The Express.
London, England, 1856-04-10 00:00:00

THE- IMPRESS, THURSDAY EVENING, APRIL 10, 1856.

MEETING OF i, SWELL NOMMEN."

A meeting was held on Monday evening last at
the Whit* Lion Tams, Fashios-street, Briek-hoe, Spits'.

tads, whey. there was an attandarce of about 100 person,,
principally beloaging to the dais known as Snail Mobs-
men."

The meeting wet convened it, the parole of taking the
opinion of inch characters with respect to the working of as
beUtition which is intended to lead a helping haul to
those 4:deaden who may be divond to "ignore monists"
with society and to lead an honest life.
The roam ia which the meeting was bold was well lighted'
and comfortable. A tree and easy meaner prevailed, but
everythiog was carried on decently, the cries of "order'
sad " chs4" being immediately followed by attentive
silence.

A stranger would have bad no suspicion that the men
there assembled were at war with meaty. They one and
all at peered well fed, well clad, and at ease with them-
selves. In the course of the evening sayers] showils -dr‘sard
youth., who were nide/Myth,' aristocracy " of the rlasa,
walked into the room. Then were mostly hebited as clerks or
young men in offices, roan wearing gold guard-chain, others
with piste 1 keys dangling from their waistcoat pockets, and
hiving dissented pins in their te. They were, how-
ever, all " mobemen," as they are called—wen who femme
instances, we are assured, are gaining their 101. or even
20/. a week, by light-fingered °curios'. indeed several
preeett were pointed out as "tip-top sawyers," "seeming
in the best society, and doing a heavy business." Besides
these there were a few notorious headmen." (hum
Weaken), and one or two "fences" (receivers of it lrn
good.), who were said to be worth their weight in gold.
On the entry of one who was unko_we to the re et, a cry
was raised of Only kebob's' there 1" "No hears men
in the room !" which being interpreted meant onty" nobs,"
or An•-clam t►ieves—none who are folio wine aa honest
wares of life are to be pretest ; whereopon it was repent-
awl to the stranger that the meeting was a private one.
Hr. HENRY MAYIIIIW, who bad convened the meeting,
opened the business of the evening by saying that he was
about to found a mciety for the pu►psee of moieties there
who realty and sic cerely meant to help themselves. He was
aware that merry of the men t►ere wished to give up their
present courses, and that they would nines to tee a way of
escape from the eireommancee in which they were le-
eched. No doubt some of them liked their mode of life,
and trek a pleasure in it ; hat other, bad been driven .o it
by ff roe t.f cireumstasces, by bad treatment at home, by
early neglect, and other degrading inflances. He had repro
seated toe one of sue h person to benevech tar p'e, and
had found many gentlemen ready to proffer their swinges
towards bettering the condition of the well disposed swoop
them—indeed he had already been promised feeds to e
large amount immediately the eithere of the society VIM
appointed. It remained with themselves holism with such
offers, and honestly to strive to redeem their eharsetets.
and be upright in all their deallogs, as Boa Valletta sad
good citizens ought to be. (Cheers) Thome who felt h-
elloed to choose the better way would be treated, not an
wild animals, requiring a cog*, tor yet as ct ildren, to be
kept in leeding strings, but as full-grown, thinking men,
who might be trusted (tor be knew there were many of
them not insensible to a feeling of kenos"), and who were
capable of apt misting sympathy and confidence. (Ap-
Olean.) They mast, b , steadily beer in mind that
if any trickery or deception were practised by them towards
sash a 'hist', it must soon acne to an end, so that it
behoved them each to act as a tantitor to the other, and
prevent any imposition upon the funds of en institution that
every one of thous should regard as his own. Mr. Mayhew
then rceonsted an instance in which he had trusted a note-
rine' thief at a public meeting with a sownign, if -
quoting him to get it changed, but intimater that no pro-
secution would follow if he absconded with the money. The
man had brought bath t►e silver, and proved that an appeal
to his better nature bed not been made in vain. He knew,
be added, that many of the men present were tracked by
the police until they wen utterly weary of their iveo. He
wished to hold out to such persons a hand of et c reran-
moist ; to stand between she two great Melones et society—
the eonetortahle and the wretched, the rich and the pocr—
and, if possible, to extricate Dome of the Inter from their
misery. He had occasionally found high v r nes In what
were to tiled the " dangerous deepest" and be n lost
faith in say man is whom he could dime= the germ of
right feeling. He hoped to he able to friend a home and an
industrial asylum, as well Is an emigration swish, for sueh
as were tired of evil courses, and who sincerely wished to
retrieve the character they bad lost in the world, and ha
would be happy to learn how far the men present were dis-
posed to embrace, a proposal of such a nature.
♦fter some little delay, a decently dressed young man
stepped forward, and said that he wished te sate a few
things about It. " kenebe" life of wh'clo he, for his part,
had men quite enough. They all knew that their way of
living wesuneatishote ry ; they might get 101. In a day, and
then go for a fortnight without gaining a penny ; or they
might have Oh months t fit in prises, which was rather " a
molar." He for ono wanted to be rescued from such a life.
He oonfessed be was a thief, but he bad seen no cad of
trouble, and he earnestly desired to ref rat. If he could
only get an honest living, be would mot be es he was then.
(" Hear," and cheers.)
The Best snakes wee a returned rooster, who had come
bath last ffeptembrr, and tenth work sometimes, but bel-
ies that, said he was obliged to make up by plunder. For
three months be bad been employed in the desks, but sine
that time work had been scarce, end when be was Port of
proMaious he was driven to ste el, for stereo ►e would not.
Bat if he null obtain occupation he would readily give up
his old habits.

antics, they might deposit it is the noisy bank of the
lastitutioa until as opportunity marred far advaategemiely
mini OW &Alma. ,A register would be kept of empheyen
willing to gimp meek to sub as were disposed to ream,
and as aesurancesina that the persons sent to them would
be treated without reference to their pest lives. If some
men treald procure gametes, from their own friends, so
mach the better; but if set, the society would guarantee
the employees to seterctais amount As • nle. howeveg,
the mete would not be platted is elevations of bast and
therefore of templatioa, so that few venation would be
required. If, linemen, there were say men who
from their former habits were not disposed to Intl' down
to regular wcrk, arrangemeats would be made to send
such obarseten out as street-gellers. For than, on the
other bead, who wanted to emigrate, se (prolog • ould be
made and a passage obtained. It was also prorosed to
mason an Industrial reheat with the establietmeat, so as to
teach trades to such as wished to learn them. In the
lodgiagloase It was lateaded that the iinsatee rhonld mane
the., eon laws end regulate their own affairs Ihoy would
be treated as if they nutty desired to elevate themselves,
sad every credit be glees them for virtuous resolves, while
all reasonable coma deratica would be shown for their re
liar eireenre.-- - (Chong.)
ticket-of

Ti. thit47pasker had been transported is 1839, sod had
been Sr. years is this country since ku raters. He worked
for a time at hie trade, but when work was scarce he took to
thieving, and int again into tt °OA.. It was oily two months
alma hr past last in prison. He was a tailor by trade, and
,f security for it. could be obtathed be could get em-
Sermal-
A gentleman yreseet promised the required guarantee,
an annouccement which was followed by three muds of
applause.
A very earnest, and apparently well.dispried, man nest
addressed the meeting—He was will known to them
end had of en bees in trouble. (Hear hear.) He hod
often tried to alter his condition, end failed to do so. He
was a good tredesesau' and if he could assisting he
would go to work, and be knew that many of them fait the
same. (Cheers.) His wages ought to be 81. a day, but be
would willingly work forBs., only be had no one to recom-
mend him. If hanger and want oppressed him, he was drives
to plunder ; but what coold he do ? He ems not to nerve in
10 incite. Still, he would rather work for le. than steel fee
a pound. He bed often walked about in hanger, cold, and
destitution rather than do that which was wrong. He
would go to work to morrow marning it he could get it. He
wished the pante to know that the men there really wanted
to work. In his opinion prison., hulks, and ootay.c: gaols
were not then of reformation, but demcralisatioo. (Eli a-.)
The neat waiter had • tale of grievance to record easiest
the police. He had some out (of pile io) sin ninths ago,
and found re -spatio• as a militia tubs, for the eniales on
shins he worked wore not nimble, or she the millionth's
would not have trotted him with them. Ose day be was
seaming home with two outs tied lapin a handle. A police-
man, who had known him before, met him, sod roughly
accosted him with " What hen you got there ? " He was
obliged to go with the To:lemma to • public-beau and ex-
hibit the contents of his bundle. He denounced such coo-
: duet at tyrannical. He trained that nineteen out of
twenty swag those precast wished to set an honest livirg,
but is Linnet it was invisible. The policemen would
Insult them, and reproach them with being confined
thieves. Nay, they would hunt their wives, however
virtuous those wives might be. The " tenths" life might
be • merry one while it laud, but 'bee Huy got into the
" Steel " (Coldhstb-fields Prison), it was a vary different
matter, and the horn rs of transportation we re truly 'wird.
Those who felt this were to be relied upon. " Try las, pe-
Hewn," he added, " and we 'al not deceive yoe. '
The statement of the last speaker assuming the penes
was storroho and by another, who obeereed th.t "he bad
been • thief, bat was cow • coils rouses r sad worked herd,
having I. keep a wife ad family. He was gong tome
with some grog rise for his family, when a pilleenan came
up to him and used him in • brutal . He wrote to
11 Worship-tire t, end then to Scolaed.yerd, to complain,
• lump ser en iesperror cunt ch we and said, "So you have
biesureereplaining, rave you? We know what you are."
He *severed, "I am • saes." "Tee, but what have you
bees," said the inspector. "That is oci-bieg to the pur-
pose," watts reply. "Oh, yea it is; and you had bettor
say no more about this matter, or you mey be kcoeked out
of what you are, as dbe as you were before." No LOOM
pawed at the unto ; b,t, mutinied the speaker," the po: el-
ms, who bad originally struck me came and asked perdu
for the assault, bagel,* me no' to prosecute the inquiry."
The seat perms who addressed the meeting was de:tithed
aan " Old fake." He had been, he said, " • thief from
lie esrliert ihddhood," or, as he 'smiled it, " from a pies-
i fore," terough the mis'aken kindness of a food mother, who
reeve him bolt-pennies, and itecoungui h m toepend money.
; He been by robbing Ips grandfather, and "thieved instead
of school, ng." Hie mother, finding that school wu neglected,
, put him to work early, bat he played truant from his
muter, mad though he took home eighteenpenen
nary Srarday night, yet the greeter part of
his time was upset in stealing. It be saw any-
thing that waned movies, he moved it. After various c
I mittals and en dry escapee be was sent to the "Start"
: (Nswgate), sod fruits mud fcr seven yens. The speaker
then gave • pal hie oescriptio• of his work in irons" at
Prr and his ultimate tranopottation to Bermuda,
where the g +vertu, taking o =passion on to young an
' offender, ret.t him to the carpenters' shop, and kept him
working at that trail for five year,. He learnt his trade
I there. Oa hie retina to this country he worked for a time,
but afterwards r earned his old habits. Still be found this
way of life too Raid, awl fur the lest nine years he had bees
honest. Nevertheless the dificulties were ossidereble, for
th• Filice had dogged hie we, and eves turned him out of
@Realtor., by info 'wing hie masters that he was an
' old °Murder. _

la proof of the shwa statement, he called op•a a .h )p•
mate who vas In the re.= to ono* trrwald an/ 'evilly le
the felt. The shnpseete mid in earroboratioo, It's ell trim
Th a mem warted .1,11 me tie months sin, and got tamed
off Isp a ;al ammo telling the employer that he wee a an-
tic ad Wel."

At th e puha nf arcuate" fir. IUATHIrw Rove

In meleskre, • -_ . leave man, whose laogesge
pr.ved him to be • piston of superior edtmarion, stated that I
for wins time past be had bees " oe the equere," Viet is, I
"he had relinquished his former warm, and lived I
honestly." He thought that all should not be eon.
demaed isdiecriaiwately, and that every man shon'd
have • fair chance. Whea Fermi, like himself,
who could gain their Ave pomade • week regularly,
by ringing the changes" (e mode of penning bad money). ,
were determined to see it Hwy c mid sot earn 3es. by
hottest industry, it woe the beet poesllie.ptoof of I rincipl'.
It chewed that they preferred • pi rmarent benefit to the
recarions, though deceitful pleaturee of a mesh and life.
He bed Mena thief and was now an honest men ; and
h vela, himself been extricated by one of the pentlemmi
present, be wished to encourage other.. They sew present
" keeobes" who were evidestly atom want: why dtd they
wee there t It was beanie they were endeavouring to
work out a principle. It was all very well for Meter,
destitute men to profess a desire for reformation; but when
a man with a posed in hie pocket wished to reform, that
was mother matter; and th.t was what he wasted to see,
for then it was not ceesseity, but good wolves that inducted
it. It was eneouragieg to ems the " big wigs "In don
Ittele behalf; but, after ell, the reel spring of action must
ism from themeless. Might God aid good reason speed
pees. (Appian's.)
Tim Chairman, having begged them to disperse in an
orderly mealier, the proceedings terminated.
It is bet right to add that while come of the persons
/meat were pointed out by the others as being
men anxious to " square it, " and who they
knew to be willing to voile, others, en the em
teary, were spoken of es being " ice erigible," Clough, from
the freak and even honest expretesiow of =boy of thole young
men (for they were mostly betweet 20 and 30) it • cold have
• dificalt to have recognised them as babiteel thieve..
A few indeed candidly stated "they did't seem to cure"
about Terming themselves, but they would gladly assist
any of their body who was desireue of so doing.
At the conclusion • gnod looking boy was latrodoced, who
was in the habit of gaming • few piece by reciting scenes
from Shakspeare is public-hours pelmet". The men said
it was a pity something coald not be done fm tie poor lad,
as they believed him to be Emmet and c:ever, end they
feared, if not re seed hem kis print sonnet, he would
meet or later became ow of them.

fully explained the character at the vox*. d tattltatkos.
It nu intended to utal•lteb a lodetrii-I•ovie, ha said. to n-
ative the met immediately on their having piton. If t ey
had any atom which they had d during thous Incas-