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ADVERTISEMENT.
ADVERTISEMENT.
The following pages were prepared for the sole purpose of forming an introduction to the foreign communications contained in the Appendix to the Poor-Law Report. Their separate publication was not thought of until they had been nearly finished. When it was first suggested to me, I felt it to be objectionable, on account of their glaring imperfections, if considered as forming an independent work, and the impossibility of employing the little time which can be withdrawn from a profession, in the
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STATEMENT OF THE PROVISION FOR THE POOR, AND THE CONDITION OF THE LABOURING CLASSES, IN A CONSIDERABLE PORTION OF AMERICA AND EUROPE.
STATEMENT OF THE PROVISION FOR THE POOR, AND THE CONDITION OF THE LABOURING CLASSES, IN A CONSIDERABLE PORTION OF AMERICA AND EUROPE.
The Commissioners appointed by His Majesty to make a diligent and full Inquiry into the practical operation of the Laws for the relief of the Poor, were restricted by the words of their Commission to England and Wales. As it was obvious, however, that much instruction might be derived from the experience of other countries, the Commissioners were authorized by Viscount Melbourne, then His Majesty’s Principal Secretary of State for the Home Department, to extend the investigation as far as might
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Effects of the foregoing Institutions.
Effects of the foregoing Institutions.
You are requested to state whether the receipt, or the expectation of relief, appears to produce any and what effect, You are also requested to read the accompanying volume [1] , published by the English Poor Law Commissioners, and to state the existence of any similar mal-administration of the charitable funds of the country in which you reside, and what are its effects? You are also requested to forward all the dietaries which you can procure of prisons, workhouses, almshouses and other instit
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AMERICA.
AMERICA.
It may be stated that, with respect to America, a legal provision is made for paupers in every part of the United States from which we have returns, excepting Georgia and Louisiana; and that no such provision exists in Brazil or in Hayti, or, as far as is shown by these returns, in any of the countries originally colonized by Spain. The system in the United States was of course derived from England, and modified in consequence, not only of the local circumstances of the country, but also of the
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NORWAY.
NORWAY.
Consuls Greig and Mygind, the authors of the return from Norway, state, that the— Impotent through age, cripples, and others who cannot subsist themselves, are, in the country districts, billeted or quartered on such of the inhabitants (house and landholders in the parish) as have the means of providing for them. By them they are furnished with clothing and food, and they are in return expected to perform such light services as they can. In the distribution, respect is had to the extent or value
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SWEDEN.
SWEDEN.
The fullest statement of the pauperism of Sweden is to be found in a paper by M. de Hartsmansdorff, the Secretary of State for Ecclesiastical Affairs, (p. 368); an extract from Colonel Forsell’s Swedish Statistics, published in 1833, (p. 375); and Replies to the Commissioners’ Queries from Stockholm, (p. 372), and from Gottenburgh, (p. 384.) M. de Hartsmansdorff states that every parish is bound to support its own poor, and that the fund for that purpose arises from voluntary contribution, (of w
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RUSSIA.
RUSSIA.
A general outline of the provision for the poor in Russia, is contained in the following extracts from Mr. Bligh’s report, (pp. 328, 329, 330). As far as regards those parts of the empire which may most properly be called Russia, it will not be necessary for me to detain your Lordship long, since in them (where in fact by far the greatest portion of the population is to be found), the peasantry, being in a state of slavery, the lords of the soil are induced more by their own interest, than compe
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DENMARK.
DENMARK.
The information respecting Denmark is more complete and derived from more sources than any other return contained in this volume. The Danish poor law is recent. It appears (p. 278) to have originated in 1798, and to have assumed its present form in 1803. The following statement of its principal provisions is principally extracted from Mr. Macgregor’s report (pp. 280, 283, 284-7, 288, 273-285, 289, 290). Each market town , or kiöbstœd, (of which there are 65 in Denmark,) constitutes a separate po
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MECKLENBURG.
MECKLENBURG.
The following passage, at the conclusion of M. Meyen’s report, gives a short summary of the poor laws of Mecklenburg: (p. 424.) Every inhabitant is obliged to pay certain poor rates, with the exception of military men, up to a certain rank, students, clerks in counting-houses and shops, assistant artisans and servants. When the crown lands are let, there is always a clause in the contract, to regulate what the farmer, the dairy farmer, the smith and the shepherd, are to give. A day labourer pays
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PRUSSIA.
PRUSSIA.
There is some difficulty in reconciling Mr. Abercrombie’s report and Mr. Gibsone’s. The following is Mr. Abercrombie’s statement: (pp. 425, 426.) Throughout the whole kingdom of Prussia, the funds for the maintenance and support of the poor are raised from private charity. No law exists enabling either the government of the country, or the subordinate provincial regencies, to raise funds explicitly appropriated for the provision of the poor, and it is only when private charity does not suffice f
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SAXONY.
SAXONY.
But little information has been received from Saxony. Some of the modes in which relief is administered appear, as they are nakedly stated in the Report, to be liable to great abuse. We are told that persons receive from the parishes to which they belong assistance in proportion to their inability to maintain themselves; that a sum is fixed as necessary to support a man, and that if he cannot earn the whole, the difference is given to him as relief; and that with respect to lodging, the parish i
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WURTEMBERG.
WURTEMBERG.
The information respecting Wurtemberg is remarkably full and precise, having been collected with great care by Sir Edward Disbrowe and Mr. Wellesley, assisted by the provincial authorities and the government. The kingdom of Wurtemberg consists of about 8000 square English miles, inhabited by 1,578,000 persons, being about 200 persons to a square mile. It is divided into 64 bailiwicks, which are subdivided into civil communities or parishes, containing each not less than 500 individuals. Each par
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BAVARIA.
BAVARIA.
With respect to the Bavarian institutions we have little information excepting the text of the law. The following extracts will show its general law tendency: (pp. 556, 557, 558, 559, 560, 562, 563.) Each town, market, and village, is to have an institution for the poor; but if several villages wish to unite in forming one of these institutions, it is not only to be permitted, but every facility is to be afforded it. Each provincial district (landgericht) must have an institution of its own. All
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CANTON DE BERNE.
CANTON DE BERNE.
It appears from that return, that the inhabitants of that part of the Canton, which is subject to the laws which we are going to describe, consisted, in 1831, of 321,468 persons, divided into three classes, heimathloses, aubains, and bourgeois. The first class, which appears to be so small as to be inconsiderable, consist of foreign refugees or their descendants. The second comprises all those who have not a right to bourgeoisie in any commune: their number amounted, in 1780, to 3482 persons. It
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HANSEATIC TOWNS.
HANSEATIC TOWNS.
1. Hamburgh. —The situation of Hamburgh, a large commercial town, with a small territory and few manufactures, exposes it to a considerable influx of foreign poor; and the number of charitable establishments appears to have fostered and still to encourage pauperism to an extent exceeding the average of the north of Europe. It appears from the Consul-general’s return, that besides many endowed schools, hospitals, and almshouses, the city possesses a general institution for the poor, supported by
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FRANKFORT ON THE MAIN.
FRANKFORT ON THE MAIN.
The institutions for the relief of the poor in Frankfort do not appear to require much notice. The most striking circumstance mentioned in the report is, that the orphans and deserted children brought up in the public establishments are so carefully and successfully educated, that on an average they turn out better than those merely kept to school and living at home. (p. 567.) Permission to marry is not granted to a person who cannot prove his ability to support a family....
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HOLLAND.
HOLLAND.
As the Canton de Berne appears to be the portion of continental Europe in which the burthen of legal relief is most oppressive, Holland appears to be that in which pauperism, unaided by a legal claim, is the most rapidly advancing. The Appendix contains an official communication from the Dutch government, and answers from His Majesty’s Consul in Amsterdam, to the Commissioners’ questions. The clearest general view of the mode in which relief is administered, is contained in the following extract
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BELGIUM AND FRANCE.
BELGIUM AND FRANCE.
M. Lebau, the Belgian Minister of Justice, has furnished a detailed report on the poor laws of Belgium, together with a considerable number of printed documents. Of the latter, we have printed only the regulations of the schools for the poor in Louvain, and of the out-door relief in Tournay; the laws of August, 1833, respecting the Dépôts de Mendicité; and some statistical papers respecting the relief afforded in different manners in 1833, and in some of the preceding years. The others were too
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BELGIUM.
BELGIUM.
Such was the state of the law respecting purely charitable, and what may be called penal, relief at the time of the establishment of the kingdom of the Netherlands. We have stated these provisions at some length, because they form, with little material alteration, the existing law on the subject in France. No change of any importance appears to have been made by the late Government of the Netherlands, or by the present Belgian Government, with respect to the hospices or the bureaux de bienfaisan
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FRANCE.
FRANCE.
The information contained in this Appendix respecting the poor-laws of France, and their administration, consists of a paper by M. Frederic de Chateauvieux, on the comparative state of the poor in France and England (p. 21); a report by Mr. Majendie, from Normandy (p. 34); and reports by his Majesty’s Consuls from Havre (p. 179), Brest (p. 724), Nantes (p. 171), Bourdeaux (p. 229), Bayonne (p. 260), and Marseilles (p. 185). We have already stated (pp. 117-125) the general outline of the French e
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SARDINIAN STATES.
SARDINIAN STATES.
The information respecting the Sardinian States consists of answers from Piedmont, Genoa, and Savoy, obtained by Sir Augustus Foster from the Minister of the Interior, from M. de Vignet, a Senator of Chambery, from Marquis Brignole Sale, Syndic of Genoa, and from the Marquis Cavour, Syndic of Turin, and his son, Count Camille Cavour. The following extracts comprise their most material contents. (Pages 653, 654, 655, 656, 657, 659, 660, 661, 662.) The general system appears to resemble that of Fr
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VENICE.
VENICE.
Mr. Money’s Report from Venice is so concise that we insert the whole (pp. 663, 634). We cannot perfectly reconcile the statement at the beginning, that there is no compulsory legal provision for the poor; and that at the end, that every commune is bound to support the poor and indigent within its limits. Perhaps Mr. Money uses the word “bound” in a moral, not a legal sense. 1. Is there any compulsory legal provision for the poor in Venice?—None. 2. In what manner are the funds arising from volu
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PORTUGAL AND ITS DEPENDENCIES.
PORTUGAL AND ITS DEPENDENCIES.
The information from Portugal and its dependencies consists of answers from Oporto, the Azores and the Canary Islands, to the Commissioners’ questions. The following extracts show the general state of these countries. (pp. 642, 643, 644, 645, 647, 686, 687.) Although poverty prevails to a great extent in Portugal, still the frugal habits and very limited wants and desires of the lower classes of the population in the northern provinces prevent mendicity from showing itself in those offensive and
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GREECE.
GREECE.
There are two sets of answers from Greece to the Commissioners’ questions. One a general one, by the Secretary of State for the Interior, the other from Patras, by Mr. Crowe, His Majesty’s Consul. It will be seen from the following extracts from the Government report, (pp. 665, 666, 667,) that there are scarcely any charitable institutions. Before the Revolution, two classes of vagrants existed in Greece; of these, one class consisted of those individuals who, having no property of their own, an
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EUROPEAN TURKEY.
EUROPEAN TURKEY.
The only remaining portion of Europe which has furnished answers to the Commissioners’ questions is European Turkey; with respect to which it may be enough to say, that the only charitable institutions mentioned in the return are religious establishments and khans, in which vagrants are allowed to remain a few days, and receive food; and schools attached to the mosques, in which children of every description receive gratuitous instruction in reading and writing....
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ABSENCE OF SURPLUS POPULATION.
ABSENCE OF SURPLUS POPULATION.
One of the most striking circumstances connected with the countries which we have last considered is the accuracy with which the population seems to be regulated with reference to the demand for labour. In the ill-administered parts of England there is in general no approach to any such regulation. That sort of population which, from our familiarity with it, has acquired the technical name of a surplus population, not only continues stagnant in places where its services are no longer required, b
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Agricultural wages in England.
Agricultural wages in England.
Q. 8. Weekly wages, with or without beer or cider, in summer and winter? 254 parishes give an average in summer, with beer or cider, of per week, 10 s. 4¾ d. 522 parishes give an average in summer, without beer or cider, of per week, 10 s. 5½ d. 200 parishes give an average in winter, with beer or cider, of per week, 9 s. 2¼ d. 544 parishes give an average in winter, without beer or cider, of per week, 9 s. 11¾ d. Q. 10. What in the whole might an average labourer, obtaining an average amount of
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Subsistence of agricultural labourers in England.
Subsistence of agricultural labourers in England.
Q. 14. Could such a family subsist on the aggregate earnings of the father, mother, and children; and if so, on what food? We now add a digest of the foreign answers to the corresponding questions, and also to Question 6: “What can women and children under 16, earn per week in summer, in winter, and in harvest, and how employed?” a question as to which the English answers do not admit of tabular statement. We have arranged the answers under seven heads: 1. Wages of artisans; 2. of agricultural l
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DIGEST OF FOREIGN ANSWERS
DIGEST OF FOREIGN ANSWERS
The support of a cottager’s household, consisting of husband, wife, and three children, in the middle part of Sweden, costs yearly about 146⅔ r.d. , according to the prices of last year; the husband being occupied during the whole year, and his wife having enough to do with the care of her children, so that neither she nor her husband can calculate on any additional earnings. The labourer receives 2½ barrels of rye, or in money 16 r.d. 32 sk. ; 1 barrel of corn, 5 r.d. 16 sk. ; half barrel of pe
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DIGEST OF ANSWERS.
DIGEST OF ANSWERS.
[28] These numbers cannot be correct....
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Comparison between the state of the English and Foreign Labouring Classes.
Comparison between the state of the English and Foreign Labouring Classes.
On comparing these statements respecting the wages, subsistence, and mortality of those portions of Continental Europe which have furnished returns with the corresponding statements respecting England, it will be found, that on every point England stands in the most favourable, or nearly the most favourable, position. With respect to money wages, the superiority of the English agricultural labourer is very marked. It may be fairly said that his wages are nearly double the average of agricultural
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