The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1818-08-19 00:00:00

• If
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no knowledge bot of vice. Idleness may have been
the cause of his deserting the paths of virtue ; the
remedy of a London gaol is the impossibility of
shimming any employment', pave what a peck
of card•, or • game of chance, may haply afford

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Deeply do the Committee lament that their ex-
'ertions hive been so disproportionate to the great
extent of evil which investigation proved to prevail.
They have had many difficulties to encounter, and
'they have nut met from some quarters with that as-
mistimee which was most justly due. A careful
examination into the cases of the individials. en.
:titled them to furnish useful information to thoae
who had the power and authority to mitigate or eft-
force the seutelice of the law. On one or two °c-
essions they have ventured to submit strong facts,
di-covered by their inquiries, to the Secretary of
State for the Home Department. and from the
surrey which has been extended by his wisdom,
they hope they have been instrumental in preserv-
ing the lives of youthful offenders. Its cases of
a less flagrant nature, they have secured to many
an asylum in the Refuge for the Destitute ; io
other*, they have provided the means of gaining
On honest livelihood, on discharge frem prison ;
mid in very many instances they have of
►elief and assistance, iss the circumstances of
the fruitcake case required. The Committee
are convinced, by experience. that great and per-
manent good has been effected by the measures
thus pursued t they have the satisfaction of stating,
that • considerable proportion of the youths to whom
assistance has thus been rendered, have since coo.
sleeted themselves meritoriously, and given strong
rrsso• to believe, that they have entirely abandoned
their former vicious courses, and will eventually
prove honest and valuable members of society. The
Committee have met with obstacles and some dia-
appointments, as might naturally be expected in •
novel •nd difficult undertakilig. when their exer-
tinily were to be employed amongst the ignorant and
vicious; but they cat, truly state, that the result
hiss equalled their most sanguine hopes. and stimu-
lated them to continue, with increased activity.
their endeavours to rescue from crime and misery
the numerous youthful offenders who still infest the
metropolis. Convinced that their efforts. however
strenuous, could 'sever effectually repress the evil,
they have maturely considered and arranged a pro-
position for a Reformatory for Boys t ; sad, having
procured a plan which has undergone the strictest
examination, they have laid the whole before Lord
Soltuouili. They are confident that • measure of
this description is absolutely necessary, and they
reel pleasure in announcing to the public, that the
Noble Secretary of State is impressed with the pro-
priety of adopting seine steps to attain this end;
and they entertain, therefore. well-grounded hope■
that its commencement will take place at no distant

period.
The Committee will now conclude this branch
of their ui.dertaking, by earnestly requesting the
support and co-operation of the public. Juvenile
delinquency is indeed at its height in the metropo-
lis t but unfortunately it is not confined by any
local limits : Manchester has a large share of youth.
fur criminals, and other populous towns more or
less according to circumstances. An Institution
no the tame principles as the Society in London
would Le very desirable at Manchester; perhaps,
al.o, at Bristol, Leeds, and other great manufac-
turing towns. In places of less extent, the evil
will mint requires in the same degree, remedial mea-
sures ; but preventive measures are necessary every
where, and timely precaution will save thousands.
The Committee cannot too urgently pray the at-
tention of the community to those objects which
they esteem indispensable to protect the rising
generation from guilt and wickedness. They are
convinced that education and religious instruction
will do more to stay the irruption of vice and de.
wavily, than all the regulatioos which the wisdom
or ingenuity of Legislators Call invent. They ergo,
therefore, the support and extrusion of &hada
wherever they now exist, and their speedy establish.
men: where there is an entire want of them. More
ottll is requisite : the attention and exertion of indi.
victuals to enforce a correct system of management,
and to promote and encourage all advance in those
branches of knowledge which the lower classes re.
quire. Above ell, religious instruction is loudly
demanded r he who knows not his duty to God,
will seldom, or ever, perform it well towards n►en.
It is in vain to expect rectitude of conduct in future
life, if the minds of youth are not early imbued
with principles of piety. Happy for mankind,
when these great and incontrovertible truths shall
have made their due impression on the hearts slid
minds of all parents—of those who are intrusted
with time care of the rising generation ; when such
conviction shall have produced vigilant action and
persevering exertion, ti►e grand causes of youthful
depravity will be removed, and this country no
longer disgraced and afflicted by the deplorable
criminality of those who are Green in years. grey iu
iniquity. r In the mean time we must not fail to
impose every possible check upon a mischief so
widely and daily increasing. The Committee re•
quest the assistance of all who feel the importance
of the undertaking. Detailed information from
she country will be very acceptable: exertions to
procure instruction and employment for youth of
both sexes, when confined in prisons, will be most
beneficial, and especially when the term of their
imprisonment is expired ; to provide them with the
ine.ins of labour, or return to their homes, if dis-
tant, will save many • young offender from rum
mid destruction. Associations for these purposes
will do incalculeble service, and even the solitary
exertions of individuals will be eminently useful.

• The Prisoaers in the Room of Correction, Cold Bath-
Gelds, are employed in *kiwi wawa, bet this au occupa-
tion which am scarcely be designated labour. It is extremely
unproductive, and does not, is fad, answer a single purpose
for which employment in a risen is desirable. The Pri-
soners are nut allowed any portion of their earning,
as they are.

t The Committee have been diligently engaged in consi-
dering the plans of the best-constructed riotous, both in this
kingdom and in foreign countries; and the plan of the Re.
(amatory which they have felt it their duty to recommend,
wiU be found to combine, in an eminent degree, those moat
important requisites--tbe power of complete sod constant
inspection, classification, and facilities for carrying on va-
riens branches of labour. This prison is intended for the
confinement of win hundred boys. Every class has a distinct
dieing-room, workshop, sad airing ground. Each prisoner

111EIFTING OF
FRIENDS\-OF

Yesterday a Moe**
Reform, and of its
Cartwright, took place
mngton.
At five o'clock the teeth ruses was entirely filled
by a very respectable company.
Shortly after the Douglas Kinimied (the
Chairman entered the room, accompanied by Sir
Francis urdett, Mr. Kinloch, of Kinloch, in
Scotland, and a netnber of other distisiguirlied ad-
vocates of Parliamentary Reform.
At half-past five o'clock the company sat down
to an excellent dinner.
The CHAIRMAN Afterwards gave the toasts from
the Chair. The first was—
" The People, the 'only acme of legitimate power."—
Three times three.
The next was.—
The King and Constitntion—and the speedy recovery
of both."—Thrre times three.
" A real Representation of the People in Parliament, by
which both the King and die People should be free heal
the usurpation of a BoroughMongeriug Oligarchy."
The CHAIRMAN then rose to call the attention
of the Alerting to the efforts of an individual so
long known as the unerring champion of the cause
of Reform—the man Whose steady linuesly, con-
sistency, and perseOriance, had justly made him
the staunch guide of thole who sought, by all con.
stitutional means, the firm edvancement of their
country's cause—the man whose whole life was de-
voted to their service, and who, oppressed by illness,
in tile close of his career, was unable to give that
attendance which he wished on an occasion like
this, which was likely to give effect to his senti-
ments. The. Hoes. Chairinian then regretted to be
obliged to state, that Major Cartwright's, phyriciaii
was of opinion, that the Major could not appear on
the present occasion, and that his inners was of a
nature to require repose. The Him. Chairman en-
tered into an able review of the character of the
Major's public life, and pointed out the liberal and
patriotic principles, mid loop; consistency which
uniformly characterized it. Above all, he com-
mented in the strongest terms upon the calumnies
which had been poured both tie the worthy
Major, for the honest discharge of his duty. He
concluded by proposing—
" The health of Major Cartwright. the Father of Reform,
mad may he are the death blow of the abettors of Corrup-
tiots."—( Loud applause.)
Mr. CLEARY then rose, and read a long letter
from Major Cartwright, regretting the iinpossibility
of his attendance on the present occasion, and
avowing in a detailed form, the principles he had
invariably espoused throughout the course of his
public life, null recommending the imenediute
adoption of Sir F. Burdett's Bill.
This letter was read amid great applause.
The venerable Major, in regretting his absence,
begged the privilege of proposing the following
toast (it was given as a toast from the Chair)—
a Take your choice—a Civil Government or a Military
Despotism; in other words, Sir Francis Butdctt's Bill or
Lord Castlereach's bayonets"—(Greaf applause, aad loud
cries of 14.11hirdell's IMP")
The next toast was—
t+ The health of Sir Francis Burdett, and the Reformers
of England."—(Greet applaaae.)
The Hon. Baronet rose amid great applause.
He raid that it would be quite unnecessary for him
in a Meeting like the present, to enter upon a de-
scription of the public merits of his worthy friend
Major Cartwright. The merits of the veueralde
Major were such, that in the eyes of some they
were called womanish—would that those who called
them so were capable of appreciating such energies,
and instead of minoring their force in au aged
and .till powerful mail, would devote their influ-
ent e to the propagation of such doctrines among
the youth of their country ! It would he most gra-
tifying to find in early youth such devotion to the
cause of liberty as the worthy Major had exefnplified
in what lie described as the close of his career.
The worthy Bar t then took a comprehensive
view of the state of popular representation in this
country, and pointed out the striking imperfections
which the whole system practically embraced. He
referred to a string of resolutions. which, he said,
contained the creed of his opinions, aid by them
he was ready to stand or fall. These multi.
titres were not adopted without long and nur-
ture reflection. It was true that a Bill might
have been founded upon them at the instant,
but it would have been a Bill dictated at
the moment under most inauspicious circum.
stances, and without any thing like a prospect of a
fair bearing. Fur his own part lie disliked this sort
of unnecessary dictation. He would still try to do
what lie could to promote the great end of Reform.
He would not captiously stop ut particular point',
but would take 'resistance wlwrever he found it, and
riot conceive that lie had adopted any thing like au
inconsistent frail in availing himself of such assist-
ance us he could get iu the progressive steps to se-
cure his ultimate object. the full and fair represe,
tation of the people. The worthy Baronet said. that
on the point of universal suffrage, he had not
(as lie had been repiesented) complained of the
iiidefiniteuess of the term, fur nothiug could be
more defined than that which included the whole ;
but he did complain, that those who used the term
in its broadest sense never meant to realise their
wish, It was said, however, that anarchy would
follow the adoption of this system of universal suf-
frage ; this was clearly refuted by Bentham, who
skewed that no extension of popular suffrage
could lead to such a result on the principle laid
down. The worthy Ba t said, that he had
beets already censured by some of the Government
Prints, for quoting as has authorities for his sena.
mad. such men as Milton, Locke, and Machisvel.
It was said that he (Sir Francis) would have suc-
cumbed to power like Milton. under a despoatic
Monarchy; or like Machiavel. to a wily Prince.
He left to the Meeting to say what wily Prince in
Europe would employ bim as a Minister.—(Loud
laughter and applause.)
The memories of Dr. Jebb, Sir Wm. Jones,
and Granville Sharpe, as advocates of Parliamentary
Reform, were then drunk with great enthusiasm.
The CHAIRMAN then proposed the health of the
Reformers of Scotland, and among the rest that of
Mr. Kiiiloch.

in returning thatikr, avowed the

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ENTING OF THE
)F RADICAL ASO
!Ring of the Friends of &slicel
its venerable advocate, Major
place at the Horns Tavern, Ken- I

confinement of six hundred boys. Every class has s distinct Mr. Kiiiineti. Ido
dining-room workshop, sad airing ground. Each prisoner
has a separi:te denuder,. Mr. Ktniocu, in returning thaulto, avowed the I fel