616. 
flumber, but that fome fcheme may be 
devifed and adopted for the reclamation of 
that unfortunate clafs of females, who 
live by proftitution, and for the preven- 
tion of thofe public enticements toimmo- 
rality, which are nightly exhibited in every 
ftreet of the metropolis. We have no 
doubt but that a large proportion of thofe 
females, who earn their bread by the pro- 
fitution of their bodies, are driven into 
this melancholy and humiliating way of 
life, by an inability to find fome honor- 
able employment: when we fee a man, 
qualified by the alermefs and mufcularity 
of his limbs for the labor of a gladiator, 
_ meafuring lace, or forting ribbons behind 
the counter, we are difgufted at the mean- 
nefs of his encroachment; for it is impotf- 
fible to avoid confidering him as a tyrant, 
walking in thofe paths of induftry which 
fhould be facredly appropriated to the fe- 
male fex. The publication of Mr. Col- 
quhoun’s Treatife on the Police of the 
Metropolis, roufed the legiflature to afenfe 
of the inefficiency of that police to the 
prevention of crimes, or the dete€tion of 
criminals: a feleét committee was in 
confequence appointed, who prefented a 
report, in which they advifed either 
the confolidation of the two offices of 
hawkers and pedlars, and of hackney- 
coaches: or that they might both be 
abolithed, and their duties refpectively 
affigned to the office of ftamps, and to 
the magiftrates of the metropolis; or 
Jaftly, if the hackney-coach office fhould 
ftill be retained, that a material retrench- 
ment might take place in its expenfe. 
Since the prefentetion of this, the com- 
mittee has fitten again and publifhed ano- 
ther “¢ Report,’ dated June 26th, 1795, 
in which they declare their opinion, that 
much more falutary effeéts with refpeét to 
police may be derived from a plan drawn 
up by Mefirs. Colquhoun and Poole, 
(which is annexed to their difcuttion ) 
than from any of the fchemes which the 
committee fubmitted in their report of 
the preceding year. 
The outhne of this plan is, that one 
great board of police revenue formed by 
@ certain number cof commiffioners with 
handfome falaries be eftablifhed, and that 
jt fhall difcharge the duties of toe prefent 
offices of hawkers and pedlars, hackney- 
toaches, &c. That two new offcers of 
police be moreover eftablifhed, and that all 
of them have concurrent jurifdiction over 
the whole metropolis, and the counties of 
Middlefex, Kent, Eifex, and Surrey. It 
js thought advifable that the attorney-ge- 
neral fhall be. empowered to appoint coun- 
Retrofpe@ of Domeftie Literature—Political Econoniy. 
fel for the crown with moderate falaries, 
to conduét all criminal profecutions ; that 
all lodging-houfes in the metropolis’ be 
regiftered, and the proprietor pay a {mall 
fine annually. The committee recom- 
mend. the adoption of Mr. Benthaim’s plan 
for employing convicts in folitary confine- 
ment; this plan was fubmitted to govern- 
ment five years fince, and approved by 
them; but the difficulty of finding a pro- 
per place for the ereétion of his Panopti- 
con has hitherto delayed its execution: 
this difficulty we underftand is likely to 
be foon removed In the report before us, 
itis flated that the whole annual difburfe- 
ments attending -the criminal police in 
Great Britain amount to 234,1¢31.148. 74d. 
that the annual coft of each conviét em- 
ployed in the hulks, dedu€ting the value 
of his labor, is 121. 13s. 9d. ; and the an- 
nual expenfe of eachconvict fent to Botany 
Bay 44l. 19s. 1d.!. How litele the public 
is compenfated for thefe enormous ex- 
penfes by a general reformation of the of- 
fenders who are either imprifoned im our 
feveral placés of confinement, who are 
working in the hu'ks, or tranfported to 
Botany Bay, we are alas, but too well ac- 
guainred ! In the indiferiminate affociation 
with each other, they devife deep plans of 
plunder which are too frequently executed 
on the recovery of their liberty. 
An interefting ** Account” has been 
publithed of the proceedings of the acting 
governors of the Houfe of Induitry im 
Dublin for two years, from which it 
clearly appears how effential is the perfonal 
fuperintendence, as well as money of “men 
of opulence and refpeétability, for the 
economical and comfortable management 
of a Houfe of Induftry. Previoufly ta 
the appointment of the adling governors 
the average expenfe of maintenance with 
other incidental charges in relieving the 
poor was annually at therate of 7h 1s. 1d. 
per head; in the firit half year of the fu- 
perintendence' of ‘the aéting governors the 
average per anrum for the fame purpofes 
was sl. 4s. vid.; the charges for the 
enfuing year were only at the rate of 
gl. 1ss. 3d. Various objections have arifen 
and been pointed out by thofe who have 
written on the fubjeét again axy pubhe 
eftablifhment for the poor: affuming, 
however, the eligibility of fuch eftablifh- 
ments in general, the plan of the Houfe 
af Induftry of Dublin is fo excellent, that 
it may well ferve as a model for fimilar 
inftitutions. : 
On‘a former oceafion we noticed with 
great pleafure CounT RUMFORD'S pro- 
pofals. for. forming-by fub{cription in the 
metropois 
