88 



POOR. 



I'our. 



Assembly 

 reports in 

 Scotland. 



sterling; entailing a burden yearly of above 16 shil- 

 lings per head on the whole population of England 

 and Wales. 



These reports were also connected with, and one of 

 them embraced a view of the state of the poor in Scot- 

 land. The Earl of Hardwicke, chairman of the com- 

 mittee of the House of Lords, and Mr. Sturges Bourne, 

 chairman of the committee of the House of Commons, 

 on the subject of the poor, had severally addressed let- 

 ters of inquiry to the Moderator of the General Assem- 

 bly of the Church of Scotland, which were delivered 

 at one of their sessions in 1817 ; and notwithstanding 

 the doubt expressed by a Right Hon. elder, how far 

 it became the dignity of the Assembly as the Supreme 

 Ecclesiastical Court in Scotland, to take any steps in 

 answer to these letters, a committee was named with 

 instructions to inquire and report. That committee se- 

 lected a few of their number to whom this business 

 was delegated, and who met every evening at the 

 house of Sir Henry Moncreiff Well wood, the convener; 

 and, under his able direction, with the use of reports 

 on the subject in the hands of the Hon. T. F. Kennedy 

 of Dunure, M.P. and the personal assistance of Dr. 

 Singer, a report was made up in the columnar form, 

 containing most of the particulars wanted, along with 

 the population in 1811, and embracing about one hun- 

 dred parishes out of the various districts of Scotland, 

 which "report was delivered in, within about a week 

 after its commencement. This first attempt was high- 

 ly approved of; and the Assembly reappointed their 

 committee, the very reverend Principal Baird to be 

 convener, with instructions to extend their inquiries 

 throughout Scotland. Queries were framed for this 

 purpose, and returns obtained in 1818 from above seven 

 hundred parishes, the result of which was embodied 

 in the report made up and submitted by the convener 

 in 1818, and soon after published. A vast mass of 

 useful and valuable information was thus obtained, 

 which occupied Principal Baird's willing and patient 

 attention for several months in digesting ; but owing 

 to the multiplicity of the reports, and the great extent 

 of matter embraced in them, with other circumstances, 

 a very considerable number of errors appeared in the 

 first edition in 1818, and it became necessary for the 

 subsequent assembly to recall the committee's attention 

 to the whole report, that it might appear in a more 

 correct state. After all, this report, though it may be 

 capable of farther improvement, will be an interesting 

 work as it now stands to future ages. Some very in- 

 teresting facts were established from these reports, 

 compared with other sources of information. The 

 regular poor in Scotland are only about one in the 

 hundred of the population ; the persons incidentally 

 assisted are nearly two in the hundred, including extra 

 provision after unpropitious years; and the sums ap- 

 plied in aid of the whole, (in number about 30,000,) 

 somewhat exceed a hundred thousand pounds, of which 

 above two-tenths are collected at the church doors, 

 about five-tenths consist of accumulated funds and vo- 

 luntary grants by heritors and others; and not quite 

 three-tenths are assessed, though this mode of provi- 

 sion is now adopted in above 150 parishes. The pro- 

 portional supplies for each of the regular poor in the 

 assessed parishes towards the borders, (now in the 

 course of reduction) cannot be stated at present above 

 5; in the central districts JE3; and in the remote 

 northern and Highland districts not much above l, 

 at an average, not including incidental supplies or 

 emergencies only, nor the sums collected by common 



Poor. 



beggars. In the cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow, 

 the regular poor are not very far from one in the hun- 

 dred, but the incidental lists rise to three or four in 

 the hundred according to circumstances, and the rate 

 of expence for each of the regular poor may be stated 

 somewhere about 8, and each of the others about 3. 

 Most of the Scottish poor do somewhat for their own 

 support; and those on the lists of incidental supplies 

 are merely assisted with small occasional grants in aid 

 of their own efforts. 



The state of the poor in France became a national State of 

 object during the time of the Revolution; but there, the poor 

 as well as in Italy, there is no compulsory provision; in ^ rance - 

 mendicity is allowed to a great extent ; there is a 

 want of employment in winter; and though much at- 

 tention is given to promote and apply the public chari- 

 ties in France, the numbers of poor are considered as 

 rising to one-fifteenth of the population in rural parts, 

 to one-tenth in the towns, and to one-seventh in Paris, 

 the capital. It is believed also that one-third of the 

 burials in that city are at the public expence. It is 

 impossible to ascertain the precise numbers and state 

 of the poor in those nations where servitude still at- 

 taches them to the soil, devolving the burden of their 

 support almost wholly on the will and humanity of 

 their lords ; and the same remark applies to countries 

 in which slavery still remains. 



With respect to the state of the poor in Ireland, 

 and also to their vast numbers, every report as to 

 both is melancholy indeed. In the labours of agri- 

 culture they have little encouragement, being so ex- 

 tremely depressed under the system of holding, which 

 entails on them enormous rents, and also by the tithe- 

 system, that sweeps away a great part of the produce. 

 In manufacturing industry, and in commerce, though 

 they have partly succeeded in some branches, yet in 

 others they have not been much encouraged. Capital 

 is wanting ; and owing to habits of riot and insubordi- 

 nation, few men of capital are willing to embark it 

 among the people of Ireland. The great mass of the 

 lower classes is in abject poverty; and their numbers 

 are far more than the proportion in any country yet 

 mentioned, or perhaps in any country whatever. 



It would be vain to attempt to construct a good sys- Principles 

 tern of providing for the poor without a proper basis of of poor'* 

 facts and principles. The facts above detailed are in- laws 

 teresting and valuable; but the more important part 

 of this article still remains, to state the legitimate prin- 

 ciples of provision for the poor, and of administering to 

 their necessities. 



In order to provide for the wants of the poor, it is Legislativ* 

 commonly necessary to have recourse to the highest measures, 

 authority, that of the legislature; and this authority 

 may be exercised in two ways, in removing obstacles 

 to full and free employment, associated with habits of 

 industry and economy, or in making some positive 

 provision for their support out of specific means and 

 funds. The latter mode is what occurs generally as 

 the first and readiest, though it requires a degree of 

 prudence and delicacy which few laws have yet attain- 

 ed. The former is the more correct and effectual 

 mode, as it not only serves the poor in the way most 

 grateful to their feelings, and most consonant with 

 good principles and habits, but also tends to prevent 

 the increase of poverty in the community. It may be 

 proper to notice a third way, that of setting loose the 

 poor on the community as common beggars, in order 

 to extort alms by importunity, or by other methods 

 less or more nefarious, but all tending to propagate 



