The Express.
London, England, 1865-12-06 00:00:00

rOHN BROGDENB GOLD CHAINS.

"--------OHNBROGDENSGOLDBROOOIIOHAINS.

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WINTER OVERCOATS of the Bun
MATERIALS an kept for Inspection or sale at,
HAMILTON sad OLIMPTON'S,
Tailors and Overcoat Makers.
106, STRAND, opposite Exeter Hal.

LONDON must have a Supper and Music Room
tor Gentlereen.—ltemember we welt tor you at SWAM'S
aster the Covent Garden Opera sod the Theatres.

the e'eoo•

TO commie munats.
ertisements Wooded toe .The 11 si+" lowdep Beeping
Adv
94, mad be at %be 001%14 aavegibelwea. by Two
es ibe doe ot pablbiblees.

YMAREET.
THIS WHIM TER O RAVERLAND ROUTE Wawa
Mathews. and Oompiaai Mesdames Mathews. Rum-
done C.
den, HUI. et Wright —WHO
KILLED OOCK WHIN KM= C.
Mathews eadChippeadate, Mrs. C. Nathan& —And the BALLET.

PRINCIONS.
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NIVICE TOO L&Ta Ti MIND. Worn Vining, O. *thins.
T. Mead. A Murray, b. Wham. F. VIMom J. G. Monk G. Our-
my, and R. Catkort Mims L Moore and K. Rodgers.

LYCEUM.
THIS fflrldriNO, THR DRY ATTIR THE WEDDING. MI.
and Mrs. lioranian.—Till WATCR CRY. Messrs. Wielder,
Wlddicomb S. Emery, C. HIXIMAN ayeaood. fl=k,
nd Clifford, Nln Thworthy.ed NW•SYY CRICK

TRI9 Evianne, Till SKELETON 1102.3111 AN OE, THE
SHADOW OF FD
—The D'Asbeaa.— °hoar, the Eing of
Ottonasta. —WM BASALTS YOZTlldig FATE AND
ITS werna. Mom Beynokla and Cranford ; Yrs. S. Tama

SIGH Wall AT icurnagasnocui.
TAM DST Korkkok. 414. lba.....Aftensoon. 41. Ms.
To-nossow .... iternikg. 4h. 5444 .....Afterpook SA. 17a..

LONDON. WEDNESDAY. DECEMBER 6,

We have been furnished from a source upon
which we can rely, with some interesting statistics
respecting the recent working of the imsual poor act
in the parish of St. Marylebone. It appears that
during the month of November just passed 1,853
men, 1,723 women, and 459 children, making a total
of 4,035, were admitted into its casual wards. The
only people refused shelter during the same period
were 2 men and 26 women, who were intoxicated,
and who would have caused annoyance to the other
inmates. The cost of maintaining this large number
of wanderers was :—For provisions, 17/. 19s. 3d. ;
clothing, 121. 17s. ; lighting, warming, and keeping
up the wards, 161. 16e. 3d. ; superintendence,
W. Bs. 4d. ; making a total of 59/. Os. 101 From
this sum must be deducted 51. 45., the sum earned
by the able-bodied who have worked at the unpro-
fitable occupations of stone-breaking and oakum-
picking, which makes the net cost of the 4,035
wanderers who have been sheltered and fed to be
53/. 16a. 10d., or an average of threepence a head.
When any of the homeless complain of being ill,
they are examined by the medical officer of the
workhouse, and 9 men and 11 women out of the
above numbers were transferred to the infirmary ;
while 15 children under 16 years of age were first
detained, and subsequently restored to their rela-
tives. During a recent visit to this workhouse,
and while the casuals were being admitted, we
noticed a bright intelligent lad, who, on being
questioned by Mr. Douglas, the master, confessed
that he had run away from home, giving tke
unkindness of a stepmother as his excuse. He had
tramped from Hull, and his ingenuous manner and
open, honest face made us hope that he might be
sent back to his father before he became contaminated
by association with the vagrants with whom he
was necessarily brought in contact when we saw
him. Upon ascertaining that this was the lad's
first night in London, the master persuaded him to
remain in the workhouse until his father could be
communicated with, and a letter from Hull re-
ceived. It is unsatisfactory to add that the reply
was disappointing, that the boy had frequently run
away before, and that his father refused to pay his
fare down to Hull ; adding that as he had made his
way up to London on foot, and sleeping at work-
houses on the road, so must he make his way back
again. What became of this child, whether he is I
developing into the full-blown shameless tramp, or
whether he has been absorbed into the regular
channels of labour, it is impossible to say ; but his
case fairly illustrates the difficulties besetting all
efforts to restore vagrant children to their homes,
and the fifteen so sent back from Marylebone in a
single month probably represent many times that
number in which attempts have been fruitlessly
made.
Unlike most workhouses in the metropolitan dis-
trict, some attempt is made here to classify the
people who apply, and the spirit which laudably
endeavours to send children from the streets to
their parents is traceable in the division made in
the male tramps. The sturdy, able-bodied va-
grants who are perhaps known as casuals of
many years' standing, form class 1. They
have a hard bed, but with sufficient
covering, and are required to break a prescribed
measure of stones before leaving in the morning.
Class 2 is composed of the decent looking, well-
behaved, and orderly wanderers, who are placed in
a more comfortable ward, and have lighter employ-
ment, such as oakum-picking. Both classes are
bathed, if in health, before going to bed ; and the
dietary is in each case the same, consisting of bread
at night, and bread and gruel in the morning. The
effect of this judicious arrangement is, that the
decent pauper is spared the contamination of
associating with roughs, whose obscene language
and disgusting conduct are so bad at Marylebone,
that the officers of the workhouse frequently find it
impossible to maintain order in the ward.
Not the least curious feature in class 2, is the
vast number of poor helpless creatures who have
tramped to London from the country without the
faintest prospect of employment, but with the
firm conviction, if not that its streets are paved
with gold, at least that their troubles would be over
when its magic radius was gained. A short time back
two Lancashire lasses of 16 spent their first night
in London in the Maryleboue casual ward, and
gave as a reason for coming to town that they were
told " people chucked money out of window at
country folks ;" while a youth of the same age
from Cheshire thought " bread and butter,
watercresses, and coffee," were at the corner of
every street, free for those who wanted them.
In the ward appropriated to class 2 no offence
has been committed during the month, a fact which
speaks favourably kr the discrimination exercised
in selecting its occupants. The people who sleep here
are, it should be mentioned, of a better and more
reputable class than were formerly applicants for
temporary shelter at all ; their treatment is not of
a character to tempt them into permanent va-
grancy, and they are warned that in the event of
their appearing a third time at the workhouse it will
be made leas luxurious still Out of the men
housed in No. 1 ward during November four have