LONDON. 
SI & 
from the fraternity enabling the governors to extend it* 
benefits much beyond their original plan, the piece of 
ground on which the fchool now (lands was hired on 
leafe from the city of London, and the prefent commo¬ 
dious ftruCture ereCled at an expenfe of upwards of two 
thoufand five hundred pounds, in the year 1793. It is a 
neat plain building with a ruftic bafement-ftory, which 
contains the kitchens, offices, &c. The afcent to the 
principal entrance is by a flight of fteps from a fmall gar¬ 
den. In the front are three elegant and appropriate lta- 
tues of Faith, Hope, and Charity; the two former in 
niches on the two fldes, and the latter on the top of the 
Itructure. Thefe were a prefent to the inftitution, in the 
year 1801, from Meliks. Van Spangen and Co. Of this 
building we have given a reprefentation on Plate VIIo. 
but whether its triangular fhape and llant pofition have 
been purpofely chofen in allufion to fome tenets of tna- 
fonry, we dare not ferutinize. The premifes are fuffi- 
•ciently capacious to contain one hundred children, who 
are trained up in the knowledge of virtue and religion, in 
early deteftation of vice and its unhappy confequences, in 
induftry, and, to imprefs ftrongly on their minds a due 
fenfe of fubordination, in true humility and obedience to 
their fuperiors. They are admitted into the fchool from 
the age of five to ten years, without any reftriction as to 
their parochial fettlement, whether in town or country, 
and continued therein until they attain the age of fifteen 
years ; during which time they are carefully in(trucked in 
every domeftic employment; and when they quit the 
fchool are bound apprentice for four years, either to 
trades, or as domeltic fervants, whichever may be found 
>moft fuitabje to their refpeftive capacities, and have a 
fupply of clothing given them to the value of four gui¬ 
neas ; and, as an encouragement for ferving their appren- 
ticefhip faithfully, a premium of five guineas is alfo 
given them, on producing their matter or miltrefs’s tefti- 
suonial of their good behaviour. No child who has not 
bad the fmall-pox, or who has any defect in its fight or 
Sitnbs, or is weak, fickly, or afflicted with any diforder or 
infirmity whatever, can be admitted. And every appli¬ 
cant muft produce a certificate, from the matter and war¬ 
dens of the lodge in w hich her father was made a mafon, 
that he had been at laft three years a member of the fra¬ 
ternity ptevious to fuch application ; the grand fecretary’s 
certificate, that he has been duly regiftered in the grand- 
lodge books; a certificate of the marriage of her parents; 
a regifter of her age from the parifh where (he was born; 
and a certificate from two of the medical governors of 
the ftate of her health. A confiderable part of the chil¬ 
dren’s time is employed in needle-work, executed in the 
neatell manner, on the following terms:—a plain (hirt 
is. 9<1. a ruffled ditto is. a fhift is. 6d. flieets from lod. to 
-js. 6d. and all other forts of needle-work in the fame rea- 
fonable proportions. The charity is fupported by bene¬ 
factions, legacies, and annual contributions. Of the 
lodges which have fubferibed, the Grand Lodge of Eng¬ 
land, the Grand and Royal Conclave of Knights Tem¬ 
plars of England, and flxteen other lodges, fubferibed 
twenty guineas, the matters of which are perpetual go¬ 
vernors ; feventeen lodges fubferibed ten guineas each, 
and their tnaliers are governors for fifteen years from the 
time of fubferibing ; eighty-eight other lodges in the me¬ 
tropolis, and other parts of the kingdom, and at Calcutta, 
fubferibe annually : benefactions have been conftantly re¬ 
ceived from other lodges. A grand concert has been an¬ 
nually performed at Freemafons’ Hall, the profits of which 
>,ave feldom amounted to lefs than 200I. and a benefit was 
given for feveral years at the Royal Circus, which pro¬ 
duced about tool, each year. 
In the London Road, we remark a Roman-C3tholic 
chapel, elfabliihed there feveral years ago. We have of¬ 
ten admired the altar-piece, which was a Defcent from the 
Crofs, and a good fpecimen of the chromatic art, painted 
by one of the modern Italian malters in the beginning-of 
6ls.c laft century j and which has been copied by Mrs, Cof- 
way for the Bavarian chapel, in Warwick-ftreet, Goldea- 
fquare. The picture being much decayed, a plain cruci¬ 
fixion has been fubftituted for it. 
On the eaft of the Obelifk we difeover the workfhops, 
chapel, &c. of the Philanthropic Society, for the preven¬ 
tion of crimes, and the reform of the criminal poor ; con¬ 
trary, therefore, to all other eftablifhments, depravity is a 
recommendation to this. Prifons, and the hiding-place* 
of villany, fupply the children for this fchool of reform. 
The intention of this fociety, which was inffituted in 
1788, is to give a good education, with the means of ac¬ 
quiring an honeft livelihood, to children of both (exes, 
the offspring of convicted felons, or fuch as have them- 
felves been engaged in criminal practices. Previous t<j 
the inftitution of this fociety, both thefe claffes of chil¬ 
dren were, with ftrong claims on public compaffion, the 
objeCts of public negleCt. Involved in difgrace, whick 
prevented them from experiencing the countenance of 
the honeft part of mankind, they were compelled to be 
criminal for an exiftence, and to continue in a progreflive 
courfe of vice, until overtaken by the hand of juftice 
To fnatch thefe outcafts of fociety from perdition, and t» 
make them honeft and ufeful members of the community, 
this inftitution was commenced upon a fmall fcale; but 
the experience of a few' years made its utility fo evident, 
that the plan was coniiderably extended. At firlf, the 
children were all within one building; thofc, in whom 
reform had begun to operate, were lometimes unavoid¬ 
ably expofed to the fociety of the laft admitted. At pre¬ 
fent, however, the different delcriptions are feparated. A 
houfe has been taken in Bermondley, to which rhofe wh* 
have been guilty of any crime are (ent, until fuch a re¬ 
formation has been effected in their morals, that they 
may be admitted with fafety into one of the vvorkfhops. 
The trades carried on here are, printing, both letter-prefa. 
and copper-plate, book-binding, (hoc-making, tailor*” 
work, rope-making, and twine-fpinning.—The girls, who 
are kept in a diltinCt building, feparated from that of the 
boys by a very high wall, are brought up for menial fer¬ 
vants : they make, mend, and waffl, their own clothing, 
and the boys’ linen ; befides which, they are employed ia 
plain-work. A (ufficient portion of their time is, how¬ 
ever, devoted to the cultivation of their minds They 
all receive a good education, and are carefully inftruCted 
in the principles of religion and morality ; and, as a (ti- 
mulus to induftry, a part of the profits of each one’s earn, 
ings is referved until their apprenticelhip expires, or they* 
are otherwife qualified to obtain an honeft livelihood irt 
the world. The fum thus acquired has, in fome inftances* 
amounted to twenty pounds. Every part of the inftitu¬ 
tion may be feen, on application, by any refpeCtable per- 
fon, except the Reform ; to which no vifitors are admitted, 
but the magiftrates of Kent, Surry, or Middlefex v with¬ 
out an order figned by three of the committee. The whole 
of the premifes are furrounded with a very high wall. The 
worklhops for the boys are in the front, and the houfe 
tor the girls behind ; and at one end is a neat chapel. 
The number of boys in this inftitution is now about one 
hundred ; that of the girls, fifty. The entrance-gate oi* 
the road, accompanied by two fmall ones, and furmounted 
on the pediment by an allegorical bee-hive, unites fim- 
plicity with elegance; and, when open,di(plays theground, 
in the middle of which a weeping willow bends its pliant 
branches towards the cryftal furface of a barin of pure wa¬ 
ter, as if in allufion to the neceffity of yielding to inftruc- 
tion with docility in order to recover that purity of mind 
which former conduCt may have impaired and ltained. 
The next place is the School for the Indigent Blind,— 
We cannot much praife the appearance of this building $ 
which, Handing in a pofition to be feen from Biackfriars- 
bridge, might have been made a great ornament to the 
Surry Road, had the architect difplayed more elegance ia 
the ornamental part of the portal. Though he was work¬ 
ing for the blind, he might have confidered that thofe 
