TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS, 157 
Of these two modes, the latter would be by far the most easy to carry out. For 
a direct imposition being undistinguishable from the infliction of a penalty, the 
burden of proof would lie upon the parties demanding such imposition, who would 
of course have to contend with the falsehood, concealment, evasion, and trickery 
of every kind in which the wrong-doer naturally seeks refuge, and but too often 
with triumphant success; whilst the grant of an exemption from the rates would, 
on the contrary, be the conferring of a privilege, and the burden of proof would of 
course then lie upon the claimant for such privilege, who, unless he appeared with a 
clear straightforward case, would have no chance of success. Any sign of con- 
cealment, evasion, or trickery would at once throw the claimant out of court for 
the time. 
Those who are practically acquainted with the difficulty of obtaining legal proof 
of guilt, in cases in which there is no moral doubt whatever, or none that the per- 
son accused, if innocent, could not clear up at once, will appreciate the advantage 
to the community of thus turning the tables upon the supporters of the criminals 
by whom our towns are infested,—and this without any hardship; for surely those 
who have kept their property free from complicity with criminality cannot have 
any difficulty in meeting the inquiry whether they have done so or not. 
As every grant of exemption would increase the pressure upon those owners who 
were unentitled to it, the accumulated weight would soon force them to dispose of 
their interests to men who had established such title. By this process our towns 
would be soon purified from the predatory class. The whole host of habitual 
burglars, garotters, pickpockets, forgers, coiners, thieves’ instrument-makers, re- 
ceivers of stolen goods, trainers of young: thieves, flash-house keepers, &c. &e. &e., 
would be dislodged from their dens and hiding-places; and unless they took to 
honest courses (in doing which every hand should be stretched out to help them), 
they would find no shelter other than the workhouse or the gaol; nor, so long as 
the principle herein recommended were maintained, could they ever regain their 
footing amongst us. 
The dislodgment of so large a number of offenders, and the total cessation of 
their criminal gains, would in all probability necessitate the adoption of some 
temporary measures to prevent their being driven to desperation. Nor should we 
forget that, fallen as they are, they are not the less our fellow-creatures. We have 
more than once heen compelled, by the occurrence of violent epidemic disease, to 
make temporary provision for the shelter and maintenance of portions of our 
town population; and some analogous provision would probably meet the circum- 
stances in view. Whatever difficulties might beset the state of transition, the 
must, from the nature of things, be but short-lived. The final relief would be both 
great and permanent. 
It may stimulate our zeal to call to mind that which our forefathers accom- 
plished under analogous circumstances. The “sanctuaries” of the seventeenth 
century were not more alien to the ruder times of mounted highwaymen than the 
existing “ thieves’ districts ” are to our improved civilization. Macaulay has 
given us an instructive account of the suppression of that frightful den of crime, 
the sanctuary of Whitefriars—“ Alsatia,” as it was called—of which Sir Walter 
Scott has left us so lively a picture in “The Fortunes of Nigel.” Some 800 known 
cutthroats, robbers, receivers of stolen goods, brothel-keepers, &c. had herded 
together in this “sanctuary” from time out of mind, ever and anon breaking out 
for the purpose of murder and robbery, as opportunity offered, or as their needs 
became pressing. At length the public patience became fairly exhausted; men 
aroused themselves as from a lethargy; supineness gave way to alarm and resent- 
ment; the requisite powers were obtained from the Legislature, and at one single 
touch of a really firm hand, the ranks of scoundrelism were at once broken and 
put to the route, and the whole mass vanished as if by magic. 
On the Study of Periodic Commercial Fluctuations. By W.S8. Jzvons. 
It is necessary that all commercial fluctuations should be investigated by the 
same systematic methods with which we are familiar in complicated physical 
Sciences, such as meteorology and terrestrial magnetism, Every kind of periodic 
