I clearly see what lies before you--it’s the union, and nothing less. And you don’t know what _that_--under the benevolence of Sir James Graham--is to be yet. He has just brought in a bill for another experiment upon the poor. Indeed Graham, in his bills for the treatment of the poor, may be likened to one Dr Majendie, a French surgeon, in his treatment of rabbits. He would take a live rabbit and cut its nerves here and there to make some great discovery--to learn what point of agony the rabbit could bear--and still keep a sort of life within it, eat and drink. Graham is the Poor-Law Majendie! He’s brought in something like a Settlement Bill; a bill which is to take the poor--to cut their nerves and heart-strings from their parishes--and settle them, when they need, what he in his droll manner calls relief, into unions, melting three-and-twenty parishes into one union! Old feelings--old affections for old places are to be nothing--ties of kindred nothing, nothing. Sir James will sever all these, and will then triumphantly show the world how well the human rabbit can exist with them cut through and through. When in the fulness of years and reputation it may please Providence to remove Sir James from this vale of tears--and certainly it’s no fault of _his_ measures if the vale is very dry--there ought to be a monument raised to his memory, made of paupers’ bones. However, history will be sure to do this for him. As the poor are to cease to have what is called any associations of place--why should they have any associations of particular names? Why should they not be lettered and numbered like the police? Such a plan would go far to take the conceit out of them, by reminding them most forcibly of the difference between themselves and the luckier people who bear Christian and surnames. More, that there should be no mistake, no shuffling in the matter, the pauper babe, instead of being christened, might be indelibly tattooed both with letter and number. If at any time of its future life it should by some strange accident realise sufficient money to make it respectable, it might then be allowed to be baptized; in the same way that now a man, on coming to immense wealth, is allowed by the _Gazette_ to slough the vulgarity of Wiggins into the aristocracy of Mosmancourt of Godolphin. I hope Sir James will think of this.