The Express.
London, England, 1850-04-23 00:00:00

Zbe Court.

The Ltaten and Prince Albert took a drive yester-
day afternoon in an open carriage and four, the Egnerri. s
in Waiting, Lord Charles Fitzroy and Lieut. Colonel
Francis Hugh Seymour, attending on horseback. Iler Ms-
jetty also walked yesterday in the garden of Buckingham
Palace. Prince Albert rode out on horseback yesterday
morning, attended by Lieut.-Colonel F. H. Seymour. The
Duchess of Kent dined with her Majesty yesterday evening
at Buckingham Palace. Her Royal Highness's Lady in
Waiting (La ly Alma Maria Dawson) and Baroness ea
Spetli had also the honour of joining the royal uianer &Tele
last evening.

The building committee of the ltoyal Commisaion
br the Exhibition of 1951 'set yesterday In the New Palace
of Westminster. Thu,* were present Mr. Cubitt, Mr.
Mr. IL. Stephenson, Mr. C. Cockerel!, Mr. Brunel,
arailar. T. Danallsoc. Mr. Soot, Russell, Secretary to the
!loyal Commission, was in attendance. Mr. M. Digby Wyatt
was also present.
A deputation from the Rochdale Savings Bank,
consisting of Messrs. llolt, Lissey, Barrow, Tattersall, and
Itoberts, accompanied by Mr. Wilson Patten, M.P. Mr.
Will:am Brown, M.P.. Mr. Sharman Crawford, and
Mr. Bright, M.P., had an interview with the Chancellor of
the Exchequer, on Saturday, at his official residence in
Doric/ Areet. _ _ _

Loird-Wtatn cliffe had an interview with Sir George
Grey, yesterday, at the Home oilier.
A deputation, consisting of the Marl of Harrowbv,
Lord Ashley, the Right floe. Sidney Herbert, end S,
Edward Bunton, had an interview with Lord John Russell,
yesterda, at hi, official residence in Downing street. Mr. John Wood, chairman of the Board of Inland '
Revenue, had an interview, yesterday, with the Chancellor
of the Excht quer.
Despateltee from the Governors of the Wet India
oolonitte were received, yesterday, at the Colonial•offiee.
Prince Albert has subscribed OW. towards the
erection of a chapel for the use of " the inmates of the
Uessised Victuallers' Asylum."

Tits IiOSPITAL OF ST. CROSS, &c.—The Itev. ,
the Earl of Guilford has, it is stated, given the
tenants of the livings of St. Mary's, Southampton,
sad of Alresford, Hants, notice to terminate their
leases at Michaelmas next; end it is expected that
his curates in those livings will shortly receive notices
to terminate their engagements at the Mine time.
Hence it is inferred that the reverend earl cents m-
ti4ites resigning hie benefices at that tirne. Lord
ttilford does not, however, make any sign of quit-
ting the mastership of the Uospital of St. Cross, near 1
Winchester, in resp.:ct ce. his abuse of which utlice the
Attorney-Oeneral has filed an information in the
Court of Chancery against him and the Iti4tlnp of
\t i,v•hotor.

VISITS TO THE LONDON RAGGED SCHOOLS.

TDB LAUB AND FLAG."
Many centuries ago, a band of early Christians
from Rome arrived near the metropolis of Pagan Bri-
tain, and planted their standard at Clerkenwell-green.
Situated in the midst of a fair and fertile country
rich in sail and undulating in scenery—their chosen
resting-place, in its green and peaceful repose, was
worthy of their cause and eall.ng.
Time passed on, and a little hostelry arose on the
spot, preserving in its sign—the' Lamb and Flag"—
the remembrance of the sacred mission.
A mach longer period has paned since then, and
everything is changed. The " green" his disappeared
in all but name. Tbe primitive race that peopled it
have disappeared also. The hostelry has become a
flaring and flourishing public house. In place of the
way-worn travellers who were wont to tipple their
ale in the shade outside its porch, the house is
frequented by lounging idle fellows, whose
drink is gin, and whose conversation is
slang. Caravans of pilgrims no longer pass
the spot ; threepenny omnibuses full of
phliegareh
road
de
greomodaerngrosurberatihtaurtee.girfona
pecoiltainheeemrtooanigdpelraftimofytPlirileys, the very air has become lees
pure, and the only sign of the moral progress of the
nineteenth century is the flourishing appearance of
Hicks's-hall.

Wretched as the neighbourhood now is, not many
years ago it was worse. From my own knowledge
of its present state I can readily imagine the truth of
what I hear of its former condition. In Lamb
and Flagcourt, in Bit-alley, in Rees-court, and
in nearly all the back thoroughfares of the district it
was impossible for a resyectable person to pass with-
out being not only insulted but maltreated. The in-
habitants—who consisted, as at present, chiefly of
costermongers—would place their barrows across the
road to step his progress; a species of barricade
which the narrowness of the courts rendered quite
effectual ; besides such minor annoyances as kettles
of hot water, baskets of rubbish, &c., thrown over him
as if by accident. Even the policemen and street
keepers never ventured into many cf these places.
The constqueoce was, that gambling and every
species of vice were carried to a frightful extent;
what would be their end nobody could tell, and
few except the City missionaries seemed to care.
The men and women of the neighbourhood being
in this degraded condition, that of the children may
he imagined. Burn, perhaps, in drunkennets : nur-
tured in filth, and educated in crime, their career and
end could not be contemplated without horror.
It was through the unaided exertions of an indi-
vidual that an attempt was first made, about nine
years ago, to improve the condition of the neighbour-
hood. Mr. Humphreys, the then City missionary of
the district, first turned Lis attention to that portion
of the population who are at once the fruits of pre-
sent, and the ro)t of future evil. Ile lent his aid to
the children as being most to be pitied and most to be
feared.

At his own risk and expense this gentleman
opened a ragged school then a novel ann
almost unknown institution. Iu a small dirty
room, in dimensions about biz feet by seven,
be would collect together on the Sanday some twenty
or thirty of the poor, half naked, half starved, chil-
dren who came across his path; and here, assis.e I by
a few y,..ung men who lent their voluntary exertions,
he hid the foundation of the present institution.
After two years the att. ration of the district visitors of
;he parish was attracted to these proceedings; end
the consequence was, the rising of a subscription,
and the taking of the present premises, which are in
the heart of the worst part of the neighbou:hood, iu
Lamb and Flog .court, a ltt•le to the left of the Ses-
sions-house.

The schoolhouse had been long known as "the
warren." It was the known resort of thieves. Its
occupants had f several get erat ions been sweeps by
calling and burglars by practice. Here boys w're
trained to ascend chimneys, in order to make them
adepts at robberies, the other bran.hes of inch educe-
ti in being at the same time not neglected. But they
were now dislodged, part of the premises rebuilt, and
the school opened.
The condition of the children who first attended is
described u being something horrible.
Regarding their condition at present, I am
bound to say that on the occasion of my visit they
were better dressed and more orderly than the
children of any other school that has come under my
obs;rvation. This has, of course, been a work both of
time and labour.

The system on which this school is conducted differs
in many re-peers front that of most ragged schools,
and is wean a b.ief desc.iption. The school com-
prises three rooms, which are not very large, but are
kept quite clean and well lighted. The lower room.
on the ground floor, is the boys' school; those above
are the girls' school, and the infattre school. These
arc for daily and nightly tuition on certain days;
there are also held in these rooms a Sunday school
and an evening school for &Cults. I believe all
contra are received here; but tl7e school is intended
r specially for the children bclongirg to the neigh-
bourhood, who are expected to attend r.gu-
larly, and conduct themselves with propriety.
Ihe consequeree is that there are no scores
of riot awl confusion such as occur in other institu-
tions. Whether this system provides for the same
class or not—whether the school by this means loses
ifs character of " ragged," and comquently its indis-
criminate application—are other que,tions ; but it
seems impossible to doubt that it confers great benefit
on the class whom it dots provide for—and they are
enough in want of it, heaven knows ! If a pupil per-
severes in a course of impropriety, he is not only ex-
pelled from the school hr the evening, but he is r spelled
' permanently ; and as those only are retuned who
seem capable of receiving gocd impreseions, the turn-
bars belonging to the school are not really so large as
they would be tinier a different system. The fact is,
the boys in this school are more probable than ac.ual
criminals; and its great utility to them—apart from
its educational advantages—is to preserve them from
the effects of that evil example which their own
parents ate in some cases the first to set.
How for this plan has succeeded may be learned
fUM the result of an investigation made by Mr.
White, the honorary secretary of the school, to whom
and to the superintendent I am indebted for most cf
the preceding facts. Mr. White states that the uum-
ber of children who have been in prison once or
oftener previous to attending the school is fbur.
The number of children committed to prison for the
first time after attending the school is one.

The number of children who were previously taken
into curody, and have been re-committed since at-
tending the school, is two.
The number of children who, though forming bad
associations at the ragged school had boen thereby
led into a course of criminal conduct, is returned as
Lone.

Of course the last question is less easily answered
than the three first, because it involves to a greet ex-
tent a matter of opinion, and the negative cannot of
course be proved ; at the same time it is encouraging
to learn that there is no glaring instance of the con-
trary on record.

A similar investigation is in progress at all
the ragged schools in the metropolis, in order to te,t
by figures the truth of re..ent charges which have
been brought against these institutions. As fir as
the above evidence goes, it fully justifies the remarks
in my list letter opon the fact that there are at pre-
sent but 15 ragged school bays in Colbath-fie:ds
prison.

One wrd more upon generalities. The criminal
tables of Mr. ltedgrave, of the Home-office, inform us
that while youths of from 15 to 25 years of age con-
stitute only one-tenth of our whole pipulatioe, they
actually commit ono fourth of the crime of the whole
country. This has been the case only of late years.
The question then arisce,—what is the cause? Mr.
Serjeant Adams, in his recent address to the grand
jury at the Nlitlit,itiex Sessions, gave some statistics
which (as far as London and Middlesex are
concerned) would seem to be a very good
answer. The Larceny Act of 1848, according
Ito these figures, would seem to have some
relation to the evil. According t..) Mr. Serjeant
.tdanset, figures it appears that, iron the Ist August,
1811, to the 3rd July, 1817—the year before the pass-
ing of the LArectiv Act—tlta committals of adults in
London and Middle., x were 4,351 ; of children,
1,056. In the year of the passing of the act the nut,.
her of adults was 4,190 ~ of children, 1,350. Ic. the
following year the adtdte were 3,539; children, 1,275.
' From the Ist August, 1849, to the 31st JarmarT,lBso,
the adults were 1,517 i children, 571.

The geteral increase in the proportion of juvenile
over adult offenders will at once be seen. I find
many gentlemen of experience in ragged schools are
of the same opinion as Mr. Serjeant Adams. The
effect of the act—which increases the summary power
of magistrates to inflict short impriscrimeats— seems
to have been to icereate the empli:e :( re. of b le in
robberies. It is now common for the Oder thieves
to have the direction of such matters, but
to leave their execution to the boys, who are of course
all the more early initiated into vice. The effects of
this, joined to the contamination, not of one, but of
the many prisons to which they have a chance of
being sent, mast be most mischievous—far worse, in-
deed, than the admitted evil of detention in prison
while waiting for trial.
Bet to return to the school in question. The fol-
lowing are some facts and figures retarding its
present condition, which will be contained in the
forthcoming report of the committee. On the books
of the day school there have been during the past
year:—boys, 193; girls, 178; total, 371, averaging
a daily atheadence of 148. Of these lel can read
well in the Old and New Testament; the remainder
can all read a little. Forty can write very well in
copy books ; 96 can write very well on slates
Eighty-two understand common arithmetic. Thirty-
five girls can sew well ; are learning to sew.
Upwards of one hundred garments have been made
in the schools during the past year. :The boys excel
in writing, the girls in reading. The attendance at
the infant school has averaged 70 daily. If the infant
school-room were three times its size it could be easily
filled. The Sunday school attendance is as follows:
boys, 121 ; girls, 136 ; infants, ; rnakirg 29.3. The
average attendance is 14G. 01 these, 92 can read
with various degrees of proficiency ; the remainder
are in the elementary class. 't hey all learn writing
and arithmetic. Some of them write remarkably
well as may be seen by an inspection of the copy
books.
The success of the evening school is much im-
ptited for want of teachers. During the year there
has been an average attendance of 415, an increase of
nearly 150 upon the lest return.
As far as the immediate vicinity of this school is
concerned, I can youth for the improved condition of
the poor inhabitants, which to be sure is bed enough
Mil now; and they do not hesitate to ascribe this
improvement entirely to the school. The opinions
which I heard expressed on the subject were enthusi-
astic in the extreme. It seems that the residents are
principally costermongers, and the onerous duties of
that profession calling them out in the world, the
children are inevitably neglected, unless the parents
are in a condition to pay a person a few daily pence
for taking care of them. As this is a luxury not
always attainable, the usual—that is to say the worst
—consequences follow. The children are left to
choose their own associates and cultivate their own
testes, which naturally leads them to blackguardism.
For these attractions the ragg. d echcol has been
found a very convenient substitute, and is highly
popular both among parents and children. Among
its various uses, its influence upon the parents is not
the least important. The Imost abandoned become
ashamed of being worse than their children either in
conduct or appearance. 'ft e cnnsequences are, nome,
cons instances of reformation which have come under
my own eye, and which I am informed are continually
multiplying. The characteristic of this district is not
so much its poverty as it, demoralisation. The caster-
mongers generally make what to persons in their sta-
tion are very good incomes—at any rate sufficient
to provide for all their wants; and but for the absence
of proper sar.iea7 regulations—which are shamefully
and almost incredibly neglected in this district—their
condition would be pleasant encugh. As it is, their
dwellings are as wretched as can be—infinitely. more
wretched than many would believe, without visiting
them. I consider this fact alone sufficient to account
for half the crime of the neighbourhood, and am not
at all surprised to learn how large a number of the
residents are thieves. I met myself with several
cases of reformation, which the persons themselves
avowed to me were caused by:the school : and I met with
a bad character cf fifty or sixty years standing, whom
it had completely cured. He is new one of the scho-
lane and seems to be masking considerable progress in
his education. Reformation, however, can never be
thorough and effectual in this m ighhourhood until
its sanitary condition is better attended to. Many of
the residents have it in their power to remove to
letter houses, and many would willingly avail them-
, selves of the model lodging-houses; but in these
esta-
blishments the occupants are not alloeed to lit ep 'heir
stock-in.trade and there is 110 eccommedation for the
donkeys which many find necessary tut their roving
ecnimeree. This is a point worth the at:station of
thole interested in improving the dwelliti,-s ef the
poor. In the midst cf these difficulties, however, the
ragged school has rendered effectiee service.

Before concluding, I will refer to cncPrinc:ple in
the management of this w2hool. It has no ir.dustrilil
class for boys. The committee cf.niiier that such
classes interfere with the labour of the rrter in the
neighbourhood, and that the boys can obtain employ.
meat in theirparynts' trade. This is a question on
which there te a great difference of opinion arenas
ragged-school supporters. I cannot but think that,
however successfully such classes may have bo ea dis-
persed with in this neighbourhood, they f:rm, as a
general rule, an important fea'ure of the system. In
the girls' school theta is on industrial Amos which
ettab'es the children, will the assistance of a fund
provided for the purpose, to obtain clothing upau •ery
cheap terms.

GENERAL POST-OFFICE, APRIL, itrnt. I li‘7.ce.-
forward the sale of prietsig., stamps of the value of lad. atd
Is. will be extended to all post-edices the, ughout lb. United
Kingdom.
MONUMENT TO TUE LATE GEORta, EDWARD
ANION, Eau.—A merang has been held at the Vernon
Arms, Sailing, fi r the purpese of taking into consideration
the propriety of erecting a suitable mew tad to the let*
G. E. Anson, H.q. Lord Wat, rpsrk took the chair, and it
was determined that the clerestory wirdows of tie church
of Danbury, the perish where Mr. Anson resided, should be
restored and illuminated. Two hundred piuttds w.ll be
required for the erection of those monumtntal windows.
Before the misting operated nearly 501. ot that sum wan
subscribed and headed to the .reasurer, H. Chewier, Esq.
A MEETING OP TILE CLERGY OP THE EAST OF
LONDON not under archdiaconal jurisdiction was held on
Thursday, the Itith last at the rectory, Stepney, the Rev.
R. Lee. rector rat that parish, it the chair, to consider the
propriety ot addressing the Bishojs of Laudon in referesce to
the late decision of the Committee of Privy Conn, il on the
Gorham use. it wee nv.ved by the Iles. T. T Direly,
rector of repine, and seconded by the It:v. Bryan King,
rector of St. George's in the East, that an address he ore-
sented to the bishop expressive of gratitude to his lot dship
for having withheld hie eoncurrrnee in the ilea inn, use well
a of a destrethat a purely spirt. usl c not us F pima riveht he
established, and that the church be p.rmitted to meet iu con-
vocation for the distenoination of doctrinal questions ; upon
which the follow ir.g amendment was moved by
the Rev. W. W. Champneys, rector of Whitackagel,
and seconded by the ties. 3. Williams, i..eumbent ut St.
James's, Ratchh—" That. caned's/Mg the peewit:it agitated
state of the church and of the world, this MN time is of
opinion that it would be meet conducive to charity and peace
to abstnin from any experesioe of seutimont by en address to
the bishop of the dim, as or to the arebblshop of the pro-
viik.o." A division heeling taken place on this amendment,
the numbers were 25 on such aide. Toe amendment being
declared lost, the original resolution was then put from the
choir, and negatived by a majority of I, the outub,re being
2,1 (inclusive of the chairman's vote) for and 26 aoinst the
proposed address.
HT I BANKRUPT. —At the
Bristol Bankruptcy Coat on Saturday, Charles Green, •
hiker, who applied toe his certiticete, wee wooed by Mr.
Trent rry kw the aseignees on various grounds, one of which
wu that he had, with a view to defraud his creditors, live-
dattd a bill for which he afterwards raid t ur ituyt be-
fore its presumed maturity. It was prove t that although
the bill was doted the Itch of May, the stamp upon which
it we, drawn wee not struck in London until the 4th of
July, and the learned commissioner, Mr Sergeant Stephen,
ord. red the a-tepees to prosecute him her mak-sig, or being
privy to the making, of a false entry in a document with •
view to defraud his estate. There being no estate the trait
order. d the cora to he aeries ed out of the toe.kruptcy funds
in the Berk of Enelamt, and he informed the bankrupt that
his °Deviation would subject him to throe years' imprison-
ment with bud labour.

ANOTtlitit FlNAttelAl. REFORM AtistnivfittN.--
The Kendal Mereury 'militates that a vviety bat been
established under the newel the Ken NI Fir.nnrial Reform).
Associatien, with every prospect of wive usefelores
OL.tett TRAMS ANIt %Iris now TA‘.—Thy
Otowogless trade (says the Grates:mad itS•rerer) onus so
flourishing on the Tyne, but sow so piralv.d, morally
Wilted our feelingsjin timer ut Lied Duncan 's uoti,:it for
a repeat of the window tax, eve .independeutly of its waiters
advantages. There are aims. 2(1 crAwa.glsos houses on the
Tilandin,`t. i which Ulcer. we re formerly manufactured main
to 20,000 " tshles"• weekly. At prevent there ITS
or-ty three hone.. is ()Vexation—sad even this rot.ll heather
r far from being (a/ tintloyed. The broad-glass mama-
IW44.BRITSIOUVaanC"ad f&.l carried on by t-"tice Sae aofotfliSeirlarlige;
•••••ract°,l is ',wifely chorea. Various carats arc aseignetit
for the unpnreneled depression of the giros trade: withMit
etoPPlnit to investigate them, we wrsuld wriussi/ urge
upon the legislature the n..eissity 91 iipealang the taxuputt
windows.