The National Register.
London, England, 1815-12-17 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

SIC

ASYLUM FOlt UNFOR rUNATE FEMALES.

On M, nday was a very numerous Meeting at the City of
London ravel n, whit]) was attended by ladies as wel! as gen-
tlemen
• Mr She itf Rrll wis called to the chair, and shortly opened
the h—ines- of the Meeting.
Mr Watkins then read a very long and able report
of th Committee of the Society that had already
been :ii•tituted. The In,titution commenced in the year,
1810. and took every pains in their power to impress upon the
public mind the coormity of the evil that called far redress.
A petiti r., signed by 2,c4) ousehoidcrs of London, was pre-
sented to the corporation, who to-,k it into their consideration,
and passed the followinv, Resolutions That this Court,
being deeply interested in the preservation of public morals.
and iv the welfa. e of the youth of this city, is much impressed
with the iii port of the Committee appointed to consider the
Petition of ttpwards Of-2000 inhabitant householder:, complain-
ing of the i2reA number of prostitutes which frequent the pub-
lic stree., ; ' y which it appears, that the evil referred to in.
the said Petition. exists in a degree and to an extent so great,
as 1n0,1i% to call tu;on this Court to use the utmost possible;
means to remove it, at;cl to prevent its pernicious influence."
Several other resolutions were passed at the same time for the
furtherance of the object. At first there was a house taken at
Stepney for the accommodation of such females as appeared to
he wholly destitute The Asylum now is in Church-lane,
Whitechapel. The Committee were convinced from expe-
rience, that a majority of the prostitutes who walk the streets
would never forsake that practice while it yielded them enough
to supply Oieir wants ; but still there was a great many who
had been seduced, and would be glad to return to !he paths of
virtue, if they could tind a temporary asylion and honest em-
ployment. The females who had been admitted into the Asy-
lum did not cost the Institution more than ss. tid. per week ;
their (mil labour supply the remaining 2s. 9d. which was neces-
sary for their hoard.
The Report was so voluminous, that we find it impossible to
give more than a very short abstract of it; it generally recom-
mended the clearing the streets from prostitutes, and sending
them r' some temporary asylum, where pains should be taken
to fit them for employment, and to get them into service. The,
Report stated numerous cases of the most aggravated and af-
flictitig species of seduction; and particularly recommended
the pioseention of those procuresses, and keepers of brothels,
who take every possible means of inveigling young women to
their houses, for the purposes of prostitution.
The Rev. Joseph Mann moved the first Resolution, which
was suggested by the Report which had been read. He drew
an animated picture of the miseries into v hick unhappy females
Are reduced by crime ; and appealed to the feelines of the au-
dience of both sexes, whether it was not absolutely necessary
to take some steps to [cinch e, or at least diminish, so great an
,evil.

The Rev. G. Clayton, jun. seconded the motion in a very
.eloquent speech, which was received with great applause. After
giwelhng in a very feeling manner on the miseries to which un-
41app‘ e so liable, he confessed that, at hist, he doubt-
,ed whether anv important benefit could result from the labours
pf the Soe.i tv. Upon mature delibeiation, however, he was
now convinced that much good might be done Ile was not so
sanguine or Utopian in his ideas, as to expect that any rapid re-
formation of public morals could be expected from the adoption
of the Resolutions which were now proposed to them. lie bad
no doubt, however, that they would tend immediately to d. 1•
nith the evil, and that it was within their power to reclaim a
nionl,er of individuals, who would otherwi•e be irrecoverably
pluiL.eil in vice and misery. How great must be their joy at
reclaiming any from this gulph of ruin and perdition! It would
be a joy, something liordering on the divine and celestial joy,
such as we read ti: he angels feel in Heaven when one sinner
repentetl'—('-. «i 0/ p/aq.se). Such joy the subscribers to the
pasetit would feel, even although the reformation
of manners inNht not he so general as was hoped. The-com-
pany present should retAlitct,_ that if this cotiutry-stood now

DEC. 1

high and pre-eminent in Europe-if England was the brightest
star in the constellation of nations--it was owing, not merely to
the benignity of the throne. the wisdom of its Counsellors, the
bravery and magnanimity of its military defenders ; hut, in a
still greater degree, to its moral character— omph/web As
long as they cherished and cultivated these moral anti religious
feelings, England would still stand as a rock among the waves,
unassailable Itself, and the bulwark of other nations. He had
no doubt but that the assembly he saw before him was numer-
ous and respectable enough to originate propositions which
would lead to the most important results.
There were several other speakers, principally Clergymen, in
support of the diferent Resolutions.
The Rev. Mr. Hyatt strongly recommended the encourage-
ment of females in all those situations, which were equally
fitting, of more fitting, to women than to men. He had seen
in many shops of haberdashers, . milliners, linen-drapers, and
ethers, men only employed. we had asked some of the shop-
keepers, why they did not rather employ women, who were
certainly as well qualified to measure tape and linen as the men ?
The answer was, as he conceived, a libel en the fethale sex.
The shopkeepers told him, that the Ladies preferred being secy.
ed by men than by women. The consequence of this unjust
preference was, that no less than 5000 females, who otherwise
might have obtained au honest livelihood by the employment,
were driven into the streets. He thought that the Ladies
should take up this important consideration ; amid, for the good
of their own sex, prefer dealing with those shops where females
were employed.
The Rev. Rowland Hill then called the attention of the meet-
ing to another consideration. We perpetually heard from
masters and mistresses complaints of the badness of servants ;
we did not, however, so often hear the complaints of the
latter about the badness of masters and mistresses. He could
not conceive any thing more cruel, than, for a word which was
perhaps improper and impertinent, but provoked by bad usage,
to dismiss immediately a servant girl. who was under the pro-
tection of her master and mistress. Of such immediate dismissal,
the ruin of the unfortunate female was usually the immediate
consequence; and that ruin often drove them to prostitution.—
lie had hitherto given but small support to the society ; but
being now convinced of the benefits which might be expected
from it, he was determined to put down his name as a Life-Go-
venor. He advised every one present. who, like him, was old,
and whose hairs were grey, to do to the same. It would be of
much more importance to the society than a subscription of
a guinea a year, from a man who had probably not many years
to live.
The Lord Mayor having entered the room, Sheriff Bell im.
mediately resigoed the Chair to hint" His Lordship then apo-
logized for not being present sooner, but he bad been detained
by his duties at the Mansion-house.--In the discharge of his
duties these this day, he hail been afflicted with the sight of
many of those poor females who were the objects of the consi-
deration of the present Meeting. He had given this subject
much attention, having been one of the Committee of the
Common Council to which the petition of the householders
was referred. lie expressed the strongest wishes fur the suc-
cess of the Institution.
After a variety of observations from different speakers in
support of the Resolutions, they were all unanimously agreed to.
A liberal subscription was then immediately entered into,
and the Meeting broke up.

ST AT E PA PER..

TO HIS EXCELLENCY THE DUKE DE RICHELIEU.

The Allied Sovereigns having confided to Marshal the [hike
of Wellington the command in chief of those of their tr.iops,
which according to the fifth article of the Treaty, concluded
this day with France, ale to remain in this country during a cer-
tain number of years, the undersigned Ministers, Stc. &c. tirc.
'think it their duty to give some explanation to his Excellency
the Duke de Richelieu as to the nature and' extelit of the
powers att4ebtxl to Lille 04111414nd.