The Sun.
London, England, 1840-04-22 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

MAIIv'SIOI%':.HOUSE.
The LORD MAYOR received the following letter from
Mr. Greiff,*, one of the Guardians of the Poor of St.
Luke's Parish, Islington, in reference to a report which
appeared in some of the newspapers of the 31st of last
month, and his Lordship expressed a wish that, in
justice to the writer, publicity should be given to it :
Ring's Aims Yard, 15th April, 1840.
MY Loin,--In some of the newspapers of the 31st
ultimo, appeared under the head of the Police Report,
Mansion-house, some remarks said to have fallen from
your Lordship, on occasion of receiving from a sectional
weekly meeting of the Guardians of the Poor of St.
Luke, a letter regarding the two young women who
had absconded from that Workhouse in consequence
of ill usage, as reported in the same paper of the 27th
ultimo.

My attention was not directed to that police report
until the 4th instant, and I then instantly drew your
Lordship's attention thereto, and was happy to receive
from your Lordship a total disavowal of all intention to
give utterance to any imputation upon my conduct.
Now concerning the above letter, addressed to your
Lordship by the Guardians of the Sick, respecting the
two unhappy females in question, I will only at present
observe, us I am, you are aware, about to publish a let.
ter to the Marquis of Normanby on the subject, and
the staten:ents of the Guardians are an almost total
perversion of facts. Very few of them over attend
practically to these duties, and actually prevent others
who would ; which neglect gives opportunity for the
perpetration of irreparatle injury and ruin to the help..
less female inmates of the workhouse.

The two young women in question were formerly so
well-behaved as to be placed by me as teachers of a
class in the school at the workhouse, and entirely owe
their ruin to the vile characters in that house, with
whom they and all other females were allowed daily to
associate, although I have certainly called upon the
Board of Guardiaus to do their duty, and remove so
crying an evil.

From personal observation I am enabled positively
to deny the assertion, that the " girl's statement is
utterly fals.!." Your Lordship is aware that 1 had two
witnesses in attendance to corroborate these statements,
had your Lordship's jurisdiction enabled you to go into
the ease. The young women are " more sinned against
than sinning ;" and but for the causes I have stated
Irons my own personal knowledge, might have become
respectable members of society.
Your Lordship will judge of the correctness of the
statements of the letter of the Guardians, when I men-
tion that so far from not having attended for four
mon•hs, it is known to many thousande of the inhabi-
tants, that I have during the whole period been most
constant in attending to the essential duties of a Guar-
dian (an office which I consented to undertake at the
earnest entreaties of a large deputation of the inhabi-
tants), vi,itiug the house on the Sabbath and other
days, instructing nearly 100 female children for hours at
a time ; visiting the wards of the house, particularly
the sick and aged ; also perforating the same duties
amongst the poor out of the house, and at my own
house, to which they flock for relief and advice.
The concluding observation of the " Guardian's"
letter is most heartless and lamentable, but quite in
character of the majority of the worthy .4 Guardians."
For my strenuous efforts to restore the unhappy prodi-
gals of either sex to the paths of virtue and obedience,
I have been exposed to the banter and jeers of those
men called " Guardians " of the poor—men who have
children of their own, and who can learn from their
Bible that the great Saviour of Sinners exhorted one of
the vilest to " Go and sin no more."
This advice (with ceaseless endeavours to practically
enforce the same) it is that I have given to those young
females. The good, amidst such scenes of vice as de-
scribed, which I have been the humble instrument of
performing, will amply compensate for having my " good
evil spoken of." My exertions, if life be spared, shall
not cease until the injuries to which 130 females and as
many boys in St. Luke's Workhouse are exposed, be
eradicated, and a complete reformation of the abuses
there be accomplished.—l have the honour to be, my
Lord, your faithful servant, W. GREIG.
To the Right Hon. the Lord Mayor.
Mr. Greig subsequently waited upon the Lord Mayor,
and stated that he hail written to the Commissioners of.
the Poor-laws on the subject of the ill-treatment of the
poor in workhouses generally, and that he had received
an answer, of which the following is a copy
" Poor-law Commission-office,
" Somerset House, April 11, 1840.

" Sra,—The Poor-law Commissioners acknowledge
the receipt of your letter of the 31st ult., and. desire
to state to which it that the subject hich it relates sir.:ll receive
the attentive consideration of the uommissi.smem
.‘ Signed, by order of th Board
" W. Greig, Esq."
" E. CHA:OWICK,, Sec."
The LORD MAYOIL obserred;:tiat the question which
70•.,e of immense importance,
-iaisall the Guardians of St. Luke,
stating that his experience justified
him in
he could wGiie)
°inguotiti dr.
edhfeetTar:kneene
that the interposition of some higher
auther:iy was necessary in many instances in which
1)67.,c0ns deputed to act in the capacity of Guardians
acted either capriciously or unf'eelirgly.
Inspector Brake succeeded in recovering the sixteen
gold pieces which were dug up on the premises of Mr.
Taylor, the City plumber, by that gentleman's workmen
a few days ago.: They had been sold by the silversmith,
who purchased them of the workmen, to aJew, who im-
mediately gave them up to the Inspector upon receiving
the sum at which he bought them. One of them is an
ancient Austrian coin, and all the rest are pieces of the
reign of James the Second. The crock in which the
coins were enclosed was sold for a guinea.

The Earl of Eglintoun, Sir Charles Lamb, and
Lady Montgomerie, are staying at Beaufort Castle, near St.
Leonard's-on- Sea.