Mr. URBAN,

April 16.

THEillage of of King's Kings Stanley, Steley, Glo- Ge cloathing trade, is very populous; but is most pleafantly fituated on the banks of the Stroud canal; and is ciftant from Stroud, to the Weft, about 3 miles, The church is an exceeding neat ftructure, but fmall; it contains no monuments worthy of notice. The admirer of rich prospects will be gratified with the beautiful view from Selfley Hill near the church. The variety of objects which present themselves are fo many, and the scene so diverfified with orchards, fields, and meadows, adjoin ing to the river Severn, that the prospect from hence is the most charming that can be imagined..

Yours,

Mr. URBAN, READ with

W.P-L-w,

July 28.

1 a- mixture of pain and pleafure the accounts tranfmitted to you by Dr. Lettfom, from the truly philanthropic Mr. Neild, of the flate of the prisons; and hope, through their benevolent activity, the abuses will be rectified. But I do not mean to take up your reader's time with my feeble praife. "I was fick and ye visited me, I was in prison and ye came unto me," fpoken at the last awful day of retribution by their Divine Master, will be their promised reward. Mortal eulogium, monument or flatue, to this are poor indeed. Imagination at its utmost firetch can but faintly conceive the transcendant bliss that will be felt at those heart-thrilling accents of our Lord, who will graciously accept as done to himself mercies or kindness to our fellow-creatures. But I think not with more pain of the poor prifoners' futlerings by the unneceffary feverity or extortion of their gaolers, than of the negligence in particular of a body of men who are deputed by God to bring back wandering fheep, and to be reffengers of comfort to the heavyladen, either of fin or afiliction, 1 may fay of both; and are even paid by man

for the latter office. I mean the Clergr, efpecially those who are appointed Chaplains to gaols and hofpitels. Of the latter 1 (peak from my own knowledge; having vifited a poor woman lately in an hofpital near Londoni, I enquired, very minutely of her, how The was treated, whit fees the paid, GENT. MAG. August, 1804.

&c. Of the first she spoke very fatisfactorily. In refpect to the fees, she paid 2s. 9d. for warding, as they call it, which I think goes to the Sifter, (indeed, the gave & fhillings, and, as the change was not offered her, had not courage to ask for it; this probably is generally the cafe); Sixpence to the man (Beadle) for putting her name up at the front of her bed. A halfpenny per day was kept back by the Sifter out of what is allowed on the days they have no meat, in len of it, to pay the nurfes for certain little offices, which all who do not keep their beds do for themfelves, and for those that do keep their beds I should deem it the proper bu finess of the nurses to perform. The night-uurfe had the perquitite of felling hot-rolls in the morning before the retired to rest, and which the patients are expected to buy. The ward is scoured thoroughly every fix weeks, or thereabouts; when those of the patients, whose complaints are not of the kind to prevent their ufing bodily exercife, affift the nurses, which is not to he objected to; but the rest are asked to contribute fomething towards paying them for their trouble, a penny, 20. or perhaps. 3d. All thefe petty expences take from the really poor; and those who are not fo, or who dress as if they were not fo, are not the real objects of charity. I then asked if the Chaplain ever came into the ward; Na, though three or four had died in the ward in the space of time the had been there. I do not fuppofe he would have refused, if requested to have praved by them; but foch poor and too often ignorant people thould be reminded of the care of their fouls: charity of instructing them in that point should be as much fuperior to the care of their bodies, as their fouls are fuperior to their bodies.

to go together.

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It ought undoubtedly When to proper a feafon as that of affliction, to pour-in divine truth and spiritual confolation? The admonitions or ex exhortations pious Minifter might have effect on thofe who are not in a a dangerous flate, or who are convalefcent. It inay be faid, in fo large an insipital, it would be almost impoffible for go through all the wards. In the name of Chrißian chority, let two be appointed. They have a noble fund. The Chaplain has 801. per annum, and a hand

one

a handsome house. An additional one, to allisi sometimes at least, might think "himself paffing rich with 40l. a year," or even 201. as he might have fome small curracy or Sunday duty, beside. Prayers are read in the chapel every morning, at which those patients who can walk about may attend, or they may let it alone. No invitation or perfuafion is used to them. Prayers fometimes read in the ward. At St. Bartholomew's, part of the charge to the Sisters when chofen, is, "Alfo ye shall ufe unto them (the patients) good and honest talk, fuch as may comfort and amend them." I doubt this is not often done by these Sifters, who are, too many of them, fiue drefly ladies. Some liule fuitable tracts might be laid in the wards, to be read occafionally, by the patients or Sifter, to those who were too ill, or unable to read.

At a well-known Infirmary the like fees are paid; and I am forry to hear of the fame negligence in the Chaplain. My fex will not permit my fcrutinizing, except when I go purposely to vifit any poor women. I only beg to offer these hints to fome charitable perfon or perfons among the Governors, who could not be refufed admittance (I do not mean the stated times of visitation, when all are prepared), and who could with-authority enquire into these abuses. I tay nothing of the gratuities given by the patients friends to the nurfes, which, though ultimately a mischieyous practice, as thote who have not friends to give may on that account be tlighted, because I do not know that it can be prevented, whatever prohibition may be of it; though I know that, in the City Lying-in hofpital, the best managed, I believe, of any fuch charitable inftitution, the Nurfes have refuted fuch gratuities, at least some of them. Suffer me here to introduce a jutt tribute of praife to its very excellent prefent Matron, Mrs. Ann Newby.

I have, fince I began this, read the two letters in vour laft Magazine, exculpatory of the London Clergy and others, from the blame of neglecting to vifit the workhoufes and fick poor of their parithes. I certainly do not mean to cali any upon them. I believe many of them ftrictly perforin their duty: I with all did. The ward I visited the poor woman in at the Hofpital was Darcas's. I do not fuppofe the Sifter and quifes of that ward took more fees and, perquitites than the others do; the

Sister looked fuitable to her office, and was, I heard, tender to the patients. But these fees and perquisites are a general, and it may be an increasing evil. I know a few months back a well-inclined young woman died in Charityward, in the fame hofpital, and no one gave her spiritual confolation, or reminded her to request it. She was paid for as a parish-pauper, but that ought to have made no difference. I regret much now that I did not vifit her in the hofpital, as I had done at home in the beginning of her illness; but diftance, bad weather, with other avocations, prevented; and I knew too that feveral of her friends did go to fee her, who were very kind to her respecting her bodily wants.

Yours, &c.

Mr. URBAN,

EUSEBIA,

July 17.

"Judre not, left you be judged."

THE benevolence and humanity of Lettfom must enfure esteem; and certainly the trouble he has taken to meliorate the condition of the labouring poor muft deserve praife, and be grateful to his own feelings; but, in the way of doing good, there is much delicacy required; and while we are zealous in our endeavours to premote an active charity in one particular intiance, we should be careful, in the extenfion of this important Chriftian duty, not to forget the other Chriftian branch of charity to others alfo.

In his Remarks on the Coudition of the Children of our labouring Poor, this worthy medical gentleman has, I think, been too partial in confining his fubject to the great manufacturing towns of this kingdonı, and very particularly fo in his comparative view of the new Lanark Mills and thofe of Holy-well and Manchester.

I have always understood there is great difficulty in the attempt of feparating the caufe of the evil which a state derives from the immorality and the emafculated condition of the poor, from the important benefits which it derives from the increating manufactures carried on by these objects of our speenlation. That the regulation of the morals and the health of the rifing progeny of a fiate, as conducive to induftry and to opulence, demands every attention, it is needless to argue; but let us fee the great diffienlties which our principal manufacturing towns labour under, fuch as Birminghain and Manchetter,

chefter, compared with the less contaminated primitive and more hardy poor connected with the manufactories of Scotland.

From feveral generations past, the manufactories of our great commercial towns have encouraged the molt extenfive employment to the labouring poor; motley groups of individuals from various quarters have been fured to them; the parental fiock in various particulars originally defective in point of flamina, and their progeny of course, unhappily tainted with the fame miffortune; the gleanings of work-houses from the capital, from many parts of the country, have been thrown into these great towns; forsaken children from impure connexions, in whom squalid poverty has laid the foundation of many diforders, and which growing up and fettling in these places have been communicated to a fucceeding race: this evil is therefore not the prefent growth of our large factories. In Scotland, it is but of late years the manufactures have sprung up; the fiamina of their labouring poor is naturally more hardy and lefs corrupted, not having the intercourse of the Southern provinces; and by recruiting confiantly from the fame parental fource, no wonder that the children at the Lanark Mills have been found more healthy than those of the English manufacturing towns.

Although the proprietor of the Lanark Mills may defèrve praife for his attention to the health of the children emploved in his establishment, it does not follow that other gentlemen, eminently fignalized for their enterprifing fpirit, industry, and abilities, owing to the natural advantages of Mr. Dale *, deferve a public expofure and fiigma.

I think Mr. Bott, of Nantwich, in Cheshire, is highly to be commended, for his denial of an entry into his manufactory; and if the vifit of the benevolent Mr. Neild was only to wreft from his mill articles of crimination for an expofure before the public, Mr. Bott has acted very wifely, by the interdiction of curiofity and introfive en

* Inere is no imputati a meant against the char cter of this gentleman on the fuppofition of his being a diffenter of the Church of England: Liberal, indeed, would be a remark of this kind to infer any kind of reproach; but when a panegyrick is derived from party, forme partiality may very naturally be fufpected.

quiry at his own expence; but there are many other reasons which may be fairly alledged for this gentleman's refufal. I am informed, that it frequent ly happens that many perfons, on gaining adinittance to these extenfive manufactories, have fuborned the artifans from their employers, and in various other respects have caused much diforder to the establishment.

By the law of the land, it is ordained that these factories should be opened to the regular and periodical vifits of M gistrates; therefore, by thus expofing the partial evils of these extenfive commercial establishments, which few human undertakings of fuch a vast magnitude can be exempt from, where fuch immense numbers of hands are employed, an oblique reflection is doubtless caft on the judicial administration of the State.

The benevolence and zeal of a patriotic character should recommend itself in a more effectual manner than by publicly praifing one man or fet of men at the expence of others, equally, and in the fullest extent as much deferving. All unemorials for the public good should be circulated through the hands of the civil Magifirate or members of the county where the evil exifts; reforms can thus be more certainly obtained than by innuendo's, which but too generally carry with them the appearance of party confideration, or other interesled motives.

CONSERVATOR.

Fffay on the Cultivation of Oak. By the Rev. R. YATES, F.S. A. Chaplain to his Majesty's Royal Hospital at Chelfra, and Rector of Effa, alias Afhen, in Effex.

(Concluded from page 628.)

THE

HE particular arrangement here recommended may be varied according to any peculiarities of fituation, regard being contiantly had to the general and most important principle of loofening the ground very deep previously to planting the acorns. By this mode of culture, Oaks may be raifed in almost any foil; but, where it is poffible, a loam, or marl, is always to be chofen. Oaks thrive much the best in fuch earth; and, when affifted by deep trenching and judicious pruning, attain in few years to an immenfe fize.

Those who have been accustomed to notice the flow growth and ftunted appearance of Oak trees, when denied the affistance affistance of art, and left to themselves in the common way, would obferve with aftonishment the vigorous and rapid increase of plants under the management now pointed out.

at

The plants thinned out the first three or four years, though not fit to be depended upon for timber, as tranfplanting generally injures very materially the fature growth, may be replanted in the intermediate spaces between the rows, for the purpose of being afterwards removed; or they may be usefully placed in hedges, or other spare and unoccupied fpots of ground. They should be headed dowD the time of tranfplanting, as this operation allifts the process of Nature, in re-producing or remedying any injury the tap-root may have received from the removal: aud, if proper attention be given to loofening the foil for their reception, and pruning them as they advance, in most inftances, an adequate profit will be derived from the labour bestowed upon them. After a few years, the produce of the timberplantation will be found very advantageous. The young trees that are to be removed yearly will always find a ready market for a variety of purposes, unneceffarv here to enumerate. In addition to these advantages, if by this treatment of deep trenching previous to planting, and annual careful pruning during the growth, timber can be produced in about fifty years, of equal quality, and much fuperior in fize, to that which has been above one hundred years growing under improper management, or without the aflitlance of cultivation, it will doubtless be allowed that a most beneficial, if not abfolutely the best poflible method of "railing Oaks," is here pointed out and afcertained.

This method of cultivation may perhaps be thought to occasion so much expence in manual labour as to prevent its being generally adopted. It might perhaps be fufficient to observe, that, if the work be conducted with judgment and economy, the future produce would afford ample returns for all necessary expenditure: it should alfo be recollected, that the previous preparation of the ground, and the fubfequent pruning of the plants, are both to be performed at that feafon of the year when a fearcity of work will enable the planter to obtain affittance upon ealier terms; with this additional advantage alfo, of providing employment for the labourer at

those times when the general fiate of agricultural business renders it difficult for him to find maintenance for himfelf, and family without charitable relief.

In 1750, at Ingesire in Staffordshire, the feat of Lord Chewynd, fome plantations were formed and managed in a great meafure according to the principles here stated; and the growth of the plants was to uncommonly rapid, and to extraordinary, that it could not but attract the notice of all concerned in the conduct of them. The attention to the fubject, then excited, has been the occafion and ground of all the observations and experiments made from that time to the present, the refult of which is given in this paper.

The extenfive plantations of the late Lord Denbigh, at Newnham Padox, in Warwickshire, are well known and much admired. The whole has heen conducted with great judgment. About a square acre has been employed in raising Oaks upon a plan nearly fimilar to that now proposed, and affords the beft and molt con convincing proof of the fuperior utility and efficacy of fuch management. Had the Noble Earl been now living, I should have been enabled to have laid before the Society fome more detailed particulars; that, however, is now impossible; this Paper, therefore, in its present state, may perhaps be thought not altogether unworthy of notice, as tending to forward the liberal designs of the Society, and contributing to the advantage of the Publick, the Author conceiving that the beft method of raising Oaks is afcer tained and stated in it.

Should the Society be in any degree inclined to join in this sentiment, it may perhaps induce them to make some alteration in the terms of their propofal; as, according to the statements, made in this Paper, and indeed from what may be seen in every part of the kingdom, in the character and appearance of Oaks growing without cultivation, it feenis afcertained, that "acorns set with the spade or dibble, without digging or tillage," can never be depended on to form good timber; aud even in the most favourable circum stances of this cafe, the growth will be exceedingly flow and precarious. The L.me may be faid of young plants, previoufly raised in nurseries, and tranfplanted;" for, if the tap-root be cut, broken, or in any degree injured, which