The Sun.
London, England, 1818-01-06 00:00:00

DISTRESSED SEAMEN.

Testerday at the City of London Tavern, a most
respectable Meeting, of Merchants, Ship-owners,
and Ot hets, was held for the purpose of taking into
consideration the best means of affording relief to
tineni;sioyed and distressed Seamen, and for aiding
i~t lie entorcen:ent of -the laws against impostors
ati.tinting the appearance of Seamen for the pur-,
pose of begging:. Owing to the very tinfavoura•
hie st;.)te of the weather, the numbers were not
so ;treat as might otherwise have been expected.
At, two o'clock, tVILESEK.7OIIO2, Esq. M.P.
%vas unanimously called to the Chair.
On taking; the Chair, he begged leave to 'ob,
set ve',. that he had he, n most unintentionally and
u:twmmrtl►ily placed in it. fie said unintentionally,
lweaule he had only a few slays ago heard that
,suell a A.lteting was to be held ; ,and he might say
unworthily, for be was by no means so fully pre-
pared to explain the objeet of -the Meeting, and
to dev.elope its plan, as a Chaitman ought naturally
to be.
,One thing, however, he 'could Fay, and
be was sure without any difficulty, that certainly
very great distress existed anion; these gallant
men, who had so honourably acquitted themselves
in the hour of danger, and fought the battles of
their country. 'That that distress-ought to be al-
leviated in sonle manner or other was unquestion-
alile, and on that account he had Wished some
better qualified person. than himself had been ap-
pointed Chairman. ,They would now bear a
series of Resolutions proposed, which as Chair-.
man he should submit to their Consideration.
Mr. MARTEN moved the first and second Reso-
lutions, which sta.ed, that lately, and within these
few necks, the streets of this Metropolis had been
uttuv.s ally crowded. with destitute Seamen, and
their cas.e deserved the most serious attention.

Mr. Dout,..volua asked, whether the proposed
relivt was to be,solely i.;iven to Seamen, as he con-
ceived the Meeting had been convened for the
porpose Of considering the best means of
relicv-
aiog the deserving .poor, and considering what
could be (loose with respect to-the alai:wing men-
dicky of the Metropolis. . • • '.
Mr. Rowcnorr, in reply. stated, that the re.
moval of, the mendich y in the Metropolis was the
olVect of another Committee, and for which ano-
ther-Meeting wool', be held. The Committee had
thought it infinitely better for them to direct their
attention to a-specific class, which had misery and
claims enough to engage them. The Seamen had
a ..peculiar claim on generous attention, as the
most of them were extra-parochial, and the rman-
ner of treatment should be,adopted towards
them was very'differ.ent from that of the Metro-
polis mendicants. There was another Committee
appointed for attending to that, and the public
meeting be had alluded to would be held On
Thursday next, It was of course, as the Meet-
ing would see, much bitter to have this arrange-
ment than to blend the ttlio promiscuously.
‘Vt•it. VitENn-, Esq. was of the same opinion,. Lie
load seen in. The Times Newspaper a- letter signed
" Philanthropos," in which that individual stated
that he should call a meeting, in case no one else
did. In The Morning Chronicle of the same day,
rasa letter sent by hinv(Mr. F ) without any sig-
nature, which he had also stated that if it was
not-done by some other person, who could better
recommend it, he would take upon himself the,
responsibility of calling suck a meeting, and giV-
ioglhose who were better 'qualified than himself
ao• opportunity to act. He had during the last
year served on three Coroner's Juries, and when
be said so,
,he, begged leave to add it was on ac-
count of..tlie small district in which he heed, and
the difficulty which thereby often occurred -of
making up the numbersEof a Jury, for no Man
could discharge his duties better, or with incite
impartiality, than the Coronerof London did. In
one of the verdicts the Jury woe compelled to
declare that the deceased died for want of
.toad,
and such circumstances had been unfolded in the
other two cases, as would not be easily forgotten
lay the Jury. To relate these now was onneCes-
sary; as too gentleman certainly required his hu-
manity to be excited. He therefore cordially ap-
proved of two Committees, as they could 'inure
easily accomplish
,whatthey we're required by hu-
manity to do:
The 3d and, 4tio Resolutions were then read,
which stated' tbat the cases would be examined,
and thereby impostors detected, and dealt with.
according to law.
Qn th, question that a subscription be raised,
nARTEN stated, that Mr. Stephen, , his
worthy friend, load that day had an interview with'
the First Lord of the Admiralty, and .that, that
Lord had proMised, of behalf of the Admiralty,
that as touch would be done on behalf of the sea-
men as the.Aduriralty could with propriety do, on
the recommendation or suggestion of
,a CoMmit-
tee. -.lton the desirable object, it was neces-
sary that money should be raised,' in order that
the poor, homeless, helpless wandeeer, might be
shielded from the storm. A vessel was prepared
for this ptirp9se to be stationed at Blackwall, for
receiving•such as on examination were found de-
_
serving.

DRISKALL understood Government had two
vessels, one at Deptford, and the other the De-
thligueux;at Woolwich,• ready: fitted up, and he
suggested it would he much better at mice to ap-
ply•to.the Secretary of State for the. Hoine De-
.partment; Who could give an order on the-subject.
JAM ES, STEPHEN,,ESq. M.P. fell it was proper
• for him to•state what hat! liken 'place in the dif-
ferent parts he had borne in this case. His inter-
pplition was only the pfoll of the worbthy Chair-
man, Mr. Wilherfmce, whose health might be in-
jured in-this severe weather. On the .first,tneet-
lug of •the Committee, it was suggested that the
most expedient way would be, to apply t0.:C49,
vernment to have some accommodation for these;
wri:talied sufferers. ;Accordingly he •had applied
to Mr..croker, Cie Secretary of the Admiralty, by
request of the Committee, to inform him•ot their
proposed intention to call a public tweeting on the
subject. He had received an official letter from
Mr. Croker, stating that their Lordships would
concur with the wishes of the Committee as
fur as they could with propriety, but, for eel.,
twit►reasons, it was impossible for their Lord-
shippi. to. officer any vest I, .but that they would ,
lend the Committee a vessel on security being given
for it, though their Lordships' were Afraid that

Gentlemen were not aware of the difficulties they
might have to encounter. TheirLordships' reason
for not giving officers.to the vessel was, that they
could not enforce Orders on board of such a vessel,
the mud not being entered as usual.. The Ganges
was now lying at lilackwall. It had been origi.;
nally fitted up .for the Lascars, and the Owner.had
generously said he would accommodate the Com-
mittee' with her, if he was paid the interest of the
purchase money. In addition:4p the information
he had received lions Mr. cf,rocir, Lord Melville
wrote to-him that morning, 141 d he had had an in-
terview with his Lordship, who had promised that
if a Committee were appointed by the Meeting,
and any thing suggested which tile ,Admiralty,
consistently. with public duty, could do, he pledged
himself it should be done. 'He had only further
to add, that the - expence of the vessel he had
alluded to would be only 12 guineas a month. .
Mr. MAT-rnmtfMARTIN said., the seamen might
be comisidefed those either belonging formerly
to men of war, to merchant vessels, or to the East
India Cotnpany. Now, many of those, he be-
lieved, who brlonged to the men of war, origin-
ally.were provided.with pensions, anti thereby less
objects of public' charity. The second class, he
believed, were really very distressed, and he had
in several instances supplied sonic of them with
clothes, which he belieied were afterwards sold,
as indeed was.ofren time case: There was one very
fine young man whom he had given clothes to,
hut who afterwards went and sold them.' Perhaps
the better and more advisable Wily would to
lend them clothes, on their producing a note from
time Captain of a vessel, though, perhaps, often
false notes might be produced. An inspeetor
would be of much service near the water side.
Mi.. DRINK/U.l. observed, that the foreign sea-

Men talien up by the late Lord
.Mayor had been
accommodated 'Avid) offwers. -Very few of the
sailors to be sects. in the streets were fit- for mer-
chantmen-,
,as a great many of them belonged to
the Out-ports. Economy was, above all things,
the hest thing to be attendud to. - . .

' Mr. MARTEN would be g:ail of the last Speaker's
assistance in the Committee, and to, them it was
sorely best to leave the adoption of particular
plans.

.
Mr. DBINKALL considered that Government
would find it their object to attend- to,tive state of
'the seamen, in the event of what might perhaps
be the case. His great object in what he sug-
gested was, to guard the Committee against con-
tracting large accounts in the fiist instance ; .and•
he must again repeat, that he firmly believed,
were .an application made; to the Secretary` of
State for the Home Department, his Lotdship
would issue an order to the Admiralty to grant
the two vessels he l
oad already alluded to,,for the
use t)f, the Committee..; these vessels being- eel.,
tainly the property of the public, but not of the
Admiralty..

117 r. DOIINFORD, observing Sir James Shaw pre-
sent, one of the Representative!, in Paeliament of
the City, wished he would explain how it came to
pass that the salutary arrangement adopted
by Government at the close of the late war, for
removing the vagrant Seamen from the Metro-
polis, and plating them in a vessel in the River,
had been abatidooed, considering the vet y salutary
effects ‘i,hich had been thereby produced.--Tto-
bably he could faymir the Meeting with some ex-
planation of this.
Sir JAMES SHAW .said he should, as shortly as
possible,_explain what had taken place about 18 or
!4 months ago, under the Mayoralty of the late
Lord Mayor. lie felt h 4 was botind to do-so,
after the manner in whiCh he' had been called on
by the'llonourable Gentleman who last addressed
them. it was well known,' that at the dose of
the late war, in which this country had been for
so many years engaged, the streets of this exten-
sive Metropolis were crowded, in a great degoree,
-by discharged Seamen. Their appearance and
.numbers attracted the notice of - the late Lord
Mayor, who, in consequence, consulted his fel-
low Magistrate's, what they considered it was pro-
per to do in such a situation.. They having con-
sidered- what they should do, felt themielves
bound to wait on the Secretary of State for the
Home Department, awl on the Noble Lord at the,
head of the AdmiValty, by whom, it was but. jest ice
ttesay, the Magistrates of London were received
with the utmost pol!teness and attention. .The
Lord Mayor conceived the most advantageous
mode which could be adopted, both as regarded
the Seamen themselves, and the clearing of the.
streets, was to station a vessel in the River, under
the jurisdiction of the Magistracy of London and
Middlesex, with proper Government Officers on
board, and also a' Purser on board, for the express
purpose of taking care of provisions ; and that the
Lord Mayor and Magistrates of the Cityand County
shouldcause all vagrants to be apprehended and sent
there, where they should be examined, in order that
those found fit, on such examination, for actual ser-
vice, might be employed in the first ship that should.
be put in commission ; that, those not fit for ser-
viceshould be sent to their respective homes ;
that foreigners might be give.o in charge to their
respective Consuls ; and that men of colour should
be sent ,either to Africa, or stationed in some of
his Majesty's Colonies abroad. Such was what,
had occurred to the late Lord Mayor, and in which
his fellow Magistrates concurred. The plan was
agreed to by Government, and the naked clothed
from the Government stores, A 'vessel was sta-
tioned in the River ; and so effectual was the re-
medy, that in a short time ver y few vagrants
were to be seen in the public or private streets or
alleys. How the vessel had since been removed
he could not say, neither would he attemyt to-
say,; but he had no difficulty in asserting, from
the kind attention then strewn by his Majesty's
Ministers', that it would now soccied, were an
application made to Government, and ' that simi-
4ar -good would follow. Were Magistrates and
Parish-Lfficers but to do their duty, the excellent •
effects would be speedily seen, and the number of
vagrants and mendicants rapidly decrease. -
Mr. OMMANEY said, from the experience be had
bad, the
,Meeting (would see the iddispensible.ne- •
ce,ssity they were under of treating seamen with,
proper caution. The system of sending them to
13titlewell Was totally inadequate, and Would never
do; and for himself he could-say, be bad there
Seen wretchedness exhibited la the ,strongest And
most awful light. lie,really thought' that there
were sufficient receptacles for seamen already with- _

. ,
out providinff more, and that . every parish was
bound to take.up every vagrant found in it. It
parishes were to do their dipy, and everyman do
his, then would.wc not he required to be drawn
together. Caution should be certainly taken; but
he must' own lie was not inclined for always having
money given. Parish . constables were hound to
do their duty through the day as well as through
the nigla,• for it was well known these-creatures
were suffered to roam ,about 'through day, while
through night they were taken up, and oft
plundered.
Captain FRANKLIN said, from his knowledge. as
a Captain of an Eait Wittman, he was prepared
to speak .a few words on the subject. lie had
seen.these miserable creatures in a situation which
must shock even the stoutest heart, naked and
homeless, friendless and hungry. lie had in
some instances given'some of them'slops, but Ittiw
,was it possible, nay rational, to think that dim
men in that miserable state of- nudity 'could be:
emi.loyea ? Who would engage them ? For tiip;i•%
self he could say, no man was, none could be,
more -disposed than himself to give them assist-
ance ;, and next year lie should certainly' engage
as many of them as he could, in a vessel which he
was just now building. Another question was,
what was to hecome of the old men ? It was im-
possible to think what c mild be done with those
between -forty-five and fifty, as young men were
chiefly wanted, not Only in merchant vessels, but
by Government whenever any fleet or vessel was
fitted out by Government. These, were points
Worthy of some notice, and .certainly of consider-
able tnomeUr.

Captain GORDON, R.N.-Secretary, drew a most
affecting picture of the miseries he had witnessed
among the discharged Seamen .in London. -One
evening he went to one of those miserable places
in St, llotolph, Aldgate, where these creatures
spent the, night. In four small rooms, 14 feet by
IG, he found fourscore wretches in a state, to
describe which was truly impossible. ,He could
discern among them few men, fir they were really
skeletons, Seam'en's skeletons as he could well per-
ceive,. He Epicstioned them about what exertions
they had made to procure a ship, when one and
all expressed with eagerness' their wish to serve,
but 'that from their naked aPpearance no one
would employ them.. Willing to work, they
were alriue prevented from doing so by their
miserable appearance. Nothing he was con-
fident could have induced them to resort to that
place, that nbxious place, but their being reduced,
to the last shift. He might well call it a noxious
.place, for .the smell was intolerable, and the air
Most baneful. That it could not be otherwise
might easily be seen from what he had stated re-
specting the :size of the miserable holes they were
placed in, as those who could pay three-pence a
night were allowed -a bed, that is, allowed to lie
' on an old torn mattress on the floor, without a c 9-,
vet ing ; and those who could only pay two-pence,
were allowed to conic in, but not to lie dow:noxhilg
those who could. not afford that miserable pit-
tance, were debarred from enteting. On his return
from this- miserable place, he found five in the
streets, who had not been fortunate enough tri'l
.raise this two-pence. They %very, standing in the
streets in a cold frosty night; shivering 'in the cold„
while their uncovered limbs .were exposed to all
the severities of the tveather. One of them was
lying with his tongue out, in a very greatleVer.
Numerous were the instances which had occurred
of these brave defenders of their couatry, these
,own who were worthy of a better fate, perishing
froM actual starvation. One was about three
weeks ago found dead, another carried to
St.- George's Hospital, where he died, while a
third yielded up a miserable existence on Green-
wich beach. When such things were thought of,
when such things were known to be facts, it be-
came every man to he active and do his duty.
IVhen a great many of these men were found young
and active, and fit for duty, it became every man
to step forward and use every rxertian to hare
such cases attended to. The cause, in a great
measure; of their ruin, might be attributed to their
being catched when they came on
,shore, by a set
of petty agents, who laid in wait to entrap them;
and their then going tohouses of debauchery, where
they were stript of their all, and left to wretched-
ness and woe.

Mr. STEPuteN defended himself and others who
had been instrumental to ,calling this Meeting,
from the imputation cast .upon them by Mr: Om-
nianey, of having unnecessarily drawn Gentlemen
from their ordinary occupations, to promote an
object which ought to have been effected by Go.;
vernment alone. The individuals who, like him-
self, had seen the expediency of calling the pre
sent Meeting, had not acted hastily, or without
consideration. It was not, in fact, till commu-
nication was bad with his Majesty's Government,
and until, relief without the aid of public bene-
volence was folind impracticable, that the Meet-
ing had been convened ; and•if they had en-
tered mach further into the discussion, in all
probability the delay would have occasion-
ed the death of many unhappy seamen.—lf the
worthy Alderman (Sir James Sham) were cor-
rect, there *as no occasion for private charity, and
they were told that if the Magistrates did their
-duty, there would be no necessity for assailing the
feelings of the public. ,• After the soul-harrowing
scenes which every man must have witnessed, this
was rather an extraordinary declaration from one
of the Magistrates, of London. Why then, be
would ask, had not the Magistrates• done their
duty 1 if the statement of the Hon. Baronet,
• were correct, though the distress had hitherto es-
caped his humane attention; he hoped the Magis-
trates would now, through his means, be so ef-
fectually aroused to a sense of the necessity
Which demanded their exertions, that the Commit-
tee would find from-them a powerful co-operation.
Till their efforts, however, were brought into
-play, the Committee would have sufficient to-de-
mand their attention, and'when theirlabours were
rendered' useless by' thp adoption of more eligible ,
means, be would only say-they would feel happy in
resigning their painful office. He- denied that
there was any adequate
_means of relief for the
class of persons meant to be assisted. It bad not
occurred to the Lord Mayor that-the remedy was
as easy to applied as the Hon. Baronet hail
supposed, flis first expression bad been—he was
ready to subscribe fifty pounds, or more, if that
would be 'or any service. He had consented to

•
grant the use of a room in die Mansion House for
a public Meeting on the subject, and to take the
Chair at such Meeting. He had not thought the
remedy easy, but he had told him (Mr..S.) of the
manlier in which he had. sent away several indivi•
duals -wild he dOubted not,though the Lord Mayo!
'did not tell him that, had been libera.lly assisted
out of his own pocket. He eloquently proceeded
to show, that under'present ciremustances, a subs
scription to relieve distresied seamen was necessary,.
as the Admiralty could dot' legally send money
and clothing to those who might be put oh
board the reeelving,!'ship. Here was a body of
distr.ess that they were called.upon to relieve. By
clothing the unfortunate men they •wished to as-
sist, Much good.would be done. Every shilling
so expended would go to the root of the evil, ae
it would tend to enable them to get employment.
Under these eircumstances, Genzlemen could put
their names down, and if their assistance should
be found unnecessary,, they would 'not be called
upon for their suhs-ctiptions but-at all events, they.
would have the satisfaction -(4lw:swing that fh
one way or another they (rid done something to
soften the unhappy lilt Of those who .were
scribed by the Poet as doomed to
" Beg their bitter bread,
‘"fliro' realms their valour saved."

Sir JAMES SHAW explained. •.
The Loaf, MAYOR next addressed the Meeting-
He observed that he came there •not as tbe•Chief
Magistrate, but.as a citizen and man of feel-
ing, to enter into the relief of his suffering
fellow-creatures. The Honourable and Learned
Gentleman Who, bad just so ably spoken, had.
given a faithful account of the conversation
which passed at the Mansion-house. Though
he was afraid it would draw many mendicants in-
to the metropolis, and thereby do 'much evil,
yet he thought it would do extreme good, and
on that account he should support it. Often in the
Justice Room he was obliged to send an honest
'sailor to Bridewell, because an impostor had just
been in. the Court Room before him: He was
decidedly of opinion that clothing the men would
•do much good, and he could state in a recent iii-
.stance, that he sent down three men to the West 113•••
(ha ddeks, who 'told him they could be engaged if
they were oily clothed. Theyreturned,producina
the most ample testimonies to cbaracter, on Which
,he procured, them crothing, and:they were con-
sequently engaged. He hoped sincerely Govern-
ment would interfere ; but, if they should nog,
then let the Meeting, let the friends of
_humanity
do their duty. F,,r 'his own niirt, he should'do
his utmost, because he considered these gallant
men entitled_ to it from what they did for the
cotintry.

Lord CoCHRANg said, that if the Meeting bad
not been unanimous already, the Anoving scenes
which they, had beard described to-day %Vona
batiiih from their minds every differetice of Opi-
oion.' He' attended the Meeting, in 'order t*
subscribe his humble mite towards the relief of
that misery which was, so general arid so severe-
Subscriptintis for general purposes he never would
approve. What good bad been derived from that_
general Meeting which was held two years ago?
Was there not'atill an" abundance of%misery ? :13"f
he would take leave to ask to what purposes dits
the' Lords of the Admiralty apply the Droits___
the Admiralty ?While they had at their dis:poset
that immense fund, they
gave only an of& hulk for
the use of those men who were the best prtitee.
tion of the libeilies of the country. Many oft"
'British sailors had gone to America, for tho
Americans navigated on cheaper 'terms than the
English, because their taxes were not so severe'
He would ask why there were no 'poor soldiers to
be seen in the streets No—they were well raked'
care of, while the poor sailors were sent adrift.
The Administration .had the means, and it n
tireir (nay to attend to the miseries of The sailors,
.The Committee, be Ishouldcall
ta-ugot,
Admiralty for some part of those funds Which their
bad in their possession, end if they.would do sty"
lie would willingly subscribe 10001. of his l3asque-•
road prizes. It was impossible, he feared, that
private subscription, however liberal, should c%.
tend to the whple of the evil, particularly vvltiie
those fetters remained to impede the prosperitY
of commerce, which were imposed by the sere-.
city of taxation. The Noble Lord said that lte
would yield to the voice of the Meeting,. He ar
prehended that nothing could be done
,witifoult
the co-operation of the Admiralty, and he hope 4
that if a ship were provided, the individnalf
lodged in it might have the liberty, if they chose,
to leave it again. He concluded with subsciihio4
five guineas.

ZACH. M'Aut.Av, Esq. said, that the
ralty had that very day given a pledge of dui
something.
.JAMES STEPHEN, Esq.• repeated what be hall
formerly said about his interview with Lord Mtd-
vine, and the Secretary's letter. lie hopecrtlo
Noble Lord, than whom none was more come
tent to judge, respecting the qualifications of-nrca...
Alen, would lend his ail to the Committee, as lit
could do them an essential service. ‘Vith respect
to soldiers begging, he could say'be had seen. one
who'had been obliged to beg in consequence of
the-reduction of the army.
sore thefts
was no want of attenthm,on part of Govern-,
ment to both soldiers and sailors.
After a few observations from Mr. Siurge, Mr.
Lett; andCapt.Gordon, who observed there wa's
doubt that the subscription for politic relief, two
years ago, had been much impeded by one indi-
vidual, and other unfortunate causes, the , mdtiots
was agreed to unanimously,..and a Committee at).
pointed, consisting of Messrs. Wilberforce, Thbrn-
ton, Aldermen Curtis; Shaw, Atkins and Wood,
the Lord Mayor, Lord Cochrane, &c, with power
to add to their numbers.

A liberal subscription was afterwards entered
into.

Before the Meeting separated, Captain GoRD©N
stated, that Government had 39,000 seamen anti
marines belonging to Greenwich Hospital.
Thanks were then voted to William Wilber-
force, Esq. for his conduct in the Chair, and his
warm attention to the general interests of liw•
la nifty.' •

LONDON: Printea by J. B. CARSTAIRS;of No. 29, Great
Ormond-street,' Queen-squarei and published by IV. A•
SCAiPPS, of No. 7, South 11°1ton-street, at Tliz SUN
61lice, No. 142, Strand; where Orders,
. .
kattcria (postitaitif must In addrulsctl.