f 
 
 IB
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 
 AT LOS ANGELES
 
 A DISCLOSURE 
 
 of 
 
 PAROCHIAL ABUSE, ARTIFICE, AND 
 PECULATION, 
 
 in the 
 
 TO WN OF MANCHES TER. 
 
 Price Two Shillings. 
 
 8 2
 
 A DISCLOSURE 
 
 of 
 
 Parochial Abuse, Artifice, & Peculation, 
 
 in the Town of 
 
 MANCHESTER; 
 
 which have been the Means of burthening the Inhabitants 
 with the present 
 
 ENORMOUS PARISH RATES : 
 
 with 
 
 other existing 
 IMPOSITIONS OF OFFICE, 
 
 IN A VARIETY OF FACTS, 
 exhibiting 
 
 the cruel and inhuman Conduct 
 
 of the 
 
 HIRELING OFFICERS OF THE TOWN, 
 
 towards the 
 
 POOR. 
 
 To which is added, 
 A BOOK OF COUNTY RATES, 
 
 shewing 
 
 the exact Proportion of every HUNDRED IN THIS County, 
 and of every Township in the Hundred of Saljord. 
 
 BY THOMAS BATTYE. 
 
 SECOND EDITION. 
 
 " If a long train of abuses, peculation, and artifices, all tending the same way, make the 
 ; design visible to the inhabitants, and they cannot but feel what they lie under, and see 
 
 whither they are going ; it is not to be wondered, that they should then rouse themselves 
 1 and endeavour to put the management into sui:h hands, as may secure to them the ends, 
 1 for which parochial offices were first appointed." 
 
 SOLD BY J. THOMSON, MARKET-STRE ET-LANE, 
 
 Manchester* 
 1796.
 
 ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 This publication has Ian deferred, in expectation 
 that Mr. Hallows' s books and accounts, for the year 
 1 794, would ham enabled me to discover the extent of 
 his profits in that year ending at Easter 1795;- 
 as he still withholds his accounts from his succes- 
 sors there is no prospect of their being submitted to 
 the public unless he be compelled thereto by law ; 
 and though Mr. H. is now out of office, he still 
 continues to collect the parish money, in opposition to 
 the churchwardens. 
 
 Manchester, January 25, 1796.
 
 >A 
 
 Co * 
 
 A DISCLOSURE, &c. 
 
 carp % 
 
 -*!. he importance of the subject to the inhabitants 
 of the town of Manchester, which an enquiry into 
 the conduct of its officers involved, might have 
 been deemed sufficient to preclude the necessity 
 of any prefatory observations; but as it may ap- 
 pear rather extraordinary, that an individual should 
 obtrude himself, as I have done, upon the public 
 attention, it may not be altogether improper to 
 State, that had I experienced that liberality, can- 
 
 <%ffaur, and love of justice, which is so much the fav- 
 
 r r ij-7 
 
 ounte topic or some men's professions, and so little 
 ^ the subject of their actions and proceedings, this 
 ^ publication would not Mve made its appearance, 
 ^j Jt was with a view to disclose to the inhabitants a 
 scene of abuse, artifice, and peculation, practised 
 in the township, that I first excited this investi- 
 gation; and though many obstacles have been 
 thrown in my way, by those who should have 
 countenanced the proceeding, yet they have not 
 deterred me from prosecuting my original design. 
 The information conveyed in the following pages, 
 was intended to have been submitted to the con- 
 sideration of the public, through the medium of a 
 .town's meeting; therefore, if any apology be neces- 
 =5 .sary for the mode in which it is now brought for- 
 g ward, it is due from those gentlemen who so un- 
 ^ accountably obstructed the regular and intended 
 course of enquiry. 
 
 B When 
 
 300966 

 
 When, the business was first agitated at the. 
 Bull's-head, the opinion of the town was evident- 
 ly and decidedly for an investigation into abuses, 
 known to exist in its civil regulations. At that 
 meeting, the long lost book, called the Red Basil, 
 was brought forward to public view, with a bal- 
 ance in favour of the town of THREE THOU- 
 SAND THREE HUNDRED AND SIX 
 POUNDS SEVENTEEN SHILLINGS AND 
 SIX-PENCE! The few charges adduced at 
 the meeting, were established by the concurrent 
 evidence of several witnesses, while the prevari- 
 cating and shuffling counter testimony of Mr. Hal- 
 lows, with his story of his friend the poll-davy 
 weaver, and his " dusty shelf," flashed conviction 
 into the minds of every person present. Indeed 
 all seemed to manifest a zealous wish to prosecute 
 the enquiry, and to heal those cancerous and cor- 
 roding parts in the system, which ignorance, mis- 
 management, peculation, and breach oj trust had en- 
 gendered! It seldom, if ever, happens, that public 
 opinion, fairly and impartially taken, errs in judg- 
 ment ; such was the case in the present enquiry, 
 which appeared from the decided approbation 
 given to the proposed measure. I should be 
 wholly at a loss after this, to account for that sub- 
 sequent opposition given by certain individuals in 
 its progress, did I not sufficiently know to what 
 absurd lengths the spirit of party leads, and the 
 gratification it feels from opposition even to meas- 
 ures of public good. 
 
 It will not be improper in this place to observe, 
 that by the advertisement of the Boroughreeve 
 and Constables of the gth Nov. 1794, the charges 
 "against Mr. Unite (which appeared in a para- 
 graph in the Chester paper) " were conceived to be 
 " of considerable magnitude, and worthy the most 
 t( minute investigation ; that they then called upon 
 
 the
 
 ( 3 ) 
 
 ** the Author to substantiate his charges if true, that 
 " justice might be done to the public by the immediate 
 *' dismissal of Mr. Unite from his office, or otherwise 
 " that he might come forward and PUBLICLY 
 "exculpate himself from so foul an accusation." 
 Upon avowing myself the Author of the para- 
 graph alluded to in the above . advertisement, a 
 public meeting was convened on the 26th of the 
 same month, to hear Mr. Unite's defence, when 
 the following resolutions were entered into. 
 
 Bull's-head, Nov. 26, 1794* 
 
 THOMAS RICHARDSON, Esq. in the Chair. 
 
 Resolved, 
 
 ist, That it is the opinion of this meeting, that 
 Mr. Unite's conduct, during the time he served 
 the office of Overseer and Deputy Constable of 
 the Township of Manchester, shall undergo a gen- 
 eral investgation. 
 
 After some progress in the investigation of the 
 said charges, it was resolved, 
 
 2dly, That a committee of twelve should be 
 appointed to investigate the nature and particu- 
 lars of a certain book, called the " Red Basil Book," 
 then produced ; and also to investigate the gener- 
 al conduct of Mr. Unite, during the period he 
 was in the offices of Overseer and Deputy Consta- 
 ble of the Town of Manchester, and that such 
 committee should report the result of their inves- 
 tigation to an adjournment of this meeting. 
 
 3dly, That any five of the said committee 
 should be competent to act, 
 
 4thly, That the said committee should consist 
 of the following gentlemen, viz. Mr. James 
 Smith, Mr. Seddon, Mr. A. Clegg, Mr. Farrand, 
 
 Mr,
 
 f 4 ) 
 
 Mr. Routh, Mr. Lloyd, Mr. Bingham, Mr. C. 
 Rider, Mr. Branch, Mr. Thomas Preston, Mr. 
 J. Hurst, and Mr. Roberts. 
 
 5thly, That the unanimous thanks of the meet- 
 ing should be given to the Chairman, for his very 
 FAIR and IMPARTIAL conduct on this occasion, 
 and also to the Constables, for their attention to this 
 business. 
 
 5thly, That the meeting should be adjourned, 
 to be held at the call of the Boroughreeve and 
 Constables. 
 
 After a very long and laborious enquiry, in pur- 
 suance of the above resolutions, in the course of 
 which I produced evidence to substantiate my charges, 
 the Boroughreeve and Constables were requested by 
 the COMMITTEE to call a town's meeting, agreeably 
 to the last resolution, to receive their REPORT. 
 
 But what must be the astonishment exciied in 
 the mind of every thinking and impartial person, 
 to find this requisition refused, and on a plea the 
 most frivolous and groundless, as appears by the 
 following extract of their letter on the 4th March 
 last, inserted in the public papers, " that a public 
 " meeting cannot -with any degree of EFFE C T or 
 " PROPRIETY be called for the purpose expressed 
 " in your (the committee"- s ) requisition, for it is ev- 
 " ident that such a meeting could not be competent, 
 " either to ACQUIT Mr Unite, if INNOCENT, 
 " or PUNISH him, if GUILTY! Can any man, 
 possessed of common understanding, read this 
 new declaration of the Boroughreeve and Constables 
 without astonishment ; or by any means reconcile 
 it to the purport of their former letter of the Qth 
 November 1794? Did not these gentlemen, at 
 the public meeting, held on the 26th of the same 
 month, conceive, that if the charges against Mr. 
 Unite could have been conveniently investigated, 
 and the sense of the inhabitants taken, that they 
 
 would
 
 ( 5 ) 
 
 would have been bound by tbe determination of 
 that meeting ? If not, why was such a meet- 
 ing called ? Why did they themselves propose a 
 committee of investigation, if no attention were 
 to be paid to the result of it ? Why was I put 
 to a very considerable expence in bringing evi- 
 dence before the committee, to substantiate my 
 charges against Mr. Unite, if the public must be 
 deprived of the benefit ? 
 
 Let no pretence of party (which I totally dis- 
 claim) be an obstacle to the public good. For 
 my own part, I cannot help considering the re- 
 fusal of the Boroughreeve and Constables to car- 
 ry into effect the resolutions of a town's meeting, 
 a proceeding of a very curious complexion; and I 
 am at a loss to discover from whence they derive 
 an authority, thus to put a negative on the public 
 will. What! have the inhabitants of this town 
 no right or power to enquire into its abuses, and 
 into the conduct of its servants ? Are they quietly 
 to witness enormities and abuses that disgrace its 
 civil regulations, without a liberty to investigate 
 and remove them ? I declare I know not which 
 would be the more glaring, the impudence and ab- 
 surdity of such a declaration, or the blameable 
 and injurious apathy and inattention the public 
 would manifest by neglecting to assert and exer- 
 cise this its acknowledged and most important priv- 
 ilege. We are surely not so totally unacquainted 
 with the laws of our country, as to be ignorant 
 that a town's meeting is neither competent to ac- 
 quit innocence, or convict guilty in a judicial ca- 
 pacity ! The nature and object of the intended 
 meeting was not that it should there and then ex- 
 ercise the functions of a Jury, or Court oj Justice, 
 but simply those of an Accuser and Prosecutor, if 
 ground of accusation had been established. Mr. 
 Unite, as a servant to the town of Manchester, 
 
 was
 
 ( 6 ) 
 
 was clearly amenable to the public for any im- 
 propriety of conduct in his office. It was for a 
 town's meeting to decide on the charges brought 
 against him, and to have determined in conse* 
 quence, either to have dismissed him for neglect, or 
 inattention to have punished him in a court of jus- 
 tice, if guilty of peculation^ or breach of trusty or t 
 if innocent and blameless, to have continued to- 
 wards him its support and patronage. But Mr* 
 Unite in his advertisement, impudently asserts 
 " that the public are incompetent to judge of his con- 
 " duct," and pretends to challenge and court an 
 " investigation by law!" But will the Boroughreeve 
 and Constables undertake, at the town's expence, to 
 support such a prosecution, if instituted, or will 
 they defend it? 
 
 If Mr. Unite had indeed been clothed in the 
 impenetrable " armour of innocence" he speaks of, 
 what could he possibly have to fear from any en- 
 quiry into his conduct, at a town's meeting? Con- 
 scious that every lance must have glanced harm- 
 less, he would surely have been proud and wish- 
 ful of an opportunity to vindicate his character, 
 assured of the triumph that must in that case have 
 awaited its investigation ? Why, thus doubly 
 shielded with innocence and coat of mail, he should 
 have shrunk from the prop'osed enquiry, it is not 
 for me to decide. Innocence loves and courts the 
 light, it is guilt alone that shuns the face of day, 
 and flies into caverns of darkness for concealment. 
 But to come more immediately to the subject in 
 question. 
 
 At this time, the most serious attention of every 
 Ley Payer is requisite, to reduce, or at least, as 
 much as possible to prevent the increase of the 
 very heavy and accumulating burthens, which the 
 inhabitants of Manchester lie under. 
 
 On the perusal of the following sheets, the 
 
 public
 
 ( 7 ) 
 
 public will cease from surprise at the disburse- 
 ments of this township having encreased since 
 the year 1790, from EIGHT THOUSAND to 
 upwards of TWENTY THOUSAND POUNDS 
 per annum ! ! 
 
 I shall now proceed to lay before the public 
 some part of the evidence I brought before the 
 committee; and that .it may appear as little tedi- 
 ous as possible to the reader, I shall only insert 
 one or two instances under each of the various 
 classes of abuse ! 
 
 The RED BASIL BOOK, produced at the 
 Meeting at the Bull's-head, on the 26th Nov. 
 1794, is entitled " AN EXACT ACCOUNT OF 
 "THE ARREARS IN BASTARDY, from May 
 "1773, to February 1787," which amounts to 
 THREE THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED 
 AND SIX POUNDS SEVENTEEN SHIL- 
 LINGS AND SIX-PENCE. This register was 
 first formed by Mr. Beaumont, the late overseer 
 of the poor, from other books in his possession, 
 the balance of which is calculated up to the latter 
 date, Feb. 1787, and -which arrears must have 
 been progressively accumulating since that period* 
 This book seems deficient, in not stating the pre- 
 cise time the debts became due ; and it is like- 
 wise impossible to state what amount was received 
 by Mr. Beaumont in his life, as the committee 
 appointed to investigate Mr. Unite's conduct, was 
 not able to procure an inspection of his BOOKS and 
 PAPERS, which appear to have been regularly- 
 delivered to him as successor to Mr. Beaumont. 
 Jn this Book, there are Twelve Hundred and 
 Twenty-eight, persons mentioned, and it is rather 
 Extraordinary that Mr. Edgely should have only 
 received from Mr. Unite two hundred and ninety- 
 three orders of filiation, which orders are necessary 
 to enforce the payment of the arrears. Will any 
 
 man,
 
 man, possessed of common understanding, sup-* 
 pose that all the bastardy accounts, which appear 
 posted up to Feb. 1787, could have been closed 
 by Mr. Beaumont in two years? If the pub ic 
 are credulous enough to believe that all the chil- 
 dren belonging to Six Hundred and Fourteen Fa- 
 thcrs % or the children born since the year 1787, 
 died before the year 1790, I shall then admit, 
 that the RED BASIL BOOK was of no use, but 
 justly closed at the death of Mr. Beaumont. 
 
 It is likewise somewhat extraordinary that this 
 register should have been delivered to Mr. Hal- 
 lows, when it was the appointed department of Mr. 
 Edgley to keep these accounts ! It appears ihat 
 Mr. Edgley has kept the bastardy accounts since 
 July 1790, when he applied to Mr. Unite for 
 all the accounts in his possession t but never saw the 
 Red Basil Book before the meeting at the Bijil's- 
 head, nor ever knew that Mr. Hallows was in 
 possession of it; that he heard some months 
 after he came into office, in the year 1790, that 
 there was such a book; but that he never saw any 
 regular accounts of BASTARDY MONEY before he 
 came into office,! so that there does not appear 
 any regular register of illegitimacy kept frvm the 
 year 1787 to the year 1790, nor any balance to 
 have been received from Mr. Unite when he quitted 
 the office of overseer ! Mr. Edgley has justly 
 observed, that this book would have been of in- 
 finite service to him in the keeping of these ac- 
 counts, for that he experienced much inconveni- 
 ence from the circumstance of only receiving 
 from Mr. Unite, when he came into office, A FEW 
 
 LOOSE SHEETS OF PAPER !! 
 
 Well might Mr. Edgley make this complaint 
 on the irregularity of his predecessor's conduct, 
 in furnishing him only with scattered and confused 
 
 sheets
 
 ( 9 ) 
 
 ihdets of paper, which, instead of elucidating, must 
 have involved him in doubt and obscurity, and 
 afforded him no clue whatever to the nature and 
 duties of his new office. In short, they might 
 justly be compared to the faint glimmerings of our 
 thinly-scattered police lamps, which serve only to 
 make " darkness -visible" and to bewilder, where 
 they should guide and direct. 
 
 Mr. Edgley, however, soon finding these ille- 
 gitimate concerns to encrease on his hands, very 
 properly opened a new set of books, for the ex- 
 press purpose of recording these transactions; 
 the begetting of bastards, seem$ to have been a part 
 cf the parish business, totally unknown to Mr. 
 Unite, as overseer. 
 
 By the minutes taken at the Bull's-head meet- 
 ing, by Messrs. Milne and Sergeant, it appears 
 by the testimony of Mr. Hallows, that he did not 
 receive the Red Book in question, till three 
 months after he came into office, that he after- 
 wards wisely called in his friend Leyland, the poll- 
 davy weaver, to assist him in the examination of 
 it, when their united opinion judged it not worth 
 Five Shillings ! This, Mr. Hallows says, was his 
 4nly reason, for keeping it so long upon his " dusty 
 ** shelf;" but if I may be allowed to differ from 
 these gentlemen in opinion, I should think it a 
 heap purchase at Five Hundred Guineas, to have 
 it regularly transferred, with its necessary vouch- 
 ers, and security given to have such sums of 
 money returned as may appear to have been collect- 
 ed, and by MISTAKE unentered ! 
 
 The account given by Mrs. Hallows, relative 
 to the delivery of this book, agrees with that giv- 
 en by her husband, except that it was delivered 
 some time after the other books. That she thought 
 the reason of its then being brought was, that Mrs. 
 Bfaumont, widow of the late overseer, had ex- 
 
 C pressed
 
 pressed some doubts to Mr. Hallows, as to the 
 propriety of Mr. Unite's keeping the book, and 
 receiving monies from it. And that Mr. Hallows 
 was greatly distressed when he came into office, 
 for want of the proper BOOKS and PAPERS 
 being delivered to him. 
 
 The notes extracted from the Red Book, can 
 by no means be said to constitute its value, though 
 Mr. Unite positively asserted, that Mr. Beau-nont 
 sent for him to Eccles, when he was on his death- 
 bed, to tell him that the Red Basil Book was of no 
 use whatever : yet there appears to be the names 
 of many persons of property and respectability, 
 from whom a considerable sum might be collect- 
 ed, if it had not already been received, of which 
 I can find no account in the book. It is like- 
 wise very improbable that Mr. Hallows, and 
 his friend Leyland, should form such an opinion, 
 that the book was of no value, for it evidently ap- 
 pears that some persons must have thought dif- 
 ferently, or they would not have taken the trouble 
 to foist in a deceptive alteration, which is a con- 
 vincing proof that it had not entirely been un- 
 noticed. It likewise appears that Mr. Unite had 
 received many sums of money from persons named 
 therein, that he called upon a gentleman in the 
 neighbourhood of Manchester, who paid him the 
 amount of the balance therein specified, which sum 
 of money Mr. Unite has not accounted for ! 
 
 Yet, in the minutes taken by Messrs. Milne and 
 Sergeant, at the meeting at the Bull's-head, Mr. 
 Unite declares that he never received any monies 
 from the Red Book. Messrs. Harrop and Wheel- 
 er, in their papers, both mention Mr. Unite to 
 have answered every question unequivocally, and 
 that he never had received a farthing from the 
 book in question. 
 
 From the information - which Mr. Hallows, 
 
 who)
 
 (who succeeded Mr. Unite in the office of over- 
 seer) must be capable of conveying to the public, 
 it was thought proper to request his attendance, 
 but he refused to appear. The committee were in- 
 duced to repeat their request, representing to him, 
 that he would be treated with great respect, as they 
 were appointed at a numerous town's meeting, to 
 make a particular investigation, and that it was 
 thought necessary to call upon him to facilitate the 
 same, but he again refused giving the necessary 
 information. It ought to be remembered, that 
 Mr. Hallows at that time received a salary of 
 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY POUNDS a 
 year, as one of the deputy overseers of the town. 
 
 The following examination forms a charge of 
 a very serious nature. 
 
 James Taylor, musician, says, that about Easter, 
 1789, he was employed by the church-wardens 
 and overseers of the poor, as an assistant to Mr. 
 Beaumont, the standing overseer of Manchester, 
 that he does not recollect, during his employment 
 with Mr. Beaumont, that the Red Book was ever 
 omitted being brought Jor the inspection oj the magis- 
 trates at the weekly sessions^ that it was written by 
 Mr. Beaumont, who calculated the arrears up to 
 1787, and that it was of great service to him, in 
 the collection of the out-standing bastardy money > as 
 he could immediately have referred to any ac- 
 count, having arranged them in alphabetical order; 
 that it was his department to visit the poor, and 
 report their situation ; that he continued assistant 
 to the said Mr. Beaumont from that time until his 
 death, which was about July 1790; says, that 
 during all the time he was assistant, when applica- 
 tion was made to Mr. Beaumont, by poor people 
 belonging to other parishes, he visited them to see 
 whether they were sick, or in distress, and if they 
 
 were,
 
 were, Mr. Beaumont wrote to the overseer of the 
 parish where they belonged, and informed him of 
 their situation, and what they earned weekly, at 
 the same time begged to know if it were agreeable 
 that they should be relieved, and to what extent, 
 and if the township of Manchester would be in- 
 demnified for the same, otherwise they would be 
 removed. The overseers in their answer, gener- 
 ally requested Mr. Beaumont to relieve them, as 
 he would his own poor, holding their townships 
 responsible for repayment. Says, Mr. Beaumont, 
 on receipt of such answers and promised indem- 
 nity, relieved them by an order upon the cashier, or 
 pay-master of the town's money, with such sums as 
 he thought necessary, and as he from time to time 
 specified in each order. That in relieving such 
 poor, who were every day very numerous, Mr. 
 Beaumont made it a constant and invariable prac- 
 tice to write the parish, township, or place, to which 
 each pauper belonged, at the foot of every note, 
 in order that the cashier might debit such town- 
 ship, parish, or place with the amount of each mm 
 paid; that Mr. Wharmby was cashier the first 
 part of the time he was assistant, and Mr. Edgky 
 during the latter, and that it was agreed and per- 
 fectly understood among them, that when the PAR- 
 ISH, TOWNSHIP, or PLACE, to which the 
 persons sent to be relieved, was not inserted in the 
 note, they were in that case understood by the cashier 
 to belong to Manchester. Says, when Mr. Beau- 
 mont was either going himself, or sending him, 
 this examinant, any journey into the country, 
 about removals, or bastardy warrants, or upon any 
 town's business, the cashier was previously applied 
 to for the account of monies owing by the respec- 
 tive overseers, that happened to be in or near the 
 rout of their intended journey, which was always 
 made out, and the money collected accordingly. 
 
 Says,
 
 ( '3 ) 
 
 Says, when Mr. Beaumont sent him, this examin- 
 ant, any journey on the town's business, he always 
 required the particulars of the expences in writing, 
 which were regularly noted. Says, that after the 
 death of Mr. Beaumont, this examinant continued 
 for some time the practice of relieving the poor 
 belonging to other places, by inserting the parish^ 
 township, or place, to which they respectively be- 
 longed, at the bottom of each note, for a short 
 time, until it was observed by Mr. Unite, who dis- 
 approved of the practice, and ordered him to dis- 
 continue it, and to tear the two notes he had 
 just made out. This examinant says, that he 
 told Mr. Unite that it was Mr. Beaumont's prac- 
 tice, in order that the cashier might know to what 
 flace they belonged, and to prevent them from being 
 entered as MANCHESTER POOR, to which 
 Mr. Unite replied, " what is it to me where they 
 " belong, so that I keep an account of them myself." 
 Mr. Unite then ordered this examinant to write the 
 two notes again, and not to insert the place to which 
 the paupers belonged; that when he had written them, 
 Mr. Unite pulled out a small memorandum book from 
 his pocket, and wrote down the names of the pauper s> 
 the places to which they belonged, and the sum ordered 
 to be paid. Says, that from the time Mr. Unite 
 ordered him to destroy the notes, (which was 
 about two months after he was appointed overseer, 
 until he, this examinant, left his service, at 
 Shrove-tide, 1791) he discontinued the above 
 practice adopted by Mr. Beaumont, and also 
 the practice of entering the particulars of the 
 expences of each journey, and instead thereof 
 entered the same in a gross sum. Says, he has 
 frequently seen Mr. Unite make entries in pri- 
 vate memorandum books, to which this examinant 
 never had access. Says, after the above prac- 
 tice was discontinued, he, this examinant, when 
 
 any
 
 ( 14 ) 
 
 any journey was to be taken into the country, 
 was never sent to Mr. Edgley for the accounts <j' the 
 country overseers, as he very frequently had been 
 when he was assistant to Mr. Beaumont. That Mr. 
 Unite afterwards gave orders, that all persons who 
 did not belong to Manchester, should be relieved on 
 a particular day in evtry week, (except in desperate 
 cases) on which day Mr. Unite generally sent this 
 examinant out of the way, upon some fnvolcus er- 
 rand. This examinant further says, he was much 
 dissatisfied on the above occasion, and told Mr. 
 Unite in the board-room, at the workhouse, that he 
 was acting dishonestly, and that he at that time 
 made it a constant practice to speak of Mr. 
 Unite's conduct publicly. Says, during the time 
 he served as assistant to Mr. Beaumont, he kept 
 a very LARGE FOLIO LETTER BOOK, 
 with an alphabetical index of parishes and town- 
 ships, and a VISITING BOOK, for the purpose 
 of entering the situation and circumstances of all 
 persons applying for relief, and the places of 
 their settlement; also, a NARROW CASH-BOOK; 
 says, on the death of Mr. Beaumont, the said 
 books came regularly into the possession of Mr. 
 Unite, who kept them during the time of his 
 being assistant, but not so regularly, after a short 
 time, as Mr. Beaumont had done. Says, all LET- 
 TERS received from country overseers were regu- 
 larly preserved during the whole time he vas assist- 
 ant both to Mr. Beaumont and Mr. Unite, for 
 the purpose of proving, with the assistance of the 
 letter-book, the specific engagements and promises 
 made by such overseers, which were in general the 
 only vouchers to enable the town oj Manchester to ob- 
 tain payments of money so advanced on their ac- 
 count. 
 
 This information being obtained, it was thought 
 highly necessary to inspect these books, and ap- 
 plication
 
 ( 15 ) 
 
 plication was made 10 Mr. Hallows, as successor 
 to Mr. Unite, to enquire after Mr. Beaumont's 
 letter-book, which would have been a proper key 
 to discover the places in correspondence with 
 this town, and in all probability, would have 
 led to a developement of Mr. Unite's conduct, 
 but Mr. Hallows declared, that he had never 
 received any such book. Mrs. Beaumont was 
 then applied to, who recollected the book, having 
 herself copied letters therein, and described it 
 to be a large bound folio book, that it was deliv- 
 ered to Mr. Unite, at the death of her husband, 
 with several bundles of letters, which were folded up 
 according to their dates, and which, with the letter" 
 book, were the vouchers of the agreements entered in- 
 to by country overseers. These letters, and the let- 
 ters received by Mr. Unite, in his overseership t have 
 never since made their appearance. 
 
 Application was then made to Mr. Unite rela- 
 tive to the book, who seemed at jirst not to recollect 
 it, when after some time, he said, he had such a 
 book, but that he never made use of it. He was 
 then asked what sort of a book it was, and his 
 description corresponded with Mrs. Beaumont's. 
 Upon being asked, if he was sure he never wrote 
 jn it, or made use of it, he replied, that he might 
 have wrote in it, but he was not certain ; he thought 
 he wrote a letter or two, but that he had delivered it 
 over to Mr. Hallows, with the other books. On be- 
 ing asked, if he was certain of its being delivered 
 to Mr. Hallows, he replied, he was, that the books 
 were carried away at different times. This induced 
 a second application to Mr. Hallows, who per- 
 sisted in his former assertion of not having re- 
 ceived the book. Mr. Hallows then sent a boy 
 for Mr. Unite to justify his assertion. The boy 
 returned for answer, that Mr. Unite was going out 
 with some warrants about the police tax. Mr. Hal- 
 lows
 
 lows then promised to see Mr. Unite, and to call 
 upon the committee in the afternoon. Mr. Hal- 
 lows waited upon one of the gentlemen of the 
 committee the day following, but could not prevail 
 upon Mr. Unite to accompany him. The commit- 
 tee were now reduced to the necessity of desiring 
 Mr. Unite to fix a time when they might make 
 enquiry as to the above-mentioned books j upon 
 which Mr. Unite waited upon one of the gentle- 
 men, who read over to him a list of the following 
 books. 
 
 Mr. Beaumont's large folio letter-book, visiting- 
 book, cash-book, bastardy-book of monies received, 
 and his long narrow cash-book, to which Mr. Unite 
 replied, " / have delivered them all to Mr. Hal- 
 v lows." It was again thought necessary to apply 
 to Mr. Hallows, for the inspection of ALL his 
 books and papers, received from Mr. Unite. 
 The books Mr. Hallows produced, were carefully 
 examined, but not o N E of the, books in the before 
 mentioned list, were found. If the days of super- 
 stition and miracle were not now in their wane, 
 we might be almost led to attribute the wonder- 
 ful and sudden disappearance of these books to 
 the effect of magic art, and to suppose they had 
 been conjured away by the potent wand of a Pros- 
 pero. 
 
 The following are some observations made on 
 xhe inspection of the books found at Mr. Hallows's 
 house. 
 
 In one book there appears one hundred and 
 seventy-four examinations in bastardy, entered by 
 Mr. Unite, the first dated the ist of April 1790, 
 and the last dated the ist of October 1791. Im- 
 mediately after follow one hundred and eighty- 
 eight entered by Mr. Hallows, the first dated the ist 
 .of April 1792, and the last the 12th of November 
 1794, from, which it appears that no examinations 
 
 were
 
 ( 7 ) 
 
 were taken between the ist of March and the 12th 
 of June 1792. 
 
 In the same book there are one hundred 
 and seventy-three examinations for settlements, en- 
 tered by Mr. Unite, the first dated the i4th of 
 May 1789, and the last dated the 27th of October 
 
 1791, a period of two years and a half. After 
 which there appears to have been four hundred and 
 forty-four examinations entered by Mr. Hallows, the 
 first dated the i c)th of April 1792, and the last 
 dated the 5th of November 1794, comprising the 
 same period of time, though little short of three 
 times the number! and 'it is somewhat remarkable, 
 that no examinations whatever took place between 
 the 27th of October and the 19th of April 1792, 
 a period of near six MONTHS! 
 
 There also appears one hundred and thirty-six 
 removal orders, entered by Mr. Unite in the same 
 book, the first bearing date the i4th of May 1789, 
 and the latter the ist of March 1792, a period of 
 three years and a quarter. After which there ap- 
 pears entered by Mr. Hallows two hundred and 
 twenty-seven, the first bearing date the i2th of June 
 
 1 792, and the last the 1 2th of December 1 794 *, a 
 period of only two years and a half! in which it 
 appears that the -removal orders have increas- 
 ed to THREE TIMES the number. The price 
 in obtaining these orders, has of late risen from 
 nine to fourteen shillings, which has made these re- 
 movals worth attention. FIVE shillings are now 
 paid for examination, FOUR for the order, and FIVE 
 shillings for MOVING THE BENCH! The New 
 Bayley Remembrancer (which ought to be inves- 
 tigated) will exhibit an account of many hun- 
 dred pounds paid for such like removals. On 
 
 D this 
 
 * There appears a chasm in this book of removal orders, 
 of near, four months, which, together with a cessation of 
 NEAR six MONTHS in the examinations of bastardy, appears 
 to be the overseers' vacation j\vl noticed by almanack-makers.
 
 this incongruous and confused mass of circum- 
 stances, I shall only observe to the reader, that 
 Mr. Hallows appears to have had the management 
 of conducting the paupers to their places of settle- 
 ment, and his profit on these conveyances is im- 
 mense, as I shall hereafter point out. 
 
 In the beginning of the books for the year 1786 
 and 1787, and the succeeding books, it is stated 
 by the magistrates order, that the accounts are to 
 be kept under the following heads, viz. Clothing, 
 Burials, Law Expences, Apprentices, Extraordina- 
 ries. Rents, and incidental Expences. Mr. Beynon's 
 accounts froni 1782 to 1787, appear all regularly 
 kept, and also Mr. Bradbury's, both of which I 
 find are closed by a general cash account, in which 
 the receipts and disbursements are particularly speci- 
 fied, and a balance struck. After the year 1789 
 there appears no books kept in the same regular 
 manner. 
 
 In the book, containing an account of the mon- 
 ies paid by the township for the maintenance of 
 bastard children, from Easter 1787 to Easter 1788, 
 the arrears owing by the reputed fathers of these 
 children, are brought forward ; but in the accounts 
 kept by Mr. Unite of these expences, from Easter 
 1790 to Easter 1791, and from Easter 1791 to 
 Easter 1792, no notice is taken of these arrears, they 
 are neither brought forward, when he came into of- 
 fice, nor is there any account of them when he quit- 
 ted. These books only contain an account of monies 
 PA i D by the township for the maintenance of these 
 children, without the account of a single shilling 
 RECEIVED from the reputed fathers ! What a 
 happy and self-satisfying mode of keeping a cash- 
 book, where units, tens, and hundreds appear to 
 the credit of the disburser, with nothing on the 
 debit side to lessen and disturb the balance, but 
 harmless ciphers. 
 
 It ought to be particularly noticed, that in these 
 
 books
 
 books there are a great number of PRIVATE 
 MARKS, in a variety of forms (not much unlike 
 Egyptian hieroglyphics) ; these are, no doubt, re- 
 ferences to other accounts not intended for the 
 inspection of the Ley-payers, and are sufficient to 
 raise strong suspicions of secret and unfair prac- 
 tices in this department. 
 
 In the book, which contains a register of the 
 certificates from other parishes, and of the bonds 
 of indemnity given by reputed fathers of bastard 
 children, it is somewhat curious, that only two cer- 
 tificates have of late years been entered, and the 
 last bond of indemnity, to which a date isfixed t pre- 
 vious to Mr. Hallows coming into office, is dated 
 the 7th of November 1788. Eleven are after- 
 wards entered without date. There appears seven 
 entered by Mr. Hallows in 1 792, but none in 1793, 
 and only three in 1794. 
 
 The regulation of the magistrates only extends 
 to the mode of keeping an account of the. disburse- 
 ments-, but the language of the act directs, that 
 " zjust, true, and perfect account shall be kept, 
 fairly entered in a book for the purpose, (not on 
 slips of paper) by the churchwardens and over- 
 seers, of all sums of money by them received, or 
 rated and assessed, and not received, and also of 
 all goods and chattels, stock and materials, that 
 shall be in their hands, or in the hands of any of 
 their poor, in order to be wrought, and of all 
 monies paid by such churchwarden and overseer 
 so accounting, and of all other things concerning 
 the said office, and shall also pay and deliver 
 over all sums of money, goods, and chattels, 
 as shall* be then in their hands, to the suc- 
 ceeding overseers ;" but from a variety of facts 
 which this publication discloses, it is evident, that 
 Mr. Unite has been culpably inattentive to the duty 
 required by this act of parliament. That he re- 
 ceived the regular books, he does not pretend to 
 
 deny?
 
 ( 20 ) 
 
 deny ; but as their public appearance at this time 
 would discover his clandestine proceedings, he shuns 
 the investigation under a shuffling pretence of hav- 
 ing delivered them to his successor, Mr. Hallows, 
 whom he refused to meet on that business. The 
 folio letter book is said to contain eight or ten quires 
 of paper, consequently not easily lost, and shews 
 every agreement entered into by country overseers. 
 Birmingham, a town nearly equal in size to Man- 
 chester, has no less than four hundred different 
 accounts with the surrounding townships, though 
 the overseers of Birmingham are not in the habit 
 of boarding paupers belonging to other parishes, 
 as the workhouse at that place is scarcely sufficient 
 to contain their own poor, yet they account for 
 betwixt THREE and FOUR HUNDRED POUNDS A 
 YEAR received for certificate cases ON LY, exclusive 
 of what is received for orders of bastardy ; they 
 have likewise debited themselves with the receipt 
 of near four hundred pounds a year for composition 
 money, which is in Manchester termed HUSH- 
 MONEY. In our workhouse, it was till lately no 
 pncommon thing to receive the poor belonging to 
 any township, from one shilling to three shillings a 
 head. Bed-ridden old women, and, according to 
 Mr. Unite's account, " wild lunatics," are boarded 
 and taken every necessary care of, at two shillings 
 per week. This workhouse is likewise a receptacle 
 for tradesmen's wives, when they become trouble- 
 some to their husbands, who are taken in as low 
 as four shillings per week, with every necessary ac- 
 commodation. 
 
 Under a variety of such 'circumstances, and the 
 cash which must be under the management of an 
 overseer weekly, I am astonished, I must confess, 
 that there appears no CASH BOOK kept by Mr. 
 Unite, as overseer! nor any debtor and creditor ac- 
 count ! 
 
 The following I have inserted, to shew the Ley- 
 payers
 
 payers, the methods made use of by our overseers, 
 by beginning with an example near home. In the 
 overseers' books at Cheetham, there appears the 
 following entries. 
 
 1790, April 18, Cash paid R. Unite, 
 
 on last year's account, for N. Milling 420 
 
 Paid ditto for Scholes's wife bedding, 
 
 (out of Manchester workhouse) 2 13 6 
 
 Paid ditto for board in the workhouse o 18 o 
 
 1791, 25 April, Paid ditto nineteen 
 
 weeks, at 35 2 17 o 
 
 Paid ditto, from 25 April to June 4.-.- i 10 o 
 
 1206 
 
 By cash accounted for by Mr. Unite 618 o 
 
 Balance in favour of the town, which 
 I cannot find accounted for '5 2 
 
 As these kind of transactions are so numerous, 
 the recital would not only appear tedious, but 
 would swell this into a voluminous work, I shall 
 therefore only state another case or two, to shew 
 that it was not only Mr. Unite's method, but was 
 likewise practised by his successor in office. 
 
 The following transactions between Mr. Unite t 
 Mr. Edgley, and Mr. Hallows, with the township 
 of Radcliffe, will serve to explain the account 
 given by Mr. Taylor, as well as the reason for 
 discontinuing the method used by Mr. Beaumont. 
 
 Mr. Kay, the overseer of Radcliffe, received a few 
 months ago a letter from. Mr. Hallows, threatening 
 to arrest him, if he did not immediately remit him 
 the sum of sixteen pounds two shillings, which Hal- 
 lows said, was for money that ^HE had advanced Betty 
 Allen, at one shilling and six-pence per week, for 
 SEVERAL YEARS, and who, he said, belonged to 
 Radcliffe parish. The overseer, a plain shrewd 
 man, having regularly paid Mr. Unite and Mr. 
 
 Edgley,
 
 Edgley t for Betty Allen's relief, at different pay- 
 ments, was astonished at the application, and sus- 
 pected something unfair in this business; he there* 
 fore set off immediately, on the receipt of Mr. 
 Hallows's letter, to Manchester, with his books, 
 jand meeting with him at the New Bayley, shewed 
 him his accounts with Mr. Unite, and Mr. Edgley, 
 'With their receipts annexed to each payment. Hal- 
 lows then told Mr. Kay, that he had, no right to 
 have paid Mr. Edglcy, as he wai sure Edglcy would 
 never enter it as received. Mr. Hallows then 
 requested the overseer to shew him the let- 
 ter he had received, and on his producing it, 
 Hallows put it hastily into his pocket, and told the 
 ever seer that it "was a MISTAKE, that the letter was 
 written, by his CLERK. Mr. Kay not a little cha- 
 grined at being put to the trouble and expence of 
 liiis journey, added to the manner in which the leu 
 ter was taken from him, then made application 
 to Mr. Edgley, who informed him ihat it was not 
 Hallows* s department to have received this woney^ and 
 that he had no right whatever to have asked for it. 
 
 The following sums are taken from Mr. Kay's 
 books, as paid by him for the relief of Betty Al- 
 len, a pauper of the township of Radcliffe. 
 
 1789, October 30 ............. 3 o o 
 
 1790, July 30 ...................... i 16 
 
 1791, June 30 
 
 20 
 
 1792, May 14 
 October 30 
 
 1793, April 30 ...... 
 
 October 30 
 
 2O 96 
 
 The
 
 The receipt of 1789, is in Mr. Kay's book, as 
 follows, "paid to Manchester oversetr" without 
 signature, and appears like the hand-writing of 
 Mr. Unite. The receipts of July 1790 and June 
 1791, are signed R. UNITT. I have not had an 
 opportunity of examining whether the first sum is 
 placed to the credit of the town, as those books 
 arestill in the possession of individuals not in office, 
 instead of being kept in a proper place for the 
 inspection of the public. The books for the years 
 1790 and 1791, I have carefully examined, but 
 cannot find the sums received by Unite any where 
 placed to the credit of the town. 
 
 The subsequent sums of money appear in Mr. 
 Kay's books to have been paid to Mr. Edgley, by 
 his receipts annexed to each payment; but in look- 
 ing over Mr. Edgeley's account with the town, he 
 appears to have debited himself with the receipt of 
 only eighteen shillings, on the i4th of May 1792, 
 instead of two pounds eleven shillings. The whole 
 of the next payment is entered in his books, but as 
 the payments of April and October 1793, are not 
 to be found there, it is incumbent upon Mr. Edg- 
 ley to shew to the public how he has accounted 
 for these sums, as well as the last payment of three 
 pounds four shillings and six-pence made to him 
 in the present year, for to this period Betty 
 Allen has been regularly paid one shilling and six- 
 fence per week out of the town's cash. 
 
 These peculatory transactions have been great- 
 ly aided by Mr. Unite's departure from the plan 
 adopted by Mr. Beaumont. Had he, on receiving 
 the directions of Overseer Kay, to pay Betty Al- 
 len one shilling and six-pence per week, entered 
 in her fay ticket y on the cashier, that she belonged 
 to Raddijfe parish^ she would not in that case have 
 been considered as a Manchester pauper, nor would 
 these gentlemen so long have escaped detection. 
 
 Though
 
 ( "4 ) 
 
 Though Mr. Hallows does not appear to have 
 received any part of this money, it is evident that 
 he had received from Unite the necessary instruc- 
 tions, the circumstance of the letter which was 
 " written by his CLERK," making a claim for sixteen 
 founds two shillings, is a convincing proof of his 
 address. As the pupil and coadjutor of Unite, he 
 seems to have made a tolerable proficiency in this 
 sort of business, and had he been continued in of- 
 fice, bid fair to arrive at an equal degree of celeb- 
 rity with his renowned tutor. 
 
 By the pretended loss of all the books, together 
 with the letters from country overseers, necessary 
 for an investigation of transactions of this nature, 
 I am precluded from a possibility of ascertaining 
 the amount of monies received, which I am well 
 convinced is of sufficient magnitude to claim the 
 immediate attention of the gentlemen now in of- 
 fice ; and it is a duty incumbent on them to dis- 
 cover, if possible, how much Mr. Hallows has 
 been involved in such like transactions, before 
 they satisfy any claim which he may set up against 
 the town. 
 
 It appears to me, that Mr. Unite has been, for 
 some time, winding up the old concerns, without 
 troubling his successors with the receipts of any 
 arrears incurred in his overseership. He has very 
 artfully taken care to leave no record behind, 
 to trace his connections with country overseers, so 
 that there is no mode of detection, but by ex- 
 amining the books of all the townships, not mere- 
 ly in this county, but throughout the kingdom, 
 which would be attended with infinite trouble 
 and expence, and which would not altogether, as 
 appear by the following examinations, shew the 
 extent of such like peculation. A snug agent, in 
 a large town, has been found preferable to having 
 transactions registered in parish books. 
 
 Birmingham.
 
 Birmingham. The examination of Carolina Eyres, 
 who says, that Jonathan Eyres, late of Manchester, 
 was taken up with a warrant by Ralph Howard, for 
 having left his wife chargeable to that township ; 
 that he was sentenced to six months imprisonment 
 in the NewBayley; during which period he be- 
 came so weak, that he* was sent to the poor- 
 house, where in a few weeks he recovered, so as 
 to enable him to assist in brewing and baking, for 
 three or four months. Says, that he again left 
 Manchester for Birmingham, and was again taken 
 up by Ralph Howard, who confined him in prison 
 until he entered into an agreement with Mr. Unite, 
 to pay the money he owed to the town of Man- 
 chester, by instalments, to one Bramley, a distant 
 relation of Mr. Unite's, who kept a toy-shop in 
 Litchfield-street, Birmingham. At this time Mr. 
 Unite received from this examinant three pounds 
 fifteen shillingsybr the expences of his journey, lock- 
 up-house, and warrant. That Jonathan Eyres paid 
 Mr. Bramley four shillings per -week regularly for 
 many months, until Mr. Bramley told him that he 
 had no occasion to call with it weekly, that he might 
 pay it by larger instalments. Says, the three pounds 
 fifteen shillings was paid by her to Mr. Unite, in 
 the presence of Ralph Howard, and that she her- 
 self afterwards paid on account of Jonathan Eyres, 
 to Mr. Bramley, the following sums of one pound, 
 two pounds two shillings, eighteen shillings, one 
 pound one shilling, and the last payment one pound 
 eighteen shillings, amounting to seven pounds, be- 
 sides the -weekly sums paid by Jonathan Eyres. Says, 
 she always saw Mr. Bramley, or his daughter, enter 
 each payment into a small book. That Jonathan 
 Eyres inlisted as a soldier, and when he left Bir- 
 mingham, he was only indebted to the town of 
 Manchester six weeks pay. 
 
 E Signed
 
 ( 26 
 
 Signed CAROLINE EYRES. 
 Witness, RALPH HOWARD. 
 Birmingham, 28th Jan. 1794. 
 
 Examination of Ralph Howard, taken at Bir- 
 mingham, who says, that he took up by order of 
 Mr. Unite, Jour run-away husbands, two were ac- 
 quitted by the magistrates at Manchester, one, 
 Jonathan Eyres, was sentenced to six months im- 
 prisonment at Manchester. Says that the other, 
 whose name he has forgot, settled with Mr. Unite 
 at Birmingham,) and was discharged by Justice Car- 
 les, at Handsworth. Says, he cannot say the amount 
 of the money Unite received, but that he heard it 
 was considerably more than the sum which appeared 
 owing by Jonathan Eyres, and that he gave Mr. 
 Unite his note for the money, with security, and that 
 two housekeepers were bound with him for the pay- 
 ment of it. Says, that he made application to 
 Mr. Bramley, who now keeps a public-house in 
 the neighbourhood of Birmingham, to know the 
 amount of the sums paid by Jonathan Eyres, but 
 Bramley having mislaid the book, in which they 
 were entered, promised to search for it, and inform 
 him of the amount the next day. Mr. Bramley 
 told Howard that any money paid on Eyre's ac- 
 count, might be paid him very safely. That he 
 very frequently received monies on such like occasions, 
 for Mr. Unite, and which he was always punctual in 
 remitting to him. 
 
 Signed, RALPH HOWARD. 
 
 The above conversation between Mr. Bramley 
 and Ralph Howard passed in my presence. 
 
 Cash said to be received by Mr. Unite, on 
 Jonathan Eyre's account, at Birmingham and 
 Manchester. 
 
 1791. Sept.
 
 1791- Sept. 7. Cash paid Unite by J. 
 
 Eyres, at Manchester 2126 
 
 Do. at Birmingham, by Car. Eyres 3 15 o 
 
 Do. Do. by instalments, to Mr. Unite's 
 
 agent 7 o o 
 
 Do. weekly payments for several months, 
 
 not knowing the sum o oo 
 
 By cash accounted for by Unite 
 
 Balance, for which there is no credit 
 
 given 10 15 6 
 
 To this sum the note, received by Unite at 
 Birmingham, which Howard believes from hearsay 
 to be about twenty pounds, should be added. 
 
 It should be observed that Mrs. Taylor, at the 
 workhouse, mentioned different sums owing at 
 Birmingham, for board at the Manchester work- 
 house, to Mr. Hallows, who was going there on 
 the town's business, but on his return, he told Mrs. 
 Taylor, that he could not find them. 
 
 Edward Rogers, a run-away husband, gave a 
 bond to Edward Hulme, a beadle of Manchester, 
 whilst he was in London, to indemnify this town 
 from the expence of maintaining his family, then 
 in the workhouse. Some time after Mr. Taylor, 
 as assistant to Mr. Unite, went to London on busi- 
 ness for the town of Manchester, and called upon 
 Rogers, then in partnership with Mr. Baker, in an 
 extensive printing concern at Bow, in Essex, who 
 would have then paid him the money, which was 
 upwards of thirty pounds, but Mr. Taylor not be- 
 ing in the possession of the bond, he declined pay- 
 ment. Mr. Taylor, in consequence, called upon 
 Mr. Milne's agent, who advised him to write to 
 Manchester, and to stay in town until the return of 
 
 post,
 
 post, when after waiting a week, he received Mr. 
 Unite's letter informing him that the bond was lost! 
 
 Mr. Taylor at the same time, by order of Mr. 
 
 Unite, called upon the Rev. Mr. , one of the 
 
 chaplains to the Prince of Wales, for money osv- 
 ing to the town of Manchester, for two bastard 
 children, registered in the Red Basil Book, but this 
 gentleman was from home at the time of Mr. 
 Taylor's application. 
 
 If any credit can be paid to Mr. Unite's story, 
 that Mr. Beaumont sent for him to Eccles, to 
 tell him, when on his death-bed, that the Red B&sil 
 Book was of no use, for that all sums likely to be 
 received, were selected, and notes given for the 
 amount, it is evident Mr. Unite did not believe 
 him, otherwise he would not afterwards have made 
 such numerous applications for monies registered 
 in that book; but it plainly appears, that every 
 clue to the avenue of disclosure, is wanting ; the 
 LETTER-BOOK, -with its corresponding Utters, 
 CASH-BOOK, VISITING-BOOK, BONDS, 
 CERTIFICATES, BASTARDY ORDERS, 
 appear to be. lost, or fraudulently withheld ; in 
 fact, there is no record left that leads to the de- 
 velopement of these transactions. 
 
 The following account of Mrs. Hallows, which, 
 with several of the prececling,stamps an indisputable 
 credit on the testimony of Mr. Taylor, relative to 
 Unite's private accounts, and the method of doing 
 business with country overseers. She says, that her 
 husband received no books from Mr. Unite, -when he 
 quitted the office, from which he could learn what 
 poor he was to relieve, and that he received only a 
 SINGLE SHEET OF PAPER, with the names of 
 ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTEEN PAUP- 
 ERS, mentioning their places of abode, and the week- 
 ly payments, atiwunting to twelve pounds ten shillings. 
 
 That
 
 ( "9 J 
 
 Thai, many paupers applied, -whose names were not on 
 the paper t and Mr. Hallows refused to relieve them. 
 Says, that they then applied to Mr. Unite, and re- 
 turned with notes from him thai thty were to receive 
 weekly pay. Says, that Mr. Hallows gave many paup- 
 ers weekly relief, conceiving that they were MANCHES- 
 TER POOR, but that he has since discovered MANY 
 OTHERS who had weekly relief, that belonged to other 
 parishes, and which have since reimbursed the money 
 to this town. One instance may be mentioned at 
 Wharton-in-the-Fyld, where thirty pounds have 
 lately been paid by the overseers of that township 
 to the overseers of Manchester, for money ad- 
 vanced out of the town's cash, for the relief of a 
 pauper, from April 1790 to December 1794, who 
 belonged to Wharton-in-the-Fyld, OF WHICH 
 
 THERE APPEARED NO ACCOUNT. 
 
 Mr. Unite in this transaction, was like Mr. Hal- 
 lows at Radcliffe, who, by giving too long credit, 
 lost both principal and interest. 
 
 In Birmingham, the overseers' accounts are 
 kept with as much regularity as those of the first 
 commercial houses. A statement of the parochial 
 accounts, from Etister to Easter, are laid before the 
 public, to which is added a list of the present OUT 
 
 POOR, NURSE CHILDREN, FOREIGN RESIDENTS, 
 RUN-AWAY HUSBANDS, ARREARS IN BASTARDY, 
 
 with an explanation of the RECEIPTS and EXPEN- 
 DITURE OF THE TOWN. 
 
 The account given of their out poor, as pub- 
 lished, is an exact copy of their visiting book, 
 which is kept in the following manner. . 
 
 Names. 
 
 Age. 
 
 What Children. 
 
 Where they live. 
 
 Visitor's Report. 
 
 
 
 
 This
 
 ( 30 ) 
 
 This register is regularly kept, and published 
 annually, and I am informed it has been of 
 great service in the detection of impostors. In 
 the preface of the visitor's report, at Birmingham^ 
 the inhabitants are recommended to peruse it with 
 attention, and when it appears the public money is 
 in any respect improperly applied, that information 
 may be conveyed to the overseers, either personally, 
 or by letter, when every attention will be paid, and 
 secrecy observed, if required. 
 
 It further proceeds, " we observe too, with great 
 concern, that the public bounty is much abused in the 
 article of clothing given to the out poor, which ex- 
 pC7ices have of late exceeded all former sums, and 
 many abandoned wretches have been detected in 
 pawning and selling the parish apparel. To prevent 
 this shameful practice in future, it is proposed to 
 deliver out clothes AT HALF PRIME COST to those 
 who bring respectable recommendations." 
 
 Many respectable Ley-payers of this town have 
 expressed a desire of having a yearly report, from 
 our overseers, printed ; but this, for weighty rea- 
 sons, has not been complied with. The abuses last 
 year in the distribution of clothing, appear incredi- 
 ble, for many who enjoyed these donations, were 
 undeserving. Clothing and goods have been in- 
 discriminately given to almost every person who 
 made application. There appears by the over- 
 seers' tickets, to have been near THREE THOU- 
 SAND PAIR OF SHOES given from the workhouse 
 last year, which far exceed the whole collective 
 number of the preceding seven years /It was 
 then no uncommon thing for such people, 
 who had received this charity, even in the se- 
 verest part of the winter, to offer money in ex- 
 change at different shops for slender shoes, and 
 very frequently for stuff slippers. It has likewise 
 been the practice of giving from the workhouse 
 
 goods
 
 goods wwdye^that the poor might get them finished 
 to their own taste. The workhouw colour was so 
 generally known, that many of the poor would 
 not appear clothed with it. By thus distributing 
 goods in an unfinished state, the overseers have 
 very skilfully saved the expence of dying, and it 
 has given those who were desirous of pawning or 
 selling, advantage of the best market. It has like- 
 wise been observed, that different kinds of goods, 
 such as clothing made up, shoes, &c. &c. have been 
 retailed new, at little more than half cost, by deal- 
 ers in clothes, to whom the poor had disposed of 
 them. 
 
 According to Mrs. Hallows's account, various 
 people were improperly relieved in Mr. Unite's and 
 Mr. Edgltfs time, as overseers. Says, one Alice 
 Jowctt received three shillings per week from the 
 town, at a time when she was possessed of consid- 
 erable property. That Mr. Hallows visited her 
 unknown, as overseer, when he found she had 
 purchased a house, for which she had paid one 
 hundred and sixty pounds. The numerous impo- 
 sitions of this sort, and monies oiherways improp- 
 erly applied, shew the necessity of a regular vis- 
 iting-book, and annual report. 
 
 Mr. Wood, in his account of the Shrewsbury 
 House of Industry, says, " much unnecessary ex- 
 pence is unavoidably incurred, by committing the 
 relief and management of the poor to annual offi- 
 cers. They are obliged to relieve, because they 
 cannot employ. Unacquainted, likewise, with 
 their poor, when they enter on their offices, they 
 are the dupes of their frauds and artifice. And 
 when they begin to acquire a knowledge of their 
 characters and dispositions, they are superseded 
 by others, as destitute of this necessary inform- 
 ation as they were themselves. It may ap- 
 pear a bold, bur, perhaps, will not be found a 
 
 groundless
 
 ( 3' ) 
 
 groundless assertion, that nearly one-half of the 
 money expended on the parochial poor is misap- 
 plied, in consequence of the want of this acquaint- 
 ance with, and experience of the artful stratagems 
 they have recourse to, in order to extort unde- 
 served relief." 
 
 But to do away as much as possible this kind of 
 imposition, I have recommended the methods made 
 use of in many large towns, by advertising the names 
 and residence of the poor, who receive weekly relief; 
 and I am happy to find the gentlemen of No. 3 div- 
 ision, have adopted this plan, which cannot fail of 
 having its desired effect. Many names will, in all 
 probability, appear in the present quarterly accounts 
 published, to be impostors, and others will become- 
 industrious, rather than have their names pub- 
 lished as receiving parish relief*. 
 
 The great regulations which have taken place at 
 Shrewsbury, will be seen by the following account 
 of the expences of the out-poor, including nurses' 
 pay, &c. which have annually DECREASED as fol- 
 lows. 
 
 1784 to 1795 833 19 8 
 
 *7 8 5 i? 86 535 19 
 
 i7 86 *7 8 7 3 6 4 o 7 
 
 *7 8 7 *7 88 *39 6 15 5 
 
 *7 88 *7 8 9 3 2 o M 7i- 
 
 *7 8 9 1 79 3 22 J 7 5 
 
 The SMTTCS RECEIVED for support of bastard 
 children^ certificate poor, &c. have annually IN- 
 CREASED as follows. 
 
 1784 
 
 * Since the publication of the above report, the over- 
 seers of No. 3 district have received information of sever- 
 al improper persons being relieved, which are struck off 
 the list.
 
 ( 33 ) 
 
 1784101785 i4 2 10 8 
 
 1785 1786 197 10 7 
 
 1786 1787 196 5 3 
 
 1787 1788 189 9 10 
 
 1788 .-..1789 185 12 i 
 
 1789 1790 286 12 i 
 
 It appears from the statement, as per contra, that 
 the expences of the out-poor have been regularly 
 decreasing since the year 1 785, from eight hundred 
 and thirty-three pounds nineteen shillings and 
 eight-pence, to three hundred and twenty-two 
 pounds seventeen shillings and five-pence; and the 
 receipts from other parishes for certificated poor, and 
 bastard children, have increased, in six years, more 
 than double the amount! But what a contrast do 
 our accounts exhibit, when compared with theirs 
 instead of lessening our yearly expenditure, it has 
 nearly increased to THREE TIMES the sum; and 
 our receipts in certificate cases, and monies receiv- 
 ed from country overseers have DECREASED, con- 
 siderably more than ONE-HALF! If we arc 
 not entirely blinded by our prejudices, let us 
 view the situation of other townships, contrast- 
 ed with our own. At Shrewsbury, the reduc- 
 tion in the expence of supporting their poor, 
 since the opening of the House of Industry, as 
 stated in the last report of the directors, is SIXTEEN 
 
 THOUSAND AND THREE POUNDS, exclusive of a 
 
 balance of TWO THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED 
 POUNDS and upwards, in the treasurer's hands. 
 
 The following comparative statement of the 
 house expences at Liverpool, in the years 1792 
 and 1793, with the two preceding years of 1790 
 and 1791, shews the necessity of a reformation in 
 Manchester. 
 
 1790.
 
 ( 34 ) 
 
 
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 ( 36 ) 
 
 It is curious to remark, that during the period 
 in which this surprising decrease in the consump- 
 tion of butchers' meat took place, there was an av- 
 erage increase of TWO HUNDRED AND SIX 
 PAUPERS WITHIN, and a still greater number 
 WITHOUT doors, and all the poor were as well sup- 
 plied with provisions, as in the preceding year ! And 
 what is still more extraordinary, notwithstanding 
 this increase in the poor, and the great advance in 
 the price of wheat, oatmeal, and potatoes, added to 
 the expence of erecting a large range of buildings, 
 besides no sales whatever being made of spun cot- 
 ton, yet the animal expences of the house were 
 diminished more than TWO THOUSAND 
 EIGHT HUNDRED POUNDS! and the funds 
 of the year 1793, after an ample allowance for 
 losses and errors, proved FIFTEEN HUNDRED 
 POUNDS superior to the calculation in favour of 
 the town, at the commencement of that year, and 
 leftasurplusof FOUR THOUSAND POUNDS! 
 These beneficial effects may be justly attributed to 
 the constant and judicious attention of the gentle- 
 men who have so laudably exerted themselves to 
 correct the parochial abuses of Liverpool. And I 
 must not omit to do justice to the characters of Mr. 
 Halliday the treasurer, and the overseers of that 
 town, who favoured me with an inspection into 
 their books, which exhibit a precedent highly 
 worthy the imitation, not only of the overseers of 
 Manchester, but of all the parish officers in the king- 
 dom. Many other surrounding townships, not- 
 withstanding the badness of the times, and the 
 great price of provisions, have more or less decreased 
 their annual disbursements, whilst a kind of party 
 spirit in Manchester, continues an obstacle to the 
 benefit which the public would derive from the reg- 
 ulations and instructions suggested by the Report 
 of the Associated Ley-payers, and this is permitted 
 
 to
 
 ( 37 ) 
 
 to exist, though the town is burthened with a debt 
 of more than FOURTEEN .THOUSAND 
 POUNDS ! besides the annual expenditure hav- 
 ing increased, since the year 1790, from EIGHT 
 THOUSAND to upwards of TWENTY 
 THOUSAND POUNDS per annum ! 
 
 The following accounts are selected from the 
 printed Report of Birmingham, beginning with 
 Easter 1786, in which I have made a comparative 
 statement with those of Manchester. 
 
 From Easter 1786 to Easter 1787. 
 Ccmpositionmoney>(inManches- 
 
 ter termed " Hushmoney" ) %^ 18 O 
 Certificate cases REPAID by 
 
 other parishes 325 3 10 
 
 670 1 1O 
 
 Easter 1787 to Easter 1788. 
 
 Composition money t &c 332 3 o 
 
 Certificate cases 246 6 4 
 
 -- 57 8 9 4 
 
 ^1248 11 2 
 
 The following is a MANCHESTER STATEMENT 
 during the period of Mr. Unite's overseership. 
 
 April 2<)th, 1790, to April zgth 1791. 
 Composition money , (WISELY termed 
 " Hush money") from four gentle- 
 men 101 5 O 
 
 To cash from the overseers oj other par- 
 ishes for board of their poor in our 
 workhouses-weekly payments by order of 
 country overseers, certificate cases* and 
 pensions, &c. &c. only said to be re- 
 ceived this year 26 11 O 
 
 127 16
 
 ( 38 ) 
 
 Brought forward 127 i6 o 
 from May zd t 1791, to May zd, 1792. 
 Composition,or"Hushmoncy," 
 
 from four gentlemen 117 10 .O 
 
 To cash of country overseers, 
 
 &c 31 2 O 
 
 r- 14^ 12; O 
 
 276 8 o 
 
 which makes a difference of the receipts in cash, 
 in "HUSH -MONEY/' and CERTIFICATE CASES 
 alone, 97 2 35. 
 
 It appears from the head overseer's books, that 
 there has only been received twenty-nine founds 
 eight shillings and six-pence for ALL the boarders in 
 die Manchester workhouse for TWO YEARS! 
 and in the above time there only appears credit 
 given for EIGHT SHILLINGS for ONE WOMAN 
 lying-in, and one pound sixteen shillings for Jihation 
 orders. On the 4th, 15th, igth, and 23d of June 
 
 1790, (the time of Mr. Beaumont's indisposition) 
 Mr. Unite appears regularly to have paid Mr. 
 Farrington for four filiation orders, at six shil- 
 lings each; but, after the death of Mr. Beaumont, 
 which was on the 3Oth of the same month, Mr. 
 Unite does not appear to have accounted for a 
 single order, during the following ten months of 
 Mr. Farrington's churchwardenship. The next 
 that appears entered is the 19^1 of December 
 
 1791, after a lapse of eighteen months. An- 
 other entry is made of six shillings for one of 
 these orders on the 2ist of January 1792; but 
 on the i6th of May following Mr. Unite has 
 accounted for one hundred and eight orders, a- 
 mounting to THIRTY-TWO POUNDS EIGHT SHIL- 
 
 It should be noticed, that this money 
 
 is
 
 ( 39 ) 
 
 is received by separate payments, casually made, 
 at six shillings each, during a period of more than 
 TWO YEARS ! For the appearance of this sum, I 
 rather believe the town is indebted to Mr. Edgley, 
 he having, in the absence of Mr. Unite, received 
 one or both of the intermediate sums, which he 
 took to Mr. Horsfall the treasurer; and on ex- 
 plaining to him the nature of these accounts, and 
 the monies received, he declared it was the first 
 cash he had ever received on the same occasion. 
 On which Mr. Edgley observed with some sur- 
 prize, that it was not the first by many that he 
 OUGHT TO HAVE RECEIVED ! This accounts in 
 some measure, for the credit given for the sum of 
 thirty-two pounds eight shillings, after more than 
 a two years collection, in a GROSS SUM ! 
 
 In my Reply to Mr. Unite, page 15 to 20, there 
 is a complete jumble of accounts, or chapter of 
 confusion, collector, churchwarden, overseer, &c. 
 &c. .all appear in the wrong. Mr. Edgley's dis- 
 bursements, amounting to / 2377 195. io%d. are 
 cast up ^2419. 65. 50?. a difference in his favour 
 of 4 1 . 6s. 6 d. But this account, as well as the ac- 
 counts of those higher in office, wa)' in all probability 
 proceed from MISTAKE, yet I am inclined to think, 
 had this sum of 4.1. 6s. 6~d. been against Mr. 
 Edgley, it would have stood a better chance of be- 
 ing found out at the close of the year, and not 
 have been passed " ADJUSTED, EXAMINED," and 
 ATTESTED UPON OATH ! ! 
 
 When mistakes are numerous, and ALL appear 
 tending the same way, every unprejudiced reader 
 must naturally think unfavourably. 
 
 In the bastardy account there appears to have 
 been paid in two years, commencing April 1790, 
 
 and ending May 2d, 1792 2650. 
 
 And
 
 ( 40 ) 
 
 Brought forward ^2650. 
 And in the same period we appear 
 
 to have received only > 820. 
 
 Loss 1320* 
 
 which is a. difference of near seventy per cent. 
 while most of the large towns through the king- 
 dom make this a profitable concern. In the Re- 
 port published at STOCKPORT, June i794> the 
 entries are as follow. 
 
 To cash received on bastardy account .... 85 7 4 
 
 By ditto paid on ditto 77 4 3 
 
 PROFIT % S 3 i 
 
 The above accounts shew a saving of more than 
 ten and a quarter per cent, whilst our immaculate 
 overseers lose near seventy per cent. 
 
 To what motives must the public attribute this 
 astonishing loss ? for supposing the officers of 
 Stockport had transacted business to the extent of 
 that in Manchester, the parish of Stockport would 
 have gained ten and a quarter per cent, amounting 
 to more than TWO HUNDRED AND SEV- 
 ENTY-ONE POUNDS! which would have 
 been applied to the relief of the poor, IN RE- 
 DUCTION OF THE RATES TO BE LEVIED ON THE 
 
 INHABITANTS; but, by the management of the 
 overseers of Manchester, there is a biennial loss of 
 EIGHTEEN HUNDRED AND THIRTY 
 POUNDS! which occasions additional rates to be 
 levied on the inhabitants, by a comparative calcu- 
 lation of our/oisand their gam, of more than TWO 
 THOUSAND GUINEAS. And it is still more 
 extraordinary that this difference should exist be- 
 tween two manufacturing towns not SEVEN MILES 
 DISTANT from each other. 
 
 Mr. Edgley, in March 1794, at the request of 
 the Associated Ley-payers, gave in an account of 
 the arrears in bastardy, which (exclusive of the 
 
 arrears
 
 arrears contained in the Red Basil Book) amount- 
 ed to twelve hundred and forty pounds, though 
 this suin did not constitute the whole of the ar- 
 rears subsequent to the dates of the said book. It 
 likewise appears from the dates of the BASTARDY 
 OR.DE.RS, that a great part of these subsequent ar- 
 rears originated in Mr. Unite's overseership, and 
 though there is not a less number than TWO HUN- 
 DRED AND FORTY-SIX defaulters, yet, I do not 
 find the amount of Jive pounds accounted for by Mr. 
 JJnite during the whole course of his overseership. 
 There appear on the face of these accounts ma.iy 
 people of property and credit, that are indebted 
 very considerable sums, of several years standing, 
 and who have not till within these few weeks been 
 applied to. The very confused state of these ac- 
 counts, and Mr. Hallows not having yet given up 
 his books, prevent the present overseers from 
 collecting these balances. They are, likewise, 
 afraid of issuing warrants, lest the accounts should 
 be found settled and the monies not accounted for, 
 which would, in that cage, subject them to an action 
 for false imprisonment. We have a recent instance 
 of this sort, where a second warrant was granted 
 for arrears in bastardy, though security was lodged 
 in the hands of the overseer for the payment of 
 the first t the circumstance of no memorandum 
 being made, nor credit given in the late overseers 
 books, caused a journey to Leeds, where the mys- 
 tery was unravelled. 
 
 In the accounts of bastardy, which constitute 
 part of the above balance, it appears that Mr. 
 Unite has received different sums, which I cannot 
 jind credit given for. Mrs. Hallows, likewise, gives 
 an account of Mr. Unite being in possession of a 
 note of hand, which appears in the list given in by- 
 Mr. Edgley, the balance whereof is twelve pounds 
 shillings. In the same book there appears an 
 G account
 
 ( 4* ) 
 
 account open since the year 1789, where no cred- 
 it is given by Mr. Unite, though I am in posses- 
 sion of many of his receipts, signed R. UNITT, 
 given at the lime he was OVERSEER, and 'which he 
 continued to receive during his CON STABLES HIP, to 
 a considerable amount ! 
 
 If epistolary evidence may be relied on, Mr. 
 Hallowshzs received many sums in bastardy, dstacll 
 as on other accounts, that he may, in all probability, 
 in the hurry of business, have onjitted to enter. It 
 is, in my opinion, highly necessary, that these books 
 should undergo an immediate inspection. Surely 
 it is a time most fit to correct abuses of this na- 
 .ture, when the funds of the town are in such a sit- 
 uation as to have lost the confidence of every 
 tradesman who has served the house ; and, if I 
 am not misinformed, the poor might now starve 
 for want of necessaries, were they not supported 
 by the personal credit of the present overseers. 
 
 It has been from time immemorial the constant 
 practice of overseers, to enter all paupers received 
 into the workhouse, as boarders, (when they were 
 not to be supported at the expence of the town) in the 
 governor's book, as a reduction of the house ex- 
 pences ; but this practice (for reasons too obvious 
 to need a comment) WAS TOTALLY DISCONTINUED 
 BY MR. UNITE ! 
 
 Mrs. Taylor gives an account of one John 
 Shannon, who was sent into the house by Mr. 
 Unite, the ist of December 1790, without Mr. 
 Unite ever mentioning that he belonged to a sick club, 
 which was held at Ellis Rose's, the Dyers-arms, in 
 Long-mill-gate. On the 1 4th of the same month, 
 the stewards of the club came to the workhouse, 
 and paid John Shannon twelve shillings, being two 
 weeks allowance, and on the 2ist of the same 
 month, the stewards brought six shillings more, 
 which Mrs. Taylor, the governess, took from him, 
 
 John
 
 ( 43 ) 
 
 John Shannon, on account of his incapacity to 
 take care of it. On the same, or following, day, 
 Mr. Unite came to the workhouse, and demanded 
 of Mrs. Taylor the money she had received of 
 Shannon, saying, that he had PAID his quarterage 
 into the box, and therefore he would receive H i s 
 PAY. Mrs. Taylor told Mr. Unite, that he was 
 mistaken about his paying the money into the box for 
 Shannon, as it was the general method of the stew- 
 afds to deduct the quarterage from their fay. The 
 whole, sum really paid amounted to six pounds and 
 three-pence, to the 2Oth of April, when Shannpn 
 <}ied. Though Mr. Unite received these sums 
 weekly, save one payment of twelve shillings for a 
 fortnight's pay, there appears only a credit given 
 for five pounds nine shillings, which is on the i^t/i. 
 of April entered in GROSS. ! 
 
 The society of Fustian- cutters, in the time of 
 Mr. Unite's overseership, had to find a substitute 
 to serve in the militia, for one of their members 
 who was ballotted, which they procured and paid 
 for out of the box; and Mr. Unite received 
 for this society the usual allowance of four gui- 
 neas : repeated applications have since been made 
 from the society to recover this money, but to no 
 effect. Mr. Unite avails himself of the old ex- 
 cuse, that the town is indebted to him such large sums 
 of money, as to prevent him from paying his private 
 credit. I shall not be presumptuous enough to 
 say, that this hackneyed story is told to tradesmen, 
 his creditors, as a subterfuge to avoid the payment, 
 of his .debts.; but certainly it appears that his sal- 
 ary has 'been paid him quarterly, and that he has 
 always been in possession of monies for the use of 
 the town. 
 
 In the orde-rs of filiation made by the magis- 
 trates, for the maintenance of bastard children, a 
 sum of money is usually allowed for the expences 
 
 of
 
 ( 44 ) 
 
 of lying-in, exclusive of the weekly allowance 
 for the support of these women at the work* 
 house ; but this practice was discontinued by Mr. 
 Unite, who, during the time of his overseer ship, sent 
 a great number of women to lie-in, and kept them 
 very often many months after their delivery, at the 
 expence of the town, without paying the governor any 
 thing under the order. 
 
 One CHRISTIANA GASKILL lay-in at 
 
 the workhouse twice, and continued there with her 
 children considerably more than twelve months, 
 whilst the fathers of both children made regular 
 payments, and for several years after, agreeably to 
 the orders. Upon her delivery of the latter child, 
 one pound eighteen shillings were paid for lying-in, 
 which should have appeared to the credit of the 
 town, for the indulgence of the workhouse, yet, 
 there only appears accounted for, in the whole, 
 three pounds five shillings received from both 
 fathers. 
 
 Mrs. TAYLOR, the governess of the work- 
 house, says, that she has spoken of Mr. Unite's con- 
 duct to Mr. Horsfall, and of his receiving these 
 monies ; and that she told him, if an overseer 
 v;as allowed to board people in the workhouse, and 
 10 proceed as Mr. Unite had done, it would, 
 be adviseable to put up the overseership by auction^ 
 and sell it to the best bidder ! 
 
 Mr. HORSFALL required Mrs. Taylor to 
 make out a list of such people who had had the in- 
 dulgence of the workhouse in Unite's time, which 
 was made out accordingly, amounting to between 
 sixty and seventy pounds. Says, that Mr. Horsfall 
 told the governor, that he thought Mr. Unite had 
 accounted for some part of it. 
 
 Mrs.
 
 ( 45 ) 
 
 Mrs. Taylor further says, that it was very often 
 the case, when poor women came to receive their, 
 weekly pay under the order of the magistrate, for 
 the support of their children, to complain of Mr. 
 Unite having withheld their jiliation orders, AND 
 
 KEPT PART OF THEIR PAY ! 
 
 Says, that she gave from the workhouse great 
 quantities of wearing-apparel, by ORDER of Mr. 
 Unite, to the poor oj other parishes, and which Mr. 
 Unite always took an account of. That she gave one 
 Mary Fazakerly, who belonged to Liverpool, in 
 the month of December 1791, the following 
 wearing-apparel, viz. 
 
 5. d. 
 
 Two pairs of shoes-- 7 4 
 
 Two bed-gowns 4 6 
 
 Six yards of ' linen-. 4 4f 
 
 Six yards blue plain 7 9 . s. d. 
 
 i 4 if 
 
 Mr. Unite got 'the above account made out, and 
 TOOK HER HIMSELF the following morning to 
 Liverpool. The above curious account of cloth- 
 ing given, with linen UNMADE, to a woman who 
 was immediately removed to her place of settle- 
 ment, I do confess, has a strange appearance ; 
 but, far be it from me even to insinuate any incon- 
 tinent remark here yet, for the reputation of Mr. 
 Unite, I sincerely wish that ****#****# 
 ***************** h e had nO ( 
 
 forgotten to bring back with him the one pound 
 Jour shillings. 
 
 Mrs. Taylor gives an account of Ann Chad- 
 wick, who lay-in of twins in the workhouse, in 
 April 1792, where she continued a month, when 
 two men from Timperley, in Cheshire, took her 
 away, and paid Mr. Unite \ 55. Says, by order 
 of Mr. Unite, she provided one Linney's children, 
 belonging to Newton, with wearing apparel, amount- 
 ing to one pound twelve shillings and ten-pence. 
 
 That
 
 ( 46 t 
 
 That one ROBERTS, a pauper belonging to 
 Chorlton,was supported in the workhouse, and that 
 the. overseers of Chorlton were to.pav. two shillings 
 .eek for his maintenance. That after thq 
 dcatfi of Mr. Beaumont he continued in the work- 
 house forty-eight .weeks, when he died. Says, that 
 to her knowledge, fifteen shillings were paid Mr. 
 Unite, December 16, 1791, for Ann Travis and 
 child, for board. That one George Griffith paid, 
 'jllen Folkes's lying-in, March 8, 1792, one 
 1 one shilling. That Mary Horton, of Ash- 
 tOn, was only in the house one week, when Mr. 
 Unite insisted on the overseer paying for that time 
 five shillings, which', was paid in her presence. 
 
 It appears, likewise, from the head church- 
 warden's cash-book in 1791, that Mr. Beaumont's 
 executor was p3L\d/qur founds sixteen shillings for 
 goods for Mr. Unite; and that he, Mr. Unite, had 
 ffcjm the poor-house, a quantity of sheets, blankets^ 
 rug^ and towelling, that does not appear to his 
 debit. The balance, likewise, due to the town 
 from Mr. Unite, 'of seventeen pounds, since April 
 ., I do not find accounted for. 
 
 GfJtt 
 
 CHARLES MOLLINEAUX and his wife, in 
 Hilion's-entry, Fennel-street, were raken into the 
 workhouse in the month of November 1790. He 
 was to pay three shillings per week for. his board, and 
 tjic service of his wife was to be considered equal 
 to the expences or her support. On the 25th 
 of July 1791, Mollineaux paid Mr.' Unite four 
 pounds fourteen -shillings on. this account, and 
 three shillings the week following; that on the 
 i.itli of November he paid Mrs. Unite two pounds 
 twelve shillings and six-pence ; but says, that af- 
 terwards hearing that Mr. Unite was leaving the 
 office of overseer, he asked him for a receipt, 
 when Mr. Unite told him " there was no fear, the 
 
 money
 
 money was down in Mr. Horsfall's books."- Mr. 
 Hallows, who was to succeed Mr. Unite, was pres- 
 ent at this conversation, and also said, that he had 
 no occasion to be afraid. A copy of Mr. rfors- 
 fall's books and papers I have examined, where 
 there appears a credit given for four pounds, ten 
 shillings, instead of Jour guineas and a half, the old 
 method Jive' per cent, commission. It is worthy of 
 remark, that this money is stated to have been re- 
 ceived on the 28th'of June 1791, for thirty weeks; 
 when the real fact appears to" be, that the four 
 pounds fourteen shillings and six-pence were not 
 paid till the 26th of July 17.91. Nor is there any 
 account given of the TWO GUINEAS. AND A HALF 
 paid to MRS. UNITE. After this period Mr. Tay- 
 lor had Mr. Horsfall's orders to receive the 
 monies himself, which appear accounted for by 
 Mr. Taylor till he left the house on Shrove Tues- 
 day 1791. 
 
 It appears, likewise, from Mrs. Taylor's book, 
 that Mr. Unite received the following sums from 
 a Mr. Bracewell, for the board of Joseph Rider. 
 
 . s. d.' 
 
 Cash received by Mr. Unite 4 10 o 
 
 1 79 1 > J ul X 2 7 th Do 330 
 
 Nov. 22, Do 3 10 o 
 
 1792, Feb. i, Do 3 3 o 
 
 14 6 o 
 1791, Nov. 26, by cash accounted for 
 
 by Mr. Unite 3 10 Q 
 
 Balance, which Mr. Unite does not 
 
 . appear to have accounted for -io 16 o 
 
 After the payment of the above sums, Mr. Tay- 
 lor,
 
 ( 48 ) 
 
 lor, the governor, received the remainder from 
 Mr. Bracewell, amounting to seventeen pounds 
 six shillings and six-pence, which the town has 
 credit for. 
 
 A GENTLEMAN, in the neighbourhood of 
 Piccadilly, paid, at two separate times, about thirty 
 shillings, and which he was distrustful Mr. Unite 
 had no right to have asked for; this also I cannot 
 find accounted for. 
 
 Mrs. Taylor likewise observes, that during the 
 time of Mr. Beaumont's overseership, she re- 
 ceived at the workhouse considerable quantities 
 of household goods and wearing apparel ; that it was 
 then in her power to have stocked a poor family 
 with almost every thing necessary, but, that since 
 Mr. Unite came into office, neither goods, nor clothes, 
 have ever found their way into the workhouse, nor is 
 the cash arising from the sales accounted for. 
 
 THOMAS DAVIS, constable, of Stretford, 
 brought at different times to town in his cart, a great 
 number of vagrants, the expences of which he ought 
 to have been paid on delivery. 
 
 At one time he was desired by Mr. Unite to leave 
 his papers which he did. That he afterwards called 
 frequently, but that Mr. Unite always put him off, 
 by pretending to be in a hurry, or some such friv- 
 olous excuse. That he sometimes saw Mrs. Unite, 
 who appeared offended at his calling. The last time 
 he called, he saw Mr. Unite, and told him he had 
 had a great deal of trouble about his money, when 
 Mr. Unite gave him to understand, that the papers 
 he should have received his money from, were lost! 
 This settled the business at once, and the constable 
 lost his money. 
 
 The various instances of peculation arc so nu- 
 merous,
 
 ( 49 ) 
 
 merous, that I shall only recite two or three of the 
 following cases, merely to convince the reader, 
 that they are of that complexion which could not 
 have proceeded from mistake. 
 
 A YOUNG WO MAN in Fennel-street was de- 
 livered of a bastard child in the workouse, in the 
 year 1789, and an order was made upon the father 
 by the magistrates, to pay two guineas for her lying- 
 in, and one shilling and nine-pence per week to- 
 wards the maintenance of the child. The mother 
 continued in the workhouse about one year and a 
 half, during which time, and about twelve months 
 afterwards, she received no pay under the order. At 
 the expiration of this period, she began to receive 
 weekly pay for about two years and a half, when 
 Mr. Edgley found Mr. Unite had been regularly 
 receiving pay from the child's father during this 
 time, though he (Mr. Edgley) had been paying her t 
 cut of the town's cash ! Mr. Edgley then in- 
 formed her, that as Mr. Unite had regularly 
 received the money from the child's father, 
 she must apply to him for it. She according- 
 ly waited on Mr. Unite, who told her, that the 
 town owed him so much money ', that he could not then 
 fay her. She frequently repeated her applications, 
 when the same answers were given, and she re- 
 mained six months without pay. About eighteen 
 months ago, this poor woman, by desire of Mr. 
 Edgley, went into the country to enquire after the 
 child's father, as it was Mr. Edgley's intention to 
 serve him with a warrant for the money owing. 
 XDn her return, she informed Mr. Edgley that he 
 was at home, when Mr. Edgley gave her half a 
 guinea, and observed, that he had been with Mr. 
 Unite the night before, who had acknowledged the re- 
 ceipt of the monies from the father of the child. Mr. 
 Edgley then desired her to attend on the next 
 
 H nurses'
 
 ( 50 ) 
 
 nurses' day, when he promised to pay her two 
 guineas. Mr. Edgley from this time renewed her 
 former allowance of one. shilling and nine-pence 
 per week, and continued it for about six months, 
 when he again told her, that he was obliged to dis- 
 continue it, as he could not get the money which 
 ha,d been received by Mr. Unite. Says, she of- 
 ten afterwards made application to Mr. Edgley, 
 who told her he would pay her no more, until he 
 got the money from Mr. Unite, which, he said, 
 amounted to between nine and ten pounds. She 
 then applied to Mr. Unite, and took a shop- 
 keeper with her from Newton-lane, who told Mr. 
 Unite, that he had assisted her with provisions for a 
 considerable time, or she would have perished for 
 want, in consequence of which she owed him 
 near forty shillings. Mr. Unite again put her 
 ofF, by telling her he was going to Lancaster 
 assizes, and that he should receive a considerable 
 'sum, and would then pay her. She applied on 
 the Saturday following, when Mr. Unite- gave her 
 two guineas; since which time she has received no 
 pay whatever. 
 
 The following are payments made by Robert 
 Allen, the father of the child, to Mr. Unite, as per 
 his receipts. 
 
 1 79 1 , Aug. 9, received from 
 
 Allen 220 
 
 No date, do 220 
 
 1792, Feb. 23d, do - i n 6 
 
 April 26th, do i 11 6 
 
 Ang. 25th, do i 11 6 
 
 8 18 6 
 
 The above receipts, to the 25th of August, are 
 the hand- writing of MR. UNITE, though signed 
 R. UN ITT, as OVERSEER. On the same day, in 
 another receipt, he signs UNITE as CONSTABLE, 
 
 which
 
 ( 51 ) 
 
 which is somewhat applicable, after the union of the 
 two offices; but,had he signed his name CIPHER, and 
 accounted for the cash he had received, I should 
 have been half inclined to think he had both done 
 justice to himself, and to the public. 
 
 It is worthy of remark, after the last payment on 
 the 25th of August 1792, MR. UNITE observed 
 to Allen y that he had only ONE more payment to 
 bring him, as it would then make up his books ! It 
 appears that the late Mr. Beaumont received two 
 pounds two shillings for Betty Allen's lying-in; but 
 her board during eighteen months that she was in 
 the workhouse, amounting to six. pounds six shil- 
 lings, and the different sums, as per Mr. UNITE'S 
 receipts, I do not find placed to the credit of the 
 town. 
 
 It ought to be remarked that Mr. Edgley, pay- 
 ing Betty Allen out of the town's purse, two years 
 and a half, without ever looking' after the father of 
 the child, is an unpardonable neglect. This poor 
 woman I saw at the time she was deprived of her 
 pay, in. a very wretched and helpless situation; 
 the small allowance, on which her existence, 
 find that of an HELPLESS INFANT depended t was 
 withheld and pocketed by an' unfeeling overseer. 
 
 The following is another case, which differs 
 from the last recited examination, and will be a 
 further proof of peculation in bastardy. 
 
 A YOUNG WOMAN, in Thomas' s-street, was 
 delivered of a bastard child, on the gth day of July 
 1788, which she afterwards fathered upon a weav- 
 er, before two magistrates, who made an order for 
 lying-in, and a further sum of fourteen-pence per 
 week towards the maintenance of the child. The 
 young woman not having yet received her lying- 
 in money, p.r_ any part of her weekly pay, a distant 
 relation of hers, who had chiefly supported her, 
 
 repeatedly
 
 ( 5 ) 
 
 repeatedly applied to Mr. Unite for the money, 
 who always made some excuse of being en- 
 gaged, and desired him to call again. At one 
 of these applications, he was desired by Mr: Unite 
 to stay, and he would pay him. This promise in- 
 duced him to wait nearly jive hours, during which 
 period he repeatedly desired Mr. Unite to come 
 to some settlement, as he had that night to go nine 
 miles home. Mr. Unite then replied, / have re- 
 ceived about Jive pounds, which is worth staying for. 
 He therefore waited till he was deprived of all 
 hopes of receiving the money, and at last came 
 away without it. Repeated applications were af- 
 terwards made to Mr. Unite, without effect. On 
 the 4th day of last December, he called upon Mr. 
 Edgley, who told him that he had never received 
 any thing under the order, to which he referred, and 
 calculated the arrears due to twenty pounds six 
 shillings, which Mr. Edgley observed, was a seri- 
 ous sum, but that he could render him no assist- 
 ance, as Mr. Unite had received the money. This 
 poor woman has never yet received any thing to- 
 wards the expence of lying-in, nor any thing 
 towards the maintenance of her child, nor, has he ever 
 given the town credit for the Jive founds which he 
 acknowledged to have received. 
 
 On the examinational Mr. RALPH WILCOX- 
 ON, it appears, that about fifteen months ago, his 
 shop, in Smythy-door, was broke open, and property 
 stolen to the amount of sixty pounds and upwards. 
 The thieves were afterwards taken, tried, and con- 
 victed. That thirty-eight guineas in cash were found 
 upon one of them. The magistrates, after the 
 trial, ordered Mr. Unite to return to the prose- 
 cutor his money. Mr. Unite gave Mr. Wilcoxon, 
 in a few days afterwards, twenty-eight guineas 
 only, with this observation, " / have made use 
 
 of
 
 ( 53 ) 
 
 of ten guineas, do not mention it to any body, hit 
 call on me in the course of a fortnight, and I will 
 fay you." Mr. Wilcoxon called according to 
 Mr. Unite' s appointment, who then said, " I am 
 toot ready for you, call again." About a month 
 afterwards the application was repeated, and the 
 same answer given by Mr. Unite, with this further 
 observation, that he thought he should then keep the 
 money, as they (meaning the persons who were in 
 prison under sentence of transportation) had 
 threatened him with law. Mr. Unite, after some 
 conversation with Mr. Wilcoxon, desired him to 
 call again, and if they did not proceed by law, he 
 should pay him the money. In a short time after- 
 wards the prosecutor paid Mr. Unite another visit, 
 who accosted him with these words, "you scoun- 
 drel, how dare you open my door without knocking?* 9 
 The prosecutor stated the reason of his appli- 
 cation, when Mr. Unite observed, that he should 
 not pay him, for that he could keep the money four 
 years in his hands. Mr. Unite then ordered one of 
 the beadles, Jonathan Butterworth, to take him im- 
 mediately to the New Bayley, but the beadle only so 
 far obeyed his direction, as to lay hold of him by the 
 collar, and to turn him out of the yard. The pros- 
 ecutor having been thus insulted, has since dis- 
 continued his application, and Mr. Unite still keeps 
 possession of his property. 
 
 About three months ago, Wilcoxon's wife ap- 
 plied, and painted the distress they were in, in 
 consequence of being robbed, and having part 
 of the goods to pay for, also a family of small 
 children, Mr. Unite violently threatened, if she 
 did not leave the door, he would have her con- 
 fined in the New Bayley. 
 
 After Mr. Wilcoxon had lost his property, added to 
 the expence of pursuing the thieves, Mr. Unite with- 
 held from htm, besides the ten guineas, two pairs of
 
 ( 54 ) 
 
 silk and cotton stockings, which he told the prosecu- 
 tor, though the stockings belonged to him, he had 
 no right to receive them, not having sworn there- 
 to, that they in that case belonged to the PO- 
 LICE OFFICE. Says, that Mr. Unite took a 
 fancy at that time to the pattern of a kerseymere 
 waistcoat piece, which the prosecutor gave him. 
 
 Mr. Unite, on examining the house of a Mr. Fore- 
 man, of Liverpool, who Mr. Unite had had inform- 
 ation of his having bought part of these goods, seiz- 
 ed and brought off with him z quantity of shoes, waist- 
 coat pieces, and gown pieces, which Mr. Foreman has 
 not yet received back, nor do I find them any 
 where accounted for. 
 
 WILLIAM DARBYSHIRE, of Manchester, 
 callender-man, says, that several months ago he met 
 with Mr. Wilcoxon, at the Coach and Horses, in 
 Dean's-gate, who told him that Mr. Unite had to 
 pay him ten guineas, which he had kept out of 
 thirty-eight guineas, which the magistrates at the 
 New Bayley had ordered him to return. That he 
 had called very often, but could not get it from him. 
 This examinant promised to accompany him to Mr. 
 Unite's, but on Mr. Wilcoxon's opening his back 
 door, Mr. Unite immediately fell into a violent 
 passion, and called him a scoundrel, and asked 
 him how he durst presume to open his door with- 
 out knocking. He then ordered Jonathan, the 
 beadle, to take Mr. Wilcoxon immediately to the 
 New Bayley. That on collaring Mr. Wilcoxon, 
 Mr. Unite stamped, and was so very outrageous, 
 that he, Darbyshire, was glad to get away. 
 
 SAMUEL DICKINSON, of Long-mill-gaie, 
 Manchester, print-glazer, had in the month of Jan- 
 uary 1794, his warehouse broken open, and several 
 pieces oj printed, calicoes and two glazing rollers 
 
 stolen.
 
 ( 55 ) 
 
 stolen. The thieves were afterwards taken, and 
 convicted at the Manchester quarter sessions. Af- 
 ter the trial he had an order to receive the goods 
 back, as he had been at more than twenty pounds 
 expence in apprehending them. Says, he made 
 many applications to Mr. Unite, but could nev- 
 er receive any thing back from him, except the 
 coarse calicoes. That there were aboui fifteen 
 yards of fine chints, and two glazing rollers, which 
 Mr. Unite kept. Says, that he applied many 
 times for the rollers and the chints, At one of 
 these applications, he saw the rollers in Mr. Unite's 
 house. Says, that the goods stolen belonged to 
 Mr. Greenways, and that they only charged him 
 for the chints twenty-one pence per yard, in 
 consideration of the loss he sustained, but, 
 that they were the same as they sold at two shil- 
 lings and four-pence. Says, that he called upon 
 Mr. Unite very often, to get them back. That 
 the last time but one he called, Mr. Unite told 
 him that his wife, or ^servants, had made them in- 
 to rubbing rags. 
 
 Dickinson, it should be observed, is a poor, 
 industrious man, with a wife and several small 
 children ; that the property stolen from his work- 
 shop, belonged to different masters ; that the loss 
 he sustained, with the expence of making the 
 search after these thieves, detecting and bringing 
 them to justice, so much distressed him, that he 
 was obliged, for the support of his family, to sell 
 nearly all his furniture, and the only bed which he 
 had to lie upon. 
 
 Mr. BENJAMIN MARLOW, hatter, and spe- 
 cial constable, near Miles Platting, Newton-lane, was, 
 about eighteen months ago, in the possession o>a 
 quantity of fustian, which Mr. Unite obtained from 
 him on the plea that he suspected it to be stolen. 
 About three months after, Mr. Unite finding his 
 
 suspicions
 
 suspicions to be groundless, informed Mr*. 
 by one of the beadles, that he would send it him 
 immediately. So.ne time alter Mr. Marlow ra| 
 by chance with Mr. Unite at. Peter Fear ahead' 's, in 
 Smithy-door, and asked him why he did not re- 
 turn him the fustian, when Mr. Unite replied, " I 
 
 HAVE SOLD IT, AND GIVEN THE MONEY TO THE 
 
 POOR," and immediately shut the door in his face, 
 Mr. Marlow says, he stated to the company, "that 
 if ihe taking of his fustian, and never returning it t 
 was law, there was no justice in the country." 
 
 Mr. BENJAMIN WALKER, innkeeper/ St. 
 gatf,** robbed of fifty guineas, and a silver 
 n the month ofDecember 1793, and also of 
 thirteen pounds five shillings, the property of a sick 
 club society, htld in his house. The thief -was 
 afterwards apprehended in one of the duke's boats, 
 by a Mr. Kay, with nearly the whole of the prop- 
 erty upon him, including that which belonged to the 
 sick club, and which he gave to Mr. Unite. The 
 trial and conviction took place at die last March 
 assizes, when Mr. Unite gave evidence that he 
 had received upwards of sixty-four pounds of the 
 property stolen. Immediately after the trial, Mr. 
 Walker, the prosecutor, observed to Mr. Unite, 
 that he would apply to the Judge that his prop- 
 erty might be restored. Mr. Unite made answer, 
 that was unnecessary, for that he would return it 
 immediately on going out of court. The prose- 
 cutor made several applications in the course of 
 the same day, but received only evasive answers. 
 He then threatened to apply to the Judge the 
 next morning, if his property was not returned to 
 titn, when Mr. Unite told the prosecutor, he was 
 very insolent. On which Mr. Walker applied to 
 Mr. Milne, the attorney for the prosecution, in- 
 forming him, that he could not get his property 
 
 of 
 
 -
 
 ( 57 ) 
 
 of Mr. Unite, that; he was very Hardly treated, 
 and if "Mr. 1 Milne -would 'matte o.ut his ac- 
 count, he would pay him immediately. On which 
 Mr. Milne gave the prosecutor a note to Mr. 
 Unite to deliver thirty guineas and his watch, 
 which he received. Mr. Walker has since 
 frequently applied to Mr. Milne for his bill, who 
 always said he was busy. Says, that about a month 
 after Mr. Battye's advertisement appeared in the 
 Chester paper, he again applied to Mr. Milne, who 
 again said, he had not time to make it out. .That 
 about four months ago, he desired Mr. Milne to 
 get from Mr. Unite the remainder of the money, 
 and let the business be settled, when. Mr. Milne 
 informed him, that he would have nothing tv do toitk 
 Mr. Unite, and that he should look upon him, 
 Mr. Walker, for the payment of what was due to 
 him. Mr. Walker; appears to have been very 
 desirous of paying Mr. Milne, whenever he could 
 have got his bill ; and till this period he was of 
 opinion Mr. Unite, by Mr. Milne's order, kept 
 this money as a guarantee for the payment of the 
 bill. In consequence of Mr. Milne's informa- 
 tion, he again applied to Mr. Unite, when he 
 promised to call upon him and pay him the re- 
 mainder of the money the day following, but Mr. 
 Unite did not keep his promise. 'Mr. Walker, on 
 the loth of December last, met Mr. Unite in St. 
 Ann's-square, when he again promised to call the 
 next day, but Mr. Unite again broke his word, 
 and still continues to withhold the remainder of 
 Mr. Walker's money, nineteen fotirids and up- 
 wards. 
 
 Examination of JOHN HARRISON, clerk of 
 the Collegiate church, Manchester, who says, " tfrat 
 he was a special Constable,and that about Christmas' 
 1702, one John Evan>, of Ballo6n-street, found a 
 
 f i<>-r- i ** * 
 
 I box
 
 box of cards about eight o'clock in the evening. 
 That the box was so heavy, that it required two 
 men to lift it, being about four feet in length, two 
 in breadth, and about two feet in depth. Says, on 
 Evans applying to him, this examinant, they went 
 to Mr. Unite, as they suspected the goods were 
 stolen. Mr. Unite ordered the cards to be taken 
 to his house, which was done according to his di- 
 rections, by Evans, in a wheelbarrow. Says, on 
 Sunday the 3Oth of last November, he met with 
 Mr. Unite by chance, at Mr. Matthew Green's, 
 the Blackmore's-head, in Old-chvjrch-yard : that 
 in the course of conversation, Mr. Unite said, he 
 supposed this examinant had something to charge 
 him with, who told him he had, and immediately 
 declared the subject, and asked Mr. Unite, to 
 defend himself. Mr. Unite replied, I have given 
 the cards to the owner in the presence of the 
 magistrates. This examinant then asked him, who 
 the owner was. Mr. Unite said, he did not 
 know the person's name, but he could find proof 
 of its delivery. This examinant then said, it 
 was very hard the poor man, who found the cards, 
 and had so much trouble of taking so heavy a box 
 to his house, should not have been rewarded in 
 the course of two years. On which Mr. Unite 
 said " he had LIBERALLY REWARDED him" and 
 offered to lay this examinant a wager upon it. 
 
 JOHN EVANS, of Balloon-street, sand-carrier, 
 says, that in Christmas holidays 1792, he found a 
 box of cards for carding cotton, in Hanover-street. 
 That he applied to Mr. Harrison, the clerk of the 
 Old-church, who went with him to Mr. Unite's 
 house. Says, Mr. Unite desired the box to be 
 brought to his office, and this examinant says he 
 took it there in a wheelbarrow, and that it was so 
 heavy that it required two men to put it in the 
 
 barrow.
 
 ( 59 ) 
 
 barrow. Says, Mr. Unite thn ordered him to 
 call again, and he would advertise it ; he call- 
 ed on Mr. Unite the next morning, who told 
 him, he could say nothing to him until it was ad- 
 vertised, and owned, when that was done, he should 
 receive something worth his -while for finding and 
 bringing it. Says, he saw Mr. Unite some time 
 afterwards, who told him, he had not found the 
 owner ; nor could he learn from any other per- 
 son, that it ever had been advertised. Says, that 
 he saw Mr. Unite about a month before Whitsun- 
 tide, and he again told him, he had not yet found 
 the owner.- Says, he again applied to Mr. Unite a 
 few days before Whit Sunday, who told him then 
 he had\ found the owner, and that he should have 
 a handsome present, and desired he would call 
 about the middle of Whitsun week. That he ac- 
 cordingly called in Whitsun week, when Mr. 
 Unite told him, that the owner had made him no 
 present for jinding it, or, he would have given him 
 something. Says, he called on Mr. Unite sev- 
 eral times, who always told him, he had no money 
 in his pocket, or he would have given him a SHIL- 
 LING, but has. never yet received any thing. 
 
 MARY CLAYTON, lived in service with 
 Mr. KNOTT, inn-keeper, at Ashton-under-line and 
 Manchester, near thirteen years. Says, she was 
 pregnant, and within six weeks of her time, by a 
 person of the name of Schneider, a musician in 
 the first regiment of dragoons, and that Mr. Knott, 
 her master, directed her to go to Mr. Unite, the 
 overseer, and father her child. That she went 
 according to his directions, to Mr. Unite, in Dole- 
 field, who ordered her to call again ; that she 
 again waited on Mr. Unite, who told her, that she 
 had no right at that time to father her child, as he 
 said, there was a fresh act just new come up, against 
 
 women
 
 <C eo ) 
 
 wen fathering their -children until they had.laid-in 
 
 a nun ill. Says, she told Mr. Unite, the regiment 
 
 uld k-u\ c the town before she.should he brought 
 
 to iu:cl, and that. he ( Schneider } was not private 
 
 . rhat he had, besides his billet, iwtlve M- 
 
 irom the regiment, and jifieen shii- 
 
 ,;.> per iueek from Me ars. Handy and, Franklin, 
 \vitii the money he got by if ticking music. Says, 
 after having lain-in a month, she went before jus- 
 tice Griffith, and there saw Mr. Hallows, (Mr. 
 Unite having left -the office of overseer) when her 
 examination was taken on oath, but does not recol- 
 lect what the magistrate's order specified, as Mr. 
 Hallows kept it; to whom, she afterwards frequent- 
 ly applied for relief, but was always refused. That 
 she had then no employment but that of washing 
 for hire, and having to pay four shillings per meek 
 with her child at nurse, and .one shilling per -week 
 for aj'urnh'htd room, the little money she had saved 
 in her servitude was exhausted, and she was ob- 
 liged, in order to support herself and child, to sell 
 her clothes. Says, she afterwards called on Mr. 
 Hallows, who again refused her relief, and that she 
 became so cn/eebled and sickly for want of food, 
 that she was taken to the Infirmary, where she con- 
 tinued seventeen weeks. That during her confine- 
 ment, she requested a Mrs. Rayney, a shopkeeper 
 in Cock -gates, to apply to Mr. Hallows, and ex- 
 plain to him the situation she -was in in the In- 
 iinnary, and that the nurse had refused to keep 
 
 r child any longer. Says, application was 
 made by a Mrs. Rayney, but to no purpose, as Mr. 
 Hallows still refused fo relieve her. At this time, 
 the remaining part of her clothes were pawned and 
 said to pay the nnr^e. That when she got a little 
 strength, she came out of the Infirmary, and had 
 not been relieved by different people in Cock- 
 gates,
 
 gates, with broken meat, &c. both herself and child 
 must have perished for want. 
 
 Says^ that she afterwards applied to Mr. 
 
 Wright, grocer, in Hanging-ditch, who has since 
 relieved her with one shilling per week. 
 
 MARTHA WESTLEY, No. 74, 
 street, 'wife of James Westley, now in the marine 
 service, on board the Crescent frigate, who inlist- 
 ed in one of the independant companies in the 
 year 1789, being anxious to regain the com- 
 fort and society of her husband* about three weeks 
 before the Christmas following,- she was induced 
 to pledge one silk gown, one printed gown, one black 
 gown, one green .quilled petticoat, one pair of stays, 
 two white aprons^ t^rec .silk handkerchiefs, two fine 
 shifts, twelve pairs of cotton stockings,, and other 
 wearing-apparel, and, also one pair if .sheets, for 
 seven guineas, which she sent to Chatham, in order 
 to -purchase her husband's discharge. That on 
 his return through London, he went on board the 
 Crescent frigate. That when her husband left 
 her, she had one child, and was big .of another; that 
 she belonged to Manchester, and being unable to 
 support herself, she went to the workhouse, 6th 
 of January 1790, and was brought tp bed the Sat- 
 urday following. That some time after her de- 
 livery, she was seized with a fever, and continued 
 ill many weeks ; but on her recovery, so as to 
 be capable of being led to Mr. Unite's house, in 
 Dole-field, she proposed tp give him the duplicates 
 of her pledges,if hewould release,and give her part 
 of her clothes, that he might have the remainder, and 
 she would go home, to ber friends &Prees,\nShropr- 
 shire, and give the town no further trouble. Says, 
 that Mr. Unite paid the waggoner, for her convey- 
 ance, and likewise gave her a note to inform the 
 ovetseer.at Prses, that she belonged 'io Manchester. 
 
 Mr.
 
 ( 6t ) 
 
 Mr. Unite kept her pledges, and assured her, that 
 she should have all her clothes, and that he would 
 send them after her, and, if she could not support 
 herself, he would allow her two shillings per week t 
 and that it should be paid weekly, monthly, or quar- 
 terly, but when she got home, her father was so 
 much dissatisfied at having to support her and her 
 'two children, that she wrote to Mr. Unite, four 
 lelters, to get the allowance which he promised her, 
 but never yet was fortunate enough to receive an 
 answer. That she was so infirm, that she could 
 not come to Manchester, and therefore sent her 
 sister to apply to Mr. Unite for her relief; but on 
 application to Mr. Unite, as overseer, he refused to 
 allow her any thing. That about two months af- 
 ter she came to Manchester herself, and frequently 
 applied to Mr. Unite, but could not settle with 
 him. He then gave her a note to go into the 
 poor-house that night, and promised to settle with 
 her the next day. That she went the next day, 
 and the day following, to get the duplicates, and 
 an allowance out of the poor-house. Mr. Unite 
 then promised, if she would call again, he would 
 then settle with her. Says, she continued in the 
 workhouse TEN MONTHS, and during that time 
 kept repeating her applications, but that she al- 
 ways received the same evasive answers, until she 
 was tired of asking. Says, she lost the use of 
 her limbs in the workhouse, and was taken in a 
 carrying-chair to the Infirmary. That after she 
 got better, and left the Infirmary, she applied to 
 Mr. Hallows for a bed and bedding, which he 
 gave her, and insisted on her getting the duplicates 
 from Mr. Unite, and giving them to him. That 
 she applied to Mr. Unite, who told her to give his 
 compliments to Mr. Hallows, and tell him, that he 
 had something else to do than to hunt for tickets 
 for either her, or him. That Mr. Unite was in 
 
 suck
 
 such a passion, that she durst not apply again, and 
 that she has never since received the tickets from 
 him. 
 
 The examination of BETTY PIKE, taken at 
 the Manchester workhouse, who says, that her 
 husband was a miller, at Knott-mill, and rented a 
 house of Mr. Gilbert, of Worsley, where they 
 lived two years. That about fourteen weeks ago, 
 (the beginning of October 1794) her husband left 
 her with three children, the eldest under^zve, the 
 second under threc t and the youngest under two 
 years of age. That her children and herself were 
 nearly starved for want of food, having sold the 
 chief part of her goods for their support. That 
 she then applied for relief to Mr. Hallows, but, 
 not knowing the place of her settlement, her 
 application was fruitless. Further says, that she 
 made application time after time, for more than a 
 fortnight, without effect. That she afterwards ap- 
 plied at the New Bayley, but Mr. Hallows pre- 
 vented her from appearing before the magistrates, 
 by telling her, she must call upon him at his house. 
 That she at this time begged him to have compas- 
 sion on her children, who were ready to drop 
 fpr want. Says, that she told Mr. Hallows she 
 had a certificate at Baslow, in Derbyshire, and she 
 then gave him directions to write, but that he 
 again refused to relieve her; that she waited 
 for some time with her children in such distress, 
 that she was fearful they would have died of hun- 
 ger ; no letter appearing, and it being then Sat- 
 urday, Mr. Hallows promised if she would call on 
 Monday, he would give her a pass, but again 
 put her off without relief. On the following 
 Monday she again applied, and saw Mrs. Hallows, 
 who after some conversation, gave her a pass, and 
 ordered her, before she arrived at Baslow, to 
 
 destroy
 
 destroy it, to ttar it in pieces, and not to let any body 
 lock at it in B a slow. Further says, that Mr. Hal- 
 lows gave her a ticket to get a pair of shoes at the 
 workhouse. That she set off with a walking pass, 
 with her children, in a very weak state (having the 
 fever, which was then so prevalent amongst the poor), 
 and on her arrival at Stockport, she made appli- 
 cation to one Stopfor 1, a constable, who examined 
 her respecting her removal, when she told him she 
 did not know where she belonged to, but that she 
 was going to enquire at Baslow for her certificate. 
 The constable took her before Mr. Prescot, the 
 rector, and a magistrate, and shewed him the 1 pass. 
 That Mr. Prescot asked, who gave her the pass? 
 She ' replied, Mrs. Hallows. He then asked 
 her, if she did not, on receiving the pass, go to 
 Mr. Griffith, the magistrate, > to get it signed. 
 She told 1 the rector, she did not, that Mrs. Hal- 
 lows wrote it herself. On which the rector said, 
 it was- not- a right pass, that Mrs. Hallows had 
 done so frequently, and that she should proceed 
 no further with it; betwixt eleven and twelve 
 o'clock on the same day, she was ordered to meet 
 the magistrates, when Mr. Prescott observed, 
 that Mrs.'- Hallows acted 'in Manchester both as 
 overseer aha justice ; but added, the pa-ss might 
 havc'bec-n signed by Mr. Griffith in blank* 
 
 That the 1 magistrates agreed to send her back to 
 Manchester in a chaise ; and that letters were 
 written, signed by the magistrates, to Mr. Griffith 
 
 and 
 
 * This is not at all. improbable, as it is well known to 
 have been a practice for warrants, for the apprehension of 
 accused individuals, to be signed in blank, and left v/ith 
 the clerk, ready ta be filled up, in the absence of the jus- 
 tice, though they purported to be granted on oath, taken in. 
 the presents of the'-rtMgistrate. ,'lhuS'Was the liberty of the- 
 subject liable to be. wantonly sported with, and rendered 
 subservient to the most sinister purposes.
 
 ( 65 ) 
 
 and Mr. Hallows. Says, she arrived at Manches- 
 ter about eight o'clock, and was left by the over- 
 seer at Mr. Hallows's house. That Mr. and Mrs. 
 Hallows being from home, she waited a consider- 
 able time for their return, when Mrs. Hallows told 
 her to go about her business, that she had neither bed 
 nor money for her. At this juncture, she was so 
 far advanced in pregnancy, that she was frequently 
 seized with the pains peculiar to that situation, 
 and much enfeebled. That the night on which 
 she was turned out of Mr. Hallows's house, was 
 cold and rainy. That she wandered about with 
 her three children, in search of a lodging, whilst 
 she was able to stand, till at last, she, and her little 
 ones, sat down upon some wet steps in Jackson's- 
 row, when the cries of her children brought to her 
 assistance a poor woman, who compassionately 
 gave up her bed to her and her children, otherwise 
 she thinks she must have died. Further says, be- 
 ing then too weak to be removed without assist- 
 ance ; on the following morning, Mr. Hallows 
 gave her a ticket on Mr. Edgley for three shillings, 
 and a room was taken for her in Queen-street ; 
 but, continuing in a weak state, she was put to bed, 
 and the women lodgers, who were in the same 
 house, looked after her children ; that Mr. Hal- 
 lows was applied to again for relief, when he sent 
 her two shillings and six-pence; that on the Tues- 
 day following Mr. Hallows called himself, and, 
 finding her in bed, asked, whether she was lighter? 
 she answered, no, but that she was very bad. Says, 
 that he called the following day, and insisted on 
 her being removed to the poor-house; that he 
 was much enraged, and very abusive, telling her, 
 that she had called at Mr. Paynter's office, and 
 shewn the pass which had been given to her. Says, 
 she told Mr. Hallows, if Mr. Paynter had any 
 knowledge of it, ii must have been from the magis- 
 K trates
 
 ( 66 ) 
 
 trates at Stockport, as she herself had never men- 
 tioned it to him, when he passionately answered^ 
 " Madam, I'll make ym Jind it so." Says, at this 
 ti neshe had had a midwife attending her for some 
 time on that day, as well as the day before, but 
 Mr. Hallows wished her to get up, and walk to 
 the poor-house ; on which it was declared by the 
 female lodgers, that she was unable to walk, and 
 that it was very improper to have her taken out oj 
 her bed ; that Mr. Hallows at length consented to 
 send for a carrying chair, and in that situation she 
 was conveyed to the poor-house. Further says, 
 that she continued in labour until the Sunday morning 
 following, when she was delivered of a DEAD CHILD, 
 which, as well as her present indisposition, she at- 
 tributes solely to the ill treatment she had re- 
 ceived. 
 
 What heart, possessing the common feelings of 
 nature, can be unmoved at a recital of such com- 
 plicated distress? A wretched mother, borne down 
 at once with cold, hunger, and the PAINS OF LA- 
 BOUR, wandering with her little ones through the 
 streets, without food, or a place of shelter from the 
 rude and chilling blasts of a winter's night, is, in- 
 deed, a picture, at which humanity may shed her 
 tenderest tear. But it is unnecessary for me to 
 enlarge on so distressful, a circumstance ; the 
 sufferings of this woe-worn and modest claimant 
 will, I am sure, find a place for pity in every feel- 
 ing breast. 
 
 I ought to observe, that this poor woman was 
 confined to her bed- room near three months after 
 delivery ; that at the time she gave me the fore- 
 going relation, she had lain-in many weeks, yet she 
 was so enfeebled, as to render assistance necessary 
 to support her while she made the above declara- 
 tion. 
 
 As
 
 As a confirmation in part of the truth of the 
 aforementioned narrative, I have here subjoined a 
 copy of her examination, taken at Stockport. 
 
 Cheshire,} Betty Pike, wife of William Pike, 
 
 to wit. j late of Manchester, was taken before 
 
 us, three of his Majesty's justices of the peace 
 
 acting for the said county of Chester, the igth day 
 
 of November 1794; 
 
 " Who on her oath says, that her husband, her- 
 self, and family, have for some time past lived iri 
 Manchester aforesaid, and that her husband left her 
 about six weeks ago. Says, she has since made 
 frequent applications to Mr. Hallows, the overseer 
 of the poor, for relief for herself and family ; that 
 he always refused giving her any, until she should 
 receive a certificate from Baslow, in the county of 
 Derby ; that the certificate not coming, she com- 
 plained again to Mr. Hallows, who then told her, 
 " she must go fetch it herself" and gave her a walk- 
 ing pass, for that, he said, " was all he could de 
 for her." She observed to Mr. Hallows, that she 
 had no shoes, and he gave her a ticket. 
 
 That on waiting upon Mr. Hallows for the pass, 
 Mr. Hallows not being at home, Mrs. Hallows 
 gave her one for Baslow, with TWO SHILLINGS, 
 and desired her not to shew it to any one, except 
 the officers in the respective towns through which 
 she had to pass, for relief, and by all means to de- 
 stroy it before she arrived at Baslow, and not to 
 mention it to the overseer at Baslow, and not to say 
 to any one that she had -given her TWO SHILLINGS. 
 Says, she does not know the place of her settle- 
 ment. BETTY PIKE." 
 
 Sworn before us, CHA. PRESCOT, 
 JNO. PHILLIPS, 
 GEO. HYDE CLARKE,
 
 ( 68 ) 
 
 BENJAMIN HODGES, late of the New- 
 market^ Manchester , died a widower about the latter 
 end of April 1791, leaving five children. At the 
 time of his death he had a house very decently 
 furnished, and had many outstanding book debts 
 due to him, but was indebted to several people in 
 vsmall sums of money. As the creditors could 
 not agree upon who should administer, or how 
 the effects should be disposed of, it so happen- 
 ed that Mr. Unite, as overseer, was called into 
 the house the day after the funeral, when he took 
 an inventory of the furniture, and the orphan 
 children were placed out in the following manner. 
 Mr. Paterson, of the Bridgewater-arms, took the 
 eldest; Solomon Chadwick, the deceased's wife's 
 brother, was to receive one shilling and nine- 
 pence per week from the township, for the support 
 of the second ; John Marshall, two shillings per 
 week with the third; Peter Lawson, two shillings 
 per week with the fourth ; and Robert Farrar, 
 three shillings per week with the youngest child. 
 
 Jt appears that Mr. Unite left two women in 
 care of the furniture, and afterwards brought Mr. 
 Walker, an appraiser and auctioneer, who made 
 another inventory, and also an appraisement of the 
 goods. On enquiry > (in the course of this inves- 
 tigation,) Mr. Walker says, he thinks the valua- 
 tion was about forty pounds, and that he delivered 
 the inventory to Mr. Unite that he afterwards 
 sold part of the goods, and paid the money to Mr. 
 Unite, but the goods sold so low, that Mr. Unite 
 thought he could sell them better, and therefore 
 he left off. 
 
 It is ascertained, ly the testimony of purchasers, 
 that amongst the furniture, the following articles 
 were sold, of which Mr. Unite has not yet pro- 
 duced an account. 
 
 Best
 
 s. d. 
 
 Best bedstocks and furniture 3 17 o 
 
 Children's bed ditto and ditto - i i o 
 
 Corner cupboard o 18 o 
 
 Painted ditto o 15 o 
 
 Knife box, 2s. 6d. spade and bellows, 33 o 5 6 
 
 Frying-pan and oak stand ---q 3 o 
 
 Grate and oven - i 11 6 
 
 Looking-glass -..- ..-'- 6 9 o 
 
 Large mug, tea pot, and safe o 5 9 
 
 9 5 9 
 
 As to the remaining part of the goods t it has hitherto 
 been impossible to learn to whom sold or to what 
 amount or what remained on hand, except, that 
 it has since been discovered, that Mr. Unite sold an 
 engine for making reeds, and other working tools, to 
 Bartholomew Reeves, for TWENTY-FIVE POUNDS, 
 and a bureau and bookcase ', for six POUNDS, which 
 monies Mr. Unite appears to have actually re- 
 ceived; and to have ordered the books and papers 
 to be tied in a handkerchief, with a striped silk 
 gown belonging to Hodges, and to be taken to his 
 house. 
 
 The person, who attended Hodges' family in his 
 illness which immediately preceded his death, and 
 was afterwards entrusted with the care of the fur- 
 niture until the time of the sale, at which she was 
 present; Says, that Mr. Unite called upon her just 
 before the meeting held at the Bull's-head, in No- 
 vember 1794, on the subject of my charges, to ask 
 her some questions respecting Hodges' sale, when 
 he told her, " that he had delivered over his accounts 
 to Mr. Horsjall, and that they were calling upon him 
 again ;" but upon her telling him that he had not 
 delivered over the books of accounts , and papers y and 
 the striped silk gown, which she had carried to his 
 
 house,
 
 ( 70 ) 
 
 house, he said, " damn it, they got under some other 
 books, and got out of the -way- that he had kept the 
 feown about a twelvemonth, when he sold it for half a 
 guinea." 
 
 MR. UNITE, 
 
 in account with the estate of the late BE N j. Ho D c s. 
 
 To the different articles of furniture 
 above enumerated, and proved to have 
 been sold, amounting to ........................ 40 16 3 
 
 By Mr. Unite's petty expences*, 
 
 amounting to about ............ 3 14 6 
 
 By cash paid twelve months after 
 Hodges' s death, to one of his 
 creditors, in part of a debt 
 
 of 17 ........ -" 55 
 
 1791, June ist, do. Mr. Unite 
 
 paid Mr. Horsfall on this ac- 
 
 count .................................. 10 o o 
 
 - 18 19 6 
 
 21 16 9 t 
 
 It now remains for Mr. Unite to account for the 
 above balances, as well as for the remainder of the 
 goods, which were of considerable value. 
 
 It appears from certain proceedings in Bow- 
 street, that Mr. Milne has been actively engaged 
 in the attempt to extricate Mr. Unite from his 
 aukward predicament, and I sincerely wish that their 
 
 joint 
 
 * The funeral expences were paid by the friends of the 
 deceased. 
 
 i It has been attempted to excuse Mr. Unite from seven- 
 teen pounds of the above balance, by saying that he stands 
 debtor in the town's books for that sum si nee the year 1791; 
 but, I am well informed, that the sum in the town's books 
 is for cash actually advanced to Mr. Unite by a late church- 
 \varden, and not on this account.
 
 joint efforts had been crowned with success ; but, 
 I cannot help observing, that the charge so seri- 
 ously wade against him t by the Associated Ley- 
 payers- the * c gentle jog" I gave him in the Ches- 
 ter paper the proceedings at the Bull's-kead 
 weetingy and my subsequent publication have not 
 yet been sufficient to bring him forward to satisfy 
 the public mind on this subject. Surely this fifth 
 publication will rouse the Ley-payers from their 
 lethargy, and animate them to claim demand 
 and insist upon, an immediate correction of these 
 parochial abuses. 
 
 The following is a similar examination, yet at- 
 tended with circumstances of a still more distress- 
 ing and aggravating nature. 
 
 PEGGY WHITELEY, who resided with her 
 parents many years in Chapel-walks a family well 
 known as to their general character, and held in 
 repute after the death of her parents, she rented 
 a house in the same neighbourhood, and (before 
 the facts disclosed in this publication happened) 
 lived in credit, and saved money. 
 
 This examinant saith, on the 4th of June 1790, 
 Mr. Unite, as overseer of Manchester, with two 
 men, seized her, and hawled her by force 
 without shoes, stockings, or any covering what- 
 ever, save her linen and undercoat and dragged 
 her to the workhouse where he gave orders to 
 have her chained to the Jloor, and that no person 
 should be permitted to see her ; that she was a lu- 
 natic. Says, she remained till the following day, 
 when the governor, Mr. Taylor, paid attention to 
 her story, and relieved her ; finding her (as he 
 has since expressed himself) perfectly sensible and 
 intelligent. Says, on the afternoon of her release, 
 she was ordered to be taken by Mr. Unite to the 
 New Bayley in the same nearly naked situation
 
 ( r- } 
 
 she was brought into the workhouse; and that she 
 imagined this was done to favour Mr. Unite's de- 
 sign, that she might have the appearance of a luna- 
 tic, as Mr. Unite had represented her, which 
 seemed with the magistrates to have its desired ef- 
 fect ; for in that situation she was not permitted to 
 speak for herself. It should be noticed, that Mrs. 
 Taylor, the governess of the workhouse, lent her 
 a cloak to cover . her, and an -old pair of shoes % 
 that she might not appear so indecent through the 
 streets on the road to the New Bayley but, upon 
 Mr. Unite's observing it, he was highly offended 
 at the governess and ordered the cloak and shoes 
 to be taken from her, and to be conveyed there in this 
 almost naked situation! That on her return from the 
 New Bayley, she continued in the workhouse till 
 the Tuesday following, when a plan was formed in 
 the house that she might escape as her confine- 
 ment appeared to all who had seen and heard her 
 story, to be an act of the most severe cruelty'! 
 Says, that Mr. Unite had the key of her house, 
 and made a search for her property, where he 
 found, tied up in apurse> E IGHTY-EIGHT GUINEAS 
 
 TEN CROWN PIECES and THREE DOLLARS; 
 
 that he likewise found thirteen silver spoons y mark- 
 ed E & K two silver table spoons, marked M W t 
 being the initials of her name a pair of silver tea 
 tongs a silver cream jug, marked also M W, and 
 a pinchbeck watch and that Mr. Unite took 
 away with him the above cash, plate> &c. * 
 
 On the 8th day of March, Mr. Unite and a Mr. 
 Walker, appraiser and auctioneer, disposed of all 
 her furniture; in a short time after she called on 
 
 Mr. 
 
 .* I cannot help observing here, that some time ago I 
 made enquiry of a very respectable broker, who attended 
 the sale, and who told me, that the house was well fur- 
 nished that she had not less than thirty mahogany chairs, 
 
 with
 
 ( 73 ) 
 
 Mr. Unite, much distressed for want of meat and 
 clothes, and earnestly entreated him to advance 
 her some part of her money for '- r present relief 
 that she begged Mr. Unite would tell her the 
 nature of her offence-^but that he made her no 
 answer; -that the following is a part of her goods, 
 which, she has since heard, was sent from her 
 house to Mr. Unite's, viz. her best new bed, with 
 chints curtains an elegant chest of drawers with 
 'pictures, chairs, china, looking-glasses, &c. without 
 any account being delivered of the same. 
 
 This examinant, Peggy Whiteley, says, that she 
 made application to Mr. Unite for the chest of 
 drawers; as they were of her father's making, she 
 was desirous of keeping them in remembrance of 
 him : but Mr. Unite put her off, by telling her, 
 it would have an odd appearance the taking them 
 out of his house again, but that she might get them 
 valued herself, and he would pay her for them. Says, 
 at the time she waited upon Mr. Unite, she saw 
 the part of her china in use at Mr. Unite's Jwuse 
 'and that her glasses were on his sideboard and a 
 picture, which was a much-admired painting of a 
 battle in Cromwell's time, hung up in the hall. 
 Says, Mr. Unite has since told her, that she might 
 thank her brother for her present distress, and if 
 she did not keep silent, it would cause her brother to 
 be punished ! That a cellar was engaged for her 
 to live in, in Thomas's-street, where she was ob- 
 liged to wind yarn for her livelihood and having 
 
 L to 
 
 with three or four beds, and other goods in proportion. 
 He likewise added, that many of the best goods (accord- 
 ing to the information he received at the sale) WERE 
 nor TO BE SOLD BY AUCTION and that he afterguards 
 learned that one picture, now in Mr. Unite's, house, was 
 said to be sold for two shillings and six-pence, that he 
 should have been glad to have been the purchaser at two 
 guineas, but that it was worth more money, and that a great 
 -c.ritty of goods were taken to Air, Unite's house.
 
 ( 74 ) 
 
 to pay two shillings and three-pence per week 
 . rent, she was nearly starved to death hdving no as- 
 ., hatevtr from Mr. Unite, though he wds 
 tkfii in possession .of nil her property. Says, that 
 ivay, a tradesman, who lived in the upper part 
 of the house, recognised her features, and enquired 
 t'iie reason of her distress, which, on repeating, he 
 begged her to make herself as decent as possible, 
 and to call upon Mr. Whittaker, attorney, and re- 
 late her case ; that Mrs. Kay lent her some 
 clothes, and she waited on Mr. Whittaker, to 
 whom she related Mr. Unite's conduct; but says, 
 she concealed from Mr. Whittaker, her dark 
 damp and pitiful habitation that she did not tell 
 him, at that time, she had not tasted meat for three 
 days that she was pennyless without fire can- 
 dles or victuals ; that she was afraid of men- 
 tioning her extreme poverty imagining, if all were 
 told there would appear too great an improbabil- 
 ity in the relation for any human mind to credit ! 
 so that she kept the keen and pressing story of hun- 
 ger to herself! Says, that Mr. Whittaker paid a 
 compassionate attention to the account which she 
 gave of Mr. Unite's conduct, and promised her 
 every assistance in his power. That Mr. Whit- 
 taker called upon Mr. Unite, and asked him the 
 reason fpjr his turning her out of her house t and tak- 
 ing to himelf her plate, cash, and goods. That Mr. 
 Unite told Mr. Whittaker, that he had been in- 
 formed by her brother, that she was not sound in 
 mind, and that it was very likely she might become 
 chargeable to the town. Mr. Whittaker asked, if 
 she owed any thing for rent ? to which she an- 
 swered, that she was punctual in every quarterly 
 payment. Here, Mr. Whittaker appealed to Mr. 
 Unite's feelings, and painted the atrocity of his 
 crime when Mr. Unite's reply was "that she. 
 a bad -woman and that he knew many who had 
 
 been
 
 ( 75 ) 
 
 been connected with her." Says, on hearing this 
 account from Mr, Unite, she hurst into tears- 
 when Mr. Whittaker called him a villain and 
 asked him to mention one person that he knew 
 had been connected with her. Mr. Unite re- 
 plied, that " he knew many, but they were soldiers in 
 the last regiment, and had left the town." Says, 
 Mr. Whittaker threatened Mr. Unite with a law- 
 suit, and that he, Mr. Whittaker, had a conference 
 with Mr. Bayley upon this business but does 
 not know what passed, only that Mr. Whittaker 
 told her, that Mr. Unite's conduct ought to be made 
 public. Mr. Unite afterwards waited upon her y and 
 insisted on her stopping the proceedings against him, 
 Says, Mr. Unite promised to return her clothes 
 and money and that her extreme poverty obliged 
 her to consent. Says, she thinks one of Mr. 
 Milne's clerks was with him, and that they had a 
 paper with them, ready prepared, which she signed, 
 but the contents she is unacquainted with and she 
 was likewise made to promise never TO MENTION 
 TO MR. WHITTAKER the reason of her discontinu- 
 ing the action. Says, that Mr. Unite, as she had 
 (to use his own words) for ever lost her character in 
 the town y if she would leave it she might depend 
 upon his bfing a friend to her. Thus deprived of her 
 property, and of the means of getting a livelihood, 
 she existed in a miserable situation nearly six 
 months, with scarcely half clothes being de- 
 prived of the following articles, which were in her 
 house, when Mr. Unite took possession, viz. 
 
 Eighteen gowns y silk and prints ; 
 
 Four black cloaks ; 
 
 Two woollen ditto ; 
 
 Nineteen aprons y caps, stockings^ in proportion; . 
 
 Twelve, shifts ; 
 
 Eighteen pairs of sheets,; blankets y &c. in proportion. 
 
 Says,
 
 ( 7* ) 
 
 Says, by this ill treatment, her health was so 
 much impaired, that she applied to Dr. Percival. 
 
 
 Says, that in consequence of the promise she made 
 
 Mr. Unite to discontinue the action against him, 
 he paid her one hundred and fifteen pounds, which 
 i> the whole amount received for her cash, plate, 
 
 mture, &c. and that she never saw any in- 
 ventory of the sale. 
 
 On the perusal of the foregoing narrative every 
 reader must be struck with indignant astonish- 
 ment, and will, doubtless, ask himself this question 
 could an outrage like this be perpetrated in a land, 
 where the liberty and security of the subject are held 
 inviolate ? It is reajly so unaccountably atrocious, 
 and t comprises so much fraud, cruelty, and op- 
 pression, that had it not been a fact completely 
 substantiated by concurrent testimony, it might 
 have been deemed incredible. 
 
 Allowing this poor and much-injured woman 
 to have absolutely laboured under a mental de- 
 rangement was it a justifiable proceeding to force 
 her from her peaceable home to drag her like a 
 felon through the streets to take her to prison 
 to accuse her falsely with incontinency ^to obtain 
 her signature to an instrument which was previ- 
 ously prepared (when he had accused her of in- 
 sanity) to demand her secrecy, on pain of having 
 her brother punished to make proposals (when 
 his conduct towards her had come to the know- 
 ledge of Mr. Whittaker) for her to leave the town, 
 and in consequence to be received into his friend- 
 ship to despoil her of her property, and to ex- 
 pose her to all the bitterness of want? This was a 
 chain of cruelty, ill calculated to heal her infirmity, 
 to restore lost reason. 
 
 It
 
 ( 77 ) 
 
 It is a lamentable consideration, that these re- 
 xeptaclesfor the poor; these great and benevolent 
 institutions, should be made subservient to the 
 worst of purposes.- Various are the instances 
 within our knowledge, where private mad-houses 
 have been established, not for the laudable pur- 
 .pose of restoring to miserable lunatics " their lost 
 and scattered senses" but to be the engines of the 
 most foul conspiracies against the peace, happiness, 
 and fortunes/of individuals. Numberless unhap- 
 py victims, in the full enjoyment of their senses, 
 .have been immured in these infernal mansions for 
 life on a false plea of insanity ! And, I wish I 
 could say, that it was impossible for a parish work- 
 house to be so wickedly perverted but, when I 
 have it from indisputable authority, that a virtuous 
 and respectable woman in the full possession of 
 reason, and capable of fulfilling every domestic 
 duty, is made a sacrifice to the depravity of a de- 
 bauched and unprincipled husband and kept in a 
 parish workhouse as a lunatic it becomes then a 
 duty, which humanity dictates, to bring such dark 
 and cruel proceedings to light and as long as such 
 diabolical practices exist I trust the authors will 
 ever be exposed! 
 
 GRINDRED's Sale, Salford. Grindred be- 
 came chargeable to Manchester, and was removed 
 to the workhouse. At his death, his goods were 
 sold but there does not appear any entry made 
 whatever. Mr. Kinnaston, constable of Salford, says, 
 they netted little more than what paid his debts 
 but that Mr. Unite had a clock, which he does not 
 know hozo accounted for. 
 
 As
 
 As every effort of mine to obtain a sight of Mr* 
 Unite's books, during his deputy constablcship, has 
 proved ineffectual, I shall only make a few gener- 
 al remarks on the abuses of his office^ not doubt- 
 ing but the Ley-payers will soon see the necessity 
 of these, as well as all other town's books, being, 
 as the act directs, " kept in some safe place jor the 
 inspection of the. public." 
 
 The large folio constables' book, containing the 
 whole of those accounts for the last twenty years, 
 is said to be lost, so that it is impossible for me to 
 make a retrospective comparison with accuracy. 
 
 The constables' accounts, from Easter 1792 to 
 Easter 1793, exceeded 1080 ; though, if I re- 
 ttiember rightly, a few years ago, they did not 
 amount to one-third, incluciizig the salaries of the 
 deputy-constable and beadles, with the convey- 
 ance of thieves and vagrants passes-^-firertien 
 SCAVENGERS, &c. The public were not then 
 burthened with a POLICE TAX, for winch such 
 tnormous sums have been collected->aud which, should 
 have operated in reduction of the constables' year- 
 ly expenditures, but, there seems of late to -have 
 been a general dread of investigation insomuch, 
 thaton<? of the constables not long ago voted against 
 the auditing of bis own accounts ! From a chain 
 of such-like circumstances, there appears some- 
 thing very unfair in the practices of that depart- 
 ment. 
 
 The method of having the deputy-constables' ac- 
 counts cursorily read over at the Collegiate church 
 quarterly -without the permission of an inspection 
 afterwards is a practice very liable to impo- 
 sition* 
 
 At one of these quarterly meetings which I at- 
 tended, after the recital of a long list of the deputy- 
 constable's disbursements I waited some time in 
 
 expectation
 
 ( 79 ) 
 
 expectation of hearing the credit side read but to 
 my great astonishment I was informed by Mr. Whit- 
 taker (who has of late attended as advocate for Mr. 
 Unite) that there did not appear to have been any cash 
 received during that quarter! As the credits in the 
 constables' yearly accounts usually exceeded one- 
 fourth of the yearly disbursements I confess, I 
 thought it somewhat curious, that at the only two 
 meetings I ever attended on this occasion, there 
 did not appear any monies to have been received. 
 
 Some time ago, a friend of mine, who was pres- 
 ent at one of these quarterly meetings, was not a 
 little surprised at hearing a credit given for two 
 shillings and six-pence or three shillings and six- 
 pence, for the net proceeds of the sale of TWO 
 HORSES! And what added to his astonishnie-nt 
 was that many very extraordinary debits and 
 credits passed without a single question being 
 asked. 
 
 On my enquiry concerning these two horses - 
 I was informed they were left by a. gang of coiner s t 
 at the Red Lion Inn y in Salford ; who, being sus- 
 pected, ran off. The horses were sold by public 
 auction in St. Ann's-square, as follows : 
 
 One horse for 4 7 o 
 
 The other 7 15 o 
 
 . 12 2 o 
 
 Innkeeper* s bill 5 15 o 
 
 Hostler o 10 6 
 
 656 
 
 5 
 
 It should be remarked, that during the long 
 time that these horses were in Mr. Hartley's stables t 
 vi Salford they were regularly hacked out. It 
 appears from Mr. Unite's notes to the hostler- 
 
 that
 
 that they were knt y or hired out, for a week' at a 
 lime; that a person called upon Mr. Hartley, to 
 hire a horse for Knutsjord races Mr. Hartley not 
 having one of his own, sent him to Mr. Unite, and 
 the person immediately returned with a no:e from 
 Mr. Unite for the delivery of one of the said horses. 
 Instead of being put into condition for sale, they 
 were nearly broken down with hard riding. 
 
 The billeting of soldiers, for which Mistress 
 UNITE receives thirty pounds a year, may justly 
 be termed a snug, sinecure^ as, the whole of the bil- 
 lets for one -week may be easily written from the 
 publicans' returns for that space, in less than ten 
 minutes ; and how easy would it be for one of 
 the beadles (as there is, or should be, always one 
 out of the three to attend the police office) to 
 deliver billets when applied for. 
 
 Viewing the nature of this department in a va- 
 riety of instances, a woman of any delicacy of 
 sentiment would shrink from the practice ! 
 
 Though the barracks have taken away the prin- 
 cipal attention required in billeting as well as a 
 great burthen from the publicans yet, there are 
 many publicans who labour at this time under the 
 most severe hardships from the conduct of Mrs. Unite. 
 Of this I shall only mention one or two instances ; 
 without insinuating any malevolence on her part, 
 I shall leave the reader to form his own opinion 
 from the following circumstances : 
 
 Some few months ago, the publicans of Man- 
 chester were waited upon for a subscription to pay 
 off Mr. Unite's debts which subscriptions were 
 individually from ten shillings and six-pence to 
 one pound one shilling, and some names were said 
 to be on the list for five pounds five shillings, 
 \vhich procured him a very considerable sum of 
 money. Amongst these publicans it wzsunfortun- 
 aldy observed by a landlady " that if Mr. Unite 
 
 were
 
 were to go less to Peter Fearnhead's Mrs. Unite 
 were to dress more becoming her situation, and to be 
 otherwise less extravagant there would bt no occasion 
 to beg money from publicans to pay his debts." 
 She was then given to understand that Mr. Unite 
 had great power that a guinea given to him would 
 not be lost *Lhat Mr. Unite would see by the sub" 
 scriptions WHO were his friends ; but, having too 
 much spirit to buy, or court, Mr. Unite's favours, 
 at the expence of a guinea she WPS soon after- 
 wards complimented with jive men and Jive horses, 
 though, from every information in my power, 1 
 could not find at that time more than twenty horses 
 billeted on the whole of the publicans in Manchester! 
 
 This house, for the last six months^ has been 
 distressed by having, considerably more soldiers and 
 horses than their proportionate share at this peri- 
 od, January 1796, they have no less than EIGHT 
 MEN and EIGHT HORSES on billet though 
 there is not a HORSE for every two public houses 
 through the town. The landlord at the Crown and 
 Anchor y top of Dean's-gate, has been much in- 
 jured by having more than his share of soldiers 
 though this house lies out of the way of busi- 
 ness, the landlord has had nine men billeted on him 
 at a time. On the 3 ist of December, 1795, he made 
 application to Mrs. Unite, having /our men and four 
 horses when she gave him very insulting lan- 
 guage-r-threw the door in his face and would 
 not listen to his complaint. 
 
 The landlord afterwards made application to 
 Mr. Thomas Richardson, and represented the 
 hardship under which he laboured, by having more 
 than his number of soldiers. Mr. R. accompanied 
 the landlord to the billet-office having, as he 
 said, some influence over Mr. Unite, beng the Jirst 
 subscriber of ONE GUINEA at Peter Fearnhead's t 
 towards the payment of his debts \ but Mr. Unite 
 
 M pot
 
 not being at home, their visit proved ineffectual. 
 In the course of a few days afterwards, the land- 
 lord was sent for by Mr. Unite, who made the 
 wished-for regulation. 
 
 Jn the month of November last, I happened to 
 be at a public-house in the neighbourhood of the 
 Old-church where the landlady had just made 
 out a weekly return of FOUR MEN AND FIVE 
 HORSES and at the foot of the return she had 
 written " bona Jide so many;" but, instead of 
 this remark having its desired effect, another sol- 
 dier was sent to make the men and horses of equal 
 number. The circumstance of having FIVE MEN 
 AND FIVE HORSES on billet at one house, is an 
 expence of more than thirty shillings per week ! 
 On the 22d day of December, curiosity led me to 
 enquire at TEN of the principal inns in town, where 
 I found neither soldier nor horse-*- and several of 
 them have had no HORstsyor many months f 
 
 The town of SALFORD the share of -which, 
 with Manchester, is every SIXTH SOLDIER 
 AND HORSE, had not, at this time, ONE 
 HORSE billeted in the whole TOWN ! ! 
 - The Jast billet-master (though he had a large 
 family to provide for) lost his office, by only re- 
 ceiving THREE-PENCE for the billet of every 
 new-made soldier ; whilst the office at this time is 
 filled with the most glaring, and almost incredible 
 irregularities , which, under the direction of Mrs. 
 Unite t pass with impunity ! 
 
 The salaries for the joint offices of deputy-con- 
 stable and billet-master, in Mr. Wilford's time, was 
 only thirty pounds per annum there was then no 
 POLICE OI-T ICE, at the expence of one hundred 
 and fifty pounds per annum rent nor were there so 
 many perquisites as there now are though the pres- 
 ent salaries of Mr. and Mrs. Unite, with house- 
 
 . rent,
 
 rent, amount to THREE HUNDRED AND 
 THIRTY POUNDS a year ! 
 
 In Mr. Scholes's constableship the salary was 
 raised from ^80. to ^150. per annum, with this 
 proviso that no perquisites whatever should be 
 received by the deputy-constable. Why is not 
 this agreement put in force? Mr. Unite has the 
 same salary, with the addition of house-rent, and 
 ought to account for all SUMMONSES and WAR- 
 RANTS SUNDAY FINES STOLEN GOODS 
 
 COUNTY ALLOWANCES, &C. &C. NO BRIBES 
 
 should be taken in BILLETING nor presents re^ 
 ceived of any description from publicans nor should 
 any subscriptions be extorted from publicans, to pay 
 the debts of a deputy -constable (however contracted] 
 nor should any monies be borrowed from publicans 
 as it is but too natural to expect great indulgcncies, 
 by way of interest, where the principal is in a doubt- 
 ful state ! 
 
 As the POLICE OFFICE is entailed on the town 
 for ever, at the enormous rent of one hundred and 
 fifty pounds per annum it ought to be made to an- 
 swer some useful purpose ; it might be convert- 
 ed into different apartments, for collectors, overseers, 
 &c. &c. there might be an office for paupers to 
 receive their tickets and another office for the 
 cashier, without harrassing the poor by long at- 
 tendances for their tickets in one part of the town, 
 and afterwards for payment in another ; which is 
 generally the loss of a day before they receive 
 their mite. 
 
 The constable, beadles, and -billet-mistress, and 
 every servant belonging to the town, should pay 
 that attendance which the nature of their office 
 requires ; at present this large mansion seems of 
 little or no use, except for private bails or to let 
 off as a. lodging-house, for the benefit of Mr. Unite, 
 
 in
 
 ( 84 J 
 
 in addition to his enormous salaries and perqui- 
 sites. 
 
 I should likewise beg leave to recommend to 
 the magistrates, to put a stop to the practice of 
 taking to the New Bailey prison, persoYis for triv- 
 ial offences, not cognizable by law it is giving a 
 constable an arbitrary and despotic power both to 
 imprison and to set at liberty at will; but we have 
 instances of both Mrs. and Miss Unite having as- 
 sumed to themselves the office and functions of 
 magistracy , by ordering the imprisonment of indi- 
 viduals of their own authority ! 
 
 The following specimen of such conduct in the 
 young lady, deserves reciting : 
 
 One Henry O'Neal, servant to Lieutenant Fox, 
 of the i22d regiment of foot, but now of the roy- 
 als, (in October last) was called to by Miss Unite, 
 while passing near the bottom of King-street, into 
 the police office y under the pretext of asking him a 
 question when she caused him to be seized by 
 the beadles and taken to the New Bailey, where 
 he was imprisoned THREE DAYS! The only crime 
 laid to his charge was, that he had spoken rather 
 ludicrously of Miss Unite, and the son of Mr. R. 
 a fruiterer ; after this confinement, he was dis- 
 charged by order of Mr. Unite ! 
 
 Some time ago, application was made to Mr. 
 Unite, by a gentleman, who suspected a female 
 visitor of good family from Liverpool, with having 
 taken various articles out of his house. Mr. 
 Unite, in the absence of this lady, opened with a 
 false key, her trunk where he found inclosed in 
 her work-bag, about twelve yards of muslin, and a 
 variety of other articles, which were owned, of 
 considerable value. This was most certainly an 
 aggravated offence, of which several servants had 
 been suspected before any suspicion fell upon this 
 lady. 
 
 Mr.
 
 Mr. Unite conveyed her to the New Bailey, 
 where she continued a day and night ; at last a 
 Captain * * * * made intercession with the prose- 
 cutor, who receiving back his property and on 
 obtaining her note for near twenty pounds for 
 monies advanced on her account, &c. the prose- 
 cutor sent Mr. Unite a note for her discharge. 
 
 Had this woman been found guilty of being poor t 
 who then would have pleaded in extenuation of 
 her offence or would, under circumstances so 
 strong, have lent an helping hand to have saved 
 her from merited punishment ? It would seem, as 
 though money, aided by beauty, were advocates suf- 
 ficiently powerful to disarm public justice ; by 
 their assistance a crime of the blackest dye, can in- 
 dulgently be overlooked^ while a poor, miserable 
 being, urged by the keen pressure of hunger, to a 
 comparatively slight violation of the law would 
 have been commited to a loathsome prison hard 
 galling fetters and, on conviction, to banishment 
 for life! This woman's crime was not the result of 
 necessity but actual depravity of heart yet she 
 received every favour and indulgence during the 
 time of her imprisonment, and enjoyed (for many 
 weeks afterwards) " the pampered luxuries of a 
 governor's table." 
 
 This too much verifies the observation of 
 Shakespear 
 
 " Plate sin with gold, 
 
 " And the strong lance of justice, hurtless breaks : 
 " Arm it in rags, a pigmy's straw doth pierce it." 
 
 The following very curious account respecting 
 Mr. Hallows, I had thought to have reserved for 
 another publication, but, as he seems very impor- 
 tunate for the payment of a considerable sum of 
 money, from the town, I have now introduced it, 
 that the present overseers may make the necessary 
 
 enquiries,
 
 ( 86 ) 
 
 enquiries, and set off the same against any demand 
 he may pretend to have against the town. 
 
 The churchwardens, in 1793, agreed with one 
 Kelly y to make brick on the land near the work- 
 house, at nine shillings and six-pence per thousand, 
 under the inspection of Mr. Rowland ; some few 
 days after the agreement, a dispute arose between 
 Rowland and Kelly, when Kelly requested Mr. 
 Locke, the then churchwarden, to pay him the 
 money for brick-making, without its going through 
 Mr. Rowland's hands, which was agreed to. Some 
 time after, Mr. Rowland and Kelly met, by chance, 
 at Messrs. Jones's bank, where Mr. Rowland ob- 
 served Kelly present Mr. Lock's check for twen- 
 ty-seven pounds, and was not a little surprised on 
 knowing that the work done did not amount to 
 one-half cfi that sum. Mr. Rowland made an im- 
 mediate application to Mr. Locke, who ordered 
 Kelly's account to be examined. Mr. Hallows 
 attended on the part of Mr. Locke, and it was 
 clearly proved, that Kelly had received from Mr. 
 Locke ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTEEN 
 POUNDS AND EIGHT-PENCE! more than 
 he had earned, as per the following account, settled 
 by Mr. Rowland, Kelly, and Hallows. 
 
 To carting clay, back of the 
 
 workhouse 60 6 6 
 
 To levelling, as per agreement- -26 5 o 
 
 To ditto, in Jront 17 2 6 
 
 To casting clay adjoining the 
 
 house 14 2 6 
 
 To ditto in the intended street --29 2 6 
 
 To -wheeling from the front of 
 
 the house 38 o o 
 
 To work 626 
 
 191 i 6
 
 ( 87 ) 
 
 Brought forward 191 i 6 
 By cash received by Kelly 
 
 from Mr. Locke 306 2 2 
 
 To balance, overdrawn Mr. 
 
 Locke, as per Kelly's account 11508 
 
 306 2 2 306 2 2 
 
 After this account had been adjusted, Kelly en- 
 tered into an engagement to continue ihe making 
 of the brick at nine shillings and six-pence per 
 thousand and to STOP two shilllings and six-pence 
 for every thousand made, to pay off the money he had 
 overdrawn from Mr. Locke. The management of 
 this concern was afterwards given to Mr. Hallows, 
 who promised to keep a strict watch over Kelly's con- 
 duct, and particularly in the stopping of the half- 
 crown for every thousand bricks made. Mr. Hal- 
 lows, at this time, had proposals made to him (as the 
 brick-making business was very low) to make them 
 at seven shillings and six-pence per thousand 
 " counted out, workable brick;" yet Kelly was suf- 
 fered to proceed in making and kilning such brick 
 as would not, when burnt, pay the duty ! At the end 
 of the season, Kelly disappeared, and is since 
 gone abroad, as a soldier. It now remains with 
 Mr. Hallows, to give an account of his stewardship, 
 and to shew the public his accounts. 
 
 On a moderate computation, there appears to 
 have been near one million of bricks, made at nine 
 shillings and six-pence per thousand, which should 
 have been " counted out workable brick from the 
 kiln," as per agreement left with Messrs. Milne 
 and Sergeant; instead of which, they were count- 
 ed on the ground when moulded and many 
 THOUSANDS put into the kiln spoiled by the 
 weather,. being moulded too early in the season; 
 
 in
 
 in this shameful manner was the contract executed, 
 that scarcely one-half of the bricks were either 
 ttsed or sold ; great quantities, I am informed, have 
 been buried in the foundation of the walling 
 round the poor-house; and there remained, some 
 time ago, a miserable sample of above one hundred 
 thousand bncks (out of one kiln, which at first con- 
 tained only one hundred and ninety thousand) 
 which were not worth carrying away ! In this 
 shameful manner the property of the Ley-payers of 
 Manchester has been sported with. 
 
 As it is whispered that Mr. Hallows is again 
 coming into office, it may be necessary to caution 
 the young and unsuspecting, of the various and dis- 
 graceful arts he has had recourse to, in order to ex- 
 tort money in cases of bastardy.- One method is, to 
 call upon persons as the reputed fathers of chil- 
 dnen, under the mask of friendship, when he will 
 probably introduce the story of some woman be- 
 ing pregnant, whom he has prevented from going 
 before the magistrates to father the child ; here 
 the usual complimentary business of "Hush money 
 is distantly introduced. Should this conversation 
 happen with a single man, who does not betray 
 much fear he will, probably, tell him, that the 
 business shall be settled for five pounds ; but if it 
 should be pointed to a married man he seldom 
 fails mentioning the inconvenience attending the 
 exposure before the magistrates, and the consequent 
 uneasiness it may occasion at home, from its being 
 made public ; in such a case his expectations are 
 raised in proportion to the delicacy of their situation! 
 I have it likewise from undoubted authority, that 
 different gentlemen have been applied to for 
 " Hush money," as the pretended fathers of the SAME 
 child ! 
 
 A gentleman, with whom I have a slender ac- 
 
 coming
 
 quaintance, was some time ago waited upon by 
 Mr. Hallows, who told him, a female, connection of 
 his had turned out a prolific one; unaccustomed 
 to Mr. Hallows's proceedings, he came immedi- 
 ately to a settlement, and he received Mr. Hal- 
 Iowa's written indemnification from every expence, 
 for NINE GUINEAS. Though this appeared rea- 
 sonable indeed, and well settled it was to a " dead 
 certainty" all projit, for the child expired the day 
 before; and, at the time the settlement took 
 place, was actually IN ITS COFFIN!* 
 
 The following circumstance, I should have 
 thought, would have deterred him in future from 
 such-like proceedings : he, some time ago, called 
 at the Infirmary, and enquired for one of the sur- 
 geons, by whom he pretended a woman in the town 
 was pregnant : the surgeon happened, at this time, 
 to be engaged in the amputation of a leg; Mr. 
 Hallows waited some time, with great impatience, 
 when the surgeon was again enquired after, who 
 came down with stripped-up sleeves, and nearly 
 covered with blood : Mr. Hallows introduced 
 the old siory of pregnancy but, added he, "this 
 is a particular and very unfortunate case, for the 
 child is born blind, and it will be a heavy charge 
 upon you while it lives" to which the surgeon, very 
 deliberately replied, " it may be so, Mr. Hallows 
 hit I am not to be duped old birds are not to be. 
 caught with chaff- and by G-d if I had the instru- 
 ments here that I have been using in the taking off 
 a limb / would take off both your ears, you scound- 
 drel." Hallows hastily disappeared and the 
 blind child has never since been seen or heard of. 
 
 I am sorry to observe, that pregnant women be- 
 longing to other parishes, after the removal order is 
 made out, in order to prevent their children from 
 gaining a settlement in this township, and FOUR- 
 
 N TEEM 
 
 * This is cousin-german to Finder's elegant story of a 
 group of churchwardens "fating a child .'"
 
 ( 9 ) 
 
 TEEN SHILLINGS paid in the manner I have 
 before mentioned, are very often dragged to the 
 poorhouse by force where I have heard of them 
 being confined for several months, and actually for 
 want of proper attention to the order, have been 
 detained, and brought to bed in the house. 
 
 Some of these unfortunate women have had logs 
 of wood chained to their legs, to prevent their escape 
 from confinement. This punishment depends up- 
 on the caprice of an overseer, which is very often 
 equal to that inflicted on criminals charged with 
 capital offences. After child-birth^some have staid 
 in the workhouse several months, at the expence 
 of the town, and have been afterwards permitted 
 to go at liberty as if no removal order had been 
 made out! 
 
 I am at a loss to conceive what plea can justify 
 such treatment of these unfortunate women. I do 
 not mean to stand forth the champion of prostitu- 
 tion yet, 1 think much may be said in extenuation 
 of many young and unsuspecting females. Instead 
 then of increasing the misery to these already suf- 
 ficiently afflicted victims, by imprisonment and 
 harsh treatment, humanity would dictate towards 
 them the exercise of pity and compassion or at 
 least an immediate removal to the residence of 
 their friends, who are in such cases the most likely 
 and the most eligible " to throw the veil of human 
 kindness over human frailty" and to give that 
 tenderness and attention to their situation, which 
 they might not experience from others. 
 
 Amongst the various hardships which the poor 
 lie under, from unprincipled, and wicked overseers 
 surely nothing can equal that inhumanity of pay- 
 ing them their " scanty pittance" with base and 
 counterfeit copper. The Rev. Mr. John Griffith, 
 late a magistrate, charged overseer Hallows, in a 
 public company, with having purchased of a Mr. 
 
 M o,
 
 M O, ONE HUNDRED POUNDS in COppCT oj 
 
 that 'description, for FORTY POUNDS! and which 
 he said had been paid to Manchester paupers. 
 The cruelty practised towards the poor, in a traffic 
 of this nature, where an overseer makes SIXTY 
 PER CENT. profit! is so shameful and illegal a pro- 
 ceeding, that it ought to be noticed by the magis- 
 trates, and if it should appear that Mr. Hallows's 
 colleague in office, was a party concerned, he 
 ought to be dismissed as unworthy of public trust. 
 
 In consequence of a letter, which I received 
 some time ago, (a copy of which I have here an- 
 nexed) I was desirous of seeing Mr. Hallows's ac- 
 counts for 1794, which he kept under the title of 
 "EXTRAORDINARY PAYMENTS," but I 
 soon found they were of too extraordinary a nature 
 for my inspection ! The following account, pub- 
 lished pages 16 and 17, in my Reply to Mr. Unite, 
 is a specimen of some of Mr. Hallows's charges on 
 journies and shews his great liberality in the dis- 
 tribution of the town's cash. 
 
 Nov. 4th. To expences TWO journies to 
 
 Radcliffe ( on the same day ) O 14 O 
 
 To expences (same day) to Bury, respect- 
 ing George Isherwood' s settlement o 10 o 
 
 140 
 
 ' To four men for taking, AND the soldier 
 
 in Newton-lane" 060 
 
 "To LIQUOR FOR THE SAME" 5 3 
 
 The latter charge of eleven shillings and three- 
 pence, occasioned the following letter.
 
 ( 9* ) 
 
 Mr. Battye, 
 
 Sir, 
 
 In looking over your Reply to Mr. 
 Unite's advertisement, we, the under-named, observed 
 a statement of the overseers' accounts, concerning the 
 taking up the soldier. In page i6th of your Repty, 
 it is there said To four men for taking AND the 
 soldier in Newton-lane and to liquor for the same 
 total amount eleven shillings and three-pence. As 
 we did not desire any fee or reward for watching them 
 we take this opportunity to let you and the commit- 
 tee know that there was no money given, but two 
 shillings and one glass of liquor, which could not 
 be more than three-pence, it being our principle 
 only that led us into this business and we think our- 
 selves imposed upon by so much money SAID to be 
 given and expended. 
 
 If you think this worth your notice, please either to 
 call, or direct a line to No. 
 
 We arc your most obedient servants, G?c. 
 
 If the public can give credit to the above letter, 
 where Mr. Hallows charges eleven shillings and 
 three-pence for two shillings and three-pence real- 
 ly paid, what confidence can be placed in the ac- 
 curacy of his accounts ? These men, whose names 
 I have omitted here, are at any moment ready to 
 establish the facts on oath. 
 
 The following is another sketch of a part of Mr. 
 Hallows's accounts, and will be a further specimen 
 of his charges, which appear to be rendered quar- 
 terly to Mr. Edgley, the cashier, on a few loose 
 sheets of paper, PINNED together, amounting to 
 near seven hundred pounds per annum, and which 
 abound with entries of the following nature, with- 
 out any other remark's or vouchers for the pay- 
 ments. 
 
 E. Holland
 
 ( 93 ) 
 
 s. ,d. 
 
 E. Holland to London o 10 6 
 
 E. Douglas to ditto o 10 o 
 
 TattersaWs wife & child, ditto o 10 6 
 
 AN APPOINTMENT O 1O O 
 
 Ann Eves o 5 o 
 
 M. Hahtead o 7 6 
 
 Fanny Robinson o 12 o 
 
 The three first payments are to strangers, with 
 only their names mentioned, travelling to London. 
 Had these people actually applied for relief 
 
 THREE SHILLINGS instead of THIRTY SHLLINGS 
 
 AND SIX-PENCE, would have been more than what 
 is usually given, as there are no less than six eon- 
 srables in seven miles, the distance from hence to 
 Stockport, where these people would, no doubt, 
 apply for relief; as well as in every constable- 
 wick on th? road to London. 
 
 Mr. Hallows's next charge is, " AN APPOINT- 
 MENT," half a guinea I but, -with -whom? or, on 
 what account ? It is but simply just, that the par- 
 ticulars of this appointment should be specified 
 even if it were of a. private nature being paid out 
 of the public purse. Ann Eves Betty Allen M. 
 Halstead and Fanny Robinson, seem to have 
 been very liberally paid; but it would have been 
 too much trouble to have said who these women 
 were or where they were going ; as they appear 
 only to have been relieved with one pound Jour shil- 
 lings and six-pence ! 
 
 Mr. Unite, on his paying the town's cash, is a 
 little more particular in his entries, than his brother 
 colleague ; though there appears, in his accounts, 
 no more certainty or honesty in his method of 
 making extraordinary payments, than there does 
 in Mr. Hallows's accounts, as appears by the fol- 
 lowing entry. 
 
 To
 
 ( 94 ) 
 
 By cask paid to a COUNTRY OVERSEER, 
 for cash advanced a POOR FAMILY to a 
 TOWNSHIP in the NORTH RIDING OF 
 YORK, two pounds nintteeen shillings ! 
 
 Let me ask any of the late church-wardens, if 
 such kind of evasive entries had been made in their 
 own private accounts, whether they would have 
 passed unnoticed ? As well might Mr. Unite have 
 said, that he had paid the money to an overseer at 
 Calcutta or Madrass, as in the North Riding of 
 York. 
 
 Or, had the names of John Nokes or Thomas 
 Styles John Doe and Richard Roe or, Thomas 
 Hickathrift or Jack the Giant-killer, appeared in 
 Mr. Unite's or Mr. Hallow's books, to have re- 
 ceived money as country overseers, or paupers ; 
 it would not have carried more conviction along 
 with it, than the foregoing entry. 
 
 The following accounts are a few auxiliary 
 charges, which serve to make up Mr. Hallows's 
 very extraordinary expenditure. 
 
 - * d - 
 
 1 794. To journey to Burbage and Morley, 
 to serve notice oj an appeal, took with me 
 
 Mr. Milne, jun 3 7 6 
 
 To my journey to Stockport, respecting Ca- 
 rey's settlement o 13 6 
 
 To removal of ditto O 14 6 
 
 To journey to Rooden-lane and Blakelcy---- 076 
 To ditto to Stayly Bridge* to serve copy of 
 
 an order o 13 6 
 
 To ditto to Ashton, to serve a summons in 
 
 bastardy^ and to visit Holt's family o 13 6 
 
 To 
 
 * Whilst Mr. Hallows is this day going to Stayley Bridge, 
 to serve the copy of a bastardy order for which he charges 
 135. 6d. Mrs. Hallows relieves thirty strangers, at home, 
 said to be going to different parts of the kingdom, with 
 3. 18^. On the prior' znd subsequent days of Mr. Hal- 
 lows's journey, only three people are relieved.
 
 ( 95 ) 
 
 To coach-hire to see Mr. Bayley, of Hope 076 
 
 To expences going to Newcastle to see a lu- 
 natic * ..... 1176 
 
 To journey to Heaton respecting Charles 
 
 Da-vies's settlement - o 7 6 
 
 To ditto to Stockport ditto Lomas's ditto-- o 10 o 
 
 To ditto to Rochdale, to serve R. Holt with 
 
 a copy of a bastardy order 0166 
 
 To journey respecting Burrow's settlement 2 10 o 
 
 To cash, with subpoena for THOMAS 
 
 DUNN (now in Lancaster fo rperj 'ury ) o 10 6 
 
 To ditto paid -. by order of 
 
 Justice Griffith I't o 10 6 
 
 To my journey to Sandbach, respecting 
 George Griffith's settlement, CHAISE 
 HIRE, AND EXPENcEsybr Mr. Ser- 
 jeant and self- 7 14 6 
 
 To HORSE HiRE/or MR. LOCKE, MR. 
 ED G LEY, and Mr. Hallows, to visit 
 
 NURSE CHILDREN J!! o 12 o 
 
 Tolls 
 
 * In Mr. Hallows's absence (on a visit to the lunatic, 
 from motives oij Mow -feeling no doubt) thirty-nine strang- 
 ers are said to be relieved at home, on travel, in one day. 
 And on his journey to Rochdale, respecting one Sander- 
 son's settlement, twenty -seven are entered by Mrs. Hallows, 
 as relieved, though on the prior and subsequent days of Mr. 
 Hallows's journics, there are only jive, persons relieved on 
 travel. 
 
 t Why leave this entry blank? was Mr. Griffith 
 ashamed of the person he ordered the money to be paid to? 
 -Mr. Hallows might have inserted the name of DUNN 
 as his name appears in different places, as a receiver of cash 
 in this account of " extraordinary payments" as well as the 
 half guinea given with his subpoena. The purpose which 
 this deluded wretch's service was intended to answer 
 sufficiently marks the iniquity of the application of this 
 money. 
 
 J Whilst these three gentlemen, Mr. Locke, the head 
 churchwarden Mr. Hallows, the deputy overseer and Mr. 
 Edglcy, the easier-rare ALL visiting NURSE CHIDREN 
 at Altrincham the Manchester poor, in the absence of Mr. 
 
 Edgley 
 .
 
 Tolls for the magistrates at the bridge 068 
 
 Ditto for self and poor O 16 4 
 
 To EXPENCES to LANCASTER, and re- 
 turning, MR. MILNE, D. TOMLIN- 
 SON, and, J. HALLOWS, CHARGED 
 IN GROSS! 24 14 6 
 
 The following 1 have inserted to shew the great 
 expence of reported journies relative to settlements. 
 
 1793. To a journey to make enquiries about 
 
 JOHN MARSH'S settlement O 17 4 
 
 July 20. To ditto to LAWTON *, ASHTON, 
 NEWTON - IN-THE- WILLOWS, t to 
 
 PERFECT 
 
 Edgley, are unattended to. The CASUAL poor is left as usual 
 with Mrs. Hallows, who RELIEVED this day TWENTY -SEVEN 
 strangers on travel, with three pounds eleven shillings and 
 six -pence. 
 
 * While Mr. Hallows is out on this journey to Lawton, 
 with Mr. Milne's clerk, at the expence of four guineas and 
 a half, more than FIFTY persons are said to be relieved 
 in one day, by Mrs. Hallows -forty-six are on travel to 
 different towns : and nine are said to be relieved with dif- 
 ferent sums, from one shilling to five shillings, as strangers; 
 with no other vouchers than their names opposite to the 
 respective sums paid. 
 
 (^f- On June 3d, Mr. Hallows appears to have been at 
 Radcliffe, when Mrs. Hallows has made twenty-three entries 
 of strangers relieved, from one shilling to five shillings, 
 amounting to three pounds nine shillings. On the TWO 
 preceding days, Mr. Hallows being at home, there are only 
 seven relieved with eleven shillings and six-pence and for 
 many days afterwards there are only four entries made. In 
 this year's accounts, there are many hundred extraordinary 
 payments said to be made without troubling the cashier. 
 The hasty sketch of these accounts, I took by stealth I 
 beg pardon of Mrs. and Mr. Hallows, for this interference 
 with their practice; but had I had time to have transcribed 
 the whfelc the Ley-payers of Manchester should have been 
 furnished with copies, to have convinced them of the proper 
 application of the very heavy parochial taxes and that the 
 dtputy overseers are year after year superintended by men of 
 judgment. 
 
 *' This journey, being taken at the time of NEWTON 
 
 RACES,
 
 ( 97 ) 
 
 Brought forward o 17 4 
 PERFECT the enquiry respecting 
 JOHN MARSH'S settlement,tookwith 
 me Mr. Lees, Mr. Milne's clerk ............ 4146 
 
 July 25. To cash paid the OVERSEERS of 
 
 LAWTON ............................................ 3 16 8 
 
 Oct. 15. To cash for a journey to LAW- 
 TON, to make enquiries respecting 
 JOHN MARSH's settlement,, took 
 with me Mr. Lees, Mr. Milne's clerk- 3103 
 
 Nov. 6. To cash paid overseers of LAW- 
 
 TON .................................................... 3 17 o 
 
 15 
 
 On the second journey to Lawton, the 2Oth of 
 July, it appears to have cost FOUR GUINEAS AND 
 A HALF ! for two persons travelling expences to 
 make an ENQUIRY PERFECT and being 
 made so, Mr. Hallows FIVE days afterwards pays 
 to the overseer of Lawton three pounds sixteen 
 shillings but on the i5th of October, the SAME 
 TWO repeat the same journey, to make PERFEC- 
 TION once more PERFECT which then only cost 
 three pounds ten shillings. It appears that Mr. 
 Hallows, on making the last entry of three pounds 
 ten shillings, discovered that he had forgot, in his 
 last quarter's account given in to Mr. Edgley, to 
 give himself credit for the SECOND JOURNEY to 
 LAWTON, (at the race time) which he appears to 
 have interlined under the expence of three pounds 
 ten shillings (being the THIRD journey to Lawton) 
 in a gross sum FOUR GU INEAS AND A HALF ! { 
 
 O I can 
 
 RACES it is natural to expect some crossing and jostling, 
 it is very evident that it was better jockeyship than over- 
 scership and it does not appear that Mr. Hallows has beea 
 much out of pocket by making his fntrist at the post.
 
 ( 98 ) 
 
 I can almost anticipate the reader's desire to know 
 why this enquiry should have been so often made, 
 and at so great an expence ; or why two persons 
 should be sent out on such an errand ; to which 
 I can only answer, that it is not only more agree- 
 able to travel in company but that it increases the 
 expences to a formidably looking sum ; and swells 
 no little the accounts oj another nature. 
 
 In these quarterly accounts of Mr. Hallows's, 
 are interlineations and erasures sometimes a large 
 sum is forgotten for several months to be entered ! 
 At other times there appear erasures and remarks 
 by a strange hand-writing "this sum is entered be- 
 fore" probably several months back, and yet again 
 it makes its appearance ! This convenient kind of 
 forgetfulness or rather this peculiar degree of re- 
 membering to forget perhaps Mr. Hallow bor- 
 rowed from high authority. 
 
 It should be noticed through this year's account 
 of 1794, whenever Mr. Hallows appears by the 
 dates to have been from home, Mrs. Hallows ap- 
 pears to be then more at home that lady's account 
 of " extraordinary payments" are wonderful! There 
 are more strangers relieved in his absence than 
 are generally relieved for many prior and subse- 
 quent days of his journies. It may probably seem 
 curious, that total strangers to the town shoulp 
 know when Mr. Hallows was from home ; but 
 such was the case, if what is recorded by Mrs. 
 Hallows is to be credited, that from thirty to fifty 
 strangers^ are said to have received casual pay- 
 ments, generally on each day of Mr. Hallows's 
 journies which I will be bold to say, is a greater 
 number than the present overseer's wife, in his 
 absence, will relieve in any one month through 
 the year. 
 
 /Mrs. Hallows appears, from her liberality to 
 travelling strangers, through her whole overseer- 
 ship
 
 ( 99 ) 
 
 ship to be the milk of humanity her profuse spirit 
 of benevolence would set the world a gadding / 
 
 The following is a specimen of Mr. Hallows's 
 charges on removals, which are numerous there 
 appear no less than four hundred and forty-four 
 examinations respecting settlements, which took 
 place in two years and a half of Mr. Hallows's 
 overseership. 
 
 Removal of Martha Lee and two children 
 
 toWithington 090 
 
 Ditto R. Evans, wife, and three children 
 
 to Malpas 3160 
 
 Horse hire' 015 o 
 
 . 4 11 o 
 
 Ditto Margaret Elinston to Charley i 10 6 
 
 Ditto Mary Smith and child to Timperley Oil O 
 Ditto Isherwood's wife and child to Bury oil o 
 
 Ditto H. Dickinson to Sale * o 10 o 
 
 Ditto Martha Garner to Cheadle o 10 o 
 
 Ditto of Ann Butterworth to Moston .... o 7 o 
 
 Ditto of J. Scott to Wilmslow on 4 
 
 Ditto to Sheffield 660 
 
 Ditto Martha Fidler and Jive children,"} 
 
 to Ashton V i 18 3 
 
 Ditto D. Chadwickyfour ditto to ditto- J 
 
 The above charges are merely for expences on 
 these journies- every other expence relative to the 
 conveyance, with cart and horse, is contracted for 
 at five shillings per day, which is not included in 
 the above account. I find it has always been a 
 
 regular 
 
 * Though there are so many removals at a great ex- 
 pence to most of the surrounding townships Mr. Hallows 
 had an assistant, for which the town paid ten shillings per 
 week.
 
 regular rule, for the expences of each journey to 
 be particularized, and delivered to Mr. Hallows. 
 I will not pretend to say but from every inform- 
 ation I have been able to collect, I think it utterly 
 impossible, to find any one particular journey 
 through the year, by comparing the cash really ex- 
 pended, with the amount of cash actually charged. 
 
 From a calculation which I have made, and 
 from some pretty well authenticated information, 
 I am very certain,* that the same person who is 
 now, and has been emplo\- J for some yean, in 
 this service, would convey the same number of 
 pauper;, to the same places of settlement, in the 
 present year, for considerably less than ONE-HALF 
 the expence charged to the town, under the direc- 
 tion of overseer Hailows. 
 
 The person with whom the contract is made 
 for these removals, is a farmer, residing in the 
 neighbourhood of Ashton, whom I accidentally 
 met with a few days ago, and taxed with the very 
 extravagant charge of one pound eighteen shillings 
 and three-pence for one journey, with a horse and 
 cart, from Manchester to Ashton, when the ingenu- 
 ous farmer immediately declared, " that it was so 
 short a journey to Ashton, and his farm being in 
 the road, he made it a rule not to stop any where, 
 but at home, for refreshment, either for himself or 
 horse ; and that he never had charged any thing, 
 save the turnpikes, for a journey to Ashton, since 
 he had done business with the overseers of Man- 
 chester." 
 
 Mr. Hallows, by his charge of \. 185. %d. may 
 not have consulted the amount of cash really paid, 
 to form an exact estimate of profit on this journey; 
 yet the odd three-pence sanctions the appearance 
 of this nicely calculated charge, amounting to three 
 shillings and five-pence a head, and eight-pence 
 for the turnpikes. 
 
 Having,
 
 Having, no doubt, sufficiently tired my readers 
 with such a long list of JMr. Hallows's <c extraor- 
 dinary payments" let us now take a peep at him, 
 as the competitor of Mr. Milne, in special plead- 
 ing. 
 
 It has been a practice of some time standing 
 for the justices' clerk to receive a guinea fee as 
 advocate in cases of bastardy, and for such other of- 
 fences as may have been brought before the magis- 
 trates. This fee seems to me to be a kind of pur- 
 chase, as well for their pleading, as their supposed 
 influence with the bench and I have often wit- 
 nessed its wonder-working effect. 
 
 The business of special pleading, on these occa- 
 sions, has also been pursued by Mr. Hallows, over- 
 seer, who has, in a variety of cases, practised with 
 no lirtle emolument to himself, and success to his 
 client. An artful tale y told in a confidential man- 
 ner to an unsuspecting bench, I have known to pro- 
 duce the wished-for success even at a time when 
 Mr. Milne, with ail his Ciceronian eloquence, has 
 pleaded in vain. 
 
 The following story may serve to elucidate, in 
 some measure, the wonderful virtue of an over- 
 seer's whisper. 
 
 A case in bastardy came before a late bench of 
 magistrates, when an order was made on the father 
 of a child, who was a horse-dealer of some conse- 
 quence, to pay three shillings per week but, from 
 a false representation (in a -whisper from the over- 
 seer) as to the character of the woman the order 
 was reduced to one shilling and six-pence per week ! 
 The father, truly sensible of the obligation, made 
 the following remark to the magistrate " you have 
 made my ride easy, for which you are at any time 
 welcome to RIDE the best horse in my stable." 
 
 Such -like gratuities are so customarily receiv- 
 ed, by men in office, that even magistracy itself 
 
 (shame
 
 (shame to the indiscriminating race) is sometimes 
 ignorantly insulted. 
 
 After having taken a survey of Mr. Unite's 
 books I mean his four small slips of paper , which 
 contain the whole of his accounts as overseer it 
 is but justice, due to him, to say, (though it has 
 been maliciousty hinted that they remain unbal- 
 anced since the year 1791) they are, in point of 
 compactness, equal, if not superior, to the new- 
 invented method of book-keeping, by Jones; as 
 they comprize, in one view, the debits, credits, ;--:d 
 other transactions, during a biennial service as 
 overseer of Manchester, " ALL IN THE COMPASS 
 
 OF A CARD !" 
 
 I intended to conclude by giving some little in- 
 formation relative to the expences at the New 
 Bayley, but not having had an opportunity of get- 
 ting even a sight of these accounts, I shall content 
 myself by making a few remarks on one day's pro- 
 ceedings, the particulars of which I published, page 
 18, in my Reply to Mr. Unite. 
 
 New-Bayley Court-House, February 6th, 1793. 
 
 In this day's charges there appear no less than 
 thirteen examinations and removal orders, at nine 
 shillings each, amounting to five pounds seventeen 
 shillings ; but of late the prices have risen more 
 than fifty per cent. There is now an additional 
 Jive shillings paid for "MOVING THE BENCH" 
 which makes a difference in this day's business, in 
 two items only, of three pounds five shillings. There 
 are likewise charged four vagrant passes, twelve 
 shillings ; three -warrants, twelve shillings ; twenty- 
 three summonses, one pound three shillings; and six 
 permit passes, six shillings. 
 
 As the vagrant passes, and expences in the re- 
 movals, prosecutions of felons, &c. are defrayed 
 by the county, with which there should be a debtor 
 
 and
 
 and creditor account kept, and which ought to 
 make a complete balance. 
 
 As the town is charged with twenty-three sum- 
 monses, at one shilling each, where is the credit 
 given? It being a general rule for the person sum- 
 moned to pay one shilling, with sixpence for the 
 service; warrants are also charged to the town, 
 though paid for, in the same manner. The beadles 
 charge Mr. Unite with receiving this money, and 
 even their perquisite for the service. Passes, which 
 are numerous in the course of the year, were for- 
 merly filled up from printed forms, by the deputy- 
 constable, and the paupers were taken before a 
 magistrate, for his signature, when he might exer- 
 cise his own discretion ; but of late, they have 
 been purchased by the OVERSEERS from the JUS- 
 TICES' CLERKS, at twenty shillings the SCORE, with 
 the magistrate's signature in BLANK * ! 
 
 The account of these charges at the New Bay ley, 
 amount to g. 75. which is cait up in the books, 
 ^io. 15. an error on the right side as usual of 
 fourteen shillings. I do not wonder at these kind of 
 mistakes, for exclusive of the over-charge itself, it 
 serves to increase the discount, as the overseers are 
 allowed, by the justices' clerks, five per cent, on the 
 amount of each day's proceedings, for cash paid to 
 them while in court, and which discount is generally 
 applied in aid of the very heavy expences attend- 
 ant on nocturnal mirth, after l\\e fatigues of the day, 
 instead of appearing to the credit of the town. 
 
 I shall now conclude this publication, by mak- 
 ing some few remarks which suggested themselves 
 on reading the interrogatories in the Manches- 
 ' ter Gazette, of this day. 
 
 In my Reply to Mr. Unite, twelve months ago, 
 
 page 
 
 * This may be called a wholesale kind of justice a kind 
 of dealing in the raw material, and not to be met with in 
 the loom of common '
 
 page'ao, I made some observations on the irregu- 
 larity of Mr. Wharmby's conduct, as collector 
 and of his books being, at that time, in a very con- 
 fused state. And about six months afterwards 
 the following paragraph appeared in the Chester 
 paper. 
 
 " An accountant^ of the first respectability in that 
 ' profession, has made an offer to inspect the accounts 
 " of the police and poor-rates of Manchester t in their 
 "present CONFUSED STATE, for an allowance of 
 "five per cent., on CASH RECEIVED, and by MIS- 
 " TAKE.zmentered," &c. &c. 
 
 Had this proposal been accepted, the collector's 
 books might, at this time, been fairly balanced, and 
 there would have been a saving of ninety-five 
 pounds per cent, on all the unentered cash receiv- 
 ed, being fairly pointed out ; instead of which, an 
 enormous POOR RATE has been made on the in- 
 habitants, within these few days, amounting to 
 EIGHTEEN THOUSAND POUNDS! 
 though so many thousand pounds remain yet un- 
 collected. 
 
 But will the record gain credit, when it is 
 read, that Mr. Wharmby has collected taxes nearly to 
 the amount of FIFTY THOUSAND POUNDS! 
 and ihat there remain uncollected near TWEN- 
 TY THOUSAND POUNDS, and that no con- 
 clusive settlement of his books has taken place for 
 these last SEVEN YEARS! and still Mr. 
 Wharmby, as collector, keeps his office ! at a time 
 \vhen every thing around him " like the centre of 
 a whirlpool, rolls in confusion." 
 
 The irregularities in assessments have been nu- 
 incrous, and claim immediate attention. I have 
 known property in the town of Manchester, be- 
 longing to an individual, exceeding six hundred 
 pounds per annum, only 'rated at thirty pounds. 
 The property of a gentleman, in the centre of the 
 town, whose rental exceeded two hundred and 
 
 eighty
 
 eighty pounds, was not applied to for POOR RATES 
 for many years> and it was afterwards compromised 
 by Mr. Wharmby, for fourteen pounds, which did 
 not amount to SEVEN-PENCE in the pound. It is 
 notorious, that houses belonging to particular in- 
 dividuals, were not assessed for many years ; but no 
 sooner was the property tranferred by sale, than 
 the purchaser was, in point of taxation, put in 
 equality with his neighbours. The partial and 
 unjust methods used in collecting^ equals that of 
 assessing ; there are many persons of considerable 
 property, whose taxes have been unpaid for many 
 years. I have known instances of several notes 
 being left in the course of a few days, for the same 
 rtf/e,each note differing!;^ consider 'ably 'in amount; 
 and it likewise may appear rather unaccountable, 
 that the collector very often makes a demand of a 
 particular sum of money, and afterwards reduces 
 it to one-half of his original claim. 
 
 The collector, Mr. \Vharmby, a few weeks ago, 
 called on Mr, Hammond, the Star Inn, Dean's- 
 gate, and demanded FIVE POUNDS for high-way 
 composition money but before he left the house, he 
 gave Mr. H. a RECEIPT IN FULL ON RECEIVING 
 THREE POUNDS must not this demand have been 
 made for more than the sum specified in his books? 
 for no collector has a power to alter a BOOK OF 
 RATES, after it is signed by the magistrates. Mr. 
 Hammond, having got the receipt for THREE 
 POUNDS, very facetiously observed to a friend, 
 " If I had paid Mr. Wharmby the jive pounds, which 
 he at jirst charged) -what -would have become of the 
 JORTY SHILLINGS which he afterwards abated?" 
 
 Such of my readers who peruse these pages with 
 candour and impartiality, I trust will allow that 
 the present mode of publication, is the only means 
 left in my power to bring these charges before the 
 
 P public,
 
 ( '06 ) 
 
 public, and which were intended to have been 
 brought forward at a public meeting, sanctioned at 
 that time by the boroughreeve and constables 
 but who afterwards declined countenancing the 
 same, on the most simple and paltry plea t as men- 
 tioned in the 4th page of this publication. 
 
 It appears but too evident, that the borough- 
 reeve and constables are wholly bent on keeping 
 "things as they are-," but they are attempting that 
 which is in its nature impossible. 
 
 When the most flagrant acts of cruel and unjust 
 proceedings are known to exist, and conviction 
 shall have taken place no screen no subterfuge 
 will impose so far on the judgment of the public, 
 as to fascinate their discernment, and lead them 
 tamely to submit to be the dupes of official con- 
 federacy. 
 
 I am by no means ignorant of the false motives 
 which, from various causes, have been attributed to 
 my conduct on the subject of the foregoing pages; 
 I again repeat, what I asserted in the commence- 
 ment of this publication, that no political or party 
 spirit (every idea of which I disclaim) has had, 
 even the smallest share, in this transaction ; and I 
 trust it will also be allowed, that interest forms no 
 part of my views, when I declare, that I am a very 
 considerable loser both by the time I have dedi- 
 cated to, and the expences which I have incurred 
 in the procuring the necessary information on the 
 subject. 
 
 No apology will, I trust, be deemed necessary by 
 those to whom these pages are addressed, for the 
 extraordinary length to which they have unavoida- 
 bly been extended. If I have trespassed on the 
 attention of my reader, it has been with a view to 
 elucidate and explain^ if I have any where warmly 
 expressed an indignant feeling I trust the occa- 
 sion
 
 ( 107 ) 
 
 sion has justified the language; if I have erred in 
 any manner, it has been in judgment, and not in 
 motive; therefore, as I have had no private pique 
 to gratify no partial interest to promote I rely 
 on the candour of my readers to acquit or con- 
 demn having acted solely from an earnest wish to 
 do a public good. 
 
 nr 
 
 . 
 
 ,- I
 
 ( io8 
 
 As it has been the uniform practice, for a long 
 series of years, for the deputy constable to issue 
 precepts to the constables of the surrounding ham- 
 lets, and to receive the county rates t which have, in 
 many parishes, exceeded their poor rates t and the 
 deputy constable being of late restrained from re- 
 ceiving the same, by circular orders, directing such 
 monies to be paid to the head constables gave so 
 general an alarm, that I thought it not only my 
 duty to publish the following statement, for the/w- 
 ture government of the surrounding constables 
 but, that it may lead to detection of any past 
 extortion ; and which may be easily proved by a 
 reference to the money -warrants^ and the following 
 calculation :
 
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 ( "3. ) 
 
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
 
 P. S 's account, relative to Mr, Unite's journey to Vale- 
 Royal, to demand a reward of one hundred pounds for the ap- 
 prehension of a felon the falsehoods he made use of to T. Choi- 
 mondeley and T. B.Bayley^Esqrs. his method of taking the thief 
 and of his being TWICE STABBED, <?c. appear from the testi- 
 mony of Mr. Harry Woodhouse and Mr. Eph. Rowbottom like 
 Jack Falstajf's story, nine men in buckram j as Mr. Unite 
 was not present at the time when the felon was apprehended, 
 and never saw him till he was taken by the above gentle- 
 men to the police-office, &c. were I to have detailed all the rela- 
 tions of this nature, this publication might have rivalled, in, 
 point of bulk, the statutes at large. 
 
 R d's complaint against a special constable, a Mr.C , 
 
 who appears to be armed with power for the very basest of pur- 
 poses, has little to do with the disclosure of parochial abuses yet, 
 it is an abuse of that nature, which, if properly substantiated, 
 T. B. as the friend of order, cannot reject noticing. 
 
 M ought to have preferred a bill of indictment at the 
 
 present quarter sessions, if what he relates be true no doubt, 
 but the present grand jury would have found a bill against the 
 party. 
 
 X, X. will be attended to. 
 
 Veritas's communications may be perfectly true, but he should 
 have sent his real signature, respecting the stolen goods. The 
 account given by V , of Mr. Unite's reporting to Justice Bay- 
 ley, that there was a seditious meeting, at the Star Inn, Dean's- 
 gate Mr. . himself found on enquiry at the inn, that the re- 
 port of Mr. Unite was entirely a fabrication of his own the 
 -meeting only consisted of Jive persons en business of arbitra- 
 tion. 
 
 A " Flagellator's lash" would perhaps be more wholesomely 
 applied to the back than the book in which case, if Flagei- 
 lator had not the merit of making an honest, he would at least 
 make a smart overseer, 
 
 Mr. Williams* s (overseer of WarringtonJ five letters, and 
 account current, cannot be noticed Mr. Hallows not having 
 yet delivered in his accounts for the year 1794. 
 
 * * * * 's very pathetic account of the cruel treatment of a. 
 young woman, who was forced to the New Bay ley prison by a 
 special constable, without a warrant, and without her having 
 
 committed
 
 committed any offence (save that of being pregnant, and be- 
 longing to another pariskj shall soon make its appearance, for 
 the sake of humanity, as well as public justice. The forcing her 
 Jrom her dwelling, late in the evening, with the. ill treatment 
 she received, threw her into violent labour pains, and in that pit- 
 iful situation she continued all night in prison, without a bed- 
 the following morning she was dragged away to Mr. Paynter's 
 office, where violent fits of labour continuing, she begged permis- 
 sion to go into the yard- a Jew minutes afterwards she was 
 found in the necessary delivered of a dead child I 
 
 * * * * '& account given of Hallows and his wife's inhu- 
 man treatment to a poor woman and her infant, about five 
 weeks old, I can rely upon : this shall also present itself to 
 the public eye f
 
 .. 
 
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