The balls being mixed together, one of the Governors held the bag, and calling the persons one by one from their seats, each held up her hand open in view of the Governors, and then putting it into the bag drew out a ball; and if it was a black one, she was immediately led with her child out of the hospital; while the persons who drew white and red balls, were ordered into separate rooms to prevent their changing them.
When all the balls were drawn, and the persons who had drawn black balls were discharged, those who had drawn white ones were brought in again, and seated as before. Then one who had a white ball was taken into a room, and left alone, while her child was undressed and examined in the presence of the matron, and if the Physician, Surgeon, or Apothecary attending, had any reason to believe that it had any infectious disease, or if it appeared to be above the age of two months, it was dressed again in its own cloaths, returned to the person who brought it, and taken immediately out of the hospital; but if there were no such objections, it was received, and the person who brought it dismissed.
Every child thus received, had a different letter of the alphabet tied to its wrist; and both the clerk and steward marked a billet with the letter fixed to the wrist of the child, and in this paper wrote its sex and supposed age; the day and year when inspected; the marks, if any, on its body; the particulars of its dress; and if any writing or remarkable thing was brought with it, it was mentioned in the billet, and then sealed up, marked with the letter of the child on the outside. A female servant then took the child, with the cloathing of the hospital, into the ward appointed for the taking in of children, and there delivered it to the country nurse, who had the same letter of the alphabet with that of the child.
In this manner they proceeded with respect to all who had drawn white balls, and then if any had been rejected, they took as many white balls as there were children so dismissed, put them into a bag, and added as many black balls to them, as together with the white, made up the number of persons who had drawn red balls. These were drawn in the same manner as the first; but the persons who now drew the black, might, if they desired it, stay in the house till they saw whether all the children of those who in the second drawing had got white balls, were received or rejected, till the whole number of the children appointed to be taken in were received.