The Statesman.
London, England, 1812-06-15 00:00:00

The Committee, in proceediug to slate the considerations and
views which led to the formation of the present AS4KiatiOn.
think it neeessary to premise, that it never wit, ies igine4 that
any Subaeription which it would be possible to iaise iti the Me-
tropolis, could be adequate to supply the wtt..ts of nil *lime In
the various manufacturing dialects of this kingdom. who might
require assistance. Mut Finely inability to reheat the whole of
any given measure of distress, can nee. r he admitted as a suffi-
cient reason for not affording relief to the utmost amount in w bleb
it eau possibly be administered. And. to the Witmer of oar
country men in the present day, the . greatness of any distress has
commonly had the effeet of quickening their zeal, tied suilentaing
thesis to increiaedexeritots, Instead of mush% them to sit down
in hopeless inaelictit, withuut any attempt to alleviate the evil,
if they could not hope entirety to remove it. The distress which
now prevails in mail populous districts. the Association could
not therefore witness with bidilli•reere. taste without making an
effort at least to relieve it. And ti.e
pessuntled, that the liberality of 'this puidie judiciously applied,
,tseh plans as shall lie locally adepted, may produce
esti...sive and heisebeial elects in supplying the wants, nod dimi-
nishme the sefferiegs of their fellow subjects, door g the present
ten.porary pressure.
First, Under t hese impressions, the Association most anxiously
recommends, as a measute of pointers importance, the forming
of 1,:e..1 Associatioes for the relief of the Poor in she menu-
facturiag towns and districts is w Itich they slave not already
been instituted. In most ..f our great anaunfoeturing towns
such lestitutions have probably beets already formed; hut
whoa owe it vemers gearrally known Mit an A.sociatinn has
been set on f In the Metropolis for the purpose of aiding
or-cede's...ours of tins local plans of a similar nature. curls lo-
cal Associations w ill probahls make place in districts. iu w hies,
without the hope of some more effectual means of relief th
they possess within themselves', the attempt might be deemed
impla, iieahle.
&treat tire the advantages which may be expected to result
from establishing a friendly correspondence anl coimection be-
tween the General and Local Associations. It is evident, In.
deed, that, without such cn-operatimi l.me London Associatinn,
aii w ever liberally supported, could administer but a very limit-
ed isseeure of relief to the necessities which have called Berth its
ester] atas.
It Is not, however, mertle by augmenting the fends of the
Local infoitutions, that the Getwral Association tube he of use
to them. It may he highly serviceable, by cominaiiic:r tax to
them us. fel infortnation susgestiensi: while every Iti•tro4,•4
sauna :eturing dist, ict will Liam th st bitch an Association ass
beep form• d, to whirls it may state its sacrists, and which will
at least endeavour to lessen their amoutr.
Aginit—W • ile the Institution formed ia the Metropolis will
become the general depository for the &nisei iptions of all ths'it's
however widely dispersed in rein of residence, who mar wish
to coutrihute towards she teller of their stiffening corsairs men,
the Local Association: will be hest quhlified is relieve the local
distresses of their sercrol dittrirts, ttt, merely from being bet-
ter actitmissted w ith their vat in tastes nad habits, but atm* he-
eause„ from knowing the eliarueters tied catistu. t of families
rind Witivitltsal,.. they tv ill be Wee to direct their chief intention
to the more iudiettiows and deserving members of the commits-
But the advantages, however great and miners s, which sue
likely to result from the fortnatioa of Lneal.AlMl4:l4ll/1111,aire at
the same ' •so obvious as nut to require a detailed enumera-
tive. The Committee there, me will only Slarl.lhat while they
earnestly. solkii the public esteuuragemeut and views% of this In-
stitution, dies are warmly k•:it online, to impress the itece:-ity
of establishing Local liatiouthous for supplying the local wows
of the atanufactering t'onr.
Secondly, Ass increase of the quantity of our national stock of.
subsistence, and inereasedfrugultts in the cousumptin„ of it. are,
an an grounds,the most effectual expedients which can be re-
sorted-to for relieving the pubtieneeemities. Under this persua-
sion, it *di Ise nee of the Coma Utile', best and principal elide/t-
-wins, to augment, if possible. the sunsuit of aational provisions
by the import:eine of rice and any other attainable articles of
subsistence. Mute especially, it appears to the Committee,
that by availing thins clew oldie resources afforded by our do-
mestic fisheries, the vomits: of palatable Lind nutritious food
may be Merest:ed. Oa this head, inked, the Corniiiiitiebuve
the wild:sake' of being able 10 tome, that measures have been
already taken for securing; far tke the of the manuticturing
pour in the Metropolis, a considerable quantity of escelical fish.
which, from the fear u(nnt boding a sale, would am otherwise
be brought to any. market.
Economy in using the weenier subsistence which we at pre-
sent possess. is, an object of such supreme importance, that the
Co undue, cannot too strongly recommend to tilt persons of an-
therity and influence. to cousider and adopt the most effectual
I methods for pry:noting it. More particularly, they feel it their
duty to suggest, that the most essential benefits would result
I (ruin a voluntary agreement in the higher and more affluent
elames of the community, to lessen to the utmost their consump-
tion of any articles which constitute the sulois:ence of the tipsier
orders of the people. in some or the di-tressed districts, barley,
and Still mere itenerolly outs, are the ordinary toed of the bulk
of the population, and, by limiting as much as possible the con-
sumption of the latter article by horses, au immense amount of
rovisions might be preserved for the use of snails This,som-
paidd of a voluntary agreement is no new idea. An Asseciati tttt
of a similar nature, it will be remembered, was generally en•
tered into. derhig the last scarcity, and besides the laassui.„m
which it affordeil, that the higher classes sympathised with the
distresses of the lower, it produced nu mean °esteem:llion of
the gerseral stock of subsistence. The. Committee condos. their
proposal to the opulent wily. but they are satisfied that its effects
would lie eveutuads eatelidedtoevery branch of the ttttt ;nue tv.
'Thirdly. It cannot be necessary for the Committee in enter
taigaialy into particulars as to the best methods lir assistieg the
distressed. Under the varying circumstances of diffeieut dis-
tricts, different 'nodes may to, mast udvis able. Much, of s masts..
soot here -b lett to the intelligence and prudence tut the Lutist
Associations: for instance—ln some distriris it has been stated,
that the Poer are In want of poetises for seed—ln others. that I
living pawned their wearing apparel for mooch km than its real
value. they was" be greatly benefited, at a moderate ex-peace,
by being enabled to redrew it. In souse (rises, it may be must
haos,,bls 1., purchase Amasses articles by wholesale, and to re-
tail them at reduced ewes. Bat the Committee, IR throwing
out thislitst aisagestions 'feel I; their duty to odd, that it should
scarctlyerer ba aiffiptcds wicia4si rye cue atariides which an