The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-04-13 00:00:00

MENDICITT SOCIETY.

A general /fleeting of the subscribers and friends of the Society
for the Suppression of Mentlicity was held ye tertlay, at the Free-
masons' Tavern.
It was announced that the Chair was to be taken at oneo'clock
precisely, but at that hour there were not above a doyen persons
assembled. About halfmast one, however, that number was in- ,
creased to about forty, when the Committee entered the room. ac-
companied by the Earl of [fwd• icke, the Earl De is Warr,
Lords Gage. Dudlerand Ward, Rolle, and Calthorpe, and a num-
ber of Gentlen.en.
The Earl of klaanwicat was solicited to take the Chair.
His Lordship requested the attention of the Meeting while the
Secretary read the Report of the proceedings of the Society during
the present year.
Mr. llctriats, the Honorary Secretary of the Institution, then
read the report, which stated that the total number of eases regis-
tered during the past year amounted to 1.006„ of which there ap-
peered to belong. to parishes in London, 159; to parishes in the
country, 541; person. who did not know their places of birth or
settlenient, ; Irish, 1:16; Scotch, 57; Welsh, 37; Italians, 6;
Prussians, 1 ; Swedes, 1 ; Dane.. 1 ; French, 2 ; Germans, 2 ;
Hanoverian., 2; Itn..ians, '2; Egyptian., Portnguege, Spnnittras,
and Maltese, 4; Africans, Asiwics, Americans, and West In-
dians, of whom 211 were blacks. 45.

ALI EGED CAUSES OF DISTRESS.
Age rind infirmity - - 121
Sickness and accidents . - - - - 89
Loss of relatives by death, desertion, or imprisonment - 76
Foreigners wanting means of returning home - . nl
Want of clothes - - 75
-
Want of tools ant! implements of work . - 33
Failure in business - - - - 70
Suspension of pay or prize-money - - - 24
Shipwreck • - - - 12
Number of cases in which the causes of distress were apparent 531
Cases in which want or employment, real or pretended, was
the alleged excuse for begging - - - 562.
HOW lits'snsEls OF.
Referred to London parishes, and obtained relief by the inter-
ference of the Society - - G 2
-
Relieved and sent to parishes in the country - - 65
Relieved with money and clothing when passed to Ireland,
Scotland, Ace„
Provided with situations, clothing, and tools, or the means
of effectually supporting themselves - - 101
r4othed, relieved, and sent to sea - - - 15
Found, on investigation, to be in sufficient means of support-
ing themselves . . 12
Ascertained to be impostors and confirmed vagrants (1115 of
whom were ordered to be prosecuted) - 405
-
Refusetl parochial relief when provided for them (in most
cases admission to workhouses being offered) • - 25
Placed in hospitals, infirmaries, &c. - - 35
Taken charge of by the 51i.rine Society - - 2
by the Scotch Society - 3
-
Refused to return to their native countries, 'although unable
to support themselves here - 29
Did not return as ordered (the majority of whom absconded
immediately on being set to work by the Society) - 2117
The Report then proceeded to defend the objects of the Institu-
tion, and argued that every objection which applied to the blendi-
city Society might, with equal propriety, be alleged against almost
every charity in the Metropolis.
The Secretary then read the following statement, which had
been sent to the Subscribers, and in consequence of which, he said,
great numbers 11'4 doubled the amount of their subscriptions :
" The Managers of the Society for the Suppression of Alendicity
being under the necessity of publishing a statement of the present
situation of the Institution, trust that every friend to the Institii.
lion will oblige them, by giving the present communication his se-
rious and deliberate consideration.
" The Society has now been established eight years; and its
proceedings may be classed under three principal heads or (Uri.

'ions:—
" First—Affording relief to beggars, who appear, upon investi-
gation, to have been forced Into the streets by necessity ; or pro-
curing such relief from proper sources.
" Secondly—Restraining impostors, by the employment of con-
stables to petimbillate the streets foe the purpose of apprehending
and enforcing the law against such offenders.
" Thirdly—The system of inquiry into the merits of begging
letter writers.
" For their success in these objects the Managers appeable cam.
mon observation. While many deserving persons, by the prompt
application of the Society's means, and a still more considerable
number by the exertion of its influence, have been effectually re-
lieved ; the most disgusting, deceitful, and aringing class of pro-
fessed beggars have been removed from the public streets.
" The like beneficial effects have (even in a still greater degree)
meshed from the establishment of the begging letter department,
which has been eminently successful in directing charity into pro-
per channels. by guarding iedividuals against those dexterous sys-
tems of fraud which had been secretly imposing upon the humanity
of the public to an incredible extent.
" In carrying on these proceedings, an annual expense has been
incurred, amounting, upon an average, to shout 3,5001. per an-
num; while the average income of the Society has not exceeded
2,81101. per annum—so that a deficiency of about 7001. has annually
occurred. lint as, at the origin of the Society, a certain fund was
subscribed by the public, as a capital with which to comittence ope-
rations, the annual deficiency has been from time- to time suredied
hem that fund, until the whole of it has been exhausted ; and the
managers do not hesitate to declare, that in carrying on ea impor.
rant an experiment for the public good, they have always thought
it their duty rather to be efficient at the expense of capital, than to
incur a risk of failure by miselactel economy.
" The Managers have minutely examined every item of their ex-
penditure, with a view to ascertain how far it might be practicable'
to effect such a reduction as would relieve the Society. without di-
minishing its usefulness and efficiency ; and in this inquiry, the
abolition of one or more of the three divisions of their plan, has
been brought under their view.
"They were convinced that to abolish their first division, viz., the
granting relief to distieseed cases, and to maintain what may be
considered the coercive part of their system, would give the 'fled-
tution more exclusively the character of a police establishment
than might be compatible with the views and intentions of the ma-
jority of its subscribers ; whilst, on the other hand, by abolishing
their second division, viz., the employment of constables, and still
continuing the administration of relief, the Society would be acting
merely in aid of the Poor's Rates, and could not he expected. in
any degree, to control the practice of mendicity. Their third divi.
lion., viz., the investigation of begging letters. the Managers con-
ceive stands upon totally distinct grounds; and the good it has sin.
questionably accomplished, and is calculated to accomplish, will,
they trust, secure its continuance, even if they are compelled by
the want of sufficient funds to abandon the two other branches of
their establishment.
" Under theme circumstances, the Managers deemed it advisable,
to ascertain how ear his Majesty's Government might be disposed
to sanction the grant of an annual sum. equal to the expense of the
coercive branch of the Society's proceedings, which branch might
it was thought, be with propriety considered auxiliary to the Me-
tropolitan Police.. Had the application made for this purpose been
successful, the present difficulty would have been In a great mea-
sure removed.; the expense of that branch being about equal to the
annual deficiency in the Society's income. A communication has,
however, been recently received from his Majesty's Secretary of
State: expressing his opinion. ' That the utility of the Society
Manly depends upon its continuing a private Institution ; enfor-
cing the existing law by its own tneans,and not borrowing any part
Of its energy from the aid of the Government.' At the same time
Mr. Peel was pleased to observe, That the Association had his
' best wishes ; and that he should hear with regret that its efforts
I were relaxed, because he believed it to be a useful and well-con-
ducted establishment.'
" There remain, therefore, the alternative' of discontinuing the
first and second branches of their establishment, or of endeavour-
ing to raise the regular income of the Society by the amount of 7001.
per annum ; without which the Society could out pretend to main-
tain itself at the level of its past efficiently.
's It would certainly be competent for the Managers, insteadof en-
Seely abolishing either branch of the Society's plait, to reduce them
all in a certain ratio, and thus, upon a contracted scale, to enable
the Society to proceed with its present means ; but they have pre-
ferred attempting, by this candid statement of the Society's situa-
tion, to pmcure each additional support and patronage as 'may en-
able it to proitecitte,with adequate vigour and effect, those measures
which have already, to so great an extent, counteracted the moral
and political evil which it was established to suppress."
Earl DE LA Wenn then wormed the first resolution, to the
effect that the Meeting approved of the Report which had just been
read. Ile hoped the friends of the Institution would exert them-
selves to support an Institution so valuable, as many ewes of real
distress were necessarily rejected in consequence of the insufficiency
of the funds.
Mr. C ROY rTON seconded the resolution. It was astonishing
that the Society hail been enabled to effect so much as they had done
with such a small sum as 3,500/.
General Tit ons: TOw agreed with the resolution, but he was of
opinion that it would be by to means right to continue the begging
letter department and give un the rest. That department was not
originally a portion of the Institution, but was added some years
after its establishment. and therefore it would be hardly right to
make that the primary object of the society. He could bear ample
testimony to the good which had been effected by the society.
The resolution was then agreed to.
Lord DILIDT.EY and WAR n, In rising to propose the second reso-
lution, said he hoped that the encouragement which the Society
would receive might be such se to preclude the necessity of giving
up any branch of the establishment. (Applause.) The only part
with which he himself was personally acquainted was with the
begging letter department, and he could assure the meeting that
that department was conducted in a manner as beneficial to the per.
sons applied to for relief as to the applicants themselves. The most
flourishing manufacture In London was the reanufscture of beg.
ging letters. (11 laugh.) It was impossible for any person placed
accidentally in a conspicuous situation in life-, to examine all the
letters of this description wh.ch were addressed to film. It would
take up his whole life to do so. and the consequence was, that the
majority being unworthy of relief, there was only one course to be
peened, which was to throw them all in the fire. A better result,
however, might be anticipated by transmitting them to the Society.
It had been objected to the Society, that its answers were uniformly
unfavourable ; but Rom his own knowledge he could rewire the
Meeting that such was not the ease. He had himself received
favourable answers, and in proportion as the favourable answers
had increased, in such proportion bad fraudulent ones been dte.