The National Register. — London, England, 1814-10-16 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTE No. n' 1. E LISI'IN.i ABAES. TO THE EDITOR. BEING AN INQUIRY INTO THF. CAUSFS OF THE ALARMING INCREASE OF PROSTrIUTION IN THE AI ET Ropoui. As your pages have been f equently dev , ited with effect to the investigation of subjects which intimately concern the public welfare, I trust this, now under review, will not be !, undeseiving of insertion. That 50.000 fern les, living in London by a state of plostitutton, is an e%il of first rate magnitude, will be generally admitted : that it is not only highly prtiudicial to the morals and habits of ihe rising ge. neratinn in general, but its injuricus effects to the health of ; the community are so extensive as hardy to be ascertained; defeating the great end of the connexion of the sexes, pro- I creation ; tha: it is also one of the greatest incentives to theft, public and domestic, and . to every species of fraud. With such a mass of evil in view, how few and inadequate have been the attempts to diminish or remove it ! how super fi ial the inqui , y into the merits of the case ! If 1 shall succeed in putting this interesting subject in a new a:A just point of iei.v, or throw light, as it were, on an unexplored theme, r lam persuaded I shall not have taken up the pen in vain. I , The recent agitation of this suhject in the Con.mon Council, has more especially induced the expression of my thoughts upon it. There we see the evil on all hands'. seemingly deplored, and some effirts attempted to he made for its diminution, the principal of which is, appro i .)riaiing Btidewell to the reception of thee unfortunate feina!us• But a similar attempt was made not long since by the• Co rporation, and resisted by the Governors of B l idewol pita', and why ? not because it was not congenial wiih the object of that great endowment, but because such zippy:). priation would too much interf e re wills the existing interests of certain pers , ,ns in that place. It was also .Illedgel by the Govt.' norß, that the part which cmil,l he appt imed to this ompn , e, would acciimmodate so few, a, m o i to he o f ma.. terial service in the remedy of so exten•ive an evil. lam far fl om wishing to &scot' roge the Common C ou n c il Lontl , .,n, in the prosecution of so meritorious an ,md.....yonr, I wi h they were oftener su well en.4:g , d ; rut froot what I know of their past concket, lam entitled to a•!.., 'Live ey cv-r been sincere and zealous in Oil. Did ho t the ‘voribv,•acd ever to he respected Granvi.le ar e ,. to th e r o ,poTati on o f above 20 years av,o, leave them a eonsidetahle . freeliold estate at his del•h, if they wou!d lend him the * Loudon.Worklwu,e, 11-IP)pc7ate- * This 14r.t.te is an old it 1* deStittite children, solitewilat p•itiolar to the F:) , :irilit) PI vital. It eootailled iwtvtern 2 and rhi:dr , .ll ii) thy C.Hvei) Alio. hut for tii.:ny years hal tiot to4i, , tdioed ai).; e lvveotv boys. A pi inripal .p.irt is 110 W ILA 01l for waictiqu6e*. Z might (1() gano..ll. Poi. VII. No. CC() . ..= '~:~ - • , -; Tin icing, Constitution, ann laths. PUBLISHED AT NO. 11 1 NEWCASTLE•SVILEET ) STUAND. SUN!) %V, OCTOBER 16, NIL R. PnrrP Pr?. street, for the purpose of emploviog fem.slei who had been prosti'utes? Did not the Corporation refuse this niost bene volent c,ff r, whereby they have lost lite intended esiater, Mr. Shrrp having died about twelve month: ago; which, had they accept , d, wuld have bi.en an toolowinent for the , e deset Led out-c a.ts ? And. supposing styli an ricelleni lusti tion to have been in exi•tence•for the last twenty Years; is it probable that prostitution in - the metr,ipolis would ll'a‘'e atisen to its present alarmi I fi ght ?it .1!LT,...s certain. at least, that an infinite quantum, of good would have bef.n thme, which has oz . .t been done, perhaps many th..usands cf de serted women of the •ewn restored to recti!utie, to indus trious habits, and to their fi iends. Has not the Corporation thus become rest.,onsible in the eye of juslice for not preventing the evil, as they might have done, in due time; and, consequently, an asisting cause of its having arisen to its present fiiglr ful size ? These a e home truths, and Notre questions, deserving their se i o , l3 e o n.ii.. deration. The Corporation can evidently spend with glee 2n,0001. upon 90,0001. upon feast, and nage:nits, in whh h their wives and danghtets, and themselves, eat. Mink, and carou3e, at :he expense of the city purse, and n-t a: their own, and they can grumble at giving a solit Iry 1001. to a drooping charity, in ‘vhich the public welfare k intiur.tely concerned. The opulent city Compameg can invi.e lima! 1).1i;c, t , ) do e will', them, imoovrrishing Owl: funds (I , , , s : rucd tot the st;ef and comfolt of their poor 1112mhers, and Cdil p!C:id poverty when applied to by thoSt , who have a cl,iitn, and I may sav a ri2/It, to their b•itintr. We may ,justly exel,iin on seem z such thing:-0 Teotpora I 0 NI, ms! i. t it may riot he long- el e a closer scrutiny is made into. .such inticeedings, than some expect. laving thus far c'eared the way, Irt us father intluire into the merits of the sut•jeet under di-cussioe. lit is a very easy thing for •lie Corooi wion to den:miser. the evil of t.ros ti u ion on nape , . to commis , i , o, e , mstables to a ! prehend women of the town,—;-hut this will do little or no fzood in r;mic,vio - he evil 1i. , --igious hi4o!s, bil-i't the::, hive re ""lllil"llkd Oil , 'o' t of seve!itv wi!lt %mi.,. ze I thal know ledgi., a:i .l in,l ended where tl ev be*ln. This mode o f pt‘•ceediug Too mut h re•end)les the Piles; a. d Lt . .% ite pa,ing. liv the wounded man on the toad; lhi , . t'i (I:. any thing etTe , ..tua! in this case, they mull bee me the •<”,!! SatoaritA) who did s(,covZhing to I lt :1 1) blot in re,ility Itiniy he a- ked, Mat then should be done ? A ph,.ic,an caun ,t oiescri!,e - - Aith ell.ct to Ids pail:',!!. without asce , riniut; , he CAUCYS of ii.S disord, r So with pro•tto.iot , , tht . .first s•cp I- t. invr ''t ;tale It.t,v thesis p. 'o r 1., ii)in crwouie: liec!wie Kt, ta.i.f. S. I .3nt who ihte, this 7 l, there 41111 Bad or Coolioitt..2e lu- :he 1 'impose ? Ni. But the e iii,glit io he one. A ;id what s-rt •of a tale, think you, would ;hat 1131,4:1? li would Iltiio!il