The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-12-21 00:00:00

ROYAL AMPHITHEATRE.

PABLO FAN QUE 'S COMPANY I—GRAND MORNING
PERFORMANCE 1— EVENING (Wednesday), December 21st.
Doors open at One, Commence at Two. ELLA and LEON will
appear. Enthusiastic reception and rapturous applause greets each
appearance of " STOKE'S AMERICAN WONDERS I" ELLA
and LEON, who will appear for Four Nights more, vox:—Tuts
EVENING (Wednesday), Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, Dec. 21st,
22d, 23d, 24th. In the Evening the Doors open at a quarter to
Seven, and Performances commence at half-past Seven. Prices of
Admission : Dress Circle, 3s. ; Side Boxes, 2s, 6d. ; Pit, Is. 6d. ;
Stalls, Is. 6d.; Gallery, 6d. Second Price—Dress Circle, 25.; Sid•
Boxes, Is. 6 ; Pit, Is. ; no second price to Gallery or Stalls.. Second
Price, to Boxes and Pit, at nine o'clock.

ROYAL ADELPHI THEATRE,
Christian Street, Islington.

Tuts Eva:vino (Wednesday) for the BENEFIT OF MRS.
ADA DYAS, the popular Drama of TImE TRIES ALL; Third
Act of HAMLET; HILL AND DYAS AT HALF-
PAST TWO IN THE MORNING; and FAITH
HOPE, AND CHARITY .—ln preparation, the Magnificent
New Serio-Comic PANTOMIME, which will be produced
during the Christmas Holidays, with Gorgeous New Scenery by
Messrs. Mathews and Ramsden, Machinery by Mr. Atkins, and
Appointments by Mr. Gibbs, entitled THE VALE OF GEMS ; or,
lIARLEQUIN AND SINBAD THE SAILOR, AND THR FAIRY
tn, CORAL. GROT. Sinbad, the sailor, Miss Carre, from the Theatre
Royal, Haymarket. Harlequin, Mr. C. Brown. Pantaloon, Mr.
Jackson. Columbine, Miss E. Gibbs. Clown, Herr Teesaie. Sprite,
Signor Sylvaui.—Centre Boxes, 25.; Side Boxes, ls.; Pit tid.; Gal-
lery, 3d.

ROYAL PARK THEATRE.
Parliament-Street, near St. James's Market.

Extraordinary Christmas Attraction.—On MONDAY NEXT, the
28th instant, will be produced a New Magniloquently Grand,
Comical, Local, Operatical, Cabalistical. and Anachronismatical
CHRISTMAS PANTOMIME, entitled.ORMSHEADTna
GREAT; or, HARLEQUIN & JENNY JONES, AND THE
FLOWER OF SNOWDON. Written expressly for this theathre
by the author of " Ye Siege of Leverpole," &c.. with new and beauti-
ful scenery, by Mr. John Wright. from her Majesty's Theatre, Mr.
Liver, and assistants; properties by Mr. Jackson; dresses by Mr.
West and assistants; and the whole produced under the immediate
superintendence of the Lessee, Mr. R. Edgar. Snowdrop, the Fair
Plower of Snowdon, with a few " airs " nhich the author has thrust
upon her, Miss Marriott; Lushisne, a doubtful specimen of a Fairy,
afterwards Clown, Mr. J. Appleby; Davydd Jones, an ancient Briton,
Mr. Wilmore, afterwards Pantaloon, Mr. P. Anderson, from the
Theatre Royal, Drury-lane; Edward Morgan, with a " terrific com-
bat," Mr. S. Lennox, afterwards Harlequin, Signor Guarrino, from
her Majesty's Theatre; Jenny Jones, the Flower of North Wales,
Mrs. J. Appleby, afterwards Columbine, Mad'lle Rose, from the
Theatre Royal, Edinburgh ; Sprite, Signor Vilderini, the wonderful
contortionist from the Theatre Royal, Drury-lane. The remainder
of the characters by the entire Dramatic and Pantomimic artistes
attached to the establishment. forming the most complete and
powerful cast ever submitted to a Liverpoot public. The
Pantomime will he preceded by a grave E. hode, lin which the
shades of Joe Miller and the Author will have very lively representa-
tives. Doors open at half past six, to commence at seven o'clock pre-
cisely. Prices of admission.—Dress Boxes, Ss.; Front Boxes, 25.
Pit, 15.; Gallery, tld. Half-price to tie Boxes at Eine o'clock.
Books of the Pantomime may be obtained at the Theatre.

HIGH WATER IN THE MERSEY.
THIS DAY—Morning, 2h. 27m .... Afternoon, 2h. 47m.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1853.

THE Russian invader progresses with fearful
strides. One work of carnage is scarcely recorded
before another and another tale of butchery is
told. The accounts received from Kalafat add
legions of slain to the slaughter of Sinope. Nothing
short of base treachery could accomplish such
works of death. Fools and knaves execute a
stratagem with the same effect. The fool or knave
who suffered a convoy composed chiefly of trans-
ports to pass unguarded close under the guns of
the enemy's fleet, should be publicly tried and
punished for his foolery or knavery whichever it
may be. But there is treachery surrounding the
unhappy Turkish people both in this and their
own desolate country.

Previous to the destruction of the Turks at
Sinope, no one ever heard of a Russian fleet in
the Black Sea of such magnitude as that which
"Nirti.4 launched, as if by magic, upon the poor
Turks:::. How came such an armament in the
Black Sea, is a question that must be an-
swered. 'What was the coxcomb Admiral SLADE
about, to allow his enemy such a license as to
enable him to have such a flotilla moving about
at pleasure, and without the remotest prospect of
o,Mole;tltikon? As for the conduct of Admiral
:14blii. in this appalling affair, all England must
blush with shame. The martial dove of•the ABER-

DEEN school was showing the olive branch where
peace and safety reigned(!) He had never heard of
a Russian flotilla in the Black Sea, and if he had,
it may account in some measure for his remaining
in the Bosphorus.
The French Admiral stands before the world in
the Turkish seas as the representative of a warlike
nation and a warrior dynasty, and whatever his
derelictions of duty may be, they will be discovered,
and although he may escape the penalties of the
French articles of war, his standing as a French-
man and a sailor is for ever-gone. If he knew of
the existence of such a force in the Black Sea as
the Russians sent to the battle of Sinope, he was
bound to report it to his Government ; and if he
did not know it, the common sense of his country-
men will soon require to know how it was that he
was ignorant of the fact, and if he did know it,
how it was that there was not one French ship of
war sent to watch the movements of so formidable
a force. The French press may be muzzled on
this business—the telegraphs may be bought over
—the honour of the French nation may be tar-
nished, but still there are men in France who will
brave the gibbet to exonerate the French nation,
and to throw the guilt of such gross culpability on
the right shoulders.
As for our fleet, they are as independent of public
opinion as the Russian AUTOCRAT. It obeyed the
orders of a political chief. " The politician
was informed of the exact position of the Russian
forces in the Black Sea, and if he choose to leave
them to do as they pleased, we are not responsible
for that," will, in all probability, be the reply of
the " British Heroes" of the Bosphorus. But this
will not be enough. Admiral DUNDAS either knew,
or he did not know, of the existence of Russian
flotilla's in the Black Sea, and it was his duty to
have kept a watch on its movements. If he had
positive orders not to do so, then, indeed, we know
what the verdict of the world will be, and on whose
shoulders the terrible responsibility rests. That
such a direful event should have caused the dis-
memberment of our Cabinet is not a matter of
surprise—but if it ends with the mere retirement
of Lord PALMERSTON from Her Majesty's Govern
ment, we shall not be a little amazed.

There is yet, we believe and trust, some one Eng-
lishman in the House of Commons who is capable
of giving expression to the national voice of his
country on this most tragical war, and the means
by which Russia has been enabled to carry forward
her aggressions on the Turkish territory. if
England had no material interests at stake in the
question of the SULTAN'S independence, surely as
a land boasting of the Christian religion, and filled
with temples devotedto the inculcation cf the bless-
ings of obedience to the Divine law, and the mer-
cies shown by the Creator to allmen, we ought, to be
consistent with ourselves, and rise and denounce
the monster who sends forth thousands of armed
demons to plunder and murder a people who
have offered no justification, even if justification
were possible. Praying and preaching are only talk
when they fail to accomplish great ends, and to
en force moral obligations.

Spendingmillions upon churches whose ministers
shrink from the duty of telling those in "high places"
their guilt, is nothing more than squandering so
much treasure upon hypocrisy, which it would be
better to throw into the sea. If the clergy of
Europe had done their duty, the CZAR of Russia
would not be able to-day to find 500,000 men ready
to cut throats at his command. In trying to coun-
teract the power of such horrible monsters, it is not
to the profligate and abandoned classes of human
profess to make morality their study, and religion
their vocation. It is on those that humanity has a
claim. From our pulpits and sanctuaries the
nation ought to be roused against " battle,
murder, and sudden death." •Every church pro-
fessing the Christian religion, ought to be able to
produce a Samuel, but where shall we find one
to-day ?
Where shall we turn to look for one who would
venture to face the CZAR and denounce him as a
murderer to his teeth ? Half the world are boast-
ing of the courage of missionaries who penetrate
into the wildest parts of the globe to spread the
Gospel before savage nations, but throughout the
whole of Europe we have not heard one word from
the Churches about Russia's violation of the laws
of GOD. Oh ! no, "we leave that to the civil
governors of the State," is the saintly reply when
the cause of mercy is urged.
" Lord ABERDEEN is a good man. He will not
abandon the Turks you may be sure," is the next
cool assurance we receive at the
_very moment
thousands are being slaughtered. Here, then,
when we can find nothing in the shape of succour for
humanity out of Churchisms or Stateisms, what is
to be done. A broken Ministry may be cobbled up,
but it will crack—leak—break—and very shortly
stand without a soul. The people of England
stand aghast, appalled, and silent, while the popu-
lar mountebanks, who generally rush on the stage
when such opportunities present themselves, appear
to have departed this life and left the stage free
for despotism to carry on its work of death.
Under these circumstances, it would be almost
absurd to hold out any hope of the Turks escaping
extermination at our hands. Lord ABERDEEN may
say what he pleases ; but the eyes of the whole
civilised world are upon England in this Turco-
Russian question, and a few more Turkish disas-
asters may prove too much for all his great powers
of restraint, and the cause of humanity may find
succour in lands where the " Travelled Thane of
Aberdeen" has never stood.

THE observations which we recently offered on
the subject of Female Prostitution have fortu-
nately awakened interest in some quarters on a
question of such amazing imi:ortance. We again
bring this topic prominently before our readers,
with the hope that vigorous and combined efforts
might be made both to reclaim the unhappy wan-
derers from the path of virtue, and to prevent the
alarming progress of so frightful an evil as prosti
tution.

If there be one class of society more deserving
than another of human sympathy and uniform
kindness, it is that to which fallen women belong.
But what is the fact? Are not the unfortunate
victims of man's perfidy visited with the most signal
chastisements ? Like the plague-stricken in olden
times, they are virtually banished from out the pale
of civilised life, whilst there exists no City of
Refuge to receive them. Society has been a swift
and terrible NEMESIS in avenging on the compara-
tively innocent that retribution merited by itself.
Having created both the vice and the victim, it re-
morselessly and hypocritically condemns the one
and punishes the other—forgetful of its own crimi-
nality. The general practice, has been that when
once a woman lost her virtue, no matter under
what circumstances, she was invariably placed
under a ban for life. No extenuation was allowed
for her guilt, and wherever she wandered the pe-
nalty of her sin haunted her like a ghost ! Many
now see the injustice and cruelty of such conduct,
and are' endeavoring to plead the cause of these
forlorn and miserable creatures. And for ourselves
we see no reason why many who now walk about our
streets may notbe made good and virtuous citizens
We are convinced that in the majority of instances,
women resort to a vicious course of life more from ue-

cessity than choice. We have conversed with many
poor girls who, after experiencing for twelve or six-
teen months the miseries attendant upon a profligate
course of life, would gladly free themselves from
such wretchedness—if they could. But what door
is open to them? Where are they to go ? What
are they to do ? One of three courses they must
take—to beg, starve, or prostitute their persons !
There is no alternative. The last is generally pre-
ferred as a dernier ressort !

Let us trace the career of a young girl fresh with
life—with generous impulses—fervent passions—
trusting heart. An arch fiend in the shape of a
seducer—damned name !—crosses her path. Bent
upon his nefarious and infernal purpose he em-
ploys every ag,ful stratagem to decoy and allure by
base promises and villanous pretentions. . She
listens—women will listen !—to the Syren's tale.
When lie has got the ear he has gained the heart.
She believes—women will believe !—the hypo-
critical protestations and avowals of honorable love.
She repudiates, perhaps. resents the first attempts
upon her virtue. All her womanly feelings rush
like an armed garrison to resist the invader of
her honour ! However she becomes foiled at last ;
and in an unguarded moment passively yields to
the base desires of her heartless betrayer 1

"Ah me ! how weak a thing
The heart of woman is."
Having obtained his end the vile seducer speedily
deserts his victim and goes in pursuit of other
inglorious conquests. She is left helpless and for
lorn. Remorse succeeds. Rumours are rife to her
discredit. The story of her downfall is whispered
in every house—and abroad she ceases to be recog-
nised by her former friends and acquaintances.
Her parents abuse—her sisters despise her. 'She
quits her home, being no longer able to abide the
obloquy under which she suffers. She takes up
her residence in one of our large towns. Natural
wants press hard upon her ; and to save herself
from abject destitution or positive starvation, is
induced, though with agony of heart, to prostitute
her body. After a little she becomes inured to
her new course of life ; and hides her remorse
in " smiles and affability." Every day makes
her more experienced in the ways of vice.
She must needs qualify herself for her wretched
position—and there are always tutors enough
unhappily at hand to corrupt the as yet
untainted mind. Irregular living and loathsome
disease soon enfeeble her constitution. Sick or well
she follows her unholy pursuit ; and rejoices in
being able to avenge her wrongs by becoming the
ministrant of untold miseries to man ! The syste-
matic cruelties and barbarities of the opposite sex
fill her soul with indescribable loathings, and she
hates the being whom she is compelled to caress.
0, none but GOD alone can describe the miseries of
this lost one ! Though her bosom is generally
steeled against every virtuous impulse, there are
times when remorse pierces her very soul, and she
thinks of the past with feelings bordering upon
madness. Her , feigned joyousness produces ter.
rible reection, and render her solitary hours un-
endurable :

" Sorrow concealed, like an oven stopp'd,
Doth burn the heart to cinders where it is."

Society has cursed her in every step of her career;
and she grows sick and weary of existence. The
Present can scarcely be borne ; but the future is
too terrible a vision for her to dwell upon. She
knows nothing of her family—of the bland villain
who seduced her—they know less, perhaps care
less, about her. By and by sorrow, debauchery,
and disease, do their horrible and deadlY, work.
Nail gal -eYed, anliercrikeklai
and pallid-visaged woman ! Fresher and younger sub-
j ects take her place ! She sinks lower and lower, and
becomes more and more degraded and abject; and
ere she reaches the prime of life, is already brooding
hopelessly in some miserable garret over her wretch-
edness, the candidate for a parish coffin, and
a dishonoured grave I Could her seducer but
see her now what would be his feelings ?—what
his pangs ?

" 0, had the monster seen those lily hands
Tremble like aspen leaves,
He would not then have touch'd them for his life !"

Surely this is no over-drawn or exaggerated case.
If anything it is not graphic enough; for language
fails to paint the miseries and horrors which fallen
women endure ! How many even never wait for
natural death to ease them of the burden of life,
but rush madly to the Thames or the Mersey, as
to LETHE'S stream, to seek relief for their unendur_
able anguish !

Something should be done for this unfortunate
class of our fellow-creatures more than has ever
yet been attempte'l. The agencies at work to re-
claim such are both insufficient and defective ; and
we have known one or two private individuals in
the metropolis to effect more good than public
institutions of name and standing. Magdalene
Asylums, for the most part, are ill-conducted.
Penitent women are therein subjected to harsh
usage and inconsiderate treatment. There is no
classification of the inmates adopted. And a
woman, no matter how well educated or brought
up, is made to work as diligently and laboriously
as others who have been all their lives trained to
the washing-tub and the mysteries of the scullery.
The natural ornament of the hair is cruelly cut or
shaven off—all are clothed alike in a kind of prison
costume—and altogether subjected to a discipline
fully, if not more strict than that employed in our
"model prisons." The natural consequence is,
that continuous confinement and hard work de-
stroy constitutions already enfeebled by an evil
course of life—consumption is engendered, and
ere the probationary period terminates, num-'
bers fall victims to this insidious disease. A
milder regime might have saved their lives. We
have now learned to treat our criminals and
maniacs mercifully; shall we continue an opposite
policy with regard to those who have even far more
claims upon our sympathies ?

It must be understood that in our remarks we
have no intention to speak disparagingly of the
Institutions of this town for the reclamation of
fallen women. In truth we know little or nothing
of their internal government, except what we have
casually learnt from poor girls in the street, with
whom we make it a point occasionally to converse.
We think, however, that the Benevolent Institution
is perhaps the more mildly conducted of the two,
and perhaps less objectionable. Howove,r we
cannot deviate from the opinion heretofore ex
pressed that such Asylums are quite unequal to
the duty they ostensibly labour to perform. Be-
sides there is a very strong, an& if possible, grow-
ing objection to them on the part of the Magda-
lenes themselves. A physician, for several years
connected with a Lock Hospital, lately informed
us that he had, in the course of his long expe-
rience, never met with ore of this class who
would not, as an alternative, have preferred a
prison to a penitentiary ! A poor young girl, an
evening or two ago, confessed to us as much, and
stated that the same opinion was entertained, as
far as she could judge, by the majority of her
fallen sisters. Nov, we do not adduce these state_
ments in order to bring Magdalene Asylums into.
disrepute, or to withdraw public support from them.
Our only aim and object is, to bring about some-
thing better than what exists at present ; and we

THE NORTHERN DAILY TIMES.