£5. There was a child in his school, who was always regular when his mother was in prison, but became irregular in attendance when the mother came out.

III. The next subject considered was the expediency of mixing in the same institution children sent by a magistrate, or otherwise committed against their will, with destitute children who seek refuge of their own accord.

M. said he had four boys sent by magistrates, and they agreed well with the rest who were voluntarily there. N. had twenty-seven sent by magistrates, and eight voluntary boys, and there was no difference or disagreement. O. had fifty voluntary cases out of 200, and with the same good results. R. confirmed this view; he had nine magistrates' cases. S. thought two classes of institutions re

quired.

IV, Power and means of detention.-It was allowed that bolts and bars and mere physical means were not advisable. A proper restraint, combined with healthful exercise, was rendered difficult in refuges built in great cities. It was often desirable that frequent access to the inmates should not be easy for their parents or former associates. On the other hand, such a situation gave opportunity for much supervision, and the good influence and Christian sympathy of friends and subscribers, which in the country was almost absent.

T. said it was easy to retain boys when they had been accustomed to the discipline for a little time. Most of those who absconded did so in the early period of their residence. K. Boys from prisons were more disposed to abscond than those who entered on their own application. It was no proof of a boy's depravity that he ran away. Few abscond twice, and he knew of none who did so a third time. Of 180 boys, fifty ran way; but thirty-seven of these returned and behaved well afterwards. U. In Edinburgh the boys are retained under a sentence by which punishment is still pending over them. In Glasgow they are apprenticed to the institution, which, therefore, has power to detain and punish them. V. Out of 160 boys allowed to visit their friends, only ten had not returned. W. Out of 128 boys admitted, twelve had absconded, but were all brought back; they wear a uniform dress. He copied every letter to and from the inmates, and was thus enabled to trace them when they absconded. X. In his reformatory, out of fourteen boys admitted, eight ran away. Only a year had elapsed since the institution was commenced. Z. said his reformatory was in London, and had no walls. Out of seventy lads from sixteen to twenty-two, only four had absconded. V. Number of inmates in each institution.

M. At Mettray there were 500; but De Metz himself thinks there should be only 300; they were divided into classes, each under a competent person. Individual knowledge of each inmate by the manager was necessary. There were often exceptional cases of such a character as to require to be treated by those who had intimate and personal knowledge of the case; such, for instance, as a boy he knew, who had become a thief, in order to save money, and who had saved what he had stolen, to the amount of £60. N. had lately taken an assistant to help him, but the order and discipline of the

reformatory were at once deteriorated, owing, he supposed, to the fact, that his personal influence upon the inmates had been rendered less direct, and, consequently, less powerful. O. suggested 100 as the largest number which could properly be entrusted to the manageThis appeared to be recognised as a limit to the numbers; but, of course, no general rule could be laid down on this

ment of one man.

point.

VI. Qualifications for institutions under the Act. The conference then proceeded to discuss other qualifications considered to be important for institutions to be certified under the Act; among these, was the prospect to be held out to the inmates, of an opening for honest livelihood after leaving the Reformatory.

He

A. stated that each of his boys was able, after a year's residence, to earn from ten to twelve shillings a week. They were taught the employments of carpenters, turners, and blacksmiths. B. cited a case to show that even young children could look forward a long way in advance, if a hope of reward was held out to thein. knew of a very little girl, who on being taken into service, said at once, Do keep me a year, and then I shall get the prize,'—meaning a reward given by the Ragged School Union to scholars from their schools who kept their places with credit for a year. C. He had fiftythree boys; there were not ten of those not trustworthy. He left them for fourteen days, and found order well preserved. Their industrial employments were those of gardeners, carpenters, shoe-makers, and tailors; and to some the prospect of emigration was held out. It was agreed that varied occupation was an essential part of reformatory discipline.

From the previous discnssion, it appeared, that in considering the eligibility of an institution for the purposes of the Act, regard must be had to the situation of the building; the means of detention; the union of voluntary and coerced inmates; the nature and variety of employment; the inducements offered to reform, by prospects for the future; the means of reclaiming runaways; and the numbers under the direct and constant personal management of the refuge superintendent or governor.

VII. Miscellaneous.-During the discussion on the foregoing topics, several interesting particulars were given which were not classed above.

D. stated that in the Glasgow Refuge, commenced in 1838, there were 440 children, and this was supported chiefly by a local rate of Id. in the pound, producing about £3,000 a year. The children were all voluntary inmates. E. stated that the police commissioners of Edinburgh granted his Refuge £100 a year, besides £25 a year obtained from the Privy Council.

Suggestions were considered as to an uniform system of inspection for all Reformatories," by an inspector specially appointed for the

purpose.

Throughout the proceedings, the terms Refuge' and 'Reformatory' appeared to be used without any precise definition, and often indiscriminately. It is, however, well to suggest that the latter term should be restricted to institutions designed for children who are sent thither by other persons.

Many signatures were appended during the meeting, and afterwards in the evening, to the subjoined memorial, which was subsequently presented by the Earl of Shaftesbury

To the Right Honorable Sir George Grey, Bart., her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for the Home Department.

"The undersigned memorialists, being all interested in the management of various Reformatory Schools, represent their earnest desire that her Majesty might be pleased to direct that some one might be specially appointed for the sole inspection of Reformatory Schools throughout the kingdom, who might be styled Her Majesty's Inspector of Reformatory Schools.'

The following resolution was moved by Lord Henry Cholmondeley, seconded by the Rev. Dr. Guthrie, and carried unanimously

That the gentlemen now present constitute themselves a committee for receiving and disseminating information, and for communicating with the government on this subject, and that they be empowered to add to their number, and to summon another conference when advisable. That Mr. R. Hanbury, jun., be the convener of the committee.'

Mr. Maxwell proposed, Mr. Baker seconded, and it was unanimously resolved

That the following gentlemen be a sub-committee for the abovementioned purposes:-Messrs. Hanbury, Bowker, Bowyer, Macgregor, Maxwell. Oliphant, and the Rev. Sydney Turner.'

The Rev. T. Carter proposed, Mr. Playfair seconded, and it was unanimously resolved

That the sincere thanks of this meeting be given to Mr. R. Hanbury, jun., for the kind and active interest he has evinced upon the important subject of juvenile reformation, and especially in connexion with the proceedings of this meeting.'

The vote of thanks having been acknowledged, the conference terminated.

In the evening, a large number of ladies and gentlemen assembled at Mr. Hanbury's house, and a summary of the morning's proceedings was given, followed by addresses from several gentlemen, which were listened to with great interest.

Warwickshire, through the example of Mr. Adderley's School at Saltley, has become the centre of the Reformatory movement. A Meeting was held at Warwick, last April, for the purpose of establishing a County Reformatory, and the following admirable addresses were delivered :

"M. D. HILL, Esq. (Recorder of Birmingham), then addressed the meeting. He said: Mr. High Sheriff,-Though neither a Magistrate nor a freeholder of Warwickshire, I have been honoured with an invitation to this meeting, and with a request to take part in your proceedings. Sir,-I offer my hearty support to the motion before you. (Cheers.) Not only do I feel that the establishment of a Reformatory School for this county is greatly to be desired, but I must be permitted to say that it stands before my eyes as an impera

tive duty on the inhabitants. It is difficult, if not impossible, for me to produce in other minds the deep impressions which, in my own, have been the work of many long years, and of a large experience in the treatment of criminals. My best chance, however, of showing in a clear light the practicability of reformation and the value of Reformatory Schools in effecting that object, will be to yield myself up to the train of thought which the town where we are assembled, the audience I address, and the object which has called us together, have set in motion, and to recapitulate very briefly the steps by which I arrived at these conclusions. Five-and-thirty years ago I joined the Bar of the Midland Circuit, and became a member of the Warwickshire Sessions. At that time, the whole judical business of the county, including that which arises at Birmingham, was transacted at Warwick, with the exception only of such as belonged to Coventry and the small district forming the county of that city. Such being the case I hardly need say that the docks of the two Courts in the neighbouring hall were, every Sessions and every Assizes, filled, emptied, and replenished many times in the day, and for many successive days. It is needless, also, to tell you that a young barrister, whose friends were not numerous, and whose pretensions were humble enough, was not so encumbered with briefs but that he had sufficient leisure to observe what was hourly challenging his attention, and to reflect upon the consequences which flowed from the administration of criminal justice as the law then stood. Then, Sir, as now, the great majority of offences were slight in character, and were not visited with heavy punishment especially at our Sessions, over which a tone of great humanity always, or, at least, during the fourteen years of my practice, uniformly prevailed, a fact which those who remember the three Chairmen before whom I practised will have no difficulty in believing. When I joined the Sessions bar, I found the Court under the presidency of the venerable Wriothesley Digby, whose clemency was proverbial. He was soon followed by Sir Grey Skipwith. The urbanity of this gentleman made him a universal favourite, even among those who knew him but slightly, while a more intimate acquaintance disclosed the secret of his winning manners, which had their origin in genuine kindness of heart. (Cheers.) The third whom, after fourteen years of attendance at the Warwickshire Sessions, I left still presiding as Chairman, was Sir Eardley Wilmot, a very early, zealous, and able supporter of the principles on which you are this day assembled to act-(loud applause); principles which you, probably, know are inherited by his son, the present Baronet, my excellent friend and neighbour. (Cheers.) The feeling of the Chairman and his brother Magistrates were in unison, and all prisoners-yes, even poachers!—were dealt with in a merciful spirit. The Court, however, strove to make their sentences efficient as well as humane; and if they succeeded but ill in these praiseworthy attempts, the fault was not theirs-it was in the law which they were bound to administer. Experience came in aid of the promptings of a kindly nature, to disincline them to inflict long imprisonments. They knew but too well that our prisons, as then conducted,

were schools not of reformation, but of crime; and that the longer the prisoner remained under the tuition which he there received from his companions, the more confirmed he was in a guilty career. The expedient to which they had resort was, to lash the culprit--not with rods, but with sharp words; to assume a severe aspect: as if a countenance, which beamed with goodnature the moment before and the moment afterwards, could have its permanent characteristic so obscured by a transitory frown as to impose upon the prisoner! Alas! Sir, he received all this objurgatory eloquence with impatience and inattention. He wanted to know his fate; and when the punishment was annnounced, it was often so much in contrast with the awful sounds in which it was conveyed, that the effect was almost ludicrous. The lesson was quickly forgotten, as was proved by the speedy re-appearance of the prisoner in the dock, perhaps, even at the next Sessions. We, of the bar, recognized our old acquaintances, and if their names were such as to attract attention, as they sometimes did, from their oddity or uncouthness, we knew when we read over the calendar which we found on our arrival whom it was we should have the pleasure of meeting. Even at this distance of time I remember lads, with whom I became acquainted by their frequent re-appearance in the court, but, as they may now fill respectable positions in one or other of our Colonies, I will not run the risk of hurting their feelings by mentioning their names, some of which however, are too well fixed in my memory ever to be forgotten. (Cheers.)

"Sir,-the frequent repetition of scenes like those which I have described, could not fail of driving me to reflect upon the great and humiliating contrast between the means employed and the end attained. Let us for the reasons given by Sterne, take a single case many such daily passed under my observation. An urchin, with or without a little schooling, but certainly, without religious and moral training, is wandering about the streets of Birmingham. Some article attracts his eye, which a shopkeeper has placed outside his door to draw the attention of customers. He carries it off, escapes detection, and repeats his offence until he is caught at last. Perhaps he knows that he has been doing wrong; perhaps on the contrary, the applause of bad companions and wicked parents who share his plunder, impress him with the belief that he is doing right,-worthily filling his appointed place in society. Again, in the benighted state of his moral perceptions, it may be that he is uncertain as to whether he is doing right or wrong. The goods were in the street, he took them up, and who taught him to know where finding ends, and stealing begins? What instruction did he ever receive as to the limits which divide trover from larceny? Or, Sir, what is more to the purpose, who had cultivated in his soul those fine and noble instincts, which, without giving him time to reason upon what he was about, would have checked him by the unhesitating conviction that he was doing wrong. He then finds himself after a time of impunity, not unfrequently a long period, grasped by the strong hands of a police-man, conveyed to the station, brought before the presiding