TITLE VII.---OF THE ASYLUM, WORK-HOUSE, AND FIRE DEPART

MENT.

CHAPTER I.-WASHINGTON ASYLUM.

1. There shall be an intendant, three commissioners, a physician, and a resident student of the Washington Asylum.

2. The building or buildings which may be occupied for the accommodation of the poor, infirm, and diseased persons, vagrants, and disorderly persons of the city of Washington, shall be called "The Washington Asylum."

COMMISSIONERS OF, DUTIES, ETC.

3. The commissioners of the asylum shall jointly constitute a board, with power to frame rules for their government, and discharge such duties as may be imposed on them by law; they shall meet at the asylum at least once in each week during their continuance in office, aud any two of them shall constitute a quorum to do business; and they are hereby empowered to draw on the governor for such sums of money, not exceeding the amount which may, from time to time, be appropri ated by the legislative assembly, as may be necessary for the objects coming under their cognizance and embraced by law; and they are hereby further authorized and directed to provide for the relief, maintenance, and clothing of the poor, infirm, and diseased persons in the asylum, in such manner as to them, or a majority of them, may seem proper and not inconsistent with the provisions of this act, and may separately grant tickets of admission to the asylum; but no relief whatever shall be granted to any person capable of labor who shall refuse to labor when required, or afforded an opportunity to do so by the commissioners; and, in granting tickets of admission to the asylum, the commissioners shall carefully examine the case, and be satisfied of the necessity.

4. They shall prepare rules and regulations for the government of the asylum, and such rules and regulations, when prepared, shall have all the force of law, when not inconsistent with the laws of this District; copies of which rules and regulations shall be submitted by them to the legislative assembly directly after they are adopted; and, in preparing such rules and regulations, the commissioners are to contine themselves to the powers vested in them by this District, and to see that employment be provided for all persons in the asylum capable of any species of labor; and for this purpose they are hereby authorized to apply any part of the funds appropriated by this District for the asylum to purchase raw materials, machinery, tools, and implements.

5. The commissioners shall dispose of all articles made up, wore, spun, knit, picked, or otherwise prepared for sale at the asylum, and receive all moneys for such articles, as well as for articles made up, wove, spun, knit, picked, or otherwise prepared, of materials brought to the asylum to be so prepared; they shall render, quarter-yearly, to the register of the District, their accounts and vouchers for their receipts and expenditures; in which accounts shall be stated the partic

ular sums received by them, the source from whence received, and the particular items of disbursement and receipt; and the said register shall audit, examine, and settle the said accounts and vouchers, and report the result thereof, showing the amount received and expended, to the legislative assembly, at their sessions next succeeding the date of such settlement.

6. The commissioners shall bind out, as apprentices, poor orphan children and the children of drunkards, paupers, and vagrants, under the regulations prescribed by law.

7. They shall appoint a secretary, whose duty it shall be to attend at the general or special meetings of the board, keep fair minutes of their transactions, and generally do and perform all such duties as may be enjoined by the commissioners, who shall receive, as compensation for his services, two hundred and fifty dollars per annum, payable monthly. 8. The commissioners shall appoint a matron, a gardener, and a wag oner, who shall severally perform such duties as may be assigned them, and shall receive such compensation for their services as the commissioners may deem just and proper.

9. The commissioners shall transmit annually, at least one month before the regular meeting of the legislative assembly, to the governor, an account of all their proceedings, including a detailed statement of the sale of all articles received, manufactured, or otherwise prepared at the asylum, and the money received therefor, as well as a general statement of the produce of the garden, farm, sale of hogs, poultry, light butter, &c., and every other articlé sold, and the amount received therefrom, and the governor shall lay the same before the legislative assembly.

10. They shall also set apart separate and distinct apartments for the reception of vagrants and persons committed for offenses against the laws of the District, and cause all such persons, committed as aforesaid, to be employed in some useful work, and shall provide for their support, and make such regulations for their confinement, safe-keeping, government, and employment, as shall accomplish these objects; and if they prove refractory, or neglect or refuse to perform the work assigned them, in good condition and in reasonable time, they may be subjected to such punishment as the board shall lawfully prescribe.

11. Each commissioner shall receive as a compensation for his serv ices two hundred and fifty dollars per annum, payable monthly.

12. The governor shall have authority, under the regulations, to grant tickets of admission into the asylum; and the commissioners shall under no circumstances make any contract or agreement which may involve any expenditure not authorized by law, or which may exceed the amount already appropriated for such purpose.

INTENDANT-DUTIES, ETC.

13. The intendant of the asylum shall reside permanently at the asylum, and shall discharge all such duties as shall be imposed on him by law or by the commissioners; he shall not be engaged in any employment whatever, except such as the duties of his office may impose; and he shall, previous to entering upon the duties of his office, give bond to this District, with two competent securities, in the sum of two thousand dollars, conditioned for the faithful and vigilant performance of all such duties imposed on him; and also take and subscribe to the following oath or affirmation before some proper officer, which he shall deposit with the secretary of the District: "I, A B, do solemnly swear,

that I will perform the duties which may be assigned me by the laws of the District or regulations of the commissioners of the asylum, to the best of my ability; that I will not be engaged in any other employment or occupation during my term of office; and that each and every report which I may be required by law or regulations to make to the governor, or the legislative assembly, or the commissioners, shall be true in whole and in part, to the best of my knowledge: so help me God."

14. It shall be the duty of the intendant to take charge of the buildings and grounds, and to take charge of and account to the commissioners for all tools, implements, machinery, and other property belonging to the asylum; he shall report, monthly, to the commissioners, to be by them laid before the legislative assembly, a statement of the number of persons in the infirmary and workhouse, according to the following forms:

INFIRMARY, ETC.

Name, and time of death.

[With a general recapitulation, stating the number in the house at the last report, number discharged deceased, and remaining.]

With a general recapitulation, stating the number in the house at last report, number discharged, eloped, deceased, and remaining.]

Recommitment.

15. He shall also report to the commissioners weekly, in writing, a detailed statement of the sale of every species of produce, of whatever kind or nature, raised or cultivated about the premises, that it may be his duty to dispose of by regulations to be made by the board, and to deposit the money in bank to the credit of the District, monthly, and transmit the certificate thereof to the register; and it is hereby made his special duty to suffer no labor to be performed, or produce of any kind whatever disposed of, without securing a just value or compensation to the District therefor, and to yield a ready compliance with all regulations which are herein provided, or may hereafter be made by the District or commissioners for the government of the institution; and he shall receive as a compensation for his services, in addition to suitable apartments for a residence, and necessary food for himself · and family, together with fuel and lights, the sum of eight hundred dollars per annum, payable monthly, and no perquisite of any kind whatsoever shall attach to the office, directly or indirectly.

16. The intendant shall have, under the direction of the commissioners, the entire superintendence of the institution in all its departments, shall enforce all rules and regulations, and preserve strict order among the paupers and others in the house, and shall have full power to punish those persons (under the rules prescribed by the board) who do not conduct themselves in an orderly, sober, and decent manner; and no person in the establishment shall be punished except by him, or in his presence. 17. He shall, at every stated meeting of the board, submit an account of the admittances or discharges of all persons since the last stated meeting, designating those who may have died or eloped; he shall submit an account for the same period of his receipts and expenditures, and all bills which shall be incurred since the last stated meeting, and make out a list of such articles as are likely to be wanted previous to the next meeting of the board, and suggest, in writing, to the board, such alterations, improvements, or observations as he may conceive will have a tendency to promote the interest of the institution.

18. He shall see that all those under his care are decent and neat in their apparel, and that the nurses or other persons having charge of the sick or infirm treat them with all possible humanity and attention; he shall permit no one to be absent during the night unless permission be granted by the board; and he shall have all the lights and fires extinguished at the hour to be prescribed by the board, except such as shall be absolutely requisite, and those shall be left under proper care.

19. He, or some one appointed by him for the purpose, when he is unable to be present, shall attend to each meal, and see that those under his care assemble together in the order or classes fixed by the board; that they behave with decency and propriety toward each other.

20. He shall see that every person who dies in the asylum is decently interred, and that from the first day of March to the first day of November they be sent to the place of interment within thirty-six hours, and from the first day of November to the first day of March, within fortyeight hours after their decease; and he shall immediately cause the clothing of the deceased person to be cleansed, and, if necessary, repaired, and deposited in a place to be set apart for that purpose.

21. In the event of a stranger dying in the institution, all reasonable exertions shall be used to ascertain his home and his friends, and the circumstances of his decease shall be communicated to them.

22. The intendant shall examine all persons in the medical or surgical departments who, in his opinion, are capable of performing some useful labor, and if, on conferring with the physician, he should be satisfied

that such is their condition, he shall cause them to be so employed; and in case of neglect or refusal of any such person to obey his instructions, he shall report the fact to the board, in writing, at its next meeting.

23. He shall prevent, as much as possible, any impositions being practiced by the paupers in the house, and whenever he shall find one who, in his opinion, is capable of providing for him or herself, he shall report the name of such person to the board for their disposition.

24. On the admission of any person into the house, he shall cause him or her to be examined, for the purpose of ascertaining whether they possess any money or other valuables, and in case any such is found, he shall take the same in charge, and enter the particulars in a book to be kept for that purpose, and exhibit such book at every meeting of the board, for their action thereon.

25. He shall, in all cases, personally examine all persons who may be admitted into the house as early as practicable after their admission, and shall enter their names, place where born, last place of citizenship, residence, age, sex, and color, in a book provided for that purpose, and in which he shall also enter the time and manner of leaving the institution, and he shall perform such other general duties as are prescribed by this act, or may be required by the commissioners.

PHYSICIAN.

26. It shall be the duty of the physician to visit the asylum once every day, and oftener in case of necessity, and perform such duties as are usually required of a practitioner of medicine, surgery, &c.

RESIDENT STUDENT.

27. The resident student shall be a citizen of Washington, and shall have been a regular student under a respectable practitioner of medi cine at least twelve months, and have attended one complete course of medical lectures, and who shall receive for his services his board, washing, and lodging; and all prescriptions or orders for medicine, tinctures, spirituous, vinous, or fermented liquors, made by the physician, shall be in writing, and directed to the resident student for compounding or preparation. The physician shall exercise a proper supervision over the resident student, and require from him a faithful and attentive performance of the duties assigned him. No surgical operation endangering the life, or loss of a limb of a patient, shall be performed in the asylum without the consent of the patient, nor then, until a consultation with one or more competent medical practitioners or surgeons, and their concur rence in the propriety of such operation shall be expressed, unless a case occur of an urgent nature, and in which delay might prove fatal, in the opinion of the physician or student, in which case a consultation may be dispensed with.

28. It shall be the duty of the resident student of medicine to take charge of all medicines and other articles appertaining to the dispensary and laboratory, and see that the same are kept in proper order and repair; and no instrument or apparatus belonging to the asylum shall be taken therefrom without the consent of the commissioners.

29. He shall, once in every quarter, or oftener if required, take an account of the medicines, &c., on hand, and present a copy of the same to the board.

30. He shall, previous to every meeting of the board, make out a list of medicines and other articles wanted, and when approved of by the