The East

pany responsible for the

crimes of their servants.

cultivation, to infringe on the personal liberty and the free exercise of the labour of the ryots, and extract, by an organised system of compulsion, a revenue beyond the natural result of voluntary engagements. But that which was so horrible to Mr. Fullerton, was a recommendation to the East India Company. They knew well that the change was effected in order that they might dictate the terms of cultivation, infringe on the personal liberty of the ryots, and extract a revenue beyond the natural result of voluntary engagements. The reason why the present India Com- government of the East India Company was responsible for these things, was this-that with the evidence before them of the cruel working of this law, they, no longer ago than the 12th of September, 1855, recommended it to be also carried into effect in Lower Bengal-in Bengal, where he had the strongest reason to believe that torture already existed. What then was the obvious remedy? The evil, he had shown, was over-assessment. The remedy was, first, a reduction of that assessment; but a reduction of assessment alone would do nothing. There must be no annual assessment-no hopeless attempts without the intervention of a third party, to enter into arrangements with every individual collector-they must have a fixed and determinate rent or land tax, and that for a good long period; and there must be a condition annexed, that whenever an augmentation took place it should be a fixed and determinate one, say from 5 to 10 per cent. One of the recommendations upon which the commissioners laid great stress was, that there should be a larger number of European functionaries employed. Of the necessity of that there could be no doubt; but he (the Earl of Albemarle) confessed he could not see that it was practicable, on the ground of the enormous expense it would involve. In conclusion, he thanked the house for the indulgence it had accorded to him. The duty he had had to discharge was a painful one; but a serious and heavy responsibility rested upon their lordships. They might be pained and ashamed at the fiendish malignity of the native servants-they might be ashamed at the disgraceful apathy of the civil servants. He knew not in what terms to speak of that joint-stock company with whom they had made a covenant for one of the brightest jewels in the crown; but on their own heads was the responsibility, and they owed it to God and to their country, knowing the evil, to apply a remedy. He begged leave to move, "that by a report lately laid on the table, it is proved to the entire conviction of the house that torture, or

A patron

blink at the

horrible

and unholy deeds of the

the infliction of pain, for the purpose of confession or extortion, has long been practised, and still continues to be practised, by the native officers of Government in the realisation of the public revenues and the administration of criminal law, to a greater or less extent throughout all the twenty provinces constituting the age paid. government of Madras; that the aforesaid torture, although Parliament clandestine and unauthorised, has been for many years known quietly and admitted by the constituted authorities at home and in India, as shown by the public records: that this house views the aforesaid practice of torture, affecting so many millions of her Majesty's subjects, whether as an instrument for the realisation of the public revenues, or the administration of criminal law, or for any other purpose whatsoever, as repugnant to natural justice, abhorrent to humanity, and highly disgraceful to the character of this nation: that this house hereby pledges itself to pursue the speediest and most effectual measures within its power for the annihilation of the odious and barbarous practice of torture within the abovementioned government and presidency of Madras."

(To be continued.)

East India
Company.

LEGISLATIVE EVILS PERPETUATE CRIME.

MEETING OF SWELL MOBSMEN,

A MEETING was held on Monday evening last, at the White Lion Tavern, Fashion-strect, Spitalfields, where there was an attendance of about 100 persons, principally belonging to the class known as "swell mobsmen."

The meeting was convened for the purpose of taking the opinion of such characters with respect to the working of an institution which is designed to lend a helping hand to those offenders who may be disposed to "square accounts" with society, and to lead an honest life.

The room in which the meeting was held was well lighted and comfortable. A "free and easy" spirit pervaded, but everything was carried on in a decent manner,-the cries of "order," and "chair," being immediately followed by attentive silence. A stranger would have had no suspicion that the inen there assembled were at war with society. They appeared well-fed, wellclad, and at case with themselves. In the course of the evening

several showily-dressed youths, who were evidently the "arıs
tocracy" of the class, walked into the room. They were habited
as clerks, or young men in offices. Some wore gold guard chains
to their watches, and others had diamond pins to their cravats
They were, however, all "mobsmen," as they are called-men
who, in some instances, are gaining their ten or even twenty
pounds a-week, by light-fingered operations. Indeed, several
present were pointed out as "tip-top sawyers," "seeing the first
society," and "doing a heavy business." Besides these, there
were a few notorious "cracksmem" (housebreakers), and one or
two "fences" (receivers of stolen goods), who were said to be
worth their weight in gold. On the cntry of one who was
unknown to the rest, a cry was raised, "only kenobes!" "no
square men in the room;" which being interpreted, meant,

only mobs' or first-class thieves; none who are following an
honest course of life are to be present;" whereupon it was re-
presented to the stranger that the meeting was to be considered
private, and he withdrew.

Mr. Henry Mayhew, who had convened the meeting, opened the business of the evening, by saying, "that he was about to found a society for the purpose of assisting those men who really and sincerely meant to help themselves. He was aware that many of them wished to give up their present courses, and that they would rejoice to see a way of escape from the circumstances in which they then were involved. No doubt, some of them liked their mode of life, and took a pleasure in it; but others had been driven to it by force of circumstances, by bad treatment at home, by early neglect, and other disastrous influences. He had represented the case of such persons to benevolent friends and had found many gentlemen ready to come forward and proffer their assistance in the great work; indeed, he had already been promised funds to a large amount. It remained with themselves to close with these offers, and honestly to strive, if by any means they might redeem themselves, and be upright in all their dealings as Englishmen and good citizens ought to be. Those who felt disposed to choose the better way, would be treated, not as wild animals who required a cage, nor yet as children, to be kept in leading-strings-but as full-grown, thinking men, who might be trusted; for he knew there were many of them far from being insensible to the feeling of honour, and who were capable of appreciating sympathy and confidence. They must, however, steadily bear in mind, that if any trickery

1

or deception were practised towards the society, it must come to an end. Mr. Mayhew then recounted an instance in which he had trusted a notorious thief at a public meeting with a sovereign, requesting him to get it changed; but intimating that no prosecution would follow if he absconded with the money. That man had brought back the money, and proved that an appeal to his better nature had not been made in vain. He knew that many of the men present were tracked by the police, until they were utterly weary of their lives. He wished to give such persons a word of encouragement, to stand between the two great classes of society-the comfortable and the wretched-the rich and the poor-and, if possible, to save some of them from despair. He had occasionally found high virtues in what were called the dangerous classes, and he did not despair of any men in whom he could discern the germ of right feeling. His object was to found a "home" and industrial asylum, as well as an emigration society, for such as were tired of evil courses, and who sincerely wished to retrieve the place they had lost in the world; and he should be happy to learn how far they were disposed to embrace a proposal of that kind.

After some little delay, a young man stepped forward and said that he wished to say a few words about the "kenobe" life, of which he, for his part, had seen quite enough. They all knew that this way of living was unsatisfactory. They might get ten pounds, in a day, and go for a fortnight without earning a penny; or they might get six months' imprisonment, which was "rather a cooler." He would gladly give one hundred pounds to be rescued from such a state. He confessed that he was a thief himself, but he had seen trouble, and earnestly desired reformation. If he could only get an honest living, he would not be as he was then.

The next speaker was a retuned convict, who had come back last September, and found work sometimes, but, failing that, said he was obliged to make up by plunder. For three months he had been employed in the docks, but since that time work had been scarce, and when he was short of provisions he was driven to steal, for starve he would not. But if he could obtain occupation he would readily give up his old habits.

The third speaker had been transported in 1839, and had been five years in this country since his return. He worked for a time at his trade, but when work was scarce he took to thieving, and got again into trouble. It was only two months since

are not

he was last in prison. He was a tailor by trade, and if security for five pounds could be obtained, he could get employment. A gentleman present promised the required guarantee, an announcement which was followed by three rounds of applause. A very earnest, and apparently well-disposed man, next addressed the meeting. He was well known to them all, and had often been in trouble. He had often tried to alter his Prisons and condition, and failed to do so. He was a good tradesman, and hulks, &c., if he could get assistance he would go to work, and he knew that many of them felt the same. His wages ought to be 58. a day, but he would willingly work for 38., only he had no one to demoraliza- recommend him. If hunger and want oppressed him he was driven to plunder, but what could he do. He was not to starve in the streets. Still he would rather work for one shilling, than steal for a pound. He had often walked about in hunger, cold, and destitution, rather than do that which was wrong. He would go to work to-morrow morning if he could get it. He wished the public to know that the men there really wanted to work. In his opinion, prisons, hulks, and convict gaols, were not places of reformation, but demoralization

places of reformation, but

tion.

Harsh treatment of the

police to

the unfortunate.

The next speaker had a tale of grievance to record against the police. "He had come out nine months ago, and found occupation as a militia tailor, for the articles in which he worked were not saleable, and the authorities could trust him with such things. One day he was coming home with two coats, tied up in a bundle. A policeman, who had known him before, met him, and harshly accosted him: 'What had he got there?' He was obliged to go with the policeman to a public-house, and exhibit the contents of his bundle. He denounced such arbitrary conduct, as tyrannical. He believed that nineteen out of twenty among those present wished to get an honest living, but in The police London it was impossible. The policemen would insult them, usurp their and reproach them with being convicted thieves. Nay, they power to would insult their wives, however virtuous those wives might be. The kenobe life might be a merry one while it lasted; but when they got into the 'Steel' (Coldbath-fields Prison), it was a very different matter, and the horrors of transportation were truly awful. Those who felt this were to be relied upon. Try us (he added), and we will not deceive you."

prevent re

formation

of unfortu

nate men.

This testimony was corrobarated by another speaker, who observed, that "he had been a thief, but was now a costermonger, and worked hard, having to keep a wife and family.

He was