Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-08-06 00:00:00

several others who brutally murdered or attempted
taking the lives of their wives, There also have
been a most extraordinary increase in the num-
ber of breaches of promise of marriage and heart-
less seduction. •

Now, for this state of things, we must, before
we can eradicate such glaring and serious social
evils, give a careful consideration to the
moral disorder and its symptoms. When we
bear in mind that our town and parish misiona-
ries are engaged in visiting from house to house
—that day and Sunday schools abound in every
part of the land—that the Ministers of the Gos-
pel are to be found in every quarter, and that the
combined exertions of all these mcral agencies are
at work, one is almost induced to believe that
there cannot be any want of general intelligence,
or an absence of moral culture, among that class
of society which supplies almost the entire of
our criminal population—for the instances in
which persons reputed educated, and charged
with crime, are comparatively rare and
form an exception to the general rule. Although
the means of religious and intellectual culture
are varied and ample, we have no hesitation in
saying that they are imperfectly applied, and
that our object has been to instruct instead of
educate. We have qualified the expert caligraphist
to be an apt but minute forger, by imitating all
descriptions of handwriting, but failed to prac-
tice him in the honest course of respecting
mourn and trim. We have instilled into the
minds of the children frequenting our schools
feelings of courage, but have not impressed upon
them that the worst of all cowardice is the plan-
ning and perpetration of an inhuman and diaboli-
cal murder. In the same manner we could go over
almost every crime which appears on the crimi-
nal records of the country, and show that more
or less they are the result of neglected early
training, not only at home, but in the great ma-
jority of our public:and private schools. We do
not mean to say that education or early training,
no matter how extensive or earnestly carried out,
will eradicate crime; at the same time we hold
that it is one of the most important antidotes
which can be applied to theinoral disease in

questions.
Another, and perhaps the leading cause of the
spread of crime is, the inefficient manner in
which crime is punished. The law is stringent
enough in inflicting penalties upon all trans-
gressors, but the criminal when ordered to be
imprisoned at hard labour for robbery, or aggra-
vated assaults, finds himself well attended and
cared for. Although a criminal, and it may be
a felon, he receives better food and in greater
quantities than the unfortunate [inmate of the
Union Workhouse. Tie is kept in cleanliness,
and has a comfortable bed. In a word, prison
discipline is a premium paid to the hardened
criminal, and is an incentive to crime. The
penal system, as lately carried out, showed that
all our prison schemes, instead of reforming, sent
forth a band of daring and villanous ticket-of
leave-men, who for some time past have been
deluging the country with their unheard of
brutal atrocities. When the assiz_ s are_all over
we shall return to this important topic.

AMUSEMENTS, &c.

--T- ~

TILE LION HUNTER.—MR. GORDON CUMMING'S ENTER-
TAINMENT.—This entertainment continues as attractive
as ever at Clayton Hall. The following is a sample of
the descriptions given by Mr. Cumming in his graphic
account of his lion hunting in Southern Attica :-.Suddenly
I observed a number of vultures standing on the plain,
about a quarter of a mile ahead of us, and close behind
them a huge lioness, consuming a blasbok which she had
killed, assisted in her repast by about a dozen ofjackalls,
that were feasting with her in the most friendly manner.
Directing my followers' attention to the spot, I remarked,
" I see the lion," to which they replied, " What ? whar ?
Gal ! Almighty dat is he ;" and instantly reining in their
steeds and wheeling about, they pressed their heels to
their horses sides, and were preparing to betake them-
selves to flight. I asked them what they were going to dop
to which they answered, "We have not'yet placed caps
on our rifles." This was true ; but while this short con-
versation aas passing Lite lioness had observed M. Rais-
ing her full, round face, she overhauled us for a few
seconds, and then set off at a smart canter towards a
range of mountains some miles to the north
ward ; the whole troop of jackalls also started
off in another direction, and there was, there-
fore, no time to think of caps. The first move
was to bring her to bay, and not a second to be lost,
Spurring my good and lively steed, and shouting to my
men to follow, I fl-ev across the plain, and being, fortu-
nately, mounted on Colesbergh, the flower of my stud,
gained upon her at every stride. This was to me a joyful
moment, and I at once made up my mind that she or I
must die. 'rise having had a long start of me, we
went over a considerable extent of ground before I came
up with her. She was a large, full-grown beast, and the
bare and level nature of the plain added to her
imposing appearance. Finding I gained upon her, she
reduced her pace from a canter to a trot, carrying her
tail stuck out behind her, and shied a little to one side.
I shouted loudly to her to halt, as I wished to speak
to her, upon which she suddenly pulled up, and
seated on her haunches like a dog, with her back towards
me, not even deigning to look around, appeared to say to
herself, " does this fellow know who he is coming after ? "
Having thus sat for half a minute, as it' involved in
thought, she sprang to her feet, and facing about, stood
looking at me for a few seconds, moving her tail slowly
from side to side, showing her teeth, and growling fiercely;
she next made a short run forwards, making a loud
rumbling noise, like thunder. This she did to intimidate
me ; but, finding that I did not flinch an inch, nor seemed
to heed her hostile demonstrations, she quietly stretched
out her massive arms, and lay down on the grass. My
Hottentots now coming up, we all three dismounted,
and drawing our rifiss froth their holsters, lookel to see if
the powder was up in; the nipples, and put on our caps.
While this was doing, the lioness sat up, and showed evi-
dent symptoms of uneasiness, looking first at us, and then
behind her, as if to see if waste was clear ; after which,
she again made a short run towards us, uttering her deep-
drawn murderous growls. Having secured the three
horses together by their roils, we led them on, as if we
intended to pass her, in the hope of obtaining a broadside ;
but this she carefully avoided to expose, presenting only
her full front. I had given Stofolus my Moore rifts, with
orders to shoot her if she should run upon me, but on
no account to fire before me. Kleinboy was to stand
ready to hand me my Purday, in case the two-grooved
Dixon should not prove sufficient. My men as yet bad
been steady, but now they were in a precious stew; their
.faces assumed a ghastly paleness, and I had a painful I
feKing that I could place no reliance on them. Now,