The Express.
London, England, 1860-06-23 00:00:00

UCLAND PAINDING WAREHOUSES BILL

TIN amoodmeots to Ws bill wen; 000;ilenTil and

CRIMINAL LUNATICS ASYLUMS BILL.

This hill wits reed • third time ea 1 psesed.
LANDS CLAUSES CONSOLIDATION ACT (1857)
AMENDMENT BILL -

This bill pared th7ooriOotenitiaa pro forml, and was
ordered to be printed.
FRIENDLY SOCIETIES ACT AMENDMENT BILL.

Tlu Lill Ira, committed pro (orm►.
VoTLS FOR DISQUALIFIED CANDIDATES BILL
This hill was read a moood time.
Ti.. other orders were disposed of, sad the house adjourned
at a .ittatrt to tom o'clock.

MFTRoNILI:AN BOARD OF WORRY.—Yeatamiay
the ordinary weekly meeting of the hoard was held at
the Guildhall ; Mr. Thwaitm in the chair. The cash 'Mr
ment showed a total balance in heeds of the Maguey of
247,19 W. 2e. besides cash on deposit, 210,000 f. The
Making fund for the repayment of mortgage debts atoolrati,
up to the present time, to 6,621. r.. An man-
umit was made by the board for leering the main dining,
rate for the year ratio,: Ist Aomori, DMO, amounting t•
117961. 4s. on default of the Vestry of tit. George's,
H;liover•squart. Mr. Le Breton, pursuant to notice, moved
“ ma the menibm; counsel of the hoard he instructed to
prepare a clause for insertion In the hill now b.f re pantie-
mat forth. arneurinicut et the Metropolis LAral Manage.
meat Act, to provide for the dividing into wards, far the
pummes of the ejection d vestrymen, of 411 .h parishes an
=itascertained to mention 2.0n0, or more.
." The motion waa seccedra and carrimb The other
bovines' was of a formal nature,
SACRRD HARMONIC SOCIETY. —ATI extra concert
will he gives at Excter-hall on Friday I st, tpecialy for
the Orpheouisten of Fraisea, the entire lealy of whom kiiin
been invited by the Committee ci the S.Kolety to attend this
performance.
Mandrimobn's "Ave Marin " (from the post-
humous ipena of Lowder). litebr's "kale to tit-
and Macfarren's "May Day, will be the principal Imiteme
the great orchestral Federman et the Venal Amnia-
tic., under the direction of M. Manediat, en In evening,
June ggth, at ML James's-halt. that being the last nthernp-
tien concert el the meet meow.

INORAVING AND ranciuro.
HiVY BRADBURY aod Co. BANK NOTE
irsAterrim, lariOra. Oskola
DB!TONERS, ENGRAVERS PRINTERS
Dark Cooper, DUD et grabisp, Cirques, Certifi-
cates, Draft% Siam (Cogparplale ar loilassireas).
/Ines' City Article, Jennary la, UK
A series at spodosns or Dank Nabs lbgnivbs, of a very co-
workable aberaolen W NO been lord by Yes. Hoary Brad,
tom who 114 C ems yeses la yorassiftg tact sit. Apart
tram ask dataga and assisk tlizt the enential
advasif yeselseible cialy by so costly and
so as to and a/3 &woe al snecontal story.
Ss• LI and 13, fetiirdame, Itesnalrest,

Ebe ervreos.
_
TO COWISTONDECTS.
011wortlsomooto Intended for ''Tbe 14prele" Lomb* Imam
Taper. mast be at the odic*, 10, Bounds-Week by Two
o'clock on the day of publication.

HAMMIEST.
Tim Emma, DOSS HZ LOYZ HZ? r airy Howe. Mr-
prAd4wagißzuckstert ; Mir Aor lisirrick, Mn. Wilkins.
or Turas all HALL Mr. Backsras.-
-Ard THZ ODD/lINB OF TEX OHIO. Ths Irking&

TM Iv TER mazy WIVil 01 WINDSOR. Werra
?balm 0. Wastioara Sham Llgrabaws,t Waldtomb •
Niue. C. aad iLadmi Ma Ws*" Kra. Manta&lay.—And
711 /WE ILUIRINA Mr. Neektwa—Comae,. at 7.

1111TANN/A.
TH7I EVEIMia, THE MAHON DI HANTS : or, The Adven-
tures of • Oadmay. Moan Cranford. Clair and Parry Yrs. K.
Yarnold.—lYHHE LIAR AND HYS PAYTHEFUL POOL&
Mr. B.sidnay 3lisa Raab Slarka.—And THI TRW LIVES.

NIGH WAM AT LONDON BILIDOL
Tins DAT —Morning. 4A. 45aL Atternoas, R eta.
TO-110/I.lloW—Morning, St 33m Attansoon, 66.666

LONDON, SATURDAY, JUNE 23.

Ora Metropolitan readers scarcely need to be
reminded that during the last ten years an ex-
tensive and useful street agency has sprung up in
the shape of what is popularly known as the Shoe-
Black Brigade. The brigade consists of several
regiments or companies, belonging to various socie-
ties, and distinguished by their uniform not only
of red, white, and blue, but of yellow, green, and
brown as welL There are, in fact, at pre-
sent nine societies in operation, each of
which has • regiment of •IMe-blacks stationed
in • separate district, and distinguished
by • uniform of its own. These young shoe-
blacks have by their honesty, diligence, and civility
secured the confidence and esteem of the public.
Few who are accustomed to our great thorough-
fares will have failed to mark their neat dress,
their cheerful countenances, modest speech, and
respectful behaviour ; while the Report of the
Societies shows that not only thousands, but hun-
dreds of thousands habitually avail themselves
of their humble but useful services. The Blacking
Brigade is now in fact an established institution,
one, too, that is both convenient for the public and
highly beneficial to the boys themselves. It not
only gives them the means of obtaining • tempo-
rary livelihood, but, by training them to honest,
industrious, and obliging habits, fits them for ob-
taining permanent situations. Thousands of poor
destitute boys who had no means of gaining •
lying, have in this way been reclaimed from the
streets, and are now filling responsible situations
both in Australia and at home. Many of these youths
thirty years ago would have filled our prisons or
have been transported to Botany Bay. They are now
usefully employed either in the army or navy or
in houses of business in this country, or in the
forests and sheep-walks of the colonies. ThesoShoe-
black Societies thus rescue annually some hundreds
of our juvenile street Arabs from a hopeless career
of vagrancy and crime, and turn their industry to
public account.

- This valuable agency has, however, been assailed
of late by a species of illegitimate opposition, that
threatens its very existence. The worst class of
street Arabs have entered into a very offensive
and lawless rivalry with the Society boys. These
vagrant boys obey no rules, and are subject to no
authority. Instead of taking stations of their
own and patiently waiting for custom, they
crowd round the best stands allotted to the
Society boys, quarrel for their custom, insult
the boys and annoy the public. So serious
has this evil become, that the Shoe-black
Societies have unanimously agreed to appeal to
the authorities and the public for some measures
to be taken towards its speedy and effectual
abatement. They have drawn up a dispassionate
Memorial stating their grievance, and praying that
their boys may be protected in the enjoyment
of the stations allotted to them, and so enabled
to pursue in quiet their useful and legitimate
calling. The prayer of this Memorial seems to
us perfectly just and reasonable. The Societies
earnestly deprecate any desire to secure for their
own boys a monopoly of the street shoe-blacking
trade in the metropolis. All they ask is fair
play. The present system, or rather want of
all system, offers a premium to turbulent
vagrancy, and directly encourages mischief-loving
impswho like to combine a stroke of business with
the gratification of their malicious humour, to in-
vade the Society boys' stations. A glance at the
relative position of the two classes will sufficiently
illustrate this statement.

Up to the time when the first of these socie-
ties commenced operations, about ten years
ago, no street shoe-blacks had been allowed in
London for many years, and since that time the
practice has been permitted by the police authori-
ties rather than expressly legalised. In allowing it,
however, not only to exist but to become general
it was of course important that it should be
under conditions that would effectually protect
both the public and local residents from incon-
venience and annoyance. The sanction of the
police authorities was accordingly given to the
Societies on express conditions designed to
secure this object. It was stipulated
that the boys should " be obedient to

" orders, subject to discipline, stationed
"at particular points, dreamed in uniform,
" and Inumbejld for identification." Particular
spots were selected by the Society, and approved
of by the police, as stations for the boys, but if
any well-founded complaint were made by any
householder in the neighbourhood, or any obstrno-
Van of the thoroughfare arose, the boy was
at once withdrawn. Many remunerative sta-
tions have been lost, we are told, in this
way. And at any time if any objection is made,
1 and the authorities accept it, the boy is ordered
at once to leave and return to the Society's office.
These regulations have fully accomplished their
end, and the boys have pursued their calling with-

out causing any
the public.

or obstruction to

The vagrant street boys, however, are under none
of these wholesome regulations. They obey no
rules. They receive no sanction from the
authorities, because there is no kind of
security for their good conduct, and the
police cannot rely upon them. They are
not restricted to a particular station, but roam at
will from point to point, in the hope or on the
chance of finding a more lucrative post. No real
penalty, therefore, can be enforced if they create
disturbance or obstruction. They are simply told
to " move on," while if a Society boy misbehaves
himself, he must move off altogether. The vagrant
goes into the next street and plies his trade as
briskly as ever, but if the Brigade boy loses his
station he can't go to another ; his occupation is
gone, and he has to return to the Society's office. The
conduct of the one is under a constant and sure
check, while that of the other is under no control
at all. The result of this difference is of course
apparent in the different behaviour of the two
classes. The Brigade boys not only give no offence,
but are modest and obliging ; while the streets boys
do not in the leant care what amount of annoyance
or obstruction they may create. They crowd toge-
ther in narrow passages, obstruct the thoroughfare,
and chaff the passengers just as they please.
The result is that, instead of acquiring indus-
trious habits, these boys, as the police assert,
" go about in gangs, and often make the trade
" a cloak for the commission of theft."
This is obviously a nuisance that ought to be
abated. All boys who engage in the occupation ought
to be subject to the same authority, and obey the same
rates. If non-society boys are permitted to engage in
the work they should also have their proper stations,
their number for identification, and be liable to re-
moval on just complaint or proof of ill-conduct.
Seeing attention has now been publicly called to
the subject, we hope the police authorities will
interfere to relieve the public and the Brigade
from the injury inflicted on both from the lawless
bands of turbulent blacking-boys that at present
infest the Society's stations.