From the Third Annual Report, for the year ending March 31, 1856, of 148 admissions, 103 had been domestic servants; 23 had been living at home, and were generally too young to have been at service; 13 needle women, 1 boot. binder; 1 furclipper; 1 clergyman's daughter; 1 daughter of a Baptist minister; 1 ditto of a hotelkeeper; 4 in positions similar to the former making a total of 148.

From the Fourth Annual Report, of 194 admissions, 153 had been domestic servants; 23 living at home; 8 needle-women; 2 governesses; 1 barmaid; 1 waitress; 1 factory girl; 1 milk-maid; 1 field-labourer; 1 fur cutter; 2 above the working class-making a total of 194.

It therefore appears that, of 443 persons admitted during the last three years, 344 had been domestic servants-a fact which may be, perhaps, partially accounted for in this way: The society offers a home and a chance of a domestic situation; but women whose grade in life was above that of a servant, will not enter the homes to mingle with servants, and become servants themselves, probably because they are unacquainted with their duties. Still, the above must stand a fact-borne out by a painful array of figures.

In looking to the ages of these unfortunate persons, we come to what is the most painful part of the subject:- -Of 148 in the year 1855-56, 15 were under fifteen years of age; 86 were above fifteen, and not exceeding twenty. The rest average somewhat less than one above, to two under, twenty-five years of age. Of 194 in the year 1856-57, 16 were under fifteen; 117 from fifteen to twenty; 45, twenty to twenty-five; 16 above twenty-five, who are, as it were, bred up to vice from their infancy. Undoubtedly one great cause of the evil is the indiscriminate herding together of the sexes, whereby decency is utterly abolished, and filth, moral and physical, degradation well nigh iucredible, ensue as a certain consegnence. Orphanage, if we may judge from a few statistics before us, is another great cause:-Of the 194 females before-mentioned, 45 had lost both parents; 41 were fatherless; 49 were motherless, and 59 only had both parents living.

Ignorance is not always a chief cause, as may have been supposed. The education of these 194 females was quite up to the average of female society; 123 were able to read and write (fourteen of whom were well educated); 43 could read only; 28 could neither read nor write. Of these 194, 158 had attended Sunday schools (1 had been a teacher). 36 had not attended Sunday, or possibly any schools. Not a few of the servants owed their ruin to the evil influence of their masters; more to being thrown out of a situation; and here we would remind our readers that there are nearly one million female servants in the kingdom; more than one hundred thousand in London; and of these ten thousand always out of place, or changing places; they take lodgings,

749

There

Another cause among many, is the fact that men, in a great degree, monopolise certain occupations, which could be better filled by women. are, comparatively speaking, in this country, very few things that a woman can do to get a living. To the educated daughters of reduced affluence, the situation of governess is open; and we all know, or ought to know, how bitter a lot that too often is. To the imperfectly educated girlservice; or (and this is seldom, for the reason above stated), a place behind the counter-or, the weary life of a sempstress; and here we have about exhausted her possibilities. There are far more temptations (which morcover, occasionally assume the attitude of dire necessities), to make a woman immoral than a man dishonest.

Ought these things so to be! We talk about our chivalrous respect for the female sex. We write verses, as Shakespears says, to our "mistress' eye brow;"-Yet we are the first to call her hard names, if she in any way try to vindicate the dignity of womanhood by seeking to obtain a livelihood through any other channels than those so narrowly prescribed for her by the self-styled "lords of the creation." Of a truth, in too many cases, "we are verily guilty concerning our sister."

Another cause of the evil is marriage late in life, in onr artificial state of society. Let it not be for one moment imagined that we are here advocating hasty marriages, in which there is but

and the arts of designing persons, are likely to fall, into this ruin. Great good is doubtless done by the penitentiaries-but this does not come under the head of preventive good. The good done by them has reference to the cure of evil-where evil had previously been developed. The present society does more. It nips evfl in the budvery ere the bud blossoms into the ripened fruit of utter misery. The loss of character by theft excludes a girl from many, or most penitentiaries. A situation lost by theft is the stepping-stone to this vice, in quick succession. This society cares for such cases. The friendless condition of poor girls thrown out of place, comes under its consideration. For these cases the society provides, by either writing to the friends of such girls, or by removing them, should they apply to them, to lodgings, till they can be placed in a situation. The position of girls left orphans, or exposed to evil home-influence, is also provided for in like manuer. Four "Family Homes" (such is the term) for girls of the last description, from the age of twelve to sixteen, have already been founded by this society. The principles of the "Family Homes" generally are these, in the words of the prospectus for 1857 :

:

GENERAL OBJECTS.

THIS Society, instead of being exclusively devoted to the reclamation of fallen females, admits both fallen and unfallen.

REGULATIONS.

No. 1, 2, 3, and 4 Family Homes are for girls from twelve to sirteen years of age, who have not strayed from the path

of virtue.

No. 5, 6, 7, and 8 Homes provide a temporary abode for

those who have strayed from the path of virtne until admis

sion can be procured for them in Penitentiaries, or they can be restored to friends or recommended to situations.

No. 9 Home is for Servants of good character, who are admitted only upon the recommendations of respectable

persons.

The Private Homes with Christian Families are for those fallen ones who, because not depraved, are liable to be injured by associating with those more corrupted.

THOSE ELIGIBLE FOR THE FAMILY HOMES.

Young girls are eligible for the Family Homes who have lost one or both parents; but should the remaining parent or relatives be in a position, payment is required according

to their means.

Those, too, are admissible who have both parents living should those parents be of loose character. In this case payment is required when the parents or relatives can afford it.

The Homes are not for refractory children whose parents profess to have set a good example to them, and can afford to maintain them; but in extreme cases, where a girl is associated with bad companions, she is eligible by payment. Girls from prison (especially from model prisons where no corruption can have taken place) are, under certain circumcumstances, admissible into the Home.

Friendless girls from the country are peculiarly eligible

for the Homes, from which they are either restored to friends or placed in service.

Young women, or girls of good character, who are not able to go to situations from want of clothing, are provided with outfits, and situations are procured for them.

Clothing is also given to friendless servants, who have recovered from illness in hospitals, and have necessarily

pawned their apparel.

751

On no account are those who have strayed from the path of virtue admitted into the first four Homes.

A proper classification of the young women and girls, is one of the Society's most important principles; and one great object of having the Homes situated in widely different parts of London, is that girls associated with bad companions may be removed to an opposite part of London from that in which they live.

Of the good done by this society, an idea may be formed from the fact that more than six thousand females have been received into one or other of these homes-thirty-six thousand have been registered, free of expense, and the greater part provided with situations.

The amelioration and mitigation of the evil, as we find it, in our highways and byways, early and late, are most difficult questions. The remedies suggested by thinkers on this subject may resolve themselves into positive and negative legislation. As regards positive legislation first: The continental system of licensing objectionable houses. one which, we imagine, in spite of the many plausible arguments urged in favour of it, will never be adopted in this country. The English nation shrinks from assuming that heavy load of responsibility.

The usual defenders of the French system are men, for the most part, who look upon this vexata quæstio from a secular point of view entirely; and undoubtedly, if we could set Christianity aside, they have strong argument-on the ground of expediency, that bugbear to morality. Their views are, we apprehend, these:

You have an enormous existing evil; if you cannot wholly stop, you are at least bound to mitigate it. Would it not be better, if the evil must, in spite of you exist, to limit its sphere of operations; to specify and enforce certain punishments in the way of fine and imprisonment, for breach of sanitary and social regulations, to be laid down by governmental order. You would thereby strike a heavy blow at the evil as at present existing. You would keep your streets free from such pests of society. You would check disease; and, morally and physically, would be doing a good. Vice would then require to be sought after; and would not, as now, thrust itself upon those who, but for the lack of such salutary jurisdiction, might never have fallen into its snares, What we ourselves say in pursuance of the latter argument, is this: without saying where these unfortunates shall ply their fearful trade, let it be distinctly understood, where they shall not (i.e.). in the streets. We are aware that this is, in part, being done now by the police, but altogether inefficiently. We do occasionally hear of an unfor

tunate being taken into custody for annoying some geutleman, but let any man who thinks that sufficient, take the trouble of visiting Regent Street by day, and the Haymarket by night, and he will speedily change his hastily formed opinion. It is objected that the expulsion of such women from our thoroughfares would be a breach of the much talked of, little understood, "liberty of the subject"-a liberty, in this case, degenerating into licentiousness. The police have recently made a crusade against street-hawkers. Let a poor girl endeavour to sell fruit on some genteel pavement, and an officious policeman will soon remove her and her wares together to the station-house. Why is it that- to England's shame be it spoken-a respectable woman, in the most enlightened capital of the world, cannot, with propriety, venture into our streets after nightfall? Let those who "turn the cold shoulder on any wise scheme for remedying such things, answer that query.

any

The subject is one that will not soon obtain a legislative remedy. The time may come when that also can be gained; because, although in a general publication, we are bound, as others consider themselves bound, to exclude medical statements, yet no doubt whatever exists that this great social evil undermines the health, strength, and vitality of the population. At present, we presume that the country is ready for the severest punishment in those cases when persons absolutely live and trade upon the supply of victims to wealthy-we regret to write sometimes, legislative-hoary, titled senators and sinners. The moral feeling of the country, if moral people would take trouble on the subject, could mitigate if it did not overthrow, these practices. The few statistics which we have copied, show that two classes add to this great army of the lost, in a manner that reflects no credit whatever upon the members of Christian churches, who probably suppose that at least in this capacity they have nothing to do with the matter. One of these classes is Sabbath-school scholars. We really know very little good that, humanly speaking, can be expected from Sabbath-schools, instituted to convey religious instruction, if the teachers will take no further interest in their classes than is implied by attendance at these weekly meetings. The first day is beaten often by the six that follow; and the female scholars evidently leave, and are forgotten. We need not occupy space by explaining the different means that might be, and, in some cases, have been, adopted to extend the connexion once formed between the Church and the individual pupil; but we have no hesitation whatever in saying, that they must not only extend to mental benefits and inducements, but condescend a little to the affairs of this present orld.

A second class is orphans. It is horrible to suppose that those who have peculiar claims upon the aid of all men, should, from the existence of

these claims, be exposed peculiarly to this temptation; but we cannot set aside these statistics. The ladies of Christian churches would not find themselves exceedingly harassed, we suppose, if they would charge themselves with the moral superintendence of one girl each from this unfortunate class, before they have fallen into dangerous and evil courses; for it is not possible that orphanage can exist in any street without the circumstance being well known. Even where nothing better can be accomplished. a small payment would secure a home to female orphans in one of those asylums where the children are educated into gratitude to society-instead of being pushed through the hard and harsh, or even cold and joyless training of a workhouse.

This vice-nearly every vice-is increased by our intemperate habits, and the injudicious manner in which they are indulged. In London to a greater extent than in other large towns, domestic servants are sent, at late hours, to beer-houses, that their masters or mistresses, after family worship perhaps, may have their beer for supper from the wood. The servant dislikes the message at first, but like every other piece of work, it becomes familiar. She begins rather to like it. She meets acquaintances and friends at the bar of the beer-shop-drinks a little-only a very little herself and to her this most thoughtless errand becomes the beginning of the end.

The customs of society are chargeable with a dangerous degree of extravagance and vanity, in female attire; and young female operatives do not dress now so economically as their grandmothers did at the same time of life. The evil does not always commence with the wearers. Some ladies believe that their servants should not only spend all their wages, but something more, on dress, for the credit of their establishment, while they are in their service; and a cruel compulsion to extravagance is involved in this opinion. No good can be done by the revival of sumptuary laws, even as laws of opinion. All persons should be encouraged to wear, first clean, and next neat, attire; but that is quite consistent with the economy which keeps expenditure at a safe distance within income.

The evil is enhanced greatly by the apathy of the public towards practical politics. This nation possesses capital, labour, and skill in quantities that may be deemed inexhaustible.

Bad or careless laws prevent the combination of these three elements of prosperity in a manner calculated to employ all healthy and industrious men on work that would leave open to females many avocations from which they are debarred. That subject is too voluminous for discussion in this place, but it is one to which we will revert subsequently, for the independence of females in general society hangs upon the facilities afforded them of earning, by honest labour, a fair livelihood.

The present panic is not caused entirely by the Bank Act of 1844. In this respect it differs materially from the panic of 1847. At that time the country had suffered no heavy losses out of its own borders. A great loss of one crop in Ireland had occurred. Similar losses were inflicted upon the agriculture of England and Scotland; similar in character if not in extent. Famine was in the land. An extraordinary quantity of corn had to be imported and paid; contemporaneously with an uncommon expenditure on public works at home. The case is altogether different now. The crop at home is a full average, or much more than an average. Our losses, and even stupid investments, are foreign and not home affairs. The two cases are entirely distinct.

They are distinct in their causes, but identical in their results. Ruin marked the one, marks the other, with an appalling boldness of hand-marks broad and deep.

The Bank of England registered the progress of the panic by raising its minimum rate of discount on the 5th ultimo to nine per cent. That was the highest rate which had ever previously been charged. The 9th of November brought a higher rate still, or ten per cent.; at which it has since remained. The Directors of the Bank celebrated the Gunpowder Plot and the Lord Mayor's day in a peculiarly unpleasant manner. To themselves, we believe that no choice was left; and they were merely logs on the stream, showing the strength of the current. It is true, however, that the current drifted the logs into a very agreeable profit.

These proceedings were insufficient to check the demand for notes at the Bank, and a further rise would have been indecorous. Upon the 12th the Government, by letter, licensed the Bank Directors to overstep the Act of 1844. On that day they suspended the Act for the second time in its history. The Bank had reduced the reserve of

The measure has not been merely useful. It was absolutely requisite. Some authorities say that the Bank Directors did not ask for it. If they made no inquiry directly on the subject, others must have spoken for them. They were not compelled to transgress the law by its suspension. They had obtained permission; but they were not ordered to use this permisson. Yet they did immediately use it: saved thereby the credit of several gigantic houses, and prevented stoppages which must have led to an appalling number of smaller suspensions.

The Banking

The Ministry deserve no credit for the course adopted by them. They delayed to the last, and are responsible for all the consequences of that delay. They will ask a bill of indemnity for the breach of the law which has occurred. Their letter was issued on the 12th ultimo, and it was followed immediately by the convocation of Parliament for the third instead of the seventeenth current; but as Parliament would not have assembled on the seventeenth, and was never meant to meet on that day, the session was really advanced by six weeks. They are to ask indemnity for doing too late what should have been done before the close of October. They should certainly have no indemnity for delaying the suspension of the Act, for a day after the directors found a minimum rate of eight per cent. requisite. That course would probably have prevented some of those heavy suspensions which have occurred, and have scattered more dismay and wonder than we remember in the commercial history of this country. stoppages have been alone sufficient for any one crisis. The Liverpool Borough Bank closed its doors with liabilities of four millions. The paid up capital of one million is supposed to be greatly reduced; but no doubt was ever expressed respecting the ultimate safety of the creditors. The suspension of the Western Bank of Scotland followed, and its liabilities are five and a half millions. The City of Glasgow Bank followed quickly with liabilities of four millions. The fourth is the Wolverhampton and Staffordshire Bank, with debts of one million. The sixth, the Northumberland and Durham District Banking Company, with debts for more than three millions. Sanderson and Company, bill brokers, of London, with liabilities for more than two millions may be reckoned as the seventh, giving a total sum of twenty millions locked up during the month by the suspension of banks. The ultimate payment of that money is not doubtful in the case of the joint stock banks; but very great energy is necessary for their