ABUSE OF CHARITIES AT HULL.
IF a man hath lived any time in the world, he must have ob- served such notorious abuses of public charities, that he must be 'convinced (with a very few exceptions) that he will do no manner of good by contributing to them." This remark of FIELDING :forms the very appropriate motto to a pamphlet,* just published by Mr. THOMAS WHITE of' Hull, in which the numerous abuses in the management of the public charities of that town are exposed -with useful industry. Those well-paid but unprofitable gentle- men, the Charitable Commissioners, had indeed been over the same ground before him ; but, as usual, their report contains the result of merely superficial inquiries. The Guardians of the Poor of Hull were so much dissatisfied with this report, that they drew up and forwarded to Lord BROUGHAM a petition, in which they humbly pray that his Lordship will be pleased to direct that a further inquiry may be made into the charities, &c. in such a manner as to his Lordship shall seem most expedient and efficient." Lord BROUGHAM, it seems, thought that the " most expedient and efficient " course to pursue, was to refer the matter of the petition to the Commissioners themselves; who, as any person might foretell, threw cold water upon the proposed addi- tional inquiry. They say, that " there are not sufficient grounds stated to induce them to institute any fresh investigation, parti- cularly as they ale engaged in other business : they therefore think themselves obliged to leave the Guardians of the Poor to take such steps as may seem best to themselves." If any reliance is to le placed on Mr. DANIEL WHITTLE HARVEY'S theory of the motives which influence the Commis- sioners in their muse of investigation, the Aldermen of Hull owe • "An Inquiry into the Origin and Management of the Hospitals, Almshouses, and other Charities of Kingston-upon-Hull. Contained in a Letter to our worthy Repre- sentatives, M. D. Hill, Esq. and W. Hutt, Esq. By Thomas White." their exemption from renewed inquiry into their alleged irregula- rities, to the want of those attractions which render Harrowgate, Bath, and Cheltenham so agreeable a resort to gentlemen of re- fined tastes and habits. The deficiencies of the Commissioners, however, have been well supplied by Mr. WHITE in the pamphlet before us ; where a brief history is given of the origin and funds of about twenty charities under the management of the Mayor and Aldermen of Hull. Some of the details are amusing ; while they prove beyond question the gross manner in which the inten- tions of the founders have been perverted.
Thus, Mr. WILLIAM GEE, an Alderman of Hull in 1600, left by will, a massendew (maison-dieu) and six houses, " that ten poor old single women of honest name, having no children to come with them, might dwell therein, and have fourpence a week
paid to them and their successors for ever." This worthy Alder-. man seems to have anticipated that his charitable bequest would get into bad hands ; for he says, in the preamble to his
will-
" Whereas, in the Scriptures, the great God of heaven and earth has willed, by the prophet, to say to ifezekiah to make his will, and put things in order, for that he must die ; so I do now pray and humbly beseech the great and mighty God, to confound and destroy all those liken, lawyers, and others what- soever, to the Devil, to dwell in the pit of hell, who do, or shall do, or take upon them to alter this my will. Amen."
Notwithstanding this fierce imprecation, the property has been let on lease to an Alderman, at a rent of only ten guineas per annum ; and the inmates of the hospital are either married or single, just as it happens, some of them having been formerly servants to the different members of the Corporation. Indeed it may be said generally, that the almshouses and hospitals of Hull arc for the most part occupied by former domestics of Aldermen and Corporate officers. Nay, they were sometimes quartered there during their actual employment in the houses of their masters. Mr. WHITE says- " At one time, several rooms in different hospitals were occupied by Alder- men's servants, of various grades, each leaving the hospital every morning to wait upon his master, and returning to it when his daily labours were over. To such an extent did this system prevail, that one of the Aldermen, not many years ago, had absolutely fire male and female servants quartered in the hospitals, each of them receiving wages reduced in proportion to the sum received front the almshouse in which he or she happened to reside."
One of the principal charities of Hull is the Guild or brother- hood of Trinity House, " founded for the encouragement of ship-
ping and navigation, and for the relief of poor distressed seamen, their widows, and children." The income of this Corporation from various sources is estimated by Mr. WHITE at about 14,0001. per annum. Its members are Ultra Tories, and carefully exclude all of different politics. They are famous for their sumptuous dinners; and in 1832 spent 684/. 15s. 3d. in feasting. They keep a large stock of wine; and a few years ago expended a thousand pounds in the purchase of a pleasure-yacht. The Charity Commissioners, however, report, that "due attention appears to be given by the members of the Corporation in office, for maintaining economy in the application of their revenues ;" and that " there seems no rea- son to believe that the charitable funds under the dispensation of Trinity House would be more beneficially administered under any different method than that which is now and has always been followed." It is plain that the Commissioners, in this as in so many other instances, were completely jockied by the Conservative gormandizers.
Some curious memoranda are given in Mr. WHITE'S pamphlet, of the mode in which a portion of the Trinity House funds were formerly employed in the days of Catholic ascendancy. Four tapers and thirty masses were provided for every deceased brother's soul, with a placebo and a dirge. For the performance of one of the Mysteries so common in those days, the following sums were paid.
" To Noah and his wife, one shilling and sixpence. To Robert Brown, for playing God, sixpence. To the carver, for mending the Trinity, making his crown, setting up, and painting him, &c. eight shillings." Again- " For getting up, and charges of eating a swan, one pound and seven pence."
These were the mummeries of former times. But it seems that when any illustrious guest dines with the brethren at the present day, "three dozen composition dolls, representing Trinity House boys," are furnished as ornaments of the table. Yet, say the Commissioners, it would be difficult to suggest improvements in the mode of dispensing the funds of the Corporation! Much good must necessarily arise from the publication of the results of such searching investigations as the author of this pamphlet has made. One of them, we trust, will be the refusal of any more grants of public money to the present body of Chari- table Commissioners ; who, in Hull at least, appear to have slurred over the performance of their duties in a most discreditable manner.
Previous page
