The Sun.
London, England, 1815-06-09 00:00:00

MENDICITY IN TI-Ili AIETROPOLIS.

Mr. Rost rose to call the attention of the House
to the state of the Mendieity in this Metropolis,
Great pains bad been taken to ascertain its amount,
and the labours of Mr. Martin on that subject,
had furnished most of the information which_ t
was his intention to produce. Front the researches
and statement of that .6entlerban, it appeared, that
15,288 persons obtained their living by beg-ging
in this metropolis. Of these.6ooo were •adults,
and 9,288 children. Some mechanics who gained
40s. a-week sent their wives and children to beg
in the streets. Upon the whole, they obtained
great, sums of money. He *should think it a very
low rate to calculate their gains .at 3s. a clay.
They made much more, but supposing they only
got 3s. a day, the sum obtained by the adults
amounted• w 328,5001. a-year. The in-
convenience which they occasioned to the public
Was notorious. Having no regular means of sub-
sistence, if they'faiied at any• time' to procure
their usual gains, they substituted other ways still
more depraved. But even if they could contrive
to subsist, it was clear that their children, con-
demned to the same occupation, were brought up •
in habits of vice and immorality. They never sent
them to the free schools for instruction, for they
employed them as their instruments—and their
..absence would diminish their,receiptS. lie then
commended the establishment of free schools, which-
had proved highly beneficial. In some instances
:children taught at those schools had even reformed
their parents. He then described the method
adopted on Mr. Martin's plan, to relieve the poor.
Benevolent, persons were supplied by him with
tickets, which. they gave to beggars instead-of
money. , The Mendicants then carried those tick-
ets to
,Mr. Martin, who took 'the trouble of eu

gutting into their real situation, and then applied
what sort of relief be thought proper. There
were other establishinentS for .the assistance of
the poor. 7 'lire Stranger's Friend . in particular
was admirably constituted. Its • members went
kabout town to inform themselves respecting the
state of various paupers, whom modesty 'prevent-
ed from beggiirg publicly, and applied relief in
cases where it was really wanted. In the Refuge
for the Destitute, persons were received tvhose
circumstances entitled them to_assistance and
consideration. The Irish Benevolent Society was
.established chiefly to relieve the poor Irish, and
-send them back to their country,- and had been
itttended with considerable effect. Notwith-
standing all these institutions many evils remained
to be removed. He meant to propose that a
Committee be appointed to consider the state of
mendicity in this Metropolis and its immediate
neightiourhood. The first thing tire Committee
shoMild do, would be to ascertain the facts to
vidiich he had allotted, and the next to, consider
what means could be adopted to remedy those
evils. Where so many great num had failed, it-
would be extremely presumptuous in hint to make
any proposal on the subject. But, be thought,
that it Would' not be impossible to provide for the
7001) paupers (out of the 15,288) whO had pa-
rochial establishments in the metropolis. It would
then be necessary to consider what was to be done
wit h those from Scotland and Ireland. Time former
were few in number, and he would suggest that they
should he sent back to their country, which would
provide For theta-and disperse them through their
different parishes. The Irish would create more dif-
ficulty as they were mote numerous, and in-Ireland
time was no paor's rates. It might be advisable
to establish an asylum here. The sailors, who
were the utost importunate begga,rs in the streets,
should be made to live upon their pensions. He
concluded by moving,
. "That a Committee be appointed to consider the state of
Mendicity iu this Metropolis and its immediate Neighboui,.
hood."

Mr. ItsrasitasLEY spoke in terms of praise of
an institution for the relief of the poor in Dublin.
Sir M.l.lmt.EY said, that four out of five persons
never took the tickets to the Mendicity
Mr. PEELE rose to say a few .words, in 'conse-
quence of the-recommendation of the Hon. Gen-
tleman to athipt in this country an institution si-
milar to that of-the House of Industry in Dublin.
Nobody could be more convinced than he was of
the very excellent manner in which it was con-
ducted, or of the necesity of having such an in-
stitution in Dublin, but still there ‘vere many
reasons why he should not wish to see a similar
establishment in London. It was true that every
person who applied was admitted into the House
of Industry' and in Ireland, Where there was no
'poor laws, such a regulation was necessary to
prevent cases of extfeme distress ; but if it was
supposed that that establishment prevented men-
dicitv, it was only necessary to look at the streets
Of Dublin to be convinced of the contrary, for he
believed there was no 'place where it existed to a
greater extent than in Dublin. The institution
in fact encouraged beggars, because, they knew
that iu the last extremity thuy had a place of re-
fuge, and that they could not ,starve. It was
really- astonishing what a degree of misery they
would bear before they would avail themselves of
that establishment, it was eve: sometimes neces-
sary to use torceio get them into it: He begged
to guard himself against being misunderstood.—
He thought; for the reason he had before given,
that such an 'institution was necessary in Dublin,
and Ire-was -quite satisfied that-it was admirably
conducted, but in his opinion no 'possible advan-
tage would be derived from a similar establish
ment in this country.

Sir JOHN NvArroaT deprecated the attempt to
introduce the charitable asylums of _lreland into
this country; they were necessary in Ireland, but
not here.

Mr, LOCKHART hoped that in regulating :the
'metropolis they would' not lose sight of the coun-
-ivy.. By driving beggars from London, they might
afterwards' be let loose on the country.

Mr. Rose said, it wasdesirable that-the respec-
tjve. parishes should take care of their own poor.
Nobody was more averse than thiniself to remove
any person while he could maintain himself; and
he had first introduced a law to that effect. •
Mr..LOCKIiiIiT explained.
After some further observations from Sir John
Sebright, Mr.. Alderman Atkins, Sir Chas. Monck,
and-the Chancellor of the Exchetr,e •;the motion
was agreed to, and a Committee nathed..
Mr, PEELE brought in a Bill to augment the
Salary of the Master of the Rolls in Ireland,which
was read a first time, mnd ordered to be read a
second tune on Tuesday next.