The Sun.
London, England, 1849-07-14 00:00:00

SOCIETY. FOR THE IMPROVE.
MENT OF THE CONDITION' •OF THE
BOURING CLASSES. .
IO i Thursday the aeuual meeting of this society was
I held at Willis's Rooms, and was presided over by Lord
Ashley. The attendance on the occasion was very
small, not numbering more than 100 persons.
Lord A SIILEY, in opening the proceedings, expressed
his regret that from unaveidahle causes the meeting of
the society had been put off to a period of the year when
from the heat of the weather a large assemblage could
not be c xpected ; but he could assure them the so-
ciety bad not been negligent of its duties. Arrangements
had u en made fcr the erection of two new model lodg-
ing-houses—one to hold fifty or sixty unmarried women,
in Hatton-garden; end the other, the foundations of
which had already been laid, capable of accommodating
fifty entire families. The last was to be constructed on
such a pleat that there would be a distinct dwelling for
ee,ch family, which would thereby enjoy all the comforts
of derneeiic life, A model of the new building lay on
the table hefore him, being the design of Mr. Roberts,
the honorary architect of tbe society, a gentleman whose
labours he warmly eulogised. The society had still to
! deplore their inability to do an; thing effeettril in
rtopect to loan eoeieties and loan funds. On this sub-
' =lea he bad to recommend the study of a lecture
delivered by Mr. Buller at Nottingham, on the sub-
ject of deferred annuities. As to the allotment
system, it was not ricessary for him to say a
word, the experiments made thereon being so complete
as to render it unnecessary to demonstrate their useful•
m ss. The main matter which the society had to con-
sider was the present state of the dwellings of the work-
ing claeses, or what he might call their domiciliary
condition. Every day's experience convinced him
that this question lay at the root of nine-tenths of the
michiet which prevail( d amidst the humbler orders
of the people, and formed nine-tenths of the obstacles
which obstructed their amelioration. It was to no
purpcse that schemes for their improvement were set on
foot, or that institutions were founded to elevate their
condition, if they were left in those wretched abodes
where they now spent the greater portion of their lives.
He would state what he had EMI with his own eyes, leaving
the meeting to judge what possibility of social improve-
ment there could be amidst such influence's. He had seen
living in a single room, in a cellar, damp, cold, and miserable,
thirteen or fourteen persons, and as many as seven in a
hod. To what purpose WSS it to invite children from
these dens to their national schools and their Borough-
road and Been- gad Schools, if, after receiving the bless-
ings of education during the day, they re.
turned at night to scenes of such disgusting
infamy and distress ? Amongst all the evils that
eft:Feted the human body, and made a recipient -for
disease, there was none so prejudicial as this system of
over-crowding, and as a member of the Board of Health
he could state that cholera was principally brought
on by this system of cramming people into smell ill-
ventilated dwellings. The society was not a cha-
ritable ecc'ety. It professed to set up model build-
ing's, by which the labouring classes might be enabled
to enjoy necessary comforts, and t) prove that this
was a profitable investment of capital. Nor had its
efil,rts been unsuccessful in this respect, although the
example it had set had not been imitated to the extent
that its friends could wish. He had heard that a similar
effort Lad been made in Paris on ilebnlf of the working
classes, and that the President of ;he French Republic
had suLscribed for that purpose 2,000/. In Berlin, also,
an attempt of the kind had been eommenced, and in many
of the large towns throughout the kingdom the example
which the society had set was about to be followed, lie
concleed by expressing his confident hope that, under
the Divine blessing, the cifsrts of the society would be
croaned wiih success in the important objects which it
' had in view.
The SECRETARY then read the report,'which entered
into a detaiSed statement of the society's operations
during the year, and of the progress which it had made.
It bore testimony to the beneficial effect produced upon
all who had beceme inmates of the model lodging-
houses, and showed the extent to which the society's ex-
amVe bad been followed at home and abroad.
The Rev. E. BICKEBSTLTII moved that the report bo
adopted.
Viscount CASTLEREAGH seconded the motion, and in
doing so expressed his strong desire to see similar so-
cieties established in Leland. There was, he said, every
anxiety on the part of Irish proprietors to do what they
codel to emshorate the condition of the people, but
and r the present circumstances of that unfortunate
country improvement must necessarily be very slow in
its progress.
Toe PROVOST of Worcester College, Oxford, moved
the second resolution, and in doing so adverted parti-
cularly to the necessity which existed of improving the
cottages of labourers in the country, and by the allot-
ment system and otherwise of ameliorating their present
wretched condition. The resolution was—
" That tbe present most defective state of the dwel-
lings of the labouring classes is one of the chief ob•
stacles to their moral ar:d social amelioration; conse-
quently, that this society is called upon by considera-
tions affecting not only the health and physical comfort,
but also the highest and best interests of those classes, to
persevere in its efforts for the improvement of their do-
miciliary condition, and desire s at the same time to ac-
knowledge with unfeigned thankfulness to Almighty
God the measure of success which has hitherto attended
its operations in that department."
Dr. SOUTH WOOD SMITH seconded the motion, and in
doing so said that he had no conception of the true
place which the objects contemplated by the society
held amongst those to which the wise and good were
bound to dedicate their lives, until he went himself and
inspected the condition of the abodes of the labouring
classes. He always believed that the state of their resi-
dences exercised a moral as well as physical and intellec-
tual influence upon them, but of the extent of that influence
he bad no knowledge until he had teen the effects pro•
duced by their removal from the dens of filth and misery
in which they had previously lived, and placed in habi-
tations which it was no abuse of the term to call houses.
After a re sidence of a few months there was a complete
change in their character and appearance—a change
which was not confined to their bodily health, but ex-
tended to their intellectual and moral condition. He
illustrated this by several interesting cases. Referring
to the Metropolitan Building Association, a kindred
society, to the care of which SOO people had been
intrusted during the past year, he stated that the average
mortality among that number was not more than one-
half of as hat it was in the metropolis generally; and that
out of 500 children, the greater number under the age of
five years, when the constitution was most exposed to
the influences of bad atmosphere, the mortality bad been
eight times less than the average, and, as com-
pared with four of the most unhealthy dis-
tricts, ten times less. No case of typhus fever or
of cholera had occurred. These facts were most encou-
raging, because they showed that the society. was moving
in the right direction,
and
thatr
anTmerorjamlpcoornt
Mt it
i
might be to elevate the intellectual and
to commence by
of the womb ing classes, it was necessary
relieving them !rem the physical evils which surrouuded -
them.
!elr. NEWDEGATE and Viscount BRACKLET moved and
seconded the following resolution, which was agreed tot--
- That this meeting decidedly approves of the efforts
made by the society to improve the dwellings of the
labouring classes by erecting buildings as models suit-
able for a town population, and by circulating plans of
cottages adapted for country labourers; also of its con-
tinued exertions to disseminate the advantages of the
field garden or allotment system."
The proceedings terminated with the usual vote of
thanks to the Chairman.

ACCIDENT TO JOHN MAcRENZIE, EEQ., NESS
HOUSE.—An accident of a serious nature occurred, we
er, ~,rry to sry, at Beauly, on Thursday night last, to
Mr. Hacker zic, Ness Hoes?. Ile was returning from
()rd in a gig, driven by a boy. The mare is a trouble-
some animal, but went along well enough until passing
through Eatiley, she attempted to turn up a narrow street
oi.lane leading to stable,* which she I%as accustomed to
visit. The driver was unable to control the animal, and
in making a sharp turn the wheel of the gig caught the
curb stone, and Mr. Mackenzie was thrown out withgreat violence. He was immediately raised and con-
veyed to the Lovat Arms Betel, where every attention
was paid to him. Dr. Cormack was soon in attendance,
night
.
in
when it Wai found that no bones were broken, although
i
Mr. Mackenzie was very severely shaken and nternally,
, and
bh ra us i
las
iendc.
e bl ei ce nweOsncfionnevdeytoedbe home
uttlir se ssloawmley cover
The driver was thrown out, but he alighted on hie fet tg,
and escaped uninjured.—lnverness Courier.
ArraoACHING MARRIAGE IN HIGH LIFE.--The
preliminaries of a matrimonial alliance have been settled
between the lion. William Cavendish,
only son of the
lion. Charles C. Cavendish, AI P d Lady Catherine
Cavendish, and Miss Georgi-na.C" IT
daughter of the Right 11 - • •
on. We illiam '
aro me Lascelles, eldest
S. and Lady Caro.
line Laseelles.

THE KING AND THE COUNTESS.—The above novel
is published this day by Mr. Colburn, and may be had
at all the libraries. Also just published-2.:Lady Lister
Kaye's new work,
"British homes and Foreign Wan-
derings," two vols. 3. Captain Marryat's new novel,
" Valerie," two vols. 4. Mr. Disraeli's " Coningsby,"
cheap standard edition, Gs. bound. .5. " Adventures of
a Greek Lady, the adopted daughter of the late Queen.
CAroline," two vols. 6. Mrs. Trollept's new novel,
" The Lottery of Marriage," three vols. 7. "Rocking-
ham; or, The Younger Bro'her," three vols. 8. "Lady
Alice; or, The New Una," three vole. Alio just ready,
" The Fortunes of Wuman," a novel, three vols.
CHESTER. AND HOLYBEAD RAlLWAY.—Traffic for
the week ending July 7, 1819:—Coaching traffic, 1.8921.
3s. Gil.; parcels, .571. 13. 2d.; goods and Cattle, 136/.
15s, 81; suam-boatF, 181/. 166. 01—Total, 2,2681. Bs.
4padn.,ye,xaenlduspivaeymoef
nttoillortreoz Shrewsburyveyaneeo
t and Cheater Com-
mails.
Air. O'Connell intends, it is said, to try his sueeteit
to, the Irbil par, cozuzgocin with put term