The Sun.
London, England, 1854-10-18 00:00:00

September 2, 1854.
Sir,--enily for the relief I received Weekly f. om you, I would have
been obliged to go into the workhouse with my, two children; which
would have been worse than death to me ; for if we _were dead, our
miserable existence'Veonld tie ended here. I could not have main.
artineed "myself and children only for it, tie ugh I worked day and
'night to do so, and trial every means in my pevrer, yet I found it
was imitossible. I was making ,hints for Opine, in Mo'esworth-
st eet, alss. per it zen; and I could not complete the dosen in a week;
so if I had not had that re ief, what should I have doue P I never
received am money from my huseand since I left him, nor ha no
one to ask me or me chit lren to have a meal of victuals mace I lost
my of ply friend, my dear husband. And now, through your kindness
and interest. I have got a situation ; and if you did not still allow me
a little to pay far my chldren, I should not be able to remain in It,
as
I have not enough wages to pay fold L
and clothe Myself and
them.
I hope Gred Wilt reward every one who hat se kindly helped the
poor soldier's wife and chili ;. for most of us have been thrown Out
of a comfortable home to face a frowning world. I hope the Lord will
reward you also, sir, tor the kind intereet you have taken hih sol-
diers't wiv. 8, ee e • . "MP,
:Mau more letters m'glit he quoted, showing how grateful there
line fellows are for the care that has been extended ton& Wives and
children; I ut quite enough, it is hoped, has been stated to satisfy
the- Committee that they not only are doing what is right, but that
it le the bounden dr) ty of England to carry out the work that has been
thus happily commenced.
Nor are the poor women themselves ungrateful for all that has
been, and is dome for them. With a few exceptions, al' have'
evinced h • greatest thankfulness, and readiness to find employment
for themselves. Two wives of soldiers who had been temeorarily re-
lieved with weekly allowan, es, offered to repay the .association as
soon as their hnebands rem tte.l matey; and one of them, directly
she received a remittance from her husband, insisted on repaying a
sovereign to the Association, saying at the sane time "That there
was many a poor sole ier 'mite who needed it more than she did."
more than 200 have been placed in situations as housemaids, cooks,
nurses, washerwomen, Sec., and generally have given satisfaction ;
one of them writes thus to the Inspecting Officer :
" Sir. - According ter promise, I now let y. u know how ram get-
ting em.. I never was s 5 happy in al, my life. I have indeed a kind
master and mistress; they rook to my comfort in every way ; I
might well say it is equal to my own home. I only wish to God
that more of the women were so well provided for as I am, elr. Will
you return the association thanks in my name, for their kindness to
me and my child ; also +or the 10a. I have received, with which I
have bought some clothes. I hope that I will keep my situation a
-long time. The lady seems to like me very well, and she says
that anything in her power she will do to promote my comfort.
With my sincere thanks to yon for your kindness,
" your obedient servant, er E•
Many ;women, natives of Nova Scotia and Canada, on being pro-
vided a passage by Government to their own country, have been
granted a donation of 3!. each, to provide them with comforts for
themselves and children duiing the voyage. To 17 women of dif-
ferent regiments, all married with leave, has the Association been
thus beneficial. -
On the filth of June information was received from the Ports-
mouth Local Committees that
.34 women and 72 children would be
forntarded to London, on their way to their husbands' parishes, from
Dial a, from' whence they had been ordered home, their regiments
having gone on to Turkey. The Inspecting Officer of the Association
waslmmediately ordered to the Waterloo Station, where, having
with difficulty got them all toeether, he took them to the Pay
Offiee in Westminster, where they were to receive passage warrants
for their different destinations. But they were unable to proceed
till the next day ; and thus would have been left utter strangers in
the streets of Westminster, searching in vain for lodgings, which,
with the sepal! Government allowance granted for that purpose, they
were unable to pay for. Respectable lodgings were found for them
all, and their children ; and the next day they were despatched to
their destinations with a small donation for travelling expenses. It
is needless .to add, that all these women were married with leave,
and many of theist ,most respectable wives of non-commissioned
officers.
Upwards of 3,500 women and 7,000 children have been kept from
actual want during the last six months. the greater part of whom
still remain claimants en the Association, especially those who have
become widows and orphans. This has been done by the outlay
during the past six mouths of 9,1721., chiefly in weekly payments,
both by the Central Cemm ttee and the 78 Local Committees.
Beside's these 10,500 women and children, fresh applications are
made almost daily to the office ; thus showing that the number of
women and children left behind is much greater than the public
were led to suppose by the Parliamentary Return called for in both
Houses of Parliament. • I his, however, is cuned for by showing
the inaccuracy of tbe Parliamentary Return, co
as foitlows :
63d Regis:lent.' 63d Regiment.
Parliamentary Return. Association Return.
No.' of Women and Children, No. of Womereand Children,
170. 245. •
The• Association return e as received during the same month that
the Parliamentary Return was given ; and as it contained the name
of every woman, and the number and ages of every child, and was
signed by the Colonel commanding the regiment, it may very fairly
be considered to have been the most accurate one. If there be such
a discrepancy in the returns of one regiment, what must there be
in 40 ?

• MARRIAGE WITHOUT LEAVE.
It is a curieus fact that has been brought to light by the practice'
experience of this Association, that, without exception, those sol-
diers who have married with leave, or whose wives were admitted
into barracks, and recognised by the regiment, have left the largest
families, and, id.donssquence, are by far the most deseriing of ,om-
miseratioti. •Vo then persons the Association has beennf the
greatest benefit ;.,weile, at the same time, amongst those women
married without leave, much misery has been found to exist, which
gha ASSOCIatIOII. MS not refrained from alleviating.
Tile-Committee, however, regret to find, that notwithstanding all
the positive and'practical good that has been effected by the Associa-
tion, there still remain in the minds of some military men strong ob-
jections to its operations; it Is still urged that undue encouragement
is.given to marriage witheut leave, and that large numbers have
thus married since the institution of the Associ tioa. If the opera-
tion of the Asso6littion had afforded such encouragement, surely evi-
dence of it would have appeared from a number of applications for '
relief on the part of wo :.en who had married in anticipation of it.
Only one ;simile ilion has' been made at this office by the wife of a
soldier whosemarrlage certificate was dated I (854, as that the ob-
jection would appear to be entirely groundless; and it might be eon-
sidered almost needless to say mere in answer to it. But the Com-
mittee have it.to show; that while they have oily - contemplated
those ca.es as entitled to relief which they found already sanctioned
by Government, or acknowledged by cOmmalding officers, they have
made a rule (No. 3), and have taken all the means in their'power to
give it publicity, which puts it out or their power to relieve
any who may have married calculating on assistance from
them ; thus taking into consideration ,and providing against a con-
•tingency Which Might 'have arisen, but which has not occurred.
The foliewing are the rtiles with reference to this sunjett ;7-1
1. No sold.erls wife is entitled to re let wh so name is not ent:red
in the regitheiital return: which, though it contains the names of al
women whether married with or without leave, is yet signed by the
Colonel commanding the,regiment, and thus they are partially at-
knowlAged.
2. The Government makes no difference between these women,
awl the, passages of all are equally deirayed to the, parishes of their
husbands. , . ..
3. Vie rule for the relief of soldiers' wives married without leave
is only retrosp"ctive : ior no soldier who has married without leave
since Ju1y...1854, will be entitled to relief for Ills wife,
On the 4,11 July,"lB;4, at the largest Meeting ever held by the
,General Committee, General the Earl of Beauchamp in the chair,
it
"'That
unanithously, resolved— ... • . ; , .
from and alter the date of this resilutlon, the 4th July,
1854, no wife or widow be entitled to a donation or pension who
shall have marrie I a soldier without leave. whether they belong to.
regiments on active service or to regiments now under orders of
readiness for active service, prodded that such orders of readiness
were received imbacquently -to the-formation of this AesOclation, on
the 7th Mires, 1854.
,
As the Government, the officers commanding regiments,* 'and the.
Association have 'found it absolutely necessary to countenance, to a
certain extent,' marriageavithout leave. and as it appears from the
returns of the mat ried men of the 30 regiment 4 of the line, and the
10 regiments of Cavalry, that a large proportion of them in each
regiment are married without leave, it becomes a serious question
how far the treatment hitherto carried out towards Wives of soldiers
has been successful In the prevention of matrimony: It is evident
• that, in spite 'of all the certain misery entailed upon them; 'soldiers
will marry, and can find *respectable women to marry them ; it is
also evident from the univi real sympathy shown to their wives and
families ou the present occasion, that the country would gladly be-
. friend theni-offectually ; 'the Committee would therefore direct par-
Heater attention to the concluding remarks at the decidedis report,
tin hopes that, pease practical measa e may, be upon as
speedily as possible to prevent the recurrence of so much unmerited
misery and destitution: '
COLLECTIONS on the DAY of lIU3IILIATION.
.
Thousands upon thousands of Her Majesty's . loyal subjects joy-
fully follawed her mast gracious example on this day, and poured
in of their abundance for the support of an Association which their
beloved Queen and his' Royal Highness Prince Albert had honoured
with their joint patronage from its first commencement. ‘' •
Had, it not been for the noble contributions made on. the. Day ol
Humiliation, this Association would have been totally unable to
grapple effectually with'the dire distress and destitution brotight to
light by Its operations. -
All the great religious, communities In the kingdom, except the
Roman Catlicitte, unanimously joined on that day to help the soldier's
wife and child. , . ~ .
To the Church or England especially this Association is indebted
for considerably more than two-thirds of the total amountcollected.
The Wesleyan body also contributed largely and gen, ronsly ; the
Jews, too, joined munincently in 'this national effort by having col-
lections in lb -ir syrmogues.. The Committee remark with much
pleasure that these astonishing collections were quite voluntary. No
Qtleeil's i..etteewas.issued,•and never was any public subscription so
ilvartily ass sted by the poor man's penny., In numberless congre-
gational collectibns more titan one pound's worth of halfpence was
&en. Eve', the prisoners in a large izovernment prison put their
names ddwn'for a subscription of more titan 201. The total amount
collected on that day would have been even greater had not many
I of the collections been made for the sailor's as well as the soldier's
1 wild. - Of these collections the Committee had the pleasure of paying
over one-third to the Association for the widows of sailors and
marines. .
The Committee would point out most emphatically that, notwith-
standing the remarkable exception in the Fast-day Collections, no
religious distinctioa whatever is made in the distribution of this
'noble charity, recipients are not even asked to what religion they
belong.

• . OTHER COLLECTIONS.
At the heal of these stands the county of York. The Yorkshire
Associaticn (with his Grace the Archbishop and all the nobilitY and
at one
gentry of the county as patrons and liberal subscribers) has remttte•i
to the Central Asoelation the large suns of 5,000/. The press has
very cons derately and effectually aided the cause of the soldier's
family, but no paper, either of daily or weekly circulation; has so
practically assisted these poor people as the '‘ London Journal." Tke
editor 01 that paper, 1).) the weekly issue of 12 supplements,
halfpenny each, has reallsei the surprising sum of 1,4211., whin
has been paid in weekly instalments of 1201. Nothing proves so
unanswerably as this does the sympathy of the poor, as the purchase
'of the supplement was not campulsory ou the subscribers to the
paper.
Subscriplons have been received from all par
cotits of the w
J ohorlds ;
from Pauttma, Bahia, Bombay, Quebec, Nova Sa, St.
New Bruaswick, Brussels,Laasanne, Bonn, Paris, CalaTs,
t.aleatta, Mien, alon'reat, Boulogne, the Black Sea Fleet, Ber-
muda, Fredericton, New Brunswick, &c.
The, generous sympathy of the Navy for the wives of the Army
has been very gratifying ; indeed the first person who by an able
letter in ''The Tuxes" roused the pubic to a sease of their neglect
subscriptions, perhaps the most touching was that of
" A Naval Officer."
othterithCuethoesirosaledalileterie:senssv'suroibiltesirs. One eteran, in paYing his penny, was
heard to remark, " Had there beers such an association in my day
wkea I was away at the wars, my poor old woman would not have
deed
in the workhouse." Several bodies of men of the working
classes have agreed to send iii weekly penny contributions ; the men
of Price's Patent Candle Factory, and the men of the Crewe Loco-
motive Department, have already paid in considerable sums
Collected in this way.
From several large towns cow iderable amounts have been re-
mitted, fr9ni winger!, Cheltenham, &c.: but the town of Bath has
exceeded them all by several hundred pounds.
The HALLWAY COMPANIES—LYING-IN-HOSPITALS.
So universal has been the sympathy displayed towards Use poor
peOple whom Oils association has taken by the hand, that all the
great lines of• rallway have been made free to the soldier'S child.
Particularly the London and North. Western, and the Portsmouth

pnexoni„ndlig officer who could not find amongst 131 i soldiers'
wives inert:lei wi.h leave a sufficient number wiling to embark
with their litiOands and leave their families behind, were permitted
by authority to complete the number by seection frotu the childless
„nava wardo rithout leave, hying oat 9f barr‘wks.
, ,