_From the Times of February 21._
“SIR--Having lately been introduced by several gentlemen of
distinction to the Reverend Joseph Brown, the benevolent pastor of
Saint Matthias, Spitalfields, with the view of relieving, if
possible, at a trifling expense, the sufferings of that industrious
but distressed class of society, the Weavers of Spitalfields; and
having, with that gentleman, visited several of their abodes, we
found, in many of the houses, five or six in a small room, entirely
deprived of the common necessaries of life--no food, no fire, and
hardly any garment to cover their persons, and that during the late
severe frost. In one of the attics we visited we inquired of a
woman how they subsisted. Her husband, she said, had no employment
during the last four months, and that they merely lived on what he
could get by begging in the streets; she added, that she and her
children had not tasted a bit of food for twenty-four hours, the
last of which consisted of apples partly decayed, and bits of bread
given to her husband, which food we may consider, if even
plentiful, to be pernicious to health. The only piece of furniture
in that gloomy abode of misery was the weaving machine, now at
rest, and which, in time of prosperity, was used to provide food,
and made, if not a wealthy, at least a happy home for those now
wretched and destitute families, and the scientific production of
which has often, and even now, adorns the persons of thousands of
the aristocracy and gentry of the country.
“I am quite convinced, Sir, that the wearers of those luxuries
possess at all times the most charitable feelings towards their
fellow-creatures in distress; and when they are made aware, through
the medium of your powerful journal, of the facts of the present
lamentable position of those who have by their industry so often
gratified their sights and wishes, none of them will, I am certain,
refuse a small token of charity towards the relief of those
unfortunate martyrs of industry, whose poverty no one can blame,
but whom everybody must pity. After having witnessed such
distressing scenes, I immediately proposed that my Subscription
Kitchen for the Poor, which was being made at Messrs. Bramah and
Prestige’s factory, should be erected, without any loss of time, in
the most populous district of Spitalfields, where there are no less
than 10,000 poor people in one parish, and hardly any wealthy
families among them to give them relief.
“I am happy to inform you, Sir, that my first experiment, made last
Saturday, has been most successful, having been able to make a most
excellent peas panada and meat soup in less than one hour and a
half, and that at a very moderate expense--the quickness and saving
of which are partly owing to the contrivance of my new steam
apparatus, and which food was distributed, without any confusion,
in less than twenty minutes, to about THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY
children, who were selected for the occasion from the different
schools, the remainder of the food, with bread, being given away to
many poor families in the neighbourhood.
“The kitchen will remain open daily, and nothing will be given away
except to those who are proved to be quite destitute; a quart of
food or soup, and a quarter of a pound of bread, will be given for
one penny.
“All information respecting the issuing of tickets and receiving of
subscriptions will be made known by advertisements.
“I am aware that every nobleman, gentleman, and tradesman have to
support their own poor, and therefore propose that not more than a
guinea should be received from any one as a subscription; but from
6_d._ to the above sum will be most thankfully received, and
disposed of with the greatest economy.
“I beg to observe, that any of the subscribers who should wish to
keep their names private, will be pleased to make a private mark,
that they may see it correctly entered in a catalogue, which will
be published monthly, with an account of all the subscriptions
received, expenses incurred, the quantity of ingredients consumed,
with a correct list of the poor relieved.
“I trust, under all these circumstances, you will be good enough to
give a place to this letter in your journal.
“With the highest consideration,
“I am, Sir, your most obliged,
“A. SOYER.
“REFORM CLUB, _Feb. 17_.”
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