complishing the plan, as originally projected, and which will amount to the large sum of £15,000, and that without the prospect of deriving any advantage or return whatever, by feaing in its neighbourhood,--all tend to prove, that the selection of such a spot was both inconsiderate and extremely injudicious. Some schemes for its amelioration have indeed been conceived; but why adhere at all to such a place, when other and better sites are to be had? In regard to placing the prison opposite to Prince's Street, great difficalty will doubtless be experienced from the different opinions of proprietors in this street, added to the effect of the very solemn and decisive judgment of the late Lord Mansfield, when an effort was formerly made to build on its south side. But, even granting the sovereign power of an Act of Par liament to remove these objections, there are others to be encountered, which are quite sufficient to induce an abandonment also of this place. The Cowgate is somewhere about 200 feet above the level of the sea, and the salubrity even of its situation is confessed by medical persons, and has been proved by experience, to be greater than the northern side of the High Street, and (of course) than Bearford's Park; whilst the expence of draining the North Loch, the only means of rendering it at all tolerable, will not (on account of deep cutting) be less than £.10,000 or £.12,000." Your Correspondents have pointed out the desideratum, by naming the CALTON HILL. This position embraces every advantage that can be wished for, and the facility of its accomplishment will surprise those who have not before considered the subject. Neither will any expense for a site for the Jail be here incurred by the inhabitants, as the ground is public property; and, in regard to fine air, it were as much a waste of time to write one word on this head, as to prove that the fortunes of Buonaparté have somewhat changed within the last six months. The acclivity from Prince's Street to the Calton Hill is not greater (if it be so much) as on the North Bridge from north to south! Or perhaps it may be more properly compared to the inclination of York Place-Bridewell being only from 8 to 12 feet above the undulating line of Prince's Street*. The property from Shakespeare Square to the Hill will feu readily, and, with the exception of the arch over the Low Calton, will form an excellent street, running in the line of that house occupied at present by Mr Dickson, builder, Calton, and join the Calton Hill Street nearly at the gate of the burying-ground. The probable distance from Shakespeare Square to Calton Street may be estimated at about 200 yards-thus affording 1200 feet of excellent ground for building, and which, if taken at the average of 20s. per foot, will, at 20 years purchase, yield a sum equal to £.24,000! And it may here be remarked en passant, that although the Trustees for the South Bridge experienced great obstructions and much difficulty in their schemes, the object was attained; and, after defraying all charges connected with this trust, left a balance in their hands of £.2000 †. By opening up this road, an access will be procured to the Calton Hill, which will render the ground there intended to be feued extremely desirable, and, at same time, eminently tend to improve the incomes of Herriot's Hospital and the Trinity Hos pital, feet above that of the Register Office; and The base of Bridewell is precisely 10 the declivity from Bridewell to the termination of the proposed road at the Abbey-hill, is nearly one foot in twenty-five-and between three and four roods in length.-E. This sum is very much under-rated, for we know from unquestionable authority, that the surplus exceeded £19,000.-E. pital-those admirable charitable institutions, which possess a great extent of property in that neighbourhood, and which is at present comparatively but of little value. The expence of making the new London road, that joins Leith Walk, is estimated at £.10,000-the half of which sum would be saved to the Town, were the opening by the Calton Hill to be embraced; as that part of the former road opposite to private property, would then fall to be completed by the persons to which it belongs. This access also is shorter by a quarter of a mile than the new Leith Walk road, and matchless in point of picturesque beauty. The Patrons of the Astronomical Institution will also discover an easy and pleasant approach to their Observatory, and the citizens of the place be made familiar with a healthy and beautiful walk, at present almost de, serted, and which the voice of travellers has pronounced to be unequalled in Europe! The distance from the Exchange to the Calton Hill will then be little farther than from the same place to Hanover Street, and approached as easily; and a supply of water may be obtained to a certainty, as it is already conducted to Bridewell. Indeed, the manifold superiorities of the ground now alluded to for the purpose required, needs only to be considered, in order to its being adopted; and I hope that these hints may meet the eyes of the Trustees for building a New Jail, and have their calm and attentive consideration-for only "Sloth and folly, shiver and shrink "At sight of toil and hazard, "And make th' impossibility they fear." The Trustees for the New Jail, and the Town Council, with a most laudable desire to ascertain correctly the practicability of the measures we have just alluded to, have requested Mr Stevenson, (the celebrated engineer of the Bell-rock light-house,) forthwith to complete a survey of the ground, with his remarks thereon, and which we feel much anxiety to peruse. Lasting advantages, with the prospect of great and not distant events, are what this undertaking holds out-it will be to the citizens in general, and to the Hospitals in particular, " as a shower "to a field where all the vegetative powers have been kept inactive by a long continuance of drought." Meantime, being desirous of making our readers familiar with our views on the subject, (which we may observe are merely acquired from general information,) we have presented them with a plan of the whole, without pretending to actual survey-being taken from different plans already published. And whilst we testify our pleasure on learning that the proprietors and tenants of the property of greatest value, so far from obstructing, afford every facility in their power to the measures in question, we may, in concluding, remark, that were the plans (we think) marked 30. 31. for building on Leith-Walk adopted, upwards of £.2000 per annum would, in course of a few years, accrue either to the Hospitals or Town for feus of ground on the Terraces, which otherwise (as observed by CIVIS,) "would be comparatively but of little value." In a word, from the enthusiasm, prospicience, and judgment manifested by all parties, in conducting this great plan, a well-grounded hope may be reasonably indulged of the object being crowned with success ;-without such a regard of prudential measures, 66 knowledge becomes useless, "and genius contemptible." We now intended to offer some hints, in regard to the most appropriate situation on the Calton-Hill, for the Jail; but as this paper has already encroached too far on your limits, we shall likely, with permission, resume this part of the subject in your next publication. ΤΙΜΟΝ. Edinburgh, 26th Jan. 1814. First Report of the SOCIETY for the IT was with great pleasure that in The general regulation of the business of the Society was, that the person wishing relief should apply at the office, where the particular circumstances which made relief necessary were to be stated by the applicant; and these having been investigated by the most minute personal inquiries, relief was to be awarded or withheld, according to the ascertained merits of each case. With a view to this, twelve recorders were appointed for receiving and writing down the particulars of each application for relief, according to the answers received to a set of printed queries on the following points :1. Age. 2. Married or not. 3. How many children to support, their sex and ages. 4. Place of residence. The basis of the whole plan was to 5. How long in Edinburgh. 6. What be investigation and personal inquiry, circumstances of distress. 7. Employso as to distinguish the idle and the ment. 8. Usual earnings. 9. Legal profligate, who made a trade of beg-parish. 10. What aid from parish, ging, from those whose necessities had club, or individuals. 11. References forced them to a mode of life they rec- as to character. koned discreditable, and which they would willingly abandon, if employment could be provided for them. For the sake of facilitating the task of making such inquiries, and the labour of superintending the poor, as the only means of preventing fraud and imposture, it was necessary to divide the city into separate wards or districts. In making this division, it was thought most convenient to assume the 26 wards particularly described in the Police Act, as being previously known, and, therefore, forming a division most expedient for the purposes of the Society. Over every two wards two of the Directors were appointed to preside, for the purpose of collecting subscriptions, and finding proper persons as visitors in each ward; of transmitting to each visitor the cases he was to inquire into; and of forming, by their agency, a medium of communication with the Society as to every circumstance respectig their wards. Jan. 1814. In order to facilitate the labours of the Directors in carrying through the business of the Society, they were divided into four Committees. 1. To the first were assigned the duty of the examination of all the cases in the first place, and the disposal of them according to the ability to work, and title to relief, which the applicant might be ascertained to pos sess. 2. To the second was committed the superintendance of those who can in part support themselves, and the charge of finding employment for them. 3. The third were to superintend the education and instruction of the children. 4. The fourth were to provide food for the poor, and attend to its distribution. Having made all the requisite arrangements, a proclamation was issued by the Magistrates and Sheriff, on Saturday the 20th day of Febru ary ary, giving notice to all beggars, that none would be allowed to infest the streets after the 1st of March; and warning all who had no legal claims upon this place, to repair instantly to their respective parishes. At the same time, a notice was issued by the society, inviting all beggars to attend at the office of the Society, in the Parliament Square, to have their situation inquired into, and their claim to relief investigated; and it was notified, that attendance would be given on Tuesday the 23d of that month, and subsequent days, for that purpose. Accordingly, on that day the recorders began their duty; and such was the overwhelming crowd which attended, that at first it was found necessary to employ no less than six recorders to take down the particulars of the cases that presented themselves. The first applicants were directed to attend again on Saturday the 27th; and on the intermediate days the cases were forwarded through the Directors to the visitors, by whom the merits of each case were inquired into. preparation, the Directors began to allot the relief which the merits of each case required. Those who were incapable of working, and had claims upon the various Charity Work-houses of the city and suburbs, obtained a temporary supply till they could be received there. Those who belonged to other parishes received a smail sum to enable them to leave this place, and were warned not to loiter or be seen begging on the streets. Those whose usual occupation was working in the fields, or common labour, obtained also a temporary supply till they could find employment; receiving at the same time notice that there was no intention of maintaining them in idleness; and an earnest exhortation to endeavour to procure employment, as the supply would be continued only while the state of the weather made that impossible. Those who professed themselves able to work were referred to the second, or work Committee. Although there is no doubt that, upon the first notice of this plan, a great number of the idle and sturdy vagrants migrated to other parts of the country, yet to those who recollect how the doors of the office of the Society were besieged for the first fortnight with beggars pressing forward for relief, and the clamorous crowds which, during that period, solicited their attention, the Directors need not dwell upon the difficulty or labour of the task they had undertaken. But they had pledged themselves to make the experiment; and the difficulties they met with only animated them to more zealous exertion. So great were the numbers who applied, that although it was found necessary to open one of the churches adjoining to the office where the recorders were indefatigable, while the Directors sat in the office to decide upon the cases which had been returned by the visiors, yet, during the first days, many By the 27th, the first Committee had examined the cases which had been returned to them, and marked on the back of the schedule the mode in which each was to be disposed of. The second Committee had provided flax to be given out to be spun, and worsted for knitting stockings, to such as were able to work, and alleged that they could find no employment. The fourth Committee had, by the erection of an additional boiler, engrafted on a soup kitchen establishment, which, throughout the winter, had been of the utmost importance to the industrious poor of Portsburgh, provided the means of supply ing the poor of the Society with soup; and an agreement was entered into with a baker for preparing a coarse kind of bread to be distributed with the soup. Every thing being in this state of were sent away whose cases could not be be then recorded; and still more could not be immediately decided on by the Directors after they had been recorded and visited. These difficulties were at last surmounted; and on the 10th of March, the police received notice that they might apprehend any persons found begging in the streets, as all who now applied at the office had an opportunity of having their cases enquired into without delay. In order to ascertain the truth or falsehood of the pretences of those who alleged that they were unable to work on account of bad health, and to assist the poor who might be labouring under any disease requiring medical assistance, the Society had early invited, and received the countenance of a most respectable medical Board. The rules which were drawn up for meeting the wishes of the Society in this department of their duty, will be found in the Appendix No. 3. and the names of those medical gentlemen who have undertaken this duty, furnish a sufficient pledge to the public that it has been faithfully, skilfully, and humanely performed. The poor have reaped the greatest benefit from this branch of the institution, and have repeatedly expressed themselves in the warmest terms of gratitude for the generous attention which is paid to them when labouring under the accumulated distresses of poverty and disease. The medical establishment was rendered complete by the generosity of the managers of the Dispensary, who undertook to supply with medicines such persons as were recommended by the Society. And the Managers of the Infirmary in like manner opened the doors of their admirably well-regulated hospital, on the most liberal terms, for the admission of patients belonging to the Society. There has been frequent occasion to estimate the value and importance of the benefit thus conferred upon the poor. But it was not to public bodies alone that the approbation of their labours was confined. The society obtained instances of individual support which were highly acceptable, both from the real value of the favour, and as a proof of the general sentiment which prevailed that their efforts were deserving of public and private support. Mr Corri very handsomely offered to give the produce of a promenade on Saturday the 6th of February, which afforded an opportunity of making the plan more extensively known, besides making a considerable addition to the funds. Mr Alexander Smellie undertook to execute, at prime cost, whatever the Society might have occasion to print. The publishers of the various newspapers, with one exception, have uniformly inserted all advertisements from the Society upon payment of the government duty alone. These instances of public and individual confidence the Society takes this opportunity of recording; and, at the same time, of offering their warmest acknowledgements for the liberality thus manifested. 1 The Repository belonging to the Society, in Hunter's Square, was opened upon the 22d of March, for the purpose of giving out and receiving back the work of the poor. Here the Society had the assistance of a Committee of Ladies, whose active benevolence led them to dedicate a large portion of their time to forwarding the views of the infant establishment; from whose unremitting exertions much benefit has been derived to the institution. Two measures were now adopted, which converted what was formerly useless to a most beneficial purpose. A cart and horse were provided, and, after due notice, sent through the different streets of the town, to collect the fragments of cold meat which used to attract the vagrant to beg from door to door. Such has been the success of this scheme, that there |