The Highland monthly - National Library of Scotland

The Hospital of Inverness. 595
THE HOSPITAL OF INVERNESS
AND
DUNBAR'S HOSPITAL.
(By Captain DOUGLAS WIMBERLEY).
CHAPTER XIII.
Sev. Robert Macpherson, Treasurer, 1839.- Mr Donald Macdonald, Treasurer,
IN
1839-S9.— Question as to Responsibility for Maintenance of Poor.
Compulsory or Voluntary Assessment.—The Latter still in Vogue, 1841.-
Difficulty of Providing Funds.—Proposal to fit up Dunbar's Hospital as
Poorshouse.—Negotiations and New Proposals ; the latter entertained,
but only so long as Voluntary Assessment should suffice.—A Legal
Assessment held necessary in 1843.— Poor Law Act, 1845, ^nc' Dunbar's
Hospital used as Poorshouse.— Removal of Library.— Position Maintained
by Kirk-Session throughout.— Its Course Justified by Decisions of Court
of Session.—Enquiry by Committee of Parochial Board, 1890-91.—Their
Report Adopted. — New Poorshouse Built, and Old Hospital again
Let.— Dr Macdonald Treasurer for half a century.—Mr Allan Mac-
donald associated with him as Joint Treasurer.— Recent Legacies.
Conclusion.
May, 1839, the Rev. Robert Macpherson took charge
of the Hospital Accounts until October in the same
year. Mr Donald Macdonald, preacher of the gospel, was
appointed Treasurer in October, 1839, with the same allow-
ance as had been granted to Mr Matheson, and discharged
the duties until 1889. The accounts continued to be made
up as last described, an annual statement of revenue and
expenditure, and details of disbursements for public burdens
being submitted for audit to the Kirk-Session.
Owing to the great increase of pauperism, a difficult
question arose in 1837 relative to the maintenance of the
poor. Compulsory assessment had been made permissible
by the Statute 1579, when the Justices in Counties and the
Magistrates of Burghs were made the legal guardians of the
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