The Express.
London, England, 1866-01-22 00:00:00

THE METROPOLITAN POLICE AND THE

HOUSELRSS POOR.

In January, 1864, the Poor-law Board issued a
circular recommending the guardians in the metropolitan
districts to enure the services of the police force, which
the Commissioner of Metropolitan Police was williog to
render available for the purpose. The following letter is
now published aa shopweiniuthat the result of the adoption
of this system in the Po union confirms the opinion of
the board as to its 'racy:

Poplar Usion, High-street, Poplar, Jan. 4.
Slr,—As the police have now been appointed assistant
relieving officers for upwards of one month, I am sure you
will be pleased to receive a return of the numbers of vag-
rants admitted before the employment of the police and
afterwards. I hive, therefore, prepared a return of those
persons for the month' of November and December last.
The police arrangements commenced on the let December,
1865. It is certain we have got rid of a great many
of the idle young men and lads whom we used to bare, la
the police Sr. well acquainted with those who are constantly
loitering about the streets, and such persons will not apply
to the polio.. One instance was communicated to me by
Inspector Bear of a lad whom he knew as living with his
parents in Poplar, who used occasionally to present himself
at the ward late at night, but on his so doing while the
police were acting he was taken to his father's home by a
constable, and now, finding the ward not allowed to him,
has not been since seen idling about. So far, no harm has
happened to that boy. I have no doubt many similar cases
could be found. I feel sure that if the whole of the metro-
politan unions could be induced to employ the police they
would be well satisfied with the result, and the whole sub•
ject would be better reansged.—Your of edient servant,
(signed) Jas. R. CoLuss.—H. B. Parnell, Esq., C. 8.,
Poor•law Inspector.

Return of boueeleu poor admitted to the Poplar union
during the month of November, 1865, before the police
were employed as assistant relieving officers, and during
the month t f Dec.,1865, after they were so employed:—No-
vember, 1865—Number of men admitted, 1,251 ; women,
434; children, rat; ; ages of men under 25, 515 ; eges of men
above 25, 7,36 ; occupation as 6:ven, labourers, 1,180
others, 71 ; whether regular wayfarer.or not—three-fourthe
not; number of cases of tearing up clothing, 28 cona:cted.
Decemb sr, 1865—Number of men admitted, 476; women, 84 ;
children, 20 ; ages of men under 25, 148 ; above 25, 328 ;
occupation es given, labourers, 440 ; other., 36 ; whether
regular wayfarers or not—yes; number of cases of tearing
up clothing, 1 convicted.
N.B.—lt will be seen from the above that there is a de-
crtase of houaeleu E nor relieved in the month of Decem-
ter, as compared with the number relieved in the preen-
ing month, of 1,211 persons, or 68.1 per cent.
H. B. F.

It is further pro; ow 3 to employ the police in the duties
of inspction of the casual wards. Mr. 'Villiers writes to Sir
Richard Mayne :

Poor-law Board, Whitehall, Jan. 18.
Sir,—l beg to inform you that the Poor-law Board
have had ruder their consideration the prov'aiou con-
tained in section 2 of the Metroplitan Howieleas
Pcor Act (28 Vic., c. 34), which direct.; that —" The
Poor-law Board shall, from One to time, cause
wards, and other places of reception provided according to
the said act, to be inspected not leas than once in every four
months, between the burrs of six o'cicck in the evening
and eizht in the morning in the months between October
and March inclusive, end between the hours of eight o'clock
in the evening end eight in the mowing in the months be-
tween Apia and September inclusive ; and the result of
such inspections shall be reported to the Poor-law Board,
who may at any time revoke and renew the certificate
granter, or to be granted, under the first section of the act."
The board are of opinion that the requi-ed inspection of
the wards and places referred to would be most satisfac-
torily conducted by the officers of police, end they request
to be informed whether you would be williog to went to
those officers being appointed to undertake the duty. The
number of the wards within the district of the Metropolitan
Pul•ce is 33.—1 air, sir, your obedient servant, C. P. VII.-
LIEB-4.—To Sir Richard Mayne, K.C.8.,&c. •
Sir Richard Mayne has replic 1, stating that he agrees to
the duty 13ing undertaken by the police, and shell be ready
to nicks arrangements and give the directions that may be
neceseary.

THE CASUAL AND REG cLAR WORKHOUSE WARDS.
—An '-iquiry was held on Satv-day at the Marylebone
Workhouse by Dr. Lankester, touching the death of
George Gay, an old man who had been an inmate of
the house for several yearn. The deceased went to bed in
the able.bc Lod we'd between 0 and 7 o'clock on Wednes-
day evening, and was taken very iq in the middle of the
night. There was no light in the room, and hence the
other paupers could render him lit tle or no assistance. He wu
found dead in the bed the next moruiug. Inc coroner
said there ought to be a gas-lamp io the ward at night, be-
cause the healthiest man might be taken suddenly ill.
The jury expressed an unanimous opinion that lights ought
to be provided at night. The muter of the workhouse (Mr.
Douglas) said the ward io question was lighted to some
extent by a lamp outside the room. The inmatrs corlcroot
be trusted with a light, as tue moment the officers' backs
were turned the yaurers world light their pipes. A Juror :
But do you search them for matches?—The master said
no man who came in at night was searched. Lamps were
placed in all the sick wards, but there was an order of the
Poor-law Board that all lamps in the able-bodied ward must
be put out at nine o'clock. The coroner said he was not
aura that was a wise provision. The jury returned a verdict
of " Died froni natural causes." The coroner and jury
inspected the "casual" ward of the workhouse, and Dr.
Lankester remarked that, as its ores was 7,000 cubic feet,
and when full—as it was every night—was occupied by
twenty-five persons, each inmate had a very small quantity
of air.

SHOCKING DEATH OF A WOMAN FROM INTEM-
PER., NCE.—On Saturday Mr. liumpl.resa, coroner for Mid-
dieser, held an iuqe;ry at the Th^ee Colts Tavei3, Beth-
nal-green, relative to the death of a married woman, named
F''zal ith Mc He, aged 43. Tholues Mcare, 3, Newport-
street, Bethuel-6.eem slid that he was a butcher, and the
dceeiuied was his wife. She used not only to drink all the
proceeds of his e;•-iiings, but used to sell the feathers out
of the bed to get more hquor. She always craved fur gin
and ale, end she ate little or no food. She had been in bad
heelth for the last fortnight, and died on Tuesday. Mr.
Shaw, surgeon, acid that nearly all the organs of the
deceased's body were diseased, apparently from dank.
There were no traces of food in the at:mach. Tire Mune-
&its cause of death was fatty degeneration of the heart,
no doubt brought on by her intemperate habits. The
Coroner having summed up, the jury ran. oed a verdict of
" Death from disease of the heart, accelerated by the
excessive use of ardent spirits."
MORE SUNDAY EVENINGS FOR THE PEOPLE.
LAMBETH BATHS.—Stimulated by the great success which
hes attended the " Sunday Evenings for the People," pro.
tooted by the National Sunday League and its friends, at
St. Minnie Hall, cud which aro now taking place, a series
of " Evenings" have been staried at the Lambeth Bathe,
under the auspices of the Surrey Chapel Mission, and the
management of the Rev. Newman Hall, Mr. U. M. Murphy,
and some other gentlemen. The first of the series took
place last Liming, and was attended by about 1,500 persons,
chiefly belonging to the working classes. The chair was
taken by the Rev. Newman Ball, shortly after eight
o'clock, who gave a brief explanation of the onject of the
" Evenings," which was to enable working men to speak
their experiences of the blessings cf religion and temperance,
which were closely allied, and to promote the twofold
cause. The chief novelty of last night was that the as-
sembly was chiefly addressed by " navvies," whose obser-
vations were generally very correct and appropriate, and
appeared to meet with the approval of those present. Dui :ug
the evening several pieces of sacred inriic and hymns were
sung by the company.

FlRES.—Yesterday morning at an early hour a
Ere of a very alarming character took place in Christ
Church, tlighbury. The disaster was caused by the over-
heating of the furnace-Bus. The discovery was made by
the police-constable on duty io the neighbourhood, by seeing
fire rushing out of the roof. The engines of the parish arid
metropolitan brigade quickly attended, and the firemen
succeeded in extinguishitg the flames ; but about 6 feet of
the roof was destroyed, and the end of wall damaged by
fire, water, Ac., and the fittings by water and dirt. A
fire also took place yesterday morning in the premises
belonging to Mr. G. Smith, No. 1, Regent's-row, Stepney,
which did considerable damage. Another Ere broke out in
the promises of Mr. Moore, No. 8, Bishop's-terrace' which
was caused by an explosion of gas. Fortunately the fire
was confined to the lower part of the premises. A firs
likewise occurred in the premises of Mr. R. Baker, s turner,
No. 3, Eagle-street, City-road. The engines of the parish
and London brigade, with two land steamers, by Shand,
Mason, and Co., were early in attendance, and the parish
engineer and firemen went to work, but the Ere could not
be extinguished until the workshops and contents were
destroyed, and the rest of the house and contents severely
damaged by heat and water. The loss will fall upon the
General Fire-office. The origin of the Ike is unknown.
A Pauraa's PIiTITION.—The Dublin Warder
reproduces the following memorial addressed to the board
of guardians of the North Dublin Union by one of the in-
mates of the workhouse: "To the Honourable and
Honourable Gentlemen Guardians of the North Dublin
Union,—The memorial of Richard T— humbly showeth,
that he is a poor man Reduced to poverty by onfoneen
eircumetanoss, particularly the Cattle Plague sod the death
of wives, has compelled him to become a burthen on the
union this many years. Memorialist dont wish to be a
burden any !onager, as there is a Small Estate now ready
to fall an his hands in the County Westmeath, a part of
the demeans of Galstown,and the town-lands of rahamiu,
if he had clothing fit to go to eel°, it. Memorialist had
bros clothing when he Ouse to workhouse, hut were so
stored up where rats and moths got at, and Thieves
e in and stole, there is sot a remnant of them it to
wear. Memorialist humbly hopes, Gentle Men, yens wail
take him in to your kind amaideratioo, and order him
Daniel Byroe's oast deaths, and memorialist will ever prey."
BLUTH AND SYRINOTH RIZTOBZD BY Dii BARRY'S,
DILICIOC. Ravi:mere Amine Foca which cues without 11111.
Maine or inoonvenience,==.lndlgeetica), oough, asthma.
debility. palpitation, ear-
vonmal= liver. and stomach oomp=sa. it lISRM am than
Its cast la other rowdies, and is the best food for kbnts.
*OOO cures annually.—Du Berry and Co., No. 77, koriatkoirest.
bead," W. In this, ,at U. lid.• lila, ts. Dd.; 'Mu EU:
lilbs., 405.: also at G. Gracechurchetrest ; kCheepdde
mil* Odoed•dreel; sod deli likeeseeadvertiedonLl