commenced family prayer. Mr. C., unfortunately, can neither read nor write, but his eldest son, educated at our Ragged School, reads the chapter. It may be truly said of himself and family, "now has salvation come to this house.'

Mr. C. has, for a considerable period of time, been of great assistance to me; forward in every good word and work. He has induced various drunken persons in these courts and alleys to join the Total Abstinence Society. This man was formerly a great drunkard, spending by his own admission occasionally as much as £2 per week in intoxicating liquors, and even a larger

sum.

Mrs. C., who was formerly far from a sober woman, has also become a stanch total abstainer, and appears also in a very hopeful state of mind.

It is ascertained from official documents that not less than forty-five millions of bushels of malt, (about one-seventh of the grain produced in Britain,) are annually consumed in the manufacture of intoxicating liquors. For the produce of this quantity of grain, more than one million of acres of land are required. The judicious Paley pertinently observes :

"From reason or revelation, or from both together, it

appears to be God Almighty's intention, that the produce of the earth should be applied to the sustentation of human life. Consequently all waste and misapplication of these productions are contrary to the Divine intention and will, and therefore wrong, for the same reason that any other crime is so ; such as destroying, or causing to perish, great part of an article of human provision, in order to enhance the price of the remainder; or diminishing the breed of animals, by a wanton or improvident consumption of the young. To this head may also be referred what is the same evil in a smaller way, the expending of human food on superfluous dogs or horses; and lastly, the reducing the quantity, in order to alter the quality, and to alter it generally for the worse, as the distillation of spirits from bread and corn." *

I could much enlarge instances of usefulness amongst drunkards, for which I offer unto God thanksgiving, but space does not permit.

The City Mission lays down no rule upon the subject of total abstinence. Its requirements respecting the profession and teaching of Trinitarian Christianity are inflexible as the solid rocks, but with matters on which Christians differ it seeks not to interfere. Total abstinence is left to the unfettered consciences of its Missionaries. Some of the oldest Missionaries of the Society, such as Hilder, Jackson, Walker, and others, are stanch total abstainers, and about half the general body of Missionaries.

*Paley's Moral Philosophy, book ii. chap. ii.

Having been for many years a total abstainer from intoxicating liquors, I have found it an immense advantage to be enabled to say to drunkards, not simply "abstain as I advise," but "abstain as I DO." The dimensions of this work, however, require that the chapter should be concluded; this may well be done in the words of the friend of Wilberforce and relative of one of our illustrious women, Mrs. Fry-I allude to the late Joseph John Gurney:

"It is an excellent thing to accustom children and young people to total abstinence from fermented and therefore intoxicating liquors. This abstinence becomes easy, and even pleasant, by habit, and it leaves both mind and body in a cool and favourable condition for all the functions and duties of life. It plucks up one of the most fruitful seeds of all manner of evil, or, to change the metaphor, it lays the axe to one of the most vigorous roots of the 'corrupt tree.' So long as we never use intoxicating drinks, we are, of course, secure from the danger of abusing them; and when we consider how large, how varied, how insidious that danger is, it seems to be the part of wisdom to teach our young people wholly to avoid it. I well know that much allowance must be made for the long-formed habits of persons who are advanced in life; yet when we consider how vast a multitude of our fellow-men are daily falling a sacrifice to intoxicating drink; when we behold the awful thronging of the workhouse, the madhouse, and the jail, which is the ascertained effect of such drink; when we carry our views further, and think of the myriads, nay, millions, whom alcoholic beverages have been the means of plunging (as we have every reason to believe) into the bottomless depth of everlasting ruin-we are assuredly furnished

with ample reasons for entirely disusing them. So far as our example can operate, let it operate on the safe side. Under these circumstances, I am compelled to acknowledge-what, until of late years, I was very unwilling to admit that the apostle's principle of action fully applies to this great subject -'destroy not him with thy meat for whom Christ died'... 'for meat destroy not the work of God. . . it is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor anything whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, (σкavdaλíšeтai,) or is made weak,' Rom. xiv. 15—21.”*

These are sentiments the writer has for many years cordially endorsed.

*Thoughts on Habit and Discipline. Fourth Edition, 1847.

CHAPTER VI.

THE CRIMINAL POPULATION.

Changes in the character of crime in England-Ancient Sokes

in

Further allusions - Hounslow Heath-Metropolitan Police-Chloroform-Inadequacy of the existing Female Penitent Refuges - A day's perambulation — Highway robbery of a police inspector by one of these outcasts— Improvements in prison discipline-Severity in former ages-William I.-Arnold's Chronicle-The curfew-A better curfew, the Early Closing Movement-Statement of an old officer-Townsend's evidence in 1816-Trading justices - Blood money- - Executions-Difficulties writing this chapter-Causes of criminality-Inspectors of Prisons' 10th Report-Divine promise respecting early training — Reformation of a juvenile delinquent — His letters from Australia-Testimony of an aged Wesleyan— Terrible ungodliness—Arcanum of vice-Reflections-Particulars respecting two young thieves-Relinquishment of thievery by one-Awful depravity-Suicide-Another case -Impossibility of entering into further details-A juvenile "sneaksman”—Philosophy of Missionary efforts—The swallow-Outward reformation of a desperate character.

THE character of crime in England has, during the lapse of ages, undergone considerable alte

ration.