Lord Binningrose for the purpose of obtaining leave to bring in a bill to provide for the establishment of Lunatic Asylums in Scotland. It was proposed to extend the advantages of the bill introduced by his right hon. friend (Mr. Rose) to that part of the country; and it would be recollected, that that measure was founded upon the report of a committee detailing instances of in humanity and suffering, on which it must always be painful, and was now unnecessary to dwell. With a view of extending the advantages of the inquiry to that part of the island to which he belonged, a set of 1193 queries, had been transmitted to the she-rifts of the Scotch counties; and the information received from them, although it exhibited no examples of the same brutal treatment of patients visited by this severe affliction, abounded in proofs of the negligent and grossly ignorant management that prevailed amongst that description of persons who speculated in this branch of human misery. There were, however, several distinguished exceptions to the truth of this observation; he referred, in particular, not only to the splendid institution at Glasgow, but to the comparatively humbler one at Aberdeen, and to several others of still less note. The same necessity, however, existed for a similar measure to that adopted by the bill of his right hon. friend. This he thought must appear evident from the report of the sheriff of Mid Lothian, which stated, that there were 25 private mad-houses in that county, in all of which there were not more than 94 individuals confined. In one of them there was but one patient, in some five, and in one only, so many as 25. It was obvious, that on such a system the treatment of the patients could not be the most beneficial or scientific. His bill, although precisely similar in principle, differed in point of arrangement, but would not interfere with that of his right hon. friend. Before his right hon. friend's bill, England had county asylums, but in Scotland these would not be necessary; and he should recommend, that the county be divided into six districts, in each of which an asylum should be established, to which lunatics should be conveyed, under the direction of the magistrates. He proposed to leave this division to be carried into effect by general commissioners, who should be allowed to associate district commissioners to themselves. The subject of expense, he was aware, was a tender one at this moment; but he did not think it would bear very heavily on the counties, when it was considered that many of these unhappy persons were paupers, and already supported by charity. The number of lunatics now confined was 1,550, and those at large were estimated at 2,000, including idiots. Those who were chargeable as paupers must be maintained at an easier expense when collected. The noble lord concluded by moving, "That leave be given to bring in a bill to provide proper places for the care and treatment of fatuous and furious persons in Scotland."
§
The motion was agreed to. †