SOCIETY. 



deceaied would gladly take charge of the children, provided 

 they could do fo without effential loi's to themfelves. This 

 regulation would effeftually prevent that lofs ; and to com- 

 penfate in fome degree for the want of parental affeftion, 

 iix-pence per week more is allowed for the maintenance of 

 an orphan, or a family of orphans, than for a child, or a 

 family of children, who ftill retain their mother. If, how- 

 ever, any beings fhould be fo uncommonly unfortunate as 

 not to be thus adopted, the ofScer above-mentioned (hould 

 be obliged to provide a receptacle for them, which he will 

 always be able to do for the fum or fums above-mentioned. 

 8. All children above nine years of age, if in health, fhould, 

 if they have no parents, or their parents are not able to 

 provide for them, be put out after the manner of parifti ap- 

 prentices. 9. All perfons neglefting or refufmg to pay 

 their contribution, (hould be committed to the houfe of 



correftion for the fpace of . 10. If the fund 



fhould at any time fall fhort of the nccefiary demands upon 

 it, the deficiency fhould be made up by a parifh rate, col- 

 lefted in the fame manner as at prefent ; but without any 

 fenfe of obligation on the part of the multitude, (for there 

 would be no poor,) who fliould, in all cafes, receive their 

 relief in the nature of a demand. 11. If the fund (as mofl 

 probably would happen) fhould increafe beyond the necef- 

 fary demands upon it, the furplus (hould, on no occafion, 

 be diverted to any other purpofe than the benefit of the 

 fubfcribers ; but when the price of grain exceeded that 

 which brings it cafily within the reach of the multitude 

 (fuppofe fix fhillings or fix fhillings and fix-pence the Win- 

 cheiler bufhel), every perfon who had three children or more 

 under nine years of age, fhould have a right to demand fuch 

 a fum as, in proportion to the number of his family, would 

 reduce the various neceffary articles of life (taking wheat as 

 the ftandard) to a moderate price ; and, indeed, he thinks, 

 in all cafes, when the price of grain exceeds that propor- 

 tion at which the induftrious labourer can afford to come to 

 market, found policy, as well as common humanity, requires 

 that all large families (hould be entitled to receive fuch a fum 

 as above fpecified, although it fhould be neceffary to coUett 

 a rate for the purpofe. 



He need not perhaps add, that every officer intrufted 

 with money (hould give ample fecurity for his integrity, and 

 the faithful difcharge of his duty ; that due checks (hould 

 be e(tabh(hed to prevent embezzlement ; and that all ac- 

 counts fliould be made up and balanced fo frequently as to 

 prevent the probability of miftakes. And ftill more effec- 

 tually to fecure the complete execution of the plan, it would 

 perhaps be necefiary to appoint a general infpeftor of the 

 funds, who, with the affiftance of a few fubordinate officers, 

 would probably be able to attend the whole kingdom. 



And it is fuppofed by Mr. Donaldfon, that if this plan 

 was carried into execution by the legifiature, it muft in its 

 confequences promote eflentially the well-being of the great 

 body of the people, as well as the interells of thofe con- 

 cerned in the commerce, manufaftures, and agriculture of 

 the country. But though the eftablifhment of friendly or 

 provident focieties has, in numerous inftances, been found 

 produftive of the moft falutary effefts ; and would, if well 

 fupported and countenanced in every part of the kingdom 

 by the contributions of the rich proprietors, render com- 

 pulfory afts of parhament unnecedary ; yet as fuch a 

 mode, however defirable, could probably never be generally 

 adopted, it would certainly be the mofl efTeftual method to 

 have an act of parhament for the purpofe framed on the 

 above principles : without this or fome fimilar regulation, 

 fuch focieties will probably never, he thinks, become fuf- 

 ficiently general to fully anfwer the intention. The great 



beneficial effefts that have refulted from thefe focieties, ii 

 thofe inflances in which they have been eftablifhed in parilhes, 

 have been fhewn in various flatements of them, and fhould 

 promote their adoption in others, which may eafily be done 

 by the principal proprietors in fuch places taking the lead 

 in forwarding fuch inflitutions. In the ufe of all fuch re- 

 gulations, or thofe of any other fimilar kinds, they fhould 

 conflantly be brought forward and well adapted to the 

 ftates, conditions, and circumflances of the fituations, places, 

 and times, in which, and at which, they are employed, in 

 order that the beft effefts may be produced from them. 



Society for propagating the Go/pel in foreign Parts was 

 inflituted by king William III. in 1701, for fecuring a 

 maintenance for an orthodox clergy, and making other pro- 

 vifions for the propagation of the gofpel in the plantations, 

 colonies, faftories, &c. : to that end he incorporated the 

 archbifhops, feveral bi(hops, and others of the nobility, 

 gentry, and clergy, to the number of ninety, into a body, 

 with privilege to purchafe two thoufand pounds a-year in- 

 heritance, and eftates for lives or years, with other goods, 

 to any value. 



They are direfted by their charter to meet yearly, on the 

 third Friday in February, to choofe a prefident, vice-prefi- 

 dent, and other officers ; and the third Friday in every 

 month, to tranfaft bufinefs, depute fit perfons to take fub- 

 fcriptions for the faid ufes, and of all monies fo received to 

 give account to the lord chancellor, &c. Of this fociety 

 there is a Handing committee at St. Paul's Chapter-houfe, 

 who prepare matters for the monthly meeting, which is held 

 at St. Martin's library. They are truflees of Codrington 

 college, in Barbadoes, fupported by plantations in that 

 ifland. 



Society for promoting Chrijiian Knotuledge was begun in 

 1699, by fome perfons of worth, &c. Its original defign 

 was to propagate religion in the plantations, to fecure the 

 pious education of the poor at home, and to reclaim thofe 

 that err in the fundamentals of Chriflianity. 



In the year 1 70 1 , they had procured confiderable chari- 

 ties, and had tranfmitted the fame to the plantations, in 

 libraries, bibles, catechifms, &c. with a voluntary main- 

 tenance for the feveral miniilers to be employed in the 

 plantations. But the fociety for propagating the gofpel in 

 foreign parts being then inftituted, they were incorporated, 

 by charter, into the fame : and thus difcharged, as a par- 

 ticular fociety, from the farther purfuit of that branch of 

 their original defign, which comprehended the appointment 

 and payment of miffionaries, as well as the diftribution of 

 books ; whereupon they wholly turned themfelves to the 

 other, and became very confiderable, by great acceflions 

 from among the clergy and laity. 



The members of the fociety for promoting Chriflian 

 knowledge meet weekly, at the fociety's office in Bartlett's 

 Buildings, Holborn, to concert meafures for raifing charity 

 for the education of poor children, and fetting up fchools 

 for that purpofe ; as alfo for the more regular difpofal of 

 pious books and catechifms, for inftruftion of the ignorant, 

 erroneous, &c. By the affiftance of members of other re- 

 ligious focieties, they have procured fubfcriptions for the 

 education of above three thoufand children, who are placed 

 out in fchools about London, and taught reading, writing, 

 pfalmody, &c. They have difperfed great numbers of books 

 among the poor, in the fleet, army, &c. and have procured 

 feveral to be tranflated into Welfh, and other foreign lan- 

 guages, and difperfed accordingly. This fociety for pro- 

 moting Chriftian knowledge is fupported exclufively by 

 members of the church of England. They have three trea- 



furerst 



