The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-01-17 00:00:00

" ITALY AS IT IS."

Signor Saffi delivered a lecture at the Literary Institu-
tion, Edwards street., Portman square, on Thursday, on
" Italy as it is." He came there, he said, to plead a
cause upon which the descendants of Cromwell and
Milton were well calculated to pass judgment. Before
his countrymen could fulfil the task they had undertaken,
their country must exist as a nation, and that was the
question between them and their rulers. They felt that
from Sicily to the Alps they were bound together by
common suffering and for a common end, to obtain a na-
tional government that would rule them all, and secure
them common laws end common education, and enable
them to fulfil common political and social duties. In
Italy brute force was struggling with intellect, and
it was said by Prince Metternich th et Italy was
erased from the European map He asked his
audience to imagine what they would feel if such lan-
guage had been used in reference to their country by an
Austrian statesman. Would it not quicken their in-
tellects to solve the problem for the solution of which
the Italians are struggling. They were endeavouring to
uphold the cause of truth against a lie, and the cause of
God against an idol. He felt, it was a solemn thing to
come to England to plead the sacred cause of his country
before an English tribunal, and to arouse their indigna-
tion by detailing the sufferings that were inflicted on his
countrymen by the Austrian executioners for proving
their devotion to their native land. He called the
attention of his audience to the state of Italy in former
times, and to the effect produced by the exercise of the
temporal sovereignty of the Pope, It was useless,
however, to describe the struggle between the liberty
which the church had originally sown in the hearts of
Christian nations, and the temporal despotism for which
she had afterward contended. The church was the true
stumbling block of Italian nationality, because by
calling in foreign aid, she had substituted the brutal
right of conquest for the medieval law and constitution
of the country. He took a review of the state of Italy
on the eve of the French revolution, and referred to the
hopes excited amongst the Italians by the inter-
vention of the French Republicans. But, alas,
they allied themselves with the French only to be
deceived, and the French alliance ended in a new sla-
very. He adverted to the deeds of the Italians in former
times, and reminded his audience that in 1848 the mo-
dern Italians did not fail, so far as courage was con
cerned, to imitate the example of their forefathers,
while the Italian contingent in the Crimea were not
unworthy to fight side by side with the heroes of Inker-
mann. He described with minuteness the tyranny of
Austria, the subserviency to that power of many of the
Italian governments, and declared that since the marriage
of the King of Naples with an Austrian princess the
dynasty of Naples had become a lieutenancy of the House
of Hapsburgh. It might eppear strange to religious
minds that such an amount of evil should go on for such
a time, in a Christian country, without the slightest
interference of the church to prevent it. The simple
statement of the fact was the greatest evidence of the
moral death of the Roman Catholic hierarchy. He was
of opinion that the people of Catholic countries must
work out their own moral and religious liberty by means
of their own making. There were aspirations in those
countries quite ready for a new religious creation—
aspirations which, especially in Italy, spread through
numerous links of charity between the suffering clergy
and the suffering people. In conclusion, he announced i
that in his second lecture he will refer to "Italy as it s
to be."

FIRE, ACCIDENT, AND DEATH FROM SUFFOCATION AT
DUNBLANE.— On the night of Monday last, a fire broke out
in an attic room, in which an old woman of the name of
Bell resided, at the Bridge End, Dunblane. An alarm was
immediately given, the public bells were rung, and numbers
of the inhabitants proceeded to the scot. Whilst endea-
vouring to assist, a young man, a baker, named ArchiLid,
Edie, who had ascended to the roof of the house, lost his
balance and fell to the ground, a height of two sz,oreys
besides that of the attics. He sustained rather severe, but
we trust not fatal injuries, and was carried home on a litter
to his brother's house in Kirk Street. The tire was subdued
through the activity of those assembled without much
damage having been done. We regret to state, however,
that the dead body of the aged woman in whose room the
fire originated was found, her death having been caused by
suffocation.—Glasgow Daily Afetii

LIVERPOOL RAGGED SCHOOL UNION,

The annual meeting of the friends of the Liverpool
Ragged School Union was held last night in the Phil-
harmonic Hall. The. Lord Bishop of Chester presided,
and there was a most numerous attendanee. Among the
clergymen and gentlemen on the platform, were the
Revs. Dr. S. Minton, V. M. White, J. Kelly;
Major Greig ; Messrs J. Cropper, T. Reay, J R. Brougham,
T. D. Anderson, 3. Steains, E. Heath, C. Bushekl Abra.
ham, J Williams, &c.
The Chairman said : My friends, before I call upon
the secretary to read to you the report of the society's
proceedings.
I wish to be allowed to express for myself
the great pleasure I feel in being among you upon this
occasion. When I received an invitation from the
committee to be present here, I felt it to he my duty
and my pleasure to accept the invitation. I look upon
the institution of these ragged schools in Liverpool to be
a credit to the gentlemen who have established them,
and I sincerely trust and hope that this may prove a
lasting benefit and blessing to the place. At the present
time there is perhaps no subject to which the public
et,ention has been more directed lately than to the pre-
dlence of crime, and to the means of diminishing it
(Hear, hear.) Certainly every friend of our country,
every friend of religion, must feel both grief and shame
when be lonics at the extent to which crime unhappily
does prevail. I have no wish to throw any veil over it,
hut still I am willing myself to believe that our own
generation is not worse thin former times. lam willing
to believe that crienee is not more frequent, at least in
proportion to the increased population of the country.
(Hear, hear,) We must bear in mind thin too, that the
amount of actual crime is now far more fully
as'eeriained than it was in former days. We
have a far more efficient system of police, and by
this meansa much greater proportion of offenders against
the laws are detected, and are brought to justice : and
again. the cases of all these criminals, at least all the
worst cases, are brought far more extensively under the
public eye by means of the immense circulation of our
newspapers at the present day. Now, my friends, hear
in mind, in cimparing the present with the past, that
these are all circumstances which swell aed blacken the
catalogue of crime, and give an impression that crime is
on the increase—give an impression that the world is
g, owing worse. Now, I have always felt a pleasure, and
I have not felt myself often mistaken, in looking at the
bright rather than at the dark side of things ; and I am
ritring to, hope that after all the world is growing better.
) But, Whatever may be the case as to that, we
,must all oT us feel deeply that there is in the worll, evil
;more than enough to sadden all our hearts, and to call
,forth our united efforts to provide, if it be possible, any
;means of remedy. About that there can be no doubt;
,and when we speak of remedies—when we speak of
'checking crime—no doubt it is natural for us in the first
place to look to the power of the law as the most direct
check. We cannot dispense with its wholesome terrors.
The law is the necessary safeguard of property and of
life. But while justice does not hold the sword in vain,
there are still, happily, other remedies which
humanity and mercy may apply. (Hear, hear.) Even
tiphile the law itself punishes, it may seek to reform
'criminals; and I am very willing myself to believe that
much good is now effected in that way by the improved
system of prison discipline throughout our country.
(Elear, hear.) And as respects the place where we are
,now met, I am glad to have this opportunity to express
,my own opinion that the management of the borough
gaol of Liverpool is such as to reflect credit on the ma-
gistrates, credit on the chaplains, credit on all who are
concerned in its direction , and lam very willing to
believe that many prisoners leave that gaol, after the
religions instruction they receive there, in a better frame
of mind than that in which they entered it. (Hear, and
applause.) But, my friends, we cannot shut our eyes
to the painful fact, too manifest, that many leave it no
better, well if they do not leave it even worse. (Hear,
hear.) And it is a very difficult thing to make any
impression upon a mind which has been long hardened
by habits of delibrate crime. If we wait until then
to begin our work, we shall find, in most cases, that we
have waited too long. We shall find that in this, as' in
Most other cases, prevention is not only better but very
mu h easier than cure. Aud this is the thing which
;introduces the principle of our ragged schools.
Our ragged schools take up the young, take
them up while the disposition is still pliant,
while the heart is still tender. There is, there-
. fere, humanly speaking, and under God's blessing,
greater hope that a right direction may be given, and a
right impression made upon the heart. Bssides this,
bear in mind that our ragged schools take up a class
entirely their own—a class of outcasts who, but for the
ragged schools, would never have been brought within the
reach of any culture or education. For, remember, that
the ragged school is not intended to drain off scholars
from other schools, but to open an asylum for those who
belong to no school at all. (Hear, and applause.) Now,
my friends, only consider what the condition of those
little outcasts must have been had no ragged schools
been open for them to go to. They must necessarily
.have been left to run about the str tets or the docks in'
idleness or in mischief, without oversight, without con-
trol, receiving from their parents either no instruction or
it may be instruction' only in the arts of fraud and
wickedness indrvice. (Hear, hear) And what do your
schools do ? What change do they make in the condi-
tion of these 'little outcasts ? They are gathered into
your schools, they are taught habits of order, of decenci,
of obedience, a great matter, if it went no farther.
(Hear.) They are taught also the rudiments, the
common elements of useful learning. They are taught
also—for this is the thing which makes me feel at home
here, and glad to join not only with the brethren of my
own church, but with the brethren of all denominations
(applause) —they are taught to read their bible—.
they are taught to know their duty to God and
Man—they are taught to know and to love our Lord
and Saviour Jesus Christ. (Applause). Now, nay friends,
this is the blessing which these 'ragged schools offer to
those poor outcasts of society. They are trained up, so
far as human training, under God's 'blessing, can, avail ;
they are trained up in the way in which they should go;
and we may hope, as it is said in God's own word, that
all of them at any rate will not forsake the way in which
they have been trained. (Hear, heir). We may hope that
m my of them will live to be useful members of society,
serviceable to others, happy in themselves, happy in this
world, happy in the world that is to come. (Applause).
My friends, in the little, lowly, ragged groups in those
schools which you encourage, there may be some heart
e pregnant with celestial fire"—some heart in which the
inborn element of genius slumbers, and only awaits the
touch of education to elicit its bright flame. (Applause).
But, more than that, there is in every heart the seed of
immortality, which, by the knowledge of God's word, and
by the blessing of God's grace, may spring up into
eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Renewed
applause). It is for these reasons,' my friends, that I
have felt it both my duty and my pleasure to come here.
and to assure you of the cordial sympathy with which I
shall ever join in any effort which is made in this great
movement in Liverpool to gather in the outlying portions
of the ponulation of this place—to bring them within the
reach of human sympathy. of civilisation, and above all,
within the reach of the influence of God's blessed word
and truth. (Applause.) Having said these few things,:
not from a wish to occupy your time, but lest I should
seem wanting in respect had I not said a few words
before I proceeded to what is my proper business marked
out for me, I shall now, with your permission, call
upon the secretary to read to you the report and the
treasurer's statement.

The Secretary then read the following
REPORT.
" The cbmmittee of the Ragged School Union, in this,
the ninth report of their proceedings, are gratified with
being able to state that during the past year an addition
has been made to the number of scholls in connection with
the society, carrying with it a corresponding increase in the
attendance of the children. The following table, made out
in the usual form, gives the narticul irs
No:: on Average Able Obtain-
the atten to ed situa- No. of .
Books. ante. read. tine, Teachers
Ig Evening Schools 2972 2523 1360 278 228
10 ,abbath schools l3ll 1193 595 .. 115
8 Day and infant schools 1504 1185 578 16
2 Industrial schools

Echools.

39 (Total 1957)..
34 ( 1156)..

... 5957 5069 2670 332 Wg
... 5518 4166 2494 219 359

Increaqe
49 903 173 113
Deduct for children who
may be said to attendl 40 30 2v• •
more than one school

Actual increase for the year 399 873 146 • • • •
In" 1849, the da.e of the first report issued by the society,
the number of schools was 15, with an average attendance
of 2480 children ; but of these 15, called ragged schools at
that time, Several' would not hive been admitted i'to the
catalogue. While, therefore, the committee, in the increase
and success attending on their labours, have great reason
to thank God, and take courage, they yet remain deeply
impressed with the inadequacy of the schools, in point of
number, to overtake the education (using the word in its
humblest sense), of the many thousands (estimated sev:n
years ago at 15,000 to 20,000) in this largo town, who are
passing from childhood to mature age, in a state of utter
ignorance, except' of what is evil. In respect of the work
to be done, there is indeed great ,room for increase of
schools. The committee hope that the same capacity of
multiplication will be found to exist in the pecuniary means,
and in the labourers. The evening schools are those which
of course may be the most readily increased. Conducted
at a small expense; it requires also little comparative

effort to organise them ; the clfef difficulty being the
procuring of voluntary teachers. Would to God
'that 'every Christian corgregation in Liverpool would
undertake to add to its permenent institutioos
also the ragged school, aided, if nqt entirely carried on,
by voluntary teachers. What an addition would then be
made to that noble staff of young men and women who have
already given themselves to the self denying work of seek-
ing to shed some rays of light on the benighted minds of
poor children, of whom it'mai be too truly said." they are
perishing for lack of knowledge." Several such congre-
gational ragged schools do already exist in Liverpool, so
admirably systematised as to provide for every class of
destitute children, whether it be those who ranee the streets
by day, begging or stealing for a livelihood, or those wild
earn a precarious but honest living by selling chips, grit.
stones, &c, or the neglected infants left to thtechancee of the
streets and wayfarers. In the districts where happily sue
congregational ragged schools exist, there is no longer any
real necessity_ for a single resident child to be without
education and care. In the foregoing table the two
refermatories, namely, the Akbar floating ship for boys, and
the house in the Park for girls, are not included, as they
chiefly undertakelo receive children sent by the magistrates ;
but the committee would 'draw particular attention to the
liberal assistance which the Government is now able and
willing to make to schools where food or industrial training
is given. The general benefits, as well as the education,
conferred on destitute children in the industrial
school are altogether of a more thorough and per-
manent character than can be effected in the evening
school; but, on other hand, the former is more costly,
and in its working calls for still greater vigilance and dis-
crimination on the part of its managers. At all times the
proper children for ragged schools must be sought far, and
in proportion as the schools rise in their character, whether
in respect of meterial benefits, such a 3 food and clothing,
or the style of the instruction given, so do they become
attractive to a class of parents who, not neglecting but
caring for their children's welfare, find their way as appli-
cants to the cemmittee room It is very difficult for those
who must decide upon such applications to refuse them, but
experience has shown that, if tpo readily complied with,
the proper, sense of duty in the parent's mind becomes
dimmed, and a school filling with a more comfortable class
of children will, in the long run, practically exclude
the right class. Deeply impressed with the necessity of
counteracting these tendencies, the committee, both in their
personal visitations and through their zealous superin-
tendent, constantly inculcate the necessity of limiting the
admission t those children .who are debarred from all
other means of instruction, and endeavour to impress on
the conductors of ragged schools that the real qualifications
of the ragged child are precisely those which would
disentitlo him to be admitted into all other schools. In the
ragged schools should be congregated, if they exist (and
where do they not exist in large towns ?) the neglected
offspring of the drunkard and other wretched Hide ones to
whom the night asylum, the brickfield, or the outhouse often
present the only shelter—cast away from infancy, scarcely
knowing their own names, and quite ignorant of their
parents; to these may be added the children of the poor widow
earning with difficulty a precarious livelihood ; and in the
evening schools especially should be found among the boys
and girls, loftily engaged for ,good or evil during the day,
the little shoe blacks, who may be seen plying their vocation
chiefly in the vicinity of ,the docks and leading thorough-
fares. Most, of the children who have obtained situations
are acquitting themselves well. Letters, from several have
at different periods come under the notice of the committee,
in which the writers ascribe the comforts and position they
were enjoying to their training in the ragged school.
Other children have been drafted into superior schools,
whence, at a later period, they have emerged creditably
into active life. A few, also, who had gone to sea or
emigrated; have, after a lapse of time, presented themselves
well dressed, and wonderfully improved, to their teachers and
friends, who remembered them when in tatters and rags,
There is a growing desire among the children for the forma-
tion of libraries in the schools, in order that they may
gratify their taste for reading. In twelve schools libraries
already exist, and it is to be hoped that before 1857 be ended,
every ragged school,by the help of its friends, may be possessed
of its little colfection of books. Through the kindness of
some of the subscribers and other friends, seasonable supplies
of half worn clothing have been distributed by the s'toerin-
tendent among the most destitute of the. children. Having
full confidence in the discretion of their superintendent, the
committee respectfully invite those who are inclined out of their
abundance to clothe the naked—to make him the almoner
of their bounty. Any article sent for this purpose to Mr.
Alexander Gillespiee).-1,-Lawson-street, off Grove street,
will be faithfully applied to the relief of the most neces-
sitous. 'Front the treasurer's statement appended to the
report it will be seen that a balance of 14s 7d is in
hand. This is accidental, and arises out of two donations,
having been unexpectedly received just before the close of
the year. But for these the revenue would have been
entirely spent; and when it is known that hitherto the
whole income of a society which has thus during nine
years fostered and promoted the ragged school system in
Liverpool has rarely exceeded £2OO a year, it must be
admitted that money alone, however well bestowed, can.
not have produced.such results. With God's blessing, it
is by the diffusion 'of information, by the encouragement
of local committees in the institution and management of
schools, by sympathy, by counsel, by' visiting, by
encouraging the ragged school teacher to look upward to
God for strength, and mainly to trust to the inculcation of
His law and His truth in the heart of the child; and lastly,
it is by trying to persuade*all men that it is their interest
as well as their duty to do something for the ragged
children, that the Ragged School Union seeks to work out
its object. Three kinds of help are needed—money, work,
and prayer. From some, the society expects to obtain
all three ; from all, it hopes to receive the benefit of one."
The Rev. John Kelly moved the first resolution, which
was to the effect that the report be printed and circulated,
and a committee appointed for the ensuing year. The
report, he observed, was just what such a document ought
to be, brief and pertinent. It confined itself to a simple
statement of the facts that tended to show the progress of
the society during the past year ; and surely, on the whole,
that progress might be deemed satisfactory. (Hear, hear.)
It should be borne in mind that the society did not profess
to originate schools itself. It simply gave aid to those who
were engaged in the work, and by a wise and, prudent
supervision, took care that the assistance which it rendered
was faithfully appropriated. Froin the commencement of
the society there had beea an increase of three fifths in the
schools, and about the same number in the attendance of the
children ; and, pleasing as that was, the evidence of further
progress was still more satisfactory. That evidence con-
sisted of two elements chiefly—the one was the increasing
number of regular attendants on the school, and the other
was the larger proportion who had acquired the capacity of
reading with facility. These were circumstances of very
great importance—eviderce of efficieccy in the schools.
(Hear, hear) They showed the attention which the
teachers paid to the work entrusted to them, and that the
children began to avail themselves of the instruction
imparted to them. The rev. gentleman then contrasted the
condition of the children who frequented the ragged schools
before and after entering them. He calculated that there
20,000 children in Liverpool who required to he brought
within the influence of the ragged schools. Of
that number one-fourth were provided for, so
that there still remained 15,000 children to be rescued
from the misery and crime of a street life. He urged
that there was one thing in which the community of Liver-
pool had been too negligent—namely, the number and
character of the haunts of vice in this town. The demoral-
ising influence which such places were exercising on the
youth of Liverpool had been prominently brought before
their minds; and though he felt there were many difficulies
in the way, still he also felt that they were bound in duty
and con'cience to exert themselves to obtain a legislative
restraint for this fruitful source of crime. (Hear, hear,) In
conclusion, he urged on the society not to be discouraged if
its success at first was not equal to its efforts ; and declared
that ragged schools, combined with individual training,
were the best preventives of juvenile crime. (Applause.).
The Rev. S. Minton seconded the motion. In doing so,
he' observed that there was .one advantage connected with
ragged schools which he hal not heard any where
commented on—it was the circumstance that they brought
the upper and middle classes of society into personal
contact with the very lowest class .of society. (Hear, hear.)
In their Sunday schools some hundreds of thousands of the
upper and middle daises of society were brought into
personal contact with some millions of the children of the
class of artisans, which was a very great adtaneage; but
its, importance was far exceeded by the advantage
derived from the higher classes being brought into personal
contact with the very lowest class in society; and that'
advantage was secured through the instrumentality of the
ragged schools. (Hear, hear.) There was' en enormous
gain, and a gain the effect o of which, though not imme.
diately seen, would be long felt to the benefit of the
country. The rev. , gentleman then mentioned several
instances in which boys had been reclaimed and provided
for through the schoohy and urged that the ladies ;who
heard him should imitate the example of a lady who,
shortly after the establishment of Ragged Stools in
Liverpool, collected upwards of £3O every year towards
their support, by going round to every respectable house
in her district, and soliciting from their inmates aid towards
the scciety. (Applause.)
The resolution was carried by acclamation.

A hymn WAS then sung,' during which the usual eau
tion was made.

The Rev. Dr. M'lsieile moved the second resolution. He
said---11Iy Lord, I think we have good reason to congratu-
late ourselves upon the present aspect of this cause in this
town. I have just been thinking that if any emissary of
that active mischief in the town to which Mr. Kelly so
graphically alluded, has come here this evening to spy out
our proceedings and report progress amongst the enemies
of righteousness, he sees now what is calculated tomak e

his heart quail, and send him to those who have employed
him with a very d'scouraging report, (Hear, hear.) He
sees a meeting in the most fashionable and m sr, elegant
place for such a purpose that could be found in this town.
He sees the chair filled by the highest ecc'esias'ical dignitary
th it can be foiled in th s diocese. Ho s es the platform occa.
pied by a manifestation of 'that Christian union in which
other is undoubtedly strength. (Hear, end applause.)
And he sees this large room filed with a highly respectable,
attentive, auditory, in this most deeply
interesting subject. (Hear; hear.) I have been invited to
propose the second resolution. History is instructive, and
the instruction' derived from history is practical. On that
principle the •resolution entrusted to me, mei which it is
now my privilege to propose 'has been c ns`ructed. It
cintains a recital, an historical recital, of what the Ragged
Schools' Union has done for tis in Liverpool, and then a
declaration of what we ought to do for it. The recital is,
" That the Rigged S'ohools' Union SS,ciety I:ti laboured
successfully' during nine years. ' ire the promotion and
encouragement of the Ragged &loth of Liverpool. And
that, in the inculcation of the ;;:raat principle of religious
and scriptural instruction, a the most powerful means of
raising up and benefiting the neglected children of the
town,"—and the practice!. declaration which NfloWs ie—
That•it well deserves the support'and the liberality of the
Christian public." 'lt has laboured for nine years. Here
is no mere desultory effort, the offspring of temporary
excitement. Endurance it is which tries principle.
(Hear, hear.) Here is endurance. The stream
which • has flowed full, and rich, and smooth,
for nine successive years, has thereby given proof of the
existence of a deep fountain from which it sprang. The
stream in this case, my lord, has been one, not of bitter,
but of healing water. It has sent forth its happy supplies
among the very lowest and the most wretched of the popu-
lation of our town. The society has been aiding us during
nine years in gathering from our streets the poor wretched,
little outcast wanderers, who bear on every 'side their
tattered testimony to the poverty and the, vice of their
parents. And in nineteen cases out of twenty, I believe -
q'iite as large a proportion as that—the poverty his been
(occasioned by vice. My lord, there is a measure of poverty
in the world which is not occasioned by vice. It is in the
ordination of God—"' the poor shallnever cease out of the
land." No plans of man can. change that state of things.
No impatient revolutionary movement can so alter society,
but that there must be poor in the land. If the distribution
of property were made tomorrow, so that all men had an
equal proportionohe equality could not last for many days,
much less seers. The drunken man would lose his share,
and the sober man would have two sh7tres before the next
week.
.(Hear.) But, my lord, if the poverty, in our country
were coefined to what is an ordinance of God ; if we
hadno more of it than he sends—no more than might be
fairly traced to sickness; to casualties not to be guarded
againl t by any human foresight; to the infirmities and
inabilities inseparable from declining years—if all the
poverty in our land were resulting from such providential
causes as these, it could, and it would, be well managed,
well treated, satisfactorily dealt with. (Hear. hear.) The
process would not be painful : it would be wholesome ; and
even, in many respects, it would be pleasant. On the one
side, there would be no degradation in receiving relief'
under the circumstances so providentially sent; and, on the
other side, it would he more b'essed to give than to receive
But the case is very different when we are invited to provide
for poverty occasioned not by the providen:e of God but by.
the wickedness of men--when property is called tipon to
feed vice. My lord, vice is a monster which it is impossible
to satisfy; it would swallow tip all the fat of the land, and
remain itself as lean at the last as it was at the first.
When men waste their wages in the public hOuse instead
of taking them home for the support of their families—
when, instead of going lime to make their families happy
and comfortable by their presence, they go home in a
state of drunkenness—quarrel with their wives and
beat their children—when the wives, disgusted and exaspe-
rated by such conduct, have recourse to the same line of
conduct themselves, and drink—for, alas ! we have drunken
women as well as drunken men— drink so that they can no
longer feed and c'othe their children • and when the children
are sent oat by their parents into the streets to beg or to
steal, and are beaten if they return to their wretched hem, s
without bringing some plunder with them—then the jaws
of the monster are open wide! And when we are invited
to help their families, to relieve the distress of their wives
and children, notwithstanding the vice to which their
distress is to be attributed, I say the jives of the monster
are devouring the substance of the land ! If you were to
deprecate relief under such circumstances, you are asked,
in tones of tenderness and sympathy which it would be
unkind to silence, " What, would you allow the poor
creatures to starve ?" My Lord, vice should starve.
(Hear, hear, and cheers.) And the sooner we learn
the lesson—painful though it be, nese:sfry it is—the sooner
we learn the lesson of starving instead of pampering vice, the
better will it be for our country. (Hear, and applause.)
The question has arisen, and is pressing upon public atten-
tion, and must press, I think, upon the legislature, what is
to be done with the criminals of our country ? It is not a
question into which we are called upon to enter much at
meetings of this kind, and yet it must he satisfactory for
some of you to know that many of our. wisest judges have
given utterance to their sentiments upon this subject of late.
I read the utterance of one this morning, a man who is
competent to form an opinion on such a subject, and who
felt that the pressure of circumstances compelled him to
deliver that opinion in public, I mean the Recorder of the
city of Dublin. He has given what appears to
'me a most sound opinion - upon the subject
before the public now. He has examined the
system of imprisonment at home, of the ticket of leave,
as it is called ; that is, the liberation from prison before
the time of imprisonment has expired, under certain
regulations and conditions which would not attach to
them had they remained in prison until the whole term
of their sentence had expired ; he has pointed out the
evils connected with this to th home society, and has
given a very decided opinion in favour of the old
system of transportation. He admits the difficulty here,
because of the repugnance of our colonists to the con
victs sent there, and he does not proceed to discuss that
part of the question, confining himself chiefly to the
more pressing dittoalties of the alternatives at home.
But, surely, my lord, although our colonists, where they
have now formed respectable society, may very fairly
object to the sending of convicts amongst them,
there are large- tracts of country under the do-
minion of the crown of England where there
are no colonists residing, and where they would
not be in any way interfered with by fresh systems of
transportation. What, let me ask, for example, what is
being done with the Falkland Islands at this moment?
There are thousands, tens of thousands of square miles
of that territory, and I believe there are no inhabitants
in the land at all, except the handful of men in
connection with the Patagonian mission. (Hear, hear).
And on the great Australian continent there are large
tracts of country not yet touched by miles—l might
say hundreds of miles not touched by any of our
settled colonies. (Hear, hear.) There is ample space
for a large colony such as we had many years ago, origi-
nating in convicts, and growing gradually under the
progeny of those convicts into a valuable community,
such as is now presented in many parts,of Australia—
(hear, hear)—and this might still be done. (Hear, hear.)
Hope for the benefit of our home society—for the relief
of the operations of our ragged schools, that the legisla-
ture will be induced, in the course of the coming
session, to pass some measure for a fresh transportation
system. (Hear, hear.) Ido not believe that this
country, thickly populated as it is, and with so many
elements of mischief ready to' seize upon the liberated
convict and drag him back into his ancient habits, I do
not think that this country can safely keep her convicts
at home, unless, indeed, a system- were adopted of per-
petual imprisonment, in which, by their labour, they
would be made to support themselves and relieve the
country from the pressure of their expense—
(hear, hear)—bur perpetual' :imprisonment would
be more horrible to think of than any species of
transportation. I may be speaking in a very shortsighted
way, but I cannot help thinking while there is a large
extent of unoccupied territory under the erown that
there is in the, difficulties which present themselves to
some of our statesmen something of party-e-thet there
are interested objects and motives in the difficulties, and.
that ,if a few straightforward, honest, open-hearted, and
noble-minded Englishmen were put in a jury to determine
what was best to be done in this case, they would say,
" while there is a piece of ground unoccupied continue
your transportation ; • it has done well in times past, and
will do well in time to come." Hear, hear.) In the
meantime, to return to our small operations here, if ynu
can withdraw the children from the management of those
parents, from the contamination of their example,' from
the demoralising destructiveness of such habits as they
are brotight up in—so far as you succeed in that you
confer a benefit on society. If, instead of adding to the
fire you can diminish it, you do good, and that is just
what the society, has been aiming at.. (Hear, hear.)
The rev. gentleman then pointed out that the reformation
of these children could alone be effected through
religion ; and urged that they were bound to make every

exertion towards that end 'in supportints the Ragged
School Union, because of its benefit to society—because
it would be disgraceful to their profession of Christianity
to manifest apathy on such occasions, and because of the
activity of their opponents. In conclusion, he men-
tioned, in proof of this activity on the side of evil, that
he was aware that parties employed the persons engaged
in the deliverinc, of a certain newspaper in Liverpool
(which he would not name) to deliver at the same time
Mormon tracts. (Sensation.)
Mr. Steains, in an eloquent speech, seconded the reso-
lution, and in doing so, took occasion to announce th at

the annual meetini.of the Akbar Reformatory Associa