The Sun.
London, England, 1860-05-03 00:00:00

ST. HELENA.

Extract from a letter from St. Helena, dated 26th
March, 1860 :

" The slave trade must be sadly on the increase.
You are aware that this is the great depot for the
slavers to be condemned at, and within four months
not less than five slavers have been brought
in. Of these three had 450 slaves on board
of one, 750 slaves on board of another, and
510 slaves in the third. One was sent here with
the captain and mate on board. Before her arrival
the Mystic, American war steamer, came to meet
the slaver. She had been sailing under American
colours. After having had a hearing before the
magistrates they were given up to the American
commanding officer, and were taken away heavily
ironed. Were this barbarous and cruel trade made
a reciprocal treaty between the nations, and slavery
treated as piracy, we should not have our senses
shocked at the sights and horrid stenches so often
witnessed of late. We have frequently been told
that the slave trade has been immensely over-rated.
Good God ! it would indeed make your heart ache
and freeze your blood to see the wretched creatures
land, being absolutely living, but filthy skeletons,
their faltering bodies covered with sickening sores,
and in a few days nearly 200 died out of 600. We
are well informed that at the present moment there
are scores of vessels on the African coast engaged
in this hateful traffic. The American captains here
make an open boast of what they do, and the profit
are so enormous, that it is worth their running any
amount of risk. Fortunate it is that there is never
a public dinner party, or we should have to pro-
claim martial law.
' suppose you have heard so much of the French
sin the tlielst of January, 1859, that you arc tired
of the subject. I must, however, admiuister a
homoeopathic dose. You know they have purchased
the_ house Napoleon the Great died in, and the tomb
he was buried in, some distance away. The house
is being newly done up. Of course, like all govern-
ment property here, it was entirely in ruins. It is
now being renovated in conformity to an old en-
graving taken at the time of exile. • Mons. de
Rougemont is the conservator of the tomb. Napo-
leon 111. sent him a few days since a couple of
horses as a present, which, we are told, were ridden
by the Emperor through the Italian campaign.
" One thing we are greatly annoyed at. The
French draw rations from the commissariat, which
the colonial officers or officers of militia must
not do. There are several French soldiers and
engineers here measuring and sketching. What
does all this mean ? Coupled with the uneasy feel.,

Yesterday evening the 18th anniversary meeting
of the friends and supporters of those admirable
charities took, place at St. Martin's-hall under the
presidency of the Earl of Shaftesbury—the Bishop
of Ripon and others being present on the platform.
The meeting having been opened with prayer,
Mr. TAWELL, the secretary, read the report,
which gave in most lengthy detail the result of the
operations of the charities during the past year.
The report stated that the large free day schools
were in full operation for infants, boys, and girls ;
375 fresh scholars had been admitted during the
year, making 3,830 since the opening of the present
premises. On one occasion, when 510 children were
present, 123 were found to be either fatherless or.
motherless, 12 were orphans, 17 destitute ; the
parents of seven were in prison, and of two in mad-
houses, and 13 were deserted by either father or
mother. Every afternoon the girls have a sewing
class. The new articles made by it were sold to
scholars at one-third the cost of the material. Those
made from worn material were given to the most
destitute ; and but for this assistance many of the
children tvould be naked. During the past year
.166 scholars had obtained situations from the day
school, 83 were sent to refuges, 64 to the Royal
Navy, 44 to the Shoeblack Society, 14 to the Cross-
ing-sweepers Brigade, and 11 restored to their
friends, making in all 382 provided for. The winter
average attendance at the boys' night school was
150, and the boys' industrial classes had been very
well attended indeed ; 288 fresh pupils had come to
the tailoring class and 328 to the shoemakers.' The
girls' industrial or servants' preparatory class con-
tinued to be of the greatest service; 56 girls from
the class this year received prizes for retaining
their places over 12 months. The penny bank in
connexion with the ragged school had 313 depositors,
who had paid in during theyear £173, and withdrawn
£196, leaving in the hands of the treasurer a ba-
lance of £59. The large amount of the withdrawals
had been mainly occasioned by the builders'
late strike. The male night refuge, with the excep-
tion of about 6 per cent. was frequented by youths
and destitute men of good character. During the
year it has supplied 32,736 lodgings and 72,000 Boz.
loaves of bread to 8,147 persons, of whom 747 have
been provided for and are now earning their living,
and many others had got, through its aid, into re-
gular employment. The new female night refuge
had admitted during the year (though only opened
on the 21st Dec. last) 1,368 women, who received in
all 16,660 lodgings and 24,000 loaves of bread, with
coffee night and morning; 205 of these poor crea-
tures had been provided with clothing and sent to
domestic service or into refuges, and 215 to other
kinds of industrial ocecupation. The girls' refuge
for the most respectable girls from the general re-
fuge had proved a most valuable branch, and the
Clothing Society, Maternal Society, the Bible
schools, and ragged church service, had all been of
the utmost use, and the latter especially was well
attended and fully appreciated. The annual sub-
scription had increased, though at present, unfor-
tunately, it did not nearly equal the expenditure.
The balance in hand from last audit was £1,914 17s.
nel., and this, with the receipts and subscriptions,
amounting to £5,643 17s. 41d. made the whole sum
to be accounted for during the year, including in-
terest on the Vines' Fund, £7,558 15s. 2d. Of this
sum £2,937 4s. Bd. had been expended, including
£1,421 for the new refuges. The remainder, with
the exception of £776 10s. 6d. balance in hand, had
been invested. Thus on the whole the report stated
that upwards of 10,000 of the poor and destitute
had been participators in the bentfits of these
charities, and of this number 1,580 had been removed
from the streets and placed in positions, where, by
the exercise of their own industry, they were en-
abled to maintain themselves respectably and inde-
pendently.
On the motion of the noble CHAIRMAN, seconded
by the Bishop of RIPON, the report as read was re-
ceived and adopted, and the meeting, which was
addressed by many friends of the refuges and
ragged schools, terminated with a vote of thanks
to the chairman.