peculiarly devolves upon him, and he holds a Board weekly at the House, to take into consideration all matters connected with its interests. He receives the Governor's reports; takes the cases of such inmates into consideration as are supposed to be in a fit state to be discharged from the House; investigates all the admissions of the week; examines the accounts, signs them, and makes the orders for payment; writes the orders, in a book kept for the purpose, for such articles and necessaries as may be wanted; and is consulted upon all matters that have reference to Poorhouse affairs. The Poorhouse is also visited weekly by four of the assessors, who are Overseers of the Poor for that duty, and they are taken in rotation from a list that consists of between sixty and seventy. They are conducted through the House, and inspect its state generally, the condition of the beds, the quality of the food, the state of the rooms, and they make inquiries of the inmates on any point that may suggest itself as they proceed. They afterwards write their observations in a report-book, which is kept for the purpose, and make such remarks as they may think likely to be useful in the management of the House.

The direction of the poor's fund in Manchester has always occupied much of the attention of the leypayers, and the appointment of the parochial officers has always been from the first class of tradesmen, manufacturers and merchants. There is no doubt that this is one reason why the business of the poor has been better managed in Manchester than in most other places; the parties chosen having usually been men who have been successful in commercial pursuits, and have therefore brought a stock of business knowledge to be made available for a subject in which it is peculiarly required. The Churchwardens and Sidesmen are appointed for the parish, but the former are Overseers of the Poor for the township of Manchester

also by the local Act, and the latter are usually the Overseers appointed by the Magistrates, so that they at the same time constitute the Board for both parish and township affairs. Besides acting as a body in the consideration of the general affairs of the parish and township, they subdivide the labour of the offices in a more particular manner; the Senior Churchwarden attending to matters relating to the Church, and the rates and taxes department; the second Churchwarden taking supervision of the expenditure on account of the poor; and the third Churchwarden controlling the management of the Poorhouse. The Senior Sidesman and Overseer superintends the Removal Office; the second, the Bastardy; and the other eight form Boards of two each for the four districts into which the town is divided, for the relief of the poor. The paid officers are:-the Comptroller of Rates and Taxes; the Cashier and Directing Overseer; the Overseers of the Removal and Bastardy Offices; and four as Visitors of the Poor; besides clerks.

the

The following is a table of the money relief granted to poor for the year ended the 25th. of March, 1836: