The Sun.
London, England, 1834-05-17 00:00:00

MANSION-HOUSE.

A tall, able-bodied Irishman, named Thos. Moore,
was brought before the Loan MAYOR, with a child in
4is arms, under the following curious circumstances :
The defendant used some time ago to, sweep a
crossing in the Borough, and contrived to get as much
by that occupation in the winter as enabled him to
support a wife and two or three children. He, how-
ever, in a lazy or drunken fit, sold the crossing for six-
pence; and had recourse to the more inglorious profes-
sion of beggar, which he practised in the extreme of
its quirks and manoeuvres, and by which, it is sup-
posed, he could manage to put a good joint upon his
table on the day of rest. The figure he cut in the
street proved that he was an admirable judge of effect.
A child, about four years old, with naked feet; fol-
lowed him, holding the tail of his coat, while he
walked along with a baby in his arms. The older
child had in her hand an old leaky saucepan, with milk
in it, which the defendant now and then put to the
mouth of the infant. This parental office he took care
to perform whenever he saw ladies approach, and
when he perceived the bait was taken' he never failed
to say that the poor mother was on her sick bed, or
rather her sick truss of straw, in Kent-street, in the
Borough, where she was just " kilt" for want of vic-
tuals, and hadn't a drop in the world to give the
" babby." Such masterly grouping could- not but
attract spectators, before whom the defendant exhi-
bited his skill in the art, but there happened to be a
hard-hearted person amongst the number, who re-
moved the little interesting. family to the Compter,
and from thence to the Mansion-house.

Mr. Hobler said that he was in the habit of seeing
many fellows in the streets carrying very young chil-
dren in their arms, and appealing to any respectable
females who passed by. He knew of no class of beg-
gars who better deserved punishthent than such sturdy
rascals. " How long, .my good Sir (said Mr. Hob-
ler to the mendicant), since you turned bull-nurse ?"
(Laughter.)
A policeman said that the defendant carried the
child about, he believed, since a few days after its
birth. So unaccustomed was the poor infant to the
breast, that when put into a woman's arms, it never
turned towards that part to which " nater" guided every
other body's mouth. (Laughter.)
The defendant said that he carried about the "c'hil-
ther"-to give them a little fresh air, and that his wife
was too ill to attend to them.

Here a man; who said his name was Wm. Morgan,
stepped forward, and•said that he was the person who
had purchased the street crossing from the defendant.
" He didn't act like a man to me (said Morgan) for
the day ater I tuck up his business, he opens a new
consarn, twenty yards at th' tother side o' me.—
( Laughter.)

,
The LORD MAYOR—What ! he swept the street
across in another part ?
Morgan—That's just it, my lord; bat Lwouldn't
a cared about it, if he didn't bull-nurse at the same
time. He used for to carry that ere baby in one hand,
while he swept up the mud with the tother ; and the
soft-hearted vonien used to say, " Oh ! 3lary, see if
youlian't got a happenny to give to that ere poor man
wot looks ater his baby so tender." (Laughter.)
Mr. Nobler said that the system of hiring children
had been very prevalent of late. It was considered a
sure source of profit, particularly amongst the able-
bodied paupers, who,'ralher than go up a ladder 'or
down into a sewer' .to ;earn their bread honestly, would.
crawl over the fettiiit all day bidl-nursing.
Morgan—Aye, please your lordship, the gemman's
right ;- I'm blest if l.wouldn't rather sweep St. Giles's
in the biekermost slums, nor meet with one of these
here bull-nurses.. • I wouldn't a cared if he sweeped
the street within a yard o' my consarn, provising he
left the child at home ; but I'm blowed if the people
wouldn't a walked twenty mile to go through his shop.
(Great laughter.)
_ _

The LORD MAYOR said that he certainly should try
whether he could not check the bull-nurse system, by
sending every one he caught to grass in Bridewell.
Morgan—But please you, my Lord, what I con-
siders worst of all is this here, ven he sould me the
sweeping, he gets up afore me in the morning, and he
smears it all over with mud, and when I gets up I had
to sweep it'all away; and while I was a sweeping he
was doing a very pretty stroke of work, and no mis-
take, for the people was passing over and over, and
I'm blest if. you' d think they'd ever stop where he was
a bull-nursing.
Mr. Hobler—What ! did he carry this child then?
Morgan7---Did he not ! aye, and if there's a bit of dirt
in the syreet he,mops it up in a corner, and puts his
bare feet into it, for to make the people pity him.
Now I can't do no sich a thing. I tried it once, but
I'm blest if it didn't hit me in the bowel. (Laughter.)
The LORD 'MCI OR directed that the wife of the de-
fendant should be brought up, and remanded the
defendaut.•