Part 20

61. Now, pray, observe, that _surgeons_, and particularly those eminent surgeons who frame rules and regulations for great establishments like that of Guy's Hospital, _are competent judges_ of what nature requires in the way of food and of drink. They are, indeed, not only competent judges, but they are the best of judges: they know precisely what is necessary; and having the power to order the proper allowance, they order it. If, then, they make an allowance like that, which we have seen, to a person who is under a regimen for a broken limb; to a person who does _no work_, and who is, nine times out of ten, unable to take any exercise at all, even that of walking about, at least in the open air; if the eminent surgeons of London deem _six shillings and ninepence worth_ of victuals and drink, a week, necessary to such a patient; if they think that _nature calls_ for so much in such a case; what must that man be made of, who can allow to a _working man_, a man fourteen hours every day in the open air, _one shilling and seven pence worth_ of victuals and drink for the week! Let me not however ask what "that _man_" can be made of; for it is a monster and not a man: it is a murderer of men: not a murderer with the knife or the pistol, but with the more cruel instrument of starvation. And yet, such monsters go to _church_ and to _meeting_; aye, and _subscribe_, the base hypocrites, to circulate that Bible which commands _to do as they would be done by_, and which, from the first chapter to the last, menaces them with punishment, if they be hard to the poor, the fatherless, the widow, or the stranger!

62. But, not only is the patient, in a hospital, thus so much more amply fed than the working man; the _prisoners in the jails_; aye, even the _convicted felons_, are fed better, and much better, than the working men now are! Here is a fine "_Old England_;" that country of "roast beef and plumb pudding:" that, as the tax-eaters say it is, "envy of surrounding nations and admiration of the world." Aye; the country WAS all these; but, it is now precisely the reverse of them all. We have just seen that the _honest labouring man_ is allowed 2-5/7_d._ a day; and that will buy him _a pound and a half of good bread a day_, and no more, not a single crumb more. This is all he has. Well enough might the Hampshire Baronet, SIR JOHN POLLEN, lately, at a meeting at Andover, call the labourers "_poor devils_," and say, that they had "_scarcely a rag to cover them_!" A pound and a half of bread a day, and nothing more, and that, too, _to work upon_! Now, then, how fare the prisoners in the jails? Why, if they be CONVICTED FELONS, they are, say the Berkshire jail-regulations, "to have ONLY BREAD and water, _with vegetables_ occasionally from the garden." Here, then, they are already better fed than the honest labouring man. Aye, and this is not all; for, this is only the _week-day_ fare; for, they are to have, "on Sundays, SOME MEAT _and broth_!" Good God! And the honest working man can never, never smell the smell of meat! This is "envy of surrounding nations" with the devil to it! This is a state of things for Burdett to applaud.

63. But we are not even yet come to a sight of the depth of our degradation. These Berkshire jail-regulations make provision for setting the convicted prisoners, in certain cases, TO WORK, and, they say, "if the surgeon think it necessary, the WORKING PRISONERS may be allowed MEAT AND BROTH ON WEEK-DAYS;" and on Sundays, of course! There it is! There is the "envy and admiration!" There is the state to which Mr. Prosperity and Mr. Canning's best Parliament has brought us. There is the result of "_victories_" and prize-money and battles of Waterloo and of English ladies kissing, "Old Blucher." There is the fruit, the natural fruit, of anti-jacobinism and battles on the Serpentine River and jubilees and heaven-born ministers and sinking-funds and "public credit" and army and navy contracts. There is the fruit, the natural, the nearly (but _not quite_) ripe fruit of it all: the CONVICTED FELON is, if he do not work at all, allowed, on week-days, some vegetables in addition to his bread, and, on Sundays, both _meat and broth_; and, if the CONVICTED FELON work, if he be a WORKING convicted felon, he is allowed _meat and broth all the week round_; while, hear it Burdett, thou Berkshire magistrate! hear it, all ye base miscreants who have persecuted men because they sought a reform! The WORKING CONVICTED FELON is allowed _meat and broth every day in the year_, while the WORKING HONEST MAN is allowed _nothing but dry bread_, and of that not half a belly-full! And yet you see the people that seem _surprised_ that _crimes_ increase! Very strange, to be sure; that men should like to _work_ upon meat and broth better than they like to work upon dry bread! No wonder that _new jails_ arise. No wonder that there are now two or three or four or five jails to one county, and that as much is now written upon "_prison discipline_" as upon almost any subject that is going. But, why so good, so generous, to FELONS? The truth is, that they are _not fed too well_; for, to be _starved_ is no part of their sentence; and, here are SURGEONS who have something to say! They know very well that a man may be _murdered_ by keeping necessary food from him. Felons are not apt to lie down and _die quietly_ for want of food. The jails are in _large towns_, where the news of any cruelty soon gets about. So that the felons have many circumstances in their favour. It is in the villages, the recluse villages, where the greatest cruelties are committed.

64. Here, then, in this contrast between the treatment of the WORKING FELON and that of the WORKING HONEST MAN, we have a complete picture of the present state of England; that horrible state, to which, by slow degrees, this once happy country has been brought; and, I should now proceed to show, as I proposed in the first paragraph of this present Number, HOW THERE CAME TO BE SO MUCH POVERTY AND MISERY IN ENGLAND; for, this is the main thing, it being clear, that, if we do not see the real causes of our misery, we shall be very unlikely to adopt any effectual remedy. But, before I enter on this part of my subject, let me _prove_, beyond all possibility of doubt, that what I say relatively to the situation of, and the allowances to, the labourers and their families, IS TRUE. The _cause_ of such situation and allowances I shall show hereafter; but let me first show, by a reference to indubitable facts, that the situation and allowances are such as, or worse than, I have described them. To do this, no way seems to me to be so fair, so likely to be free from error, so likely to produce a suitable impression on the minds of my readers, and so likely to lead to some useful practical result; no way seems to me so well calculated to answer these purposes, as that of taking _the very village, in which, I, at this moment, happen to be_, and to describe, with names and dates, the actual state of its labouring people, as far as that state is connected with steps taken under the poor-laws.

65. This village was in former times a very considerable place, as is manifest from the size of the church as well as from various other circumstances. It is now, as a _church living_, united with an adjoining parish, called VERNON DEAN, which also has its church, at a distance of about three miles from the church of this parish. Both parishes put together now contain only _eleven hundred_, and a few odd, inhabitants, men, women, children, and all; and yet, the _great tithes_ are supposed to be worth _two or three thousand pounds a year_, and the _small tithes_ about _six hundred pounds a year_. Formerly, before the event which is called "THE REFORMATION," there were _two Roman Catholic priests_ living at the parsonage houses in these two parishes. They could not marry, and could, therefore have no wives and families to keep out of the tithes; and, WITH PART OF THOSE TITHES, THEY, AS THE LAW PROVIDED, MAINTAINED THE POOR OF THESE TWO PARISHES; and, the canons of the church commanded them to distribute the portion to the poor and the stranger, "_with their own hands_, in _humility_ and _mercy_."

66. This, as to church and poor, was the state of these villages, in the "_dark ages_" of "_Romish superstition_." What! No poor-laws? No poor-rates? What horribly _unenlightened_ times! No _select vestries_? Dark ages indeed! But, how stands these matters now? Why, the two parishes are moulded into _one church living_. Then the GREAT TITHES (amounting to two or three thousand a year) belong to some part of the _Chapter_ (as they call it) of Salisbury. The Chapter leases them out, as they would a house or a farm, and they are now rented by JOHN KING, who is one of this happy nation's greatest and oldest _pensioners_. So that, _away go_ the great tithes, not leaving a single wheat-ear to be spent in the parish. The SMALL TITHES belong to a VICAR, who is one FISHER, a _nephew of the late bishop of Salisbury_, who has not resided here for a long while; and who has a curate, named JOHN GALE, who being the son of a little farmer and shop-keeper at BURBAGE in Wiltshire, was, by a parson of the name of BAILEY (very _well known and remembered_ in these parts), put to school; and, in the fulness of time, became a _curate_. So that, _away go_ also the small tithes (amounting to about 500_l._ or 600_l._ a year); and, out of the large church revenues; or, rather, large church-_and-poor_ revenues, of these two parishes; out of the whole of them, there remains only the amount of the curate, Mr. JOHN GALE'S, salary, which does not, perhaps, exceed seventy or a hundred pounds, and a part of which, at any rate, I dare say, he does not expend in these parishes: _away goes_, I say, all the rest of the small tithes, leaving not so much as a mess of milk or a dozen of eggs, much less a tithe-pig, to be consumed in the parish.

67. As to _the poor_, the parishes continue to be _in two_; so that I am to be considered as speaking of the parish of UPHUSBAND only. You are aware, that, amongst the last of the acts of the famous JUBILEE-REIGN, was an act to enable parishes to establish SELECT VESTRIES; and one of these vestries now exists in this parish. And now, let me explain to you the nature and tendency of this Jubilee-Act. Before this Act was passed, _overseers of the poor had full authority to grant relief at their discretion_. Pray mark that. Then again, before this Act was passed, _any one justice of the peace might, on complaint of any poor person, order relief_. Mark that. A select vestry is _to consist of the most considerable rate-payers_. Mark that. Then, mark these things: this Jubilee-Act _forbids the overseer to grant any relief other than such as shall be ordered by the select vestry_: it forbids ONE _justice_ to order relief, in any 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 vestry, 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 _overseers_ and _justices_ were looked upon as being 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 overseer_," 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 UPHUSBAND _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 _printed_ 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 1_s._ 2_d._ per gallon. Sept. 25th, 1826.

WIDOWS.

L. s. d. L. s. d. Blake, Ann 0 8 0 Bray, Mary 0 8 0 Cook, Ann 0 7 6 Clark, Mary 0 10 0 Gilbert, Hannah 0 8 0 Marshall, Sarah 0 10 0 Smith, Mary 0 8 0 Westrip, Jane 0 8 0 Withers, Ann 0 8 0 Dance, Susan 0 8 0 --------- 4 3 6

BASTARDS.

---- ---- 0 7 0 ---- ---- 0 6 0 ---- ---- 0 7 0 ---- ---- 0 6 0 ---- ---- 2 children 0 12 0 ---- ---- 2 children 0 12 0 ---- ---- - 10 0 ---- ---- - 8 0 ---- ---- - 6 0 ---- ---- - 8 0 ---- ---- - 8 0 ---- ---- - 6 0 ---- ---- - 6 0 ---- ---- - 6 0 ---------- 5 8 0

OLD MEN.

Blake, John 0 16 0 Cannon, John 0 14 0 Cummins, Peter 0 16 0 Hopgood, John 0 16 0 Holden, William 0 6 0 Marshall, Charles 0 16 0 Nutley, George 0 7 0 --------- 4 11 0

FAMILIES.

Bowley, Mary 0 4 0 Baverstock, Elizabeth, 2 children 0 9 4 Cook, Levi 5 children 0 5 4 Kingston, John 6 ditto 0 10 0 Knight, John 6 ditto 0 10 0 Newman, David 5 ditto 0 5 4 Pain, Robert 5 ditto 0 5 4 Synea, William 6 ditto 0 10 0 Smith, Sarah (Moses) 1 ditto 0 4 8 Studman, Sarah 2 ditto 0 9 4 White, Joseph 8 ditto 0 19 4 Wise, William 6 ditto 0 10 0 Waldren, Job 5 ditto 0 5 4 Noyce, M. Batt, 7do. 6 weeks' pay 1 2 0 --------- 6 10 0

EXTRA IN THIS MONTH.

Thomas Farmer, ill 3 days 0 4 0 Levi Cook, ill 4 weeks and 1 day 1 13 4 Joseph White's child, 6 weeks 0 7 0 Jane Westrip's rent 0 2 0 William Fisher, 1 month ill 1 12 0 Paid boy, 2 days ill 0 0 8 James Orchard, ill 1 0 2 James Orchard's daughter, ill 0 8 0 Adders and Sparrows 0 2 3-1/2 Wicks for Carriage 0 1 0 Paid Mary Hinton 0 4 0 Joseph Farmer, ill 3 days 0 2 9 Thomas Cummins 0 6 0 Samuel Day, and son, ill 0 8 2 --------- 6 11 4

Total amount for the 4 weeks 27 3 10-1/2

71. Under the head of "WIDOWS" are, generally, old women wholly unable to work; and that of "OLD MEN" are men past all labour: in some of the instances _lodging places_, in very poor and wretched houses, are found these old people, and, in other instances, they have the bare money; and, observe, that money is FOR FOUR WEEKS! Gracious God! Have we had no mothers ourselves! Were we not born of woman! Shall we not feel then for the poor widow who, in her old age, is doomed to exist on two shillings a week, or threepence halfpenny a day, and to find herself _clothes_ and washing and fuel and bedding out of that! And, the poor old men, the very happiest of whom gets, you see, less than 7_d._ a day, at the end of 70 or 80 years of a life, all but six of which have been years of labour! I have thought it right to put _blanks_ instead of the names, under the _second head_. Men of less rigid morality, and less free from all illicit intercourse, than the members of the Select Vestry of Uphusband, would, instead of the word "_bastard_," have used the more amiable one of "_love-child_;" and, it may not be wholly improper to ask these rigid moralists, whether they be aware, that they are guilty of LIBEL, aye, of real criminal libel, in causing these poor girls' names to be _printed_ and _published_ in this way. Let them remember, that the greater the truth the greater the libel; and, let them remember, that the mothers and the children too, may have _memories_! But, it is under the head of "FAMILIES" that we see that which is most worthy of our attention. Observe, that _eight shillings a week_ is _the wages_ for a day labourer in the village. And, you see, it is only when there are _more than four children_ that the family is allowed anything at all. "LEVI COOK," for instance, has _five children_, and he receives allowance for _one_ child. "JOSEPH WHITE" has _eight children_, and he receives allowance for _four_. There are three widows under this head; but, it is where there is _a man_, the father of the family, that we ought to look with attention; and here we find, that nothing at all is allowed to a family of a man, a wife, and _four children_, beyond the bare eight shillings a week of wages; and this is even worse than the allowance which I contrasted with that of the hospital patients and convicted felons; for there I supposed the family to consist of a man, his wife and _three children_. If I am told, that the farmers, that the occupiers of houses and land, are _so poor_ that they cannot do more for their wretched work-people and neighbours; then I answer and say, What a selfish, what a dastardly wretch is he, who is not ready to do all he can to change this disgraceful, this horrible state of things!

72. But, at any rate, is the salary of the "ASSISTANT OVERSEER" necessary? Cannot that be dispensed with? Must he have as much as _all the widows_, or _all the old men_? And his salary, together with the charge for _printing_ and other his various expenses, will come to a great deal more _than go to all the widows and old men too_! Why not, then, do without him, and double the allowance to these poor old women, or poor old men, who have spent their strength in raising crops in the parish? I went to see with my own eyes some of the "_parish houses_," as they are called; that is to say, the places where the select vestry put the poor people into to live. Never did my eyes before alight on such scenes of wretchedness! There was one place, about 18 feet long and 10 wide, in which I found the wife of ISAAC HOLDEN, which, when all were at home, had to contain _nineteen persons_; and into which, I solemnly declare, I would not put 19 pigs, even if well-bedded with straw. Another place was shown me by JOB WALDRON'S daughter; another by Thomas Carey's wife. The _bare ground_, and that in holes too, was the floor in both these places. The windows broken, and the holes stuffed with rags, or covered with rotten bits of board. Great openings in the walls, parts of which were fallen down, and the places stopped with hurdles and straw. The thatch rotten, the chimneys leaning, the doors but bits of doors, the sleeping holes shocking both to sight and smell; and, indeed, every-thing seeming to say: "_These_ are the abodes of wretchedness, which, to be believed possible, must be seen and felt: _these_ are the abodes of the descendants of those amongst whom _beef_, _pork_, _mutton_ and _veal_ were the food of the poorer sort; to _this are come, at last_, the descendants of those common people of England, who, FORTESCUE tells us, were clothed throughout in good woollens, whose bedding, and other furniture in their houses, were of wool, and that in great store, and who were well provided with all sorts of household goods, every one having all things that conduce to make life easy and happy!"

73. I have now, my friends of Preston, amply proved, that what I have stated relative to the present state of, and allowances to, the labourers is TRUE. And now we are to do all we can to remove the evil; for, removed the evil must be, or England must be sunk for ages; and, never will the evil be removed, until its causes, remote as well as near, be all clearly ascertained. With my best wishes for the health and happiness of you all,

I remain, Your faithful friend, and most obedient servant, WM. COBBETT.

THE END.

Footnotes:

[1] 4s. 6d. English, equal to one dollar.

[2] 2d. English, equal to four cents, nearly.

[3] The above items may be converted into United States' money by reckoning 4s. 6d. to the dollar: Thus As 4_s._ 6_d._ : 1 dollar :: 11_l._ 7_s._ 2_d._ : 50 dollars 48 cents.

[4] To convert these sums into United States' money, see page 16.

[5] All the calculations in this work, it must be remembered, are in English money but may be turned into United States' money as before directed, page 16.

[6] Be sure, now, _before you go any further_, to go to the end of the book, and there read about MANGLE WURZLE. Be _sure_ to do this. And there read also about COBBETT'S CORN. Be sure to do this before you go any further.

[7] To me the following has happened within the last year. A young man, in the country, had agreed to be my servant; but it was found _that he could not milk_; and the bargain was set aside. About a month afterwards a young man, who said he was _a farmer's son_, and who came from Herefordshire, offered himself to me at Kensington. "_Can you milk?_" He could not; but _would learn_! Ay, but in the learning, he might _dry up my cows_! What a shame to the _parents_ of these young men! Both of them were in _want of employment_. The latter had come more than a hundred miles in _search of work_; and here he was left to hunger still, and to be exposed to all sorts of ills, because he _could not milk_.

[8] London

[9] The father of the present Sir Robert Peel, who gained his fortune as a cotton weaver by the help of machinery.

[10] Editors of the London Times Newspaper.

* * * * *

Transcriber's note:

Text in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_).

Footnote marker 4 is not in the original text.

Some quotation marks are not matched in the original. Obvious errors have been silently matched, while those requiring interpretation have been left unmatched.