The Sun.
London, England, 1859-01-03 00:00:00

the profits arising from. the perormance. at that
theatre in aid of the funds of the college.
"Royal Surrey Theatre, Saturday, Jan. 1, 1858:
" Dear Sir,L-You will find enclosed an account
of the moneys received at this theatre on Wednes-
day, the 22d ult., in aid of the funds Of the ROval
Dramatic College. While making this New Year's
offering, we beg to say that we feel rupst deeply
indebted to all who kindly aided us in our effortS
to help on the good work. We hope, aild confi-
dent ly believe, from the ready and cheerful co-opera-
tion which we met with from all parties, that every
manager, actress, and actor will, whenever an occa-
sion offers, do their best, as we and those who are
associated with us have done, to aid and sustain the
noble institution which we are all so anxious to see
established.

" We are, dear sir, very faithfully yours,
" SHEPHERD AND CRESWICK.
" To W. Cullenford, Esq., Hon. Sec."
The reading of the letter and the announcemeue,of
the benefit to the college, were received with con-
siderable applause, and the thanks of the committee
were tendered to those members of the profession
who had kindly given their gratuitous assistance
on the occasion, as also to the Surrey Gas Company
which had supplied the gas gratis.
Mr. WEBSPER stated that Lord Tenterden had
consented to act as chairman of the meeting, on
Wednesday, the 12th, at the Adelphi; (Hear.)
Ix answer to a question put by Mr. Spooner,
Mr. WEBSTER stated that Mr. Moore, in his offer
of the land, had said that the chairman may go
down and pick five acres of land wherever he
pleased on his estate; (Hear.)
The CHAIRMAN next called attention to the dress
-e place on the 16th February,
at St. - James's 1, iii aid of the funds of the
charity. --
After some discussion, in which Messrs. Deane,
Creswick, Spooner, Jerwood, Sams, Reddish, and
others took part, the price of the ticket was fixed
at 15s. for a gentleman, and 10s. 6d. for a lady's
ticket; and a ball committee was appointed to make
the necessary arrangements.
After the transaction of some ordinary business
and matters of detail, the proceedings terminated.

MR. SAMUEL WARREN, M.P., UPON
CRIME AND ITS CA USES.

HULL, SATURDAY EVENING.
Yesterday the Hull Christmas Sessions were
opened before Mr. Samuel Warren, M.P., the
Recorder, who addressed the grand jury as follows:
Gentlemen of the Grand Jury—Christmas ses-
sions and Christmas festivities—the one held in
the midst of the other—may suggest the idea of a,
gloomy visitant at a gay banquet—Crime, stalking
into the midst of assembled Innocence, and grimly
asking, "Why are you all so happy here, when you
know that so many of us are without, miserable
among ourselves, and threatening you? To you all
is delightful; to us everythinghateful and terrible.
The bosom of society swells at your approach, and
contracts at ours, as at that of a loathed and ac-
cursed thing—its natural enemy. But have you
nothing to do with us ? Yes, and we will have to
do with you ; you shall see in neglected crime a
sure retribution." Gentlemen, I will not prolong
.the dismal colloquy; you all of you know well what
its tenour would be likely to be ; but let me tell
you what suggested these topics to me. It was
the sight yesterday evening, on my arrival here,
of these depositions, containing the guilty details
with which we have this day to deal, and a
passage occurring towards the close of the
report of the gaol chaplain to my brother justices
and myself. The former—the depositions—disclose
drunkenness and ignorance, fanning the flames of
violence and cupidity, till they consume almost-
every vestige of morality and conscience. The latter
—the gaol chaplain's report—reveals with painful
• distinctness those causes in action producing these
results, with only the immediate aspect and effect of
which we have to deal, leaving the immense resi-
due to be wondered at and lamented with a sort of
humane imbecility, strongly tinctured with indiffe-.
rence, if not insincerity, or dealt with promptly
and vigorously by the earnest and thoughtful phi-
lanthropist and statesman. "It has long -been a
subject of serious thought with me," says our ex-
cellent chaplain, " though I have hitherto refrained
from noticing it in any of my reports—how far the
crime of this town is increased by the wretchedness
of the dwellings of the poorer classes,which furnish
so large a proportion of our town criminals. I have
on frequent occasions, in my visits to the homes of
the prisoners,' friends or parents, to go into places
of a most filthy and disgusting description. The
floors, judging from their appearance, are seldom
washed; the walls arc unwhitewashed ; the furni-
ture scanty and dirty ; the beds and bedding
covered with filth ; a whole family—father, mother,
children, young and adult—all dwelling in one
room, where they eat, drink, wash, and sleep !
When I have witnessed this state of things in their
homes I have said, how can anything good or vir-
tuous be expected in parties who are herded toge-
ther like pigs in a stye, but not so innocent ? Little
else than a miracle can make persons moral who
live in places such as these. I mention this only to
say how thankful I am that there is a movement in
Hull on the subject of dwellings for the poor, that,
I trust, will be attended with the most beneficial
results, both to individual poor families and to the
town at large. The scheme is yet in its infancy ;
but every friend of the poor, and every lover of
good morals, will hail the movement with gladness
and see in it a practical sympathy with the
lower orders, and a real desire to benefit them
both socially and spiritually." A brother gaol
chaplain said, a few years ago, in his book entitled
"Prisons and Prisoners"—" In some country parts
the condition of a poor man's habitation is disgrace-
ful ; in our large towns it is horrible beyond de-
scription." The physical description of the poor
cannot be viewed as separated from the moral. The
want of a proper dwelling-place for the working
man is one of the greatest trials, and it is as inju-
rious to'his spiritual as to his bodily health. The
crowding together of a whole family in one room
weakens domestic virtue, destroys all self-respect,
modesty—mark that, gentlemen, and what it
implies—and delicacy of feeling, and utterly anni-
hilates all opportunity for self-improvement—a
home which is miserable from physical or moral
causesl is the half-way house to the gin-palace or
beer-shop. The working classes, I assure you, when
placed -in proper lodging-houses, are as remarkable
for sober and domestic habits as the inhabitants of
our courts and alleys are for drunkenness, immo-
rality, and crime. Sanitary reform is moral reform.
Every one can do something in this work in his
parish and neighbourhood; and he is bound to do
his utmost ; the health, the lives of the poor are
involved—yea, their morals, and in no small mea-
sure their eternal interests." So much did these
passages, affect me, that I copied them out to read
to you this morning ; and I do now beseech you,
solemnly, to reflect, and act upon them. I do assure
you, in the name of justice, humanity, and religion,
that you cannot more becomingly end the present
andinaugurate the coming year. Every domestic
comfort you yourselves enjoy—every luxury you
deem yourselves j.ustified in allowing ymirselves—
ought to plead this wretchedly urgent cause before
your own hearts. Do try to realise to yourselves
the scenes depicted in the passages which I have
read to you, and which are equally applicable to
all our great and many of even our smaller towns.
Did you ever, by aecident, or purposely, in the dis-
charge of a holy and ennobling duty, go to these
dismal scenes—.
4, Where hopeless Anguish pours her moan,
And lonely-Want retires to die ?"
Can you not imagine the presence of that- anguish,
and that want, driving off those who endure or
witness it, in desperation, elsewhere—to gain a
short mad forgetfulness in drink, and during that
horrid forgetfulness becoming the prey of the
seducer, and companions of the sons of Violence and
Infamy? When we leave our own superior homes
in the morning, we trust to return to them cheerful,
to be encountred by cheerfulness, and the enjoy-
ment of everything that can promote it. But how
is it with those of whom we are speaking ? At this
moment, during every hour of the day and the
coming night how many rooms in the town of Hull
are rendered absolutely insupportable by cold, by
starvation; by uncleanliness—moral uncleanliness,
as well as physical ? What is the result ? Crowded
dram shops, and thriving brothels, which cannot ba
frequented but by those who, with every succeeding
visit, become more and more blindly devoted to vice
and intemperance; and also must necessarily resort
to fraud and violence to supply the means of guilty
indulgence ! And speaking of brothels, let me ask
you, gentlemen, if you aro aware of the statistics
relating to these detestable hotbeds of crituf)M_in your
own town ? I find the last item in Mr. M anus's
carefully compiled criminal returns for the last year
headed thus---" Return of the number of brothels and
prostitutes in the borough of Kingston-upon-Hull."
It appears that the number of houses in which pro-
stitutes are kept was 245 ! That, besides these, ti e
number of houses to which such women res )rt
was 52 ; and that the number of such wretched
ereatwo was 515 I fear the retvAs for the cur-