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.
£. s. d. £. 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
---- ---- 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
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
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