The Express.
London, England, 1846-09-29 00:00:00

THE POOR LN ST. I'ANCRAS PARISE

On Saturday, a meeting of the St. Pancras u
was held in the vestry-room, Gordon-street. In coast*
hyestwor3rk.nhuo‘nusew,au4ofaurldmbeorepru:emactediv:
of an. announcement that the report of the director
guardians of the poor, with regard to the treatment c
TymehretrYtesit'ttetohnfedtlacs proceedings excited mere than usual iatt
on ordinary occasions, and several ratepayers of the
were preseat. The reporter was informed that mon
half the vestrymen present were directors awl guardis:
the poor. The chair having been taken by Mr. C. E.l
staff, churchwarden, Mr. Howarth rose to present sr
of the committee of the board of directors of the poor d
parish of St. Pancras, appointed to consider and Tern'
the verdict returned by the coroner's jury which sat apt
body of Mary Anne Jones, lite an inmate in St. fie
workhouse, whose body was found in the It.gent's
Mr. Howarth read the report at length, and then pru!'t
to observe that the directors had gone very fully--1,.
much more fully than he thought at all nee. ssary—iat
investigation of the complaints which had been made-
the treatment of the paupers. A number of the int.
who were taken indiscriminately from the hall, a'er
amined before the board, and were requested to got
opinion as to the quality of the food they received p
house. The result was what might have been wimp(
A great number of the inmates were no doubt dissae
with their diet, and if the to id provided for them w.
times as abundant, and ten times as good—if that were
Bible—as that now supplied, they would not be satisfied
the directors or the vestry were to attempt to teed, and y
and clothe paupers to their entire satisfaction, he did
think they would be satisfied with a palace, or that
would think any luxury too good for them. All
the public were bound to do, and all that they (
be expected to do, in maintaining the poor, was to
food, and to provide them with comfortable lodgill
ply them with a sufficiency of good and whole
this had always been the object of the directors of St.
eras. If any of the regulations of the house had irt
properly carried out, it was not the fault of the dot
He could state, that since he had been a member°.
board, any complaints made by the officers, or other pe•
had been fully investigated, and any improvements stiFt.
had been promptly carried out. lie must say h `was •
surprised at the reasons alleged by Mr. Cooper,heist
officer, for not having communicated to the board los-
the complaints which he (Mr. Cooper) had made die,'
recent inquiry. Mr, Cooper exprtis.;tl himself dtee

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with the diet; he complained that it was not properly pre-
pared and cooked ; and when he was asked why he had not
made these statements to the board before, he said that on
one occasion, when he complained that the paupers were
allowed to wash in their chamber utensils, the ma-ter of the
workhouse told him to "mind his own shop," and this in-
sult was unnoticed be the chairman. Every member of
the board considered that he (Mr. Howarth) was alluded to
by Mr. Cooper as having been the chairman on that occasion.
On referring to the minutes lie found that Mr. Hazlewood,
the late churchwarden, was chairman of the board at which
Mr. Cooper made his complaint; and the master of the
workhouse, who admitted that the conversation mentioned
by Mr. Cooper he 1 taken place, stated that it occurred in
lus own private room, and net before the board. Ile (Mr.
Howarth) considered it necessary to make this statemeet in
his own justification, because he had been attacked by some
of the daily newspapers on this subject. After some farther
obscreetione, Mr. Howarth moved that the report be ap-
preyed, and that it be referred to the directors to carry into
effect the several recommendations therein contained.
Mr. Goouwte seconded the re-olution, and observed that
his only objection to the report was that it referred in terms
of too great moderation to the conduct of Mr. Cooper, the
parochial surgeon. He considered that Mr. Cooper deserved
censure fur not having informed the board that the bedroom
attached to the women's oakum room was not fit to sleep in,
for it was evidently too damp to be used as a sleeping apart-
ment.
Mr. Meow rose to open e the reception of the report. Ile
contended that it was not the duty of the medical ollicer to
report to the board on the state of the building. Ile consi-
dered that it was the master's duty to attend to these mat-
ters ; and if the dir,etnrs properly discharged their duty they
would go over the workhouse at least once a-year, and then
any defects or incoaveniencei in the building would come
under their own observation. He was not satisfied with the
report, noel he would move as en amendment to the resolu-
tion which had been proposed by Mr. Howarth, that a full
inquiry into the management of the workhouse be made by
a committee of the vestrymen. Mr. Cooper had stated that
if the quality of the food provided for the paupers was good,
a suffieieut quantity was allowed. Now he (Sir. Mann) was
present at the inquiry before the board on Tuesday last, when
specimens of tke meat were produced, and he asked a person
who was acquainted with such matters to examine it. That
person slid that the meat produced before the board was
decidedly good. He and his friend afterwards went into the
various wards where the inmates were at dinner, and ex-
amined the meat served out to them ; and the quality of the
meat exhibited in the board-room was, to use the words of
his companion', as different from that the paupers were re-
ceiving, as a white coat is from a black sacs. He (Mr.
Mann ) believed that the food proviled for the inmates of the
workhcuse was not of a proper (polity; and Mr. Cooper's
evidence on this point had been tubby borne out by all the
surgeons who had been examined, with the exception of
Mr. Todd, who entertained somewhat peculiar views. The
attempt of Dr. Birmingham to obtain fair specimens of the
food fur the examination of the board had•entirely failed,
although he was sure no unfairness was intended by that
gentleman. At the inquiry on Tuesday, Mr. Halton (one
of the directors) requested that Mr. Lee, the master,
might be called in to explain how it happened that
the food exhibited to the board differed, according
to the statement of the inmates, front that which
they ordinarily received, and he was surprised that
the suggestion was not adopted. The medical officers did
not complain of the dietary table, nor did be (Mr. Mann),
but he believed that the food was not properly dressedatidpre-
pared before it was served out to the paupers. lie consi-
dered that Mr. Lee ought to have been required to give
some explanation on this point, and also as to the alleged
difference between the food served out to the paupers and
that produced before the hoard. He (Mr. Mann) begged to
move, as an amendment, "That a committee of ten or more
vestrymen be appointed to inquire into the whole manage-
ment of the workhouse, and the duties of the various officers
employed therein." Mr. BOULTING seconded the amend-
ment.
Mr. HALTON said, as his name had been mentioned, he
might state that at the last meeting of the board of directors,
he suggested that Mr. Lee, the master, should be called upon
to account for the difference between the food produced be-
fore the directors and that which the paupers were in the
habit of receiving.
Mr. SiliTll recommended that an annual inquiry should
be instituted as to the whole management of the workhouse,
and the duties of the officers.
Dr. BIRMINGIII3I said that the quantities of food pre-
scribed in the dietary table were allowed by all the medical
gentlemen who had given evidence to be sufficient. Ile
felt anxious to ascertain whether the quality of the food was
good, and lie therefore visited the house and tasted the diet
on two ecca.ions, as he had stated at the last meeting of the
board of directors. He was perfectly satisfied with it, and
he could state that it was the best he had seen in any esta-
blishment of the kind, whether civil or military. The feted
placed befOre him on the occasion of his visits was precisely
similar to that produced before the board. It was evident
that either Mr. I.ee had deceived the board, noel had not
produced tee them the same description of food that was
served to the paupers, or that the paupers did not speak the
truth.
Mr. Sui Ted supported the amendment. He considered
that the report could not be regarded as satisfactory,
either by the vestry or the r,tepayers. Nothing was scud
in the reports as to the cemplaints which had been
made of the mismanagement in the workhouse, which
would probably never have been brought to light
bad not some feeling of niehnoeity been exhibited
towards one of the parochial officers. lie wanted to know
what was the meaning of this report, for he confessed
—though it arose from his own stupidity—(a laugh)—he
could not understand it. The report did not state that the
directors lead inquired into any of the grievances which had
been complained of, nor did it say whether any grievances
existed ; and if so, whether they intended to remedy them.
It certainly did state that they intended to make some
change in the present reparetion system ; but he thought it
was time that they should clearly d. fine the duties of the
master, and take care that those duties were properly per-
formed. The medical officer had been blamed for nut making
a report to the directors of the dampness ofthc oakum ward ;
but the duty of that officer was to attend to the sick in the
infirmary, and not to report on the state of the building. II
the master of the house had attendedto his duty properly, he
would have gone round the house at least once a week, and
would have observed and remedied any defects that might ex -
ist. The re was scarcely a word in the report with respect
to the oakum room, or he would rather say the prison. In that
apartment parsons were confined from one week's end to
another ; during the first week of their confinement their
allowance of meat was stopped altogether; clueing the re-
mainder of the time they were kept there, they were only
allowed four ounces haste id of six ounces of meat on meat-
days. They were not permitted to go out on a Sunday;
they were not even allowed to go to chapel, or to have
visitors to see them. There was one boy in the men's
oakum room named George Green. lie had been a pot-boy
at Highgate ; he was not strong enough for the situation;
his master was obliged to discharge him, and he wandered
about for thirteen or fourteen clays and nights, till he
had spent all his money. He then applied at the St.
Pancras workhouse, and was admitted. The master
sent him to Mr. White, the schoolmaster ; the school-
master sent him back to the master ; and the boy
was thug sent backwurels and forwards, till at last the
master said, " Put hint in the oakum room." Green was
put he to that room ; and why ? Because he had neither
friend r or kindred to go to, and was compelled to seek relief
at the workhouse. It was said the oakum room was not a
elace of punishment. Though he (Mr. Smith) coneidered
that it was, he was willing to grant that it might not be.
What was the effect of consigning to it boys like the one to
whom he had just referred ? The oakum room was certainly
the place in which idle and hardened vagabonds were placed,
and in the instance he had mentiuned they took a lad of 11 or
le years of age, who appeared to have no bad habits, and to
have been guilty of no misconduct, and associated him with
these degraded persons. He wished the directors would bear
in mind the old adage, " Esil communications corrupt good
manners." Why, idiots were actually kept in this oakum ward ;
why they should be put there he dietetic know. It had been sail
that the rations allowed to the boys in ti oe school were very good.
He admitted that if they always had such gruel its that pro-
duced on the clay of inquiry, no one could find teeth with it,
and he would not object to take it for his own brenkfast
every day ; but lie could prove that the gruel and broth
were never so good before this inquiry took place cie they had
been since. Ile went to the school-room one day with
gentleman connected with the board, when the boys were
at dinner: there were 9.5 at the table. lie (Mr. Smith) re-
quested all the boys who took their gruel for breakfast that
morning to bold up one hand, and 13 did so. He also asked
how many had taken their broth ? and he found there were
only 14. lie questioned the master about the provisions,
and he stated with some hesitation that the broth and
gruel were very bad. Ile thought it was evident this must
be the case, wh n out of 9.5 hungry boys, under the age of
14, scarcely more than a dozen would take the gruel for
breakfast, for that this was the fact he ascertained from the
master. He (Mr. Smith) again visited the school-room last
Tuesday, when the board met, and he found that all the
boys had taken the gruel and broth that day, Mr. White,
the schoolmaster, observing that " the boys lapped it up
like sucking-pigs." (Laughter.) It appeared clear to him,
from this circumstance, that there had been an alteration in
the diet. lie was very, glad of it, and he hoped it would
continue. The meat in the house wee badly cooked, and
the cooks had stated that they had been ordered not to do it
too much, that it might weigh heavier. If his informe'icn
was correct, Witt, the man who worked in the car-
penter's shop, and who gave evidence before the hoard
on Tuesday last, had since been dismissed. Mr. Smith
mentioned that an official who erred was passed
over. The nurse in the ball was sometimes so
drunk she could not stand, and yet she was continued in
her situation by the master. The report did not contain one
word as to the bad state of the bath-room. He was told
that as many as 10 or 12 persons were sometimes washed in
the slime water, no matter under what diseases they might be
labouring. With regard to the management of the infirmary,
he certainly thought that some blame attached to the medical
officer. If he had been the doctor he would have insisted on
some change, or he would have raised the parish about the
ears of the authorities, though he might have been dis-
charged. In the first ward of the infirmary the sheets and bed-
linen were changed once kmonth. In the receiving wards the
successive comers were put into the same sheets, without any
regard to the disease under which the previous occupant of
the bed might have been suffering. The inmates of the infir-
mary had also the greatest difficulty in obtaining a supply of
hot water. A short time since a poor man laid there at the
point of death, and the medical officer directed that his legs
should he bathed continually with warm water, in order to
alleviate his sufferings. The man's wife applied to the nurse
for warm water, and was told that she (the nurse) could not
get coals to light a fire. The poor woman was unable to pro-
cure the necessary quantity of hot water, without appealing
to the seenpathy of the inmates of the infirmary, who sub-
serilnntl. each to buy coals. lie (Mr. Smith) considered
this was a circumstance most discreditable to the management

of the establishment, occurring, as It did, in an extensive pa-
rish, where a large sum was raised for poor-rates. He did
not think any rate-payer would grudge paying an extra half-
penny in the pound, in ord. r to prevent the recurrence of
such a painful case. Ho had been told by Mr. Cooper that
he had applied to Mr. Lee for coal., hut could not get them.
The wife of the man to whom he (Mr. Smith) had just re-
ferred, told him that she could not obtain the wine that was
ordered for her husband. Mr. Cooper gave her another
order fur the allowance, and told her if she could not get it
at the workhouse, she was to go to his residence, awl he
would give her s ,me of his own. In a ward, called Gracie'
Ward, he might state that there were 50 or 60 persons
sleeping three and font. in a bed. Some rooms in the house
were worse than the feather room. There was, fur instance,
a room opposite the cotton room which was a dungeon com-
paredwith the feather room. He must say. I,owever, that
etlid not think the women's shed was so bad a• had been
Tolima. rated; lie saw nothing very objection,ble about it,
beyond a little dampness in one corner. All the witnesses
who were examined on Tuesday before the directors hid
agreed that the boil then produced as a speclinan of the
diet was much better than the ordinary rations. lie might
here state that he had been in the bread room and had
weighed 25 loaves, only two of which were o the proper
weight. There was a deficiency of IS ounces in 23 loaves,
and the remaining two were an ounce overweight. lie cot:-
filmed that the paper course the directors should have
adopted in order to have obtained a fair sample of the
food on Tuesday last, would hove been to visit the house
in the morning, to select a portion of the provisions,
and to put them tinder lock and key and seal until the
meeting of the board. He was satisti d that the Mod pro-
duced before the directors was not a fair specimen of the diet.
He considered &leo that the cook and the serv-nts is the
kitchen ought to have been examined before the hoard. He
had taken a plate of meat on Tuesday, while the dinner was.
being served out, from the first person he met in the passage,
and he comaared it with the specimeu on the director,'
table. The ration produced to the board consisted of a
beautiful piece of a round of beet' and seven potatoes; the
ration which had u served out was shout six ounces of
what was called " elude and stickings," and three potatoes.
He found, on inquiry, that the paupers received the descrip-
tion of meat produced by the master only once a fortnight ;
and it could not therefore be regarded as a fair specimens of
the diet, lie considered it would be more satisfactory to the
vestry and the ratepayers if the report of the directors
was altogether rejected, and if a committee of vestrymen
was appointed to inquire into the management of the work-
house.
Mr. DOUGLA4 said, if they were to believe the statements
just made by Mr. Smith, the workhouse of St. I macro, in- ,
stead of being a well regulated establishment, was one of the
worst conducted workhouses in the kingdom, and the pau-
pers were more ill-treated than in any p ior-law union.—
(A Vestryman: "So they ere.") Mr. Smith had said that
no allusion was made to the oakum room iu the report.
Why, he certainly could not have read that document, for
the oakum room was mentioned in the very fir,t paragraph.
If Mr. Smith's account of the negligence which he alleged
existed in the infirmary was correct, the medical otfie r alone
Was to blame. Mr. Douglas then read a report presented to
the directors on the 18th of the pr. sent month by a sub-
committee which had been directed to inquire into the c
ditioo of the bath room, recommending the erection of three
separate baths. lie hoped the vestry would nut reject the
report of the directors ; but it' they thought proper to Loves-
tigee the charges m ide by Mr. Smith, let them do so, and
let Mr. Smith himself be the chairman of the con:alai:tee.
Mr. HOWARTH observed that the meat produced before
the board last Tuesday was a portion of that which bad
remained ever from the previous Sunday. Tuesday was also
a meat day, but when the directors were sitting, the meat
for that day's dinner was in process of cooking, and the
master, therefore, produced the allowance fur the last meat
day (Sunday). —Mr. Halton had asked tee master whether
they were to understand that the meat produced on Tteaday
was a fair specimen of what the inmates of the house had
for dinner; and Mr. Lee said it was. • A was then
taken on the amendment, when the numbers

For the amendment
Against it

Majority against the amendment
The origimd resolution, fir the reception of the report, was
then put, when 2$ hands were held up in its favour, and the
chairman declared it to be carried.
Mr. SMITII observed that he doubted whether there was
not a majority of vestrymen, who were not directors, in
favour of the amendment, far 1.7 or IS direeWn had voted.
The vestry then adjourned.

BATIIS AND WASHHOUSEA IN ST. NlAitYtle'S.—A
vestry meeting of the parish of St. Martin-ie-the-Fields
was held y. sterday morning, in pursuance of a public notice,
for the purpetse of naming seven commiesioners from amongst
the parishioners to carry into effect the provisions of the act
of parliament, the 9th and 10th of Victoria. to establish
public baths and washhouses in the parish, in fueherance of
a resolution to adopt the act ligreed to at a previous meeting
some days ago. Sir Henry Dukinfield, the rector, presided
on the occasion, and the letter of Secretary Sir George Grey,
giving his sanction to the resolution, as the act rcqu;res, !me-
rlin been read, it was unanimously resolved to proct ed forth-
with to the election of the seven commissioners—when the
following gentlemen were chosen: the Rev. Sir H. Dukin-
field, rector ; Mr. Hall and Mr. Dalton, the two church-
wardens ; Mr. Staunton, o: the Strand ; Mr. Cobbett, jun.,
of Northumberland street; Mr. J. Barton, of the Strand;
and Mr. P. Palmer, of St. Martin's-lane, who, having ap-
pointed a secretary, proceeded at once with the commence-
went of their duties.
CITY OF LONDON PENSION SOCIETY.—The mem-
bers of this society met yesterday at the London Tavern, at
one o'clock. for the Purpose of electing officers to carry out its
objects during the next year, and to became acquainted with
the state of the society e t the present time. Benjamin Bond
Cabbed!, E.q , took the chair, and called upon the secretary,
Mr. Richardson, to read the report of the committee of
management. The report stated that the committee felt
gratified at being able to tell the society that the receipts
during the last year exceeded the amount xubseribeti in any
of the last thirteen years, and that they would have the
honour of the Duke of Cambridge acting as president at the
next festival, which is to take place early in 1417, tl.e sub-
scriptions at which they antkip dell would exceed the sem
of MIL, the amount collected at the last festival. It also
st eted that it was their intention at the next election, on
Monday, the sth of October, to choose four pensioners outs f
twenty-sit candidates, to he placed on the funds of the
society, and to berme the monthly payments by 4s. to both
male and female pensioners. The treasurer then stated that
the receipts of the past year amounted to 2,3071., and the ex-
penditure to 1,8031., leaving the balance of VV. in hand.
The meeting appointed Lirel Ashburton president for the
ensuing year, and Messrs. Richardson and Luke J. Hansard
were re-elected, the former secretary and the latter treasurer
to the society. It was then resolved unenimously, " that
the votes given to unsuccessful candidates be carried to their
credit, commencing on the nth of October next, and that all
votes polled by them fur the three succeeding elections be
also carried to their account, when, if unsuccessful, the
credited votes to be cancelled and become lost to such can-
didate ; " after which the meeting separated.
Tits: rEOPLE's CHARTER.— Yesterday evening, a
meeting was held at the Crown and Anchor Tas ern, Strand,
ter the purpose of adopting a national petition for the enact-
ment of the People's Charter, which was very numerously at-
tended. The meeting was addressed by Mr. F. O'Connor, Mr.
MacOrath, Mr. Harney, Mr. E. Jones, Mr. O'Cavanagh, Mr.
Marriott, and others, and resolutions were passed expressive
of theiminion of the meeting that the elective franchise should
be extended to every male adult of mature age and sound mind;
that the rights of rived representation were embodied in the
people's charter, and that a national petition should be pre-
sented to parliament praying that that document should be
made a statute of the realm ; and also that, in order to
strengthen the friends of the charter in parliament, the prin-
ciples and objects of election and registration committees
should be recognised and supported. The national petition
was also agreed to. It declares the protection of life, the
security of property, and the diffusion of education and
morality and happiness among all classes, to be the end of
all government; the representation in parliament of every
man of sound mind as his right ; that the reform bill is unjust
as restricting the rights of citizenship to one-seventh of the
male adult community ; that the present representative
system is based upon class selfishness, prejudices. and con-
tracted views of humanity ; and that the elective franchise is
a right inherent in every man. It also prays for universal
suffrage, vote by ballot, the division of the country into
equal electoral district., each with one representative, the
payment of members, the substitution of annual for septen-
nial parliaments, and the abolition of property qualification.
A supplementary resolution was proposed by Mr. F.
O'Connor, to the effect that the government should la
called on to raise ten millions sterling by exchequer
bills, for the relief of the distress in Ireland,
to be called the Church Restoration Fund, the
interest and repayment of which should be payable from
tithes, and by bishops and other dignitaries, parsons, and
other salaried officers of the state church, and the sum to he
applied for the purchase of land in Ireland, and the location
of the Irish petple upon it, at its present value. It WAS
agreed that this resolution should he published in the Nation,l
Freeman's Journal, and the World newspapers. The
meeting separated at a late hour.
TIIE WELLINGTON STATUE.—The preparations
for moving this colossal work of art from Mr. Wyat's atelier
at Paddington to its destined site at Hyde lark Corner were
completed last night, and at ten o'clock this morning a pro-
cession will be formed to convey the bronze image of the
" Iron Duke "to its proposed resting-place. The ceremo-
nial will be conducted with notch military display : at the
head if the procession will march vide ttes of the 2nd Life
Guards, followed by the hand of that regiment and two
troops, in all 100 men, firming the advanced guard. The
members of the committee in their private carriages will
next follow ; amongst these gentlemen it is expected that
H. R. 11. the Duke of Cambridge will be present. A com-
pany of pioneers will immediately precede the car
whereon the statue is conveyed, which will be
flanked by the Life Guards, and followed by a
large body of " riggers " furnished with blocks, pullies, and
other apparatus for checking or controlling the undue speed
of the ear at those parts of the road at which there is any
inclination. After the " riggers" will follow a company of
the Fusilier Guards, in fatigue dresses. In the rear of these
working parties will march 100 of the Fusiliers, fol-
lowed by the band of the Grenadier Guards, preceding two
companies of that regiment. A squadron of Life Guards will
close up the procession. The horse., which are furnished by
Messrs. Gilding, will wear new harness, and the draymen a
costume of flannel jacket+, red caps, and leathern aprons, will
also be new for the occasion. The route which the proces-
sion will take is from Dudley-grove, down the Harrow road,
into the Paddington road ; thence across Oxford-street, into
Park-lane, at the bottom of which it will tarn by the
Duchess of Gloucerter's mansion into Piccadilly. The whole
rout has been most carefully surveyed, and is considered quite
safe tithe only weak part being a purtion of Park.lane, below