The Sun.
London, England, 1854-09-15 00:00:00

AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS.

The following circular has been addressed by the
Poor-Law Board to the officials of the Unions in the
several counties where the collection of facts relating
to agricultural statistics is pi oposed to be made for
the present year :

" Poor-Law Board, Whitehall, Sept., 1851.
" You are doubtless aware that (at the request of the
Lords of the Committee of Council of Trade and with the
express sanction of Parliament, the Poor-Law Board
undertook to collect the agricultural statistics of Norfolk
and Hampshire for the year 1853, through the agency,
wherever practicable, of the boards of guardians of those
two counties and their officers.

" The large measure of success which attended that ex-
periment to obtain reliable information on a most im-
portant subject, considered in conjunction with the com-
plete success of somewhat similar operations in three
scotch counties, has led to a renewal of thane undertakings
on a more extended scale in the present year.
" The experiment for 1 54 will embrace the whole of
Scotland and the following counties of England and Wales
—viz., Norfolk, Suffolk, Southampton, Wilts, Leicester,
Berks, Worcester, Salop, West Riding of York, Brecon,
and Denbigh.
" In Scotland the proceedings will bo conducted, as in
1853, under the auspices of the Highland Society. In
England and Wales it is intended to put in motion the
machinery which worked, upon the whole, so satisfactorily
in Norfolk and Hampshire.
" I am therefore instructed by the Poor-Law Board to
request you to have the goodness to move the board of
guardians over which you preside to aid in the accoin-
phsament of an object admitted to be of great national
importance.

" In Norfolk and Hatnpshire it was found that this
Wyss be
st object w .
p
„st promoted by the formation and cu-o era-
14on , in every union, of a joint committee of owners and
cccup:ers, called ' the Statistical Committee,' with the
chairman of the union for its chairman, and by employing,
with, the concurrence of the guardians, the cleric of the
onion as classifier and the relieving ofofficers as enumerators.
The countenance
cons ituted all:lnce and support a committee so
well
__ ,_
the s, by the were Ile:, of its existence, as
direc'tionYs o employment of the union Officers under its
find no diffilultarr.to insure success, and I trust you will
leading agriatuT,utarganising Such a committee among the
essential, although': certainly of your union. It is not, howevor,
committee should cons most convenient, that the
board. of guardians, ,e, that the of members of the
ploy to enumerate and classify pet sons whom it may em-
tit;lie required statistics should
bo selected exclusively from
office: s of the union.
.. The duties of the comni:eirtatoeeena°a_ret not of a nature to sub-
ject it : members to much personal
sutural ?rouble. rill, or nearly
alt, Locy have to du may •
loa ilk; heads: .°4 up Mader the two fol
" To induce, by their example and inn
bours to fill up their schedules before u,,nce, their neigh-
%Jae 30th of Sep-
tember.
"To superintend the labours of the officers en,„ A ;
;:elation
the inquiry and to examine and verify the result,'-'e" 'll
"Annexed, for your own and your beard's information
are copies of the various documents which it
il
decreed desirable to prepare for this inquiry. ThesaeBdboeceu4
meats are substantially the same as the documents used in
the statistical inquiry of 185:3, though certain modifications,
of which praCtical experience hes suggested the propriety,
have been introduced into them.
"I have to add that the clerks of unions, if employed as
classifiers will be remunerated by a payment at the rate of
109. per 100 completed schedules A and B, together with
the futtrher gratuity of 2 guineas for the preparation of
schedule C; and that the relieving officers, if employed as
enumerators, will be remunerated by a payment at the
rate of 40s. per 100 completed schedules A and B, together
with a bounty, on the present occasion, of ss. per 100 sche-
dules whenever the difficulties surmounted or the spoeial
merit of the work performed shall, in the opinion of the
Poor-Law Board, appear to call for some extra compensa-
tion.

" The Poor-Law Beard, are, however, particularly anxi-
ous that in selecting the enumerators the relieving officer
should uet be employed if any fear can rots ,nably be en-
tertained that such employment would be prejudicial to
the interests of the union.
" The results of the experimental proceedings in Norfolk
and Hampshire, which were unavoidably prolong-el through
a severe winter, seem to prove that the relie•ine cfficeis
may, without detriment to the administration of relief,
properly bo intrusted with this employment. Stir the
9or-Law Board are very far from wishing to‘iestrict
boards of guardians to the employment of theirofficers,

Poor-Law Inspector.
" Chairman of tha Board of Guardians."

"LIST 01' THE DOCUMENTS ANNEXED.

whenever they see occasion to apprehend that it will be up a knife to witness, but ran into his own room when
productive of inconvenience or mischief. witness said he would call in a policeman. '
"It is desirable that the board of guardians should pro- The defendant repeated his former insinuations against
ceed as soon as may be to nominate the Statistical Commit- theAsoenP lainanes ,character, but, although he said his
tee, and appoint their clerk to be classifier,: and the relrev-
bfmant had been guilty of, he produced no witnesses to
communicating cognisant of the improprieties the coin-
ing officers to be enumerators, or (if deemed more advis-
able) recommend for those offices other persons in their stead, pa
communicating to me the result of their determination. substantiate his assertions.
" I remain very faithfully yours, Alderman Muggeridge said the defendant was a das-
tardly young man for several reasons. In the first in-
stance he behaved towards the complainant most insult-
ingly, and then, because his improper overtures were
repelled with indignation, he subjected her to other
aanoyanoes, and ultimately assaulted her in a most
cowardly manner. The accusations against complain-
ant's character were disreputable in the extreme, and
he felt very much disposed to commit the defendant to
prieon, and so put it out of the power of his friends to
assist him, but he would not do so this time. He should
therefore fine the defendant .101., or in default three
months' imprisonment with hard labour.
The fine was not paid, and the defendant was there-
fore locked up.
George Button, a private in the Royal London Militia,
was charged with enlisting in. the above corps, and giv-
ing a false address.
Quartermaster-Serjeant Brett said the prisoner was
attested and received 10s., but on making inquiries he
ascertained he had given a false address, so that if he
was not forthcoming at drill he could not be found.
Alderman Muggeridge reprehended the prisoner's con-
duct, and committed him to prison for two months.

"I. Copies of Sir John Walsham's and Mr. Hawley's
reports on the agricultural statistics of Norfolk and
Hampshire, and of Sir John Walsham's supplementary
report.
"2. Instructions to the classifiers and enumeratora.
3, Schedules A, B, and C, with the enumerators' auxi-
liary sheet and exemplifications.
"4. Letter for the Poor-Law inspector to the parish
officers."

CLERICENWELL.--When Mr. Tyrwhitt took his
seat on the bench, Mrs. Skinner, who charged Mr.
Soper, the secretary of the Working Man's Emigration
Society, with assault, was introduced to the witness-box,
when, addressing Mr. Tyrwhitt, she•said that although
Mr. Soper had produced witnesses to swear that be was
not at home on the Friday, she could produce evidence
al to his having violently assaulted her on the previous
Monday, and she requested to have a summons granted
against him for the assault on that day.
Mr. Tyrwhitt said he would not grant the summons ;
the case had been heard and decided upon for the•assault
on Friday, but she might indict him for both assaults at
the sessions.

She thanked the bench and left the court.
When Applicant left the box, a poor young woman
succeeded her, to complain against the Working Man's
Emigration Society, for detaining her subscription
money under circumstances already and so often detailed
in the newspapers. _

Applicant said she had paid in her subscriptions for
the purpoSe of being sent out to Australia. She obeyed
the instructions in the 16th rule, by sending in a written
notice to have the money returned to her in a month.
Tile month had expired, but Mr. Soper had refused to
return her the money, and she determined on applying
at this court for advice.

Mr. Tyrwhitt said they would never be done with such
applications with reference to this emigration society.
The fact was that the society had ousted the jurisdiction
of the magistrate by having in their rules au arbitration
clause. He (Mr. Tyrwhitt) would advise those parties
who had parted with their money to the society to meet
together and employ some respectable professional man
to call for the arbitration, and pursue the matter accord-
ing to law. I can only say, if the society do not pay
the money back to those members who have regularly
applied for it, nobody would be foolish enough in future
to deposit their money with them, and the society
would inevitably drop to the ground. (Smiling)—
What with kissing women, and these constant applica-
tions for not returning money to the members, the
magistrates would have nothing else to do but with
Mr. Soper and the Working Man's Emigration
Society.

Applicant thanked his worship, saying she would
adopt his advice.

A poor woman, in a state of great excitement, applied
to Mr. Tyrwhitt for advice and assistance under the fol-
lowing extraordinary circumstances :
She said that on Wednesday evening her little son,
eight years of age, was playing in Margaret-street,
Clerkenwell, whe❑ another boy, ten years of age, came
to him with a bottle of vitriol, and asked him to drink
some of it. saying it was gin. Her son drank some of
it, which burnt him severely, and the other boy threw
some of it over him and injured.his clothes, and his flesh
was shockingly burnt. He instantly ran home crying,
and in great pain, and she took him to a surgeon, who
advised his instant removal to St. Bartholomew's Hos-
pital. Applicant went in pursuit of the boy who admi-
nistered the poisonous liquid, and she traced him with
the quart bottle containing the vitriol now produced, and
giving it to other boys. She took the bottle from him,
and she ascertained that his master had sent bim for the
stuff.

Mr. Tyrwhitt directed applicant to proceed to the
station-house and take an officer with her, and give the
boy into custody immediately. She did so, and he was
placed at the bar. He gave his name George Searnell,
errand-boy, 52, St. John-street, Clerkenwell.
Edward M‘Gee, the injured boy, said he resided with
his parents at 17, Berry-street, Clerkenwell. On Wed-
nesday evening he was carrying his mother's baby in his
arms when the prisoner came up to him with a quart
bottle. He said, "Do you want a drop of gin ?" He
opened my hand, and poured something into it, which
burnt it very much. He confirmed his mother's state-
ment.

Mrs. Elizabeth M'Gee, his mother, said her son's
bands, &c., were blistered, and his clothes were burnt.
She burnt her hands, which were blistered through
touching them.

Caroline Maskell, aged 10, of 7, Compton-place,
Clerkenwell, proved that the prisoner offered her some
of the vitriol, saying it was gin.
The prisoner said his father was a water gilder, and
his master a jeweller. He knew what the bottle con-
tained.

Mr. Tyrwhitt said it was a very important matter, as
it was a felony. It was very much practised in the
north, and there was a special act of Parliament to pro-
vide against it. He remanded the prisoner, and he was
conveyed to prison.