The Sun.
London, England, 1816-08-31 00:00:00

PROS'!'! rtilts.

Has any plan
_ever struek,yott as, fcasible,
which that disgrace to I,4ontltin, to ifs police, anti
its moral*, the crowds.of wonten,.sote, in a Stttte
of' futo'xicationinlesting th'e streets, and annoy.,
ink., the- passengers truring.the best part the
nigli*t, could be prevtnted 27-4 t would. be teat
t i ;nes worse, it the p I iee Accra and ~t inep
dlit of:it:take them lip in drive them a.way,.ns they
do at present ; J•ltitc might be, one. pertaiiily, more
tutirt sally than 4 is,-,but the gaols would be tilled,
w t hope of.reforniing them, to a degree that
would nOilt; e)fpedient.T ..leintolshnitnit by law
is 19' liconsm lt.or ecrporai Punishment of
another I:»itriCvirkwpmen,- is out of the onestion),
anti the they.ecpite out they must be coin-
. •
again 3 tor . this degraded coudititnOtas no
resource, eye!, to friends or. emp.lovinent. There
is a woman forten ye,arS past has been much
the greater lortiop of the time in priatin, but is
alw,tys in the streets the moment she is out ; and
the same the 'case of some beggars, but.tbese'
arc more easily restrained.
•
:Do yon not think ilia some means might be
found„.' by whielp the outrageous 1141iSiSnot, Might
be put an and to, which prevent women of an-
tber'description from walking through the streets
without the protection of met' 2—These insUltsAre
viniteti with such severity by the magistrates when-
ever they are brought before them, that 1 do hot
think they-exist 'in tiny very great degree at this.
:thud 3, such insults are now unfrespient.
Do you: know that amongst the great capitals
of the C:iuinelit, Paris in particular, no such
evil as exists' in the steeets of London is to be
found ?-1 think a severity of police similar. to
that in the countries alluded to would suppress

he evil but the lenity,ot the Engnit; litiv
lure not allow it to 'be carried to the full extelit

:hat it is in those.countries ; besides, thhvclass.of
women in Prance ere not in the use of spiritons

iquots:.

Do you not think that the employment .of a-more
efficient race of watchmen; and-at higher'salaries,
would be productive of much benefit in that re-
spect think the mOde of-watching-might be
improed, „but at an expellee that would be
gyieyotat to tligoe-whopay the parish rates,
is it within your knowledge, that the general
Ma4gcmenr of the police city, ,both us to
the proportion of 'burglaries, ant byabefernoval
of women who infest the eireeta art theteast -end
of the toWn, match letter thaw tint ;value of
ibis part of the metropoli; think, within ,the
pcasent year; theremoval_Of• theprdstitiiitiS iTtint
the streets in the city has beeninnell greater than
we have been,:able to effect—iii this part 'ill' the
town, and also,drirei them bevel but ,rther ore
dintinisbe.d, even:in ;be western part of .the town,
greatly in limit. :numbers, 'anti very materfallpin
their Ft-loch:4i, which - was formerly, 1 • believe,
more obnott4ol6., • . •

~ f, t

Y INCRSASE OF CRIME 4.

• Is there ally, neetnrut ktpt in ',l76ltrAftice* of the
number of persons brought before the Alaeigtpttes
in the course of a yeter,, anti of -the 'proportion
eointnitteit,*to•thOie wit° artilisehirgett ?—For
the ligaier if:cocci, of assault i,.llnA r
emind distuyb.

ances in the streets, though in general the'intintis
of tile parties um catered in the book of occur-

renCei, rtutilioW are ..;lititasig. of, !Atelier
dischargeil or bailed, or committed, thFy nodergo
stmoniog ; althoti h, if ecaSion required,
.1
they. night tie 'et-Alerted any ttmc.
You are sproking now-, of the Jntrfie"::.Otencis ;
is there ail Acconttl. licpt of,,thop'e charged with
oltene'es attil of Any eyideOce that,
any witties -oiler; Ott the itiliject.
no you think that an meemott. could 'oelurrilsl)-
ed to the conduittee of , tlat ,purOcr)7l-11.tere
could he an account given ref every such person;
brought before the magistrites,'" distinguishing
how they are dealt With, nd.all the circumstances
of their cases tthstr4ct.„ef .such an account
goes to the Becretary 'State's office every
.
timothy.

You have stated, that you have been in. Bow
only two years end a half ?:—Yes.
From what you have seen yourself in that office,
in your capacity as a magistrate, do 'yrin think that
the crimes that Are committed in the metropolis
have considerably increased within these few years
—The atrocious offences have been less for tho'
last three or fotir years ; the nintiber cif larcenies
have increased ; 1 think the numbers of pick:-
pockets and street robberies are lvss.frequeot.
Iles there not been a very considerable increase
of juvenile depredatOrs, commencing *almost at
the earliest age ?-1 think they increase, even to
the present moment ;' but at all titnes• offender&
nndcr. 20 years of age have been as numerous us
those above

The question does not rger to offenders under
.20 years of age ; but have you not bought befoie
von, charged with crimes of all descriptions, chil-
dren of 'theearly.dge front six and seven. years to
fifteen ?—For pilfering and privately stealing, to
au, alarming. number.. ,
Can yonstate.wthe committee eny reason that'
has suggested itself to your mind, why there shOUld,
within these few last years, have been that alarm-
ing increase of , crimes among•children.i—l can-
not impute it 11) the increased, profligacy and po-
verty of their parents (I'm. I do not think that.
cause has inereaSedi) but the exposbre of goods
Ht shop.-Aloors,- the opportunity 61 bad asseniation
front increased population, are the principalsatises
that occur to me at present.
Du you not think that the limited 'opportunity
for education is also one of the 11,614 I leffietent
causes ?-4 think both the improvement of the.
mind, and the restranits attending education, gq
greatly to diminish crimes in young people, veiy,
much indeed.

bo you think, speaking generally .of the 10.4 i
classes the metropolis, that thetr:bitbtts arc
urine vicious, or that their-poverty':is—grcatei-,
than they were I 0 years 9go)—Np,, I, tjo, not
think they are.
• Then, if the increase of crimes which 'is allOty.
ed to exist is to be traced' to the poverty and vice,,
which have not. increased.. how coo, you account
for the additional nomber of ctimes which is al=
lowed on all luin*di 'to have taken place in the itte•
tropolis ?-1 know no wait of aciottoing for that,
finless sorne..of it ,is..,l9lpittable.to the exposure,
above'-mentioned, and the negle.ct of those to
'whnie' Care" ptopeili'is -Ifithisteel; and ltcr{titps
same of it may he imputable to the .Teatir
eAf police itt the, porist4es its.wwl(ll.s offices, in
the apprehetiding of olfendefl ; and I rather, think
that the nhrtiber of 4 rinies has not s flinch Inj
creased in facti as the nuinlier of Offenders dill-
_
eat:red. •
. is •
Do not you think it partly attrsbutahle.tot4i
increased size of the town, and the.increuccii
halation (I 0 : piiptibition—proballV, has.
increased ‘vithitt the last five ov ye.ars. 10-t*e •
former ten years, I believe, there was an increale
Of 149,00 ,p!rtopts, between the rettras.of pe
inflation in the mettOpolis of the years I'Bol and ,
1811.

•
• .
iNitt are inclined to believe that' the '
increased`
number of ‘.r, imact hilt appear to havelaken
withita the last tew• years is More tlu result: of ihe
vigilance of the
.police detceting them 0.4(14.
prehendirig the offender*, than the positive result
of there being a .gretiter number 'at tiimes- cow:
witted ?.4—l can account for it in no.tither-Vvay..:
' llti you think that if the principal places of On,
finement in the metropolis were placed in
Haft different from what they tire,-br‘.vhfcli_i
per eltislitiestion of 9tfenders rook peace,, aud itr
which 'the infant•
could -be scparatcd Train the.
adult, 0n4.0f the causes of the inerased" number
of eriininals-would be removed ?7-;—Thelitgant,•un-
det' proper diseipline, without the'biul 'clam* of
the adult, Mint lie' kithstik
,athended y and the
other classification mite be benefidial.

. , .
Have yon iMy doubt that else nrintrpal plottes'Of
confinement, so. far front eltettutk the catileetitin
HMI reformation of the criminal, 00(116 tend'hitii
beckon the expiratitin of the perii4tl
sonment, more confirmed in vibe?--:1' he
comes out generally worse that) he Webt'iti.,:bkt'
perhap& still with it fear of getting illVreag'uin
that may lesien his ftittfre 'offencei.;:fin' iltgAirkb:
he conies out worse, he is afraid of'grihig
having experienced. 'the miseries cii!„ It Tie 7
worst of them hate 'the reitraiht •tli'ongli:'ilitty.
art free from labour, and fed, they iitiveniietl4e
liceniions occupations and .stroillOitinors that' obit
necessary to theiridea of •bappiness. : I