The Express.
London, England, 1866-11-10 00:00:00

WESTMINSTER.

A well-dressed, middleagedecrw;;an was brought be-
fore Mr. Selfe charged with having been found drunk and
incapable of taking care of herself at Chelsea, on Thurs-
day night.
John Young, 334 B, proved finding the defendant at 12
o'clock on Thursday night in Catherine-street, Westmiu-
minster. She was creating some disorder, and he told her
to go away, but she was incapable of doing so.
Mr. Selfe—What do you say to this?
Defendant—l am disgusted with myself.
Mr. selfe—You feel your position?
Defendant—l do. I feel that I have disgraced myself
very much, but it all arose through my lodging at a very
respectable house, where the charges were high.
Mr. Selfe—How was that!
Defendant—l only came from North Wales the night
before last, and my luggage is now at the Paddington
station. I went to a very respectable house to sleep, but
they charged so much for the bed that I thought they
would charge a great deal for the breakfast, so I came
away without any, and that's how I got here.
Mr. Selfe—l can hardly understand you.
Defendant— Why. I had no breakfast, and I had a glass
of what they call bitter ale ; then I met some old friends,
and took a little gin and water, and became suddenly
overpowered. I really don't know what was the matter
with me.
Mr. Salle—The policeman appears to have arrived at
an unfavourable conclusion. Be says that you were in-
toxicated.
Defendant—Oh, yes. I really am thoroughly ashamed
of myself. I suppose it was the mixture of the gin-and-
water and the ale.

Mr. Selfe—Very probably.
Defendant—You will let me go. as lam a stranger in
London. lam very respectable, I assure you.
Mr. Selfe—Respectable ladirs from the country had
better not take bitter ale and gin-and-water until it takes
effect upon them. You must p. 7 Ev. I hope it won't
occur again.
Defendant—Oh dear me, I hope not.
THAMES. -

Mr. Parker, the muter of the Stepney union workhouse,
at Bromley, in Middlesex, where several vagrant boys had
been detained for a week, addressed the magistrate yester-
day, and said he wished to know whether boys sent to the
union house for temporary detention should be treated as
paupers or prisoners. If they were to be treated as
paupers he could not be responsible for their safe custody,
as the yards and exercising grounds were exposed ; if as
prisoners, he must either lock them up or take their clothes
away and keep them in bed. He should not like to incur
a penalty if boys sent to the union house for begging made
their escape.
Mr. Partridge said he thought the application made by
Mr. Parker to his colleague, Mr. Paget, on Monday last,
was done for the purpose of throwing difficulties in the
way of a most useful act of parliament, the 19th clause of
which enabled magistrates to send children to workhouses
for a term not exceeding seven days, while inquiries were
made respecting them, or the fittest reformatory or indus-
trial school to send them to. The recent act was an ex-
tension of the 20th and 21st Victoria, cap. 411, entitled "An
Act to make better provision for the care and education of
vagrant, destitute, and disorderly children, and for the ex-
tension of industri I schools." He would read the preamble
of that act, which was most important, and ought to be
generally known. " Whereas, industrial schools for the
better training of vagrant children have been and may be
established in various parts of England, and
it is expedient that more extensive use should be made
of such institutions, and that the responsibility of
parents to provide for the proper care of the children
should be enforced." The new act contained various
clauses for the more effectual carrying out of the provi-
sions of the former act, and according to his view the
legislature had adopted the most desirable course in enact-
ing that destitute, vagrant, and mendicant children should
not be sent to a prison at all, but to • workhouse, in the
first instance. Sending children to a prison made them
what was commonly called gaol birds. If sent to a work-
house and properly taken care of no injurious effects would
ensue. The legislature intended, and most wisely, that
the workhouse authorities should take care of destitute
and mendicant children, and in doing so to look st all the
surrounding circumstances. Guardians of the poor ought
emphatically to the guardians of neglected children
=nitrate' did not make the law but they must
it oat, and a similar duty devolved on union and
authorities. If there were not proper plane for children
in the workhouses it was the duty of the guardians to pro-
vide them, and they would be guilty el grime neglect if
=id not do a The eommisamers of polies. wore
prooestliaige to elate the streets el vs/pat children.