for the cause. Soon a want was felt of some common bond of union which should unite the individuals who, at great distances from each other, were all at work with the same object. This was supplied, towards the end of last year, by the foundation of the National Reformatory Union,-a Society which has its centre, of course, in the metropolis, with corresponding members at each certified Reformatory, and it is in contemplation to form branches in all the chief provincial towns. Two of these Branch Unions have already been established at Bristol and Liverpool. The objects of this Society, and the results already obtained, may be best understood by the following extract from the Report of the Committee read at the inaugural meeting of the Bristol Conference:

First, To collect and diffuse information bearing on the reformation of youthful offenders.

"Second, To promote the further practical development of the Reformatory system.

"Third, To consider and promote such legislative measures as are still required for the better care and reformation of youthful offenders.

"Fourth, To assist in the placing out, and the subsequent guardianship and protection, of young persons leaving Reformatory institutions.

"The first object your Committee have endeavoured to accomplish by obtaining corresponding members from the different certified Reformatories in the United Kingdom, who have already contributed most valuable information; by holding a series of meetings in London for the purpose of hearing papers read, and discussion; and by reporting all their proceedings in the Law Amendment Journal, which they have supplied regularly to every member.

"The second object, that of the further practical development of the Reformatory system, has been forwarded by opening a register for schoolmasters of Reformatories, and by giving all the information that could be obtained on the subject to every one applying for it.

"The third object, that of the promoting all necessary legislative measures, has been sedulously attended to.

"The excellent measure introduced and carried by Sir Stafford Northcote during the late session, was carefully considered at repeated meetings of the Society, and a number of valuable suggestions were thrown out, which have been in great part embodied in the clauses of the Act.

"The fourth object, that of providing for the maintenance of young persons leaving Reformatories, has engaged the anxious attention of your Committee. A Sub-Committee was appointed some time since to carry out any practical measures that might be deemed advisable; and by their advice a series of questions were addressed to the managers of all the certified Reformatories in the United Kingdom. These questions have been promptly and fully answered, and a mass of valuable information has thus been obtained, which cannot fail to throw considerable light on the important subject of patronage. Your Committee must observe, that the answers they have received lead them to believe that no serious difficulty exists at present with regard to the disposal of the reformed inmates of our certified schools. There seems, however, to be a general feeling that a central office for information under the management of this Society would prove very useful. At this office the names of those willing to receive in their service the late inmates of Reformatories would be registered, while another list of those anxious for situations would be constantly open. Your Committee would observe, that the subject of Ship Reformatories, owing to the facility with which trained boys would be provided for in the royal and mercantile marine, is closely connected with that of the disposal of youths leaving Reformatories, and they trust that some valuable information will be elicited at the sections to-morrow on the management of these institutions."

It was contemplated at the formation of the Society that an autumnal meeting should be held yearly, in some large provincial town, for the purpose of extending an interest in the objects of the Union; for bringing together the different workers in the cause; and or discussing subjects connected with the movement more in detail than would be possible in London. Bristol was selected for the first meeting, and we must con

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sider the choice very appropriate. Few cities can boast of more charitable and educational institutions of all kinds. Many schools remain as memorials of the liberality of its old merchants, when Bristol was the second city of the empire; and in institutions particularly adapted to the wants of the "perishing and dangerous classes," no town in England is so rich. The chief of these are enumerated by Miss Carpenter in her paper read at the soirée at Clifton. They consist of numerous ragged schools; male and female reformatories for children and adults. In the neighbourhood of Bristol is the seat of Mr. Miles, the member for East Somerset, and the chairman of sessions for the county, a zealous and beneficent friend to the good cause, who opened his doors with princely hospitality to the distinguished strangers who formed part of the gathering. This city has also been the scene of Miss Carpenter's indefatigable labours. Here she has gained her invaluable experience of the juvenile criminal class by years of patient toil, by her constant labours in the ragged school, in the establishment of which she took so large a share, and by her daily walks through some of the most wretched streets and alleys of the city. Bristol is also the residence of Mr. Hill, the Recorder of Birmingham, who has been long known as one of the promoters of juvenile reformation, and who took the chair at the first Birmingham conference.

Besides possessing so many attractions for the reformers, few places can boast of more for the general visitor. The city in itself is highly picturesque, built as it is on the slopes of steep hills, with its streets of gable-ended houses, its docks and floating harbours, which bring large ships into the heart of the city, mingling their tall masts with the noble towers of its fine old churches, and its exquisite neighbourhood, beautiful on all sides; added to which its historical associations, rich and varied, all combine to render Bristol especially well worth visiting. A first meeting of any kind must be of course experimental; this one undoubtedly has been most successful. It was attended by ladies and gentlemen from all parts of the kingdom, some of whom delivered addresses and read papers evincing great talent and experience. These addresses and papers, and the discussions

which followed, were listened to by attentive and earnest audiences, hearers who evidently came to learn, and we can arrive at no other conclusion than that they departed having acquired a knowledge of the subject which nothing but such addresses and such discussions could have given them.

The citizens of Bristol responded very cordially to the wish of the Society, and a committee of gentlemen (the mayor acting as chairman) was formed, charged with making the necessary arrangements for the meeting. This committee consisted of individuals of the most opposite parties and sects, a convincing proof of the universal interest which has been excited in this question.

Lord Brougham, the venerable president of the Society, being unhappily prevented by the then feeble state of his health from attending, the committee requested Lord Stanley to supply his place as president of the meeting,—an invitation he very cordially accepted, and filled the chair in a manner which won him the admiration of his audiences, and the gratitude of the committee who selected him for the post.

The plan of the conference, held on the model of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, occupied three days, and consisted of an inaugural meeting, a soirée, sectional meetings for the reading of papers, a large public meeting, and visits to the different Reformatory institutions in the neighbourhood.

The inaugural meeting was held in the banqueting-hall belonging to the ancient society of Merchant Venturers, a guild whose incorporation by charter dates back as far as the reign of Edward VI., but which has existed even from a much earlier period. This society holds in trust several charitable institutions, particularly a school founded by one of its most notable members, Edward Colston, a name held in such reverence by Bristolians, that though its owner died more than 140 years ago, they still celebrate his birthday as a great festival devoted to charity. No fitter place, then, could there be in Bristol for the inaugural meeting of a conference whose object-that of turning the little outcast into the respectable member of society-is the truest charity in the world, than the fine old hall of a

guild which has for years administered one of the principal charities of the city.

Lord Stanley's inaugural address contains a masterly exposition of the Reformatory subject, in which he shows not only the importance, but the necessity, when we consider the enormous number of criminals (100,000) annually convicted, for prompt remedies to such a state of things. His lordship gave a sketch of the history of the movement from the establishment of the Philanthropic Society in 1788 to the present time, and showed the advantage of Reformatories even in an economic point of view, the maintenance of them being less expensive than that of the young criminals at large, which he clearly demonstrates to be at the cost of the public. Taking the results of the different institutions, Lord Stanley considers that much success has already attended the system-that the undertaking is well worth the expenditure it entails. He also shows its immense importance now we can no longer transport our criminals. He touches upon the causes of crime, particularly of juvenile crime, and classifies the different kinds of criminals who must be dealt with in Reformatories. He adverts to adult criminals, whose reformation he seems to consider almost hopeless-much more so than, we think, is justified by the experience of those who have devoted themselves to this branch of the subject; though we agree most cordially with him in wishing to begin the reformatory process as early as possible, while the criminal is young and may be trained with comparative ease to habits of industry and good conduct. He passes in review the objections which may be raised to the establishment of Reformatories: that of impracticability our experience has refuted; the danger of tempting parents to incite their children to commit crime in order that they may be sent to a Reformatory, is met by the provision of the Act, which obliges the parent, where he is able, to pay part of the cost of his child's maintenance; and the objection that criminal children are better fed and clothed than those of the honest poor, and will therefore excite their envy, may be obviated, as he shows, by keeping the schools as homely and as rough as is consistent with order and sanitary requirements, and by not allowing the