Actual State of the British Empire. 159 



economical and prudential habits. If I may presume to men- 

 tion the result of my own experience amongst the poor, which 

 is not inconsiderable, I should say, that the most remarkable 

 and uniform feature by which they are characterized is their 

 reckless and incorrigible improvidence ; — their total inattention 

 to the casualties of futurity. Speaking on sober calculation, 

 I do not believe that any reflection on the existence or aboli- 

 tion of the poor-laws would, in any important point, influence 

 the conduct of a poor man in one case out of a thousand. 

 Dr. Johnson's jocular account of the matter is, I believe, after 

 all, pretty near the truth. ** I am already as poor as I can 

 be," (a young man says to himself,) " I cannot possibly be any 

 worse, and so Fll even take Jenny." I would not, however, 

 omit any justifiable means of augmenting and extending the 

 preventive check; for though a system of emigration should, 

 be organized, complete in ail its provisions, yet before this 

 dernier expedient is resorted to, much previous suffering will 

 always be endured. The suggestions of our townsman, Mr, 

 Henry Booth, on this point, are highly deserving of attention* 

 The necessity of restraining from such marriages as do not 

 afford a reasonable prospect of providing for a family, ought, 

 he thinks, to be inculcated by every practicable means, as a 

 moral duty of the first class. He would have it enforced 

 from the pulpit, and from the press ; by private remonstrance, 

 and public exhortations. None of these means, perhaps, 

 ought to be rejected ; but from none of them is any consider- 

 able effect to be expected. They must be estimated at a very 

 small amount in any public or legislative measure which may 

 hereafter be adopted. 



The support actually awarded to the poor, though enormous 

 in its aggregate amount, is barely sufficient to preserve them 

 from immediate starvation. I use the expression immediate 

 starvation, because it is not sufficient to prevent them from 

 perishing by that lingering and imperceptible decline, which 

 is frequently induced by excessive privations. Besides this 

 scanty allowance, there is no other alternative but the work- 

 house ; and their horror of both is so great, that, with respect 

 to prospective influence, an entire abolition of parish relief 

 ■would scarcely act upon their minds with any additional force. 



