The Press. — London, England, 1856-08-23 00:00:00

802 trial, not an intellectual one—cleanliness, tem perance, honesty, and hard work being what it was desired the inmates should be taught to practise. Having dwelt ou the necessity of adopting what had been called the " family system "—that is, of keeping the inmates of each house so few in number as to be all under the direct and personal supervision of the teacher—the noble lord next urged the propriety of encouraging competition by giving rewards to the most industrious of the children, and, after glancing cursorily at the question of the exclusion or non exclusion of the penal element from the reformatory process, on which he pronounced no decided opinion, he called attention to the relation in which reforma tory schools stood to the Executive, and, while ad mitting that it was a fair question to consider whether the present rate of Government allowance might not be advantageously raised, be expressed himself as totally averse to a proposal that Government should undertake the entire cost of the schools, leaving nothing for private subscribers to do. He affirmed that the cause was a national one, and that the moral health, the social stability, and the internal well being of the empire would be immensely promoted by the undertaking and completion of this task. The noble lord then concluded his address : Do not let us fancy that criminals form a set of men apart, who exercise no influence on the rest. Whence are their ranks recruited, except from among the innucent ? And do not let ns imagine that though their existence may lower the tone and feeling among the poor, we, the wealthier portion of society, remain unaffected. It is not—it cannot be so. To hear of crime,—to read of it—to see it around us—if it hurt us in no other way, yet lessens the respect, the sympathy, the fellow•feeling as Englishmen, which we might otherwise entertain towards the working part of the population. I cannot treat this subject here, it would require a volume rather than a few sentences at the end of a long discourse ; but I assert this as a truth, confident that, if needs were, I could prove it by argument,—that the purity of the moral atmosphere in which we live exercises over us an influence as real as the purity of the physical atmo sphere—that this influence is felt irrespective of class, of habits, or of occupation ; that the parallel between the in. faction of disease and the infection of crime holds strictly ; and that if we suffer pollution to remain uncleansed in the hovel it will take its revenge on the palace. The following evening a conversazione took place in the Victoria-rooms, when a paper on "The Bristol Reformatory Institution," by Miss Carpenter, was read by Mr. Bengough. The paper was one of detail, but concluded by urging the necessity of the com pulsory attendance of children to industrial schools being sanctioned by law. The Dean of Bristol, Dr. Elliot, also read a paper, communicated by Lord Brougham, " On the Inefficiency of Simple Penal Legislation," in which the noble and learned lord pointed out that in reasoning upon the tendency of punishment, a serious error had been committed in regarding crimes as insulated, considering each offence as originating in an occasional gust of pas sion or view of interest; whereas the great majority of offences in every civilised community were the result of immoral character, of gross ignorance, and of bad habits, and the graver sort were committed after a series of faults less aggravated in their character. The guilty disposed person, Lord Brougham maintained, was to be not merely deterred from doing one wrong act by the fear of punishment, bat was to be reclaimed from a course of thinking, feeling, and acting into which he had fallen. They might, upon the whole, regard the criminals who infested society as being a class who had turned crime into a trade or calling : and, considering how many offences a thief must commit to earn his daily bread, it was evident that absolute impunity was the rule and detection only the rare, and as it were accidental, exception. The noble lord observed : Undoubtedly, the most important portion of a reforma tory system was the general establishment of infant train ing. And how long (continued the noble lord) are we to wait before the most scandalous disgrace resting on our character as a people shall be removed ?—how long before the bitterness of sectarian controversy shall so far be allayed by the Christian feeling of mutual forbearance. and the heats of a'polemical conflict be so far tempered by brotherly love, as to allow us to feel that " the greatest of all these things is charity," and that the triumphs of sect over sect are as absolutely nothing compared with the mighty and the holy conquests of sound knowledge over ignorance ? How long must it be before we see the adversaries in such miserable contests prefer that victory which is far greater than his who conquers a great city— the victory over their own temper—leading to the sapping or the storming of the strong but not impregnable fort resses of ignorance, immorality, and irreligion? It is our highest duty to rescue the people from ignorance and vice by giving them the inestimable blessing of a sound moral and religions education, to prevent the growth of crime, while we provide for reclaiming from their vicious courses those who have been led astray—a cure only to be effected by making the punishment of criminals the instrument of their reformation. Tbat duty we have not discharged. But if we have planted no schools where habits of virtue may be induced, stretched forth no hand to extirpate the germs of vice, we have kept open other schools where vice is taught with never-failing success, and both hands ince .santly to stifle the seeds of virtue ere yet they had time to sprout, and laid down many a hotbed where the growth of crime in all its rank luxuriousness THE PRESS. is assiduously forced. The infant school languishes which a paternal Government would have cherished; but New gate flourishes—Newgate with her thousand cells to cor• rupt their youthful inmates, seducing the guiltless, con firming the depraved. A paper on " Secondary Punishments " was also read by Sir Stafford Northcote, and a general meet ing held last night, at which Lord Stanley gave an able resume of the proceedings of the society. THE ASTROLOGER Hkamsou has addressed a long letter to the editors of the Leeds Mercury in vindi cation of his conduct with reference to Dove. He says : A more scandalous, unsatisfactory, and impudent state. ment never appeared in print than that which came out in your Tuesday's impression. It appears to me, and to hundreds more in this town, that Dove's villanous habit of lying followed him even to his prison, and to the scaffold. I tell you, gentlemen, and can give you ample proof of the truth of my assertion, that not one•tenth part of Dove's statement in his prison is true. I have uniformly wished him to behave well to his wife, and to go home and use kind, conciliating language to her, and " she would then meet him with a smile." And he admits that. The state ment made by Dove in June should have been in the hearing of Hardcastle, who declares that all he (Dove) says, is a tissue of lies that can be very soon refuted. Harrison then observes that he has been the means of lifting many from a sick-bed, and that if the con ductors of newspapers knew half as much about him as they ought to do, they would not have treated him in the manner they had done. With reference to Dove's conduct towards his wife he observes : I always told Dove that he never would be happy with his wife until she should bring him some children, and that it would be much better that he should separate from her if he could not live agreeable with her ; that it was no credit to him to be continually tormenting a woman who could not yield him those blessings which nature forbade her to give, viz., a half-dozen children, which he (Dove) pretended to long for. Gentlemen, it will be of no use me attempting to deny any one particular statement made by that profligate and unfeeling criminal, as I declare to you, upon my honour, that there is scarcely a sentence of it true, and what is true is told in such a raving, incoherent manner, that the public—ay, the public— have seen the folly of publishing it, and that same discerning public declare " that the document ought not to have been put into print." He declares that the editors have been imposed upon, and adds : Gentlemen, both I and Hardcastle declare, upon our honour, thatjthe tale about the " five coppers " being thrown about the barn to put a "spell " upon King, and thereby cause him to re•let the farm to Dove, was a pure burlesque upon the simpleton, made out by some wag in the neighbour hood, who found Dove but too credulous to believe any thing or anybody who could play upon his foolish imagina tion and "selfish propensities." He prays God to help any man who might have dealings with such a profligate as Dove, and says, in conclusion : I am preparing for the press a something which will alter your opinion, and the opinions of those of the London press as well, I hope, and something which will prove to my countrymen that Henry Harrison is, and will continue to be, not an impostor, but a real benefactor of his species. THE DANGER OF ALLOWING CHILDREN TO BATHE near deep water was painfully exhibited last Satur day in the vale of Festiniog. Two of the sons of Mr. I. W. Cunningham, the Secretary of King's College, London, and _grandsons of the Rev. I. W. Cunningham, vicar of Harrow-on-the-hill—Rowland, aged twelve, and Gerard, aged nine—obtained leave to bathe in a shallow part of the little river Dwyryd, which tuns past Festiniog Rectory, where their parents have been spending their summer vacation. Soon afterwards the boys were seen and heard by a servant playing in the water about 200 yards from the house. After some time, however, when they did not come home, their father became alarmed and went to look for them. He found their clothes lying on the hank, but there were no signs of the boys. After a long search the poor children were both found lying at the bottom of a deep pool in the turn of the river, about 100 yards below the spot where they had been seen at play. It is supposed that they must have been, in their play, letting their bodies float down the stream in the shallow water, and have drifted out of their depth before they knew of it. When got out they were both quite dead. Four medical men were in attendance, and rendered all the aid in their power. The bodies have been re moved for burial to Harrow-on-the-hill, the place of their father's residence. In connection with these numerous and sad accidents, we may mention that a M. Danduran, a French civil engineer resident in London, has lately invented a simole, ingenious, and invaluable apparatus, fitting under the armpits, by which means any person will be enabled to float securely, with the head and shoulders above water. M. Danduran exhibits his invention daily on tho Serpentine at three p.m. MR. NOBLE'S STATUE OF WELLINGTON has been placed upon its pedestal in front of the infirmary at Manchester. The inauguration takes place on the 30th inst. SATURDAY, THE EMPEROR OF THE FRENCH has promised to contribute to the Manchester Exhibition next year specimens of porcelain, tapestry, bail work, and bronzes. ANOTHER FATAL BOILER EXPLOSION occurred on Wednesday, at the Hampson Bleaching Mills, near Bury. The boiler, a high-pressure one, of sixty_ horse power, blew up about 6.15 a.m., soon after the mill had commenced work. Nine persons were killed and upwards of twenty severely injured. An inquiry is pending. THE HEAVY GALE on Wednesday night has been very destructive among the fishing-boats off the Sussex and Kentish coasts. Several lives were lost between Newhaven and Porto Bello, and much damage done at Dover. A FIRE broke out in Shaw's alley, Liverpool, on Thursday morning, and burnt down a block of small houses. Six persons were burnt to death in their beds. Inlant. THE LORD LIEUTENANT has returned to Dublin, after visiting the squadron at Cork. THE POTATOE BLIGHT in Kerry is very general. DR. WRIGHT, acting medical officer to the union at Ballieborough, Cavan, bas been emmitted for trial for poisocing a child by strychnine. Dr. Wright, in making up the prescription, mistook the strychnine bottle for that containing jalap. Mr. JOHN O'CONNELL has been appointed to the office of Clerk of the Hanaper, vacant by the death of Mr. Fitzimmon. Mr. O'Connell resigns his seat for Clonmel. Mr. Bagwell and Mr. Murray have already issued their addresses. Mr. Bagwell is in favour of Maynooth, and " a thorough reformer in Church and State." Mr. Murray is as thorough a Repealer. He was one, he says in his address, "in 1844, he is one in '56, ready to work in the cause wits heart and hand; ready to aid in this great measure, which comprises all other measures for the prosperity, for the happiness, and for the glory of Ireland!" Several other candidates are also spoken of. . . MR. BOWYER, M.P., has addressed a letter to Mr. James O'Connell with reference to certain "uncivil and illiberal remarks" made by Mr. O'Connell when proposing Lord Castlerosse. Mr. Bowyer writes : You boasted yourself a " country gentleman," and, by way of contrast, sneered at "a Mr. Bowyer, a lawyer,' among others. Now, you are not perhaps aware that I am the eldest son of one of the oldest baronets in the kingdom, and owner of 6,000 acres of land. It so happens also that, though I have the honour to be a member of the bar, Ido not practise. But, at any rate, I am astonished that any person bearing your name should some forward to abuse and vilify that profession of which the Liberator was the greatest ornament. SAW an V dia. THE AUGUST SESSION OF THE CENTRAL CRIMINAL Counr opened on Monday. The calendar is unusu ally heavy, 126 prisoners being for trial. The case of Mr. Gosling, on the application of the counsel for the prosecution, was removed to the Court of Queen's Bench. The Attorney General will conduct the case for the prosecution. Mr. Snape's trial (the asylum shower-bath case) was also postponed till the next session. THE MESSRS. ENGLAND, corn merchants at Leeds. appeared at the Leeds Court-house, on Monday, to answer the charge of having exposed for sale twelve quarters of Egyptian wheat unfit for food. The case excited much interest, and after hearing the evidence, the magistrates discharged the summons, on proof that the wheat was only warehoused and not exposed for sale. At the same time, the bench justified the seizure, as any person warehousing, damaged corn, without giving information of the same to the inspector of nuisances, is liable to trial and conviction under the act. A COMMISSION AGENT, Henry Jukes, poisoned him self last Sunday with acetate of morphia. He had suffered heavy pecuniary losses lateiy, and in the absence of his wife from home deliberately de stroyed himself from a dread of poverty. A YOUNG BOY, THOMAS CHELEY. sixteen years of age, was committed for trial at Worship-street, on Monday, for deliberately attempting to assassinate one of his companions. It appears in evidence that the prisoner and a boy named Collinson, with others, were together in Shoreditch on the afternoon of the 27th of July last, when Collinson knocked off Cheley's cap. Cheley lost his temper, and declared "he should rue the day," and went away. Two hours afterwards he was seen dodging behind Collinsor, suddenly rushed at him, stabbed him in the throat, and ran away. The boy, severely wounded, was taken off to hospital, and the young assassin soon after captured. When taken he acknowledged the deed at once.