Societies for the Sick-Hofpitals.-1. Royal Hofpital, near Kilmainham, for ancient and maimed officers and foldiers of the army in Ireland.—2. Royal Military Infirmary.-3. The Charitable Infirmary.-4. Dr. Stevens's General Hospital for 300 patients.-5. Mercer's Hofpital for the fick poor, containing about 50 beds.-6. Hofpital for Incurables, containing 60, clothed, fed, and fupplied with nurses and medical attendance.-7. St. Patrick's Hospital, founded by Dean Swift, for lunatics and ideots.-8. Hofpital for poor lying-in women. 9. The Meath Hofpital-10. Weftmoreland Lock Hospital.-11. Fever Hospital. This inftitution embraces two objects; the immediate removal of the diseased person from his own dwelling-place, and the adoption of measures for counteracting the progrefs of infection in the habitations of the poor. The hofpital was opened in May 1804, from which time to October 1813, 13,607 were admitted, of whom near 12,500 were discharged cured.-12. Sir Patrick Dun's Hofpital.-13. Difpenfary for St. Mary's and St. Thomas's parishes.-14. The Dublin General Difpenfary.-15. St. George's Difpenfary and Fever Hofpital.-16. Northwest Difpenfary. 17. United Hofpital of St. Mark and St. Anne.18. Difpenfary for Infant Poor.-19. Cow-Pock Inftitution.-19. Sick Poor Inftitution, Meath-ftreet. 20. Eftablishment for relief of the ruptured poor.

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Alms-Houfes and Societies, for exploring and relieving general diftrefs.-1. Simpfon's Hofpital for the reception of poor, decayed, blind, and gouty men.-2. Stranger's Friend Society.-3. Old Men's Afylum, intended to receive forty.-4. Asylum for aged and infirm female fervants.-5. The Charitable Loan. The governors of the Charitable Musical Society, incorporated by Act of Parliament

in 1780, for lending out money, intereft free, to indigent tradesmen, meet monthly to lend not less than two pounds, nor more than five pounds, to any one perfon at one time, which fums are to be repaid at fixpence in the pound weekly. Since March 1781, 3267 perfons have been relieved; the fum lent £12,469.-6. Meath Charitable Loan.--7. Charitable Society for the relief of fick and indigent room-keepers. This admirable inftitution, if it be, and while it fhall be, fuftained in all its departments with a zeal, affiduity, and fagacity, in any degree comparable to that of its indefatigable and most worthy treasurer, Mr. Samuel Rofborough, a name to be claffed with thofe of Curl and Coram, perhaps of Hanway and of Howard, must poffefs most of the advantages, free from many of the defects, of the English fyftem of poor's law.

It resembles in many refpects the institution at Bath, before mentioned, which I shall hereafter find occafion to defcribe more fully. The plan of the Dublin Society is thus concisely detailed at the back of the half-fheet containing the report of receipts and expenditure during the year 1809. The receipts of that year, are ftated to have been 2218. 115. 11d. chiefly from voluntary contribution. Balance in the treafurer's hands at the year's end 97. 6s. 51d.

"The inftitution is conducted by the general "monthly meeting of fubfcribers for fuperintending "and controuling the receipts and expenditures, and "the defcription of perfons relieved, during the preced"ing month:-The committee of trustees delegated by "divifional meetings, and approved by the general meet"ing, to arrange all bufinefs, and act as circumftances may require during the intervals of general meetings: "The local or divifional meetings of the refident

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* members of each divifion, and fuch other members "as choose to attend. At thefe meetings all applica"tions for relief are received, and given out for ex"amination to members, not being the recommenders, “and received back with the neceffary reports, and "then finally difpofed of. Every surgeon, physician,

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and clergyman, refident in town, has a power to "recommend objects. A weekly allowance for a "month is the ufual mode of relief, with an immediate "advance of money in urgent cafes; but frequently a "fum is given to release fome indifpenfable articles of clothing, or implements of trade, (often unavoidably "pawned during fick nefs, or occafional want of employ "ment), or to aid in some industrious purfuit, fuited "to the abilities or opportunities of the petitioner. "The objects of the inftitution are fuch poor per"fons of all religious perfuafions as have never publicly begged, and are in distress from sickness, want "of employment, or other caufe; and the relief ad"ministered is always with a view to reftore them to "their ufual means of fupporting themselves; it being "the uniform practice to extend temporary relief to "as many as poffible, and not to give to any fuch permanent affistance as might tend to prevent in"duftry, or alienate the funds from their proper objects. Those who are found to have been formerly in better circumstances, and to have preserved a good character, are confidered as the most deferving. Whenever impofitions are discovered, the "recommenders are apprised of the deceit, and the "impoftors are rejected and registered. The fociety, "however, obferve that inftances have occurred of "perfons in the receipt of the public bounty, who have

denied their having received any relief, in order to "obtain fome from thofe who recommeuded them : "they, therefore, think it right to caution the public

"against giving credit to the reports of petitioners, "without making further enquiry."

No perfon engaged in the conduct of the inftitution receives any compenfation for his trouble, except the fecretary and collectors.

Penitentiaries.-1. Dublin Female Penitentiary, -2. General Magdalen Afylum.-3. Magdalen Afylum, Leefon-street.-4. Lock Penitentiary.—5. Kilmainham Gaol Penitentiary.†

At Belfast is a poor-houfe and infirmary on fo extenfive a scale, as probably to provide no lefs aid to the poor than would be fupplied by the poor's rate in any English town of equal population. The statement of the year 1809 fhews an expenditure of 27061. 25. 3d. It appears to be conducted with great prudence, and equal attention to the morals and comforts of the poor. The fums collected are, by donations, by bequests, by fermons; by fines and penalties, paid by order of magiftrates; by collections at places of worship, amounting, in 1809, to 414/. 35. 2d.; by annual subscriptions amounting, in 1809, to 8761. 3s. 6žd.; by buryingground fees; by small rents of fields and tenements; and by fale of pigs. I find no account of profit by fale of manufacture; which probably, as in other places of the kind, is very contracted, and conducted with lofs. Belfast contained, in 1791, 18,320 inhabitants.

*In the House of Commons, Thurfday June 8, 1815, in a debate on a motion by Mr. Rofe, for the appointment of a Committee to enquire into the ftate of mendicity in the metropolis, Mr. Peele faid, "he doubted whether it would be politic to "extend an establishment like the House of Industry in Ireland "to this country. It cofts £50,000 a year, and relief was given to "all who applied, because there were no poor rates; but if he were "to judge of its efficacy from the state of industry in Dublin, his "opinion would be far from favourable, as there was no city "in which mendicity prevailed to fuch a degree as in the Irish "capital."-Courier Newspaper.

Poverty, and Charity, in Scotland.

"The poor of Scotland (fays Mr. Malthus, c. viii. "v. ii.) are in general fupported by voluntary con"tributions, diftributed under the infpection of the "minifter of the parish; and it appears upon the "whole, that they have been conducted with confi, "derable judgment. Having no claim* of right to "relief, and the fupplies, from the mode of their "collection, being neceffarily uncertain, and never " abundant, the poor have confidered them merely as a laft refource in cafes of extreme diftrefs, and "not as a fund on which they might fafely rely, "and an adequate portion of which belonged to "them, by the laws of their country, in all difficulties. The confequence of this is, that the common people make very confiderable exertions to avoid the neceffity of applying for fuch a scanty and precarious relief. It is obferved, in many of the accounts, (fatiftical, of Scotland,) that they feldom fail of making a provifion for ficknefs and for age; and in general the grown-up children and relations of perfons who are in danger of falling upon the parish step forward, if they be in any way able, to prevent fuch a degradation, which is univerfally confidered as a difgrace to the family.

"The writers of the accounts of the different parishes frequently reprobate, in very strong terms, "the fyftem of English affeffments for the poor, and

give a decided preference to the Scotch mode of "relief." In the account of Caerlaverock, v. vi. p. 21, in answer to the queftion, How ought the poor to be supplied? it is most judiciously remarked,

* Mr. Rose, in a late pamphlet, has controverted this obfervation; but whatever may be the law on the subject, the practice is certainly as here reprefented.