The Sun.
London, England, 1866-02-16 00:00:00

There has been for some time past a growing
feeling in the public mind that the wandering and
destitute classes, who come under the head of casual
paupers, stand in urgent need of some better and
more humane treatment. The experience of the
" amateur casual" has only confirmed the prevailing
impression of the general discomforts and hardships
of the legal shelter provided for the houseless, while,
large as is the number of our night refuges, they
prove constantly unequal to the demands upon
them. It is undoubtedly a difficult question, since
there is as much reason to guard against the en-
couragement of vice and idleness as there is to avoid
the risk of neglecting the really needy. With-
out doubt a large proportion even of the
latter owe their distress to their own improvidence
or intemperance, their own faults or those of their
immediate relatives. But there is one class whose
necessities appeal most powerfully to our sym-
pathies, and against relieving whose necessities the
most rigid political economist can hardly venture to
protest. The crowds of hungry, homeless, un-
friended children who haunt our courts and alleys,
call powerfully for aid, for unless a helping hand
be held out to them they have no prospect before
them but a life of beggary or crime. They have
either no parents, or parents, who from vice,
cruelty, or intemperance, are unwilling or unable to
help them. How are they to learn a trade—to ob-
tain any kind of decent employment? Who will
give them a chance ? Who will take a boy without
friends, without character, in any capacity what-
ever? They must go on roughing it, living how
they can, and where they can, picking up scraps
to-day and fasting to-morrow, sleeping now at this
lvorkhouse and now at that, now under a railway-
arch or a scaffolding, till they reach an age when
such a seed-time brings forth its natural fruit, and
the childhood of idleness, beggary, and evil asso-
ciation, gives us the thief and criminal of every
degree. Society pays dearly enough for these
neglected children in the long run only unfortu-
nately it does not pay at the right time. A tenth
part of the amount expended on a professional
thief or burglar out of the public purse would, if
laid out in childhood instead of in manhood, give
the country a decent citizen instead of a perpetual
burden. These homeless children may truly be
ranked among our dangerous classes, for their
future is full of danger to themselves and to others.
Their number is large enough to allow for a vast
surplus in spite of the many Christian and philan-
thropic efforts to establish refuges, reformatories,
and industrial schools. In these admirable institu-
tions the children are taught a trade, a fact which
puts in a great measure their life into their own
hands, for a good workman can find plenty of op-
portunities—if not here, in the colonies. The men-
tal and moral training given in these schools sup-
plies, as far as possible, all the deficiencies of their
neglected childhood, and the only matter for regret
about the refuges and schools is that there are not
more of them. There is still a large crowd of these
homeless boys wandering night after night about
the metropolis, and some of our earnest-minded
philanthropists have set themselves seriously to con-
sider what can be done for them. Partly with the
view of inquiring into their real condition, partly
with the hope of enlisting a larger amount of sym-
pathy on their behalf, they assembled a
num-
berof houseless and destitute boys at the St.
Giles's
tnhigenahva a
lodgings. Refuge on Wednesday evening, giving
good supper and payment for their
The manner of the invita-
tion was a sufficient guarantee for the actual
destitution of the boys assembled, if indeed their
miserable appearance needed any such testimony.
The announcement of the supper was sent round to
the different workhouses to be made through the
Masters to the inmates of the casual wards. Those
who responded to this appeal were b3tll .
een 150 and
200, a much lower number than was anticipated ;
but the fact was that a very great proportion of
those whom the notice reached were afraid to come,

fearing a lecture or the police. Still there was a
crowd assembled round the doors of the refuge long
before the hour fixed upon arrived, and it was a
crowd pitiful to see. Hunger, squalor, disease, in
all their forms, were in that dismal little assembly,
representing in their rags and wretchedness the sins
of others. The story which was gathered from
some of them, after their hearts had been gladdened
by a better supper than they had eaten for many a
long day or night, was substantially the same. The
greater part were orphans, many did not know
whether their parents were alive or not, most were
beggars, some were thieves ; most of them got their
night's shelter when they had one by one gone the
weary round of the different London workhouses,
and sleeping in the casual wards ; those who
brought tickets from the ward they had slept
in the night before, declaring they had had
nothing to eat since they left it. Whether
they were so or no, they were lean and
hungry enough to bear out any such statement ;
and the unanimous shout they gave when they saw
the slice of pudding which finished their supper
was touching, from its proof of the childishness
which belonged to their years, but which their faces
contradicted. Nothing more was attempted than
temporary relief. A few kind words from the Earl
of SHAFTESBURY and other leaders of the movement,
a good supper, and 4d. each for a night's lodging,
were all that could be given for the moment ; but it
is surely a question not only for our professional
philanthropists, but for the community at large,
whether their necessities do not demand something
more. It is no light thing that we let hundreds of
children grow up in the very midst of our metro-
polis without religion, without learning, without
the means of earning their bread. How do we ex-
pect them to live? They will answer the question
for us in a very unsatisfactory manner if we do not
do it for them, and we must remember that the evil
perpetuates itself. Those best acquainted with the
subject have told us, on conclusive grounds, that
ignorance is the great parent of crime, since the
proportion of educated criminals is very small ; and
since' the establishment of reformatories and the
efforts made by ragged schools and other means,
the number of juvenile criminals is steadily
diminishing. But while these figures in one
sense are gratifying and encouraging, they
do not lessen, but rather add, to our
responsibility, since if we endeavour to enlighten
the ignorance we are -wilfully perpetuating the
crime. If the cure for a deadly disease is, humanly
speaking, in our own hands, are we not answerable
for the fatal consequences which will infallibly ensue
from its neglect ? It is a question for every citizen
to ask himself each in his own degree. Let each
do what he can to remove this great and crying evil
from our midst, and we shall not long be able to
gather such a little army of desolate outcasts from
the very centre of the wealth and civilisation of the
richest and most populous city in the world.

At a very late hour last evening, at the close of
a long debate, a measure of considerable importance
was introduced into the House of Commons and
read a first time. Mr. CARDWELL obtained leave
to bring in a Bill to make provision for the Govern-
ment of Jamaica—a task which at this crisis is one
of no ordinary difficulty. The Legislature of
Jamaica, it will be remembered, passed an act for
the amendment of their own Constitution ; but,
subsequently, finding that the Imperial Government
was willing to undertake the responsibility, they
subsequently adopted the wiser course of placing
themselves entirely in the hands of the Crown,
and leaving the form of their future govern-
ment to be settled by impartial authority.
The` question is so difficult in all its aspects,
the present condition of the colony so unsettled,
and the very defects of the existing representa-
tive system so great, that it would be almost im-
possible for the colonists at this juncture to orga-
nise a good and efficient constitution. The diffi-
culty would undoubtedly have been enhanced by
the conflicting interests, the rival parties, and the
double governorship. We in England can hardly
believe it possible, at first sight, that representa-
tive institutions can fail to work well, but on a
closer scrutiny it is easy to understand
that, with less than 2,000 qualified electors
cut of 440,000 people, and with so large a
preponderance of blacks among the population, the
Legislature entirely failed to meet the requirements
of the island. Indeed we know from local accounts
that at least one of the Houses was regarded as more
mischievous and obstructive than beneficial, and, in
fact, it was clear even before the outbreak, that the
whole political system needed a thorough reorgani-
sation and amendment. The fortunes of Jamaica
have shown a rapid decadence, and its pub-
lic and private credit have alike deteriorated
with surprising quickness, although it possesses
every element of wealth and prosperity. In
tranquil times it might perhaps have been
possible for the colonists to have reformed their
own constitution, though, from local influences,
interests, and prejudices, the case would always
have been difficult, but under existing circumstances
the task would have been almost impossible. Mr.
CARDWELL proposes to provide for Jamaica in the
first instance a Government similar to that now in
operation in Trinidad, doing so by Order in Coun-
cil, for a period of three years. This is a wise pre-
caution, as by that time the heat and excitement of
the moment will have passed away, and men will
be able to judge calmly how far the form
of government is adapted to the colony,
what is really the position and what are the
wants of its people, and what change or improve-
ment it will be advisable to make. There was of
course no discussion on the introduction of the bill,
which was read for the first time without any op-
position; and we trust that, should it commend itself
to the general feeling of the house and the public,
no factious opposition will be allowed to interrupt
or retard its progress.

A VOLCANO IN TIIE OCEAN.—PLYMOUTH, Wed-
nesday.—The ship Orient, 1,032 tons, Capt. John
Harris, the arrival of which with a cargo of wool, &c., has
already been announced, sailed from Adelaide Nov. 10,
rounded Cape Horn. Dec. 13, crossed the line Jan. 15, and
spoke Jan. 12, lat. 5 S., long. 27 W., the ship Queen of
Nations, 65 days from Callao, for Queenstown ; 13th, lat. 3
S., long. 28 W., signalled a ship supposed to bo the first
pendant 1,498, the Canova ; Feb. 9, the ships Eurydice,
from Liverpool for Bombay, the Ravensbourne, and the
Danish bark Doric) Roderson, standing to the westward,
wind south-west. When crossing the Pacific the Orient
experienced light north-west winds and light easterly
winds with calms. No ice was seen there, but some was
observed off the pitch of the Horn in 58 south. Moderate
northerly winds prevailed in the South Atlantic. The
south-east trades were met in lat. 19 S. and long. 15 W. ;
they wero very light. The equator was crossed in lat. 30
west, and good north-east trades were found in 3 N. and 33
W. Light northerly winds prevailed in and about the
Tropic of Cancer. On Sunday last, when such severe
weather prevailed from the metropolis to the Land's-end
the Orient was off the Isle of Wight, and Capt. Harris's re-
port says, " One of the heaviest gales struck us, in fact it
was a hurricane ; there was little hopes of safety ; we lost
much canvas and the ship laboured frightfully." On Friday,
November 17, at 7 15 a.m., when in lat. 51 44 S. and long.
160 49 E., with a moderate wind from north-north-west
and a clear sky, the ship commenced ringing the bells and
trembling violently as if she were passing over a rough
bottom in shallow water. Than instant all was confusion on
board, as the crew and passengers thought she was settling
down. The violent trembling last two or three minutes
with nothing visible. Sounded the pump-well and found
no water ; and sounded over the ship's side with the deep
sea lead, but found no bottom. The conclusion arrived at
by all on board was that the shiphad experienced the effects
of a submarine volcano.

CORRESPONDENCE FROM PARIS.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
PARIS, Thursday Evening.

The Senate yesterday adopted the Address unani-
mously, of course, however not without another
rambling tirade from the Marquis de Boissy. A
word or two will illustrate the estimation in which
the Senete holds this man. As he was proceeding
with his voluminous comments, amidst general im-
patience, the first President, M. Troplong, hinted
that they did not want to hear his " developments."
The Baron de Heeckeren said, " We want to hear
useful things." The President, " Yes, the Senate
wishes to hear useful facts or observations, and not
digressions, which, for the most part, have nothing
whatever to do with the Address." Never, perhaps,
was there an orator like the Marquis de Boissy. He
talked away in spite of marked indications of im-
patience and disgust. Nay, he said he was
" enchanted" at the interruptions.
The religious commands as to the observance of
Lent of 1866 are framed in the spirit of allowing
the utmost indulgence compatible with the necessary
demands of religion. Not many years since almost
total abstinence from flesh was enforced during
Lent, but M. Darboy, the Archbishop of Paris, this
year makes the following regulatiolis :—" We per-
mit the use of eggs during the whole of Lent, with
the exception of the last three days of Passion
Week. We allow the use of meat Sunday, Mon-
day, Tuesday, and Thursday of each week, from
Thursday after Ash Wednesday till Tuesday of
Passion Week, inclusive. This dispensation only
applies, even in regard to those who aie not sup-
posed to care about fasting, to the principal re-
past (Divine) except on Sunday, when fat aliments
may be used at every repast. We permit the use
of milk and butter at the collation, except on Ash
Wednesday and Good Friday. Thus permission
extends to every fast day of the year."
The last mandentant of the late Archbishop of
Paris (Cardinal Morlot) was made less indulgent
than the present. Indeed, a French writer of note
referring to it says that, though in theology absti-
nence from certain aliments is called fasting, in
medicine such changes would be considered as a
wholesome regulation of diet, in conformity with
proper sanitary regulations.
In looking over some ancient books, which treat
of fasts, I find it stated that it was not till the 15th
century that fasting began to be generally observed
at certain periods. In a work of M. Raoul de Croy,
published 30 years ago, upon the subject of Lent
fasts, he remarks that in Genesis it is said that, on
the fifth day of the creation, God commanded the
waters to produce fish, and that birds would fly on
the earth. Thus several Fathers of the Church
considered fish and fowl to be of the same species,
as they had the same origin. St. Basil and St. Am-
brose authorised this doctrine. In the life of St.
Columban it is said that, in a time of famine,
he fed his monks with game and poultry. Gregory
of Tours relates that, dining at the table of Chil-
peric, and not usually eating meat, the King said to
him—" Take this soup. It is for you. It is made
with fowl." In 817 the Council of Aix-la-Chapelle
made some modifications of the idea, lout the Coun-
cil still left some birds in the same category as fish.
This anecdote is related in support of the hypothesis.
A monk of the Abbey of Cluny went home on a
visit to his parents. It was a fast-day. He asked
what there was to eat, and was told that there
watt nothing in the house but fish. Seeing some
chickens in the yard he went and killed one and
brought it in, and said, " That is the fish I shall eat
to-day." His parents asked him if he had permis-
sion to eat meat. He replied, " No, but a fowl is
not flesh. Birds and fish were created at the same
time, and they have the same origin, as our hymns
teach us." According to some French authors
"certain aliments were forbidden in times of
fasting, not from theological considerations, but
on account of their scarcity. The Council of An-
gers in 1149 forbade the use of butter and milk.
Charles the Fifth, whose health was impaired after
the attempt made by the King of Navarre to poison
him, however withdrew the prohibition. In 1584
the Council of Bourges forbade the use of eggs in
times of fasting, but people were permitted to eat
them in some localities. Charenton, near Paris,
was one of those privileged places, and thus it be-
came the rendezvous of those who wished to avoid
the discipline of the Church. B,:ontome, a courtier
of Charles the Ninth, relates a pleasant anecdote
about a fine lady who made a false and hypocritical
display of her desire to conform to church discip-
line. In a certain town there was a procession in
Lent. The lady appeared to be particularly
devout, and joined in the procession bare-footed ;
and although she in general dressed very stylishly,
on this occasion her garments were those of peni-
tence, and intended to evince dislike of " pomps
and vanities." The procession over, however, the
hypocrite went to dine with her lover upon a
quarter of lamb and a ham. The repast
diffused such a savoury odour that people could
smell it in the street. They rushed up stairs to the
dining room, and the lady was caught in the fact of
feeding on lamb, instead of the diet prescribed by
the Church canons. She was immediately seized,
and compelled to walk through the town with the
remnants of the quarter of lamb on the spit fastened
to her shoulder, and with the ham hung round her
neck.

In my account of the procession of the bceuf Bras,
which appeared in The Skin of Tuesday, there was
a misprint which should be corrected. It was not
a little goat, but a little girl, who was dressed as
Cupid.

A letter from Dr. Tournes, connected with a
scientific mission to South Africa, appears in the
Siecle, which gives a lamentable account of the
unfortunate prisoners of the Negus of Abyssinia
and of the general condition of the country. Com-
plete anarchy prevailed, and there were three pre-
tenders to the empire. Theodore, the present
Negus, is a fugitive and a wanderer from
province to province. An engagement had taken
place on the day of the arrival of Dr. Tournes
at Halai, and 400 men were killed. The expedi-
tion wished to penetrate into the interior, but the
certainty of being made prisoners induced them to
retreat. On the 20th December the news respect-
ing the captives of Theodore was melancholy in the
extreme. M. Sterne, a Protestant bishop, had
died while being punished with the stick. Mr.
Cameron, English Consul at Manahonah, had suf-
fered the same treatment, and was at the point
of death. After having obtained permission to
repair to Theodore to treat for the deliverance
of Mr. Cameron, M. Rasam, first Councillor at the
Residence at Aden, received Orders to stop at
latala, a few days' journey from Gondar. His
journey would now be useless, unless, indeed, the
preceding news should be contradicted, which must
be earnestly hoped, but which, unfortunately, is
hardly probable.

A lamentable case of attempted murder has just
been tried by the Court of Assize of the Seine. The
accused is Jean Danga,la law student, about five-
and-twenty, and the intended victim Francois
Etienne. The cause was jealousy. The prisoner
had lived for three years with a frail but beautiful
blonde named Josephine Delporte, but she left him
because she loved Etienne better. On the 20th
December Josephine and Etienne were together At
the concert Cafd Eldorado, when the prisoner in-
flicted some dangerous wounds upon his rival with
a dagger. He is now slowly recovering from them.
The prisoner was sentenced to hard labour for ten
years, and the court awarded 3,000 f. to Etienne as
damages for the personal injuries he had received.

REPRESENTATION OF BRIDGWATER.—A petition
from three electors of the borough of Bridgwater
was presented to the House of Commons on Tuesday
night, praying that the return of Mr. A. W. Kinglake at
the late general election may be declared null and void.
The petitioners state that on that occasion there were three'i
candidates—Mr. H. Westropp, Mr. A. W. Kinglake, and
Sir J. Shelley, and that the two first named were declared
duly elected after a poll. The petitioners, however, im-
pugn the return of Mr. Kinglake on the grounds of bribery
and corruption by himself, his agents, managers, and
friends, and by divers other persons on his behalf. Impu-
tations of treating and intimidation are also put forward
as grounds upon which the petitioners pray the House of
Commons to declare the election and return of Mr. A. W.
Kinglake null and void.