Gazette Of The United States, & Philadelphia Daily Advertiser

To CHARITAS.

In your publication of last Saturday you say the Managers of the Pennsylvania Hospital charged 77 cents per week for the maintenance of Maniacs, &c. sent to them by the Managers of the Alms House, and that in 1798 and 1799 they charged 3 dollars per week.

Upon reading this I thought I would not take your word for it, but see for myself how things were. On being permitted to examine the books at the Hospital, I found your assertion true as to 77 cents, in the case of two women only, one of whom I was informed was yet in the house at that price, although ten shillings per week was the board at the same time for their other patients.

This was owing to particular circumstances operating in favor of those two women, which the managers of the Hospital considered and agreed to, on the personal attendance and application of two overseers of the poor.

Thus, in 1782 the price was 1 1/3 dollars per week, in 1799 3 dollars per week, which is not much more than double what it was in 1782; whereas you say it was as one to four.

Your making the above comparison of the price which the Managers of the Hospital demanded for patients in 1782 and the "enormous price" they demand now, induced me to compare the poor taxes which they required for the support of their paupers in the same years, and I find on enquiry that the poor tax raised in 1782 was, 8000 dollars. in 1799 62,000 dollars, which is more than ten times as much!! !