MISCELLANIES. 
keep them. This the most vir- 
tuous of the poor have to sub- 
mit to; and surely these persons 
could not find fault with being 
put on the same footing as others 
more virtuous than themselves. 
It is the custom of some of the 
parishes iti the city, very opulent 
parishes, and who can afford to 
increase their parochial fund, if 
necessary, in order to save them- 
selves trouble, to farm out their 
poor; and when they are farmed 
out in the suburbs of the city, 
Hoxton or Islington, for instance, 
it has been too often the case 
that the individual who farms the 
poor, has an interest very much 
to his advantage, to permit those 
people to go out; every day they 
go out in the morning, and are 
not at home to breakfast or din- 
ner, nor cost the individual any 
thing. There is no doubt there 
is an understanding between the 
farmers of these poor and the 
poor themselves: and the indi- 
vidual who receives six or seven, 
or eight fshillings a week, for the 
board of these paupers, may give 
them two shillings, and let them 
have the week to beg in: insome 
instances they take lodgings out 
of the district where they are 
farmed, and come home only on 
certain days when they expect 
a muster, and that the parish 
officers will come and look at 
them. 
Do you think if vagrants were 
committed for a longer time than 
seven days, it would have any 
beneficial effect upon them ?— 
No, I do not apprehend that any 
fine or imprisonment, any provi- 
sion for a time, would have the 
effect of entirely meeting the 
599 
evil; it might deter some of them: 
but the advantages arising from 
begging are such a temptation to 
the idle poor, not willing to work, 
that they would sooner be impri- 
soned three months in the year, 
than be deterred from the prac- 
tice of begging the other nine: 
the great evil lies in persons not 
inquiring. ‘Many persons would 
sooner give ten guineas than lose 
ten hours in inquiring into those 
cases. I said once to a gentle- 
man, who had given to a charity 
I didnot believe deserving, ‘*‘ How 
could a gentleman of your infor- 
mation, give to such a charity ?” 
he said, *‘ I had no time to think; 
if I see a few respectable names 
I put my name down.” 
Have you made any observa- 
tions on the state of Sunday 
schools in your neighbourhood ? 
—O yes; there has been a great 
alteration in the moral condition 
of Spitalfields since their esta- 
blishment: the character of the 
poor of Spitalfields is very dif- 
ferent from what it was thirty or 
forty years ago; you never hear 
of any attempt to riot there. IL 
know at one time there were in- 
dividuals sent up from Notting- 
ham, with a view to effect some= 
thing like what they were doing 
there; and that they have been 
more than once excited to riot 
during the last war; and yet that 
they were always very quiet: 
great care is taken of their 
mental and moral improvement. 
And I believe no instance is to 
be found where so multitudinous 
a poor congregate together in so 
small a space, with so little ine 
convenience to their neighbours. 
You have reason to think that 
