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LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 6, 1854.

nurses, washerwomen, &c., and generally have given satisfaction;
one of them writes thus to the Inspecting Officer:—
" Sir. According to promise, I now let y(.O know how I am get-
ting on. I never was S 9 happy in alt my life. I have indeed a kind
master and mistress; they look 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, air. Will
you return the association thanks in my name, for their kindness to
me and my child ; also for the 10s. I have received, with which I
have bought soine 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,

proposed to grant them an annual pension as long as they remain
widows, and the resources or the Association continue available.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

Effectually to prevent the recurrence of such distressing scenes as
those which gave rise to the formation of this Association, the Com-
mittee have had in consideration a plan which it is hoped might tend
materially to raise the condition of the soldier's wile, and secure a
provision for the soldier's widow,
As there is no probability, tinder existing circumstances, of so rais-
ing the pay of the soldier as to enable hint when married to apportion
a sufficient share of it to his family while he is on active service, the
Committee are of opinion, that a N ational Fund should be established,
of which the invested capital of this Association sits!! be the founda-
tion, and tow high the public and the soldier shall be awited to sub-
scribe annually.
This fend to pro, ide pensions for widows and orphans, as well as
temporary assistance t ) wile and family, who, having become sub-
scribers. may be ordered on active suvice.
The exact subscription which the soldier would be called upon to
pay, must depe❑d on the amount of public support the National Fund
may receive,—it must always lie a very small sum from the soldier;
but the Committee are convinced that the country will approve of
this proposed attempt to encourage habit, of. obedience and prudent
foresight amongst the rna•rted soldiers of the British Army.
By order of the ;"!ommittee,
HENRY LITTLETON' POWYS, Major GOth Royal Rifles,
Hon. Sec.
September 7, 1854.

"E. D"

Many :women, natives of Nova Scotia and Canada, on being pro-
vided a pftsagc by Government to their own country, have been
granted a donation of 31. each, to pr vide them with comforts for
themselves and children during the voyage. To 17 women of dif-
ferent regiments, all married with leave, has the Association been
thus beneficial.

.....
On the 26th of June information was received from the Ports-
mouth Local Committee, that 34 women and 72 children would be
forwarded to London, on their way to their husbands' parishes, from
Malta, from whence they liad been ordered home, their regiments
having gone on to Turkey. The Inspecting Officer of the Association
was immediately ordered to the Waterloo Station,.where, having
with difficulty got them all tocether, ho took them to the Pay
Office 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 small 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 them 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 on the Association, especially those who have
become widows and orphans. This has been done by the outlay
during the past six months of 9,1721., chiefly in weekly payments,
both by the Central Committee and the 78 Local Committees.
Besides 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 bdbind is much greater than the public
were led to suppose by the Parliamentary Return called for in both
Houses of Parliament. This, however, is accounted for by showing
the inaccuracy of the Parliamentary Return, as follows :-
63d Regiment. 63d Regiment.
Parliamentary Return. Association Return.
No. of Women and Children, No. of Women and Children,
• 170. 245.
The Association return was 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 coati:handing 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 ?

The CENTRAL ASSOCIATION In AID of the WIVES and FAMI-
LIES, Widows and Orphans, of SOLDIERS ordered to the EAST.

BALANCE SHEET.

Dr. Sept. 7, 1854.
To amount ofsubseriptions received in the half-year
ending the 7th of Sept , 1854, from the formation
of this Association on the 7th of March £80,269 17 7

£80,269 17 7

INGESTRE, Chairman,
JOHN LETTSOM ELLIOT, Members of the
HENRY LITTLETON POWYS,J Finance Committee.

Sept. 7, 1854.
By Exchequer Bills deposited in the Bank of England
in the names of the Trustees —viz., Sir John Kirk-
land, Lord Henry Cholmondeley, ALP., and Major

the Hon. H. L. Powys (of which 50,0014. wilt be
applied to relieve Widows and Orphans) £65,5.5 9 4
By Belief, distributed through Local AsioCiations.... 5,359 14 4
By ditto, distributed at Head Office in L0nd0n...... 1,180 19 0
By ditto, distributed through Clergymen, Magistrates,
and others .. .
ByAdvertisements ....... ...................... 1,792 12 2
By Office Expenses, Printing, Stationery, Wages, i;
By rayment to the Sailors' Association 106 0 10
BY Balance—viz., in the hands of the Hon.
At Bankers, Sept. 7, 1854............ 2.603 6

2,914 15 3

MARRIAGE WITHOUT LEAVE.
It is a curious fact that has been brought to light by the practical
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, in consequence, are by far the most deserving of com-
miseration. To these persons the Association has been of the
greatest benefit ; while, at the same time, amongst those women
married without leave, much misery has been found to exist, which
the Association has not refrained from alleviating.
The 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 oe erations ; it is still urged that undue encouragement
is .given to marriage without leave, and that large numbers have
thus married since the institution of the Association. If the opera-
tion of the Association had afforded such eneouragement, surely evi-
dence of it would have appeared from a number of applications for
relief on the part of women who had married in anticipation of it.
Only one application has been made at this office by the wife of a
soldier whose marriage certificate was dated in i 854, se that the ob-
jection would appear to be entirely groundless ; and it might be con-
sidered almost needless to say more in answer to it. But the Com-
mittee have it to show, that while they have only contemplated
those cases as entitled to relief which they found already sanctioned
by Government, or acknowledged by commanding officers, they have
made a rule (No. 3), and have taken all the means iu their power to
give it publicity, which puts. it out of 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 following are the rules with reference to this subject:-
1. No soldier's wife is entitled to rale( whose name is not entered
in the regimental return, which, though it contains the names of all
women whether married with or without leave, is yet signed by the
Colonel commanding the reeiment, and thus they are partially ac-
knowledged.
2. The Government makes no difference between these women,
and the passages of all are equally delrayed to the parishes of their
husbands.
3. The rule for the relief of soldiers' wives married without leave
is only retrospective : for no soldier who has married, without leave
since July, 1854, will be entitled to relief for his wife.
On the 4th July, 1854, at the largest Meeting ever held by the
General Committee, General the Earl of Beauchamp in the chair,
it was unanimously resolved—
That from and after the date of this resolution, the 4th July,
1854, no wife or widow be entitled to a donation or pension who
shall have married a soldier without leave, whether they belong to
regiments on active service or to regiments now under orders of
readiness for active service, provided that such orders of readiness
were received subsequently to the formation of this Association, on
the 7th March, 1854.
As the Government, the officers commanding regiments,* and the
Association have found it absolutely necessary to countenance, to a
certain extent, marriage without leave, and as it appears frnm the
returns of the married men of the 30 regiments 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 front the universal sympathy shown to their wives amt
families ou the present occasion, that the country would gladly be-
friend them effectually ; the Committee would therefore dirtct par-
ticular attention to the concluding remarks at the end of this report,
in hopes that come practical measu e may be decided upon as
speedily as possible to prevent the recurrence of so much unmerited
misery and destitution.
COLLECTIONS on the DAY of HUMILIATION.

£30.269 17 7

These accounts examined and audited.
GEORGE WM. BELL, Auditor to the Association.
Thus it will 'be seen that the sum of 9,1721. have already been
spent in actual relief for widows as well as wives within the space
of six months, and that at the trifling outlay of a little more than 3
per cent, the sum of 80,269/. 17s. 7d. has been raised.
Annual subscriptions are solicited towards the formation of a na-
tional fund for widows and orphans.
11. L. POWYS, Major 60th Rifles, Honorary Secretary.

Thousands upon thousands of Her Majesty's loyal subjects joy-
fully foil ,wed her most 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 of
Humiliation, this Association would have been totally unable to
grapple effectually with the dire distress and destitution brought to
light by its operations.
All the great religious communities in the kingdom, except the
Roman Catholic, unanimously joined onthat day to help the soldier's
wife and child.
To the Church of England especially this Association is indebted
for considerably more than two-thirds of the total amount collected.
The Wesleyan body also contributed largely and generously; the
Jews, too, joined mtinincently in this national effort by having col-
lections In thdr synagogues. The Committee remark with much
pleasure that these astonishing collections were quite voluntary. No
Queen's Letter was issued, and never was any public subscription so
heartily assisted by the poor man's penny. In numberless congre-
gational collections more than one pound's worth of halfpence was
given. Even the prisoners in a large Government prison pattheir
names down for a subscription of more than 201. The total amount
collected on that day would have been even greater had not many
of the collections been made for the sailor's as well as the soldier's
wife. 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 distinction whatever is made in the distribution of this
noble charity, recipients are not even asked to what religion they
belong,