The

is, that such evils, instead of being abated, are growing ones. inmates of these lodgings increase in number from year to year; and there is little difficulty in accounting for how this increase takes place. Lodging-houses, such as we have described in a former article, and these lodgings for travellers, exercise a fearful agency in creating iniquity: the former produce associations which destroy the honest; the latter turn the merely poor into the hardened and criminal. Take, as an example of the first, the young man we before described-the sketch was drawn from life; the initials of the youth's name, deducting his many aliases, are C. H. When first taught to thieve by his bed-companions, he was, of course, not very expert, and he fell into such arrear with his former landlord, that he was driven even from that home. Nightly lodgings were then his only resource; in these he met with worse companions than the fellows he had left; they taught him to look upon stealing as a trade, a livelihood; for previously he had only taken to it as a temporary means of subsistence. Still he was rather an inapt pupil, and was unable to pass the crisis.* He was detected picking a pocket at the last coronation, and is now in New South Wales. To lodgings of both the classes we have described, he attributed all his misfortunes.

"Boys turned out of workhouses to seek employment find their way in larger numbers than is ever conceived into the lodgings for travellers. Their future history may be easily foretold after the first night thus passed; they begin as street-beggars and end as thieves. Even when such houses fulfil their proper office-that of lodging country travellers-the effect they produce is equally to be deplored. The two country youths we saw in Orchard-street have perhaps (failing in procuring work) already taken their rank amongst the dangerous classes. What also can be hoped for of the two children belonging to the artisan, their companions? In such circumstances we greatly fear the worst. "W."

FAIRLOP FAIR.-SUNDAY TAVERNS.

"FAIRLOP Sunday" has passed since our last publication. It will gratify our readers to know that the unhallowed scenes of that day are completely abolished. Instead of 60,000 or 70,000 persons leaving London for that scene, there were not more than 2,000 or 2,500, a number only half as large as visit the "Eagle Tavern,"

"If a young pickpocket is able to elude the vigilance of the police for a certain period, the fraternity believe him to an extent safe from detection for a very long time afterwards. Although some foundation for this belief may be traced to the superior dexterity it proves the thief to possess, yet it arises chiefly from a superstitious feeling. Thieves are among the most superstitious of mankind. They have their lucky and unlucky days. They will not go out,' as they call it, on the day such a one was transported, or when such a one was taken.' They have strong faith in divination, and watch the flight of birds, drawing auguries from that and a thousand other omens.

in the City-road, or the "White Conduit House," in the New-road, every Sabbath during the summer months.

THE ATTENTION OF THE RELIGIOUS PORTION OF THE METROPOLIS, AND THE ATTENTION OF THE MAGISTRACY, MUST BE IMMEDIATELY CALLED TO SUNDAY TAVERNS; AND IF THEIR OWNERS ARE DETERMINED TO OUTRAGE ALL DECENCY AS TO

THE SABBATH, THEIR LICENSES MUST BE TAKEN AWAY, AND

THUS LEAVE THEIR HOUSES AND TEA-GARDENS AS DESOLATE AS THE FOREST IN WHICH FAIRLOP FAIR ONCE FLOURISHed.

Seven Missionaries went on Saturday evening, July 3d, to "Fairlop," to be ready for what they might have to do on the Sabbath; the following is the Report, drawn up by one of the number, and will be read with interest:

Sabbath Morning, July 4.-After prayer for the Divine blessing on our combined efforts, we commenced by a course of domiciliary visitation, leaving tracts at every cottage throughout the village that was accessible. Two of the brethren read and prayed with aged persons in their respective dwellings. These visits of mercy were kindly received and highly appreciated.

Eleven o' Clock.-On arriving at the area where the fair is usually held, we were agreeably surprised to find that every vestige of shows, booths, and stalls, was removed, if we except one of the larger drinking booths, the parts of which lay on the ground, and over which, as of a captured foe, about thirty of the police were apparently stationed.

In the afternoon of the day whilst traversing the space originally the scene of unhallowed, but of apparently triumphant mirth and wickedness, we could not forbear exclaiming, "The scene how changed." No sounds of music; and the showman's vociferating cries, once so loud, were hushed. While the sad complaints of victims duped by gamblers' wily arts, were no longer heard. There was a vast diminution of numbers even from the preceding year, but as the area was unoccupied and the company interspersed within the forest, an accurate statement of the number of persons present could not by possibility be furnished; there were, however, not more than from 2,000 to 2,500 persons during the day, instead of 60,000 or 70,000. Many persons in vehicles, on beholding the scene of, it might be their once dear, but now departed joys, retired without alighting, apparently in disgust.

In the absence of the police, some few attempts were occasionally made to erect sticks for the purpose of being thrown at, but without success. I would in this place remark, that great praise is due to the police for their promptitude, civility, and firmness. One of "the force," in endeavouring to wrest a bill-hook from a man who was cutting down the branches of a tree to decorate his cart, had his hand dreadfully lacerated. The offender was immediately taken into custody.

A woman had certain gambling apparatus taken away by the

police also. She requested to have it restored. The policeman kindly recommended her to apply to the magistrate at Ilford, on Monday.

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Gipsies.-There were but few present of this class, the police having routed them. We counted but about forty persons throughout the day. Visited one encampment containing a group of six persons including children. On observing a man lying stretched beneath his tent, I entered into conversation with him, and endeavoured to force the claims of religion on his special regard. "O Sir," said he, "we have a Bible, and we often read it," pointing with his finger to the top of the tent. I soon perceived that he possessed both a Bible and a prayer-book. Having expressed the pleasure that I felt in seeing they possessed the "Word of Life," I endeavoured to instruct them in the way of reading the same with profit to their souls; showed the necessity of faith and repentance; read and explained a portion of Scripture, to which all listened with the most becoming respect. On leaving, the gipsies expressed themselves obliged to us for our friendly visit. Perceiving an elderly gipsy whispering in the ear of a fine-looking young woman who was seated by her female companion beneath the shade of an oak, I drew nigh. On perceiving my approach, a momentary silence ensued. On beholding the dark and furrowed features of the aged woman in contrast with the countenance of the young woman whom she was labouring to beguile, and fixing my eyes steadfastly on the gipsy, I said, “You forcibly remind me of Satan at the ear of Eve," and had the complexion of the gipsy been of the ordinary character, the flush of conscious guilt might have suffused her cheek, in being thus addressed. She attempted to palliate her conduct by inquiring if I had liberty to condemn her. I replied, that I did not intend to do so, her wicked practices having already exposed her to the condemnation due to sin. I then assured her that her sins would find her out, recommended her to break off her sins by repentance, and look for mercy through the Lord Jesus Christ.

A female gipsy solicited a tract of Brother Kitts, in order, she said, that her husband might read it to her. Seeing a favourable opportunity presented itself for religious conversation, brother K. made certain inquiries respecting the state of their souls. Read and commented from 12th John, the poor woman was affected to This interesting visit was concluded by the gipsies being faithfully and affectionately invited to look to the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. On leaving, they gratefully acknowledged their sense of the favour thus conferred.

tears.

An aged man, on being addressed by myself, said, "Ah! I know all about it, you ought to look to our oppressors who are taking the bread out of our mouths; religion will not fill my belly." I referred him to Christ, the Bread of Life; the poor man was evidently smarting under the lash of disappointment, seeing that his ungodly gains were cut off. He murmured greatly, to think that he should

be prohibited from selling a few articles for his support. Brother Singer read a portion of Scripture from the sixth chapter of Matthew, on which he commented. For a long time the tract was refused, at length the poor old man was prevailed on to accept it.

The company began to leave the forest at and before four o'clock in the afternoon, many of whom sadly complained of the absence of those attractions which the fair originally presented.

One of the brethren, whose health is rather delicate, spent the greater part of the day in counting the vehicles as they entered the forest. The number amounted to 284, a larger proportion of which were carts, the whole containing about 1,600 persons.

NO FICTION.

AT the top of a house in a court in Holborn, there is a scene to be witnessed by the wealthy, and by the discontented and unhappy, that ought to be instructive and to excite emotions of compassion and thankfulness, and allay all morbid and sinful discontent in the breasts of those who are determined not only to be unhappy amidst every comfort, but to make others as unhappy as themselves. The following is the case to which we refer: A man in the prime of life, forty-two years of age, crippled in his hands and feet with the gout, and formerly a painter and glazier, is now living in one of the garrets of a large house, the other rooms of the house being let to various lodgers. He has a humane and generous landlord. The poor man has but 2s. per week to live upon, and because he is so quiet, and wellbehaved, his landlord lets him have the garret rent-free. One of the Missionaries recently visited this afflicted man, and found him humble, pious, grateful, and contented. He has but little bedding, his furniture is very scanty and humble, and on 2s. per week, the poor man said he was obliged on account of his complaint to have nourishing food." Is it possible for a man to subsist in London on such a sum? This poor man does. He buys two dozen of "sheep trotters," in their rough state, as cut off by the butcher, and pays 5d. for them. His washing costs him 3d. per week, and the remainder of the two shillings he spends in bread and potatoes. When asked by the Missionary if he never had any tea or coffee? "O, no, Sir," he replied, "then there must be milk, and sugar, and I cannot have them.' Do you ever murmur in these circumstances? asked the Missionary. When the poor man replied, "Sir, I do, when my pain makes me so ill that I get sick of my trotters, but I immediately check myself." He was also asked, why he did not go into the poor-house? when he replied, "I can, Sir, while I live here, crawl out and hear the Gospel on the Lord's-day, and as I can manage to live on my two shillings per week, I would rather

not go in." This poor man, simply by the power of religion, is living in a calm and grateful state of mind in such deep suffering and poverty; but the Missionary found his tranquillity had been somewhat disturbed. An Infidel had met him, and had said to him, "What a fool you are to believe the Bible. Solomon says, 'There is nothing new under the sun,' and a new colour has just been discovered, and produced at the Academy of Sciences?" And some one not much kinder than the Infidel, went to this poor man, and teazed him with some unscriptural views about the doctrine of election. The Missionary, however, answered the objections of these disturbers of his peace, and has given him a copy of the New Testament and Psalter, which he says, "he can read better than any other book by what he remembers of it from its being read by his minister." One pious lady who visits him called the attention of the Missionary to his state and circumstances, and he will not now be neglected in any respect, although he lives in one of the many districts of London where we have not, and where for want of funds, we cannot appoint a Missionary.

MORE MISSIONARIES.

WE inserted an appeal on the cover of our last month's Magazine, with the view of calling the attention of Christians who have it in their power to render some further support towards more Missionaries for London. We have received the following interesting reply from the Rev. W. B. Leach; and we have no doubt that its publication will obtain for us the remainder of the amount necessary to employ a Missionary in the district to which Mr. Leach refers:

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"Nottingham-street, Marylebone, July 20, 1841.

My dear Sirs,-I feel the force of your importunate appeal in this month's Magazine, on behalf of the destitute districts of the metropolis, in which no Missionary is seeking to turn our careless fellow-men from the error of their ways, and for whose eternal welfare you entreat your readers, "for Christ's sake," to devise liberal things, that messengers of mercy may be sent to them. You also very wisely recommend the concentration of Christian beneficence by the selection of particular localities, and the union of pecuniary effort in supplying those places thus adopted with the means of religious instruction; suggesting that two, or five, or ten generous persons may easily unite in supporting a Missionary in any vicinity which they may think proper to select. The plan is judicious and practicable, and I sincerely hope that not a few of your affluent friends will adopt it, for which reason I beg to suggest that your letter appear on the cover of your Magazine during the next two or three months, that it be not forgotten.

Presuming that there are not a few of the excellent of the