It

J. M.," said I. "Yes," said this young person, "that's her, sure enough." I said, "We wish to speak with you privately, let us enter." Some difficulty was raised, which we overruled, and were allowed to walk to the gårret in this house of illfame, which we found to be rented by J. M. and by the young woman we had conversed with at the door, and a third young woman named was with great reluctance we were permitted to go up-stairs, and these young persons appeared disposed to be insolent, but there was mercy in store for them. When all were seated, my friend and myself occupying the only two chairs in this wretched. apartment, I commenced giving J. M. some account of the afflicted condition in which I had left her mother, and the promise she had exacted from me to make some effort for the reclamation of herself and sister, (who was still absent.) I then read a portion of Scripture appropriate to their case, commenting upon it, and called upon my friend to pray.

We paid as little attention as possible to the levity and ill-smothered laughter of these degraded outcasts. On rising from our knees, my friend read another portion of Scripture, accompanied by suitable observations, after which I prayed.

Disencouragingly as this interview commenced, it terminated far differently; one began to sigh, and whilst I was soberly describing the condition of the lost in hell, their remembrance of slighted opportunities of turning from their sins whilst on earth, and a variety of other affecting particulars connected with that unalterable state of misery, they appeared much moved. We read and prayed with, and exhorted these outcasts uninterruptedly for three hours, at the end of which time they were

totally subdued, and ready to say, "Master, we will follow thee whithersoever thou goest."

They were willing, they said, to enter a penitentiary at once; "But," said the one we had conversed with at the door, "what am I to do with my child?" This was certainly a difficulty; however, on ascertaining that her parents were persons in competent circumstances, residing not very far distant, we announced our intention of endeavouring to prevail upon them to take the child under their care, which their daughter was of opinion they would on no account consent to do. We then said, that her child should not, at all events, constitute a hinderance to her reformation. The next difficulty was the fact of their owing a week's rent, and the keeper of the brothel was unwilling they should leave until the money was paid. This difficulty being overcome, we left B- C in company with these three young women. Numbers of bad characters crowded at their doors, some to admire, some to jeer, inquiring if we would take them with us, which with much seriousness we declared our entire willingness to do.

In the first instance we sought to overcome the difficulty presented by the child. On reaching the parents' residence in W- Street, we found both at home, and announced the object of our visit. The father appeared angry, and at once refused, saying, "As she had made her bed so she must lie." After, however, some very serious admonition, the grandmother took the child in her arms, who appeared quite at home, and smiled, and crowed, and made a speech that really appeared to produce more effect than the oratory of either of us. 'Father," said the grandmother, "I think we had

better take the child." "You may do as you like," was the grandfather's reply, and the child accordingly found a home.

The hour being too far advanced for reception into an asylum, we accompanied them to our Ragged Schools, (to which schools reference has been made in the first chapter of this work,) and all being worn out and hungry, we sat down to tea together, and a draper in the neighbourhood, one of the Committee of the schools, having kindly lent some rugs for that purpose, the wife of the schoolkeeper made them up a bed on the floor, and next morning they were housed in the Probationary House, White Lion Street, Pentonville.

S. D., the young woman we first met with at the door, became from this time an altered character. On leaving the Probationary House, she obtained a situation in household service, and from the last I heard of her, there appears some very good ground for hoping that her reformation has been far more than simply an outward one. Here we dismiss her

case.

S., I deeply regret to say, returned to her former evil courses, and we must here dismiss her case also; not that by any means it is therefore to be supposed she received no good impression or benefit from the institution, for I have found, and it is continually being discovered, that many unfortunate females who enter such asylums, and leave them under the most discouraging circumstances, are yet ultimately benefited by them, even hopefully to the conversion of their souls. Many such have declared, when dying from vice and dissipation, that they never totally forgot, in the midst of all their wickedness, the lessons of godliness and virtue they were there taught. Those good

impressions frequently spring up at the eleventh hour.*

Poor Mrs. M. appeared extremely grateful for the pains that had been taken; her elder daughter was in an asylum, and her younger one, a mere child, was persuaded to return home. This weight of maternal anxiety being removed, her health much improved.

Her

Had poor Mrs. M. become the subject of saving grace, her prayers and example towards her children might have averted the dark page that follows, but she remained an unconverted woman. eldest daughter returned again to her vicious courses, and the younger one in addition to the evil of so doing, carried with her from her home on departing, even a portion of her mother's wearing apparel. This threw Mrs. M. again on a bed of sickness. She lost strength, complained continually that her heart was breaking, and after a brief illness died.

The sad circumstances of her case being known to various persons, the funeral was attended by a large crowd, to whom I distributed tracts, returning home with the father and mourners, and reading and praying with them.

The elder daughter I reproached as being the

The London City Mission Magazine for January, 1849, contains a very interesting account of the Penitentiaries of London, the good effected by them, and the great need of their extension.

Some extension has since been carried out by the formation of the "London Female Dormitory and Industrial Institution," 20, Clarendon Square, New Road, of which Lord Shaftesbury is President. This Institution, however, is at present very inadequately supported.

murderess of her mother. She afterwards became hopefully reformed, apparently stricken with the consequences of her wickedness, in causing the death of her parent. She forsook her path of depravity, and obtained a situation. The younger I have just heard has left the streets. May both become truly converted to God!

I will next refer to the entire breaking-up of a place of ill-fame upon my district. The account formed a portion of my Monthly Report for February, 1846, from which it is extracted:

"I have much pleasure in being enabled to commence this Monthly Report by the narration of particulars connected with the entire breaking-up of a house of ill-fame of the lowest class situated upon my district. I had decided not to allude to the event in my Report until the case had been examined by a General Superintendent of the Mission who has visited with me.*

*This will afford some little insight into the domestic arrangement of the City Mission. It is very far from the wish of the rulers of the Society to burden the brethren with unnecessary labour, but the supporters have of course a right to be made acquainted with the operations that are being carried on. It is therefore found necessary that in addition to a daily journal, monthly and annual Reports should be furnished. By a recent arrangement, however, the monthly Reports have been dispensed with, except in cases where parties who take a special interest in districts wish to be furnished with one, as is the case happily on some