and a spirit of liberality. I
believe thou wilt agree
with me, that we ought not to expect a sum
sufficient
to erect all the necessary buildings (say
$70,000)
would readily be granted us, but I am of opinion
they
would cheerfully allow us $10,000 a year, to be
paid out of the fund
arising out of the sales of goods
sold at vendue; and, they may more
readily do this,
as the amount from this source, for 1815, will be
very
considerable. A part of this fund is to be paid
to our corporation
for the support of foreign poor,
some of this
part might possibly be diverted for our
use, if we cannot otherwise succeed.
If we could complete this establishment, all
the
insane in the state might be
accommodated; and
the number at this moment in the several
counties
must be very considerable. If this city contains
one
tenth of the inhabitants of the whole state, and has
one
hundred and twenty lunatics, the number in
the country must be very
great; but, it is very pos-
sible, it may not be in the same
proportion, owing
to the use of spirituous liquors being more
prevalent
in the city than in the country.
If we could obtain 10,000 dollars a year, I would
propose, that the
Governors should open a loan, to
borrow 70,000 dollars, at six per
cent; this would
require 4,200 dollars to pay the interest, and
the
remainder, 5,800, might be appropriated towards the
expense
of supporting the establishment. If we can
obtain this annuity, it
will be highly important that
we should have it for as long a period as possible.
Suppose (in
order to keep the time out of sight)
thee
should move to fill up the blank that will be left in
the
draft of the bill, thus: Ten thousand dollars,
annually, in
quarter yearly payments, the first quar-
ter to be paid the
1st of May next, and the same
to
be paid every year hereafter, during the period
men-
tioned in the first section of the act, passed 14th
March, 1806, entitled, an
act for the better and
more permanent support of the
Hospital