In addition to these matters, which cannot bc remedied without legislative authority, and are yet of great import ance to the comforts, the usefulness, and the loyalty of the poor tenants and cottagers of Scotland ; it is believed that few things would be of more essential service to the real and deserving poor, than a more vigorous enforcement of residence and prohibition of common begging ; and a stronger call on the heritors and kirk sessions of remote parishes to give oorrect and regular attention to the state and wants of their own poor ; to attend to their employment also, and to recommend and enforce the duty of industry in their own parishes, prohibiting the too common practice of wandering as mendicants.
Perhaps in return for any information collected in Scot land, and communicated to the two houses of parliament, this generous attention to what is most in need of remedies in the laws and practice of Scotland, relative to the poor, might be viewed as worthy of the legislature of this en lightened kingdom.
With respect to Ireland, until the field of productive industry has been fairly opened for the labouring classes, it appears difficult to suggest any thing likely to improve the state of her innumerable poor. But if the tenure by which land is held were duly improved, and land itself, as a subject of improvement, cleared of tithes in kind and other fetters ; and then if capital were employed in com mercial and manufacturing industry, with liberal attention to the state of the people; and if the children were trained in habits of good conduct, and educated so as to qualify them for greater usefulness, the next generation might see Ireland advancing with a rapid and steady pace towards comfort in its own population, and kindly and beneficial influence as one of these united kingdoms.
The legislature of France has rejected all assessments for the poor, and sanctioned common mendicity over the land. The despotic governments of other nations appear slow and reluctant in giving their people emancipation from a state of servitude. Little hope of melioration for the state of the poor in these nations appears at present. Perhaps it is reserved for this island to give the tone and example in this great branch of policy and humanity, as it has done in the abolition of the trade in slaves, and the propagation of religion over the world. The United
States of America have evinced both a liberal and profound policy, in providing for the poor already, by allotments of land, even before their state of population and society had arrived at such a point as to bring this burden into ex istence.
The numerous widows' fund societies now established in Britain, and the companies formed for life assurance, have produced great and beneficial consequences in ward ing off poverty from individuals ; but perhaps the attention of the legislature is more wanted in order to watch over these institutions, and to render them safe depositories of the public contributions, than has yet been given to them ; or than any other public institution of the present time now requires.
In order to administer to the necessities of the poor on correct and legitimate principles, it may be stated nega tively, that common begging ought at once and entirely to be suppressed throughout the whole of Scotland. A moderate and seasonable degree of attention on the part of the several ministers, is quite sufficient to draw the con junct attention of heritors and elders ; and if this were generally and simultaneously done, and passes given to convey the poor to their own parishes, the whole arrange ment might he rendered effective in less than a single year ; and it might then easily he kept in that state. The funds of charity would then fall of course to be first applied ; and so long as landholders in general agreed voluntarily to put in what was necessary in supplement, no assessment could be necessary. This, however, though the last re source, might still be so managed, as to be attended with very little harm ; and it is the only and the legal instrument for compelling those who neglect the poor to attend to them. Sonic wanderers indeed have no right, or pretend to have none, in any particular parish; but these might be accomodate(' in work and poor houses ; and Scotland would then be cleared of a pest that has annoyed and op pressed her since the union of the kingdoms, and probably long before it The slow but steady progress of assess ment on this plan, if accompanied by relief from the nui sance of common begging, would in fact be advantageous to the community ; and also to the interests of the poor, and to the labouring classes of Scotland, as well as to land holders.