The Sun.
London, England, 1829-11-25 00:00:00

an arbitrary system of police—one not respon-
,ible, to the people, but dependetat upon the
Crown—contended that a despotic organization
of police was superior in simplicity and dispatch
to a popular one. This argument, if good fur
anything, is equally good to show the supe-
riority of a despotic Government over a limited
monarchy. The former has infinitely the ad-
vantage. in despatch and energy to the latter ;
but a country may pay too high a price for con-
ferring additional energies on Governtnent.—
Those who contend that, because parochial go-
vernments have engendered abuses, they should
be subverted and not reformed, ought to carry
their argument further, and say, when Par-
liaments become corrupt or inefficient, they
ought not to be reformed, but abolished ; and
certainly the machinery of Government would be
less complex, and would work with more celerity
of movement, without them, Su th—e interven-
tion of the Jury system renders the administra-
tion of justice slower than it would otherwise
be ; and as this system is sometimes abused in
practice, it ought also to be got lid of. Seeing
that this institution had its origin before modern
philosophy announced the " age of intellect,"
how can the revolutionising sages of the present
day regard it as any thing but a barbarous inven-
tion of our rude ancestors to shackle the energies
of the law? Let us be consistent—let us adopt
the military simplicity of organization in all our
civil institutions, or let us in all adhere to the
popular principle on which they were founded,
Only rendering its operation more effective that
it may be the better preserved.
." Well, but,"
say some of the supporters of the military sys-
tem of police, " the parochial police, however
its principle might be more congenial with our
Constitution than that of the new, was not ca-
pable of being made really effective, and there-
fore it ought to be altogether abolished.' We
ask, when was the experiment of its reformation
tried ? We have heard of no instance of
thorough reformation attempted, except in the
case of the parish of Whitechapel ; and, as
far as that has yet gone, we understand it
has completely succeeded. In corroboration of
this, we refer our readers to a letter, in another
part of our columns, of Mr. Walker, the Ma-
gistrate, whose exertions to give efficiency to the
parochial police do him more credit than his en-
deavours to bring the Poor Laws into disrepute.
Upon his authority we learn that the system of
police introduced into the parish by the White-
chapel Association, " though not a fortnight old,
and as yet imperfectly organized, works with a
facility and efficacy which quite exceeds the ex-
pectation of those who have put the plan in
motion." Mr. Walker states that the plan oc-
curred to him about four or five years since, and
he only waited until he had sufficient authority
to put it into practice under his own superin-
tendence. He observes, as a proof of the effi-
cacy of the system in preventing disorder and
crime, that on Saturday and Sunday night last
which are usually the two worst nights in the
week, the only charges brought to the police-
office were two men for being drunk in the street,
and three boys and a negro for sleeping under a
pent-house. There was no charge of robbery
or any other offence, which is the more
remarkable, as the parish contains a dense po-
pulation of 30,000, and had the reputation of
being one of the worst quarters of London. One
part of the plan consists in employing twelve
patrols, who begin their duty at dusk, and retire
when the watchmen come on at ten o'clock.
This is the period of the evening when most
petty thefts are committed, and during which the
public has had heretofore least of the protection
of an efficient watch. Another excellent part
of the plan is, that four active members of the
Association go round the parish every night in
turn, two and two, at uncertain hours, from half-
past eight in the evening until six in the morn-
ing. We wish the parties in general bad adopted
some such system as this before the introduction
of the new police, and then we should neeer
have heard of the jealousy of Englishmen being
alarmed by an arbitrary body of police, organised
under military chiefs.—Morning Herald.
We beg to point attention to an institution
which, we believe, is but little known, but which
deserves to be supported by every Christian and
every man of feeling—we mean the Metropolitan
Female Asylum, at Hackney. Such an institu-
tion was not only greatly wanted, but, indeed,
more wanted than any other ; and to those who
are in the habit of witnessing the forlorn state,
and abject misery and degradation, of the poor
creatures for whose reception and reform it is in-
tended, we are confident that it is needless to say
a single word in its behalf. It is a pity that the
institution is not more known ; for if it were, we
are confident that, under due regulation, the
means might readily be found, of returning. many
poor, miserable, and repentant females to their
homes and their parents, whom necessity hae
driven to their present course of life, and who
only want the means in order to forsake it. The
Directors or Managers of it ought to make • it
better known through the medium of the press,
the only true engine of communication in cases
of general importance and utility.—Moen. Adv.

AN ANTI-MALTHUSIAN CIDIX.-At
cordre, about two miles from this city, and situated on the
read leading from this to Tramore, a cow, the property of
Bea-rnotomr.w DHLANDR.F., Esq. brought forth, on last
Thursday, three male calves, perfectly formed.—One of
the calves died yesterday, but the two others are still living,
and apparently very healthy. The utPer contempt for the
doctrine of MALTHUS it most awfully ominous.— Water-
ford Chronicle.
We understand that the new work in Peter-
borough cathedral is considerably advanced ; and is so
beautiful, both in design and execution, that it may com-
pete with any similar construction even of the best times
of Gothic architecture. The period selecled by Air.
lir.oar, to the style of which he may assimilate his pre-
sent work, is that of K. Enw. 111. when Ecclesiastical
architecture a*surned a breadth and dignity of character
which is well adapted to the dimensions of Peterborough
Minster, arid luxuriated in those rich canopies and that
varied tracery tailich will form a fine contrast with the
Norman simplicity. Strangers who see the prepared ma-
teriels for this splendid undertAking are immediately struck
with the spirit in which it has been projec:ed, and the
seientitie, taste dii,played by the architect ; but most of all
perhaps with the extraordinary skill exhibited by the car-
vers of wood and stone, men born and bred in Peter-
borough, who without any opportunities beyond that of
masons and carpenters in general, have displayed an inge-
nuity in their department which has perhaps never been
surpassed. Liberal as the subscriptions for this great
work have been, and nobly as the exertions of the Dean
and Chapter have been met by the public, we 'egret to
state that there is at present a deficiency in the supplies ;
and unless these can be extended, the old alter-screen
must still remain to detract from diet splendour which
the new organ-screen and choir will cast upon this ancient
edifice. We hope however that the wealthy of our land
will not permit this, especially when they consider that,
in promoting this design, they are ooly helping to repair
the delis to majornnt; for no cathe,lral in England suf-
fered more than that of Peterborough from the wanton de-
vastation of CAOMWELL's soldiers, by whom the ancient
choir was burned, the screen., stained
glans, &c. demo
lished, and the sacred edifice converted to the us-es of a
stable.— Cambridge Chronicle, •