THE INFIRMARY. Inftant a glorious angel-train defcends, Sweet love their looks a gentle radiance fends, In which they bade each lenient aid be nigh, And gives to human kind' peculiar grace, Some holy man, by prayer, all opening heaven difpreds. In defcribing this truly philanthropic and extenfive inftitution, we cannot adopt a better mode than copying the moft effential parts of the account recently published by authority of the governors. To counterbalance the various evils and miferies of life," fays an elegant and humane writer, "Providence has planted in our natures a benevolent principle, which inclines us, by an involuntary emotion, to relieve the diftreffes of our fellow-creatures, and gives us the pureft and moft fenfible pleasure for our reward." From the univerfal diffufion of this amiable principle, few projects calculated to alleviate the fullerings of the lower orders of fociety have, in this age and nation, failed of meeting with effectual fupport and, perhaps, no part of the country has been more confpicuous than the town and neigh bourhood of Newcastle, in patronizing establishments for the relief of the poor, under the aggravated afflic. tions of want and disease. "A flight fketch of the origin and state of the Infirmary will be a neceffary introduction to the following account of the plan lately adopted for its extenfion and internal improvement. The origin and prefent ftate of the Infirmary.. "In the beginning of the year 1751, the members of a refpectable fociety in Newcastle refolved, on account of the deaths of fome, and the advancing age of others, of their body, to difcontinue their stated meetings: but, previous to their doing fo, to leave fome permanent memorial of the fociety having existed, by the proposal of fome project of public utility. On the day appointed for this benevolent purpose, the late eminent furgeon, Mr. Richard Lambert, then a young man, fuggefted the establishment of an Infirmary; and this appearing more beneficial than any other project which had been prefented, met with the unanimous concurrence of the meeting.* In confequence, a letter, figned K. B. was inferted in the Newcastle papers, ftrongly recommending a fubfcription for effecting fo defirable an object. A fubfcription was accordingly opened, on the 9th of Feb. 1751, and foon attracted the notice of the following diftinguished characters: the earl of Northumber land, the lord bishop of Durham, lord Ravensworth, Sir Walter Blackett, bart. George Bowes, efq. the mayor of Newcastle, (Ralph Sowerby, efq.) Sir T. Clavering, Mr. Jofeph Airey, Mr. George and Mr. Ralph Headlam, and Mr. Richard Burdus, were alfo members of this fociety, and the earliest benefactors to the Infirmary. Clavering, bart. Sir Henry Grey, bart, and Matthew Ridley, efq. To introduce the names of all the benefactors to this ufeful establishment would far exceed the limits prefcribed to this sketch: but, in grateful testimony of the benevolence of the original contributors to the building, a lift of their names and donations is fubjoined. "On the 21st of March, 1751, it was refolved to carry the charity into immediate effect; and, in the mean time, a temporary houfe, capable of holding twenty-three beds, was hired; and application was made to the corporation for a piece of ground on the Forth banks, on which the Infirmary now ftands. "On the 5th of September the first stone of the building was laid by the Right Rev. Dr. Jofeph Butler, lord bishop of Durham; and on the 8th of OA. 1752, the edifice being completely fitted up, was opened for the reception of patients. "The Infirmary ftands in an open, dry, elevated fituation, at a fhort distance from the town, and from the river Tyne. The out-grounds are convenient, and command a pleafing profpect of the adjoining country. The building is of ftone, and prefents a plain but elegant front to the fouth; from the eastern extremity there runs northward a fpacious wing fronting the east. The principal, or fouth front, contains four stories, the basement, the ground floor, the chamber, and the attic. The wing is two stories high, with an attic ward at its northern extremity. The ground floor is thirteen feet, the chamber twelve, and the attic flory nine feet high. The offices are placed behind the front and the wing, with which they nearly form a quadrangle, inclofing a fquare S s 2 paved paved yard; but the offices being low, the Infirmary, from without, is capable of a complete ventilation, "With refpect to interior arrangements, it has hitherto had all the faults of the older hofpitals. Some of the wards are too large, and all of them too much crowded. The galleries in the wing, which ought to have acted as ventilators to the house, being closed up at one end, the ventilation is completely obstructed; while an ill-contrived neceffary, placed in each, contaminates the air. One room only is fet apart for the reception of a fingle patient, when affected with a dangerous difeafe; and it is allotted for thofe who have undergone the operation of lithotomy. All the bedsteads in the house are made of wood, and have flock mattraffes. Plan for the internal improvement and extenfion of the Infirmary. "From this account of the interior arrangements of the Infirmary, it will appear, that it has hitherto been by no means fo well calculated as might have been wished, for giving relief in thofe difeafes in which quiet, reft, and pure air, aré effential to récovery. In large wards, where mutual mifery and difturbance continually prevail, the diseases of patients are often in danger of being rather aggravated, than remedied or relieved. "A question then naturally occurs, Are these evils neceffarily and infeparably attached to Infirmaries? Or do they fpring from faults which are capable of being rectified?' With a view to attract the attention and known humanity of the fupporters of this inftitution to the confideration of a question fo important, a printed paper, in the form of a letter, was was tranfmitted by Dr. Clark to every governor, on the 11th of June, 1801, containing the refult of an enquiry into the ftate of various Infirmaries; a comparative view of the fuccefs of the practice in the improved, and in the older hofpitals; and a propofal for the internal improvement and extenfion of that at Newcastle.' "In confequence of the remarks contained in this paper, the following governors, together with the physicians and furgeons of the charity, were, at a special court held on Thursday, June 25, (Sir M. W. Ridley, bart. M. P. in the chair) appointed a committee, for the purpose of confidering the expediency of the propofed internal government of the Infirmary, procuring plans of the propofed extenfion of the building, and eftimates of the expences attending the fame, and caufing a report of their proceedings and opinion thereon to be printed and circulated among the governors, previous to the anniverfary meeting in Auguft:" viz. Thomas Bigge, efq. James Lofh, efq. Charles Ogle, efq. R. H. Williamfon, efq. Rev. Jona. Walton. "On the 21st of July, the above committee, have ing previously with great attention examined the internal ftate of the Infirmary, circulated among the governors a moft important report on the defects of the Infirmary, and the moft effectual means of remedying them. "The principal caufe of the contamination of the air in the whole houfe," the committee obferve, "arifes |