A

PROPOSAL

FOR

Giving Badges to the Beggars in all the parishes of Dublin.

By the Dean of St. Patrick's.

Written in the Year 1737.

IT hath been a general complaint, that the poor-house (especially fince the new conftitution by act of parliament) hath been of no benefit to this city, for the ease of which it was wholly intended. I had the honour to be a member of it many years before it was new modelled by the legislature; not from any perfonal regard, but merely as one of the two deans, who are of courfe put into most commiffions that relate to the city; and I have likewife the honour to have been left out of feveral commiffions upon the score of party, in which my predeceffors, time out of mind, have always been members.

The first commiffion was made up of about fifty perfons, which were, the lord mayor, aldermen, and theriffs, and fome few other

citizens ;

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citizens; the judges, the two archbishops, the two deans of the city, and one or two more gentlemen. And I must confefs my opinion, that the diffolving the old commiffion, and establishing a new one of near three times the number, have been the great cause of rendering fo good a defign not only useless, but a grievance, instead of a benefit, to the city. In the prefent commiffion all the city clergy are included, befides a great number of 'fquires, not only those who refide in Dublin and the neighbourhood, but feveral, who live at a great distance, and cannot poffibly have the least concern for the advantage of the city.

At the few general meetings that I have attended fince the new establishment, I observed very little was done, except one or two acts of extreme juftice, which I then thought might as well have been spared: and I have found the court of affiftants ufually taken up in little wrangles about coachmen, or adjusting accounts of meal and small beer; which, however neceffary, might fometimes have given place to matters of much greater moment, I mean fome schemes recommended to the general board, for anfwering the chief ends in erecting and establishing fuch a poor houfe; and endowing it with fo confiderable a revenue: and the principal end I take to have been that of maintaining the poor and orphans of the city, where the parishes are not able to do it; and clearing the streets from all ftrollers, foreigners, and fturdy beggars,

with which, to the univerfal complaint and admiration, Dublin is more infested since the eftablishment of the poor-houfe, than it was ever known to be fince its first erection.

As the whole fund for fupporting this hofpital is raised only from the inhabitants of the city; fo there can be hardly any thing more abfurd than to fee it mifemployed in maintaining foreign beggars, and bastards, or orphans of farmers, whofe country landlords never contributed one fhilling towards their fupport. I would engage, that half this revenue, if employed with common care, and no very great degree of common honefty, would maintain all the real objects of charity in this city, except a small number of original poor in every parish, who might, without being burthenfome to the parifhoners, find a tolerable fupport.

I have, for fome years past, applied myself to several lord mayors, and the late archbi fhop of Dublin, for a remedy to this evil of foreign beggars; and they all appeared ready to receive a very plain propofal, I mean that of badging the original poor of every parish, who begged in the streets; that the faid beggars fhould be confined to their own parishes; that they fhould wear their badges well fown upon one of their fhoulders, always vifible, on pain of being whipped and turned out of town; or whatever legal punishment may be thought proper and effectual. But, by the wrong way of thinking in fome clergymen, and the difference of others, this method was E

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perpetually defeated, to their own continual difquiet, which they do not ill deferve; and if the grievance affected only them, it would be of lefs confequence; because the remedy is in their own power: but all street-walkers and fhop-keepers bear an equal share in its hourly vexation.

I never heard more than one objection against this expedient of badging the poor. and confining their walks to their several parithes. The objection was this: What shall we do with the foreign beggars? must they be left to starve? I anfwered, No: but they must be driven or whipped out of town; and let the next country parifh do as they please, or rather, after the practice in England, fend them from one parish to another, until they reach their own homes. By the old laws of England ftill in force, every parish is bound to maintain its own poor; and the matter is of no fuch confequence in this point as fome would make it, whether a country parish be rich or poor. In the remoter and poorer parifhes of the kingdom all neceffaries for life proper for poor people are comparatively cheaper; I mean butter-milk, oat-meal, potatoes, and other vegetables; and every farmer or cottager, who is not himself a beggar, can fometimes fpare a fup or a morsel, not worth the fourth part of a farthing, to an indigent neighbour of his own parish, who is difabled from work. A beggar, native of the parish, is known to the 'fquire, to the church minifter, to the popish príeft, or the conven

ticle teacher, as well as to every farmer: he hath generally fome relations able to live, and contribute fomething to his maintenance. None of which advantages can be reasonably expected on a removal to places where he is altogether unknown. If he be not quite maimed, he and his trull, and litter of brats (if he has any) may get half their support by doing fome kind of work in their power, and thereby be less burthenfome to the people. In fhort, all neceffaries of life grow in the country, and not in cities, and are cheaper where they grow; nor is it equitable that beggars fhould put us to the charge of giving them victuals, and the carriage too.

But, when the fpirit of wandering takes him, attended by his females and their equipage of children, he becomes a nuisance to the whole country: he and his female are thieves, and teach the trade of stealing to their brood at four years old; and, if his infirmities be counterfeit, it is dangerous for a fingle perfon unarmed to meet him on the road. He wanders from one county to another, but still with a view to this town, whither he arrives at last, and enjoys all the privileges of a Dublin beggar.

I do not wonder, that the country 'fquires fhould be very willing to fend up their colonies; but why the city fhould be content to receive them, is beyond my imagination.

If the city were obliged. by their charter, to maintain a thousand beggars, they could