The Sun.
London, England, 1844-01-11 00:00:00

WHITE, who had passed a long life of nine

years (!) as a labourer in the same parish hi
which he had been born—South Weald, Essex ;
and this, industrious, hoary-headed, time-ho-
noured representative of that race, whom GOLD-
SMITH, in his ingenuous simplicity, described as
- "A bold peasantry, their country's pride," (! )
had been, on that inclement morning, forcibly
removed from his sick bed to the union house of
Billericay, through such weather as we have
described—the journey occupying four hours,
and the conveyance in which was stretched this
ancient husbandman being an open cart! So
much for the respect paid to a class that may
have formed " its country's pride"—precisely at
the commencement of his mortal pilgrimage,

but who are fast sinking, in our days,
into the same forgotten gulf as the
hundred years he had so nearly numbered! On
the inquest, two benevolent women of his own

class, we believe, whose recollection and know•
ledge of the deceased extended to the utmos
period !which their memories could recur to, de.

posed to the sad incidents which marked his
declining years ; his long sickness, his decay, his
gradual utter helplessness; their own generous
humanity in tending and nursing hint being
rather elicited from, than deposed to, by
them. When the little means which themselves
and others of his friends and neighbours
could spare for his nourishment and
sustentation had become exhausted, his land-
lady sent to the officers of the union, residing at
Ilgrave, to come and see the old man. The mes-
senger returned with an order for the union sur-
geon of the district to attend him. The medical
officer, on visiting him, observed—" Medicine is
of no use,—he must have all the nourish-
ment he can get :" but he gave no or-

der for any ! On a Friday, four days be-
fore poor WHITE was removed, the landlady,
a Mrs. GATES, sent to the same surgeon for an
order for nourishment; but—obtained none. The
" relieving officer" (ALEXANDER), who called
also, on that day, declared that he had received
no such order. The assistant overseer told Mrs.
GATES that WHITE ought to be removed to the
union house; but that unless he himself consented,
he must not be removed. In answer to an applica-
tion made by both of them at his bedside, the sick
man declared "he would rather stop another
week ;" and so strong was his aversion to go thi-
ther that one of the two benevolent neighbours
we allude to, and who sate up with him, deposed
that she forbore further to mention the subject,
because of the mental distress it occasioned to
him. On the Monday (the day preceding his
removal), the assistant overseer, BERNARD, told
the landlady (GATES), that if WHITE was still
unwilling to be removed to the union, all his
allowance would be taken off.
(This was-25., and one quartern and a-half of
bread per week :—and he was ninety years old 1)
When this communication was made to the old
man, he wept bitterly, and despondingly ex-
claimed, "If I must, I must." GATES told the
assistant overseer, that if they attempted to
remove him, she was sure he would die on the
road ; but he said he should come for the man
at eleven next morning. That night WHITE was
alternately sensible and delirious; but he put
up his last prayers—doubtless feeling that he
should not survive to repeat them in the union.
The clergyman of the parish, who had visited
him, offered half a sovereign for his relief, "if
he might be allowed to remain in his lodging
another fortnight." How was this Christian-like
charity responded to by the official functionary ?
The assistant overseer said, " If that were done,
the parish would have nothing further to do

with the case." Hereupon the clergyman ad-
vised GATES to interfere no further; but the
overseer, on hearing this from her, on the day of
the removal, asked, " Why had she not taken
the money 2—the man could not live many days."
[ (Doubtless this tenacity of life, in a chargeable