The Sun.
London, England, 1849-11-15 00:00:00

POOR LAW ECONOMY AT PRESTON.

Six or seven months ago it was deemed necessary
to elect a new board of guardians. The old board,
under the presidency of Mr. Birchall, had been too
profuse; the poor had been too comfortable; and charity
had been made to wear a much warmer and benigner
aspect than is politic at a poor-law office. Accordingly,
by the aid of the most gross misrepresentations and the
practice of much intimidation, a new board was elected,
and a Mr. T. 13. Addison was appointed its chairman,
for the purpose of bringing back the administra-
tion of relief to its original rigid channel, and infusing
into the cup of charity a little more of the ingredients
of terror and torture. Nobly has the new conclave
fulfilled its mission. The great improvement which
we have witnessed in trade has told most favourably
upon the amount of poor-rates; but not to this cause
alone have the ratepayers reason to be grateful.
The guardians themselves ought also to be
lauded for the saving that has been effected. They
have not, like some of their foolish predecessors,
indulgently listened to the babbling intreaties of old
age, and cherished with little luxuries the struggling
existence of infancy. They have not squandered
away eighteenpence per head upon the bedridden and
sick, but have boldly risked the experiment of a
shilling. They have not yielded to that superstitious
weakness which believes that "he who giveth to the
poor lendeth to the Lord." Their maxim has appa-
rently been to identity destitution with crime ; their
object rather to extirpate poverty than relieve it.
Like Dickens' Mr. and Miss Murdstone, beneath whose
heartless domestic code the gentle widow shrunk and
died, the Preston guardians have been " stern and
firm," and poverty, vibrating between time and eternity
on a shilling a week, has been made to feel its own
heinousness. Blessed days and blesseddeeds ! Archi-
medes would have given his ears for an introduction
to the Preston board of guardians and a few lessons
from them on the use of the "screw." We mentioned
the other week, as an illustration of the heroic economy
of this parish conclave, that a medical officer in the
town had been insulted with an offer of three guineas
for visiting some hundreds of houses, with two
assistants, and treating 59 cases of diarrhoea and five
of malignant cholera. This week another little in-
stance of the working of the "saving " system has
come to light. A communication was produced on
Tuesday, from the Poor-law Inspector, stating that
he had found 18 boys confined in the Preston work-
house sleeping in one compartment upon loose
straw. Their condition is represented as most
disgusting, and the inspector (to use the language
of the clerk) described the workhouse as worse
than that at Tooting. It appears that these 18
children at the time of the discovery occupied
three beds (six in a bed), and that they slept upon
loose straw. Disgusting as the fact may appear, we
must state it as it is recorded on the minutes of the
board. Instead of the customary chamber convenience,
a large urinal is placed beneath each bed to receive the
water which passes through the straw of which the bed
is composed. The straw in each bed was perfectly
saturated and in a most offensive state, and the vessels
had not been removed for a week. Each bed, in fact,
was scarcely fit for the occupation of a dog. Now, this
mode of lodging and treating poor children may be at
once simple and economical, requiring little more
cost, care, or management than a dog kennel. But
will the ratepayers be satisfied to hear of such dis-
closures ? Is such "economy " as this to be prac-
tised ? Are rates to be saved by screwing down
the outdoor poor to the " last crumb of calculable
subsistence," and denying to the inmates of work-
houses the commonest accommodation consistent with
decency ? Any man of common humanity would
rather be convicted of profusion than suspected of such
mercenary cruelty. From "economy " like this may
the poor be speedily delivered.—Preston Guardian of
Saturday.

THE MERCHANT SEAMEN'S IMPROVEMENT ACT.--•
SEAMEN'S ADVANCED MONTHLY NOTES.—On Tuesday
evening, at eight o'clock, in consequence of the severo
losses sustained by tradesmen in the neighbourhood of
the port of London and the seaport towns throughout
the kingdom, by means of seamen's advanced monthly
notes, a numerous meeting of tradesmen and others in-
terested in cashing seamen's advanced monthly notes,
was held at the Bell, George-street, St. George-in. the-
East, for the purpose of communicating with the Board
of Trade for some alteration respecting advanced notes
being made legal. Mr. He wetson having been called to
the chair said that the system of cashing seamen's
notes was both unjust and unsatisfactory. There was no
security to tradesmen who took these notes, for there
was no certainty when the money advanced would be
returned to them. He was convinced that it there was
a security for the possessionti them that a small per
' centage only would be required. It was desirable that
some steps should be immediately taken, as a clause
might be inserted in the proposed Merchant Service Im-
provement Act, making these notes legal. It was then
resolved " That the meeting, taking into consideration
the total inefficiency of the proposed Merchant Seamen's
Improvement Act, as regards the legally securing and
recovery of advance and monthly notes, deem it neces-
sary to call into existence an association for the purpose
of communicating with the Board of Trade, and also to
furnish ail the evidence that can be obtained to any
Committee appointed by the Commons' House of Par-
liament during the next session, and to petition the said
House to enact such laws as may carry the objects of
this meeting into effect." The meeting separated at a
late hour.

DEATH OF MR. STRICKLAND.--PHILADELPHIA,
OCT. 31.—A very melancholy event has occurred among
the White Mountains, in New Hampshire, involvine the
death of Frederick, son of Sir Thomas Strickland, Bart.
A Boston paper says that "Though strongly urged to
the contrary, Mr. Strickland left Crawford's Notch-
house to ascend Mount Washington, in company with
a friend and a guide. Upon reaching Mount Pleasant
and finding snow, the other gentleman and the guide
returned, taking Strickland's horse, who, in spite of
their entreaties, resolved to pursue the journey on foot,
and come down the bridle-path and stop at Fabyan's,
Mount Washington-house, whither his baggage had been
sent. The next morning Crawford went over to
Fabyan's, and finding the stranger had not been there,
they started in pursuit of him. They found his track,
and followed it till night, but only picked up a portion of
his clothes. The next day he was found dead. It seems
he had lost the track, and probably became insane in his
wanderings, as his pantaloons and drawers were found
in a hole in Ammonoosuck-brook, and his legs and body
were badly bruised. The deceased was about thirty
years old, heir to large estates, and had been travelling
several months in this country, with a younger brother,
who returned to England from Boston a fortnight ago.
He had letters to Bostonians, and before going to tho
White Hills had been stopping at the Tremont-house in
this city. Mr. Horace Fabyan had the corpse buried in
such a manner as to be disinterred if' his friends shall
request it."
A LEARNED JUDGE ON MUSIC AND DANCING,—
A few clays ago, Mr. Sergeant Adams, whose heart—we
are suro of it—is a huge lump of the best fresh butter,
made a very sensible speech ou the music and dancing of
the people. If Sir Peter Laurie be in delicate health—
and we hope, on the contrary, he is as sound as his con-
genial Grampians—it would have much endangered him
had he heard the Learned Sergeant debate upon the
present system of licensing that restricted the number of
places where good music and dancing was made cheap
for the masses. " Let there be more music and
dancing," said the astute Sergeant, "for the more de-
cent houses were licensed, the better they would be
watched, the better they would be under the care of the
public." Bad characters would not dance in darkness,
in holes, and corners, like illicit mice. No; they would
dance in the broad gas-light, with the wakeful eye of
the law upon them. There is excellent sense in this,
We cry with Sergeant Adams—" Let there Le more
rruic and dancing.' We rejoice to have a musical—a
saltatcry judge. Indeed, it ever we have the opportu-
nity we shall call upon Sergeant Adams fcr a song; and
fondly hope, ere Christmas goes out, to meet him in Sir
Roger de Cove rh.y.— Punch.
DEATH FROM FALLING DOWN A COALPIT AT
BOLTON.—An inquest was held on Monday afternoon,
at the Unicorn public-house, Little Lever, on the body
of Richard Waters, a youth aged 15 years. Messr3.
Knowles and Stott are sinkirg a new pit at Little Lover,
and have got to a depth of 51 yards. At the bottom of
the shaft there were about six yards of water, and some
men were employed raisirg it in buckets on Sunday
afternoon with a gin. The deceased went to the mouth
of the shaft, and whilst standing there a bucket of water
came up. He took hold of the rope to pull it upon the
platform, but from some cause or other the rope got off
the pulley at the top, and in falling gave the young man
a erk, which precipitated him down the pit. A verdict
ofd" Accidental death" was returned.