The Sun. — 1870-06-02 (London, England)

JUNE 2, 1870.  labour to be reformatory in • its tendency. This statement was controverted by Mr. Kennaway, a Devonshire magistrate, just returned from a visit to the United States, and by Mr. Frederick Hill. The latter said he had been eighteen years inspector of prisons, and, in frequent communications from America, had received most satisfactory evidence of reformation. Mr. Tallock read an extract from the last report of one of the largest American prisons, which mentioned that teaching the prisoners a trade had more influence than all other agencies united in reforming them. it prevented them from again committing crime. He argued that, as in England and Wales the: e were only 18,000 prisoners, on a daily averago, to 20 million people, most of the former being sentenced for repeated short terms, which precluded them being taught useful industrial habits, the utmost competition with free labour must be very small indeed. Human Cattle at Sea.  An engineer who has gone out to Lima, in Peru, with the object of making for himself a home and a competent living abroad, has on the voyage discovered the heartless and negligent conduct of ships' officers towards the human cattle who are so lavishly promised comfortable passages prior to their departure from England. The complaint of the gentleman, which appears in the _ Times, _only refers to his luggage, which he, however, asserts contained every article that could have enabled him to start in life, and without which he would never have thought of entering Peru. There are, however, more grievances than the loss of one's baggage to tantalise people on shipboard, especially in long voyages ; and as the passengers never have it in their power to scuttle the ship, or put anyone in irons, it would be highly advantageous if a committee such as that recently nominated to inquire into the comfort of cows and sheep en voyage were chosen to investigate the case of human beings also. Plenty of witnesses who have been across Channel, as well as transatlantic voyageurs, would be certain to come forward and testify to their misfortunes. The engineer who went to Peru, sailed from Southampton as a cabin ticket holder, in the Royal mail steamship Atrato. When the vessel was in the Southampton Roads, he stood on deck in a pelting shower of rain to see a huge chest of his, within which were all his engineering instruments, his outfit and his books, kicked and buffeted from the tender to the Atrato. Never afterwards did he see it. On arrival at Kingston, Jamaica, he left the steamer to await the next vessel, and the officials on board there told him that the chest was too deep in the hold to remove ; but they promised to leave it secure at Colon, on the Isthmus. When the traveller reached Colon, he found that his property had not been left for him, and though letters after letters have been addressed to the agents of the company on the subject, he has never yet received even a satisfactory reply, let alone information of his lost luggage. The Stepney Murder.  Amongst the many and ever increasing horrors which are now served up to us, the murder at Stepney is most noticeable. The deliberate shooting of a stepmother by a lad of eighteen, of tolerably good character, is an unusual event, and a melancholy illustration of the evils frequently attendant upon a second marriage in cases where a grownup family remain from the first. The experiment is always very dangerous ; and in many cases, as in this, it proves very disastrous. Young Redhead was a volunteer, and shot his relative with one of the cartridges served out to him at drill. It is not usual to allow cartridges to be removed from the ground, but Redhead must have concealed this one. Seldom, indeed, has a similar case happened. The misuse by volunteers of the weapons put into their hands is an extremely rare occurrence—so rare as to fully justify the confidence with which some 200,000 deadly arms have been distributed in various parts of the country.