The Sun.
London, England, 1857-01-28 00:00:00

MEETING OF TICKET-OF-LEAVE MEN.

Last night a meeting of ticket-of-leave men was
held at Farringdon Hall, Snow-hill, the object of
the meeting being to make the public acquainted
with the difficulties experienced by ticket-of-leave
holders in their endeavours to obtain an honest
livelihood, and with the hope of being able to dis-
cover :some means of being able to ameliorate their
condition. The meeting, with few exceptions, was
composed of ticket-of-leave holders. There were
upwards of 100 present, most of them being lads or
young men. In the mass they presented an
anxious, care-spent, and under-fed appearance. A
sidelong, watchful, and suspiciouslook characterised
the eyes, but beyond this there was nothing in their
dress or aspect to indicate a desperate class. They
seemed in general more forlorn than felonious, and
pitiable rather than perilous. One might take
them for an assembly of costermongers, but some
few appeared to be of a higher standing. One
individual wore moustache and imperial, and had
rings on the fingers of both hands.
The Earl of CARNARVON, who was principally
instrumental in getting up the meeting, presided,
Mr. Henry Mahew, Mr. A. Mahew, the Rev.
Mr. • Portal, Mr. Chapman, Mr. Hutton, Mr.
Beach, Capt. Wraxhall, Mr. Wyld, Mr. W. B.
Jerrold, Dr. Mackay, and others, were amongst
those present.
The CHAIRMAN opened the meeting by saying--
My good friends, perhaps you may be rather sur-
prised why I called you together this evening, for
I am aware that in asking you to meet me here, I
am taking an unusual course. At the same time
I hope that nothing will take place this evening
which will make me repent of having placed cone-
dence in you and giving you an opportunity, when
the public is disposed, perhaps, to Judge hardly of
you, of saying a few words in your own defence.
You must all know perfectly well that I can be
actuated by no other motive in bringing you to-
gether than the wish to serve your interests, and
that you may receive such kind treatment
as may be consistent with the claims of your
fellow-subjects. You know we meet together
in order to obtain some information as to the
difficulties which you experience 'in finding
employment on being discharged from prison.
Most of you are offenders against the law.
You have been tried, convicted, and sentenced to
various periods of transportation. From circum-
stances which I need not go into at present, it has
been found 'impossible to carry out that sentence.
You were, instead, placed in a state of penal servi-
tude, and after you had suffered half the time of
your original sentence, you were discharged with a
ticket of leave, on the condition and understanding
that you were thoroughly sorry for all that had
happened before, and that for the future you would
lead honest and industrious lives. I believe that a
great many amongst you thoroughly wish to do so,
but at the same time I am a rry to ay that many
fall away from their good resolution, and that some
deliberately and wilfully break from their engage-
ment. You are most of you intelligent men, and
must be aware that your country—that is to say,
all those who lead honest and respectable lives
themselves—are disposed to deal severely with you
if it be shown that the fault is entirely and clearly
your own. At the same time I, for one, am uu
willing to legislate for any one class, however
wrong or guilty, without giving them the opportu•
nity of speaking in their own defence, and stating
their feelings, their difficulties and hopes. I there-
fore ask you to state what difficul ies you expe-
rienced, and what temptations prevented you from
redeeming the promise you gave when you received
your ticket of leave. Before any of you speak, I
wish you to understand that I am here only on the
supposition that all whom I see here regret what
is past, and are anxious to lead honest lives if they
have the opportunitygiven them to do so. (Cheer..)
I do not wish you to speak of the justice or injustice
of your sentence, of the hardships of the hulks and
the prisons, but to tell me what it is that prevents
many of you, as a class, from earning au honest
livelihood on their discharge from prison. I asks
you to tell what you feel about the ticket of leave
which is given to you, whether it is of service to
you in getting employrnait or not. (Cheers.)
TICKET- OF-LEAVE MAN, NO. 1 (the names were not
given), came on the platform and said—" Friends
and brother sufferers, I am a man as has seen more
trouble in my time than any man this day in Eng-
land. When I was first committed it was up to
1832, and when I came home in 1832 I looked for
employment, but could get none, and so I had to
/all back on my old games again. (Hear, hear.)
From 1840 to 1856 I have seen all kinds of trouble.
I tried all parts of the world to get employment. I
got one employment, but the police got me out of
it again after three days. I tried the docks time
after time, but could get nothing to do till last
April, when Mr. Mayhew recommended me to a
situation, which I have held ever since. I work
hard day and night, but I don't mind that. I be-
lieve the best part of you would embrace situations
also if you could get them. (Yes, we would.) If
there were any place or institution like the &slims'
Home, where you could go to after leaving your
imprisonment, you would be glad to accept that
place, and be employed in it until you not some-
thing to do. You would he glad to emigrate to
Australia, or the Colonies, or America. I know
that many a one of you would be glad of that.if it
were offered to you—many a one. I have been out
in the colonies, and I am sorry I came home. I
know perfectly well there is many a case laid down
in the papers concerning ticket-of-leave men, but
one-half of the robberies and garottings are not
done by ticket-of-lea-v.; men but by militia men and
soldiers. I know this for a fact—but still it must
be the ticket of leave men that did it. Last week
a person got garotted iu the east end of the town
by a militiaman—a policeman looking on—but I
expect he bad his regulars out of him. (Laughter,
and cheers.) Two years ace, after coming home, I
was employed in the Com naerei throat], and a police-
man seized me, because I came out with a parcel.
He went in and inquired if 1 had not stole some-
thing, and at night when I came home I was dis-
charged. I was employed as a casualty man for
twelve months in the decks, hut I had no regular
employment. That is what I can say. A. man
who has no place to go to, and ne employment,
must go to the old associations and the old racket
again, as he has no character.
Mr. MAYHEW read a certificate from the present
employer ot the speaker, ill which he was described
as being " the most assiinous, attentive, indus-
trious, and best conducted man in his employ-
ment."

No. 2, a compact bullet-headed man, about 35
years of age, next presented himself, and coin-
, menced by asking—who is Mr. Henry Mayhew ?
I wish to know that before I commence my speech.
Who is Mr. Henry Mayhew, and where is he ?
(Mr. Mayhew was sitting next the speaker, and on
being pointed out to the speaker he continued.)
Why should you be ashamed to acknowledge you
are the man ? I came here to do something in
truth and not in fiction, and I wish to caution
you against making yourselves so public in speak-
ing your lives in public to benefit another man.
That man is Henry Mayhew. His object in calling
us together is to sell his books. A. nice man is
Henry Mayhew—a'int he ?—to come here and get
you to tell your confession ?—The speaker was in-
terrupted by the meeting several times., and on tbo
chairman telling him that he was not speaking to
the subject, he descended front the platform, re-
peating that he was a " bold man, and wished to
tell the truth."
No. 3 said—l am firmly of opinion the gentle-
men here have nothing bat our interest at heart,
and are willing to assist us. (Hear, hear.) It is
something to know that we are not altogether for-
gotten' though we are set down as worse than brute
beasts by some. We are 16,000, and we are told
it is better to meet the fate of Marley than of Cope.
I
have a wife and child and an aged mother to
keep, end by working hard I endeavour- to do so.
I want to be industrious, and not to rob or garotte.
I wish to have som th. to keep rue in my ell.
age : that ismy as eirat''ng couldl gheatvseolipoodliieffie:
men to give me asogProooedthciZ
aspiration.
culty in getting
etter thaw the
only one meal a day, nig.: k, sometimes it may be
dress, the three meals and the grey
the prison. (Hear.) wher Pl.nriikin of soup in
after my discharee I bars& I name to London
and my ticket of leave 40,4 new where to turn,
may be of use to the, who boavues!
.94 all to me. It
neither father or int,eher triends, but I had
age. (Hear.) since I -was 14 years of
Mr. MAY-Airw read a certificate of character in
favour of '.he last speaker from some inhabitants
of
St. JobA and St. Margaret's, Westminster.
No,. 4 said—When I was discharged I got em
ficriment at a large builder's, and I got into trop_
:Le for taking my brother's part, who was trP.ite-1
unjustly, and I was fined Si. When ni:r niaskv
found that I was a ticket-of-leave and that it
was known, he said he could no} have me in hig
employment, •
and so I left 4,nat work. coma
meneed working on my (non account, and now
have my father and tv-;o men employed under me.
I have met ticket-of-leave men, and, when I told
them I was in work, they said, "We wished we
could get work also, brit nobody will employ its
-without; a character ; and, if we try to sell any-
thing, the pilicemen ihove us away." When I
was discharged I threw my ticket•of-leave into the
fire. It ;3 of no use to a man, but the contrary.
It is like a previous conviction when you eet into
Newgate it helps you down. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. Wm) said that he gave employment to the
last speaker, and could speak favourably of his
conduct. (Hear.)
No. 5-1 am not a ticket-of-leave man. I have
been discharged thirteen years, and served four at