Star.
London, England, 1818-09-18 00:00:00

ABUSE OF CHARITABLE FUNDS.

rUlthirlt 8./TRACTS FROM MR.
PAMPHLET.

Thq following note, in the way of episode, relates
an amusing anecdote :
It is remarkable that the Pollee Committee have complained,
in their Third Benoit, of the same disposition in the Home De-
partment to grasp at patronage not vested in it by law. This
breach of an Act of Parliament; sayithe Report, 'on the part
of the Secretary of State, has produced the result which might
have been anticipated. One of the persons so appointed by Lord
Sidmouth, was a worthless abandoned character, a Jew bail, who
was imprisoned in the King's Bench, and not being able to per-
form his duty, was turned out of his situation ; he is described
by the chief clerk as a man who hired himself out as a fraudulent
ball, and was never known at the office till he came to be sworn
in. Your Committee beg leave to observe, that this interfe-
rence of the Secretary of State is not warranted by the law
which regulates the Police. and will, no doubt, if persevered in,
be attended with the worst effects. Of the four persons netni-
nated by Lord Sidmouth, one declined his appointment, ano-
ther was turned out of the office, and the remaining two were
confirmed in their situations, in defiance of the proper remon-
strance of the Magistrates upon the subject.'
On the venerable Classical Establishments Mr.
Brougham remarks:
Accordingly, we were severely reproved for pushing our in-
quiries into establishments, destined, it was said, for the educa-
tion of the upper classes, while our instructions confined us to
schools for the lower orders. Unfortunately, we no sooner looked
into any of those institutions, than we found that this objec-
tion to our jurisdiction rested upon the very abases which we
were investigating, and not upon the real nature of the founda-
tion : for as often as we examined any establishment, the pro-
ductiot of the charter or statutes proved that it was originally
destined for the education of the *poor. One free school for the
instructing, teaching, maintenance and education of Nos Cush-
ing:4 and Scholars,' says the charter of the Hospital and Free
Grammar-School in the Charter-house. Atispera et indigents:
xi:dares,' say the statutes of Winchester College—' Ununs Col-
kgiuns prepetuuni pauperuns et indigentium schaarius Cantabri-
pa, et qusddam Caesium perpetual,: aliorum pauperism a indigos-
timmsch4ariens Kenna; say the statutes which founded King's
College, Cambridge, and Eton College; and they further require
the scholars to take a solemn oath, that they have not five mares
(31. 65.) a year to spend. The Westminster statutes expressly
prohibit any boy being elected on the foundation, who has, or
at his father's death will inherit a patrimony of above lei.' The
same poverty is the qualification required by the statutes of Tri-
nity College, Cambridge: the scholars are there called patentees,
and in choosing them, where other merits are equal, the pre-
ference is ordered to be given inopis. In choosing the fellows
of St. John's College, a preference is prescribed in favour of the
most deserving, 'et inter ha illis gad indigentiores freeing I for
scholars, the bones are directed to be preferred, and an oath of
poverty, similar to that of F.aton and Winchester, is solemnly
taken. There is no doubt that some other Institutions, as St.
Paul's School, and St. Saviour's in Southwark, were intended
for the rich ; the former by manifest Implication was founded
for them only ; the latter by the,,express terms of the foundation
was meant for rich, and poor indifferently ; but in the original
statutes of the great schools and colleges, as far as we examined
them, there was to be found no-provialon except for the poor.
I presume, however, that I have said enough to justify the
Committee for venturing to consider those great establishments

as within its jurisdiction., But situated as they are in the eyes
of all the world, administered by highly gifted personages, au-
' perintended by visitors of exalted station, it might be deemed su-
perfluous to exercise, with respect to them, the inquisitorial
power which our brstructions gave us.

Now, whether bcnefielally or not, I have no right tit deter-
mine ; but certainly the fact.* that great deviations have beep
made from the osigfnal foundation in all thew venerable es.
talitisbatuut

On the motion of adjournment, Mr. R. Jskortosi
rose, in order to put one or two questions to the
Chair, which appeared to him very materially to
affect both the character and the interests of their
body. They related to that alarming increase id the
number of cases of forgery, which had so powerfully
and naturally engaged the consideration of the pub.
ht.—the sensation, indeed, which it had excited, had
some time since led to the appointment of a commis:
Ma% containing MAWS of high authority, and the
'object of which was to devise the means of More efs

feet tell preventing this offence. Although its pros
ceedings had in some degree incurred the reproach
of nuttiness, he trusted that the persons of whom it
was composed had not been deficient either in vigi-
lance or activity, and that the delay which had taken
place was attributable solely to the difficulties of their
task. Ile doubted not that t ey were deeply impress
sed with the consciousness, that the life of a fellow
creature hung on every hour of their deliberations--
(hear, hear.) It could not be concealed that those
who are defrauded by offence of- this description,
were chiefly persons in the humbler classes of tociety,
persons whose want of education and of ability to
prosecute rendered them the easy subject of depre•
dation. No man who looked at the public ne*spa•
pers could avoid seeing how important it was that
the conduct of the Bank should be fairly understood,
as it respected the mode of conducting their prose•
cations for the forgery of their notes. It was well
known that a practice had been recently adopted of
extending a comparative remission of punishment in
particular cases, by indicting for felony within the
benefit of clergy, and subjecting the offender to
14 years transportation. This was a change of prin,
ciple, and it was desirable that the public mind
should be satisfied as to the manner in which that
change operated, and the nature of the discretion
front which it originated. His object, therefore, in
now addressing himself to their notice, was to call
for explanation upon two points : the first of which
was whether the determination relative to prosecuting
capitally was left in the breast of one individual, of
exercised upon the joint deliberation of the whole
body of Directors? The responsibility attending such
a trust was one of trembling anxiety, for it had been
declared even from the Bench, on a late occasion,
that capital punishment did not appear to have M.
.rninistied the number of offences. The other point
to which he wished to draw their attention was ere
on which it was also necessary that no misunder-
standing should prevail. He was aware that the
agency of those who were employed in the work of
discovering and tracing these offences was initispen.
sable. The information he desired was, whether
the distribution and apportionment of the rewards
bestowed on them were intrusted to the discretion of
an individual, or administered by the deliberate judg-
ment of the Board ?

The Governor, G. DORRIEN, Esti. observed, that
it had been publicly stated in another place, that the
discretion with regard to both the points urged by
the Learned Gentleman, was exercised upon the ful•
lest deliberation by a Committee of Directors sre.
cially appointed for that purpose.
Mr. It. JACKSON declared himself perfectly sari:.
fled with this communication. His only object was

to prevent the public mind from being. misled ; for
there were those who, being unfriendly to their whole
system and institution, were disposed to avail them=
selves of this particular subject, in order to raise a
general prejudice against them. There existed out.
of doors a belief that the increased circulation. of
Bank notes had been productive of a great increase
of the crime of forging and counterfeiting money.
He had no knowledge whether this was or was not
the case ; but the only way of taking a correct view
of the question was by examining. the catalogue of
prosecutions for coining counterfeit money, when a
metallic currency was the circulating medium. if
be might offer a word of advice, he should recom-
mend it strongly to the Directors to act in concerti
with the Home Department, in every rase of this
nature, to obtain a previous knowledgo of its opinion,
and thus relieve themselves of too weighty a respon-
sibility. If he had the honour of a seat among them,
he should constantly urge the necessity of demanding
the interference of the Home Department, so that
every prosecution might have the double sanction a
the Bank and the Government, and might not appear,
as now too many were inclined to think it, the vin-
dictive act of a partial and interested body. Whatever
change should take place in their policy, it was in-
cumbent on them to be firm and unrelated in their
adherence to an uniform system. The science of pc.
lice was perhaps yet in its infancy, and might o::*
day be considered to be of as much dignity-and im-
portance as any other branch of political or
Live study. Till that time should arrive, they were
under the necessity of abiding steadily by one set cf
principles, in order to avoid the hazard of seeing
London converted into a vast academy of crime, and
a deluge of offences and frauds committed which no
law and no exertions would be sufficient to eontrid.
Mr. Youtio observed, that he was anions to press
upon the amnion of the Directors. in whose honiiur and
inanity I;iillaced the fullest confidence, the propriety, with a
i view to diminution of forgery, of withdrawing from ciz...-
lation the one and the two-pound notes.

•
The Grovsfteoa remarked, that this was a subject
for the consideration of the Legislature, and mutt depend an tle
renewal or expiration of the Restriction Act—at the Tame tie e
he might say, that if any objection existed against the res..:. „-
Lion of cash payments, it was not among the flank
that euch,pjnection origivirrd er was case: wined.
The question of adjuurrment r...ts put zuad carried.