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and the Vestry voted a gratuity of £5 to the officers employed in each
Division. The cost of these prosecutions was £63.
Since the close of the year to which this report relates, I felt it
again necessary, in compliance with the request of many respectable
inhabitants, to exercise the discretion with which the Yestry entrusted
me, and caused the arrest of six other notorious offenders. Two from
the East road, who had kept several houses, and who were defended by
counsel, were found guilty and sentenced to twelve months' hard labor
each and a fine of fifty pounds. Three taken from the Yinegar Ground
pleaded guilty, and were sentenced each to four months' hard labor; and
one from Nancy Street, a woman, pleaded guilty, and was ordered to
find bail to come up for judgment when called upon. The result of these
prosecutions has been, to suppress some of the vilest homes of vice in the
metropolis. Many others have also taken the alarm and disappeared.
I have, however, received complaints from respectable inhabitants of the
existence of others, the keepers of which seem inclined to risk the consequences,
and upon whom, probably, in due time, the hand of the law
will fall heavily. As the preliminaries to these movements cannot be
discussed in the Vestry without defeating their object, I have to express
my sense of the confidence which the Vestry has manifested in me, by
leaving in my hands the discretion of putting into execution a law of
such summary and serious character.
CONTRACTS.
Appended hereto, will be found a list of the contracts entered into
by the Vestry for the year. Except the watering and the scavenging,
they were taken from Lady-day to Lady-day. The contractor for
scavenging and dusting performed his duties so unsatisfactorily, that the
Vestry, in the middle of the Lady-day quarter of his year, was compelled
to employ other persons to do the work, and at Lady-day to terminate
the contract entirely, the contractor having in the mean time become
bankrupt. New contracts were then taken by Mr. Crane, for the West
Division for £2655, and Messrs. Stroud, for the East Division for £3000.
The Vestry paid for the work occasioned by the default of the contractor
£909 5s. 3d., or £34 5s. 3d. more than the amount payable to