The Sun.
London, England, 1804-12-08 00:00:00

PUBLIC-OFFICE, BOW STREET.

in consequence of a private information given to
Mr; BON n, that a Little Go (a private lottery) was
to be drawn on Thursday night, at a public-house
in the neighbourhood of S:ickville-street, a privy
seatch-marant was issued by that Magistrates
which was executed about nine o'clock, when the
Constables forcing an entrance into a room, found
as pertiong assembled there, and a pair of wheels,
ivory ticketa, and other apparatus tor the purpose,
which they seized, and took into custody the whole
of tie conspany, among whom were the supposed
privricior and some cf his agents. They were. all
lodged that night in flridewell, and
yesterday brought to Bow-street, for cxamination,
1.41,4 e Mr. ,BoNo and Sir Wl4. PAesoss ; put the
final hearing ot the busbies* was .postpuned till.
Tuesday ow. .Eig'it of the persons taken were
remanded to Tothil fields Bridewell, and the others
were admitted to hail. _ _

On Thorsdly evening a Gentleman in the crowd
going into Covent Garden Theatre detrital a man's
hand in his pocket, but being very strong, he ma.
naged to secure him, and took him to the Brown
Ract putrlic.house in Bow.slreet, and gave him in
charge of some of the flow-stisect patrole, and the
Gentleman returned to the 'Theatre, and did not ap.
Tear at the Of to make his charge. He was, in
comequenee, lake 9 before Mt. Kir tlistaps the sit-
ting Magistrate, to give. an account of himself; .but
the account being unsatisfaBory, the Magistrate
called upon the Officers present to ,know whether
they knew any thing of his► when Anthony anti
Miller said, they thought they knew s,urtething of
him, but could not recullat who -14,wasl. and it
being discovered he had, on s wig, Miller took it
off, and they found it was worn us a disguise:, he
proved to be an old acquaintance, of the name of
Arvid Grinde, who had been trans.
ported about fifteen years since, for 'picking pockets
at Drury.lane Theatre. He was likewise disco-
vered among the crowd at the trial of Mrs, Lee and
the G ,rtion4, at Oxford. He was committed for
further examination on Monday next.

Saturday se'onight, as Mrs, Nesbitt, wife of
Cqrs rN4,lshiir, was purchasivg some articles in a
o,op, Bfqwick upon Twerd, she was robbed of
her pocket-book, which contained upwards of seven
pounds. Suspicion attaching to two women then
in the slop, one of them was secured, and is now
in Berwick gaol. She calls herself Ferguson, and
nays she belongs to Kelso. The other escaped.

AeCrItINT or TR! amt.? OF AN EFFORT TO AFT.
TER THE dONOITION OF THE POOR IN A COUN.
TRY VILLAGE.

fittitNTED TO 'flit So 4141) Of ACRICVLTUItf,
BY THOMAS ESTCOURT,,Esq. M. P.

The Parish of Long Newman contains 140 per.
sons,- of all ages, divided into 32 families, chiefly
employed as labourers in husbandry. In the year
t Soo an idea suggested itself that these poor people
would voluntarily exchange their claim to parochial
relief, for any o►her aid suitable to their habits, that
would yield, with their labour, a better prospea of
procuring the common domestic comforts of life.
They were frequently consulted on the subje4l, and
were informed, that it was anxiously desired to te.
move them, if possible, out of the reach of the re.
currence of distresses similar to those they bad late.
ly felt ; that if they should be. furnished with the
means, they would endeavour to make a proper use
of them ; that it should be at their own option to
accept the offer that would he made them or not ;
but they were advised to make an effort to extri.
care thethselves from that depth of extreme poverty
into which they were sunk. It was then proposed,
that each cottager, on his application for the same,
should become tenant of a small quantity of arable
land, under proper restriEtion, and at a fair rent ;
but that no person should be allowed to occupy
more than the family of such person could cultiVate,
without improperly interfering with his usual la.
hour, nor more than
:he could procure Manure to
keep in a state of high fertility ; that the largest
families should not, therefore, occupy more than
one acre and a half, the smaller families less, in.pro.
portion as their nuinbeawere fewer, and not likely
to increase.

That the rent of the land should be. at the.rate of
xis. per acre*. •
That one.fourth part of the land in each person's
occupation should annually be well manured in rota.
tion, and planted with potatoes ; that the remainder
should be managed as. the tenants should think
proper, except that no person should have two ex.
batwing crops of carn.(viz. wheat,. barley, oats,
rye), successively.
That.the land should be forfeited to the landlord,
if not cultivated and manured as above mentioned;
or it the tenant should be lawfully convicted of
felony, or any other offence against the law, inr
which he would be liable to a fine or imprison.
men,. ,

That it should also be forfeited if the tenant
should receive any relief from the poor rates, ex.
cepr medical assistance, and except such relief as the
family of any tenant should receive under the au.
thority of any law-.relating to the Militia, or any
other Ad'of Parliament that might afterwards pass,
of a similar description, for. the Delenet of the
Country.
That the land should be granted, if required,. for
a term of 1+ years ; but the lease or agreement
should be void, by either party giving the, other
threelests notice of such voidance.
this was.theaffer, made to them., They entered
warmly into the ides ; promised every possible cx.
triton on their ,part ,to give success ; and all ac.
eepted she offer, except . two widows with numerous
families of'ynung children, and four very old infirm
persons without families, who had not then courage
to make the experiment.
The high price of provisions, at that time, not-
withstanding they all had a very liberal allowance
from the poor.rate, had run them so much in debt
lot the common necessaries of life (chiefly bread),
that, it being deemed essential to their success that
they should be freed from these ineumbrances, money
Was advanced on loan amongst them, in proportion
so their wants, amounting to the stun of 4.41.
At Lady.day, !Sol, each person entered on the
first part, or .one-third of the land allotted to him;
at Lady.day, :80z, they entered on une.third more;
and at Lady.day, 1803, on the remainder. .
The great effeel this easy mode of supplying their
wants has already produced in their habits, morals,
manners, and conditions, will be best proved
.by
the statement of a few. fads. that have resulted
from it.

The only persons who have received any relief
from the poor-rates of this Parish, since Michael.
mast 18or, are the four old y infirm persons before.
mentioned (two of whom are since dead), and the
two widows with large families. The two widows,
rather than go with their familievto a workhouse,
have since requested to be put o a footing with
their neighbours ; and they also, have received
no relief since Michaelmas, 1803, when their first
crop came into use : one of them has six, and the
other eight, small children, the cldtst'not tz years
of age. No person has forfeited his land ; but three
single men have asked leave to resign their's, being
able to subsist very well by their labour. Except
these, they have all strittly and cheerfully adhered to
every part of the agreement by which the land is held.
There is one circumstance particularly gratifying,
observable in the operation of this plan, which is,
that those poor persons who have the largest families,
and were the heaviest charge to the parish, are
those who seern to set the- highest value upon their
land, and cultivate it with the greatest assiduity,
and therefore the most anxious to avoid in future
doing any set by which it would be forfeited. ,This
may arise from the pleasure the parents feel in see.
ing their numerous children well provided with
every comfort requisite to health and subsistence,
independent of every one but themselves, and a
source of happiness, instead of anxiety and despair.
Fruitful seasons, and a neat garden.like cultivation
of land, have hitherto rendered it highly produttive.
Great attention is paid .to colleCting manure, of
which every one is able to provide amply for the
land he occupies ; the hoe is aCtively employed to
keep the crops clean from weeds in the summer by
the women and children, who also perform the
greatest part of the harvesting, and other labour,
except the tillage and carriage of the produce and
manure; the tillage is partly performed by the
spade, and is done by the family, or hired,. If the
land is ploughed, it is done partly by the ploughs
of the farmers of the parish, gratis, or hired ; the

carriage the same, or is sometimes done by a wheel.
harrow only. They have long since discharged the
debt of 441. as well as all other &Ina, and are so
much betorehand with the world, that it is supposed
it must be some calamity still more severe than
they have ever yet been aillided with, that would
put them under the necessity of ever applying
,for
relief to the parish again.
Some persons have conceived that inconveniencies
would arise out of the very circumstance •f their
being in a better situation of life than formerly;
that it would put them above the necessity of labour,
and would tender them idle, insolent, anti immoral ;
to which it may be answered, that, having given
up all claim to parochial relief, they feel themselves
obliged to look forward, and to provide against oe.
casional distress, which stimulates them to increas.
ed industry and economy ; besides which, if, with
a numerous family, by the ocyupation of one acre
and a half of land only, they can obtain more than
a bare subsistence, it must be by very superior ex.
ertion and frugality ; and it is not likely that
what is so Obtained will he spent by the same person
in vice and extravagance; in faCt, three years' ex-
perience proves to the contrary.
The farmers of this parish allow they never had
their work better done—their servants more able,
willing, civil, and sober ;. and that their property
never' wets° free from depredation as at present.' Ii
may not be improper to mention, that no warrant
or summons has heen issued against atiy 'poor person
of this parish since A. D. !Soo.
Although the keeping a cow has justly been deem.
ed a very beneficial pra&ice to a ywsr family, yeti
as it is attended with some diflicultiea, in certain
situations, it was deemed right not to make is a ne-
cessary part of this experiment ; bores the poor are
frequently discouraged from ccunomieal praflices
account of not being able to employ to advantage
any small sum of money they may save, it was
proposed, in this case, that if any person could buy
a cow, it should he taken into j ,ist (or sack, as it
is there. called) at 51. 4s. per annum :, one of these
men has already purchased two cows. On his wife
being asked how he had been able to accomplish it,
she replied, that her family had always lived the
same in times of plenty as they were obliged to do
in times of scarcity ; and being known to be a pru.
dent, sober, hard-working family, of good chavac.
ter, it is probable they must have been worth
money even during t'oe late time of scarcity, when
he was receiving relief from the parish in the same
proportion as.the others. This circumstance is men-
tioned here, chiefly with a view to chew what
temptations are held out by the present mode of ex-
ecuting the poor laws, even to an holiest man, to
imbibe some of the basest propensities that degrade
the human charaAer ; but which, it is hoped, thii
plan of rendering a resort to the poor laws for re.
lief unnecessary, is calculated to coentera(t.
The others ate mostly looking forward with ea.
gerness to being able to purchase a cow : their only
live stock at present is hogs aridpooltry.
The reduCtion in the amount of the poor.rate of
the parish, since thiS plan has been adopted, may
be worth stating, though it. is adMitted that much
must he attributed to the diffetencein the price of
provisions at the. two periods !rider rnenthined.
The._ amount of the
,pbor.rate from CfCtober 5,
tfloo, to April 5, the last sik months before
this plan took Oita, was 4121., z6s.. of which sum
2061. st. was applied to the relief of the poor.
The amount of the.poor.rate from Oaober
1803, to April 5, tBo {., the last corre.poeding
months, WWI 1.21. 6i. of Which 41. us. 6J. only
was applied to the relief of the poor,
They are allowed medical advice by.the parish,
and to send for the surgeon when they want him.
The amount of the surgeon's bill, for the year end.
int April 1804, amounted to ;1. 84. only, which
w probably be deemed a sufficient proof that this
Om is nor injurious to health, The 4,1. mi. 6A.
was charged for the maintenance of the two poor old
persons before mentionell, who are still living, and
are not tenants of any land,
This account will conclude with orre further ob.
servation. This plan, for bettering the condition
of' the poor, does not offal to be founded solely
on principles of benevolence to the poor, or to give
them any thing, but to embrace the interests of
the superior cloaca also. If, however, charity
alone had been the ()Net, it may perhaps be going
not too far, to observe, that one of the hest species
of charity Is that which enables the poor man to
exert with effea, and with honest freedom, that
strength and those faculties which Providence has
blessed him with, fur the benefit and support of his
family.