446-  Cyder a Subftitute for Wine. 
price of it. I fear, that what they for- 
merly have purchafed, has been of a 
very inferior quality, if it have not, in 
many inftances, conta noxious ones 
alio. The univerfal plaint of bad 
wine at inns and pu lic. houfes (from 
whence the poor have ulually drawn their 
litle ftock) will, perhaps, too much jut- 
tify the above obfervation. We have 
Jately, in this country, been taught to 
fetk for fubftitutes for the neceflarics of 
life. Prohibited the ufe -of Port wine, 
I-would recommend CYDER to the poor, 
when attacked by the low contagious fe- 
ver, defcribed by H. P.; but not lufcious, 
{weet cyder, fuch as is ufually told .at 
our inns, or is to be found in the cellars 
of the merchants ; for this has generally 
been adulterated, and mixed with we 
know not what, to render it agreeable 
tothe palate. The beft cyder for fuch 
cafes otf fever and fore throat, is the na- 
tural produce of apples, fuch as the 
farmers of Herefordihire keep for the 
entertainment of their friends, which 
they call rough and ftout, in oppofition 
to the foft and lufcious forts-that are 
made to‘adapt themfelves to the tafte. 
Such home-made cyder, we are fure, is 
genuine ; has no mixture in it of acid 
{pirit, as moft of our wines have ; and 
is‘quite as ftrong an antifeptic. If perry 
be ufed initead of cyder, the fame at- 
tention fhould be had to its quality. The 
beft forts of perry for fuch ules, I fup- 
pofe to be thofe that are in this country 
called by the fevcral names, Caradine, 
Hougheap, and Barland. As our fruit 
is all deftroyed this year, I fear our ftock 
of cyder and perry will be exhaufted : 
but if it fhould pleafe Providence to 
favour us with a good crop next year, I 
hope that the application to the farmers 
will be for their ftouteft, not their 
pleafanteft, cyders and perries: and that 
thofe who can afford to pay a little for 
carriage, will rather fend their orders to 
the farmer, than to the merchant; as 
they are lefs likely to have the liquor 
adulterated ; and fave the tax of twenty- 
nine fhillings per hogfhead, by purchaf- 
jng it immediately from the maker. ‘J 
mylelf have bought for gd. and 10d. per 
galion, as good cyder and perry as any 
perfon would with to drink: fo that 
thofe who are charitably difpofed to aliitt 
their poor neighbours, may be enabled 
to- do it at the rate of, at moft, 3d. per 
_ bottle ; whereas wine, in the fame quan- 
tity, will coft 3s. or more. Query, Would 
it not be advifable forall. infirmaries to 
lay in a good ftock of fuch hquors, for 

ie . Devon, iF c. Hofpital. [Jaly" 
the ufe of fuch patients ? As the plea- 
fant forts which entice the palate, would 
not be fo medicinal as the rough, ‘there’ 
would be the lefs inducement to drink 
them wantonly, or to occafion an) un- 
neceffary confumption of them. 
Your’s, &c. 
A Constant READER. 
Worcefier, Fuly 4. 

DEVON AND EXETER HOSPITAL. 
Lo rhe Editor of the Monibly Magazine. 
SIR, 
At a time when the orders of poverty” 
and mifery are fuffered to exift in 
focicty, there cannot, perhaps, be an” 
infutution ntore laudable and beneficent © 
than that of general hofpitals. This is 
particularly true im provinces remote 
from the metropolis; where, independ- ° 
ent of the good done to the individuals 
who receive their cures, # would be 
otherwile extremely dificult for phyfi- 
cians. and furgeons to obtain that expe- 
rience which is abfolutcly neceflary to 
their improvement. When good men, 
then, hear of the decline of an inftitution 
of this fort, which has flourifhed for up- 
wards of half a century, and, during - 
that period, has given relief to nearly 
hfty thoufand human beings; when they 
are informed, that in the fame eiftriét 
where this infitution 1s fading away, © 
other public works, fuch as canals, in- 
clofures, armed ycomanry, &c. &c. are 
flouriaing with. unabated vigour; they 
are naturally filled with forrow and afto- 
nifhment, This, fir, is unfortunately 
the cafe with the Devon and Exeter hof- ' 
pital; an inftitution which was firft 
opencd in January, 1743, and has dif- - 
charged fince that time to Lady-Day, 
1795, the following number of patients : 
cured, 34,98 :—received benefit, 7295— ’ 
for non-attendance, many of whom were 
known to be cured, 3736. Total, 46,012. 
In a provincial paper of June 16, 
1796, appeared an advertifement re- 
quefting the meeting of a general court 
of governors, to take into confideration 
the expediency of {hutting fome of the 
wards of the hofpital. The court met 
in confequénce ; and it was found necef- 
fary to fhut up five wards, containing 43 
beds. On June 23, appeared a fecond 
advertifement requefting another gene- 
ral court, to confider what farther fléps it 
might be neceflary to take, in order to 
bring the expenditure of the hofpital to 
a par with its income. The fecond 
court met June 30, anda committee was 
then 
