The Sun.
London, England, 1856-08-22 00:00:00

SECTION C.

This section met in the Octagon of the Victoria. •ooms,
under the presidency of Mr. W. Miles, the secretary
being Mr. W. Gillow.

The first paper read was that by Mr. PHILPOTT, on
" Ship Reformatories." The author offered suggestions
by which juvenile offenders might be reclaimed and a re-
gular supply of seamen obtained for her Majesty's ser-
vice. He stated that upwards of 10,000 young men
under 18 years of age were annually committed for theft
in Great Britain, and he suggested that, as there Were
many ships lying up in ordinary in the various ports, the
experiment might be tried of fitting Up 1. number of them
at Portsmouth, Plymouth, Sheerness, and Peas broke, for
the reception of 1,000 boys each, the vessels to be c Iliad
instruction ships. In his opinion, the Legislature shauld
be applied to to pass an act, authorising the magis-
trates in petty sessions to examine all yowls under 18
charged with felony or serious misdemeanour, and i
-4uilty, instead of committing them to gaol, to apprentice
them to her Majesty until they were 21 years of age. In
those vessels the boys should be taught everything ne-
cessary to make them good saii,.rs. The cost of this
experiment would be much less than the cost of prosecut-
ing and convicting young delinquents and supporting
them in gaol. They would, he said, be free from all
contamination, their characters would be preserved, and
when they left the instruction-ships either to serve her
Majesty or to go into the me rchaut service they would
have the advantage of never having been convicted of
crime.

Another paper was also read from Mr. J. R. Brough-
hatn, " On the Liverpool Akbar Hulk Reformatory." It
was a highly interesting paper, descriptive of that R,,-
tormatory.

At the conclusion of these papers,
The CHAIRMAN said he was of opinion that many ob-
j:;ctions might be urged to the plan proposed, the princi-
pal, bowever, of which was, that it would interfere with
tree labour. He thought that the utmost that could be
done would be to give the young ptrsons good moral
training and inure them to the discipline of the Refor
Jiiatory, and then let them seek their own livelihood.
Sir S. NORTHCOTE agreed with the chairman, that it
would be very unwise to interfere with free labour, and
called attention to the fact, that in the reign of Gtorge
IV. it was lawful to send persons who had transgressed
the Customs' laws to the navy, but the practice was
found so übjectionab;e that it had been disc intiuued in
the following reign. He thought, however, that ship re-
formatories might be rendered very valuable as a recep-
tacle lor those boys who, having been convicted, pun-
isheJ, and placed in reformatories, bad no trade or occu-
pation whatever. In such a case they could be taught
the occupation and duties of a sailor, and then discharged
to Beek their living.

Alter some further remarks from other gentlemen,
Mr. F. N. WA.TKINS suggested that very much benefit
would be effected by the establishment of ship schools in
Bristol, for which he contended the locality was well
adapted. He drew an affecting picture of the pour desti-
tute boys .of Bristol, who, he said, were sometimes seen
ctu%liy scraping the sugar-casks for toed.
Mr. BROUGHAM objected eutirey to the principles of
the paper. The Government by itself could not reform
the criminal population, and every attempt on their part
to do so would infallibly put an end to the movement.
A paper was then read by Miss CARPENTER, " Ou the
present position of reformatories to the State and the
principles on which they should be conducted, especially
as regards girls' reformatories." After a few introductory
remarks, Miss Carpenter observed that the one great
prieelple which had been lost sight of in the treatment
ei juvenile criminals was the treatment of a child as a
child, and all the machinery of judge, jury, and officers
was breuglit to bear against youths wnoee tender years
and ignorance hardly enabled them to distinguish right
from wrong. Sue then gave a lengthened description of
the various improvements in criminal jurisprudence,
strongly advocating a system which should give to the
Government plenary
powers over the inmates of refer-
matories, without interfering with the freedom of action
on the part of the managers. Hitherto the progress of
legislation, however slow, bad been in the right direction;
but, instead of magistrates having merely a permissive
power to send the children convicted to reformatories,
further legislation was necessary, making it compulsory
on them to send all children twice convicted, and those.
who had been convicted once could not get security for
their future good behaviour. There was no fear of the re-
formatories being too full as yet, for many were not half
filled while others were building. After detailing many
striking instances of the benefits derived in this neigh-
bourhood from reformatories, she concluded by express-
ing her opinion that, while she thought long imprison.
merits injurious in the highest degree, a short period
of seclusion with the advantage of those moral agencies
they now happily possessed 'night be attended with the
greatest benefit. At the same time she thought that
previous punishment ought not to be absolutely re-
quired before admittance into reformatories.
The reading of this paper elicited the warm applause
of the meeting.
The Very lfev. the Dean of BRISTOL, after a short in
terval devoted to refreshment, read a paper by Lord
Brougham,. '.on the inefficiency of oursimply penal legis.
latiou," of which the following is an abstraet. His lord-
ship observed that the education and moral training of the
people, and the making punishment subservient to the
()formation of offenders, offered the bast means of sav-
ing society from the pollution it is exposed to from the
ignorance, the immoral 'habits, and the neglect of those
who have fallen into criminal courses. There could be
no doubt that while the very existence of society was
threatened by the frightful progress of crime, the in-
efficiency of the laws fur its restraint became every day
more deplorably manifest. The opinion of every person
of experience was that punishment by itself had no
steady effect in deterring criminals. The • dread of pu
nishment always depended upon the certainty of its fol
lowing the commission of crime, and nothing like cer-
tainty was attained by the connection which
.nishmentthe law ai
present established between guilt and punishment.
such had • been done of late years to diminish the
chances of escape, but gratuitous prosecutors Were still
required to 'put the law in motion, and England alone,