soever to give offence to the inhabitants by making use of uncivil language or behaving rudely. Police Office, Edinburgh, January 17, 1826. Every one belonging to the establishment will be furnished with a printed copy of these Regulations, which they are enjoined carefully to preserve and read over at least once every week. No III. General View of the Receipt and Expenditure of the Edinburgh Police Fire-engine Establishment.* THE very defective state of the means of extinguishing fires in Edinburgh had for some time attracted notice; but the public attention was more particularly called to it, in consequence of the fire which occurred in Niddry Street in February, 1824,-a subsequent fire in the New Buildings, North Bridge Street, in March following,-and the fire opposite the Royal Exchange in June that year; on all which occasions the want of efficient assistance was most conspicuous. This induced the Commissioners of Police to take up the business, who, in the month of August, 1824, appointed a Committee of their number to inquire and report. The Committee held various meetings with several of the Magistrates and the Managers of the Fire Insurance Companies, with the view of organizing an efficient system; and a subscription was made by these bodies for the purpose of defraying so far the annual expense, it being agreed that the defi "Immediately after the great and calamitous fires which occurred here in 1824, a subscription, amounting to L.11,702, 4s. 4d., was raised for behoof of the sufferers. When the committee appointed for the distribution of this fund, had paid such applicants as appeared to them to have claims, either for losses suffered, or services performed, a balance of L.4977, 11s. Id. Many plans were proposed for the disposal of this balance, and it occurred to the Commissioners of Police, that as the original purpose of the subscription had been accomplished, the balance might, with great propriety, be converted into a fund for the relief of such firemen as might be hurt in the execution of their duty, and in the event of their death, as a means of provision for their families. remained in their hands. For this purpose an application was made to the General Meeting of Subscribers to the Fund, which was held for the purpose of disposing of the balance, and the Appendix marked No 3 was printed, and circulated as widely as possible, in order to show to the public the necessity of some such permanent fund. The Commissioners of Police were successful in their application, and the money is now appropriated to this purpose. ciency should be paid out of the police funds. But before it was possible to procure and train a body of firemen, or to form other arrangements, the alarming fire in November, 1824, took place. On that occasion almost all the engines that were of the smallest use were completely worked out. This induced new meetings with the Magistrates and the Managers of the Fire Insurance Companies; and the Police Committee feel much satisfaction in testifying, that the utmost liberality was displayed on that trying occasion. The Magistrates agreed to pay L.200 out of the funds of the community, for the purpose of assisting in procuring a new set of engines, with a full complement of all other necessary apparatus; and the following Scotch Fire Insurance Companies contributed each the like sum of L.200, viz.The Friendly, Caledonian, Hercules, North British, Insurance Company of Scotland, making in all L.1400, for the above purpose, while the Commissioners agreed to make up the deficit. In consequence of this arrangement, the Police Committee continued their exertions; and, in the first place, procured and trained, by regular exercise, a body of 80 firemen, under the command of a superintendent and other officers. They have also either already provided the establishment with the following articles, or have ordered them, as necessary for rendering it complete, viz. Three large new engines, (London-made,) Sundries for ditto in Edinburgh, 4 Smaller engines, 6 Portable ditto, L.530 17 4 16 3 5 Carriage for spare pipe, 19 0 0 210 0 0 22 10 0 2 Large water-carts, with butts, 42 0 0 8 Smaller ditto, 96 0 0 12 0 0 Clothing and helmets for 80 firemen, 181 19 1 39 17 5 Hatchets, &c. 18 8 10 Triangles, 35 0 0 33 0 0 900 Additional fire-buckets, Suction-tubs and carriages, Suction-pipe, 500 feet additional pipe, amounting to about A variety of small furnishings, consisting of ropes, ladders, and such like, furnished and to be furnished, about 45 52 80 177 Brought forward, Repairs and alterations on engine-house, High Street, about Price of engine-house, Ports burgh, L.1460 16 1 420 0 0 470 0 0 L.1930 16 1 Note. The Commissioners rent an engine- But the grand article of expense consists of And it is proposed to erect other 80, which are calculated (after deducting the Water-Company's allowance), to cost 365 11 0 661 17 0 Thus, upon the necessary stock of articles for the establishment, and the erecting of additional fire-cocks, the Commissioners of Police must expend a very large sum, in addition to the contributions by the city and the Scotch companies. Upon the article, again, of annual support of the establishment, the cost is very great. The annual contributions by the city of Edinburgh and the fire insurance offices, including several English agencies, amount to about L.335; but the pay of 80 firemen and their officers-the expense of turning out in cases of alarm, and on days of exercise-the constant repairs of the engines--and the tear and wear of all the apparatus, will be, from experience hitherto, more than double that money. There is thus a very heavy charge on the police funds on both branches of the establishment, while nothing is levied from the inhabitants on account of it. But, besides all this, there is a very important fund altogether awanting, namely, for relief to such firemen or others as may receive bodily injury in the service, and for providing for the families of such as may be killed. It is well known that such accidents often happen, and, on all occasions, there is great danger in the business of a fireman; so that, if they are not to be relieved when injured, and their families provided for in the event of their death, it is manifest that they will not encounter the risks which they otherwise would do. Unless a direct tax were to be laid on the inhabitants, in order to provide for such casualties, the committee know of no source from which it can be procured, except the surplus of the late subscriptions, because it would be unreasonable to expect any thing more from the town of Edinburgh, or the fire-insurance companies. It therefore becomes a matter of deep and serious consideration for the subscribers, and for the inhabitants at large, whether the present opportunity of providing such fund should be suffered to escape. (Signed) POLICE OFFICE, EDINBURGH, 22d December, 1825. DAV. MURRAY, Convener. No IV. Report of the Fire-engine Committee to the General Board of Commissioners of Police. Edinburgh, 29th November, 1826. FROM the previous Reports of the Committee, the Board are so far acquainted with the circumstances which render it desirable that an establishment for the protection of the public against fire should be set on foot, under the control and superintendence of some part of the constituted authorities, that it seems unnecessary to enter upon these in any great detail. Suffice it to say, that the fires which occurred in Niddry Street, in the New Buildings on the North Bridge, and in the High Street, opposite to the Royal Exchange, first drew the attention of the Commissioners of Police to the subject, in consequence of the very conspicuous want of efficient assistance on these occasions, and the manifest defect in the application of the very inefficient force which could then be procured; arising from the defective co-operation on the part of those who had fire-engines, and the want of regularly-trained firemen, which render it indispensable to accept of the aid of any one willing to afford it, whose assistance, consequently, could neither be depended upon, nor enforced, longer, or in any other shape, than the party might be disposed to give it. These circumstances led the Commissioners of Police to take up the subject; and they appointed a committee of their number, who held various meetings with the Magistrates for the time, and the Managers of the Insurance Companies against Fire, for the purpose of endeavouring to organize an efficient system. The result of their deliberations was an unanimous opinion that a fixed plan should be established in future, under the superintending charge of the Police Commissioners, if the Board should be found willing to undertake it. But various details required to be gone into before this proposed arrangement could be completed, particularly as several of the Commissioners expressed doubts of the propriety of the Board taking so very important a matter under their charge, when the statute under which they act neither enjoined it upon them, nor made any special provision for defraying the expense that might thereby be incurred. Several of the Commissioners were, however, of opinion, that although the protection of the public against fire was not specially provided. for by the Police Act, yet that it naturally fell under the ordinary powers of watching; and the Board ultimately came to the resolution, that unless adequate apparatus were pro vided, and proper regulations established, it would be inexpedient for them to undertake the superintendence of the establishment. Pending these discussions, the very destructive fires of November 1824,-when the total want of efficient fire-engines, and of unity of management or co-operation on the part of those to whom the existing ones belonged, became still more conspicuous, and the alarming extent to which these fires went, notwithstanding the unwearied exertions of all classes of the inhabitants, forcibly recalled the attention of the Police Commissioners to the subject; more particularly, as the whole of the engines were then rendered nearly unserviceable, and the town was, in some degree, left destitute of that indispensable means of protection, in the event of the recurrence of a similar calamity. The Committee, therefore, again held various meetings with the Magistrates and Managers of Insurance Companies, with the view of ascertaining, as accurately as possible, the probable expense of organizing a Fire-engine Establishment upon the principles laid down in the minute before referred to. That Committee had not, at that time, any correct data to enable them to ascertain, with accuracy, either the expense which would be requisite for the original formation and outfit of such an establishment, or the annual expense which it would necessarily entail. But after consulting on these points with the Magistrates and the Managers of the Insurance Companies, some of whom had previously kept fire-engines, it appeared to the then Committee, that a sum of L.1400 sterling would be adequate to the formation of the establishment, and that an annual expenditure of L.500 would be sufficient to keep it up. The first of these sums, being the calculated expense of outfit, was very handsomely agreed to be defrayed * Minute of 22d November, 1824. |