The Express.
London, England, 1863-10-28 00:00:00

TO THE ZDITOI OP TIUTTZIPILTIO.

Sia,—You Lave accorded the Duck-lane Club
and Wadies-moms so important a pmitioe in your valuable
paper that I should .teem in a favour if you would permit
me to state why the subscription was fixed so low am on*
halfpenny a week, sod which plan would have Moo adopted
whey making the experiment of the first club three yeas
ago, bad it bees situated in any other part of the me-
tropolis.
„Nine-tenths of the. crime and misery in our hind are
mused directly or indirectly by intemperance," my the
magistrates sad judges, pro% Mg that the majority of the
working claws have not yet acquired the habit of " loaders-
tion ; " what they needed, therefore, was a substitute for
the public-home without the temptatioo of the " drinking
customs."

Now the three noticeable features is the public-house
are, bit, free admission (paying only for the drink gm-
plied) ; 20dly, no questions asked (for 1 never beard of •
landlord inquiring into the antecedents of • customer before
supplying him with refreshment) ; and 3rdly, a freedom
from coemraint in the matter of dress and subject. die-
cussed. A club to be popular, therefore, must be Marled on
the same plan; the house should be given free, and •
nominal sum should °Destitute • membership (Dow that the
movement is well understood it may be fixed at one penny),
which should be paid weekly. No inconvenience is ex-
perienced is admitting every applicant above 18 years of age,
as far se the accommodation will allow ; almost every trade
! is there represented, and men of almost every denomination
meet and discuss amicably the various topics of the day
with as much independence of feeling as if the club
were self.supportiog. Though a large somber of the
members are costermongers and hawkers residing in the dis-
trict, they are sot neoesmrily low and degraded, except
when under the inflames of that which steals away men's
brains indigoes. them almost irresponsible creatures. There
are some 80,000 eostermosgers in the metropolis, many of
whom are of respectable parentage and of sterling honesty,
and possessing remarkable intelligence and sound common
sense, but through intemperate habit.. sickness, or misfor-
tune, have found themselves sass friends, sans work, sans
everything, and to escape the workhouse or the prison have
turned street merchant, but I can answer for • large num-
ber that they would gladly content themselves with one-
half of their usual gains could they obtain regular em-
ployment.
To prompt any imaginary constraint the men manage the
club themselves; they have twelve simple rules, one of
which prohibits swearing, gambling, betting, and the intro-
duction of beer, du., and another requires every man to as-
sist io maintaining order is the club-room, while the religi-
ous influence brought to bear simply teaches the value of
the Sabbath day and the Christian obligation of mutual
helpfulness and brotherly kindness. A "select" Working
Mess Club is an anomaly which should certainly be die-
imereged, the aim being to reach the mass of the working
classes.—l am, he., ADELLNE Y. COOPI.E.
October 21.

DESPATCH OF THE BOMBAY MAIEB-801711E.
METEOR. OCT. 27.—The reanimate, sad Oriental Compaay'e
steam ship Ceylon, Captain Evans, sailed hence today, at
3 p.m., with the mails fur Gibraltar, the Mediterranean.
Egpyt. Aden. Bombay, ko., together with 85 first and 40
second.clam pameugers ; amongst whom are the Duke of
Rutland, Earl and Canute.' of Scarborough, Leidy Le Mer-
chant, Colonel the 1100. L Curzon, 800. Mr. Plunkett,
Captain Sir W. Fairfax, Colossi Belem, Colonel Rigby,
Major Dick, Colooel Goldsmid, Colonel Gly u ; Captains
Baugh, Fitzroy, sod Ducat ; Lienterrants Brows, West,
Milne. and Teneaut ; Dr. Barclay, Rev. Mr. Beaunioot sad
Resign Wyllie. Amongst the paeriogers proceeding rid
Marseilles to join thin mail 11111:—The Bishop of Gibraltar,
Sir M. end Lady Stephenson, Lieut.-Coked Stanley ;
Majors Hook, Scott, sod Lane; Captains 11•Seekan.
Gillespie, and Merger ; and Lieutenant Saunders. The
Ceylon took out on freight 1.489 bonen specie, value
542,3111. la. 9d., for the following porta —Bombay : bar
gold, 68,050/. ; gold cola, ti,eoo/. ; bar silver. 32to;knii, ;
silver can, 5.5.111 W. ; watches mud jewellery, 1,091!. tie. 9d.
For Almandria sovereicos, 98,4001. ; watches, 420/. ; and
for Malta : silver plate, 900 f. The Ceylon also took out a
full cargo of general merchandise.
BCHNIDI OF A FRENCH SHIPBROKER.—Mr. C. F.
Carttar, coroner for West Kent, held as inquest yesterday
afternoon at the Aabburnham Arius publiaboune, Green-
wich, on the body of Jean Baptiste Boussinn, aged 57, who
commlffied waisscle by swallowing a quantity of runic acid
(Scheele's strewitlid The deceased was a Dative of Mar-
seilles, and own • as office at Li, Crutchadfruirs, City, as
a shipbrokm. jury, afters short ramultstioe, returned
a varallet " That toe deemed committal suicide whilst
labouring under temporary derangement."