III.] POOR MAN'S FRIEND. 63 



case, except in a case of emergency: it forbids 

 MORE THAN ONE to order relief, except on oath 

 that the complainant has applied to the select vestry 

 (where there is one,) and has been refused relief by 

 it ; and that, in no case, the justice's order shall be 

 for more than a month; and, moreover, that when a 

 poor person shall appeal to justices from a select ves- 

 try, the justices, in ordering relief, or refusing, shall 

 have "regard to the conduct and CHARACTER 

 of the applicant /" 



68. From this Act, one would imagine, that over- 

 seers and justices were looked upon as bein? too soft 

 and yielding' a nature ; too good, too charitable, too 

 liberal to the poor ! In order that the select vestry 

 may have an agent suited to the purposes that the Act 

 manifestly has in view, the Act authorizes the select 

 vestry to appoint what is called an "assistant over- 

 seer," and to give him a salary out of the poor-rates. 

 Such is this Jubilee-Act, one of the last Acts of the 

 Jubilee-reign, that reign, which gave birth to the 

 American war, to Pitt, to Perceval, Ellenborough, 

 Sidmouth. and Castlereagh, to a thousand millions of 

 taxes and another thousand millions of debt: such is 

 the Select Vestry Act ; and this now little trifling 

 village of UPHDSBAND has a Select- Vestry ! Aye, and 

 an " ASSISTANT OVERSEER," too, with a salary of 

 FIFTY POUNDS A YEAR, being, as you will 

 presently see. about a SEVENTH PART OF THE 

 WHOLE OF THE EXPENDITURE ON THE 

 POOR! 



69. The Overseers make out and cause to be print- 

 ed and published, at the end of every four weeks, an 

 account of the disbursements. I have one of these 

 accounts now before me ; and I insert it here, word 

 for word, as follows : 



70. " the disbursements of Mr. T. Child and Mr. 

 C. Church, bread at Is. 2d. per gallon. Sept. 25th, 

 1826. 



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