A Treatise on the Police of the Metropolis Part 48

1 Eastern Dispensary, Whitechapel

2 Western Dispensary, Charles-street, Westminster

3 Middles.e.x Dispensary, Great Ailiff-street

4 London Dispensary, Primrose-street, Bishopsgate-street

5 City Dispensary, Bevis Marks

6 New Finsbury Dispensary, St. John-street, Clerkenwell

7 Finsbury Dispensary, St. John's Square, Clerkenwell

8 General Dispensary, Aldersgate-street

9 Public Dispensary, Cary-street, Lincoln's Inn Fields

10 Infant Poor Dispensary, Soho-square

11 St. James's Dispensary, Berwick-street, Soho

12 Westminster Dispensary, Gerard-street, Soho

13 Mary-le-bone Dispensary, Well-street, Oxford-street

14 Ossulston Dispensary, Bow-street, Bloomsbury

15 Surry Dispensary, Union-street, Borough

16 Royal Universal Dispensary, Featherstone Buildings, Holborn

Inst.i.tutions for Charitable and Humane Purposes.

Humane Society, for the recovery of drowned and suffocated Persons, Spital-square and London Coffee-house 1773

Society for the Relief of Clergymen's Widows, Paper Buildings, Temple

Society for the Relief of Widows and Orphans of Medical Men, founded by Dr. Squires and Mr. Chamberlaine 1788

Laudable Society, for the benefit of Widows, Crane-Court, Fleet-street

Society for the support of Widows, Surry-street, Strand

Society for the support of poor Artists, and their Widows, Strand

Three Societies for the support of decayed Musicians, their Widows and Children

Society for the Relief of decayed Actors

ABC-darian Society, for the Relief of decayed School-masters

Society for the Relief of Authors in distress

Society for the Relief of Officers, their Widows, Children, Mothers, and Sisters

Society for Annuities to Widows, Old Fish-street, St. Paul's, No. 25

Society for the Relief of sick and maimed Seamen in the Merchant's Service 1747

Society for the Relief of poor Widows and Children of Clergymen, inst.i.tuted by Charter 1768

Rayne's Hospital for 40 girls, who receive 100_l._ portion on their marriage 1736

Society called the Feast of the Sons of the Clergy, for apprenticing their indigent Children, No. 5, Gray's Inn Square

Freemason's Charity

Society for the relief of Persons confined for Small Debts, Craven-street, Strand

Society for bettering the condition, and increasing the comforts of the Poor

Society for improving the condition of Chimney-Sweepers

Five Soup Societies

Workhouses

Private Asylums for Lunatics

91 Public Companies in the City of London, who give in charity above .75,000 a year

Stock's Blind Charity, distributed by the Painters-Stainers'

Company 1786

Hetherington's Blind Charity, payable at Christ's Hospital 1787

Asylum for Deaf and Dumb Poor, Grange Road, Bermondsey 1792

Charitable Society for Industrious Poor, School House, Hatton Garden

Society for Charitable Purposes, Wardour-street, Soho 1773

1600 Friendly Societies in the Metropolis and its vicinity, of which about 800 have enrolled themselves under the Act of Parliament, 33 Geo. III. cap.

54. They are composed of mechanics and labouring people, who distribute to sick members, and for funerals, sums raised by monthly payments, amounting on an average to 1_s._ 8_d._ a month, or 20_s._ a year, and consisting of about 80,000 members, who thus raise annually 80,000_l._

Reflecting on the foregoing list of various laudable Inst.i.tutions, which it cannot be expected should be altogether perfect, but which may be said to be unparalleled in point of extent, as well as munificence, and conferring the highest honour on the National Character for Charity and Humanity; the mind is lost in astonishment, that greater and more extensive benefits have not arisen to the inhabitants of the Metropolis; not only in improving their morals, but in preventing the lowest orders of the People from suffering that extreme misery and wretchedness, which has already been stated to exist in so great a degree in London.

When it is also recollected, that large sums are annually expended by Societies inst.i.tuted for promoting religion, virtue, and good morals, it must be evident, as human misery does not appear to be alleviated, and the morals of the People grow worse--that there must be some cause to produce effects so opposite to what might have been expected from such unparalleled philanthropy; the cause, indeed, may easily be traced to that evident deficiency in the general System of Police, which has so often been mentioned in the course of this Work.[182]