The Sun.
London, England, 1830-09-27 00:00:00

IiATTON-G ARDEN

1, •
A. decent-looking female presented herself at this
office on Friday night, acsompanied by four cleanly.

ru

dressed :children, two boys and two girls, the eldest,
of whom appeared to be about eight, and the young-
est about three .years old, on *hose behalf she
Made an application to the -sitting Magistrate, Mr.
Serjeant undei the folloWing distressing
circumstances
She stated that the children belonged to a man of
the natne,of Saunders, a hoot4riaker, who had oc-
cupied the back room on the second floor of a house
in Gray's-inn-lane, and that about nine weeks ugo,
being reduced to great distress and unable to main-
tain his family, in consequence of his being out of,
employment for a length of t►me before, he deserted
them, and nobody could since learn where he had
gone to or what bad become of him. His wife for
some time endeavoured to support herself and the
children by selling off whatever trifling articles of
furniture she possessed; even the very bed she lay
on, until that resource at length failed her, nod then,
about a fortnight ago, having no other means to re-
sort to, she applied to the workhouse for relief, and
tried, but in vain, to have the children admitted.
She (the applicant) being acquainted with the fa-
mily, and knowing all their circumstances, called at
an early hour that morning to see the mother of the
children, but, to her great anguish, she found that
she, too, had deserted them, and that the poor
children were alone in their miserable .habitation,
and without a morsel of food since the evening be-
fore. They were lying on a mattress, the only at.,
tide in the room, and the two youngest were crying
most -piteously; as well from cold and hunger as in
consequence of the absence of their mother. She
immediately took them to one of the overseers of
the parish of St. Andrew, Holborn, to whom she
related the circumstances, and from him she received
a note, with direct►ons to go to the workhouse, but
when she got there with the children, the gatekeeper
refused either to take the note or to admit them.
She had spent the entire day, at a great inconveni-
ence, as she was herself a woman of family, about
the workhouse, but to no purpose ; and ut last,
finding that it was getting late, and having no means
herself of providing for the children even for' a
single night, she determiried to bring them before
the Magistrate, in hopes that by his authority the
parish would he prevailed upon to make some provi-
sion for them:

Mr. Serjeant SELLON appeared very much affected
at the recital of the destitute condition•of the poor
children, and asked the applicant whether she, as a
friend, had not some
.knowledge of where the father
and motile.: were gone ?—She declared that she had
tio knowledge whatever, and that she must have
remained ignorant of the circumstances, if she had
not accidentally called at their lodging that morning.
Mr. Serjeallt SELLON inquired whether she knew
where the children were born, and she replied, that
she believed they were born in the parish of St.
James, Westminster. _

The Magistrate immediately sent for Mr. Hewitt,
the master of the workhouse, and telling him that
he had always known him to be humane and kind
in cases of this nature, directed him to admit the
children forthwith into the workhouse, and ascer-
tain afterwards their legal settlement.
Mr. Hewitt asked the woman whether she would
assist the parish authorities in finding out the pa-
rents of the children, ►aid she declared that she
would afford them every facility and means in her
power for that purpose.
Mr. Hewitt ordered the children to be taken di-
rectly to the workhouse, and they were admitted.