may be recommended by any of the subscribers by petition to the directors, and as shall in their opinion seem worthy. Every petition for relief in distress to be recommended by one or more subscribers, who it is expected will previously inquire into the truth of the case. No person receiving parochial or other alms can be considered a fit object for this charity to relieve. A quarterly general meeting of the subscribers is held at the sign of the Blind Beggar, near Mile-end Turnpike, on the first Saturday in March, June, September, and December, at eight o'clock in the evening precisely, when the accounts of receipts and disbursements for the last three months are laid before them; and the annual account of receipts and disbursements printed, and distributed to the subscribers in the month of March. The directors meet at the above house every Saturday for the dispatch of business; and three attend every day to answer petitions. Subscriptions or donations are received by any of the direc tors or subscribers, at Messrs. Hayward and Turney's Floorcloth Manufactory, 160, Mile-End Road; at Mr. Edward Lind's, 14, Swecting's-alley, Cornhill; at the Crown Tavern, Mile-End and by the collector, Mr. William Rutter, Notting ham-place, Whitechapel. DR. 1811. E.L. GODFREY, Treasurer, in Account with the Society, Ditto of donations Ditto of dividends received Ditto of stock sold, 641. 98. four per cent. consols Ditto collected at a sermon at St. Dunstan's, Stepney 1811. By cash paid for reliefs 708 17 02 Ditto for discharge of prisoners 58 6 35 Ditto for sundries, expenses at sermon, , advertisements, print ing, and other matters Ditto paid collector pouudage for receiving annual subscrip tions in part Ditto balance in the hands of the treasurer 767 3 3 02 54 9 S £858 1 8 Mr. T. STIMSON. Mr. A. DEBOOS.-Mr. R. THOMPSON. Mr. E. L. GODFREY, Treasurer. Mr. J. JONES, Secretary.-Mr. W. RUTTER, Collector. The petitions and other papers may be inspected, and books of the transactions of the Society had, at the office of Mr. Jones, No. 2, Sise-lane, Bucklersbury. The utility of this institution will be evident from the following abstract of the persons and families relieved in the course of last year, from February 1811 to February 1812. 712 persons, having families consisting together of 3001, re- £. s. d. 708 17 0 58 6 3 And since the establishment in March 1803. 532 debtors and 2000 distressed persons having families, in the whole amounting to 10147. 247 Spitalfields Benevolent Society. President, Rev. JOSIAH PRATT, B. D. Minister of Wheler Chapel, Spital Square. THIS Society originated in 1811, from the exertions of a worthy clergyman of the church of England, the Rev. Josiah Pratt; and we notice it with sincere pleasure, as it affords an honourable example to the clergy in general, whose opportunities for doing good, from their peculiar situation, far exceed those of almost any other description of persons.-The following extracts from the first Report of the Society will sufficiently explain its objects and views. With many of the places of worship in this and other parts of the town, are, in consequence, connected benevolent societies for visiting and relieving the distressed and diseased poor, the purpose of ministering to their spiritual as well as their temporal necessities. The Spitalfields Benevolent Society has been formed with the view of aiding in this design, and of calling into action the liberality and the personal exertions of the congregation attending Sir George Wheler's Chapel, Spital Square, and of other persons anxious to benefit the afflicted poor. The money contributed to this object will be distributed under the superintendance and direction of the Rev. Josiah Pratt, whose office, as minister of Sir George Wheler's Chapel, connects him particularly with the interests of this quarter of the town. The cases will be visited as often as circumstances shall require, and such relief administered as shall be deemed expedient. But Christian charity will not limit itself to the temporal necessities of the poor. It will take advantage of that access which the relief of these necessities opens to the heart, to instruct the ignorant, and to warn and counsel those who neglect God. The hours of depression and sorrow will be taken as fit occa sions to point the sufferers to the only durable and solid felicity of man. And, by every kind and prudent method, it will attempt to reclaim the wicked from the error of their way, to instruct the ignorant in the true knowledge of salvation, and to comfort the dejected and the mourner. All success, indeed, must depend on the blessing of God. Many discouragements and disappointments must be expected: but, when Christians have done their duty, they will leave events with God. In acts of this nature, they who have engaged have received abundant encouragement to renew and extend their endeavours, in humble dependance on the grace and blessing of God. The cases chiefly attended to will be those of urgent necessity, and such as are less obvious to parochial and other assistance. The money intrusted by the public will be distributed in the most œconomical and efficacious manner. Reports will be published annually, or more frequently if it shall seem expedient, of the state and progress of the institution. Every subscriber will be entitled to recommend such cases of real distress as come under his observation, in order to their being inquired into. Such recommendations must be sent in writing, either to the treasurer, to one of the stewards, or to a member of the committee. Opulent and benevolent persons, who have it not in their power to pay personal attention to the cases and wants of the poor, are requested to intrust a portion of their substance to this society, as their stewards and almoners. It is well worth the consideration of such persons, that they ensure to their charitable contributions, when distributed through the medium of societies of this nature, a far more just and efficient application than when they bestow them on the representations and importunities of the objects themselves. In this way, doubtless, many real cases are relieved: but many impositions also are practised on benevolent persons, who have neither leisure nor opportunity to investigate the truth of the tale, or unravel the artful misrepresentation. Whereas no relief being administered by such societies, except on personally inspecting the state of the family, imposition can be very rarely practised. The members of the society have no doubt, that if such persons could witness the poverty and ignorance and misery which abound in this quarter of the town, they could not think their charitable fund better employed. The society has distributed in the course of its first year 1041. 4s. 6d. to 107 families, containing 432 individuals, and this relief has been administered at about 850 visits, beside many other visits at which no relief was given. The society intend to establish a female committee. Subscriptions and donations will be received by the Rev. Josiah Pratt, by the treasurer, by either of the stewards, or by any member of the committee. Howard, and the Police of Prisons. IN remarking upon the life of this extraordinary person, we had arrived in our last Number at the publication of his work on Prisons, the earliest of the publications replete with matter of the first interest to humanity, which he bequeathed to mankind. Among the subjects, calling for the indignant complaints of the public, and the vigorous hand of the reformer, to which, in the state and management of our British prisons, he directed the attention of his countrymen, we took notice in our last Number of the condition of prisoners in regard to food. brought forward a number of facts which fully ascertained that want of food is not an accident liable to happen, and possibly now and then, in the multitude of prisoners, realized in here and there an instance. Even this would be sufficiently dreadful. A human being shut up by the magistrate, and left to perish, or suffer any part of the train of calamities which terminate in perishing, by want of food, (when that is no part of his sentence,) is one of the cruellest and most shocking instances of oppression to which it is possible for a human being to be exposed. Were this liable to happen in cases ever so rare, the whole nation ought to be awakened to a sense of the enormous imperfection in this part of the system of govern VOL. 11. 2 L |
