The Sun.
London, England, 1846-03-06 00:00:00

MARCH 6, 1846.

not be determined by a sentence-of years or months, but
by a modified application of Captain Maconochie's sys-
tem, where good conduct, industrious habits, and profi-
ciency in some industrial pursuit, will distinguish the
inmates, as fit for apprenticeship in this country, or the
colonies, or to enter as volunteers in the naval or mili-
tary service, as may best suit their taste and inclination.
14. The cost of these establishments would be very
inconsiderable, when compared with the enormous sums
which in one form or another these wasters, these des
streyers of property, now entail upon some portions of
the community. Children taken into the Asylum before
they are confirmed in evil habits, or hardened in crimi-
nal pursuits, may be easily controled, trained, and in-
structed, and may, to a considerab'e extent, be made
prodectivo, if stimulated by a prospect of reward, to
engage in useful and profitible labour suitable to their
age, strength, and disposition. The expense of Park-
hurst Convict Asylum* affords no means of comparison
as to the cost of such an establishment as is here pro-
posed, or as to its influence upon the character of the
inmates or its effects upon the interests of society at
i age. Upon the excellent managers of Parkhurst
devolves the difficult and all but hopeless task of con-
trouling and correcting the inmates, who, although
young in years are old in crime, and who, bearing about
them the brand of convicted felons, are insensible to
those incentives to industry and good conduct which.
with an untainted character, the prospect of future
a access in a useful and honourable calling, could scarcely
fail to inspire in the youth of the proposed ASylum.
15. The cost of prisoners in the gaols of this kingdom
affords no criterion of the expense of such an institution
as is here proposed. The staff of the gaols is necessarily
large and expensive—the labour is nearly, or quite,. un
productiv , and the diet is notoriously higher and more
expensive than the diet of Vie Unman Ilou-e, or than the
cost of subsistence of many of the free labourers in the
kingdom. This is said to be necessary to meintain at its
proper standard, in the close confinement of a prison,
the strength of an individual accustomed to the stimulat-
ing food in which the criminal classes are wont to indulge.
16. This expensive diet would be unnecessary in the
proposed asylum ; air and exercise will develop the
physical energies of youth, without the aid of a better
diet than the sons of an honest labourer partake of. In
the prisons in Ireland the cost of provisioning the adult
inmates does not amount to 2s. 6d. per week, and yet
complaint has never been made that the prison diet of
the Irish labourer impairs his physical capabilies, or
stints the growth of the younger prisoners. It will be
equally just in principle and wise in policy that no un-
necessary expense should be incurred in exciting artifi-
cial wants in youth maintained at the public expense,
which when thrown upon their own resources they may
find it difficult to supply—wants, which when they have
the means of honestly gratifying, they will never find it
difficult to acquire.
17. If, as this paper assumes, the proposed establish-
ment will be equally beneficial to the public, and to
parents and pailsee, as well as the children for whose
education and subsistence it is intended to provide, the
questions queions which remain to be solved are, by:whom
should the charges of the asylum be defrayed, and what
measures should be taken to prevent the multiplication
of objects seeking a refuge within its walls. To both
questions one answer will suffice. Let those who will
derive the benefit from the institution defray the ex-
pense of its cost and maintenance—the loss and waste
from plunder by young thieves now fall upon the public ;
the public pay the cost of their numerons apprehensions,
prosecutions, and convictions, the expense of _their im-
prisonment in the hulks, or their transportation to the
penal settlements, and the charges of their confinement
and coercion there. As a substitute for these expenses, the
public should provide the land, the buildings,and the outfit
for the proposed asylums ; the public should defray the
charges of governing, educating, and training the in-
mates ; the public should furnish the means, if means
are requisite, to apprentice them at home, or to assist
them as voluntary emigrants to our colonies, where
youth of both sexes, as domestic or farm servants, are in
great demand. If a debtor and creditor account be
kept of the difference in expense between the present
and the contemplated system, a large item vii ill probably
be found at the end of seven years to the credit of the
proposed plan.
18. The cost of clothing and provisioning the inmates,
should be borne by the children's parents or their
parishes—by those who, by the laws of God and man,
are now bound to provide them as destitute children with
shelter, and with food and clothes.
19. It is a notorious fact that immoral and dishonest
parents encourage their children to commit crime ; ne-
gligent and thoughtless parents permit their miscon-
duct ; selfish and unnatural parents leave them in a state
of destitution, which they know must infallibly lead to
starvation or thieving ; and even parochial authorities,
by their neglect of parentless and friendless children—
though they may close their eyes against the conse-
quences of their neglect—do in fact contribute to the
same result. Both parents and parishes know that they
are by law bound to provide for children in a state of
destitution ; the child has however only to add crime to
destitution—has only to join the criminal classes—and
the trouble of its future government, and the expense of
its future maintenance is, as the law now stands, trans-
ferred at once from the parent and the parish to the
county and the State.
20. No man can have watched the working of the
present system withont feeling that to the last-mentioned
circumstances the country is largely indebted for the in-
crease of juvenile criminals, and if that is so, the estab-
lishment of such an asylum as is here proposed (or in
fact any plan that might be adopted for the maintenance
and reform of juvenile offenders) would but multiply
the number of children cast destitute upon the world,
unless it were accompanied with some attendant regula-
tions, to check the influence of parochial indifference, and
prevent the increase of parental neglect. This object
could only be achieved by continuing to the parent, and
failing the parent's ability, by continuins to the parish,
the obligation to defray the expense of the child's diet
and clothing in the asylum, as they are now by law
compelled to provide him with food and clothing if found
destitute in the streets. There would be no injustice
and no impolicy in such a law ; it would but fasten upon
parents and parishes the responsibilities which already
exist ; but, by rendering that practical which is now
frequently theoretical only, it would stimulate them to
the performance of duties which they now neglect.
21. To effect these great objects, great changes in the
law will be required; for that purpose it is proposed to
enact that all children under a given age, say sixteen years
found violating the law, or in a state of destitution
which will inevitably lead to crime, shall be taken before
the magistrate, and, instead of being committed, as is
now the case, to a criminal prison, they shall be sent„to
the proposed asylum, and the parents, and failing the
parents' ability, the parishes to which they belong, shall
pay the dry expense of diet and clothing—say 2s. or 3s.
ter week, as the case may be. The effect of such a
legal enactment would be, that parents and parochial
authorities would exert themselves to control, educate,
and obtain employment for those for whom they
are bound by law to provide; and, if they failed to do
this, parishes and parents would have no right to com-
plain, that, having neglected to perform the duty, the
State should interpose and do their duty for them:—
Parishes and parents will have no right to complain if
the State places itself in loco parentis for the purpose of
making those happy and useful who would otherwise
be wretched and useless members of society, charging
the parent or the parish with the expense of their sup-
port; an expense which has hitherto been thrown most
unjustly upon the county rates, or has been defrayed out
of the consolidated fund, raised from the taxation of the
nation at large.

PRICE SD.

MAGAZINES—(CONTINUED.)
cOLBURIV'S UNITED SERVICE
MAGAZINE.

We would recommend " A Tale of a Brevet," which
is in the present Number of this magrzine, to the at-
tentive Ferusal of our legislators, as an illustration of the
iniquity of the system of permitting officers in the army
to purchase theifpromotion, a system as im politic, and un-
wise as it is unjust and cruel, and to which the happiness
of many a gallant officer who was rich only in
merit has been mercilessly sacrificed. From an
admirable paper "On the more efficient Manning
of the Royal Navy," we extract the following observa-
.ions, and we are delighted to see that this, the pro-
fessional organ par excellence, has at length taken up the
subject of the injustice of underpaying those to whoe
services we are indebted for our national existence.

" The sailor is like the agriculturist, his labour is his capi-
tal, and it seems hard that he shou'd not be allowed to take
it to the best market. What would be thought of seizing
upon an agricultural labourer and making him work for ft
shilling a day, when the value of his labour was two shil-
lings? The reason why the royal service is a unpopular
in time of war, is from the scanty rate of wages: other
things may operate more or less, but the principal is the low
rate of wages compared with the merchant service. The
lowest pay of an able seaman in the latter service last war,
was five pounds a month, and rising according to the de.
maul for, or scarcity of seamen ; eight pounds for a run
home from the West Indies, occupying about a month, was
commonly given, whilst the pay of an able-bodied seaman on
beard of a man-of-war never exceeded one. pound tweli e
shillings a month, and thus it continued to the end of the
war. It was then thought too small for peace service, and
was raised to thirty-four shillings a month, at which it now
stands. We do not mean to argue that the pay of the man-
of-war seamen should be equal to that of the merchantman,
because the former possesses advantages over the latter,
which are equivalent to a considerable difference; but we do
think, if the Royal Navy is ever the be manned in war time
without resorting to impressment, that in the first place the
ne
merchant service must in some degree be equalised: then,
canwar-paybe done,m ustthbeeTraatieseodf;
waangde7x, bettwasa
eenftrhase
royalsucl a thing
hie
with the advantage of Greenwich Hospital, and the hand-
some pensions allowed fcr servitude, there would be some
chance of manning the navy upon the volunteer system.
"At this moment of writing, we are increasing our navy
but seamen come in very slowly. Where are they? The
American navy is almost manned with British seamen ; and
why? Because the wages are higher than in the 'British
navy. If we have a war, no doubt her Majesty will issue
her proclamation, commanding all British seamen in foreign
services to return to their allegiance and their country; and
we doubt not every loyal English sailor will obey the call,
and come forward to serve her Majesty. But at what a sa-
crifice! Is it to be expected that a man who is receiving
from 31. to 4/. a mouth for his labour, should leave that ser-
vice, and enter one where he would only receive 11. 145.?
"Here is a clear. case established for the necessity for an
'increase of pay to our seamen in war-time, if we wish them
to serve us. This great country is rich enough to pay men
a fair remuneration for their services."

We shall look with interest to the continuation of this
valuable paper. The other articles are all of more than
average merit. This is a most entertaining as well as
most instructive number of the United Service Ma-
gazine.

DOLMAN'S MAGAZINE.
We regret to find in the present number of this maga-
zine the following announcement:—

"NOTE FICOM ;HE EDlTOR.—Having, thus far, addressed
our readers as 'the Editor of Dolman's Magazine,' we think
it right to state to them that they will hear from us no longer
in that character. This number is the last which we shall
have the pleasure of carrying through the press. It is deemed
desirable that the conductor of the publication should reside
in London. In ' resigning, therefore, the post of Editor of
Dolman's Magazine, we have to thank those writers who
have, thus far, supported us, and have corresponded with us
in so courteous a spirit as to have often tempted us to throw
aside our incognito and dales them as personal friends.
Cheerfully, also, do we recognize our obligation to those re •
viewers who have so generally approved our endeavours to
establish a periodical which, representing feelings we would
believe to be those of British Catholics, should contain no
expression calculated to embitter the social relations of any
class, to offend the sincerity of the religionist, or the self-
respect of the gentleman and scholar. Respecting ourselves
and others, our Protestant contemporaries have treated us
with respect. May the approbation which the public press
has so generously bestowed upon us, be continued to our
successor !"

It is with regret that we take leave of the talented,
warm-hearted, gentlemanly-minded man, who has hitherto
edited ; this Magazine, and to whose care and judgment it
is mainly indebted for the high character which it has
acquired. May his successor tread in his footsteps.

FASHIONS FOR MARCH.

(From the London and Paris Ladies' Magazine of

Fashion.)
White damns is much worn for evening or bridal
dresses ; lace dresses are also very fashionable, either
with flounces or forming tunics; organdy embroidered or
tarlatane over coloured skirts, is also worn, particularly by
young ladies; gimp trimmings are as much used in dress
as en LigligE, for the latter in silk and for former in gold,
silver, steel, silk, or beads ; shaded fringes are very
fashionable for carriage dresses, as many as three,
four, and five rows are placed on the skirt to within
a small distance of the body ; the trimmings of ball
dresses are rather bouffante—if flounces, they are
made very full, and bouillons of tulle or gauze have
frequently nceuds of ribbon inside ; flounces are
headed- by narrow gimp, in gold or silver ; embroi-
deries of velvet are very pretty on morning dresses.
Coiffures of hair are worn higher and always rather
wide ; some young ladies adopt light ringlets rer
sembling those a la neige, but all ringlets are
shorter than they were last ear ; bandeaux bombes
are also fashionable, and short enough to allow the
earrings to be seen ; wreaths and detached flowers are
equally worn ; diamonds are frequently mixed with
flowers, particularly with foliage ; the Hayde wreath
is quite the rage in Paris ; feathers are very fashionable ;
some coiffures are entirely composed of feathers, mixed
with foli amp.

The Pamela form of bonnet is being replaced by
capotes with bavolets ; velours epingle has much de-
placed the plain velvet. Satin capotes are ornamented
with feuillage of velvet ; pale primrose is a favourite
colour. Dress bonnets are mostly of crape.