276 ON THE STATE OF IRELAND. [BOOK III. 



SECTION XVI. 



MEASURES FOR THE RELIEF OF THE POOR. 



WE now come to measures of direct relief for the poor. 

 The English Poor Law Act of the forty-third of Eliza- 

 beth requires that provision should be made " for setting 

 to work the children of all such, whose parents shall not, 

 by the churchwardens and overseers, or the greater part 

 of them, be thought able to keep and maintain their chil- 

 dren ; and also for setting to work all such persons, mar- 

 ried or unmarried, having no means to maintain them, and 

 using no ordinary and daily trade of life to get their living 

 by," and for "the necessary relief of the lame, impotent, old, 

 blind, and such other being poor and not able to work." 



The Poor Law Act for Scotland, after reciting f( that 

 charitie wald that the poor, aged, and impotent persons 

 should be as necessarily provided as the vagabonds and 

 strang beggars repressed, and that the aged, impotent, 

 and poor people should have lodging and abiding-places 

 throughout the realm to settle themselves intil," empowers 

 certain persons to "tax and stent the hail inhabitants 

 within the parish, according to the estimation of their 

 substance, without exception of persons, to sic weekly 

 charge and contribution as shall be thought expedient and 

 sufficient to sustain the saids poor people." 



The law as to the poor in England is universally carried 

 into effect by local assessments ; but not in Scotland, for 

 the poor there are in general supported by voluntary con- 



