LON 
been in a degree fuperficial; but they have been enabled 
to obtain an infpeffion of the major part of the houfes 
for the reception of the infane within the bills of morta¬ 
lity. At three houfes they were refufed admittance: viz. 
at Gore-houfe at Kenfington; at Miles’s receiving-houfes 
at Hoxton; and at Brook-houfe. They encountered 
great difficulties in obtaining a view of the interior of 
Bethlem Hofpital; at length, on Monday the 25th of 
April, they were introduced by one of the governors, 
being refufed admiffion unlefs fo accompanied ; but he 
felt himfelf unable to attend them through ; his feelings 
were quite overpowered. On the 2d of May, the attempt 
was renewed, and the following is the defcription of what 
they witnefled. “ One of the fide-rooms contained about 
ten patients, each chained by one arm to the wall ; the 
chain allowing them merely to ltand up by the bench or 
form fixed to the wall, or to fit down on it. The naked- 
nefs of each patient was covered by a blanket-gown only. 
The blanket-gown is a blanket formed fomething like a 
dreffing-gown, with nothing to fallen it with in front; 
this conltitutes the whole covering; even the feet were 
naked. One female in this fide-room, thus chained, was 
an object remarkably llriking : (he mentioned her maiden 
and married names, and Ifated that (lie had been a teacher 
of languages. The keepers defcribed her as a very ac¬ 
complished lady, midrefs of many languages; and corro¬ 
borated her account of herfelf. The committee can 
hardly imagine a human being in a more degraded and 
humiliating fituation, than that in which they found this 
female, who held a coherent converfation witli them ; and 
was, of courfe, fully fenfible of the mental and bodily 
condition of thole wretched beings who, equally without 
clothing, were dofely chained to the fame wall with her- 
fclf. Unaware of the neceffities of nature, fome of them, 
though they contained life, appeared totally inanimate, 
and unconfcious of exigence. The few minutes which 
the committee parted with this lady did not permit them 
to form a judgment of the degree of reftraint to which 
(he ought to be fubjeCt ; but they unhelitatingly affirm, 
that her confinement with patients, in whom (lie was com¬ 
pelled to witnefs the molt difguding idiocy, and the mod 
terrifying didraflion of the human intellect, is injudi¬ 
cious and improper. She entreated to be allowed pencil 
and paper, for the purpofe of amuling herfelf with draw¬ 
ing; which were given her by one of the committee. 
Many other unfortunate women were locked up in their 
cells, naked, and chained on draw, with only one blanket 
for a covering. One, who was in that date by way of pu- 
nilliment, the keepe-r delcribed as the molt diffatisfied pa¬ 
tient in the houfe; but (he talked coherently, Complained 
of the want of tea and fugar, and lamented that her 
friends, whom (he dated tc be refpeflable people, neither 
came to fee her nor fupplied her with little necelfary com¬ 
forts. Tlie patients generally complained much of being 
deprived of tea and fugar. On leaving the gallery, the 
committee inquired of them, whether the vifit had been 
inconvenient or u'npleafant; they all joined in faying no, 
but (which was (ufficiently apparent) that the vifit of a 
friend was always pleafanv. 
“ In the men’s wing, in the fide-room, fix patients were 
chained dole to the wall—five hand-cuffed, and one 
locked to the wall by the right arm, as well as by the 
right leg ; he was very noi(y. All were naked, except as 
to the blanket-gown, or a l'mall rug on the (houlders, and 
without (hoes ; a lad complained much of the coldnefs of 
his feet ; one of the committee felt them—they were very 
cold. The patients in this room, except the noify one, 
and'the poor lad with cold feet, who was lucid when the 
committee faw him, were dreadful idiots. Their naked- 
nefs, and their mode of confinement, gave this room the 
complete appearance of a dog-kennel. Chains are uni- 
verlally fubffituted' for the itraight wailtcoat ; (but in 
Guy’s Hofpital a leather belt is uled, with fide-ltraps to 
confine the arms, which in many inltances is greatly fu- 
perior.”) 
DON. 519 
In the men’s wing were about feventy-fix patients, with 
two keepers and an affiftant; and about the fame number 
on the women’s fide. The patients were in no way dif- 
tinguifhed from each other as to difeafe; but thofe 
who were not walking about, or chained in the (ide-rooms, 
were lying (lark-naked upon draw, on their bedfteads, 
each in a feparate cell, with a fingle blanket or rug, in 
which the patient ufually lay huddled up as if impatient 
of cold, and generally chained to the bed-place, in the 
(hape of a trough. About one fifth were in this Hate, or 
chained in the (ide-rooms. In the private mad-houfes, 
the patients are univerfally made to rife, to wear clothes, 
to take exercife, and, from being confined in a wailtcoat 
when neceffary, are prevented injuring each other ; but 
here the wet patients, and all who were inclined to be 
a-bed, were allowed to do fo, from being lefs troublefome 
in that (late than when up and drerted. 
In one of the cells of the lower gallery, the committee 
faw William Norris. He dated himfelf to be fifty-five years 
of age, and that be had been confined about fourteen, 
years ; that, in confequence of attempting to defend him¬ 
felf from what lie conceived improper treatment of his 
keeper, he was (aliened by a long chain, which, palling 
through a partition, enabled the keeper, by going into the 
next cell, to draw him clofe to the wall at pleafure, in the 
fame manner as a bull is drawn clofe to the rail in Smith- 
field-market; that, to prevent this, Norris muffled the 
chain with draw, fo as to hinder its parting through the 
wall; that he afterwards was confined in the manner the 
committee faw him, viz. a rtout iron ring was rivetted 
round his neck, from which a (hort chain parted to a 
ring made to Hide upwards or downwards on an up¬ 
right martive iron bar, more than fix feet high, inferted 
into the wall; round his body, a ltrong iron bar, about 
two inches wide, was rivetted ; on each fide the bar was 
a circular projection, which being fafliioned to, and en- 
clofing; each of his arms, pinioned them clofe to his (ides5 
this waid-bar was fecured by two fimilar bars, which, 
parting over his (houlders, were rivetted to the waid- 
bar both before and behind; the iron ring round his neok 
was connected to the bars on his (houlders by a double 
link; from each of thefe bars another (hort chain palled 
to the ring on an upright bar. “ We were informed he 
was enabled to raife himfelf, fo as to (land againlt the wall, 
on the pillow of his bed, in the trough-bed in which he 
lay; but it is impollible for him to advance from the wall 
in which the iron bar is foldered, on account of the (hort- 
nefs of his chains, which were only twelve inches long. It is 
conceived equally out of his power to repole in any other 
polition than on his back, the projections, which on each 
fide of the waid-bar enclofed his arms, rendering it im- 
poffible for him to lie on his fide, even if the length of the 
chains from his neck and (houlders would permit it. His 
right leg was Chained to the trough, in which he had re¬ 
mained thus encaged and chained more than twelve years, 
To prove the unneceffary redraints indicted on this un¬ 
fortunate man, he informed the committee, that he had 
for fome years been able to withdraw his arms from the 
manacles which encompaffed them. He then withdrew 
one of them; and, obferving an expreflion of furprife, he 
faid, that, when his arms were withdrawn, he was com¬ 
pelled to red them on the edges of the circular projections, 
which was more painful than keeping them within. His 
pofition, we were informed, was moltly lying down, and 
that, as it was inconvenient to raife himfelf and (land up¬ 
right, he very feldom did fo; that he read a great deal, 
books of all kinds, hidory, lives, or any thing that the 
keepers could get him, the newlpaper every day, and con¬ 
vened quite coherently on the parting topics and events 
of the war; in which he felt particular filtered. On each 
day that the committee faw him he difcourfed coolly, and 
gave rational and deliberate anfwers to the different quef- 
tions put to him. The whole of this datement relative 
to Norris was confirmed by the keepers.” 
In confequence of the difeovexy made by the committee 
of 
