2/ J ON THE LOCAL TAXATION OF THE CITY OF DUBLIN. 137 . DO EITHER OF THEM ATTEND YOU ON YOUR VISITS TO THE PRISONS ?— NEVER, AND THAT DECIDEDLY AT MY OWN REQUEST, IT WOULD" BE ATTENDED WITH NO ADVANTAGE TO THE SICK, BUT WOULD BE A SOURCE OF GREAT INCONVENIENCE TO ALL PARTIES. THE LAW PRESCRIBES THAT HE SHOULD ATTEND ?— IT DOES ; BUT IT IS UTTERLY IMPOSSIBLE TO COMPLY WITH IT UNLESS IT BE REGULATED THAT THE SURGEON AND PHYSICIAN SHOULD NEVER ATTEND AT THE SAME TIME AT ANY TWO OF FIVE DIFFERENT PRISONS. DOES THE APOTHECARY EVER ATTEND THE PRISONS ?— THE APOTHECARY WAS REQUIRED, WHEN THE NEW; INSPECTORS GENERAL CAME INTO OFFICE, TO ATTEND AND SIGN HIS NAME ; ONE OF THE FIRM HAVING BEEN CONFINED BY ILLNESS, THE OTHER, AN ELDERLY GENTLEMAN, WAS COM- PELLED IN ALL WEATHERS, UNDER THE FEAR OF CONSEQUENCES, TO WALK TO ALL THE PRISONS, ( FOR HE CANNOT RIDE OR DRIVE) AND HE WAS OBLIGED TO DO SO MERELY FOR THE PURPOSE OF WRIT- ING HIS NAME IN THE ATTENDANCE BOOK : IN CONSEQUENCE OF WHICH I REMONSTRATED WITH ONE OF THE INSPECTORS GENERAL, AND HE SAID, UNDER THE VIEW THAT I GAVE HIM OF THE SUBJECT, THAT THEY WOULD DISPENSE WITH HIS ATTENDANCE. IN POINT OF FACT, ARE BOTH THOSE GENTLEMEN APOTHECARIES TO THE PRISONS ?— THEY FORMED ONE FIRM ABOUT TWO OR THREE YEARS SINCE ; ORIGINALLY THERE WAS ONLY ONE APOTHECARY, MR. CRAVEN : NOW IT IS THE FIRM OF CRAVEN AND NICHOLS. IS THE ATTENDANCE OF THE APOTHECARY EVER PERFORMED BY A DEPUTY?— SO FAR AS REGARDS THEIR ATTENDANCE ON THE PHYSICIAN AND SURGEON IT IS DISPENSED WITH. DOES THE APOTHECARY OR ONY ONE ON HIS BEHALF ATTEND THE PRISON?— UNQUESTIONABLY, WHENEVER NECESSARY OR USEFUL. THEN IF IT WERE EXPEDIENT TO REQUIRE HIS ATTENDANCE, WHERE WOULD BE THE DIFFICULTY OF ONE OF THE MEMBERS OF THE FIRM ATTENDING THE PHYSICIAN, AND THE OTHER OR HIS DEPUTY ATTENDING THE SURGEON?— THERE WOULD BE NO DIFFICULTY SO FAR, BUT THE CLAUSE WAS FRAMED IN IGNORANCE OF THE NECESSITY; AND THIS DISADVANTAGE WOULD ARISE FROM A USELESS COMPLIANCE WITH THE LAW, THAT THE PHYSICIAN AND SURGEON SHOULD HAVE STATED DAYS AND HOURS FOR VISITING, AND THEREBY PREVENT THE POSSIBILITY OF DETECTING ANY ABUSE IN THEIR HOSPITALS. YOU ARE AWARE THAT IT IS POSITIVELY ENJOINED BY THE LAW ?— I AM QUITE AWARE OF IT. BY WHAT AUTHORITY HAS IT BEEN DISPENSED WITH ?— FROM ITS INUTILITY AND THE IMPOS- SIBILITY OF ACTING UPON IT. DO YOU MEAN GENERALLY ?— WITH RESPECT TO THAT ENACTMENT ONLY : I DO NOT MEAN WITH RESPECT TO OTHER ENACTMENTS REGARDING THE PRISONS. IS HE PUNCTUAL AND EXPEDITIOUS IN MAKING UP YOUR PRESCRIPTIONS?— THE DISCHARGE OF HIS DUTY IN THAT RESPECT IS MOST STRICT AND REGULAR : THERE ARE FIVE PRISONS TO BE ATTENDED BY THE PHYSICIAN AND SURGEON, SO THAT IT MAY HAPPEN, IF I VISITED AT TWELVE O'CLOCK, AND MY PRESCRIPTIONS OF COURSE READY, THAT THE SUPERINTENDENT CANNOT LEAVE THE PLACE TILL HE ASCERTAINS WHETHER THE SURGEON WILL COME: THE PRESCRIPTION OF COURSE MUST LIE OVER TILL THREE OR FOUR O'CLOCK : BUT WHENEVER A CASE OF ANY URGENCY OCCURS, IT IS ALWAYS ATTENDED TO WITHOUT DELAY. ARE THE APOTHECARIES APPOINTED ANNUALLY BY THE GRAND JURY ?— THEY ARE APPOINTED, LIKE THE OTHER OFFICERS, BY THE GRAND JURY, APPROVED OF BY THE COURT, AND REMOVABLE BY THE COURT. WERE THOSE APOTHECARIES CAPABLE OF DOING THEIR DUTY AT THE TIME OF THEIR APPOINT- MENT, FROM THEIR STATE OF HEALTH ?— UNQUESTIONABLY ; ONE OF THEM IS A YOUNG MAN, LATELY ATTACKED BY ILLNESS, BUT NOW CONVALESCENT. IT APPEARS BY YOUR STATEMENT OF THE WARRANTS FOR 1822, THAT THE WHOLE MEDICAL AND SURGICAL CHARGE, EXCLUSIVE OF SALARIES TO THE PHYSICIAN AND SURGEON, AMOUNTS TO 917/. 5°. 7 d. : HOW MUCH OF THAT CHARGE IS FOR MEDICINES OR FOR NECESSARIES, AND HOW MUCH FOR HOSPITAL NURSES AND SUPERINTENDENTS R— FOR MEDICINES THE AMOUNT WAS 493/. 4 s. 10 d. ; FOR NECESSARIES SUPPLIED TO THE SICK, 100/. 6 s.; FOR SPECIAL ARTICLES'OF FOOD, 50/. 15 s. 3 d.; FOR WASHING, 171. 19 s. 6 d.; AND FOR THE PAYMENT OF SIX HOSPITAL SUPERINTENDENTS ( THREE MALES AND THREE FEMALES), 234/. CAN YOU TELL THE COMMITTEE THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF PRISONERS IN THAT YEAR ?— THE COMMITTEE WILL RECOLLECT THAT THE APOTHECARY'S CHARGES AND THE ATTENDANCE OF MEDICAL OFFICERS RELATE TO ALL THE PRISONS; THE CONSTANT NUMBER OF RESIDENTS IN WHICH M THAT AND PRECEDING YEARS WAS BETWEEN NINE AND TEN HUNDRED, NEARER TO ONE THOUSAND THAN • NINE HUNDRED ; BUT IT ADDS VERY MUCH TO THE NUMBER OF THE SICK, AND OF COURSE TO THE LABOUR OF THE OFFICERS, AND THE EXPENDITURE ON MEDICINE, THAT IT IS NOT A STATIONARY POPULATION OF ONE THOUSAND PERSONS, BUT A SHIFTING ONE OF FOUR THOUSAND. YOU STATED THAT YOU HAVE THREE MALE AND THREE FEMALE SUPERINTENDENTS. — Y ES. HAVING FIVE PRISONS UNDER YOUR CHARGE, HOW DO YOU HAPPEN TO HAVE ONLY THREE MALE ANCFTHREE FEMALE SUPERINTENDENTS?— THERE ARE IN NEWGATE TWO MALE SUPERIN- TENDENTS, ONE FOR THE SURGEON'S AND THE OTHER FOR THE PHYSICIANS DEPARTMENT, THEN J>. william Hardy. 03 May.)