The Sun.
London, England, 1844-05-29 00:00:00

THE LAW OF ARREST IN THE

CITY.

A curious circumstance exemplifying the benefit of
the law of arrest in the City occurred a few days ago.
A mercantile house in Jamaica having determined
upon a speculation of shipping a large quantity of
goods for the markets of Central America, engaged a
German, who was proceeding to those parts on some
business of his own, to undertake the management of
the speculation. The German accordingly proceeded
on his errand, and the house in Jamaica received from
him several letters announcing sales from time to
time made, until it appeared that nearly 5,0001. had
been received, when the correspondence suddenly
ceased, and the house could get no more answers to
their letters. Under these circumstances, the firm
naturally became alarmed, and set on foot inquiries
concerning the German, when they learned that he
had gone to New York, and subsequently that he
had sailed for England. They forthwith dis-
patched one of their clerks to England by a
steamer, which was fortunately on the point of start-
ing in search of the party. The clerk arrived in
London late on the evening of the 11th instant, and
on the following morning proceeded to the house of
the correspondents of his employers. The corre-
spondents without delay accompanied him to their
solicitors, an eminent firm in the City, and on their
way to adopt means of frustrating the palpable object
of the German, they were lucky enough to meet the
identical person coming out of the offices of the Co-
lombian Mining Company. A messenger soon learned
that the German had called at the offices of the Com-
pany in order to obtain an introduction to a bul-
lion broker, and that he had been referred to a well
known City house of that description. At this critical
time the parties ran off to the bullion broker's, who
informed them that the German had left with them to
be assayed, a very large quantity of bullion and
gold dust, and was to call at two o'clock that after-
noon to receive the value. Application was then
made to a judge for the arrest of this wholesale
robber, to effect which a warrant was granted, and an
officer was posted ready to meet him at the place
where the treasure lay. As might be expected, the
German was punctual to his appointment; and, on
making his appearance, was shocked and astonished
at being grabbed for the sum of 5,0001. On being
arrested, he exclaimed " Hang dis England.
Half an hour more, and it would have been all
right." He could not, of course, procure bail,
and the only alternative he had was to make
a full acknowledgment, and to give up the keys
of his luggage, which, upon being searched, was
found to contain bills and other securities, amounting,
together with the bullion and gold dust, to nearly the
full sum for which he had been seized. The not least
curious part of the story is, that the German arrived
in London only a few hours before the arrival of the
clerk of the Jamaica house, and that both put up at
the same hotel, neither of them being aware of the
locus in quo of the other. The business of the clerk,
it will be observed, was completed in the most satis-
factory manner in two hours, and in less than two
days from that of their arrival, they were both pas-
senger.s in the same vessel for Jamaica.

state of trade or manufactures, by voluntary contri-
butions, made on the emerging of such periods, and
the improved system of administration, with reference
to the funds thus raised, which, under the teaching of
experience, has been gradually going forward.. . .
We strongly advise, therefore, that the Poor-law of
Scotland, with reference to the important section of it
which has been now under review, shall be continued
unchanged."
Having thus given our readers a brief outline of
the report of the Commission, from which so much was
expected, we shall conclude our notice for the present
by inserting the protest against the report by Mr.
Twisleton, but with the intention of returning to the
subject when the document itself shall have been a short
time in the hands of the public. The cool way in
which the Commission and their favourite witnesses
dispose of destitution will not readily be forgotten.
They propose to offer work at a reduction of 25 per
cent..; they tell the workman his wages must be re-
gulated by the demand—that the wants of himself or
family must not be taken into consideration—and
that when he cannot find work in one place, he must
travel to another, and another, and another, but he is
never to seek assistance. Such a remedy was surely
easily discovered before the appointment of this Com-
mission, whose disposal of those in want to die, or
continue suffering, sets all the calculations for improv-
ing the condition of the population as coolly aside as
if the members had lived during the days that burn-
ing for witchcraft was in fashion, or though those
whose wants they refuse to relieve were some inferior
class of beings living in the moon, and not endowed
with the same sympathies and the same wants as
themselves.

REASONS OF DISSENT FROM THE FOREGOING REPORT.
I. Because the proposed alterations in the Scotch
Poor-law are, lam afraid, insufficient to remedy the
defects which are admitted to exist in their adminis-
tration.

11. Because, while it is admitted that the provision
at present made for the relief of the aged and infirm
poor is in many parishes of Scotland inadequate, the
main reliance for the supply of this deficiency seems
to be placed on a proposed board of supervision, or
standing commission of inquiry, with ample powers of
inspection, but with no administrative control or direct
authority. But it appears to me, that the striking inade-
quacy of the allowances at present made to the aged and
infirm poor in a large proportion of the unassessed
rural parishes of Scotland, arises, not so much from
ignorance of facts as from want of funds, which again
is owing, in no small degree, to theories respecting
the effect of any provision for the poor, even when it
is restricted to the relief of the aged and the infirm.
And any statements made annually in reports, tending
to show that this class of poor are in a destitute con-
dition, will be met by the usual answer, that the only
cure for such evils is in the moral and religious edu-
cation of the young; and that a provision for the poor
creates much of the misery which it relieves, but does
not relieve all the misery which it creates.
111. Because no proposal is made for requiring the
managers of the poor in unassessed rural parishes to
assess themselves for the destitute, aged, and infirm
poor; using these terms in the most comprehensive
sense, as including all those who are entitled to relief
under the present law. It appears to me that the
mischiefs which have been attributed to assessments
for this class of poor have been remarkably exagge-
rated, even although they may not be altogether vi-
sionary. On the other hand, this mode of providing
for the aged and the infirm is the most equitable
which can be adopted ; its general tendency, as dis-
tinguished from its invariable result, is to insure an
ampler supply of funds than can be raised by volun-
tary contributions ; and it reaches non-resident heri-
tors, and others who may give either nothing, or com-
paratively little, in aid of the church collections.
IV. Because it is not proposed to render it com-
pulsory on the managers of the poor to provide mo-
dical attendance for paupers. The arrangements for
medical relief, and the power of fixing the scale of
remuneration to medical practitioners, are to be left
exclusively to the local authorities, who may deem
that they have a direct pecuniary interest in fixing
the scale of remuneration as low as possible, or in
throwing altogether upon medical practitioners, as is
very frequently the case at present, the burden of at-
tending the sick poor gratuitously.
V. Because it is not proposed to authorise, or to
render it compulsory upon the managers of the poor
in large towns to provide houses of refuge, or poor-
houses with wards for able-bodied persons. But
establishments of this kind, which are, in fact, iden-
tical with English workhouses, appear to me essen-
tial to the proper management of the poor in large
towns ; and without them I do not see how the beg-
ging, which prevails to such an extent in the chief
towns of Scotland, can be suppressed, consistently
with humanity, or in accordance with public feeling.
VI. Because, while in reference to towns with a
population above 5,000 inhabitants, the advantages of
poorhouses for the reception of certain classes of poor,
entitled to assistance under the present Scotch poor-
law, are clearly pointed out, as subsidiary to out-
door relief; yet the erection of such poor-houses
is proposed to be left entirely to the discretion of
the local authorities. But while I admit that the
arrangement of various details may be safely
vested in the managers of the poor in each parti-
cular town, it is my opinion that the principles of
dealing with a subject so difficult as that ofadminister-
ing relief, should be settled by the more enlarged
wisdom of Parliament. And a matter of such im-
portance as the erection of poor-houses ought not to
depend either on the honest judgment, or possible
caprice, partial knowledge, or narrow views, of acci-
dental majorities in particular localities.
VII. Because no ,proposition is made for dealing
with the case of large towns, when, during seasons
thatandlargetownsbecomeltseemsdesirable, in employment,
all
Nhichhavea poor-house with wards for able-bodied
men, the managers of the poor should have a dis-
cretionary power, with consent of a board of super-
vision, to assess the inhabitants, for the purpose of
setting to work destitute unemployed persons, with-
out requiring them to enter such poor-house. The
aid of a poor-house, with wards for able-bodied
persons, materially facilitates the operations of those
who, in periods of depression of trade, under-
take the duty of giving out-door relief to a certain
number of that class.
VII. Because no alteration is proposed in the
Scotch law of rating, which is peculiarly anoma-
lous and defective. The usual mode of levying the
rate on what is called " means and substance," is
similar in its main features to the income-tax, but is
unaccompanied by those safeguards with which the
levying of the income-tax hi.s been surrounded by
the wisdom of Parliament. Either, therefore, safe-
guards should be introduced, for the purpose of in-
suring secrecy and fairness, or the attempt to assess
supposed means and substance should be abandoned,
and the mode of levying poor-rates in Scotland should
be assimilated with that which is in operation in all
other parts of the United Kingdom.
EDWARD TWISLETON.
—Glasgow Evening Post.

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, MAY 210, 1844.