bethlem Hospital, 9th June 1818._

* * * * *

We, the undersigned, having visited this establishment, are highly gratified at the order and regularity with which every thing is conducted; and are thankful for the attention and politeness of Dr. Wright and Mr. Nicholls, who have explained to us the economy and arrangements.

ELLIOTT,
MAJOR M. HAWKER.

_9th March 1820._

* * * * *

I have this day visited every part of this establishment, and have great pleasure in testifying to the excellent management of all its parts.

CHAS. PENNINGTON, M.D.

_19th May 1820._

* * * * *

We have had much satisfaction in visiting the whole of this institution, and particularly in observing the little restraint imposed upon the patients, and the watchfulness over them.

JOS. GURNEY,
A. R. BARCLAY.

_19th May 1820._

* * * * *

We have had the gratification of going round this house, and seeing the patients, provisions, and beds, all which are highly creditable to the country, and the superintending care of their officers.

ALEX. ANDERSON,
THOMAS M. HAMMOND,
&c. &c. &c.

_8th June 1820._

* * * * *

I have gone through the hospital this day, and found every thing in the best order possible.

ROBT. SEYMOUR, Governor.

_20th July 1820._

* * * * *

I hereby express the gratification which I have felt on visiting this institution, and on the excellent order and arrangements which are apparent in every department of it.

J. N. JOLESON, M.D.

_21st Dec. 1820._

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We have visited every part of this great establishment, and have been highly gratified with the order, cleanliness, and regularity by which the whole is eminently distinguished.