Part 45 (2/2)

By this establishment of a general Police System, will it become the duty of one cla.s.s of men to watch over the general delinquency of the Metropolis, and the country;--to check its progress by lessening the resources of the evil disposed to do injuries, and to commit acts of violence on the peaceful subject; and gradually to lead the _criminal_, _the idle_, and _the dissolute_ members of the community into the paths of innocence and industry.

The collateral aids to be derived from this System of Control over Dealers and others of loose conduct, in pursuit of evil courses, will give considerable strength to the Legislative measures which are in contemplation, with respect to the _Police of the River Thames_: _The frauds and plunder in the Naval and other public departments_:--_The Coinage of base Money_, and the _fabrication of counterfeit Bank Notes_.--Whatever has been contemplated for the purpose of checking and preventing these evils cannot be complete or effectual, until the proposed Board is established, and the Licensing System in full action. The control of this Board is absolutely necessary to contribute to the success of the measures proposed, and to the security of public and private property against the present extensive depredations. In fact the whole System is linked together, and its energy and success will depend on the pa.s.sing of the respective Laws applicable to each object of which the Police Board may not improperly be denominated _the key-stone_.

It is this responsible superintendance which is to give _life_, _vigour_, and _effect_, not only to the Laws which are in contemplation, but to many other excellent Statutes which remain at present as _a dead letter_.--Let it once become the duty of one body of men to charge themselves with the execution of the Laws for the prevention of crimes, and the detection of offences--let them be armed with proper and apposite powers for that purpose, and the state of Society will speedily become ameliorated and improved; a greater degree of security will be extended to the peaceful subject, and the blessings of civil liberty will be enlarged.

A new aera in the world seems to have commenced, which imperiously calls for the adoption of such measures; not only in this country, but all over Europe. The evil propensities incident to human nature appear no longer restrained by the force of religion, or the influence of the moral principle.--On these barriers powerful attacks have been made, which have hitherto operated as curbs to the unruly pa.s.sions peculiar to vulgar life: they must therefore be strengthened by supports more immediately applicable to the object of preserving peace and good order.

The period is approaching when to the phalanx of delinquents who at present prey upon Society, will be added mult.i.tudes of idle and depraved characters discharged from the Army and Navy on the return of Peace.--Policy and humanity require that an adequate remedy should be provided for such a contingency.--_Qui non vetat peccare c.u.m possit, jubet._ Where the powers of a State are not employed to avert apparent and threatened evils, a tacit a.s.sent is given to the commission of crimes. On the contrary, where means are used to check the progress of turpitude and vice, and to compel obedience to the Laws, the comfort of Society is promoted, and the privileges of innocence are secured.

If in the accomplishment of the design which has been recommended by the highest authority, these objects shall be gradually attained--If it shall operate in preventing acts of violence and fraud from being committed upon the peaceful subject; while means are discovered through the medium of a well-regulated Police, whereby the unfortunate, and even the idle and the dissolute, may possess a resource for subsistence by honest industry, without having any pretended plea of necessity for resorting to Crimes; great, indeed, would be the benefits which would result to the Public. This would be at once the triumph both of reason and humanity.

The first step is, to attend to the Morals and the Habits of the rising Generation; to adapt the Laws more particularly to the manners of the People, by minutely examining the state of Society, so as to lead the inferior orders, as it were, insensibly into better Habits, by gentle restraints upon those propensities which terminate in Idleness and Debauchery;--to remove temptations, in their nature productive of evil, and to establish incitements to good and useful pursuits.

Among a variety of other Functions which would devolve on the proposed Commissioners, perhaps one might be to offer suggestions to the Executive Government, with respect to such useful Regulations as might arise from the extensive knowledge which they must necessarily acquire as to the condition and pursuits of the labouring People; and hence would result one of the greatest means of preventing Crimes, and improving the Condition of human Life.

But while it is acknowledged to be a vain hope to reduce the tumultuous pa.s.sions of Men to absolute regularity, so as to render the Commission of offences impracticable; it is equally clear (and it is even proved by the State of Society, where Public Morals have been more effectually guarded,) that it is possible to diminish the Evil very considerably.

By the establishment of a well-conducted Board of Police, a confident hope is entertained that this purpose is attainable; and in this view (although it is to take nothing from the present Resources of the State), it is a blessing to the Nation, which could scarce be too dearly purchased at any price.

CHAP. XIX.

_The unparalleled Extent and Opulence of the Metropolis, manifested in the number of streets, lanes, alleys, courts, and squares, estimated at above 8000;--containing above 4000 Churches and Places for religious Wors.h.i.+p,--more than 400 Seminaries of Education;--several Inst.i.tutions for promoting Religion and Morality;--11 Societies for promoting Learning, and the useful and the fine Arts;--a great number of charitable Asylums for the indigent and forlorn;--Hospitals and Dispensaries for the lame, sick, and diseased;--and above 1700 Inst.i.tutions of various other kinds for Charitable and Humane Purposes.--A detail of the Courts of Law, and other Establishments connected with the distribution of Justice.--The public Prisons in the Metropolis.--A View of the number of Persons employed in the different departments of the Law, estimated in all at about 7000.--Suggestions for improving the civil Jurisprudence in the Metropolis, so far as relates to the recovery of small Debts.--The Evils arising from the present System, exemplified in the multiplicity of actions for trivial sums in the course of a year; the enormous expence, and the ill effects of the severity of the punishment in such cases; debasing the mind, and proving the destruction of many families, in their morals; and injuring the State.--The necessity of an Alteration of the System, farther enforced by the propriety of relieving the supreme Judges from a weight of labour unreasonable in the vast increase of business, which the extensive and growing intercourse of Commerce occasions.--The same Observations extended to the great Officers of State; and the necessity and utility of a division of labour, in proportion to the increase of public duty, explained; as a means of preventing inconveniences.--A view of the Munic.i.p.al Regulations which have been established in the Metropolis for the accommodation and convenience of the inhabitants; grounded on various acts of the Legislature, pa.s.sed at different periods, during the last and the present century.--Each district of the Metropolis a separate Munic.i.p.ality; where the power of a.s.sessing the inhabitants for the purposes of paving, watching, lighting, cleansing, and removing nuisances, is placed in the hands of Trustees, under a great number of local acts of Parliament.--These regulations mostly founded on Laws made in the last and in the present Reign.--The princ.i.p.al public acts detailed, viz:--The General Act of the 2d William and Mary, cap. 8, for paving the Metropolis;--the 10th Geo. II. cap. 22, for watching the City of London; 11th Geo. III. cap. 29, for removing signs, and establis.h.i.+ng a complete System of Munic.i.p.al Police.--The Acts relative to Westminster and Southwark for similar purposes.--The Statutes relative to Common Sewers detailed; their origin, and the great advantages resulting from them.--The Laws relative to Hackney Coaches and Chairs--also to Carts and other Carriages.--The Acts relative to Watermen on the Thames.--The Law for restraining bullock-hunting. And finally, the Regulations by the 14th Geo. III. cap. 78, relative to the Mode of building Houses, and the Rules laid down for extinguis.h.i.+ng Fires. Concluding Observations, on the advantages which would result to the Metropolis at large from these numerous Acts of Parliament being rendered uniform, and conformable to the excellent Regulations established for the City of London.--The advantages of simplifying the System.--The burden upon the Inhabitants equal to one million a year for the expence of Munic.i.p.al Police.--Suggestions for improving the System and reducing this expence.--Concluding Reflections.--The present epoch, more than any other, presses for arrangements calculated to amend the Morals of the People, by improving the Laws of the Country._

It cannot fail to prove an interesting inquiry, not only to the inhabitants of the Metropolis, but also to Strangers, by what means that department of its oeconomy and government, which may be denominated _Munic.i.p.al Police_, is regulated; so as to convey the comforts, and procure the various accommodations and conveniences which, with some few exceptions, are felt to exist in every part of the Capital and its environs.

When it is known that this great City, (unparalleled, as will be hereafter shewn, in extent and opulence, through the whole habitable Globe,) comprehends, besides _London_, _Westminster_, and _Southwark_, no less than forty-five Villages, now exceedingly inlarged, independent of a vast accession of buildings upon the open fields in the vicinity; it becomes less a matter of surprize, to learn, that it extends to nearly eight miles in length,--is three miles at least in breadth, and not less than twenty-six in circ.u.mference; containing above eight thousand streets, lanes, alleys, and courts, and sixty-five different Squares; in which are more than one hundred and sixty thousand houses, warehouses, and other buildings; besides _Churches_ and _Chapels_ for religious wors.h.i.+p, of which the following enumeration is imagined not to be very distant from truth:--

For Religious Instruction.

Of the Established 1 Cathedral, dedicated to St. Paul.

Religion. 1 Abbey Church of St. Peter, Westminster.

120 Parish Churches.

120 Chapels, and Chapels of Ease.

--- 242

Meeting-houses for { Consisting of Chapels for Methodist Dissenters. { Nonconformists, Presbyterians, 150 { Independents, Anabaptists, { Quakers, and English Roman { Catholicks.

{ Consisting of Chapels for French, { German, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Chapels and { and Helvetic Protestants, Meeting-houses for 30 { for Foreign Roman Catholics, Foreigners. { and those of the Russian or { Greek Church.

Synagogues 6 for the Jewish Religion.

--- _Total about_ 428 _Places of Public Wors.h.i.+p._

The number of Inhabitants of this great Metropolis, occupying these various houses and buildings, may, under all circ.u.mstances, be rationally estimated at one million at least; for whose accommodation, convenience, and security, the following Inst.i.tutions have been formed, _namely_,--1st. _For Education_;--2d. _For promoting good Morals_;--3d. _For useful and fine Arts_;--4th. _For objects of Charity and Humanity_;--5th. _For distributing Justice_;--and 6th.

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