The Sun.
London, England, 1868-08-31 00:00:00

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Despatches were received on Saturday at the Co'
lonial Office from the Governors of Hong Kong,
Ceylon, Malta, Gibraltar, and British Columbia.
Despatches were sent to the Governors of the
North American Provinces, Bermuda, British Co'
:umbia, and the Mamas.

REFORM A 7 011. _I SCHOOLS.

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Mr. Sydney Turner's report for the year 1861
Mates that there was no change in the number of
reformatory schools in Great Britain in the year;
but two or three more institutions are needed, and
especially another in Lancashire for Roman Catholic
boys, and one in the south of England for Protes-
tant girls. The present number of these schools is
64-44 for boys and 20 for girls ; 54 for Protestants,
8 for Roman Catholics, and 2 mixed. The number
of juvenile offenders under detention in them at the
close of the year 1867 was 4,046 boys and 1,046
girls ; and there were also 586 boys and 56 girls
out on licence. The number under deters'
tion shows an increase of 260 boys And 52
gills over the number at the end of the year 1866;
but the increase was mainly due to the greater
length of time for which the inmates are de-
tained ; the increased supply of children to be
committed and demanding reformatory treatment
has remained for the last three years at about the
same average of 60. The subject of the period
of detention requires very careful attention. Too
long a detention creates discontent and restlessness,
or indifference or apathy, and hinders rather than
helps reformation. In the course of the year
there were 48 deaths, about 1 per cent. of the
inmates ; 15 were discharged on account of disease,
and 16 as incorrigible, or convicted of new crime,
and sentenced to penal servitude. Of the remain-
ing 811 boys 18 enlisted in the army, 153 went to
sea, 81 emigrated, 559 found employment in Eng-
land, and of the remaining 222 girls eight emigrated,
128 were placed directly in service, and 86 were
placed out through their relatives. There were three
deaths in each of the school ships in the Mersey ;
every effort is made to interest these boys and give
the discipline as kindly and cheerful a tone as pus'
sible, but probably in the continuous confinement
to a school ship moored always in the same spot,
with the inevitable deficiency of varied exercise and
labour, it may be more difficult to rally and nail'
gorate partially diseased constitutions than in a 3
open farm or workshop. Mr. Turner is able to re-
port very favourably of the order and general disci-
pline maintained in the reformatories under 110
inspection and of the average standard of behaviour
and general conduct prevailing in them. Anything
like an outbreak or serious disorder has been almost
unknown. A wholesome moral tone pervades the
great majority of them, and both serious faults and
severe punishments are rare among them. He has
found alto a marked improvement in ne educa-
tional condition of many of the schools, though
some have, to his surprise, declined both in the
quality and the extent of the instructions given'
The religious teaching is generally sound and
earnest. The industrial training is almost uni-
formly good. The considerable sums realised in
the way of payments from neighbouring employer°
in many of the country reformatories for the labour
of the boys, and the amounts earned by laun-
dry work by the girls are a sufficient proof of this.
The total expenditure for 1867 on an average (4
5,140 inmates amounted to £llO,lOB, or £2l
Bs. sd. a head. This included £2,291 for rent,
£4,418 cast of disposal, and £4,609 building e%"
penses. Deducting these, the expenditure averaged
£l9 4s. 5d per head, reduced by industrial profits
to £l7 Os. lid. net cost per head. The receipt
amounted to £117,287 the treasury payment',
£72,999 ; parents' payments, £3,112 ; subscrr
tions, legacies, £12,236 ; voluntary associa-
tions, &c., £625 ; contributions from rates, £15,28/1
industrial profits, £11,171; sundries, £1,829. At
Red Hill the realised earnings amounted to £5 los.
per head on the boys, at Hardwicke to £5 135., at
the Northampton Reformatory to £5, at the Bedford ,
to £4 135., at the Dorset to £4 75., at the Nandi'
worth to £4, at the Monmouth, Warwickshire, and
Market Weighton to about £3 10s. ; at the Stran-
raer to about £5. For girls' schools the earnings
were £5 per head at Toxteth-park, £5 12s. at Ips-
wich, £4 13s. at the Liverpool Girls', £4 103. at

Limpley Stoke, £1 2s. at the Yorkshire Catholic
(Sheffield), and £5 3s. at Hampstead. The crimin3l
statistics for the year 1867 show a very serious ill-
crease in the number of commitments for England
and Wales, the total for offenders of all ages having
risen from 124,291 to 131,398, or nearly 6 per cent'
—a result probably of the depressed condition '3f
trade and the distress from want or suspension 01
employment which has weighed so heavily on the
metropolitan and other districts. It is satisfacterY
to find that the increase was much greater iu the
class of adult offenders (those above 16 years ,
age) than among the juveniles; the number 01
commitments rising for the former from 114,935 to
121,767, i.e., by nearly 6 per cent., and for the
latter from 9,356 to 9,631, i.e. by nearly 3 Po
cent. The prison returns continue to give pro
of the permanent effect of reformatory diseir
line on young offenders. The whole nuns'
ber of prisoners recognised in gaol in 1867 'l'4
having been formerly in reformatory schoolo
was 310 males and 34 females in Ea-
land, and 117 males and 20 females in Scotland ;
and in the four years 1864-67, deducting the dead,
2,798 males and 760 females were discharged fOril
reformatory schools. The prison returns give ntl
these figures a relapse of 15 per cent. on the bar
and 7 per cent. of the girls. The ratio is not 5 Per
cent. of all discharged from the reformatories, but'

after several years, many might elude recognitiov•
The reconviction of those discharged in 1864-66 were
12.8 per cent, of Protestant boys and 6.3 per cent;
of girls ; 27.4 per cent, of Roman Catholic boys an
9.4 per cent. of girls. This comparison is only
useful as it may arouse managers to exercise more
watchful superintendence over the inmates after
they leave the school ; on this the result mair34

depends. The returns of those discharged from re-
formatories in Great Britain in 1864-66 (deduetieg
deaths) show 68 per cent. of the boys and 67.5 Pcr
cent. of the girls known to be doing well ; 4 per cent;
of the boys and nearly 13 per cent. of the girls 7
doubtful or indifferent characters; nearly 16 per cent.
of the boys and 10 per cent. of the girls convict‘
;
convicted
of crime ; above 12 per cent. of the boys and nearly
10 per cent. of the girls unknown. Allowing that
fair proportion of the " unknown" are doing sgepilc;
we shall find the long standing average of about
per cent. fairly maintained. English Catholic ha:,
schools have advanced—Mount St. Bernard free
45 to 58 per cent., and Brook-green from 63 to
per cent. Market Weighton remains at about u
per cent. As the principle of earlier discharge and
more careful superintendence afterwards while °a
licence is more thoroughly acted on, it is beliefe
the results will be still more favourable.

The Corporation of Cork met on Saturday
unanimously passed a resolution proposed bY 1.
-
. Sullivan, and seconded by Mr. Dwyer, cal,lr,
for the liberation of the Fenian prisoners. P
of
Dwyer, in the course of his address in support
the motion, said that the Fenians had been dill 0,
to adopt the course they took by misrule and opPre

sion.
jog
AWFULLY SUDDEN DEATlL—Yesterday m°lll- f
groat excitement was created at the Newcross
the London, Brighton, and South Coast Ealway ,t1:01
sudden death, in the booking office, of an elderly
named Brady. The deceased, who is a tradesman clip
ing on business in the Old Kent-road, was going forliig
in the country with his wife, and while waiting I'.;
ticket suddenly dropped on the floor of the office an
station 00
ey-

pired, death Wing instantaneous.
A telegram from St. Petersburg states that Prine°!
Gortchakoff has elaborated a plan for convoking a 17'11.„l a'
pean congress whose mission will be a general dise;ett
ment. It is added that the draft of this scheme bas ,
communicated to the Governments of the Groat 13').W°1.1.0...
A petition signed by 400 ladies was recently POO,
seated to the Russian Minister of Public Instructl.o
praying that the professors at the university 'night glior
special lectures for ladies, so as to satisfy their desire
higher instruction.