The Sun.
London, England, 1847-05-06 00:00:00

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.

(Before Mr. Sergeant ADAMS, Assistant-Judge, and a
Bench of Magistrates.)
On Wednesday Eliza Johnson, a young woman, about
20 years of age, pleaded guilty to having committed a
theft.
The Learned JUDGE asked her what had induced
her to commit this act ? Prisoner—l did it, my Lord,
to be sent out of the country. lam quite tired of the
mode of life I have been pursuing here, and I am most
anxious to get away from it.
The Learned JuncE—Yes, I see that is what you said
when you were taken. Has she ever been convicted
before ?

One of the officers replied in the negative.
The Learned JUDGE did not see that he ought at once
to send her out of the country without a previous con-
viction.

Prisoner—l am quite tired of my life here. What am
Itodo ? I have not any friends, and it is my wish from
my heart to get away from the life I have been thrown
into, and have been compelled to lead for some time. I
am quite tired of it.
The Learned JUDGE said she must be remanded until
the next morning, in order that some inquiries might be
made about her. He should not, under the present state
of matters with respect to women who were transported
to Van Diemen's Land, feel so much compunction in
sending out women to that country as he should
have done some twelve monas since. At that period
the state of affairs in connexion with the female
transports was most lamentable and dreadful. Now,
however, he was happy to say that there was a very
different state of things. There had been established
in Van Diemen's Land an " Institution for the Refor-
mation of Female Convicts," which was under the care
and superintendence of a most excellent woman, with
whom he was well acquainted, Mrs. Bowden, a lady who
for some years had been the matron of the Hanwell
Lunatic Asylum. The Home Government had been most
anxious to forward the views and exertions of that lady
upon the subject. The jury might have heard of the
removal of the late Governor of Van Diemen's Land, Sir
Eardley Willmot, and he might perhaps state that one
part of the reason for the removal of that gentleman
was, that he had not sent any reports to this country
upon this matter. He had himself for some years been
in frequent communication with Mrs. Bowden during
her residence at Hanwell, and he had, therefore, had
numerous opportunities of forming an opinion of her
capacity of mind, and of ascertaining her views on this
important question; and since her arrival in Van Die-
men's Land she had found a strong desire on the part
of the Home Government to assist her in carrying out
her object. She was much astonished to find on her
arrival in that country that all the clothes for the female
convicts were sent out from England ready-made, and
thus that there were no means of giving the prisoners
employment, even by the manufacture of the very clothes
they were to wear. The first step towards the reforma-
tion of this state of things, and, of course, with a view to
the reformation of the prisoners themselves, which was
taken by Mrs. Bowden, was to apply to the Government
at home to hare the unmade materials sent out, so that
she might give them to the convicts to cut out and
make up for their own wearing apparel, thereby
giving them useful employment. In this application
Mrs. Bowden was successful; but even then she had not
sufficient employment for all the women under her
charge, and therefore she endeavoured to obtain con-
tracts for them to manufacture shirts. Well, then, con-
tracts she got, but she met with a difficulty in respect of
the price she had undertaken to make each shirt for,
because that charge happened to be something less than
the fixed price of the colony. ,Upon this Mrs. Bowden
was subjected 'to a penalty. So much for the 'proteetion
system. She was Exchequcred, in fact, for making
shirts for less than the established colony price. But
the Government had put an end to this state of matters.
Still there was not enough employment; and therefore
Mrs. Bowden endeavoured to discover whether she
could not put them in the way of making bonnets; but,
strange to say, upon inquiry, she ascertained that, not-
withstanding some of the most beautiful straw in the
world is produced in that country, there was not a single
individual at Hobart Town who knew how to make such
a thing as a bonnet. All the bonnets in use there were
sent out ready made. Upon this Mrs. Bowden obtained
some straw, and ere long had taught herself how to
make one; she then taught the women under her care,
and having effected that object, she established a
straw-bonnet manufactory, and had now 150 female
convicts employed in the operation. Even with these
sources of occupation she was still without a suffi-
ciency of employment for all the prisoners, and she
next thought whether she could not establish a manufac-
tory for cloth upon a small scale. In this Object he was
glad to find she had met with much success, for she now
had a vessel, the Anson, to which wool was taken in its
raw state, and which the convicts on board made into the
coarser cloths. The result of this energy of conduct on
the part of this lady was that she now had the means of
providing full employment for all the female convicts.
He had a few days since only received a letter from Mrs.
Bowden, who gave him a most flattering and pleasing
picture of the present state of the women under her
care. In consequence of this altered mode of treatment
of the female transports, he should have less difficulty
than heretofore in sending them out, because, even
though a woman were transported for life, if she con•
ducted herself well and benefited by the reformatory
system, she might gain a letter of leave, which would
enable her to quit her confinement, and thus she might
have an opportunity of earning her livelihood and of
marrying, and so become once more a decent and re-
spectable member of society. Mrs. Bowden from her
residence at the Hanwelr Asylum had witnessed the
effects of moral influence over the unhappy lunatic, and
she had determined to try what results could be accom-
plished by the application of moral influence to female
convicts. What those results had been he had just told
them, and a more gratifying end it was not easy to
describe.

The prisoner was then remanded until to-morrow
(this morning).

STATE OF TRADE.

MANCHESTER, TUESDAY, MAY 4.—The announcement
of an intended purchase of English Government Secu-
rities by the Emperor of Russia, caused a more cheerful
feeling in our market on Saturday; but the increasing
difficulty of obtaining discounts, and the alarming ac-
counts of the scarcity of food in Germany, and the con-
sequent advance of prices in the London market yester-
day, have entirely dissipated all appearance of improve.
ment. The market to-day has been one of the worst
ever known; the demand for goods being on the most
limited scale, whilst many manufacturers have evinced a
disposition to accept lower prices for quantities. Gene-
rally speaking, however, the business has been confined
to the purchase of small parcels to supply immediate
wants, at about the rates of last Tuesday. The yarn
market has also been very flat. A little more business
has been done in goods, but at prices below those of last
week.
HUDDERSFIELD, TUESDAY, MAY 4.—A1l parties ap-
pear to be paralysed by the great advance on corn, at
Mark-lane, )yesterday. We have had several buyers,
but they use the greatest caution. Much anxiety is ex-
pressed, and all seem fearful that we are not at the worst
period.
ROCHDALE, MONDAY, MAY 3.—We have had an ex-
tremely dull market, with very little business trans-
acted. The wool market has been quite as flat as the
flannel market, and prices much the same as those of
last week.
HALIFAX, SATURDAY, MAY I,—There were more
merchants in the hall to-day than this day week, but
very few goods were purchased, and the trade continues
very flat. The pressure on the money-market has
checked the demand for yarn, and spinners are content
to obtain orders at old rates. No one is buying wool,
except to supply present consumption. For sorts that
are wanted there is scarcely any reduction to be noted ;
but holders cannot force sales without submitting to
lower prices.
No L oneEE
D sTITESDAY, MAY 4.—The additional rise in the
corn-market, and the unsettled state of monetary affairs,
caused our market of this day to be very quiet indeed.
buys except to definite orders ; and such being
trifling, very little has been doing in the staple articles
of our district.—Manchester Guardian.

Mr. Hyde Greg had an interview with the Earl of
Clarendon yesterday at the office of the Board of Trade.