any interference, and enables each to act with energy and decision. The names of the committees are, 1. A Committee of Accounts, to consist of three members; 2. A Committee of Election, to consist of one member from each ward of the city, and from each of the adjoining districts and townships; 3. A Library Committee, to consist of five members, for the purchase of books on the various branches of public economy, &c. ; 4. A Com mittee of the Poor Laws, to consist of twelve members, for examining the present system, suggesting alterations and improvements, &c. ; 5. A Committee on Public Prisons, to consist of twelve members, for reporting improvements in the employment and maintenance of convicts, the manage ment of prisons, &c. ; 6. A Committee on Domestic Economy, to consist of twelve members, to report improvements in the saving of fuel, diet, and clothing, &c.; 7. A Committee on the Suppression of Vice and Immorality, to consist of twelve members, for examining the existing laws, and reporting such improvements therein as may be calculated to suppress tippling houses, and useless taverns, preserve the Sabbath from violation, and promote sobriety, virtue, and industry; 8. A Committee on Public Schools, to consist of twelve members, for ascertaining whether the laws establishing public schools are properly administered, and to report improvements in the mode of educating the poor.

last, having appointed a committee, consisting of fifty-eight persons, (with power to add to their number,) and subscribed the sum of 250.-the gentlemen nominated met the next day at the King's Head Tavern in the Poultry, for the purpose of arranging a plan for carrying into immediate effect the intention of the meeting, which was to clear the metropolis of the destitute and diseased persons in the garb of seamen, who appeared in the streets and environs.

As these persons were known to be numerous, the Committee were desirous of engaging premises for temporary offices, in some convenient place; but, on the very first day of their meeting, so great was the throng, and so urgent the distress of the poor people, that every other consideration gave way to that of affording them relief in the shortest possible time; and therefore, as Mr Bleaden liberally consented to allow the Committee to occupy the requisite number of rooms, on very moderate terms, (although he was exposed to serious inconvenience by the number of miserable objects who, for several days, rendered his house almost inaccessible) the committee have continued to transact their business at his tavern.

Many gentlemen having offered themselves as members of the Committee, (which has at length increased to the number of seventy) it was judged expedient to divide and apportion the duties to be performed, among them; and accordingly the following subcommittees were immediately formed

ty House, and Masters of Merchant Ships,) to whom was entrusted the selection of such of the poor people as were really seamen in distress.

3d. A Finance Committee; to receive subscriptions, audit accounts, and make payments.

4th. A Shipping Committee; (consisting chiefly of nautical men) who undertook to attend to the embarking and making arrangements for the men on board the receiving ships; for which ships application was made to the Lords of the Admiralty.

5th. A Clothing and Provision Committee.

6th.-A Committee of Disposal. By this arrangement, the inconveni ence caused by the press of gentlemen offering their assistance and advice, was as much as possible obviated; and those duties were assigned to them respectively, which, from circumstances, they were most competent or willing to perform.

In a few days it was found practicable to consolidate these sub-committees into three, viz. :

Examining, Shipping, and Finance; By whom, under the direction of the general Committee, the operations of the charity has since been conducted.

Such was the forlorn and destitute condition of the poor people who flocked for relief, that the Committee deemed it a most fortunate circumstance, that, on the first day of their meeting, they were able to engage room in a house belonging to Mrs Hayes, of Newington, in which 200 could be received, and sheltered from the weather.

The London Workhouse also adImitted 100 of the men.

In both these places, their immediate wants were attended to.

While these measures were in progress, application was made to the Lords of the Admiralty for receiving

vessels, to be moored in convenient stations on the river; who granted the request without the delay of an hour.

It had been a very general belief, that a great proportion of the persons appearing in the streets as distressed seamen, were not really so, but had assumed that garb, the better to excite compassion; but, either the idea was without foundation, or the impostors were deterred from making their appearance, by the rigid scrutiny of the Examining Committee; the fact being, that very few men have presented themselves, who have not served at sea; and the far greater part of them on board ships of war.

The examination of the men has been very strict, and conducted by certain rules, whereby the committee have been enabled to obtain a registry of the age; place of birth; height; date of service, and on board of what ships; date of discharge, and qualifications of each man. By a reference to this registry, any one of the men may be identified upon any future occasion.

As the applicants, in the course of the first few days, exceeded by some hundreds the number for whom it was possible to provide lodging, without incurring considerable hazard, not only to themselves, but also to the public health, (a very large proportion being sick or diseased), it was deemed advisable to admit into the general depot such only as were free from infectious disorders, giving those for whom such accommodation could not (from those considerations) be immediately made, or for whom admittance into the hospitals could not be obtained, a daily supply of bread and money, until fit places could be procured for their reception.

In as short a time as it was possible to get the Dromedary prepared for their accommodation, the sick men were lodged on board her, under the care

of Dr Robertson, and the necessary assistants.

Such is a brief outline of the proceedings of the Committee.-They purposely abstain from entering into the minor details of the measures adopted by them to guard against the application of the funds to the relief of other objects than those for whom the subscription was entered into :—or the influx of distressed seamen from other parts of the kingdom. They have also been cautious not to increase the ex

isting evil (which appears in a great measure to have been the consequence of a temporary superabundance of seamen) by the adoption of measures for obtaining immediate engagements for these poor men in vessels outwardbound to the exclusion of other seamen, who might thereby have been exposed to difficulty in obtaining employment.

The general result of the proceedings, which the public benevolence has thus enabled the committee to adopt, are as follows: 1230 men have been received on board of the seven vessels granted by the Admiralty for that purpose, and supplied with necessary clothing. Of these,

349 have been disposed of in the navy, in the merchants' service, or otherwise provided for ; and many others are expected to be provided with ships in a few days. 162 are on board the Dromedary, appropriated exclusively to the sick; of whom 61 are serious

cases.

3 have been sent on shore for misconduct.

5 have died.

711 remain on board the receiving ships (besides the 162 sick.)

The Committee have great satisfaction in stating, that it appears from the report of the Examining Committee, who daily visit the receiving ships, that the men are in general clean ;as comfortable as circumstances will admit; and, with very few exceptions, grateful.

The expense of victualling each man is about 5d. per day.

A liberal issue has been made of soap, razors, combs, brushes, &c.; and, besides an additional quantity of clothing, each man has a blanket given to him on joining a ship.

The establishment of officers on board each ship, consists of a commander, mate, and clerk; and the warrant officers of the ship remain on board to assist in preserving discipline.

The average expence of this establishment, including table-money to officers, is 17s. 10d. per day for each ship.

The expense of the medical department is about 17. 12s. per day.

1230

to the Lords of the Admiralty, for vessels, stores, and medicines; to which

attention they feel that the success of their exertions in speedily relieving the distress of the unfortunate objects of their care, is very materially to be attributed. The committee have also received 300 suits of clothing, from the Secretary of State for the Home Department.

Employment.

A certain number of gentlemen have undertaken to superintend the employment of the seamen, and the Admiralty has given directions to the navy board to supply a quantity of junk, to be made into points, gaskets, &c.

The solicitude to be useful, (which has been strikingly manifested by the attention of the nautical members of the committee) has been confined to no particular class or sect. And the Committee have not been unmindful of the moral improvement of the menthe Rev. James Rudge, A. M. and Mr Maule, have repeatedly performed divine service on board the several receiving ships-Bibles have been distributed and the general conduct of the men during divine service has been most exemplary.-Dr Blake, R. N. and Dr Rankin, of the Hon. E.I.C.S. have gratuitously contributed their medical aid.

The Committee, considering that the objects for which they have been ap. pointed will have been effected by the 14th of this month, have given notice, that after that day, no application for relief will be attended to, except from such seamen as shall be actually diseased or disabled from labour by age, bodily defect, or infirmity.

The Committee consider it of importance that the public should be informed of their having prolonged the period of their examinations to the above date, in order to afford an opportunity to every proper object with. in the metropolis, of becoming an ap

plicant for the benefits of the charity, (of whom very few have lately presented themselves ;) and that therefore such as continue to infest the streets of Westminster, and places at a distance, from the immediate operations of the Committee, may, generally speaking, if not always, be deemed impos

tors.

The Committee desire in conclusion, to express a hope, that the means adopted by them, (due allowance being made for the little time allowed for deliberation,) are such as the public will approve. They can assure the subscribers that never was charity bestowed upon objects of greater interest, or by whom it was more wanted, or more gratefully acknowledged; and, for themselves, the Committee can with truth add, never was their time employed more to the gratification of the best feelings of their nature.

The Committee of Finance report, that the total amount of subscriptions received by the treasurer is 11,9384. 14s. 10d.

The monthly expenditure of the establishment is about 1000%. exclusive of clothes, bedding, and ship chandlery.

As soon after the 14th current as the Committee shall be able to ascertain the number of individuals composing the various classes described by their arrangement, they will report, for the information of subscribers, the measures proposed for the ultimate disposal of the whole remaining on board.

J. E. GORDON, Hon. Sec.

EDINBURGH INSTITUTION, FOR THE EDUCATION OF DEAF AND DUMB CHILDREN. ESTABLISHED JUNE 25th, 1810.

IN laying before the Public a general view of the progress of this Institution during the past year, the Com

mittee feel themselves authorised to declare their conviction, that it is the most important year in its history.

It was the anxious desire of its founders, to impart to it the character of a National Establishment. Accordingly, at the first meeting, 28th May 1810, it was resolved that application should be made to Members of Parliament connected with Scotland, to the Counties and Corporate Bodies, and to the Clergy, for their aid and exertions on behalf of this Institution," which is for the general benefit of Scotland, and it is therefore expected will meet the support of the country at large."

These liberal and enlightened views of its founders were not speedily realized. For some years, the support it received was confined, almost exclusively, to the capital. Indeed, its claim to a national character was permitted even to operate to its prejudice. It will be remembered, that in the distribution of the large funds collected in 1815 by the Musical Festival, the Institution for the Deaf and Dumb was excluded, expressly on the ground that it was not one of the charitable Establishments of Edinburgh, for which alone their funds were destined, but a National Establishment.

At length it occurred to the Committee, that public support was withheld from the Institution, only because the blessings it was calculated to confer were imperfectly understood. This impression was brought to the test of experiment. In 1814, Mr Kinniburgh went to Glasgow with a few of his pupils, who underwent two examinations in public, in presence of crowded meetings of the inhabitants. The success of this experiment is fresh in the recollection of the public. An Auxiliary Society was immediately formed in Glasgow; by the aid of whose contributions a considerable number of additional pupils have ever

VOL. XI. PART II.

since received the benefits of instruction in the Institution.

Encouraged by the successful issue of the exhibition at Glasgow, the Committee informed the last General Meeting, of their intention to make the Institution known, by similar means, to the northern districts of Scotland. In the autumn of 1817, accordingly, Mr Kinniburgh, and a few of his pupils, were sent to the north. His first public examination was at Dundee; whence he proceeded along the coast to Aberdeen and Inverness, and returned by Perth. He exhibited the progress of his pupils at every considerable town upon this route; and these exhibitions every where excited the most lively interest. Many gratifying testimonies of the general feeling of applause and admiration which they called forth, might be extracted from the provincial newspapers. The teacher was every where hailed, as a person whose exertions had been blessed, as the means of restoring children to their families, and citizens to society, and servants to their God.

The whole results of this journey cannot yet be stated. But it is known, that meetings have been held at Dundee, Aberdeen, Elgin, Inverness and Perth, for the purpose of forming Auxiliary Societies in aid of the Parent Institution. It is hoped, that this example will be followed in other towns; and that the benefits of the Institution will at length be claimed by every part of the country, where a deaf and dumb person can be found. If the Committee shall be satisfied that this object can be promoted, by repeating the examination of the pupils in the provincial towns which they have already visited, or in exhibiting their progress where the Institution is hitherto unknown, they will not fail to resort to these measures. In the mean time, they are sincerely gratified to be enabled to re