The Sun.
London, England, 1840-10-31 00:00:00

THE SHERIFFS' FUND.

Yesterday the Annual Meeting of the Sheriffs' Fund
Institution took place at the London Coffee-house.

Sir JAMES WILLIAMS in the Chair.

The CHAIRMAN in addressing the meeting, adverted
to the various topics treated of in the Report, which,
as it fully explained the origin, nature, and extent of
the;charity, would be read with much interest. He
called the attention of the meeting most particularly to
the objects which had latterly been attended to by the
management, and expressed a fervent hope that the
fund would, with the assistance of the public, be made
permanently useful.—(Cheers.)
Mr. COOPER, the Honorary Secretary, then read the
Report, which was as follows :
An interval of some years having elapsed since a Re-
port of the proceedings of this institution has been cir-
culated amongst its Subscribers, the Committee think
it may be of service to recall to their attention the past
history of the institution.
The design of the Sheriffs' Fund is due to Sir Richard
Phillips, who, in his shrievalty in the year 1608, finding
in his visits to Newgate so many well-founded claims
of a pecuniary nature on his charity that he was un-
able to meet, determined to call on the benevolent part
of the public to contribute towards an object which ap-
peared to possess the highest claims to commisseration ;
a Sheriffs' Fund was therefore publicly announced,
having the following object 3 :-
1. The temporary relief of the distressed families and
dependents of persons in confinement.
•2. A temporary provision for persons who, on being
discharge
d _rotas .."21.7.acin0..1, la*vo r.B meani of present
subsistence.

3. The purchase of such tools, implements, and
materials as may be conducive to habits of industry
in debtors and criminals.

4. The pecuniary aid of other objects of distress who
come under the official cognizance of the Sheriffs of
London and Middlesex.

The design was favourably received by the public, and
in the course of the year the sum of 4501. was collected
for the purposes of the charity ; the same plan was con-
tinued with variable success, dependent on the exer-
tions and popularity of the Sheriffs for the time being
(the Senior Undersheriff for the year being the Trea-
surer), until the Shrievalty of Messrs. Spottiswoode and
Stable, and on the decease of the latter, the appointment
of his successor, Mr. Wilde, in his stead in the years 1827
and 1828, when an annuity of 1001. a year and other
bequests having been made to the Institution, it was
resolved, at a public meeting of the friends and sup-
porters of the Fund, That by the appropriation of the
annunity, and the transfer of a certain sum of stock for
the purposes of a fund, an opportunity was afforded of
establishing the charity on a more permanent basis, and
of rendering it more operative and effective. That it
was expedient that the Sheriffs' Fund should be esta-
blished as a regular institution, and that all the present
and future funded stock should be placed in the names
of four Trustees, for the purposes of the Institution.
That a Treasurer should be annually elected at the ge-
neral meeting in October. That the subscriptions and
donations to the Fund should be divided into two ac-
counts, one to be entitled " the Sheriffs' Account,"
and the other " the Refuge Account." That to
the Sheriffs' Account should be carried all annual
subscriptions and donations under ten guineas, and
that the same should be applied under the sole
control and direction of the Sheriffs for the be-
nefit of the criminals and debtors in their custody,
and that any balance thereof that might remain at the
end of their year of office, should be divided equally,
and one moiety thereof be delivered over to the account
of the new Sheriffs, for the like purpose, and the
other moiety be carried to the Refuge Account, and laid
out in the public funds, in the names of the Trustees.
That to the Refuge Account should be carried all sub-
scriptions and donations of ten guineas and upwards, and
that the same should be laid out in the public funds in
the names of the Trustees, to form with the present, and
all future stock, a permanent fund for the support of a
Refuge for the reception of such prisoners as should
be desirous of entering into it, or for otherwise provid-
ing for them on their discharge from the prisons of the
City and County, and that the dividends only of the
stocks, together with the annuity of 1001., from the
Court of Chancery, and all future annuities, should bo
appropriated to that object, and that the stocks
themselves should remain untouched unless a
favourable opportunity should occur to purchase
premises for the purpose, when such part as
might be necessary, should be sold out to pay for them,
subject to the sanction of a General Meeting. That the
management and details of the Refuge and the Refuge
Account should be under the direction of a Committee,
consisting of the Presidents (who were to be the
Sheriffs for the year), Vice-Presidents, Trustees,
Treasurer, Under-Sheriffs for the time being, and ten
gentlemen, to be annually elected out of the members
at the general meeting in October.
At a subsequent General Meeting of the Subscribers
to the Fund, heldjon Oct. 27, 1829, some alteration
-was made in the appropriation of the funds, and it was
resolved, That for the future there should be carried
to the Sheriffs' Account one half of all such subscrip
tions and donations and of all legacies not exceeding
501., and contents of poor-boxes,
Mrs and also the an,nuaintdy
of 1001. per annum, given by M.
payable by the Court of Chancery ; and that in case
the Sheriffs, at the close of their year of office, should
not have expended the whole of the said sum, they
should pay over the balance either to the account of
the new Sheriffs for the like purpose, or to the Refuge
Account, or between both the said accounts, in such
proportions as should seem expedient to them. And
in case they should make no such disposition of the said
balance before the general meeting in October, then
it should be apportioned by the said meeting. That
to the Refuge Account should be carried the other half
of ail subscriptions, donations, and of all legacies not
exceeding 50/., and contents of poor-boxes, together
with the whole amount of all legacies above sol.,and
the same should be laid out in the public funs in the
names of the Trustees.

The new plan mot with the warm support of the pub-
lic, and subscriptions and donations, to the amount of
upwards of 7501, were received, which were shortly after-
wards followed by a legacy of 2,000/. from Mr. Tillard,
and a donation of 1,0001. Three per Cent. Consols from
another friend, who refused to make his name known.
For some time after the establishment of the Refuge
Account, an arrangement was made with the
Corpora-
tion of the Refuge for the Destitute, by which juvenilet
offenders were received and maintained in thactes.a but in
establish
ment at an expense of about 181. a7Yenr h '
consequence of the rules of that institutione not permit-
ting them to receive some of the classes f
causes, the
a_
to them by the Committee, and fromothero cases sent