The Press.
London, England, 1854-01-07 00:00:00

to him. There is the gaoler to set him his
task, and sec that he does not escape. The
officer who brings him his food. too—why, for
the first time in his life be has a servant to
wait upon him! Then the publicity of his
trial—the audacious denial—the clever attempt
to prove his innocence—the impudence with
which he confronted the magistrate and
quizzed the policeman—all these are subjects
of gr►►tifying reminiscence. He anticipates
the applause of his comrades when his time is
up ; and as for the censure of the world, what
does he know of or care for that ?

We cannot afford to dwell on this topic,
else it were worth while. Theory—expe-
rience—the practical result as evidenced in
repeated recommittals, the almost innumerable
testimonies of judges, magistrates, chaplains—
all point to the same conclusion, that juvenile
imprisonment is costly, useless, unjust, and
cruel. Costly—for the average expense of
such detention is nearly five times that of
maintaining a pauper during an equal time,
the latter requiring to keep him about 13/.
yearly, the former above ti 1. ; while the con-
struction of proper prisons is not merely ex-
pensive but extravagant ; each cell in York
Castle cost 1,200/. Useless—as telldillif to
harden, not to reclaim. Unjust—as punish-
ing children for what is in truth the fault of
their parents or of the State. Cruel—inas-
much as punishment which neither deters nor
reforms is merely pain wasted, an artificial
augmentation of human suffering, devoid of the
beneficent purpose for which we believe God-
sent sufferings to be ordained.

MITCHEL AGAIN AT NEW YORK.
THE speech of MITVIIEL at the dinner given to him
at New York has all that mixture of foolish swagger
and feeble reasoning which are so indissolubly asso-
ciated with the proceedings of the Young Irelenders.
It lis little better than one of his old "bottle of
vitriol" tirades, and has all that retrospective weak-
ness so highly characteristic of discomfited refu-
gees. What was wittily said of O'Coeeet.r. by the
late HENRY IiRATTAN may with equal justice be
applied to this parole-breaking pretender to the sue.
censorship of Wot.t•E TUNE —" He was a bad subject,
"and a worse rebel," as insurrectionary in his combi.
nations ns he was ineffective in his designs, a specula-
tive traitor strutting in the traditionary costume of an
United Irishman, but without any acts of heroism or
achievements of talent to lend a doubtful lustre to
his presumptuous folly.
At home in his native country, \lnciter did more
than the weak and shutßing Government of Lord
CLARENDON to destmv the club system invented by
GAVAN Deere. Breaking away from his fellow•con-
spirators, he precipitated the struggles and hastened
on the catastrophe of his senseless faction, never
more reckless than when it resigned itself to the
ruinous guidance of the hairbrained guide who upset
his party just at the time most convenient for the
purposes of power. "Better have a fellow like
" Nlrrimet. in one's front than on the flank--an
" enemy rather than an ally," was the condign criticism
passed upon this contemptible rebel by one of his
literary accomplices at Dublin. Of the injury done
to their cause by this vapouring declaimer—this
moittlier of sanguinary words but performer of no
terrible deeds—the Young Irelanders have never
made any secret. His past career enables us, with
the certainty of science, to predict his future one,
which will be as active in sowing dissensions and
breeding schisms amongst the Irish Americana, u
if he were again knocking to pieces a Celtic organi-
sation, devised by more rational and far-sighted con •
spirators. lie will always be a firebrand ready
to set his party in a flame, so as to forewarn its ene-
mies on the approach of their danger. Whatever
faction has a MITCHEL in its rank is foredoomed to
perish of spontaneous combustion, and its history
may be readily foretold.
Turning from the ravings of this wordy terrorist, let
us glance et the annoyance which our American
cousins are likely to experience from the refugees.
It' Celtic sinew could be imported into the " Far
West," without Celtic traditions, feuds, and follies,
the Americans would be gainers by the stream of
Irish emigration. But it remains yet to be seen
whether the proud Republicans will endure the
memories of Wssuieoroe and Bunker's-hill being
invoked and rendered ridiculous by the followers of
Snail O'Bnize and the heroes of the cabbage-
garden. A huge Celtic gangrene with sore recollec-
tions and festering animosities—with Roman Ca-
tholic rites and Donnybrook fair menaces—will not