The National Register. — London, England, 1818-03-23 00:00:00

e c/Z. #/d4/ /c/ rbr No. s'2B.—VoL. XI POLITICAL DisQulsrrioN. PCMR TAWS.—NIIt. S. 1101.titin'S IT is not among.the least of the blessings that the return of peace affords, that the Rulers of a State are thereby enabled to direct theireettention mattere of internal regulation and . domestic improvement, and the amelioration of the condition of those classes a Society, who stind in necd of moral end intellectual culture, or relief from the overwhelming evils of po verty. These objects are of the highest importance in every country—for in proportion as every man's silere of useful:lees is enlarge], so is the prosperity of the community enhanced. lyiorance, and idleness too fecquently go hand in hand, and a wise Statesman can have no greater desire than to see national prospe rity truly and solidly fixed on the basis of national in dustry, for no artificial appearance of wealth, no mo nopoly of riches in the hands of a few individuals, , giving only the semblance of public wealth, can ever support a nation for any length of time. It is the flowing of the waters of abundance through innumerable channels of various capacities—the gene ral diffusion of riches, as well as of knowledge, that is the really substantial foundation of national welfare— the streamlet that irrigates the village is ive beneficial in its proportion as the river which flows through the town, aml the enlightened and Christian policy which extends its benevolent exertions equally to the " mind, body, and estate" of the pour, is the most calculated to render them a blessing to the State, and' the State a blessing to Society. We -nay, to be sure, infer from Mr.Ntalthus'S prin ciples, that a nation may be too happy,.and by creating an excess of population, require the operation of some enormous evil, as war, plagues, &c. to counteract the effeets of an overwhelming surplus ; but this aftlirds no argument for neglecting to improve the condition of Society in the intervals of peace and prosperity, and he must, indeed, be acold-blooded politician, who would consent to check the progress of moral and intellec tual refinement from any such co leratisns :we all have, or ought to have, higher views than mere atten tion to " the fitness of the things" upon t/c earth, and we may be certain, that Divine Providence will never sutler moral improvement and general hap piness to become the means and cause of public cala mity. Of the high important duty of ameliorating the situation of the poor, nothing need he said ; the phi lanthropy of our countrymen. the extraordinary ex eetion3 we daily witness, and the magnificent institu tions that bear record of the fact, render all illustration of this unnecessary. The couture is much, indebted to the various Com mittees of the House of Cemmons, on Police, Ldu ration, and the Poor Laws, for the valuable body of in formation they have collected from difil..rent sources on these subjects, and fur the very useful suggestions th.er have been led to make, which promise to be pro tin:tive of great pract ire' benefit. Mr. Sturges Bourne has brought in a Pill to amend varioos parts of the P eve Laws, futualed on the Report of the Committee, to the principal clauses o which we are anxious to di rect the attention of our Rca lets Feeling as we do, eiat the pi.;.mary cause; of panperistvi have been too rut ch neglectsl, and that remedies have been seined, rather to eonsevenees tleio causes, which thev unloubteilly alleviate, yet go hut a Late tea: toy:Ards reeenio;.: the evil ; vet: Arc not so renguitie in one expectations of the result res. others ; at the ;AMU: tine, we are gratefid to any one who will ae.ixt iu-....eteling the ;.irdiei, though he fail to clear it 41;ngctilc l'. The clnurc for nrpniutityr select %Tories in 1 t ,r :71 , rarisite:. to adatial..w: to tile telict . to itt roar awl alio nidt 3it vititti-94 t!)ut IttQ, Conattution anb MONDAY, MARCH 2J, ISIS. superintend the rates, is, we think, an excellent nne. It 1.; calculated at once to relieve the overseer, and be a check Upon his proceedings—to prevent the evil arising from arbitrary and tyrannous conduct, and to insure a just distribution cf the parish money. it must be highly satisfactory to the inhabitants thus to have the controul and disbursement of their collective funds more imrue diatrly in their own hands, and we have no doubt but that the unfortunate persons who are justly entitled to paroehial aid, will be materially beneirtted . by it. In the w:mis of the act, " Every inch select vestry shall and is hereby empowered and required to examine into the state and condition• of the poor of the parish, and • to inquire into and determine upon the proper objects of relief, and the native and amount of the relief to be given ; and iH each case shalt take into consi deration the character and conduct of the poor person to be relieved, and shall be at liberty to distinguish, in the relief to Sr granted, between the industrions and deserving, and the idle, extravagant, or profligate poor." This provision wi!l be of essential service in repress. ing the pretentions of idleness and fraud—and svlien impostors find they can no longer receive encourage ment in either, they will adopt new habits, and be in. duced to bewnie useful to society. But the most im portant part of this Act in our opinion is the following, which we shall give at length. " had•whereas by an act passed in the folly - third year of the reign of Queen Elizabeth, the churchwardens and over - seers of the poor aro directed to set to work certain persons therein described : and whereas, by the laws now in force, suticient powers arc not given to the churchwardens and overseers,. to enable them to keep such persons fully and constantly employed; be it farther enacted, stns it shall be lawful for the clitirchwardemi and overseers of the poor of any parish, with the consent of the inhabitants thereof in vestry assembled, to take into their hands any laud or grentid which shall belong to such parish, or to the churchwardens and overseers of the poor of such parish, or to the poor there of; or to purchase, or to hire and take on lease, for, and on account• of the parish, any suitable portion or portions of portions of hind within or near .to such parish ; and to em ploy and set to work io the cultivation of such land, on. ac count of the parish, any such per,uas as, by the existing laws, they are now directed to set to work, and to pay to such of the poor persons so employed as shall not be siip• ported by the parish, reasonable wages. fur their work ; arid the poor persons so employed,.sball have such and the like remedies for the recovery of-their wages, and r kali be subject to such and the like punishment fur misbehaviour in their empklment, av other labourers in husbandry are by law entitled and cubject tn. " Provided, and lie it further enacted, that for the promo tion of industry amongst the poor, it shall be lawfol tar the churchwardens and overseers of the poor of any. parish, with the consent of the inhabitants in vestry assembled, to let any portion or portions ofsneli parish land as aforesaid, or oldie land to be so purchased or taken nn account of the parish, to any poor and industrious inhabitant of I lie parish, to be by him or her occupied and cultivated on 11:s or her own account, and for his or her own benefit, at such reasonable ncut, anti lot such term as shall by the inhabitants in vestry be fixed and determined. " Provided, and be it further enacted, that no stun exceed ing the rate or assessment at One shilling in the pound upon the annual value of the property in unv parish assessable to the rates for the relief el dm poor, shall be raised, expended, o applied in any one year in purchasing, building, and re. pairing any buildings or land by this act authorized to he p t11311.1.C11, taken, built, or repaired ; and in fitting up, pre paling, and furnishing such buildings, and in stinkii,g such laud, or for any one or more of such purposes or objects, Hitless the major part of the inhabitants,. in vestry as's:lidded, shall consent thereto, nor until two-ants:Limns en value of the inhabitants assessed to the relief the poor (whether pre sent .in /melt ve try or not) shall have also signed their con sent thereto in the vestry or parish-book." This is an adarirahle provision in every point of view. It tends to promote habit: of industry in the persons employed, while it augments the funds appmpriated iii: the relief of the poor. It enables those win arc able to work, to earn their bread by honest industry, and in authorizing the Churchwardens to let portions of the land to poor inhabitants, it affords them an opportunity of gaining a subsistence in a meritorious way, accom panied with a of independence that will sweeten all their labours, and stituulate them to continued exertion. Nor are these the fatly benefits to be derived from it, for it will contrifiute greatly to a more general cultivation of the country, v.iich is everyday beemaing more repiisite to meet the demands of as increasing population. Tf we are not mistaken, the experiment has been successflilly tried in Kent, which has probably (for we have not the Report jock b e 4:.. ve t o l e a to the ado/n . 441 of ;ac idea. Pmci: 9:(f. We have. ever been of opinion, with many nth( r writers, that the multiplication of large thrills is es. tremely pernicious to the habits and welfare of 3 nation; it destroys the hiC.ependent spirit of the respectable yeoman,. when he beholds a neighbour who has acquired more wealth than himself, buyin; formatter farm till the whole country round is in his possession. The oc cupiers are converted into mere dependants—cap:ire probably overthrows their comforts—the fiend, Com mercial speculation, becomes the presiding deity, and the interests, hopes and happiness of the poor arc to) often sacrificed before it. We aro convinced.. that if .Sc. great landed proprietors would consent to di . vide estates, and let them off in small portions, of coarse, varying in extent, according to circumstances, Oscy would bu doing•more. towards relieving the wretched ness of the lower classes than they can possib:y do by enactments which only affect the result of pauperism, and not pauperism itself. An abstract of the principal clauses of Mr. Bourne's Bill will be fhund in another part of cur paper. IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OF LORDS. MeNDAY, March 16, 18If The llinarrs of LANSI)OWNE preSentvd IWO 1 , , nrien% from. Ireland, for a repeal of the Window Tax, one from ii;iii„ aoii the other iron Belfast. His Lordship observed ilia, v.i,‘ tax wax pi°poseJ in the Irish Parliament by Mr. Con' eeheir Chancellor of the Irish Exchequer, and adopted as a Afar Tax only, 'levet theless it was still levied, though the War ceased. It was a most oppressive 'fax, anal the people of Ireland did expert that a tax imposed and custitinteil ctit these grunuds,ls wild, now that the IV aPwas ovi!r, Le entirely repealed, air considerably reduced.—Petitions read, and or. demd to lie on the table. SINECURE PLACES. Lori GROSVENOR said. lbe matte on !his ;11);e4 n ore Hot sa ti s r u ctouy, lie, Sleinid at :in cit 1% .I.ly. either Hwti C a lution reipt:Cting theft), ur ler utlier jourued. Ti i SDAY. The.Royal.issent was notified by Commission to the Milroy Bill, the ;Ninthly Act 'Nlistalse Bill, the Ro)ril 11thine m• i i; e y, . Bill, the hileiniiity Bill, the West India Indemnity Bill, : h e ()flirt Indemnity Bill, the Madder Duties 111th, and other., : n a ll i 3. Commi:sioners, the Lord Chancellor, Lord ".:.itaft;!J:;i j , and Lord Melville. The Bath tias Light Bill, on the Illontion of the Earl o f Rcsslyii, read a 2d time, and ordered to !.,,t commi:ti if. Tl!e FlaaeiLis of I.isNi.nusrsfsz presented a Petiti•ot frog Bath in layout of the Bill sshieh he stated ss as most initnet•.) and re irectably signed. Ordered to be rel'erred to Committee. Ills Lordship then presented a Petition from `..lalden favoor of the Chimney Sweepers' Iteguilation Lill, to be rt.-furred to the Committee oil Ihm The Scots Liecnei s Bill wits mad a th:r.l Clue and passed. 'flue tireeitlisnd Fishery Oaths Bill read a second time,— Adju tuned. IV t)N. FAD h. v. Lord I..rurnutr.l moved for reitain arrm►n•s rolati.,e fo. the aatuttlit sitter Current.) in circulation, 111 . 41 , am/or< , o a motion he intended to bring forward on the ISt!► liv the taw as it now 4tooll, no tender in silver exec....taut: was a legal tender, in case of the rrsinnytion el Paynicilts, all payments exceeding that siini mho lu• in gal.l..ted it Was a 4 p u•stion Whether gold r , ►.►ld bl. Ist circalatiun.LLords 1111 l lotted.— iljourtieJ,. Till 11,41)AY. The Bath Gas Light Bill was passet! after some nb., rr t ams from Lurk Lauderdale, Shane:4)m . , mid 044. Lott! (11,thei;lot.—.1tIjoittneiL 110 USE VF C0.11.11()YS. MoNnav, M titen Calls Ciae Light Rill VC:I4 tbui a thin ,41,1 AVonn• In-might in a MU for building a .ic,,,.% the 'litanies from litirtluirliitlie to ltaleliti: I tit:b %%ay, nbleb hu z.atea i.e ha.' buoight ire, ar. cmiliniitet, lint he C.:oil:dice! it his dut... in iorior , ib vrogrrss, »r• r p csis4l „.,, being giveii to the Vi'ateriiii•ii, ee host ' In ie ilege s tterc in% e e l. ,j by RA nperatiou..—Read a tiist lionniti - atilp Alderman !btu prcsented a Pe titian frort `;1 he was tr:rd tor I Sr.; !t Try,boti, ; ,; a tin ; , al grievain es which he laTtei the Iluu:.e would reAttss, 6:e - - —Laid 041. ihte tak T INAN-AL 'rl:p Rowe rts )it into a Col,wiittve of . Tlit. Nay, F b e i nsai k b vo-rr rvirtied to tilt l'omt after. I %% it 1: I t. It lest: to move the ii•tial vetch grerti ,, l on the EN: i refer to !awn th; 14posta.t,i ! Fip oj i,: e Committee, as :Inn V t ry inter nuatiou cu stit:irtt small inercabe had tokril slice iu ccr*e•re!t of iltt. 11,`‘f IlLgulatuna respe ing S)111.% It; 11 it ,)artls. The expellee of the Nigro' Lt . o4l.s:witte um 4 '......., i 1 .- , .., %.....,.. _ l•. k t Irfor•-. . • '._ , , i • • . • , - --. 1, • zi: N, - ....:—.--..-