The Statesman. — London, England, 1821-06-12 00:00:00

E STATFAMAN, MR. SCARLRTTS BILL. PUBLIC MEETING AT LEEDS. On Thursday a public meeting of the inhabitants of this town was held at the Court Howe, for the purpose of taking into consideration the provisions of the Bill now pending in Parliament for the nuiendaient of the Poor Laws. About half-past 12 o'clock the Mayor toot: the Chair, and opened the business of the meeting by read lag the requisition. Mr. krattasora then read the Bill as it had been anstatied in a Committee of the House of Common', and also secrete] letters which bad been received from the County Members, in answer to solve in quiries he had been instructed by the Committee of the Workhouse to make, as to the beat mode of op posing the Bill. Mr. RICHASP KUIPLAT moved a series of resolu tions, and a petition founded thereon, deprecating all the material alterations is the Nor Laws contemplated by the Bill now pending in Parliament. Mr. Hamm the Recorder, supported the resolu tions in a speech of considerable length and ability. Upon the first clause of the preamble •f the Bill, which states that "if some timely cheek be not given to prevent the further increase of the poor-rates, the lands in many parts of England would not be worth cultivating," lie observed, that the only effect of the present Bill would be to traoshr the burden from the agricultural to the manufacturing interest ; and that with respect to the "too great facility of obtaining relief by those who are able to work," be did not see any means which would so effectuality prevent it as the vizilanee of the guardians of the poor, particularly in this town, where the money was distributed by those ' v ho had it to pay, and who would, on the one band, attend to the economical distribution of their own and tel neighbours' property, and on the other, to the dictates of humanity, in affording to the necessities of the poor that relief which they really needed, and which he trusted would never be withheld. Adverting to the evils produced by the frequent removal of the poor, he observed that these were capable of much al leviation, without such a complete alteration in the lacy of settlement as was contemplated by this Bill.— The remedy he proposed was this—that no poor per son should be removed until the place to which he was abont to be removed had been served with the order of removal, and had either acquiesced in it, or upon ap peal, had been adjudged to be the place of the pauper's legal settlement. This would prevent much suffering to the pour, and much unnecessary expense to the parish. Mr. Hardy further suggested, that in many cases it might not be necessary to remove the poor at all, and that it might be expedient to invest justices with the power of ordering the relief to be given by the parish officers at the place where the paupers re sided, if under all the circumstances, they should think it right so to do. The learned Recorder then adverted to that provision of the Bill which fixed a maximum, beyond which no supply should be raised for the poor. This provision as it originally stood in the Bill, was most absurd and impracticable, and he said lie could not put this part of the case niore Inn ibly than it bad been put by Mr. Baines, in his paper of the last week, in which the absurdity of in creasing the claimants upon the funds destined for the relief of the poor, and, by the same enactment, pre venting any increase of these funds, was thus illus trated :—" in the township of Leeds, which may be t.ticen as a fair criterion of the other manufacturing parts of the kingdom, the Bill before us, if passed into a law, would swell the actual balance of our number of paupers from 1300 to 2000, making an increase of one-third ; but the same law which creates this increase of claimants enacts that there shall be no increase of funds to supply their necessities." It would necessa rily follow, continued Mr. Hardy, that the allowance to each poor person must be reduced one-third. Such was the Bill as it originally stood ; a clause had been since introduced which gives a power to parishes in case of epidemic disorder, scarcity, or other local causes, which may render the ordinary fund insuffi cient, to ley an additional rata for this purpose; but this must be Cone at a public meeting convened for that purpose, a remedy which would give rise to end less altercation and disputes. The Recorder then pro- ceeded to comment upon that part of the Bill, which excluded persons marrying after the passing of that Bill from receiving parochial relief fur themselves and families ; except in the case of age, sickness, or bodily infirmity. This proposed enactment be said was most cruel and oppressive, for it might frequently happen, that young men would marry with the fairest prospect of maintaining a family by their labour, who yet from to depression or fluctuation of trade might be unable to obtain employment, and become incapable of supporting themselves or families without some assistance. Were these men he would ask to be allowed to starve, or driven out of the country ? If it bad been the intention of the Legislature to emue rage bastardy, such a provision as that to which he had been adverting would probably be efficacious, but it was not fitted to produce any useful purpose. 31r. hardy proceeded pointedly to comment on the other provisions of the Bill, hut oar limits will not permit us to follow hini ; he concluded a very excellent Npeech , by observing, that after all that had been urged in favo ur of this Bill, it was neither more nor less than an attempt to burden the manufacturing part of the community, fur the relief of agriculture.—(Cries of hear, hear.) Mr. gAINES said, as he had already, in a manner suf ficiently public, expressed his sentiments upon this bill, the defects of which had been so ably pointed out by the Learned Recorder, it was not necessary to repeat those observations. He could not, however, help remarking upon the important change which the bill had under gone. The framer of the Rill had set oat with the idea of establishing a seesimons„ but when it was found that this proposition was untenable and too absurd to he acted upon, a clause was introduced with the view of rendenn . g it less obnoxious, which in reality removed the osurtessis. This clause gives to parishes the right of laying an additional rate whenever the prevalence of epidemic disorders, or scarcity, or any other cause of a temporary or local nature should reader the ordinary rate insufficient. This was, in fact, giving them a power of laying such a rate as the exigencies of the poor should to require, whisk was precisely the power they = 7 possess,- for se rate for the relief of .the poor slew be laid, enespt at a vestry riesling conflated tat porpose. He proceeded to observe that the provi sions ox the bill respectlair the settlesseat of the poor by se mom correspeaded with the equitable principle in the preamble, et hick set forth, that the enriching of a, 'dace by the labour of a poor man ought tabs the ground of claiming relief from the place thus benefited. But the ground of settlement tired by this bill was totally irre spective of the elJimant having contributed to curly!' the place in which it was fixed. The mere naked NIA of residence, without any limitation ii! t time, would, un der the provision!. of this bill be the groolid of settle ment, and a town or place where a romper should have resided oily a week, or even a day, might he burdened with his relief for the rest of his life. Mr. B. suggested that a radical alteration in the lsw as it respected settle ments would be the most heneficial, and would prevent a great.deal of suffering, produced hr the removal of fa milies from places where they have been long establish ed, and would also preventtottch litigation and expense. The alteration which lie would, and which might be mentioned with propriety in the present petition, was this, that a continued residence, say of five years in one place, without being burdensome to that or any other parish, should confer a settlement in that place. Mr. F. OsTes said a few words, recommending that the legislature should simplify the law of settlements. and prevent the litigation and expense to which parishe► were at present subjected. Mr. HARDT thought that the present was not a suit able opportunity for pressing upon the Lel-lature any great alteration in the law of settlement, whirl' might operate in a manner which could not, on a superficial view, be anticipated. The resolutions were then put, and passed unani mously. On the question being put that the petition, which had been drawn up by Mr. Hardy, should be adopted, Mr. Baines said, the subject to which he had before ad verted appeared to him so important, that he could nut refrain from 'untie% pressing it upon the attention of the meeting. He thought a wore specific statement of the manner in whirls the law of settlement might be ame liorated ought to be suggested to the consideration of the Legislature. 111 r. traitor said, if any thing could be introduced into the petition that would he likely to lie useful, lie should be glad to render any assistance in his potter ; and after a short pause, be proposed that a sentence, embodying the alterations he had suggested in hi:, speech, to the effect that no pauper should be removed till the place of Ilia settlement was ascertained ; and that a power should he given to magistrates to order parish othcera to re lieve them in places at a distance from their parishes, should fonts part of the petition. Mr. Balsics said, that the suggestion of compel ing our parish officers to relieve the poor of other townships, and to open debtor and creditor accounts with every parish in the kingdetn, any of whose poor were residing here, or in which our poor might be residing, would be reverting to a system which has been found to o evisetience in this township to be fraught with loss, abuse, and vexation. His wish was to simplify the nuttier, and to establish a plain and intelligible role fit determining settlements. This, he thought, would he most effectually done by making a residence of some yeasts, without receiving paro chial aid, a ground of seteement. His object was not solely or principally the relief of parishes from unnecessary littrdeni, though in this respect the al teration lie recommended would he useful, as it would prevent liti,pitiou and •expense; but his view was mainly directed to the comfort and feelings of those who weresubject to removals; for he did not know a greater Practical evil in the administration of our poor laws than that to which he alluded. " Here," be said, " is a man who has resided in your township, say t.tenty years, who has spent the prime of his life and the vir s our of his days in your service; all those to whom lie is endeared either by habits of intimacy, by feelings of frientlahip, or the ties of blood, are col ' lected room( him ; he becomes diseased, or enfeebled by age, or from souse other cause needs parochial as aistauce : by the law as it now stands he may be re moved to the utmost extremity of the kingdom, to a place to which lie is a perfect stranger; for it is pro bable that those who formerly knew hint may hay? been remove.l either by the vicissitudes of life or the hand of death ; and there, in the absence of every thing that can sweeten the cup of life, he must lan guish out the remainder of his existence. This is no ideal evil; it is one which is, and must under the pre sent law of settlement, be of continual occurrence." Ile trusted, therefore, that the meeting nould not let an opportunity like the present pass, without suggesting to the Legislature tneir wish that this grievous hardship should be removed from our poor laws. BecJA•nx GO IT, n•hu had taken the chair in the temporary absence of tl►r Mayor, said, that the removal of a poor man from the pl.tee of his legal .ettlen►ent, to labour in another parish was frequently as beneficial to the place he had left as to that in ►ehich he w•as employed. _ _ This obrrn•atioo, Mr. Baines said, was doubtle true as far as reqweted the parishes, but the alter ation for which he contended was in favour of the labourer. Mr. HARDT, at considerable length, without di rectly opposing the suggestion offered by Mr. Baines.' and which he thought deserving of attention, express ed his wish that the subject should be discussed at same frunre p-ti ii. lle also intimated that the plan proposed, however plausible it might appear, would not be without its difficulties and embarrassments, and might ultimately produce as much litigation as the present mode of gaining settlements. Litigation, he said, was becoming less frequent, and by a few judi cious and gradual reforms it might be still further dintkished ; lint be thought the change now proposed was too great to be adopted without mature delibera tion. Mr. liaises said he would nut detain the attention of the meeting any longer, than by merely reading the addition which be proposed to have made to the petition: it was this:.—" That the petitioners fully acquiesce in the principle laid down in the Poor-Laws Amendment Bill, 'That it is not reasonable, that those who have by their labour contributed to enrich one place, should be removed to another, and often very distant place, where there is no demand for their la bour, there to be tuaintainell in sickness, and in sea sous of scarcity and distress,' they therefore beg leave humbly to suggest, that a residence of a given number of years, where the party has not been charge able to an y parish shall confer a settlement, and that it shall not then be lawful to remove any pour person from any parish in which he may have so resided, by reason' of sack person being chargeable to such parish." The question was then put that the petition do now pass, as originally proposed, without say alteration, which motion was carried. The thanks of the meeting were then voted to the Mayor. and the petition, which was already en grossed, was forthwith signed by the parish officers, anti other inhabitants. ARSTRArT OF " THE RILL To %mums THE LAWS RELATIVE TO THE RELIEF or TUE POOR," Os AMENDED ST THE COMMITTEE OF THE HOUSE OP COMMONR). The preamble stands unaltered. The clause enacting that no greater sum than that assessed for she relief of the poor in any parish, township, or place, in the year coding the 25th of Mardi, 1t421, is continued, and the mode for ascertaining the maximum fixed; but it is added, That - in case it shall be made to appear to the justices of the peace who sign the rate, that there is an increased charge in the county rates, or any other rates or charges lawfully payable out of the poora'-rate, which may re quire an additional assessment, it shall be lawful for such justices to allow such excess only as is Mine; 'to such increase of the county or other rates and charges. It is, however, further added, (in clause marked A.) that if, by reason of any unusual scarcity of provisions, epi demic disease, or any other cause of a temporary or local nature, it shall be deemed expedient by the over seers of the poor, &c. to snake an addition to the sum assessed for the relief of the poor, beyond the amount limited by this act, they shall have the power to con vene a vestry meeting of the inhabitants paying to the relief of the poor within the parish, township, or place; and if it shall appear to them that an addition is neces sary, they shall have the right to empower the overseer to make such addition, upon due pool of the sanction of such meeting. Then follows the clause for depriving magistrates and parish officers of the power of ordering relief to persons unmarried at the time of passing this act, or the fami lies which they may sttbsequiently have, except when they claim it by reason of age, sickness, or bodily in firtnity. The clause for repealing the present law of settlement, and for taking from the magistrates the power of re moval follows, but it is added, in clause marked R. that in case any poor person, at the time of passing this act, shall be resident in any parish, &v. where he is not le gally settled, and shall he receiving relief from the parish officers of the place of his legal settlement, they shall be required to continue such telief until one of Isis Majesty's Justices of the Peace, in or near the place of his residence, shall certify that the same is no longer ne cessary. It is then provided, in clause marked C. that where additional burthens shall be thrown upon the poore- I rates by soldiers or sailors being disbanded, the same shall be made good by a county rate. And it is finally provided (in clause marked D.), that as in some parishes or places owners of land, in order to remove the residence of the labouring poor, may destroy the cottage and habitations therein ; and that certain towns and %Mara, maintaining their own poor, may, by residence therein of labourers employed and working in other adjoining parishes, be charged with the bur then of those who do not work, and before the passing of this art were not settled therein; for remedy thereof it is proposed to be enacted, that in either of the above cases, it shall be lawful for the justices, at any Quarter Ses sions of the Peace held for the County in which such case shall be, upon the complaint of the overseers that their rates are increased, and those of the neighbouring parish diminished, to snake an order upon the overseer of the pour of the parish whose rates have been diminished by the causes aforesaid, to pay to the complainants such sum or sums of money, from time to time, as the said jus tices shall adjudge reasonable, not exceeding in any case, together with the existing rate, the amount li mited by the act, as a contribution towards the relief of the poor of that parish or township, which order shall continue in force till it is discharged by some future order of Sessions; and that so long as such order shall remain in force, the overseers of the poor and the inha bitants paying to the poor of the parish or place upon which the same shall be made, shall have access to the accounts of the overseers of the poor in whose favour such order shall be made, and power to attend all meet ings to investigate such accounts, and to appeal against the allowance thereof, in the same manner as the hilts- Wawa of that parish or township. From the shove abstract, it will be seen that Mr. Scarlett's Bill, in the amended shape. does away, in effect, with the maximum, that it adheres to the prin ciple of denying relief to persons now unmarried, who may henceforth, by themselves or their families, clai relief from want of employment ; and that it partially, but only in a very limited and inefficient manner, mo difies the alteration of the law of settlement as origi nally proposed by this Bill 1 - 411LIBLE CLIMATE AND UNSUITABLE CLOTHING. [The fol'owing artic • e is extracted from a New York Paper of the fito of Mv. Though originally calcu lated for the meridi.oi of the ['lilted States, it is not inapplicable to Coat of England. Our fair readers may smile at the nnemth and discarded modes of dress of which it approves ; hut if they condescended to take advantage of sonic of its suggestions, they would find them very senxotioac.] In the report of deaths for the last week, made by the city inspector, we regret to perceive that 25 per sons have fallen victims to ron:umpleoi•. This, for one %reek, and for one disease, is truly an alarming number, and calculated to produce the most melan choly reflections. We ought nut to conceal the fact, that our climate has undergone a considerable change; from what causes we are unable satisfactorily to say. Our winters, of late, hare peen uncommonly severe and protracted, and the air keen and piercing; the snow has been every where deep; the storms furious and stubborn. Our summers have been oppressive, and we do nut enioy that soft temperature and balsamic atmosphere, that we formerly possessed. What is not the least remarkable, is the rapid transitions to which our climate is subjected, and which must be, in many instances, fatal to health, without precaution is used. The consumption is a new disease ; it certainly pre vailed but seldom fifty years ago ; but then it is nut to be denied, that the women took more care of them selves than they do at present. Their clothing was substantial and comfortable; they watched the changes of the weather, and accommodated themselves to its transitions. Their hoop petticoats, warm under gar ments, fine lamb's wool stockings, thick solid shoes, with high heels, muffs and tippets, were centinels to health. These precautions, connected with exercise and industry, made them strangers to this disease. It unfortunately happens, that too many sacrifices of health and comfort are made to Cashion ; to a fool ish injudicious faShion. To preserve the boasted sym metry of person, and to give lightness to the figiire, the ladies throw off their flannels, while the rude Notch winds are blowing; and, with silk stockings and kid shoes, they take their walks over snow and ice, or mince their steps over wet pavements, until the cold damps strike into their system. They contract hoarse ness, colds, and couglia, until they sink on the lungs, and then consumption, with all its train of beetic and feverish denotement', makes sure and rapid advances. We have long anticipated some prohibitory ban. by ihysicians, against the immoderate Walrus of tigh• A._ 4 • lt!ia lesersets, which, when laced to the 'A: Tesoro of tight,,, o: least evidently injure. the Naga by compression, clip•i; Oho freedom of breath, and the pore tnrrelit oft . Mood, and lead gradually to this fatal disease. have read tedious essays on yellow fever, end ti n'T*. versiee on its origin; but towereoptina seem., to L i k e rapid and fatal strides, without notice; and if more pre, caution is not used ; if the transitions of climate ar e not more carefully guarded against, the disease nil: not diminish, and society must consequently stiffer. If e on ,. fort was only made fashionable, consumptions wa l k b e frequent;lees and when we peruse the weekly hiti, at the reflection that the reverse is the care, sakes it peculiarly painful. BARNRVILLR, 01110, APRIL 20.—0 n the 17th sal tq tla •ve had a tremendous snow storm and severe wrathy ! , Imre resembling January than April--anti on the !I v • heavy blow accompanied with rain and hail—it Mrs down several shops and stables--took the roof cid mi ne others, and laid prostrate all the fences—a m es hy. 4 trees were torn up by the roots, among which in s iarge poplar about 200 ya r d s f rom my house, whir's killed three bones and wounded a fourth oever44.-g large barn in its course was torn nearly to pieces — ai d I hear that a small town about nine miles to the esu 01 us suffered considerably—that nearly all the bastes is the town were blown over. It appears from what el , . servations I can make, that the vein of wind was nut more than half a mile wide, but I cannot inform you where it commenced its ravaecs nor whereto elided.- _____--- MGR WATER AT LONDOE-RSIDGE To-710E40W Morning IV o'clock.—Hvening Vt rain. after It. WRIT TUSIDA r.—floliday al the Palate pis, etc *tattOntait. " TEE ISEITISE STATESMAN" t! virnarouvran RITE " 1p STATILSMAN." LONDON: TrUDAY ECZNING, JeNC 12, 1821. Pdrib papers to the 10thinat. have arrived. Letters from Vienna of the 28th ult. contain so:ne news of importance from Smyrna. It is said thlt is - surrections against the Turin have taken place in various point! of Asia Minor, and appear to be in on-- son with the tronhies in the Morea. At Smyrna se. rictus fears were entertained for the fate of some of the public establishments. On two occasions great tu mults have occurred. It is even reported that engage ments have taken place in the principal streets. And even in the Island of Cypru., the inhabitants of which have hitherto shewn touch attachment to time Ottoman Porte, the greatest disorders hare been witnessed. According to recent intelligence we learn, that two foreign engineers direct the open lions of the Greeks in the Mores. A letter free Corfu announces that several English enthusiasts is the cause of the Greeks, have joined their standard awl serve in their ranks. The Anoints have quitted tits army of the Pacha of t'..e Morea, and gone over to that of the Greeks. This defection has considerabl► weakened the power of the Pacha. Indeed all kis troops excepting only the Turkish soldiers, bare declared for time Insurgents! Letters from Corfu of the 211 , 1 April state, that the Turkish spade's, consisting of two frigates, three brigs, two corvettes, and some sloops of war, had taken refuge in the pert of Gunteniza, opposite the island of Corfu, to avoid the attack menaced by vessels coming from Hydra sad Speszia. On the same day, a brisk cannonading was heard from the side of Prevesa. MADRID, MAY 29.—We continue to enjoy a teas• quality, at all events, in appearance ; thanks to the measures of the authorities. The Cortes have beenoc . cupied lately with discussions on the Finances, pro. jets of Law on territorial contributions ; on patellas, &c. &c. Three articles ako of a law relative to Sit uioral rights, have been eliicussed and adopted. The chief novelty contained in these journals is the spirit with which the proceedings in the Chamber of Deputies appears, on Thursday and Friday lass to have been carried on. On the former day the debate on the Budget was interrupted by a communication made ley the Minister of the Interior in the name of the King, in which his Majesty proposed the coati, intation of the law of restriction on the j.iereds and periodical works, until the rad of the present Session. The Minister on introducing the prefer ik lois to this effect, observed, that although the crime which caused the regulation now began no longer to be regarded as recently committed, yet the danger of rekindling the dame of factious disorder had VI passed away. He maintained that experimer hd sufficiently ahewn the necessity of preventive mu" with respect to periodical works. The prefer wee yr (erred to the Bureaux for examination. After this preVer had been thus disposed of, the order of the day for the further discussion of the budget was re sumed. The Abbe de Pompieres moved that the esti mate for the expenses of the Council of State should be reduced from nine hundred thousand to four tundred thousand francs. M. Lameth denied the competence 04 the authority under which that tribunal had been in• stituted, ins:sting that, as it had high judicial powers it ought to have originated in a legislative measure.and not in a mere act of the prerogative. M. de Sent Isogon bl endeavouring to justify the Council of State as nest the institutions of the ancient monarchy, and then proceeded to reprobate those local and departliental administrations, by which, since the revolatioe, it had been superseded, as instruments of a tyranny the most iosuppoi table. He added hi; conviction that the Cote Ira che regretted these establishineots as coital' - ing in them the worst elements of •' demagogical Power." This offensive expression rA lled f o rth a rt• ply from M. Manuel, in which he severely ridiculed the attempt to defend an abuse of power under a coo• 'Motional King, by the habits and praviices of a top gotten despotism. After several other Membrm bad expressed their sentiments with similar animation, slit an d rejected 114 Cate draft put an end to the debate, .1 1 . 4 r