The Sun.
London, England, 1867-07-18 00:00:00

THE MARKETS OF THE POOR.

Miss Burdett Coutts has taken the initiative in
an important enterprise for the benefit of the poor in
one of the most destitute districts of the metropolis.
A local Act, promoted in her name, was quietly
passed through Parliament last session, the preamble
of which sets forth that the opening of a market for
the sale of fruit, vegetables, fish, meat, poultry, and
other provisions, in a convenient position near
Columbia-square, Bethnal-green, would be a great
advantage to large numbers of the labouring classes,
and other persons resident in that parish and its
neighbourhood. And further it recites that Miss
Burdett Coutts is willing to undertake the establish-
ment of such a market at her own charge and to
maintain it for the use of the public. No time has
been lost in giving effect to the authority conveyed
in the Act. A large piece of ground has been set
apart for the market, and the buildings are already
sufficiently advanced to enable one to judge of the
aspect of the place when completed. The market is
enclosed on each side by a range of Gothic buildings
of an elegant but substantial character. On the
right and left as you enter is a row of shops-12 on
each side—with a covered way in front and dwelling-
houses above. On the north side of the market is
the market-hall, containing 24 shambles, the access
to which is by a porch, above which rises a clock
tower, 110 ft. high. The shops are supplied with
every convenience in the way of cellarage, water,
gas, &c., and the dwellings above are each com-
plete in itself and contain comfortable rooms, with
washhouse and kitchen, well ventilated, and fitted
with every sanitary requirement. The area of the
market covers altogether 90,000 ft. The large open
square will be set apart for stalls and barrows of all
kinds, the admission fees charged on dealers being
at a very low scale suited to the costermon
ge.r clss
who conduct in so large a degree the commissariat
of the poor. This scheme will not only supplement
the house accommodation of the adjoinin,g Colum-
bia-square, a large pile of model lou ding
-hd
ous
now
es
built a few years back by Miss Cotts, an
tenanted by a numerous settlement of labourers and
artisans, but will supply a want severely felt by the
whole population of the neighbourhood.—the want
The project will also iuci-
of a convenient market.
dentally confer another benefit on this quarter by
opening up a new street and otherwise improving
Although utility has been the
the communications.
first object consulted in the plans of the market,
and no effort has been spared to make the fittings
of the shops as perfect as possible from a business
point of view, Miss Coutts has been anxious that
artistic effect should not be overlooked. The
general appearance of the buildings, with the lofty
clock tower in the centre of the upper end, is very
impressive. The architect is Mr. 11. A. Darbi-
shire, who also furnished the designs of Columbia-
square. We venture to hope that the noble
example which Miss Burdett Coutts has set will be

PRICY 4d.
STAMFED sd.

followed, and that the Betlinal-greeu Market will be
the first of an important serie3 of reforms extending
throughout the metropolis. It is little to say that
this market will be the best in any part of London.
Compared not only with the spacious halles of Paris,
but even with the markets in second and third rate
provincial towns in England, the metropolitan mar-
kets are one and all simply disgraceful—small,
mean, overcrowded, and inconvenient in every way.
But the poor are left without any markets, properly
so called, at all. Clare-market, the Brill, the New-
cut, and the other " kerb-stone" markets are merely
squalid streets blocked up with stalls and barrows.
The question, it must be borne in mind, is not one
of mere convenience on the part of buyers and sel-
lers. The present state of things has a very direct
and decided effect in raising the price and deterio-
rating the quality of the goods supplied to the poor.
The amount of downright poisoning and robbery
which is perpetrated by provision dealers year by
year among the poor, if it could only be brought to
light, would probably shock and startle people quite
as much as the trade union disclosures at Sheffield.
Detected crimes form only a small proportion of
those which are committed ; and the list of convic-
tions at every petty sessions in the south and east
of London for false weights and measures and adul-
terations is sadly suggestive of the prevalence of one
of the most cruel and heartless forms of dishonesty.
But the smaller class of shopkeepers say they -are
themselves to be pitied. They are almost forced to
pilfer and adulterate in order to pay the high rents
demanded for their miserable shops, where they are
subject to constant losses from having no means of
properly storing and keeping fresh their goods. Mr.
Harry Chester's committee in the society of Arts is
doing useful service in opening up new sources of
supply ; but Miss Burdett Coutts has taken up an
equally important, and perhaps more immediately
practical and beneficial, branch of the same good
work—the improvement of the means of distributing
the supplies already to be had, so as to make the
most of them, and render them cheaper and more
accessible. It is no part of the Bethnal-green project
to furnish any contributions to the market, but we
hope Miss Coutts will give as much encouragement
as possible to any dealer who will undertake to bring
such a thing as pure milk within reach of the poor.
There is to be a coffee-shop at one corner of the
market. We should not be sorry to see it balanced
by a model " public" at the other for the sale of
wholesome beer of the Bavarian quality, and espe-
cially of those small doses of wine and spirits which
are necessary to the poor in sickness and which it is
now almost impossible for them to get except in an
adulterated state which inflames instead of relieving
their malady. There is another feature in this
scheme—for we hope it will be taken up by other
benevolent persons, if not by the local authorities—
which should not be overlooked. To reconcile the
generous impulses of benevolence with the hard rules
of political economy is the great problem of charity.
Alms, it is said, with some truth, demoralise the
recipient, impairing the self-respect and sapping the
self-reliance of those on whom they are beptoveed.
In the extreme case of the absolutely destitute
there can, of course, be little room for doubt as to
how one should act. When a man is utterly
houseless and starving there is but one thing
to be done, and that is to provide him with shelter
and food as promptly as possible. This has now
been recognised as a public duty in Mr. Villiers's
Ilouseless Poor Act, and however imperfectly the
principle is at present carried into practice, we
may hope that in the course of time means may be
found to prevent the shameful scandal of any poor
wretch dying in the streets for want of the first
necessaries of life. The chief difficulty of benevo-
lence arisesin the case of people just above destitu-
tion —the struggling poor who have a roof over their
heads, and contrive somehow or other to find food
enough—though now and then barely, and never
more than enough to sustain existence. The best
of these are any of anything like direct charity, and
the worst of them are apt to suffer harm from it.
Yet this class, including as it does those known as
the " quiet poor," is above any other deserving of
sympathy and assistance. They have to toil the
hardest for the poorest pittance, and outr of their
miserable earnings they have to pay the highest price
for the worst of everything. Such a plan as the
opening of a market where they will get good ar-
ticles at a fair price meets the difficulties of the case.
It helps them to help themselves, and affords the as-
sistance they need without injuring their inde-
pendence. The mere supervision over weights and
measures which will be secured in Miss Burdett
Coutts's market will in itself be a pecuniary boon to
the poor who deal there.—Pall-Mall Gazette.

The National Rifle Association.

WIMBLEDON COM3ION, Wednesday Evening.

The final contest for the Queen's Prize having
been decided yesterday, attention was to-day
directed to the other important competitions that
yet remain to be disposed of, some of which had not
even begun. In the early part of the morning the
common presented the same dirty and slushy ap-
pearance as on former days. Soon after 12 o'clock
rain fell heavily, and before many could reach the
nearest tents they came in for a thorough drenching.
At this time the Belgians were firing for their prizes
at the northern ranges, and went on just as if
the most genial sun was shining over their heads.
There was a great number of Belgians on the ground
in addition to those who were shooting, and as a
graceful compliment to England every man wore a
rosette or band, in which the colours of the vinion
jack were combined, immediately under the medal
that was presented by the Prince of Wales to every
one on Saturday last.
The prizes given for the Belgians to compete for
this day, at 150 yards, were as follows :
A piece of plate, given by Messrs. Smallpage and
Son, value £5O.
A Reilly small-bore Rifle, in case complete,
given by Messrs. Reilly and Co., of Oxford-street,
value £25.
A Cup, given by the Gunmakers' Company of
London, value £2l.
R hifle ssciation, value
eac
Agiven
by
optician to the National £5. The
containing
Mr. Steward,,
Ao a
Binocular Glass, g
£5 10s., and four purses,
were to shoot was left
conditions nnder which
entirely to themselves,
butth
they
arrangements for the
shooting were made
Mr. Townshend, who has
charge of the Belgians
the weather cleared, and the
byduri
Soon after 1 o'clock the
their stay.
sun shone forth splendidly, but the wind was ex-
ceedingly boisterous, and very materially interfered
b the
of shooting. There was a toler-
ably good sprinkling of visitors on the ground.
w t
accuracy
The programme for to-day consisted of the se-
cond stage of the Albert Prize, being for a cup of
the value of £lOO, and the Gold Medal of the "Wes-
tern India Rifle Association. Seven shots each at
800, 900, and 1,000 yards.
The Rifle Oaks was also continued throughout
the day.

The most important item on the programme of the
day was the Chancellors' Challenge Plate, value
£lOO, presented by the Duke of Devonshire and
the Earl of Derby fcr annual competition between
the volunteers of the Oxford and Cambridge Uni-
versity corps, eight competitors on each side, seven
shots each, at 200, 500, and 600 yards. The fol-
lowing were those selected to represent the different
universities : —Oxford : Lieut. H. Kolli, Sergeant
Blackburn, Sergeant Winger, Private Ward, Cor-
poral Mason, Privates Holmes, Carslake, and
Reeves. Cambridge : Hon. J. Bouverie, llon. J.
Gordon, Hope, Lambert, I\l'Kerrall, Rein, Roe, and
Tomlinson.

The other competitions were merely continua-
tions of those already begun.
A rather anomalous incident occurred to-day at
the breech-loading competition at the 200 yards
range, for the Duke of Cambridge's prize. Mr.