some vulgarities,) "Why, if you get inside a house quietly, don't you see, jist as yer a coming out, there's some policeman a waitin' to ketch you in his arms, and they put such lots on at nights so thick, it ain't no use a trying." This young man attended my meetings, and appeared to have given up his habits of depredation. He told me lately: "Mr. Wandecum," said he, (few pronounce my name correctly,) "you may believe me or believe me not, but I sees things werry differently to what I used to do. I'd rather live upon a penn'orth of bread a-day got honestly, than have lots of grub the other way that I would; not but what there's a deal to be made, perticularly by handkerchiefs,* * but you're always in fear, yer conscience wont let yer rest, every sound you hears, maybe on the passage or on the stairs, when you're a-bed, any how, you starts up and thinks it's some peeler (i.e., policeman) come to take yer! It's a miserable life, that it is; there ain't no luck in it. Please the Almighty, I've done with sich ways

* A thief once observed to me, gentlemen might do away with pick-pocketing-"Let them use cotton handkerchiefs, and it would not answer for us, they fetches a mere nothing."

altogether, and means to get my bread honestly." This man further remarked, in illustration of his truthful sentiment respecting dishonesty, that there was "no luck in it," that he had had lots of money, but it all went, to use his own expression, "nobody hardly knows how ;" and he added, "he knew two housebreakers who would think it a bad night's work when they went out, if their share was not a hundred pounds, but they was always poor, as poor as he was, and hadn't a sixpence to bless themselves with."

These appear to have been very adept cracksmen, or housebreakers. Such men are sent for from very long distances, to effect burglaries on premises containing a large amount of property. Such robberies are called plants.

Sometimes the accounts I have received respecting the formidable disturbances which once took place on my district and in the neighbourhood have been of a very strange character. An old Bow Street officer, who yet lives in the neighbourhood, has detailed strange and terrible scenes to me. One I will give as nearly as possible in his own words, omitting some unpleasant vulgarities: "One of my mates come to me, as near as I can guess it might be two o'clock in the afternoon.

Says he, ‘P——————, you must come up to the office directly.' It was in Hatton Garden then, sir, close by. What for?' says I. 'Oh!' says he, 'there's the Irish murdering one another on Saffron Hill, and the place is blocked up with the mobs.' So I takes my staff, and my cutlash, and my pistols, and away I went up to the office. It wasn't a minute's walk scarce, you know. Well, sir, there they was, breaking one another's limbs on Saffron Hill, hundreds of Irish, with great sticks and pokers; ever so many had been taken off to the hospitals wounded; they were so spiteful, the shopkeepers put up their shutters, and the place was full of Irish, cutting and slashing like mad, and coming from all parts, taking sides and fighting one against another. Well, sir, there was only six of us, and we found we must turn out. My lads,' said the head constable and he didn't like it at all, he didn't— says he, this is a queer job, but go we must!' Well, sir, away we went, but it warnt no use at all; the mob didn't mind our cutlashes a bit; great big fellows come up to us with their pokers, and we warnt in no pleasant situation in no respect. Well, I saw there'd be murder very shortly, and suddenly a thought struck me, and

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away I went round the corner—may be you knows the shop-it was a shop where they sold almost everything then. Well, I knocked, but they were afraid to open the door. Says I, 'It's me, Mrs. and do let me in;' so they let me in. Says I, 'Let me have some red paint of some sort himmediately;' so they gave me some rouge or carmine, I don't know which it was. So I took out my pistols and put in a charge of powder, then some paper, then I wetted a lot of this paint and put it in, and some paper loose over it, and off I went. Well, there was my mates hemmed in, but no lives lost, thank God; they was fighting away; well, a great chap come up to me with a poker or a fender a-fighting with, so I outs with a pistol, and, says I, 'Stand back!' and presents it at him. Well, he didn't stand back, so I fired at him.

Well, sir, you

may depend on it, (I shall never forget it,) the force of the powder and wadding knocked him right off his legs. It caught him in the forehead, and the red paint made his face look just as if it was all covered with blood. They made sure he was a dead man, and some carried him off to St. Bartholomew's Hospital, and the mob got frightened at us and dispersed. They didn't

know whose turn might come next. Well, sir, when they came to examine my man at the hospital, and washed his face, it set 'em a wondering, for they found there wasn't no wound at all. The man was partly stunned, and soon walked home. Well, sir, the story got wind, and them Irish was so pleased with it afterwards, (when they come to their proper reason and sobriety, they could see it had perhaps prevented real murder, for they was getting terrible spiteful when I let fly)-they was so pleased many of 'em would have done anything for me afterwards. The housekeepers in the neighbourhood, too, made us a handsome present, and I was told about that red paint job a long while afterwards, you may depend on it, sir."

The reader will probably excuse the vulgarities contained in the previous statements, and will please not to imagine me as sympathizing in the least with vulgarity. Perhaps, however, in attempting to illustrate such a subject, to be always grammatical might sometimes hinder one's being graphic, and I wish to convey to the reader a real idea of the place and the people, that their ignorance and destitution may be duly appreciated, and their need of the gospel of the

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