The Press.
London, England, 1854-10-07 00:00:00

Many more letters might be quoted showing how grstefi

these line fellows are for the care that has been extended to
their wives and children ; but quite enough, it is hoped, has
been stated to satisfy the Committee that they not only are
doing what is right, but that it is the bounden duty of England
to carry out the work that ham been thus happily commenced.
Nor are the poor women themselves ungrateful for all that
has been and is doing for them. With a few exceptions, all
have evinced the greatest thankfulness, and readiness to find
employment for themselves. Two wives of soldiers who had
been temporarily relieved with weekly allowances offered to re-
pay the Association as soon as their husbands remitted money;
and one of them, directly she received a remittance from her
husband, insisted on repaying a sovereign to the Association,
sir:ing at the same time, That there was many a poor soldier's
who needed it more than she did." More than two hundred
have been placed in situations as housemaids, cooks, nurses,
washerwomen, &c., and, generally, have given satisfaction; one
of them writes thus to the Inspecting Officer:—
" Sir,—According to promise, I now let you know how I am
getting on. I never was so happy in all my life. I have, indeed,
a kind master and mistress; they look to my ootnfort in every
way; I might well say it is equal to my own home. I only
wish to God that more of the women were so well provided for
as I ern, sir. Will you return the Association thanks in my
name for their kindness to me and my child; also for the ten

shillings I have received, with which I have bought some
clothes ? I hope that l will keep my situation a long time. The
►ady seems to like me very well, and she says that anything in
her power she will do to promote my comfort. 'With my
sincere thanks to you for your kindness,—Your obedient
servant, P."
Many women, natives of Nova Scotia and Canada, on being
provided a passage by Government to their own country, have
been granted a donation of SI. each, to provide them with com-
forts for themselves and children during the voyage. To seven-
teen women of different regitueuts, all married with leave, has
the Association been thus beneficial.
On the Seth June into.-nation was reeelved from the Ports-
mouth Local Committee that thirty-four women and seventy-two
children would be forwarded to Loudon, on their way to their
husband's parishes, from Malta, from whence they had been or-
dered home, their regiments having gone on to Turkey. The
Inspecting Officer of the Association was Immediately ordered
to the Waterloo Station, where having with difficulty got them all
together, took them to the Pry-office in Westminster, where they
were to receive passage warrants for their different destinations.
But they were unable to proceed till the next day; and thus
would have been left utt-fr strangers in the streets of Westmin-
ster, searching in vain fur lodgings, which, with the small Go-
vernment allowance granted fur that purpose, they were unable
to pay fur. Respectable lodgings were found for them all and
their children, and the next day they were despatched to their
destinations, with a small donation for travelling expenses. It
is needless to add that all these women were married with leave,
and many of them most respectable wives of non-commisaioned
officers. _ _ _

Upwards of Three Thousand Five Hundred Women, and
Seven Thousand Children, have been kept from aetual want
during the last six months, the greater part of whom still remain
claimants ou the Association, especially those who have become
widows and orphans. This hes been done by the outlay during
the past six months of 9,1721., chiefly in weekly payuleuts,
both by the Central Committee and the beveut•eight Local
Committees.
Besides these 10,600 women and children, fresh applications
are wade almost daily to the office ; thus showing that the num-
ber of women and children left behind is much greater than the
public were led to suppose by the Parliamentary return called
for in both Houses of Parliament. This, however, a accounted
fur by showing the inaccuracy of the Parliamentary Return, as
follows
_

68rd Regiment 69rd Regiment.
Parliamenuul Return. Association Return.
No. of Women and Children, No. of Women and Children,
17U. 945.

The Association Return was received during the same month
that the Parliamentary Return wee given; and as It contained
the name of every woman, and the number end ages of every
child, and wu signed by the Colonel commanding the regiment,
it may very fairly be considered to have been the most accurate
one. if there be such a discrepancy in the returns of one regi-
ment, what must there be in forty ?

MARRIAGE WITHOUT LEAVE.
It is a curious fact that has been brought to light by the
practical experience of tide Association, that, without exception,
those soldiers who have married with leave, or whose wives were
admitted into barracks and recognised by the regiment, have
left the largest families, and, in consequence, are by far the
moat deserving of commiseration. To these persons the Asso-
ciation has been of the greatest benefit; while, at the same time,
amongst those women married without leave much misery has
been found to exist, which the Association has nut refralued
from alleviating.
The Committee, however, regret to find that notwithetanding
all the positive aud practical good that has been effected by the
Association, there itillremain in the minds of come military men
strong objections to its operations ; it Is still urged that undue
encourageineut is given to marriage without leave, and that large
numbers of soldiers have thus married since the institution of the
Association. If the operation of the Association had afforded
such encouragement, surely evidence of it would have appeared
from a number of applications for relief on the part of women
who had married in anticipation of it. Only one application has
been made at this other by the wife of a soldier whore marriage
certificate was dated in 1854; so that the objection would
appear to be entirely groundless; and it might be considered al-
most needless to say more in answer to it. But the Committee
have it to show that while they have only contemplated those
cases as entitled to relief which they found already eauctioued by
Government, or acknowledged by commanding officers, they
have made a rule (No. 8), and have taken all the means in their
power to give it publicity, which puts It out of their power to re-
lieve any who way have married calculating on aesistanee from
them; thus taking Into consideration and providing against
a contingency which might have arisen, but which has uut oc-
curred.
The following are the rules with reference to this subject--
1. No soldier's wife is entitled to relief whose name is not en-
tered hs the regimental return, which, though it contains the
mimes of all women, whether married with or eithout leave,
is yet signed by the Colonel commanding the regiment, and
thus they are partially acknowledged.
2. The Government makes nu difference between these women;
and the passages of all are equally defrayed to the parishes of
their husbands.
:h The rule for the relief of soldiers' wives married withoutleave
Is only retrospective ; fur no soldier who has married
without leave since July, 104, will be entitled to relief for his
wife.
On the 4th July, Ivsl, at the largest meeting ever held by
the General Committee (General the Earl of Beauchamp
in the chair), It was uuanimously resolved,—
"That from aud after the data of this resolution, the 4th
July, 1851, no wife or widow be entitled to a donation or pension
who shall have married a soldier without leave, whether they
belong to regiments on active service or to regiment* now under
orders of readiness fur active service, provided that such orders
of readiness were received subsequently to the formation of this
Association, on the 7th March, lea 4."
As the Government, the Officers Commanding Regiments,*
and the Association have found it absolutely necessary to coun-
tenance, to a certain extent, marriage without leave, and as it
appears from the returns of the married men of the thirty Regi-
ments of the Line, and the ten Regiments of Cavalry, that a
large proportion of them in each Regiment are mart ted without
leave,it beoomes a serious question how tar thetreatmenthitherto
carried out towards wives of soldiers has been successful in the
prevention of matrimony. It le evident that, in spite of all the
certain misery entailed upon them, soldiers will marry, and can
find respectable women to marry them; it is also evident, from
the universal sympathy shown to their wives and families on the
present occasion. that the cotintry would gladly befriend them
effectually; the Committee would, therefore, direct particular
attention to the concluding remarks at the end of this Report, in
hopes that some practical measure may be decided upon so
apeed;ly as possible to prevent the recurrence of so much un-
merited misery and destitution.

• One commanding officer who could not find amongst his
soldiers' wives married with leave a sufficient number willing to
pinball( with their husbands, and leave their &milli., behind,
was permitted by authority to complete the number by selections
from the childless women married without leave, thing out of
barracks.

958

COLLECTIONS ON THE DAY OF HUMILIATION.
Thousands upon thousands of her hinjesty's loyal subjects
joyfully followed her most gracious example on this day, and
poured in of their abundance for the support of an Association
which their beloved Queen and his Royal Highness Prince
Albert had honoured with their joint patronage from its first

commencement.
Had it not been for the noble contributions made on the Day
of Humiliation, this Assooiatiou would have been totally unable
to grapple effectually with the dire distress and destitution brought
to light by its operations.
All the great religious communities in the kingdom, except
the Roman Catholic, unanimously joined on that day to help the
soldier's wife and child.
To the Church of England especially this Association is in-
debted for considerably snore than two-thirds of the total amount
collected. The Wesleyan body also contributed largely and
generously; the Jews, too, joined munificently in this national
effort by having collections in their synagogues. The Com-
mittee remark with much pleasure that these astonishing col-
lections were quite voluntary. No Queen's letter was issued,
and never was any public subscription so heartily assisted by
the poor man's penny. In numberless congregational collec-
tions more than one pound's worth of halfpencewas given. Even
the prisoners in a large Government prison put their names
down for a subscription of more than twenty pounds. The total
amount collected on that day would have been even greater
had not many of the collections been made for the sailor's as well
as the soldier's wife. Of these collections the Committee had

the pleasure of paying over one-third to the Association fur the
Widows of Sailors and Marines.
The Committee would point out most emphatically that, not-
withstanding the remarkable exception in the Fast Day Collec-
tions, no religious distinction whatever is made in the distribu-
tion of this noble charity : the recipients are not even asked to
what religion they belong.
OTHER COLLECTIONS.
At the head of these stands the county of York. The York-
shire Association (with his Grace the Archbishop and all the
nobility and gentry of the county as patrons and liberal sub-
scribers) has remitted to the Central Association the large sum
of 5,0001. The Press has very considerately and effectually
aided the cause of the soldier's family ; but no paper, either of
daily or weekly circulation, has so practically assisted these poor
people as the London Journal. The Editor of that paper, by the
weekly issue of twelve supplements, at ono halfpenny each,
has realised the surprising sum of 1,4241., which has been
paid in weekly instalments of 1201. Nothing proves so un-
answerably as this does the sympathy of the poor, as the pur-
chase of the supplement was not compulsory on the subscribers
to the paper.
Subscriptions have been received from all parts of the world;
from Panama, !Bahia, Bombay, Quebec, Ncva Scotia, St. John's,
New Brunswick, Brussels, Pau, Lausanne, Bonn, Paris, Calais,
Calcutta, Ceylon, Montreal, Boulogne, the Black Sea fleet, Ber-
muda, Fredericton, New Brunswick, ekc. &c.
The generous sympathy of the navy for the wives of the army
has been very gratifying; indeed, the first person who, by an
able letter in the Times, roused the public to a sense of their
neglect of the soldier's wife was "A Naval Officer."
But of all the subscriptions perhaps the most touching was
that of the Chelsea Pensioners. One old veteran in paying his
penny was heard to remark, " Had there been such an Asso-
ciation in my day, when I was away at the wars, my poor old
woman would not have died in the workhouse." Several bodies
of men of the working classes have agreed to send in weekly
penny contributions ; the men of Price's Patent Candle Factory,
and the men of the Crewe Locomotive Department, have already
paid in considerable sums collected in this way.
From several large towns considerable amounts have been re-
mitted, from Walsall, Cheltenham, &c. &c.; but the town of Bath
has exceeded them all by several hundred pounds.
THE RAILWAY COMPANIES—LYING-IN HOSPITALS.

So universal has been the sympathy displayed towards the
poor people whom this Association has taken by the hand that
all the great lines of railway have been made free to the soldier's
child. Particularly the London and North-Western and the
Portsmouth line, where not only have the children been carried
free of expense, but the extra weight of baggage of their poor
mothers has not been charged for, an example which the Com-
mittee earnestly trust all the railway companies will universally
follow.
Two lying-in hospitals in London—the British Hospital in
Endell.street, and the Queen Charlotte's—most generously
opened their doors to the soldier's wife. Many a poor woman
has had deep cause for thankfulness for the care taken of her at
the British Lying-in Hospital in Endell-street.
Music, poetry, and the fine arts have all been enlisted in this
good cause. One simple poem by a child realised nearly 201.
for the Asociation; and the admirable sketch by George Thomas,
Esq., of the soldier's " Separation from his Family, presented
by that gentleman to the Committee of the Bath Fancy Fair,
has done good service to the cause—representing so truthfully
a 4 it does the reality of the distress which this Association is so
effectually mitigating.
LOCAL COMMITTEES.
The assistance and practical working of the seventy-eight
Local Committees all over the kingdom hiss been moot invaluable.
To the Clergy of the Church of England, the Staff Officers of
l'ensiouers, the Garrison Chaplains, the Local Magistrates, and
other benevolent persons. the Committee desire most cordially
to tender their hearty thanks. Had it not been for the inde-
fatigable exertions of the Senior Garrison Chaplain of Dublin,
the Rev. Charles Hort, upwards of four hundred women and
eight hundred children would now have been the inmates of the
workhouse, for in Ireland no ont-door relief is granted. The
Staff Sergeants in the several districts have proved themselves
worthy of the profession to which they are an honour. One fine
fellow, on being offered remuneration for the great trouble he
had taken in relieving the poor soldiers' wives in his district,
exclaimed, " God forbid that I should take any payment for help-
ing my comrades' wives and families in their distress!" A per-
fectly-organised system is now established by means of the Local
Committees throughout the kingdom ; quarterly statements are
regularly transmitted. showing the number of women and chil-
dren, and the expenditure; and regiments that began regimen-
tally to distribute their men funds have cordially handed over the
balance of their fnnds to the Association, being satisfied with its
working, and perfectly content to abide by its rules and regu-
lations.
It is necessary to state, however, that the Association has not
been permitted to relieve any but the widows and orphans of the
Foot Guards, the Officers commanding those regiments having
funds of their own for the relief of the wives and families of
their men, and not wishing to burden the Association.
Extract from the Report of the Limerick Local Committee :
" Limerick, 24th August, 1854.
"We have seventeen women married with leave on our list.
It appears that the women married with leave have the heavier
families.
" It Is incontestable that the major part of the women relieved
by this Committee would, ere this, have been in the workhouse
if they had nut been aided.
'We can safely declare our conscientious belief that the wo-
men on our list, eighty three in number, have shown themselves
deserving of the relief administered to them. We have never
received a single complaint against one of them. They have
universally manifested a desire to obtain work. Several of them