The Sun.
London, England, 1866-01-05 00:00:00

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been incompatible had what we may call the mea
chanism of dispensing charity and relief in London
been commensurate with the feelings of humanity
that pervade English society. Yesterday (Thurs--
day) the magistrate of the Thames Police-court,
Mr. Partridge, in acknowledging the receipt of £5
from " 0.P.Q." for the poor-box fund, wished it to
be publicly stated that the magistrate had now suf-
ficient funds to meet all legitimate requirements.
The court, he said, did not possess the necessary
machinery on the staff to distribute relief to the
poor on any large scale. There was no occasion for
any more money to be sent. He explained that the
poor-box fund was originally intended for the re-
lief of the well-known peculiar and immediate
cases of distress which come under the notice of
the stipendiary magistrates in the course of in-
vestigation. Much good, he said, had been done ;
and he caused it to be emphatically understood
that the clerks and officers of his court,
already overworked by the transaction of their
own special duties, could not efficiently respond to
the charge of seeking out cases of distress beyond
those which might happen to come in the way of
police business. Last winter, he went on to say,
£7OO was distributed from the poor-box, and the
labour of distribution was immense. Then adverting
to the operation of the Houseless Poor Act, he de-
signated it.a, wise and beneficent measure, that ought
to relieve the magistrates of the police-courts to a
great extent from applications for relief. Concur-
ring in all the magistrate's remarks, there are many
benevolent persons who will feel sorry that the cur-
rent of eleemosynary charity should be checked so
long as cases for relief are in plenty ; especially so
long as starvation is occurring in our very midst.
Concurrently with this announcement the painful
details of a coroner's inquest were appearing in the
newspapers ; details of a case of starvation that
assuredly would have been prevented had any orga-
nisation existed for seeking out, by house to house
visitation, cases of want and distress. As the inquest
here adverted to stands adjourned in order to aster=
tain if sufficient evidence cannot be procured to
sustain a criminal charge, we shall forbear to express
any opinion reflecting on the conduct of any of the
parties concerned. Such an outline of the circum-
stances we will, however, give as shall suffice to
illustrate the position we took up ; namely, that if
some competent organisation had existed whereby
cases of imminent starvation could have been sought
out and revealed, the death which was the subject of
inquiry would have been averted. About three weeks
ago an old lady called at the surgery of Mr. R.
Meldola, a surgeon, residing in Green-street, Beth-
nal-green, and said, " A woman is dying of con-
sumption at 6, Havelock-place. If you are passing
by, call in, as your opinion is wanted." He did not
call, the request seeming informal ; and, before the
coroner's investigation shall have been completed, it
will be premature to offer any opinion relative to
the propriety or impropriety of Mr. Meldola's
behaviour. - On Christmas-eve he was again
summoned, and this time formally. He then went to
the patient, Julia Susannah Bellinger, aged 49,
whom he found a mere skeleton. By the aid of
stimulants she was kept alive until Boxing-day,
when she died, and a post-mortem examination was
held. The result showed that there was a total
absence of food in either the stomach or intestines.
She died—as Mr. Meldola testified—from the ex-
haustion of sheer want; to be plain, from starvation.
A daughter—Julia Bellinger—threw more light
upon the case. She deposed that deceased was the
wife of George Bellinger, a weaver, from whom she
had been separated some years, and who contributed
nothing towards her maintenance. Deceased had
12 children, none of whom did anything for her,
but her son Eugene, a boy 16 years old, who allowed
her Bs. a week for his board. Deceased lived in wit-
ness's house until three years ago, when she went to
reside with her mother, who had £lOO a year income,
besides the interest of £5OO. Deceased, though living
with her mother, was often in a state of starvation.
Witness took her mother a little bit of meat to eat,
and a sausage roll, but Mrs. Clempson (mother of
deceased) took it away, and gave it to deceased's
son, Eugene. Witness asked deceased's mother to
light a fire, as deceased was very cold ; but Mrs.
Clempson refused, saying, " This is my house ; I
will do as I like in my own house. No person shall
interfere with me in it." She was kind when kind-
ness did not touch her pocket, and often grumbled
at the waste when witness gave deceased wine.
Mrs. Clempsou herself then gave evidence. She
said she did not call in a doctor because her
daughter was suffering from a chronic disease, and
doctors were expensive. Deceased could not eat
food, she said, but could have partaken of beer and
wine ; witness did not, however, think it right to
give those drinks. She remained 60 hours insen-
sible, but witness did not think it necessary to
send for a medical man, as " a doctor's bill is no joke."
Thus, until the conclusion of the inquest, stands the
case. We forbear to comment on the demeanour
of any of the parties concerned at present, our sole
intent being to illustrate the need of some sort of
visitation under authority before the spirit of charity
and philanthropy, so fortunately rife, can have full
scope. Institutions for the dispensation of charity
exist by the score. Do they not fritter away their
energies by operations too isolated, and might they
not with advantage to the public send delegates to
meet in conclave for the purpose of discovering a
means whereby the contributions rejected at police-
courts might be dispensed with effect ? Evidently
there is, and we believe there ever must be, a consi-
derable number of cases of hidden want and suf-
fering which the Homeless Poor Act, however well
administered, can never touch.

COUNTRY MARKETS

ERIS T OL—THURSDAY.
On our market to-day English wheat was in fair supplY,
and sold slowly, at barely last week's prices. Foreign
freely offered at Is. per qr. reduction, without attracting
the attention of buyers. Malting barley dull. For grind-
ing a good demand, at the full prices of last week, oats
scarce, and fully as dear, but the trade is devoid of anima"
tion. Indian corn moderately inquired for, at a reduction
of 6d. per qr. Beans and peas dull.

BIRMINGHAM—THURSDAY.
During the present week little has passed in the trade•
Wheat the turn cheaper. Barley, oats, beans, and pea°
only taken in retail. At this day's market there was 9
short supply of English wheat, and, the condition being
deteriorated, a reduction of ls. per qr. had to be submitted
to in order to effect sales. Barley 6d. to ls. lower. OatS
and beans still scarce. Peas neglected.
Currencies :—English wheat, white, 45s to 50s ; red, 395
to 48s per 36 stone. Malting barley, 30i to 35s ; grinding,
22s to 25s per qr. Oats, 24s to 30s ; Irish, 21s to 24s per
30 stone. -Beans, 42s to 45s ; and peas, 40s to 42s per qr.

MANCHE S T ER--THuRsDA.Y.
There was only a moderate attendance at our marke.t
this morning. English wheat was mostly in damp condi-
tion, and except for the best samples must be quoted 15
per qr. lower. Foreign was also in limited request, at
decline of ld. to 2d. per cental. Flour was very little in-
quired for, and both English and French might have been.
obtained at a reduction of 6d. per sack. Oats were with-
out material change, but oatmeal was rather cheaper•
Beans and Indian corn likewise ruled in favour of buy©rs•

EDINBITRGH—WED,EsDAT.
At to-day's market there was a small supply of country
wheat, which sold quietly.
Wheat on the top, Os 6d down average, Os 5d up.
Barley on the top, Os 3d up average, Os 10d up.
Oats on the top, Os 6d down average, Os ld down
Beans on the top, Os 6d down average, Os 8d down
Average prices.
Wheat, 48610 d I Oats, 278 lld
Barley, 33s 7d 1 Beans 44s 6d
Total supply and sales.
Wheat 609 qrs sold 349
Barley 1385 qrs sold 1164
Oats 1903 qrs sold 1400
Beans l4O qrs 501dt.124
Town-made flour sells as follows :—White, 42s Od;extra,
superfine, 40s Od ; superfine, 38s 6d ; fine, 37s Od.