Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1850-09-21
FOREIGN.
rp,,M OUR EUROPEAN CORRESPONDENT.
LONDON, SEPTEMBER S, 1850.

LONDON, SEPTEMBER 5, 1850.
% 9,..t dearth Of foreign and domestic new
rrsxa;5s tho, v,e turn to few minutes considera
bon oT > subiect which, although one of the mos
;nn ov,ant which can, employ the human mind, an,
one which certainly does employ large portion o
the mind of ENGLAND, is one upon which thinking
men most widely disagree; which two morning
paners. side by side on your breakfast table, TAKE
directly opposite views respecting and concerning
which one author Of eininence writes two octave
volumes enforcing certain opinion, whilst the mex
advertisements you cast your eyes upon announces
work by writer of equal celebrity, proving t
demonstration that the contrary opinion is as true
as proposition in Euclid. All this discuss or
arises out of the consideration OF what is called the
Condition of England Question:, and most I'M
portant question it is, not only ~ England, but to
the universal family of civilized Inan; for in what
corner of the globe does not the condition OF Eng
land affect the general happiness and prosperity,
either nationally or individually, of mankind A
Mr.. KAY has written two large volumes to prove
that the condition of England is as to society," most
ricketty and precarious;' THAI wealth is aggre-
eating into large masses in few hands, and that
poor and struggling class, without hope, dissolute
and dangerous, is daily becoming more numerous !;
that six millions are spent annually in relieving the
poor that the streets Of our large cities are filled
with crowds of half-clad, filthy, and degraded chill
dren, and the numerous gin palaces with liquor
sodden wretches :; that there tens of thousands
of children in London who never enter school !;
that in the dwellings of the poor all ages and both
sexes-the sick, the dying, and the. dead-are
herded together with proximity wfich brutes
would resist; that infantcide, vice of modern
growth in England, is increasing with fearful rapi-
dity, and carried on principally with view to pro-
fit; that young children entered into busal clubs,
in order that sums of money may be paid at their
death, poison or slow druggng being the means of
destruction employed. Mr.. KAY shows by figures
that the degree of Decentralization in the large towns
is quite equalled in the rural districts, though it is
in the latter case more scattered and sheltered from
general observation. Thus in Rutlandshire, with
no manufactures, and % inhabitants to every 100
acres of land the ratio of criminals is to 439 in
habitants In Lancashire, nearly covered with
manufactures, and lat inhabitants to every 100
acres of land, the ratio Of criminals is to 500 IN
habiants. The juvenile depraVty of North Lam
cashire is very much surpassed by % counties,
most Of which are agricultural, whilst female crim
naity is, in 10 counties, almost all of which are
agricultural, above the ratio of the most densely
populated manufacturing districts. This statement
OF Mr.. Rays is undoubtedly strong one, and suf-
iciently distressing to contemplate. We will not
say that any part Of it is untrue, but we trust it is
a very one-sided one. What says Mr.. SAMUEL
LAING, who has written very interesting work
" Observations on the Social and Political State of
Europe - He admits the existence of the two
extreme classes Of society in England upon which
Mr.. Kay bases most Of his deductions, but he also
mentions third class, and undoubtedly the most
numerous one, which Mr.. Kay has overlooked-the
densely filled up space between the two extremes,
| comprehending persons of all incomes, earnings,
hoIo he
upper class the lowest above the extreme lower
those who in England fill up the vacuum between the top
and the bottom which exists less all continental
Europe Mr. Laing very Justly says "Where the middle
of the social body is fully occupied with incomes of
sail degrees and where there capital and expen
dure in the hands, there most employment for the
working man. and tendency in his condition rise
above in the scale of earnings ncome and well being
Take few words from Mr.. G. R. PoRrERs very valuable
address before the British Association in Edinburgh in proof
that the working not very slowly rising above Zero
the number Of the comfortable middle classes rapidly
creasing We will first state that according to Mr. Porers
statistics the entire of incomes assessed to the pro-
perry 1912 eel 600, that assessed in ls4s
nearly 957OOO0O0 being increase, during the thirty
years, of nearly e35, 000 1853 per cent?
than per annually This threefod prosperity has
aided materially in the increase of that middle class
which Mr. Kay strangely overlooks Mr.. Porter divides
the persons assessed the income into five classes
Those with incomes between ESQ and e500 per
none below ESQ being assessed to the ax-those from
95OO 1000, between 900 and $4,000, between
900 and 95 0O0 and those above f5, 0O0 Adherng
these divisions Mr. Porter finds that the incomes between
ESQ to e5OO increased from 1912 to ls4s less than
Ella, 700, 900.
Those from 95O0 to Ell 900 no less than 950O0,000
/" $1,000 to f2, 900 no less than 94,OOO,0e0
I" f2, 900 to 95, 900 no less than 94, 100000
&C above to .e5, 900 no less than fs, 775,O0O
Thus the lowest of these classes has increased fifty per
than the highest But it will be necessary, in
order to meet Mr. Kays figures, to go little lower into
cey and search for facts and these the records Of the Savings
banks afford US these institutions being used by the humber
classes The deposites in these banks England, Wales
and Scotland amounted in 1881 l2s 3d. per head upor
the entire population in ls4s they 81 0s Id fo
each individual Again, the Friendly Societies in Grea
Britain in number about IA, 000 and consist of mil
lion six hundred thousand members, with gross annual in
of e. 900, and accumulated capital Of six mil
lion four hundred Thousand pounds. Then there the
rolled Benefit Societies of Great Britain, with capital
nine million pounds, belonging $500, 900 members
Thus whilst the incomeax returns prove that the humble
of the lower middle class has rapidly increased in number
since possesses increased income Of 900 per
num- the condition Of the Savings banks and Friendly
Benefit Societies speaks, in voice which be mis-
understood favor Of the improved habits and betteed
dition Of humber working cases-since those casss