The Sun.
London, England, 1863-09-02 00:00:00

THE DISTRESS IN THE NORTH.

The weekly meeting of the Central Executive Committee
was held in the Manchester Town Hall on Monday, the
Earl of Derby presiding, and there were also present Lord
Egerton of Tatton, Lord E. Howard, M.P., Major E. Leigh,
Mr. H. B. Farnall (commissioner), Mr. W. Hutchison, Mr.
G. L. Ashworth, Mr. M. Ross, Mr. Jas. Worrell, Mr. H.
Mason, Mr. J. S. Sterne, Mr. A. 11. Heywood, Mr. R. H.
Hutchinson, Mr. J. W. Maclure, Mr. J. Goodair, Mr.
Josh. Fenton, the Mayor of Manchester. Mr. Rawlinson
also attended.

Mr. Maclure, the hon. secretary, reported that the bal-
ance in the bank was £307,29715s 6d, and that £1,470 Os 9d
had been received daring the week. No clothing had been
received or sent off.

Mr. Farmll read the following report:—
"Manchester, Aug. 31.

" My Lords and Gentlemen,—l beg to inform you that,
on the 22d inst., there was a decrease of the number of per-
sons receiving parochial relief in 27 unions in the cotton
manufacturing districts, as compared with the numbers so
relieved in the previous week, of 1,251. This decrease of
1,251 is explained as follows :—There ie a decrease at Ash-
ton-under-Lyne of 300, at Burton-upon-Irwell of 3, at
Blackburn of 101, at the Fylde of 6, at Garstang of 20, at
Manchester of 576, at Prestwich of 54, at Rochdale of 202,
at Saddleworth of 87, at Salford of 359, at Stockport of 80,
at Todmorden of 5, at Warrington of 10, and at Wigan of
12; making:a total decrease of 1,823. But there is an in-
crease at Bolton of 22, at Burnley of 62, at Bury of 99, at
Chorley of 5, at Chorlton of 52, at Glossop of 35, at Hasling-
den of 122, at Lancaster of 8, at Leigh of 9, at Macclesfield
of 27, at Oldham of 105, and at Preston of 26, making a
total increase of 572; so that there is a net decrease of
1,251, and since the 6th of December last a total decrease
of 121,603 has taken place. There were on the 22d
inst. 144,980 persons receiving parochial relief in the 27
unions adverted to; in the corresponding week of 1861
46,277 persons were so relieved. There is, therefore, an
increase of 98,703 persons in the receipt of parochial relief,
or 213.3 per cent. In the corresponding week in 1862
134,732 persons received parochial relief. The total weekly
cost of out-door relief on the 22d instant was £8,903 8s 4d ;
in the corresponding week of 1861 it was £2,256 lOs 3d;
there is, therefore, an increase of £6,646 18s Id, or 294.6
per cent. In the corresponding week of 1862 it was £763
6s 2d. The average per centage of pauperism on the popu-
lation of these unions on the 226 instant was 7.3; in the
corresponding week of 1861 it was 2,4, and in the corres-
ponding week in 1862 was 6.7. The amount of money in
the hands of the treasurers of the above unions, on the 22d
instant, was £90,126 19s 21 I annex a table to this re-
port, showing the number of old and infirm persons, the
number of able-bodied males, the number of able-bodied
females, and the number of children, who were receiving
parochial relief on the 22d instant in each of the unions
adverted to; the total number of each class being 34,100
old and infirm persons, 16,591 able-bodied males, 30,321
able-bodied females, and 63,956 children under 16 years of
age. The last returns made by the committees of charity
in the cotton manufacturing districts show that they were
maintaining 78,980 persons who were not receiving paro-
chial relief. On the 22d inst. the number of able-bodied
adults and children in receipt of parochial relief was 110,880,
and of that number 15.0 per cent. were males, 28.0 per cent.
were females, and 57,0 per cent. were children. Presuming
that the committees of charity do not provide for old and
infirm persons, and that the 78,890 persons whom they do
maintain represent the same proportion of classes as the
pauper lists, there are 11,847 able-bodied males, 22,117 able-
bodied females, and 45,016 children dependent on charity.
In the aggregate, therefore, there are 28,438 able-bodied
males, 52,441 able-bodied females, and 108,981 children
under 16 years of age who are now maintained either out of
the rates or by charity, together with 34,100 old and infirm
persons who are dependent on the poor rates, making a total
of 223,960 persons.—l am, my lords and gentlemen, your
obedient servant.

"H. B. FARNALL, Special Commissioner,"

Mr. Goodair, during a discussion on the application of the
Public Works Act, said the experience in Preston was that
the operation of the act would be interfered with by the com-
parative scarceness of skilled labour, which would be re-
quired to a large extent for the execution of works already
contemplated there, and if this could net be obtained there
would be a difficulty in employing the full amount of un-
skilled labour which might otherwise be made use of.
Major E. Leigh thought that the number of unskilled
workmen out of employ would probably increase as winter
approached.
Mr. Goodair said he could express no opinicn upon that
point. He referred more especially to the scarcity of brick-
layers and stone masons, as proved by practical experience.

Mr. Itawlinson said this difficulty was, perhaps, not to
be regretted, as it might lead ultimately to some bene-
ficial results, by inducing the several local authorities to
select, as first experiments, those works which would
employ the largest amount of unskilled labour. Many
applications had already been made for money to execute
works involving large outlays upon skilled labour, and in
some cases they were for objects which probably the public
might think should not have been sanctioned. He was not
sorry, therefore, on account of the fact mentioned by Mr.
Uoodair. Although the Poor-law Board did not wish to be
too rigid on this point, it was certainly expected that the
authorities would select works which would absorb the
greatest number of unskilled labourers. In reply to the
noble chairman, Mr. Itawlinson added that a considerable
portion of the money asked for was to be applied to the
erection of public buildings. He also stated that the whole
of the applications which had been sent in to the Poor-la or
Board, up to the date of his last official report, amounted to
£169,729, and applications had since been made for £529,000,
making a total of £698,729, or very nearly half the sum
sanctioned by Parliament. It should be remembered, how-
ever, that mo•t of the large towns were included in this
statement. The Mayor of Manchester had informed him that
the corporation of Manchester contemplated asking for a
much greater sum than he mentioned last week (Ll 00,000).
The Chairman said the mayor had stated to him that nearly
£200,000 would probably be required for Manchester.
Among the grants subsequently made were £1,500 to
Glossop, £1,500 to Manchester, £750 to Salford, £l5O to
Ashton-under-Lyne, £l5O to Stalybridge. £2OO to Dukin-
field, £lOO to Tintwistle, £l2O to Broadbottom and Charles-
worth, £6O to Leyland, £BO to Mottram in Longdendale,
£6O to Newchurch in Rossendale, and other smaller sums,
making a total of £5,460.
This concluded the business.

THE CONDEMNED PRISONERS IN XIRKDALE
GAOL.—On Sunday last the gaol governor (Captain
Gibbs) received from the Home-office a respite for Eliza-
beth Benyon, the young woman sentenced to death at the
late assizes for the murder of her illegitimate son, a child
about 12 months old, by drowning him, at Salford, on 15th
June last. The capital sentence will probably be commuted
to penal servitude for life. We understand that exertions
are being made to obtain a commutation of the sentence in
the cases of the Spanish seaman Jose M. Alvarez, convicted
of the murder of James Harrison, by stabbing him, in Old-
hall-street. on the night of the 12th of Nay; and John
Hughes, the shoemaker, condemned for the murder of his
wife, in Great Homer-street, in April last, It does not
appear that any steps have been taken on behalf of
Benjamin Thomas, the Welsh sailor, sentenced to
death for the murder of Mary Rowlands, in Brook-street,
Oldhall-street, on the Sth of May; or on behalf of James
O'Brien, the seaman convicted of the murder of Elizabeth
Callaghan, in a house of ill-fame in
SpitaltiAds, on the
9th of June. Hughes, O'Brien, and Thom"'
being Pro
testants, have the benefit of the spiritual uiinistrations of
the worthy chaplain of the gaol, the Rev. R. Appleton ;
and the two first-named criminals have apparently paid
earnest attention to the eshort4stions of the rev. gentleman,
On Saturday Thomas expressed an (anxious desire to se, a
Welsh Dissecting minister, and on the following day
the Rev. Mr. JEI. ugh", a minister bzlonging to the Welsh
Calvinistic Mett.odist denomination, visited him. Directly
he was introduce cl to the unhappy man the latter recorr-
vhey held a long conversation in the Welsh
nised him as a nrinister ho heard preach in. Wales some six
laomas subsequently intimated that he was
language,years si n ea.n d
glad he had seen the rev. gentleman. Alvarez is entirely
d
unacquainted wit.h.the English language, but he is attended
daily by a Cathoh'o priest who speaks Spanish fluently.
things,
take
executions will, in the customary order of nis
take place on Saturc la y week.