The Sun.
London, England, 1869-02-27 00:00:00

CONFERENCE OF THE LONDON CHARITIES.

A. short time ago a conference of persons
interested in the London charities was held at the
rooms of the Society of Arts, and an interesting
discussion took place. The Bishop of London
presided, and many of the representatives of
the great London charities expressed their
views on the subject of pauperism. Dr.
Hawkesley the author of the pamphlet on the
Charities of London, which formed the basis of the
Conference, moved that they should recommend
the organisation of the London Charities to the-Metro-
politan Association for theßepression of Crime and
Pauperism. Some discussion arose as to the propriety
of working the system of the Poor-law Board and
the charitable institutions together, and the con-
ference adjourned. It was resumed last Thursday,
and Dr. Barry, Principal of King's College, presided.
Dr. Ilawkesley's resolution was withdrawn, and an
amendment, proposed by Sir W. Fraser, substituted.
This suggested an organisation of the London charities,
without proposing any plan for the purpose. A reso-
lution -rrnD carrica to the effect that an official register
of all applicants for relief in the metropolis was most
essential. Mr. Rusi..in said that some charities should
be private and others public, and too much was said
about indiscriminate charity. Another resolution
was carried in favour of the registration of chari-
table societies and the audit of their accounts.

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT.
There has been a great difference of opinion
expressed as to whether the fear of death has pre-
vented would-be murderers from committing the
greatest offence known to the law. It has been stated
that criminals fear life-long imprisonment more than
death, and that while the one is a terror to them, the
idea of being sent out of this world altogether lulls
them into a state of indifference. M. Lallemant
Advocate of the Court of Nancy, publishes a letter on
this'su bj ect, and gives a tot a llydiff erent opinion,founcled
on eighteen years' experience. He maintains that the
punishment of death is the only one which great
criminals fear. As for transportation to Cayenne or
New Caledonia, they rather like it ; and an assassin
who, in virtue of " extenuating circumstances," finds
himself let off with traraus forces for life, dances
the cancan and shrieks with delight. "To under-
stand the question," says )1. Lallemant, " you should
have witnessed, as I have done, the loud, expan-
sive joy of murderers on re-entering their prison
after just escaping the scaffold. How happy they
are, how they rejoice, uttering cries of joy between
two dances of the most expressive character, at only
being condemned to hard labour for life." Under
the old French law, theft, like assassination, was
punished with death, and the consequence was that
a thief, already liable, if convicted to capital punish-
ment, did not hesitate to proceed from theft to
murder, if by so doing ho could increase his chances
of impunity. The same thing, M. Lallemant argues,
would happen again if capital punishment were
altogether abolished. The thief, who now thinks
twice before he commits murder, would no longer
pause, for, whether he murdered or not, his punish-
ment would still be only hard labour for life.