neighbourhood received about 6s. per week; that was the average wages, including lost time. The condition of the poor in general was most painful to witness the privations they endured were incredible. On entering the house of a poor man, a few days since, he found that all that the family had to sit upon was a stone. There were no beds in the house, and the father of the family was without a shirt. On calling a second time, he found the poor woman, who was the mother of the family, pouring cold water upon mouldy bread; and when he gave them a trifle, she thanked him, and said she had been praying all day to God to put it into the heart of some person to give them half a dozen potatoes to keep them from dying.
The evidence of Mr. Nelstrop, the mayor of Stockport,was important. He said:—
"At the latter end of last year the distress of our borough had arrived at such a pitch that the charitable, and those that had it in their power, could no longer stand still and look on without making an effort, at least to mitigate the distress that surrounded them; a public meeting was held, and a subscription entered into, and we raised amongst ourselves, and from gentlemen at a distance, a sum exceeding £4,000. I ought to state that we received a considerable sum from the Manufacturers' Relief Committee, in London. Since then the distress has increased, and none of the mills then standing have been set to work; in fact, there is not the (I had almost said) least possibility, for our poorrates have gone on increasing to such an extent that no man with capital and with a grain of common sense would come to a town like ours where the rates are likely to be this year eight shillings in the pound, almost on the rack rent. In April last, after being in operation thirteen weeks, and the funds were almost exhausted, it was found that we have distributed relief as follows:—Families relieved, 3,143; individuals, 73,314; average weekly income per head, 9d. 2- 10th; relief given in provisions, £208 8s. 10d.; average relief per family, 1s. 3d. 2-3rds.; average relief per head, 3d. 2-3rds; income and relief per head, 1s 26-30ths. That committee have ceased their operations for want of funds, and left on their books 13,161 individuals urgently requiring relief. Since 1836 our poor-rates have gone on increasing to an alarming amount; and, except there be a speedy alteration in things, not only will the working classes be all paupers, but the middle class, whom they are mainly dependent upon, will be paupers also. The reduction of rents of all kinds
