| Description | ‘Mr Boulton begs leave to assure Mrs Florry that previously to the Receipt of her Note of the …. he was a total Stranger to the wretched case she has therein stated, otherwise he should have endeavoured to mitigate the Miseries of it. Miss Boulton says that the Widow Potter & the deceased Widow Jones lived at Soho as domestic Servants till they were married, that they behaved extremely well in their Stations, & preserved in every Respect good Characters, which Mrs Potter will derive some advantage from, as Mrs Jones would have done also, had her Case been known to Mr Boulton.
…. to Jones’s 4 Orphans Mr Boulton is at a Loss what to advise respecting them, as his own Existence will probably be very short. He is informed that an Uncle proposes to take the eldest, provided he is cloathed, & for that Purpose Miss Boulton has taken effectual Measures. If Miss Florry has found any Plan that will afford substantial Relief to the remaining Children, he begs to be informed thereof, & he will cheerfully contribute thereto.
Mrs Florry will consider, that Mr Boulton & his Partners employ about one thousand Persons & consequently how impracticable it must be for him to permanently relieve all the distress Cases of them & their Branches, particularly in the precarious State of his own Health. Dr Carmichael has lately given Mr Boulton an Acct of an Assylum in Summer Lane (near Walmer Lane) for poor Orphan Children, where they are taught to read & are initiated to Habits of Industry by various suitable Employments, such as heading Pins, making straw Bonnets, Knitting Hose &c &c. and every proper Regard seems to be paid to their Health their Morals & their Happiness, so much that it appears by their blooming Health and Cheerfulness that they are abundantly better taken care of than the Children in question cou’d be by an infirm Grandmother or superannuated Uncle.
If therefore Mrs Florry concurs with Mr Boulton that the above Situation would be eligible for the unprovided-for Orphans he will make further Enquiry into the Nature & Management of the nursery Institution of Birmingham.’ |