First published in 1817, this influential work by John Davison examines the British poor laws, which regulated the relief of poverty and helped shape social policy in the early nineteenth century. Davison's arguments for a more compassionate and just approach to poverty relief were ahead of their time and continue to resonate today. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.