The Express.
London, England, 1866-01-22 00:00:00

LIFEBOAT SERVICES.—During the storms of
the past year the National Lifeboat Institution, by ite
boat and other means, contributed to the saving of 707
from different wrecks on our coasts. The institution &VT
pended 021,374 in the same period on its lifeboat establishments,
In addition to granting £4,050 for rewards for saving life and
exercising the lifeboat&
The committee of the Institution earnestly APPEAL to the
public for ASSISTANCE, to enable them to meet the continued
heavy demands on the Institution's 163 Lifeboat Stations.
Contributions are received by the London and Country
Bankers : and by the Secretary, Richard Lewis, Seq., at Use In-
stitution, 14, John-street, Adelphi, London.

JOHN BROGDEN'S EXCELLENTE BIJOU-
TERIE COURANT'S MODELES SPF.CLLUX Ise FABRIQUE.
J. B. having been honoured with a lint-clan Medal at the Paris
Universal Exhibition, accompanied by the above flattering tea.
Mmonial, respectfully invites the public to an inspection of his
GOLD CTTiS and extensive assortment of JEWELRY, all
made on premities.—JOHN BROODEN, Goldsmith. Mann.
factor'', o. If. Ilemiettsestreet, Covent-gardeu. W.C. Esta-
blished A.D. Meti. Assays made of Chains and Jewelry for ls.
each. N.B. Thin establishment Is closed at 6in the evening, and
es Saturdays at 1 o'clock.

MESSRS. WATHERSTON and SON,
Goldsmiths and Jewellers,
Rare Ready for Inspection a Greet Variety of JEWELLERY,
of the Latest Designs, suitable for
WEDDING PRESENTS and IiKW-YELIVS GUTS.
12. Pail-mall East. S.W.

LONDON must have a SUPPER and MUSIC
noon for Gentlemen. —Remember, we Mat for you at
*IMMO," after the Covent-garden Pantomime, mid the
Thestrea.

t fte eramexig.

TO 00811XSPONDENTS.
Adverttemente intended tor Tbe Koreas" London Evening
, must be at the Odic., 10, Bouveriewireet. by Two
PSYla=k on the day of 'publication.

HAYMARKZI.

Tins Evainto, BROTHER SAM. Messrs. Sothern, Buck-
Woe, and Compton; Mimes Nelly Moore. Snowdon, the.—
ORPHEUS IN THE HAYMAB.KET. Mews Farren dc D. Fisher ;
Misses Keeley, Howard A Wright.—MY HUSBAND'S GHOST.

MECUMS.
THIS &WINO, QUIET LODIIINO9.—AIter which IT IS
DEVER TOO LATE TO MEND. Miura Vining, G. Melville,
T. Mead, D. Murray, b. Calhaam, F. Villiers. J. G. Shore, G. Mur-
ray, and E. Carlimat : Misses L. Moore and IL. Dodgers.

LYCZUM,

THIS ETEiII(G, THE IITIFTIOIIIS STRANGER. Mr. 11.
Widiiicomb.—THE MASTER OF RAVENSWOOD. Slaws.
locator. Jordtn, Vetln. Emery, Widdicomb„ Fitzpatrick, Evan,
Mesdames Taman, Msworthy, Lamm; C. Leclerc%

BETTANWIA.

THIS EVENING. OLD DADDIiT•DRZITEOS AND SIR REGENT
CIRCUS : OR, THE GOLDEN APPLES. —IL end Madame
Stortzenbach.—Signor HovanL—Olniar.—Shower of Golden Rain.
—Johnny Day.—And JESSIE. THE MORMON'S DAUGHTER.

HIGH WATER AT LONDON-BRIDOL
TEM DAT Maiming, 612. 38mi.....Aftegsace. sb. Wm.
To-*0330N --- Nona*" Ni. Ma.— „Altarsook Ws. 4UL

LONDON, MONDAY. JANUARY 22.

THE Metropolitan Police are to be henceforth
jointly responsible with the parochial guardians
fur the proper housing of the London casual poor.
It is thus that the clause in the Houseless Poor
Act authorising the Poor-law Board to " cause
" the wards and other places of reception pro-
" vided according to the said Act to be inspected
" not less than once in every four months,"
is henceforth to be applied, and the in-
spection of workhouse casual wards will for
the future rest with Sir RICHARD MAYNE. We
have no doubt as to the beneficial effect of this
alteration, or that the horribly revolting scenes
recently described as occurring at Lambeth will
be impossible for the future. For we may be
sure that tho " not less than once in four months"
will be liberally interpreted by the autho-
rities at Scotland-yard, and that the work-
houses will be visited with tolerable frequency by
the police. Knowing this, the guardians will
appoint night warders, and order and decency will
be secured.

The condition of common lodging-houses, before
and after they were put under police control, has
been quoted in illustration of the advantages the
public may expect to accrue from this change ;
and it would be difficult to advance a more forcible
argument in its favour. What common
lodging-houses were when unlicensed and
uncontrolled may be estimated by the re-
velations we have recently had made to ue
from the uncertified shed ; what they are now
would astonish such readers as associate squalor,
overcrowding, or discomfort with the rieeling
accommodation provided for threepence or four-
pence a night. There are in London many huge
establishments where for this sum the right of
aitting in a well-lighted, well warmed coffee-room,
the use of a private locker for spare clothes or va-
luables, facilities for cooking food and washing
linen, and the use of marble-topped lavatories, with
an unlimited supply of water, towels, plates, and
knives, are added to the beds for which the few
pence are pa;d. The latter are clean and well-
appointed, and are ranged in chambers, each of
which has a license ticket in its centre, like that
given to passenger vessels by the Board of Trade,
showing how many it is entitled to hold. These
are not charitable institutions. The comforts and
luxuries described spring from free trade and com-
petition, just as the cleanliness and order are due
to frequent supervision and effectual control. By
making overcrowding and inadequate accommoda-
tion illegal, we have so far raised the class fre-
quenting common lodging-houses as to make it ne-
cessary for the proprietors of these establishmenta
to appeal to a sense of order and decency, in-
stead of, as was notoriously the case few
years ago, pandering to the lowest instincts
of their customers. The vicious tramps and vaga-
bonds of the casual ward are doubtless amenable
to the influences which have proved successful
with the vicious tramps and vagabonds of the
lodging-house ; and by forcing parish guardians to
keep the workhouse sleeping places up to the police
standard of decency we take an important step
towards improving the unhappy wretches whom,
despite their revolting speech and conduct, it would
be unwise and inhuman to brand as irreclaimable.

But this is only a portion of the alterations pro-
posed by the Poor-law Board. So far the Act
entitles the central authority to decide upon s
given course, and to apprise the guardians of its
adoption. It is thought, however, that the police
should be appointed to act as assistant relieving
officers throughout the metropolitan district, and
the guardians are " recommended " to avail them-
selves of their services. This suggestion was first
made in 1863 ; it has been carried out at Poplar
and elsewhere, and, from one point of view, with
astonishing success. We learn from the published
return that the police began to act as relieving
officers at the Union just named on the Ist of
December, 1865, and that the^e has been a de-
crease of 68 per cent. between the number of
vagrants relieved in that month and in the pre-
ceding one. It is unnecessary to add that the
official communication made by the Poplar autho-
rities to the Poor-law Board is enthusiastically in
favour of the change. A short time ago the
guardians of a suburban parish outside the metro-
politan district, who have also entrusted the duty
of succouring vagrants to the police, finding the
numbers sheltered to have decreased one half,
promptly voted ten pounds of the pariah money sa
a gratuity to officers who had done their work so
well. Of course, if reducing parochial expendi-
ture be the primary object of legislation, the satis-
faction of Poplar and the liberality of the other
parish are well timed. To some minds a ten
pound note is well invested if it stimulates zealous
policemen into still further reducing the numbers
relieved; and by awarding bonuses on a judiciously
graduated scale, it may be that "no vagrants