That the Select Vestry Act for regulating ers have been rated in an oppressive and unthis parish is opposed to all principles of jus-equal manner to such an expenditure, both tice, and subversive, of the constitution of this wanton and vexatious. 907 997 country; that it has proved bad in practice, and excludes the rate payers from all control over the receipts and expenditure of the parish funds; that a self-elected few appointed for life, with power to fill up vacancies, are auditors of their own accounts, and free from all responsibility, and exclude the many from the enjoyment of their inalienable le right to manage their parochial affairs, That your petitioners view with alarm the present excited state of the parish, and earnestly pray your honourable House to pass into a law a bill brought into your honourable House by Sir John C. Hobhouse, Batt. For the better regulation of Vestries, and for the appointment of auditors of accounts in certain parishes in England and Wales, which bill Will secure to your petitioners their fast and inalienable right to elect Vestrymen and other tered into a detail of facts regarding the Se-parochial officers to manage the expenditure lect Vestry, and also the conduct of Mr. Hem- of the parish funds, and to obtain a re-es- 12 РЯХАТ УАЧ от Я tablishment of peace and concord, so essential should not halloo before they are out of the to the interests of the parish, wood. The Select might make brokers-but teay ad going And your petitioners will ever pray, &c could they get buyers to purchase the property? He Mr. Hibbert) in continuation said, he That was the question. He seconded the fully concurred with the resolution; and he motion, Which was carried unanimously and felt confident the petition would be adopted with cheers. ile bed sout en bas sist unanimously, as it was a declaration that their Mr. BLESLEY moved, That Joseph Home rights had been usurped by a self-elected it-Esq, the independent member for this county in responsible power & vestry, in his opinion, Parliament, be requested to present the fores ought to be governed by a republic (chreefs), going Petition, and to support its praver and and the expenditure should be entirely under Lord King that to the House of Lords. their own control, by which they would pre Mr. MURPHY, in seconding the motion, said vent such shamefully extravagant salaries they had intrusted their petition to the care of being paid and such imprudent outlay of the Gentlemen Whoat he approved of, but he was parish money There would then be no de not partiald to petitioning (hear),-in fact he ception practised by placing police" under objected to it, and preferred the practice of the head of PROFES He did not oppose the ancient times, when the constitutional mode poor-rate-he wished the poor by destition, But by firm Pemonstrance. (Cheers.) of addressing the Legislature was, not by petained, and if the labourer ally as he ought to be there would be no oc- They did not simply ask for a redress of casion When Ass and worn out, for grievances they had arrived at that point bim to beg abo the work house for the paltry when they must act, and that determinedly, Pittance that was, Meekly doted ofit to paupers, manfully, and fearlessly. (Cheers.) He trusted (Cheerin 691 There was pue rate which lie every parish would come forward with a noble Host conscienhoraly, Apposed the Church independence, and loudly proclaim their derate: car aul cheers, The Quakers had termination to repossess the rights which they years ago refused to pay to the support of rich had been deprived of by the infamous Vestry pluralists, and, the Dissenters generally for Bill, and aid the struggle in which they are losed the example, the Church must support eng engaged to effectually destroy the withering itself. (Cheering.) arm of oppression. The petition stated that power of electing that parish had been badly btained a note of 40,000sferies of 42,0004) respousible for the building of a church and chapel, and Of this right they were deprived when corbefore they were built the Select Vestry had ruption was at its height. At that period a expended: 220,0001. (Cries of abominable, khane/) Heucontended, that, as the Vestry Members garchy nominated a majority of the Commons, and that wretch had doug this without the consent of the pa- who rishioners, the Vestry ought to pay the money.bobs name odious to the ears of every He entirely agreed with that part of the bill true Thuishian assisted in this infamous giving annual, elections, and he trusted they invasion of their constitutional rights. Home country would become general all over Cheers.) a singular fact that the in-. believing, as he did, that the republican parts famous Vestry Bill was passed at the very 9our institutions were the most t vaflable u period when the people were petitioning from the constitution (Cheers) bus all parts of the country for a reform in Parlia-29 Mr.CHILDS seconded the resolution. ution. He ment. He had to complain of another atrocious approved of the principle that the people- violation of the liberties of Englishmen. Peel whom they found petigoning in vain should and d others, with the aid of a corrupt House of Ltake the power into their own hands. (Hear.) Commons, had given existence to another sysThis was the last time he would petition. tem more unconstitutional in its character, 20Cheera-ba The Select Yestry are a corrupt and odious in its consequences, than any beds and twenty years ago many of them system which had been adopted for the last were as poor as any there. How had they got three hundred years. He alluded to the pre..their riches and their carriages? By system selit system of military police. If, however, which robbed the Widow and orphan. the parish authorities had done their duty by Hear, hear, and shames The tradesman appointing efficient men to guard our lives was plundered by the tyrants, and if I sudden and property, instead of putting on the watch death were to be the consequence of his resist the old infirin paupers who could not take care would ing such a system of plander he dare of themselves, there never would have been a The causequences. (Bravo, and cheers.) If New Police. (Hear, and "True, true.") All their good were seized and taken to the safe- the evils of the old system of police now existed srooms, he advised the parishioners to fill the under the new. He called the attention of pem soyfull that the auctioneer could not the meeting to the case of two policemen who turn them out, (Hear, and laughter, and cries were charged at Worship-street Office with obtaining 501. from the mother of a prisoner named Jones to forego a prosecution. (Cries of Iufamous villains. It was a most diabolical and the system was beginning to show itself in all its hideous deformity. No bidders.) He had heard that the brokers in the parish had had a meeting, and had determined not to act under the authority 15 of the Vestry (Cheers, and that the Israelites had determined no 2016 i POOR MAN STARVED TO DEATH, of a coroner's inquest, held last Monday evening, on the body of an unfortunate young man, named John Somers, who died on the precedTHE people of St. Pancras, as well as ing Saturday, in the infirmary of the House those of Marybonne, make no complaint conformable to law-they found that Deof Correction. The verdict of the Jury was on the score of the poor-rates, that is to ceased died a natural death, by the visitation say, of the sums which are necessary to of God, brought on by extreme want, in conthe relief of the poor. We see that, in sequence of his having been refused relief by that parish, fourteen thousand pounds in the parish officers of St. George-in-the-East, one year have been collected for church-jury could do more-they have no right to go in the county of Middlesex.' No inquest rates, and that, even after that, the peo- beyond an inquiry into the proximate cause ple have to pay for the pews. We see of dissolution. They found that the man died that one of the clerks employed by their rish officers will be of no avail in the preven from starvation, but their censure on the paSelect Vestry pockets more than two tion of similar catastrophes, unless the subject thousand pounds a year. It is in this be taken up in some higher quarter, wherein way that the far greater part of the the power of redress is vested. The death of money is expended. But, while such a human being-a death so horrible too, extravagance reigns in this respect, let no small matter for reflection. Justice and brought about by slow consuming hunger-is as now see what is done, in some humanity demand that the causes from which parishes particularly, with regard to the such effects spring, he thoroughly and poor, A poor man has lately been promptly investigated. Let us see what are starved to death, in consequence of rethe facts of this distressing occurrence. So mers, fusal of parish relief by the parish offi- was a ship-painter by trade. Being unable who was only twenty-eight,years old, cers of St. George-in-the-East; which to procure employment, and driven to the parish officers, as we shall see, acted very last extremity, he applied to the the recommendation of one and those persons, acting in accordance parish officers of St. George-in-the-East, WALKER, a hired police magistrate in with Mr. Walker's suggestion, refused the Lambeth division. This is a great relief! The wretched man had neither case: this is of far more importance to money nor food-he was without a home, us than it is whether DON MIGUEL OF to the station-house, and craved shelter, but or means of procuring one. At night he went DONNA MARIA sit on the throne of Por- there also he was repulsed-these receptacles tugal. Here is a man who dies for want are not appropriated to the destitute, they reof food in a country where theft is ceive none but the criminal and the disorderly punished with death, but where the law tion, and could not be admitted. The alter -he did not come within either denomina says that there is relief ready in every native flashed across his anxious mind; any perish to relieve a man from the neces- act of crime or violence would entitle him to a sity of thieving. I shall first insert shelter for the night at least. In a state of from the Sunday Times of the 11th desperation he rushed to the nearest shop, dashed his hand through the window, but of September an account of this matter, without any felonious intent, and thus, accom and then another account from the plished his object. He was made prisoner. That Morning Herald of the 13th of Septem-night he rested in the station-house; the next ber. When I have inserted them, I day he was brought before Mr. Walker, at shall, after a few remarks from myself, breaking the window; he did not deny it, but Lambeth-street police office, charged with insert the address of the aforesaid pleaded the facts already described in extenuWALKER; and after that, an answer ation of the offence. The magistrates treated which was given to him, and an excel-it as a case of "wilful damage," and gave leat answer, by Mr. THOMAS SINGLE, churchwarden, of Mile-end. upon (payment of three shillings from a man who him the option either of paying three shillings had not three-pence to give for a meal or a bed!) or to be committed as á 66 rogue and vagabond." The sufferer had no alternative, no choice he was committed, and in what state? We will take the description of those who had no interest in aggravating the facts of this already painfully touching case, namely the Governor of the House of Correction, the Surgeon, and an Assistant in the prison infirmary. There can be no misrepresenta says tion here, their evidence being given on oath, the Tsaines privations ProThat there are too The Governor (Colonel many who so end their wretched existencep The deceased ht to this prison unnoted and uupitied, we have reason to be on the 5th. He was so weak that it was with lieve. The steeled jailer," we are told, “misf difficulty he could he got within the gate-he seldom the friend of mau but here we find a could not walk up the steps of the prison. I poor honest creature seeking aid in vainsfrom) ordered his manity, when committed to prison, and falsely described to be a "rogue!" noite zeta lo ststadi danze, allt of belgus had gil 18:1 much caution as plutes to be taken off with as his natural protectors, and only finding hus possible, and had him placed in the convalescent ward of the infirmary.' A man who could hot walk up the prisone steps" committed to hard, Jabout A But let us see what was the Surgeon's report. He says "I found the deceased in a state of the most deplorable exhaustion, produced by want of food. He was not put on the wheel-he was not able. I ordered him some beefsteal and other restoratives, but they were, then of no avail; he never rallied, his strength was wholly exhausted- he had no particular dis ease. The man literally died from the want of timely sustenauce."; 1919bumas dash Need we add one touch more to this picture ff there be a to St (From the Morning Herald.). DEATH FROM STARVATION, AND ALLEGED! INHUMANITY OF PAROCHIAL OFFICERS On Monday, evening an inquest was holden at the House of Correction, Coldbath-fields sbefore MorBakery and a most respectable Jury, on the remains of John Somers, who died in that prison on Saturday morning, frou extreme debility, brought on by a want of the common necessaries of lifex The Jury, on being em panelled and awern proceeded to the prison dead-house, fo-siew the body of the deceased lamentable spectacle than it presented was reduced to a perfect skeleton, 'that the bones were bovered with skin, but, in many parts, the former were mearly protruding the to the low present case) quest-room from of human sues. so insensible and it would be impossible to cobbelvela more? apathetic, so It In the most disart of very prime of manhood, (must have endured, their duty, ne following evidence was given before the poor frame became reduced to the before the Juryas acerunting for the death his miserable re- of the unfortunate deceased Mr. Henry mained skeptinewed by the warrant Clerk of the prison, one of or commitment of reduced the the magistrales at Lambeth-street, in which the deceased was committed to that jail on the 5th inst, for 14 days imprisonment and exhibited "He never rallied the Surgeon's scriptive phrase, and this way fully borne out by the evidence of the man who attended him in his last moments. In truth he was dying when ordered to hard Every hour brought him nearer toe from sorrow 2310bour as a ros suffering and captivity. He expired' on the fifth day of his confinement The nurse put the cup to his lips, but there was no need of refreshment-the wretch was found to be as Chiarity! wandering vagabond, having abroad, and sleeping in the open alf, and having to visible meats of subsistance, Dor not giving good atcountTM of himself—Me, Chesterton, the governor of the said that he was in the yard on the quite dead aud coenacts requires evening of the 5th rustant, when the deceased to This simple narrative was brought there, He was fucil a de little comment. The dispensers of the public plorable state of wretchedness that is whe contributions are bound, ingst unquestionably, with difficulty:hebcould be got within the f due vigilance in the selection of prison gates and his weakness and debility were proper her objects, so that the fund be not diverted such that he could not walk up the steps that from its legitimate purpose-but they should led to the prison door. THEM. Chesterton) avoid running into the opposite extrenie gave direction that the filthy age in which be We have, on former occasions, expressed pur was elad should be taken off him with as 3 disapprobation of WALKER much case as possible, and that some none at the US be minediately given to Twhich was tended to. Mr. H. Wakefiel, the prison urgebiiy stated that on the 5th the deceased was taken to the conva lescent infirmary of the prison. He was in these helpless mercy of parish officers, we see, in the present case, only one of the results which we ventured to predict. That over strained parsimony, which they and the magis, trates dignify with the name of ecusdistri most emaciated state, and very weak. He thin the number of paupers but it will increase the number of thieves. by had ho, particular disease, but seemed in state of starvation. He administered restor tives du nourishing food but he was so far gooé as to be unable to rally from the state be on Saturday morning, t such means perish. The case of was in and bene Mr. Wakefield) attri poor five o'clock. Somers is not an isolated one. How many birted his death to wait and starvation. others may at this moment he suffering under Thomas Willmore said that he was a prisoner, |