The Express.
London, England, 1846-09-23 00:00:00

" Puor-law Commtvion Officr,

Sept. 13th. "
" Sir,—l am directed by the Poor-law Corninissioren to acquaint
the Brant of Directors of the Poor of the Parish of St. Pancras, that
the Cos missiouceii attention has been walled by Secretary Sir G. Grey,
M the report in the Times newspaper, published on the 10th instant,
of an Inquest held at the Elephant and Castle, St. Pancras, on the
sth and 9th instant, on the tasty of Mary Anne Jones, aged 19, late an
Inmate of St. Pancras Workhouse, the verdict of thejury being "that
the deceased, Mary Anne Jones, drowned herself rather than return
to the workhouse, being driven to distraction through the dread of
the treatment she would be subjected to in the "shed," mad the jury
cannot separate without expressing their opinion that the discipline
there in practice is unnecessarily severed" Before the Commissioners
take any steps in the matter, they request to be informed if the
Directors have investigated the subject ? If this should be so, the
Commissioners request that the Directors will furnish them with a
copy of any evidence taken by them, and of any resolution which the
Bourd may have agreed to thereon. I an, Sir, your mist obedient
servant, "ic. CILIDWICIC, Secretary."
Dr. Duval:et:max then rose and said, wishing to ascertain
if the food of the workhouse were in accordance with the
dietary tables, he took the opportunity of visiting there on
Saturday last, and ascertained that the soup given on that
day was called "ox cheek." lie found it so goad that he
was not satisfied with the mere tasting of it, but finished the
I quantity given him as a specimen. He then went into the
kitchen, and saw the master cutting up beef for the sick and
infirm. He had also tasted the mutton—it was as succulent
and good in appearance and quality, as that which he pur-
chased for his own consumption. If ever poverty visited
him he would be thankful if he never had worse food set be-
fore him. Ile visited the place again on Monday, and was
confirmed in his opinion as to the food, and he would there-
fore move that the master of the " house " be desired to
place before the board the rations of breakfast, dinner, and
the ordinary suppers allowed to the paupers, in order to test
them; and also that any gentleman present should be allowed
to call in any one or more of the paupers, to ask them if that
were the kind of food they were in the habit of receiving.
(Hear, hear.)
Mr Bowmen( seconded the motion, and stated, that he
had also gone there on Saturday for the purpose of tasting
the soup. He went and saw it dipped out of the copper
before the inmates were supplied, and he had only to express
hissatisfaction of the general state of the food as lie had found
it. (Hear.)
Specimens of the diet were placad on the table before the
directors, who evinced their satisfaction.
Margaret Odell, aged 62, having viewed and tasted some
of the specimens before the board, at once said that they were
of a superior qual:tyto that allowed to them.—Mr. Howorth
(pointing to one of the supposed allowances): Is that the
amount of food you have for your breakfast ? It is not. That
is much better than what wo have in general.—Chairman:
Do you see that ration of meat, potatoes, and bread? Yes,
sir.--Is that the amount you have? No, sir.—flow much
less, then? Not anything like that, sir.—ls it the same
quality ? No, sir, nut at all timea—Do you have what you
call thin skinny-looking meat ? Yes, sir. Sometimes it is
nearly as good as that, but certainly not always. 1 don't
have so much as that at any time.—Mr. Howorth (pointing
to the cheese) : Do you have as much cheese as that:
Never, sir. We have sugar, tea, and butter. I know very
well that we could cat more than what we get.—Dr. Bir-
mingham : You complain of not having enough food here.
Yon are Irish, are you not ?—Yes, sir.—Did you never get
worse food there ? (This question was objected to by the
chairman.)
Jane Lynes, 62 years old, and had been in the workhouse
upwards of six months. Upon the porridge being shown to
witness, she declared it to he much better than what was
generally allowed. They had to complain in the hall of the
short allowance of bread. They had generally about four
' potatoes, and they had afterwards to lay out their own,'
money to buy bread, The meat given was very hard in
most cases. There was a pint of beer allowed daily. The
broth or soup has been so bad that we have not been able to
eat it. It is generally thrown into the hog tub.
Ann Farrel—Was 40 yeara old• and had been in the work-
house 22 years.—The Chairman: What do you take for
breakfast? Water, sir.—Do you prefer that? No, sir; I
prefer tea, if I can get it —Do you like porridge? No; it is
so nasty I cannot eat it; it is not near so good as you have
here on the table. I tasted the porridge last week, and the
week before, but was obliged to throw it away.—Mr. Clarke:
Taste that broth, and see it it is what you are in the habit
of having. Yes, sir; but the food is not, the meat has
always much fat with it, and I cannot eat it; in fact, the
food in general is not fit to set before a christian.—A direc-
tor : It is useless to take this woman's evidence, for she is
evidently insane.—Witness : I wish, gentlemen, you were all
as right in you senses as I am. (Loud laughter.)
Anne Pcunington : Was admitted in June last. The food
on the table was much better than she had been in the habit
of receiving.
Several other paupers declared that the rations they re-
ceived were neither so good in quality ner so large in quan-
tity as those on the table.
This being the whole of the evidence the following report
was agreed to :
TOE REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE OF TOR SURD OP DIRCCTORd OF TOM
POOR or TUE I'ARI,II uE or. CANTILAA, Is Ile COEMTT or MM.
IMMErS:—

The Board having resolved dad( into a committee to comider and
report upon the verdict—Reports, that there is no place In the work-
house in which the paupers are employed and lodged, which can be
designated a "shed.' That there are two rooms in the basement
story of the main building appropriated to the sew and separate loca-
tion of the female refractory paupers, and a building, consisting of a
ground-floor working room, with a 'Roping room over, fur the male
refractory pauper'. That the rooms appropriated to the female pau-
pers, although nut lofty and spacious, with the exception of the damp
appearance of a small portion of the wall of the sleeping room, arc
more comfortable than the ordinary dwellings of the labouring poor.
That it is essential to the preservation of decency, order, and good
conduct amongst the paupers generally, that the idle, depraved,
and refractory, should be kept separate from the aged and
well-conducted and that those who, but for their dishonest
and ViCiOliel propensities, might maintain themselves should
not be kept in a state of idleness, or supplied with a greater quantity
of food than experience shows to be fully sufficient for the preserva-
tion of their health and stnngth. That the refractory paupers in tit.
Pancras Workhouse have the same allowance as the other able-bodied
poor, with the exception of two ounces of meat three times a week,
and one ounce of sugar and one ounce of butter in the case of the
females. That the dietary of this workhouse is equal to that of any
similar establishment in the kingdom, and superior to the generality
of such dietaries, a copy of which in annexed to this report. That the
distinction in the dietary of the refractory paupers, and the orate of
separation from the other inmates in which they are necessarily kept,
elbnl no grounds for censuring the system of workhouse manage-
ment established in this parish. But the committee is of opinion that
it is desirable and expedient that the refractory paupers of both sexes
should be divided into two classes, anti that the oldest and most
depraved should be kept separate from the younger portion
of that class, and that, until provision can be made for
such a claasitication, as few as possible of the latter
class should be placed with the former. That it Is necessary that the
master of the workhouse should hare the power of punishing the in-
mates for misconduct, and also of classifying those who come into the
house. But the committee are of opinion that it Is not necessary or
expedient that the matron, or any other person, should be entrusted
either to punish the inmates or to place them in the refractory Wards,
but should refer all such eases to the decision of the master. And
that the muter should report all such eases, in writing, to the direc-
tors, at ther meetings ou Tuesday and Friday in every week, for
their approval. That an the coroner's jury have considered the state-
ment made by the girl, Beveling, worthy of credit, the committee will
not pretend to say that Mart Anne Jones might not have made the
statement deposed to, and might not have committed nuiciik from a
dread of being punished for making away with her clothes, if she rc-
, turned to the workhouse, but the slight punishment applied in such
eases in not [oxidated either to produce insanity or to lead a sane per-
son to commit suicide. Neithersloes the nelf.distruction of !hat unfor-
tunate individual, for such a cause, furnish it ground for analishing
such restraints and punishments) as arc necessary to prearrve order
the workhouse, at the game time it Is necessary to observe that tix
I matron ponitivelv states that she had never threatened to place Mary
I Anne Jones in the refractory ward, and would not have placed her
Oero if aloe had returned to the workhouse, and that no person ever
hrh!ieen placed in the refractory ward for having returned from ser-
vice under such circumstances. The committee regret that Mr.
Cooper ti:e surgeon of the workhouse, should have mooned in un-
satiafactory g MIAMI for not calling the attention of the board to any
thing which he eonsidered objectionable in the state and management
of the house, or she quality and mode of preparation of food of the
Inmates, anti the eehhaittee are fully satiated that the dietary of the
house is sufficient both :Z., quality and quantity, and that with the