The National Register.
London, England, 1818-03-22 00:00:00

POOR LAWS.

The following is the purport of the chief clauses of
the Bill on this subjeet.new before the Houce of Com-
mons...
Every parish *here the rates amount to 10001. to
have a Select Vavtry of inhabitants, not less than s.nor
more th:u► 1,2, for the ►management of the poor, and
the distribution Of the rates. Overseers to act under
the direction of the Select Vestry.
Justices empoweretl to order relief in certain cases,
fur a limited time.

One justice may order temporary relief, in cases .of
urgent necessity.
Minutes of select vestries and reports of their ,pro-
,Tedings to be laid before the inhabitants in general
ec. it ry.
Power to appoint non-resident overseers, with.consent
rc the persons so appointed.
Assistant overseer may be appointed.
Children whose parents are unable to support them,
may be provided for by the parishes, in places to to ap-
pointed.
Parish houses may be used for the reception of.

ftulcs may be framed for their management.
Rules may be•confirmed by justices.
No other relief to be ordered fur children, for whom
the parish shall offer to provide.
Justices empowered to visit houses provided for the
re ceptien .of children.
Parishes to hire and let out land for the employment
.of the poors—rS'ee our first article.)
Power to raw owners of certain houses instead of the
occupiers.
Goods of occupiers may be d:strained fur rates to the
amo•,mt of the rent actually due.
Occupiers paying rates empowered to deduct the
an-.ount out of their rent.

Receivers in certain cases may be rated as owners.
Persons rated as owners may .anneal, and may vote
In vestries.
No owner, not being an occupier, to be rated, in
"places Whese the right of voting for Members to serve
sn Parliament depends on the rating.
Justices out of sessions empowered to order relief by
parents, &c.
Justices in special sessions may assess relatives of the
poor, for their relief.
Pensions for service in the nary or the army, may.be
.assigned in certain cases.
The pension assigned, to be paid to Churchwar-
dens, ,S:c.
Power to ,remove chargable poor, born in Scotland,
Jrcland,:&.e. not being vagrants.
Scotch and Irish vagrants may be- removed without
Bing whipped or imprisoned.

ON THE :ERROR Or COMPUTATION OF THIS PRE-
"r EASTER.—UntiI the year 1757, the Julian Calen-
i'...r had been equally r‘dopted throughout the British
(I.:minions, but had at length by patient investigation,
.been discovered to be erroneous, and as the error was
iaereasing, anti would in • process of time occasion the
'everal Equinoxes and Solstices to fall at very different
limes in the. civil year, to what they formerly did, it
was determined and enacted by Parliament, that the
Calendar should be reformed in *hat year. The rule
by this new Calendar is, "that. Easter day is always
the first Sunday after the full moon, which happens
.upon or next after the 21st day of March, and, if.' the
full moon happens upon a .Sunday, Laster day is the
Sunday after."
Now, by referring to all our Almanacs for the present
year, Easter clay is entered for the 22t1 inst. and the
full sizoostis also entered for the same day, at 2,in the
nfterneca, so that the grand celebration of Easter day,
Nhich is of course by the morning service chiefly, will
.12VC. actually passed befere the full moon,. and .Cood
Friday will therefore not be observed in Passion week !
Thus it seems, that we are in error as to our observa-
tion of Easter on the 22d March, and that nest Sun-
day, the 2gth, should have been the day fixed by the
Calendar—and again, if the darkness at the Crucifixion
was an eclipse, that could only have been at a full moon;
now by fixing Good Friday and Easter. in the present
ycar before this full moan, these ,days are very errone-
cusly appointed, though perhaps, it is, in a religious
view, of but secondary importance. • A. H.
The Hosiers and Frame-work Knitters of Notting-
ham, Leicester, and that neighbourhood, to the num-
ber of 10,000, are now petitioning Parliament, in con-
,•equenee of the distress they experience. This has been
brought upon them by the Luddites. A great part of
machinery has imat.ll hstroyed,. ant! the master-ma-
:lt'Acturcts have thA satety to other parts. Nay,
roany rt.spLetable families, who spout mach money
among the shopkeepers, have withdrawn to more trail-
qail districts. .The consequences of theztrocious con-
!piracies are row visiting the working classes. The
Petition was referred to the Committee ofthe House of
(:ommons en the Poor Laws.—Courier.
Among other novelties in preparation at Drury Lane
Theatre, is a new Tragedy, by a Mr. Charles Knight,,
if Windsor, in which Kean is to play the rriucipal
character.

THE NNTIONAL REGTSTFR.

MA UNDY.THURSIIIY.

Thursday being what is generally called Maundy- I
Thursday, was observed with . the usual ceremony of
distributing. the Royal bounty. :The custom is known
to have been established in this country by Edward 111.
in the year ISO, when that haughty king .actually
washed the feet of the poor people who were relieved,
in imitation of the humility of our Saviour ; and it is
on record, that Cardinal Wolsey afterwards performed
the same ceremony in the city of York. This obser-
vance is still kept up in Portugal and other Catholic
countries. ;The name of Maundy-Thunelay is derived
from the hand-baskets, which were called (front the
Saxon) blaunds, in which the different Christian poten-
tates distributed provisions to the poor. The number
of persons relieved corresponds with the age of the mo-
narch, and were therefore SO of each sex. The distribu-
tion/ as usual, took place at Whitehall-411,1047;.,but on
account of an extra staircase being built fironi the ante-
chapel to the Ropal closet, for the Duchess of York, a
temporary erection was made on the outside in Privy-
gardens, where accommodation was provided for 80
men and 80 women, and about 50. spectators, when '2
cods, 2 salmons, 18 red herrings, 13 pickled herrings,
with 4 loaves, were given to each person in a wooden
bowl. After the fish and bread had been distributed, :3
pounds air' a half of beef and one loaf were given to
each person.
In the afternoon, the ceremonies and additional Loyal
bounties were resumed in the Chapel.
They commenced by a procession entering the chapel,
j of eight Yeoman of the Guard, and a Yeoman. Usher,
one of the Yeomen carrying en his head• a large gold
dish, in which were 160 red kid bags, which. ought to
have contained 20s. in gold, but bad a 11. note each,
and also white kid bags, tied to the ethers with white
leather strings, about two feet long, in which were Id.
2d. 2d. and 4d. in silver, amounting to 63. Sd. being
as many pence as the King is years old : the dish con-
taining these numerous bags was placed on a table,
which was covered with a white cloth, in front of
.the alter. The remainder of the procession consisted
of the Rev. Mr. Holmes, the Sub-Dean of the Chapel
Royal ; the Rev. Dr. Page, the .Sub-Almoner ; Mr.
Hanby, the Lord High -Almoner's bLeretary ; Mr.
Jones, the Groom of the Almonry. •Two boys and
two girls were selected from St. Margaret's National
School, for their good behaviour, by the Sub-Almoner,
and with the Gentlemen were decorated with cambric-
,muslin scarfs and sashes, carrying bouquets of flowers,
and preceded by a Gentleman Verger of the Chapel
,koyaL
After • the first lesson, these Centletnen distri-
buted to the 80 men, shoes and stockings. After
which, the Gentlemen of the Choir sung au appropri-
ate piece.
After this, cloth for a coat, and linen for a shirt,
were distributed in a similar manner. Au appropriate
piece was again sung.
The red bags: containing the IL notes end the. nraall
silver coinage, were distributed in a similar manner.
The ceremony of distribution to the s omen was pre-
cisely similar.
The anthem, " Who is this that cometh from Edont ?"
was then sung, and an appropriate thanksgiving and
prayer were then read. The King's health wes after-
wards drank in claret out of wooden cups, by the Gen-
tlemen who performed the service awl composed the
procession.