The Sun.
London, England, 1856-12-09 00:00:00

A "SAMARITAN" INSTITUTION.

-Yesterday Mr. Horsley, a'solicitor, attended at Guild-
hall to answer a prior statement made by Mr. Potter,
one of the guardians of the West London Union. Mr.
Potter had said, and his words had been reported in the
papers, that he had to pass every day a building called the
Samaritan Institution, in West Smithfield, professedly
an institution for giving food and shelter to the house-
less poor, and that during the last eight months on no
occasion had he seen it used for any other purpose tha❑
as a residence for Mr. Barber, the secretary, a coach-
house for his phaeton, and a stable for his horse, except
the upper part, which he had let for 101. a month.
To these statements Mr. Horsley now opposed his own
full denial, and he bitterly complained that Mr. Potter
should have chosen to make them at " the very time
that we are reopening the institution, and obtaining con•
tributions to enable us to relieve the destitute poor dur-
ing the inclement season of the year." He further said
—ln 1850 the City Hospice, as it was then called, was
instituted by Mr. Cochrane, who went to great expense,
and involved himself in great liabilities, in doing so. I❑
1853 Mr. Cochrane died, leaving some outstanding debts
among which was one to a Mr. Palmer for a very con-
siderable sum of money. The institution, however, was
closed prior to his death, and reopened in 1853, when
Sir Fitzroy Kelly was and still is one of its most muni-
ficent patrons. The premises fell into Mr. Palmer's
hands, from whom Mr. BArber, our excellent secretary,
took them, and we have rentec: the greater portion of
them from him at the trifling pittance of 1001. per annum,
which is only half the amount he pays for them. He
has a business which, he carries on in the remaining por-
tion of the premises, and for which he requires the use
of a horse.

Sir R. W. Carden—Is he not the manager as well as
the secretary?
Mr. Horsley—No, air, he is only the secretary. With
regard to the institution being closed for the last eight
months, as stated by Mr. Potter, I beg to state that, so
far from that being the case, it is open from November
until May in each year. hen the institution closed
the books showed that the applicants for relief, which
numbered about 700 in November, dwindled down to
100, thereby showing that the relief is bestowed upon
deserving objects, who obtain work as goon as the season
permits. The institution was opened yesterday, and in
full vigour.
Sir. R. W. Carden—Do I understand you to say that
the institution is now open?
Mr. Barber—Certainly, sir ; and there were no less
than 220 persons relieved yesterday, and were preached
to by a missionary at two services during the day.
Mr. Horsely continued—The only object we have in
view is to relieve the destitute, and we have lately added
another braneh to the institution, which is that of re-
claiming the unfortunate girls from the miserable and
degraded life upon the streets of London. We have no
less than 16 females now upon our books, whom we
have withdrawn from the abominable life they have been
leading, to get them into various reformatories. I have
a letter here from a rev. gentleman who was one of our
most zealous advocates ; but I will leave it to you, sir,
to say whether I should be right in reading it, so that
it may go forth to the public.
Sir R. W. Carden—l do not think the letter should
be read.

Mr. Horsley—l mentioned it because influences have
been brought to bear upon the rev. gentleman which
have induced him to resign, and we have consequently
been deprived of a most able co-operator.
Mr. Phillips (the master of the West London Union)
—Really, Mr. Horsley, if you persist in that statement
I shall be obliged to reply to it, as I have it from the Rev.
Mr. Knott himself that he left the institution because
his name was attached W accounts ho never audited,
and that there was no undue influence exercised over
him in any way.
Mr. Barber--Tbe Rev. Mr. Knott never was an au.
ditor ; he was only a member of the finance committee.
.Mr. Horsley—ln the same paper, following the report
of Mr. Potter's statement, is a complaint of an old wo-
man hiving been refused relief at the union, upon the
excuse that the house was already fall. Now, the West
London Union had been in the habit of paying 101. per
month for a part of the premises belonging to the Sa-
maritan institution, to be used as a dormitory for the old
paupers, so as to relieve the overcrowded state of the
union, but since the appointment of the new relieving
officer, the old paupers have been withdrawn from the
dormitory, to overburden the crowded state of the union
still further, and some of them have since applied to our
institution for relief.

Sir R,. W, Carden—Have you received the sanction