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and disease, while absolutely necessary, was one of the mostdifficult problems of modern times. Such provision cannotbe left to individuals, it must be met by organisation,voluntary, municipal, or State. That it had hitherto beenimperfectly performed was proved by the fact that thehospitals of London and the country were livinghorn hand to mouth, and that many of them had had toclose some of their wards. The deficit last vear in the fundsof the medical charities comprised in the Kensingtondistrict amounted to about .618,000, and the question was,how was this deficit to be met? He deprecated Stateassistance, which would, if resorted to, assuredly put anend to voluntary contributions. In Glasgow organisedappeals to the industrial classes had proved highly success-ful, and he advocated systematic and organised appeals tothe working classes of London, believing that if this planwere adopted the deficit in the fund& of the metropolitanhospitals would cease to exist. The first resolution, whichwas in exactly the same terms as the corresponding one atthe previous meetings, was moved by blr. Brudenell Carter,who dwelt on the universality of the claim of hospitalsfor support. He also opposed State aid, such institutionsrequiring in their management not red-tapeism but flexi-bility. Sir A. Borth wick, M.P., seconded the resolution, andannounced his intention of endeavouring to organise suchan appeal to the working classes as had been suggested bythe Duke of Argyle. The motion having been carriedunanimously, Mr. Burdett moved the second resolution,which was also identical with the one passed at previousgatherings. He earnestly advised those present to visit thehospitals to see the working of them, and to become per-sonally acquainted with the good they do. The Rev. CarrGlyn seconded the resolution, and advocated not onlyappeals to the working classes, but also house-to-housecollections among the middle classes and the well-to-do.A vote of thanks to the Chairman was then carried withacclamation, and the proceedings terminated.

SANITARY LEGISLATION CONFERENCE.

THIS Conference held its fifth meeting on Tuesday lastat Argyll-place, Regent-street, when Mr. C. C. Lacaita,M.P., Dr. Farquharson, M.P., and Dr. Cameron, M.P., who,with Sir W. Guyer Hunter, M.P., and Sir Henry Roscoe, M.P.,have charge of the Sanitary Registration of Buildings Bill in ’Ithe House of Commons, were present. In the absence of the ’,President of the Conference, Sir Joseph Fayrer, Mr. H.Rutherfurd, B.L., occupied the chair, and explained that the ’,object of the present meeting was to confer with mem-bers of Parliament on the subject of the second reading of theSanitary Registration of Buildings Bill. Mr. Lacaita,M.P., said the present Bill was to some extent a

compromise with an uneducated public opinion. Theclauses of the Bill had been framed more or less on theprinciple that registration should be compulsorily enforcedin those cases where the actual residents had not got it intheir power to ascertain the sanitary state of houses inwhich they lived. There was one very grave omissionfrom the Bill in that respect: the great class of tene-ment buildings often exhibited conditions inimical tohealth, but the promoters of the Bill and the Confer- ’,ence had considered this class to be dealt with in this Bill.Supposing the Bill became law more or less in its presentshape, there would be little difficulty in extending its pro-visions in modifying circumstances to tenement buildings.The principle of the Bill obviously was that inspectionshould not be conducted by public officers as such, but thatit should be in the power of every owner, lessee, or occupierto go to any licensed practitioner in sanitary science just ashe would go to consult any doctor he chose about his ownhealth ; but, on the other hand, that the public authoritiesshould be responsible for the registration of the certificateswhen given, and for the competency of persons who wereto certify, they had the guarantee of the Local GovernmentBoard or the other responsible bodies mentioned in the Bill.The Bill was down for the second reading on June 22nd.

General Sir Peter Lumsden proposed that a petition fromthe Conference be presented in support of the second readingof the Bill. Dr. Farquharson seconded the resolution,which was passed unanimously; and it was resolved to

leave the convening of the next meeting of the Conferencein the hands of the president, vice-presidents, and hon.secretary.

THE SIXTH INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OFHYGIENE.

THE sixth gathering of sanitary reformers, representingalmost every civilised nation in the world, promises to be anexceptionally brilliant affair. It should have taken placelast year, for these congresses are held every two years,.and it will be three years next autumn since the Con-

gress last met at the Hague. The exact cause of the post-ponement is not given, but doubtless the cholera epidemicsare not foreign to this delay. In any case, everything hasbeen done to make up for loss of time, and the organisershave certainly succeeded in drawing up a most attractiveprogramme. His Majesty the Emperor of Austria andHungary has granted a subvention to the Congress, andthe Crown Prince, Archduke Rodolphe, is its patron. Thehighest functionaries of the empire, the leading ministers,.notably the President of the Council and Minister of theInterior, Count Taaffe, are honorary presidents of the Con-gress. All the ministries have appointed special delegates,as also the Diets of Upper and Lower Austria, of Carinthia,Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia, and Galicia. Subventions havealso been granted, so that the whole empire will be thoroughlyrepresented. The various leading towns and municipalitieshave likewise joined the movement, and the Austrian railwaycompanies, together with the Danubian navigation com-panies, have granted a reduction of 50 per cent. on allfares charged to members of the Congress.A preliminary meeting of the members of the Congress.

will be held in the evening of Sept. 25th, and a solemnopening ceremony will take place on the morning of the 26th.In the afternoon there will be an excursion to Kahlenberg.The Congress will sit throughout the week, with the excep-tion of Thursday, when an excursion will be made to Hollen-thal, Semmering, and the water intake of Kaiserbrunnen.Numerous receptions are to be held, a club will be providedfor the use of the members of the Congress, all institutions.of interest at Vienna are to be visited, and facilities givenfor attending at the theatres. On Monday, Oct. 3rd, aspecial boat will take the members of the Congress whochoose to remain after the debates are terminated downthe Danube to Buda-Pesth, where an official reception isannounced. After visiting the principal objects of interestin the capital of Hungary, the excursionists are to return onthe following day to Vienna. It is probable that from twenty-five to thirty nationalities will be represented, and we are.

pleased to note amongst those already announced to readpapers the names of Professor W. H. Corfield, Mr. ShirleyF. Murphy, and Dr. Franklin, from England; together withDr. Brouardel, Dr. Proust, Dr. Jacques Bertillon, and manyother eminent Frenchmen; Dr. Corradi and Dr. Pini, fromItaly; Professor Max von Pettenkofer, from Germany;Professor Gruber, from Vienna; Professor Hauser, fromMadrid; Dr. Bambas, from Athens; and Dr. A. Beaujon,,from Holland. Several doctors from Switzerland, Sweden,Belgium, and Denmark have also promised papers. The

subjects selected are of a thoroughly practical character,and the Congress promises to be fruitful in good results.Could not the seventh International Congress of Hygiene beheld in London?

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NORTH LONDON HOSPITAL FOR CONSUMPTION.—Theannual festival in connexion with this institution was heldon the 15th inst. at the Langham Hotel, Mr. F. D. Mocattapresiding. Since the foundation of the hospital in 1860,170,000 patients have been treated. Last year 318 in-patientswere received at the hospital at Hampstead, while 2700out-patients attended at the branch in Tottenham-court-road. In the course of the evening subscriptions to theamount of about £2500 were announced, including a con-ditional donation of £1000.

THE foundation-stone of a new College of Science.affiliated with Durham University, was laid on the 15th inst.at Newcastle-on-Tyne by Sir W. G. Armstrong. The sitecovers two acres of ground, and the college will cost, whencompleted, ;E20,000.