Eleventh annual report of the trustees of the State Lunatic Hospital at Worcester. December, 1843.

  • State Lunatic Hospital at Worcester
Date:
1844
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Eleventh annual report of the trustees of the State Lunatic Hospital at Worcester. December, 1843. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    b}>- the Trustees and? State Treasurer. When this fund was received by the Trustees, it was appraised at about $44,200, and was charged with annuities amounting to $2,520. The Legislature, at its last session, passed “ Resolves for the en¬ largement of the State Lunatic Hospital,” of the following tenor :— “ Resolved, That the Trustees of the State Lunatic Hospital at Worces¬ ter, together with the Superintendent and Treasurer thereof, are hereby authorized to erect, in such manner as they shall deem most expedient, additional buildings, adjoining or near the existing buildings of said hospital, sufficiently large for the accommodation of one hundred and fifty insane patients, and to provide all necessary accommodations and furniture for the same.” To defray the expenses of the additional buildings and appurtenan¬ ces, the Trustees are authorized to appropriate and make use of the principal of the bequest made by Martha Johonnot, late of Salem, to the Trustees of the hospital, “ for the maintenance of insane persons, and for the benefit of the institution.” After establishing the price of board of private patients at three dol¬ lars per week, and limiting the amount of expenditure for the enlarge¬ ment to a sum not exceeding the amount of the Johonnot fund, and any funds which may be placed in the hands of the Trustees for that pur¬ pose, by individual gift, and providing for the payment of the annuities which were chargeable upon the Johonnot legacy by the State treasury, it is “ Resolved, That previous to the execution of these resolves, the Governor and Council be requested to obtain the opinion of the Justices of the Supreme Judicial Court of the Commonwealth, whether the use of the Johonnot fund, as herein contemplated, can be made without a forfeiture of said fund to the heirs at law of the late Martha Johonnot; and if said opinion be adverse, then these resolves shall be of no effect.” Approved by the Governor, March 24th, 1843. In July a communication was received by the Trustees, from the Secretary of the Commonwealth, enclosing the opinion of the Justices of the Supreme Judicial Court, u that the use of the Johonnot fund, as contemplated by the terms of the resolves of March 24th, 1843, can be made without a forfeiture of the said fund to the heirs at law of the late Martha Johonnot.” A meeting of the Trustees and of the Super¬ intendent and Treasurer was held forthwith, at which it was u Voted, unanimously, to proceed to the enlargement of the hospital, under the resolves of the Legislature and the opinion of the Supreme Court thereon.”
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