Chapter X: Front Matter (10)

This refers to the convict prisons, since only these are eligible, the prisoners from county gaols being assisted by other organisations; therefore, discharged convicts from Millbank, Pentonville, Portland, Portsmouth, Chatham, Parkhurst, Dartmoor, Woking, and Brixton, are able to seek help; and it is gratifying to know that, according to the prison returns, of 1,579 male prisoners discharged from these places in one year, 796 sought aid from this and local provincial societies having the same object, the number of applicants to the London Society being 524, or nearly two-thirds of the whole.

On any convict, male or female, accepting the offer of the Society, and making that decision known to the governor of the prison, the latter forwards to this office at Charing Cross a printed document, or recommendation, stating full particulars of the prisoner's age, date of conviction, number of previous convictions (if any), degree of education, religion, former trade or employment, ability to perform labour, and general character while in prison, together with the amount of good-conduct money which is to be allowed for work performed during the period of incarceration. This good-conduct money may amount to a maximum sum of £3, and the Society takes charge of it for the benefit of the prisoner, disbursing it only as it may be required, and supplementing it, when necessary, by a further grant of money, or even by advances or loans as may be deemed desirable in certain cases.

These reports from the prison governor reach the office about six weeks before the discharge of the convicts named in them, and following them come other papers, each of which contains a graphic personal description of the prisoner referred to, and a fairly-executed photograph, which is usually not without certain striking characteristics, though you will be surprised to find how often you fail to discover the lineaments which you have associated in fancy with lawlessness and crime. At the time of their discharge, the men and women are conducted hither by a plainly-clothed messenger from the prison, appointed for the purpose, and take their places in yonder back room, where they are immediately identified by means of the descriptions and photographs, and are then questioned as to their capabilities and the particular employment in which they desire to engage. It is manifestly impossible that the Society can provide them with employment in the particular trades which they may previously have followed, since there may be no openings in those industries, or they may be such as would be obviously unsuitable for persons who are still on probation.

Should the prisoner have friends or relatives able and willing to receive or assist him, they are communicated with, but should he be entirely dependent on personal exertion, the agent or secretary at once procures for him a decent outfit of clothes, and a lodging as far as possible from the scene of his former companions. A small sum of money is advanced for immediate subsistence, and he usually has employment provided for him, either in a situation, at manual labour, or by being set up in a small way at shoemaking, tailoring, or carpentering, either as journeyman, or, where possible, on his own account.

From six to twenty prisoners at a time are discharged from one or other of the convict establishments and brought to the Society's offices, and of the younger men a considerable proportion are assisted to go to sea, others--but, alas! too few--to emigrate, while a number obtain work as builders and contractors' labourers; and others again resume former occupations, as potmen, waiters, or employés in various situations, where the masters are always (if they take them on the recommendation of the Society) fully apprised of their position. A good many are set up again as costermongers, and in that case the agent of the Society quietly accompanies them to market, and advances the money for their first purchases; others go into the country and obtain work, and not a few of the better-educated or more skilled soon obtain engagements of various kinds, by personal application, and without reference to the Society, though they continue to report themselves, and to be kept in view by the agents, and, being separated from evil companionship, and feeling that they are not altogether friendless, retrieve their position and regain an honourable reputation.

Of 514 men and women who were received by the Society during the year, 180 obtained employment in London and are doing well; 156 were sent to places beyond the metropolitan district, and were placed under the supervision of the local police; 32 were sent to relatives and friends abroad; 57 obtained berths on board ship; 50 had failed to report and notify their change of address as required by Act of Parliament; 23 had been re-convicted; 6 were not satisfactorily reported on; one had died; and 9, who had been recently discharged at the end of the year, were waiting for employment at the time of the Report. To read the Report Book, recording the visits of the agents or secretary to men employed in various avocations, and to their friends or relatives, is very encouraging, for it shows that of a large proportion, say seventy per cent., there is a good hope of reclamation by their long continuance in industrious efforts to retain their situations and to work honestly in various callings; while the reports of country cases by clergymen in the provinces is equally satisfactory, especially as they frequently record the return of the former convict to his family and friends, amidst whom he earns an honourable subsistence.

The female convicts, who are also received at the office, are, if they cannot be sent to relatives and friends, mostly taken to a Refuge, which has been established by the Society at Streatham, where they find a home until situations can be obtained for them; and it is to the credit of some earnest ladies who are willing to engage these discharged prisoners as domestic servants that the result is often most favourable. A very large proportion of the women return to friends, however. Of 53 who left the Refuge at Streatham last year, 30 were received by friends, 18 obtained situations, 3 returned to Millbank Penitentiary, 1 emigrated, and 1 died, 25 remaining at the Refuge at the time of the report.

In the case of these discharged female prisoners, as well as for the sake of those men who would eagerly seize an opportunity of beginning life anew in a new country, it would be most desirable if greater facilities existed for promoting and assisting the emigration of such as gave satisfactory evidence of reformation of character. The Society finds its own funds, supported by contributions from the public, barely sufficient to maintain, and insufficient largely to extend its useful work. One of the committee, a resident in Canada, has rendered invaluable assistance to emigrants recommended to his notice by the Society. The governor of Dartmoor Prison in his Report, says:--

"I cannot too strongly again express my conviction that an emigration scheme connected with the Aid Societies would be an invaluable aid to the restoration of many casual criminals to a position of respectability and honesty. It would be especially appreciated by those (unfortunately a too numerous class) who had incurred the shorter sentences of penal servitude as punishments for breaches of trust of various kinds. These men are often cast off by their respectable friends, and, from the shortness of their sentences, are unable to earn the additional gratuity. With no lasting means of subsistence, and an overstocked market for their labour, it is not to be wondered at if such men speedily add a second conviction to their criminal career." Let us trust that practical steps will be taken to remove this difficulty.

THE END.

BILLING AND SONS, PRINTERS, GUILDFORD, SURREY.

_January, 1876._

AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF HENRY S. KING & CO.'S PUBLICATIONS.

_65 Cornhill, and 12 Paternoster Row, London, January, 1876._

A LIST OF HENRY S. KING & CO.'S PUBLICATIONS.

ABBEY (Henry).

+BALLADS OF GOOD DEEDS, AND OTHER VERSES.+ Fcap. 8vo. Cloth gilt. 5_s._

ADAMS (A. L.), M.A.

+FIELD AND FOREST RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST IN NEW BRUNSWICK.+ With
Notes and Observations on the Natural History of Eastern Canada. 8vo.,
cloth. Illustrated. 14_s._

ADAMS (F. O.), H.B.M.'s Secretary of Embassy at Paris, formerly H.B.M.'s Chargé d'Affaires, and Secretary of Legation at Yedo.

+THE HISTORY OF JAPAN.+ From the Earliest Period to the Present Time.
New Edition, revised. Demy 8vo. In 2 vols. With Maps and Plans. 21_s._
each.

ADAMS (W. Davenport, Jun.)

+LYRICS OF LOVE+, from Shakespeare to Tennyson. Selected and arranged
by. Fcap. 8vo., cloth extra, gilt edges, 3_s._ 6_d._

ADON.

+THROUGH STORM AND SUNSHINE.+ Illustrated by M. E. Edwards, A. T. H.
Paterson, and the Author. 1 vol. Crown 8vo. Price 7_s._ 6_d._

A. K. H. B.

+A SCOTCH COMMUNION SUNDAY+, to which are added Certain Discourses
from a University City. By the Author of "The Recreations of a
Country. Parson." Second Edition. Crown 8vo. 5_s._

ALLEN (Rev. R.), M.A.

+ABRAHAM: HIS LIFE, TIMES, AND TRAVELS+, as told by a Contemporary
3800 years ago. Post 8vo., with Map. Cloth. Price 10_s._ 6_d._

AMOS (Professor Sheldon).

+THE SCIENCE OF LAW.+ Second Edition. Crown 8vo. 5_s._

Vol. X. of the International Scientific Series.

ANDERSON (Rev. Charles), M.A.

+CHURCH THOUGHT AND CHURCH WORK.+ Edited by. Containing articles by
the Revs. J. M. Capes, Professor Cheetham, J. Ll. Davis, Harry Jones,
Brooke, Lambert, A. J. Ross, the Editor, and others. Second Edition.
Demy 8vo. 7_s._ 6_d._

+WORDS AND WORKS IN A LONDON PARISH.+ Edited by. Second Edition. Demy
8vo. 6_s._

+THE CURATE OF SHYRE.+ Second Edition. 8vo. 7_s._ 6_d._

+NEW READINGS OF OLD PARABLES.+ Demy 8vo. 4_s._ 6_d._

ANDERSON (Colonel R. P.)

+VICTORIES AND DEFEATS.+ An Attempt to explain the Causes which have
led to them. An Officer's Manual. Demy 8vo. 14_s._

ANSON (Lieut.-Col. The Hon. A.), V.C., M.P.

+THE ABOLITION OF PURCHASE AND THE ARMY REGULATION BILL OF 1871.+
Crown 8vo. 1_s._

+ARMY RESERVES AND MILITIA REFORMS.+ Crown 8vo. 1_s._

+THE STORY OF THE SUPERSESSIONS.+ Crown 8vo. 6_d._

ARGYLE (Duke of).

+SPEECHES ON THE SECOND READING OF THE CHURCH PATRONAGE (SCOTLAND)
BILL IN THE HOUSE OF LORDS+, June 2, 1874; and Earl of Camperdown's
Amendment, June 9, 1874, placing the Election of Ministers in the
hands of Ratepayers. Crown 8vo. Sewed. 1_s._

ARMY OF THE NORTH GERMAN CONFEDERATION.

A Brief Description of its Organization, of the Different Branches of
the Service and their _rôle_ in War, of its Mode of Fighting, etc.,
etc. Translated from the Corrected Edition, by permission of the
author, by Colonel Edward Newdegate. Demy 8vo. 5_s._

ASHANTEE WAR (The).

A Popular Narrative. By the Special Correspondent of the "Daily News."
Crown 8vo. 6_s._

ASHE (T.) Author of "The Sorrows of Hypsipyle."

+EDITH; OR, LOVE AND LIFE IN CHESHIRE.+ Sewed. 6_d._

ASHTON (John).

+ROUGH NOTES OF A VISIT TO BELGIUM, SEDAN, AND PARIS+, in September,
1870-71. Crown 8vo. 3_s._ 6_d._

AUNT MARY'S BRAN PIE.

By the author of "St. Olave's," "When I was a Little Girl," etc.
Illustrated. 3_s._ 6_d._

+SUNNYLAND STORIES.+ Fcap. 8vo. Illustrated. 3_s._ 6_d._

Being two of Henry S. King and Co.'s Three and Sixpenny Series of
Children's Books.

AURORA: A Volume of Verse. 5_s._

AYRTON (J. C.)

+A SCOTCH WOOING.+ 2 vols. Crown 8vo.

BAGEHOT (Walter).

+PHYSICS AND POLITICS+; or, Thoughts on the Application of the
Principles of "Natural Selection" and "Inheritance" to Political
Society. Third Edition. Crown 8vo. 4_s._

Volume II. of the International Scientific Series.

+THE ENGLISH CONSTITUTION.+ A New Edition, Revised and Corrected, with
an Introductory Dissertation on Recent Changes and Events. Crown 8vo.
7_s._ 6_d._

+LOMBARD STREET.+ A Description of the Money Market. Crown 8vo. Sixth
Edition. 7_s._ 6_d._

BAIN (Alexander), LL.D.

+MIND AND BODY.+ The Theories of their Relation. Fourth Edition. Crown
8vo. 4_s._

Volume IV. of the International Scientific Series.

BANKS (Mrs. G. Linnæus).

+GOD'S PROVIDENCE HOUSE.+ Crown 8vo. 3_s._ 6_d._

One of the volumes of the Cornhill Library of Fiction.

BARING (T. C.), M.P., late Fellow of Brasenose College, Oxford.

+PINDAR IN ENGLISH RHYME.+ Being an Attempt to render the Epinikian
Odes with the principal remaining Fragments of Pindar into English
Verse. Small quarto. Cloth, 7_s._

BARLEE (Ellen).

+LOCKED OUT+; A Tale of the Strike. With a Frontispiece. 1_s._ 6_d._

BAYNES (Rev. Canon R. H.), Editor of "Lyra Anglicana," etc.

+HOME SONGS FOR QUIET HOURS.+ Second Edition. Fcap. 8vo. Cloth extra,
3_s._ 6_d._

⁂ _This may also be had handsomely bound in Morocco with gilt edges._

BECKER (Bernard H.)

+THE SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES OF LONDON.+ 1 vol. Crown 8vo. 5_s._

BENNETT (Dr. W. C.)

+SONGS FOR SAILORS.+ Dedicated by Special Request to H.R.H. the Duke
of Edinburgh. Crown 8vo. 3_s._ 6_d._ With Steel Portrait and
Illustrations.

An Edition in Illustrated Paper Covers, 1_s._

+BABY MAY, HOME POEMS AND BALLADS.+ With Frontispiece. Cloth elegant.
Crown 8vo. 6_s._

+BABY MAY AND HOME POEMS.+ Fcap. 8vo. Sewed in Coloured Wrapper. 1_s._

+NARRATIVE POEMS AND BALLADS.+ Fcap. 8vo. Sewed in Coloured Wrapper.
1_s._

BENNIE (Rev. Jas. Noble), M.A.

+THE ETERNAL LIFE.+ Sermons preached during the last twelve years.
Crown 8vo. 6_s._

BERNARD (Bayle).

+SAMUEL LOVER, THE LIFE AND UNPUBLISHED WORKS OF.+ In 2 vols. Post
8vo. With a Steel Portrait. 21_s._

BETHAM-EDWARDS (Miss M.)

+KITTY.+ Crown 8vo. With a Frontispiece. 3_s._ 6_d._

One of the volumes of the Cornhill Library of Fiction.

+MADEMOISELLE JOSEPHINE'S FRIDAYS, AND OTHER STORIES.+ Crown 8vo.
7_s._ 6_d._

BISCOE (A. C.)

+THE EARLS OF MIDDLETON+, Lords of Clermont and of Fettercairn, and
the Middleton Family. 1 vol. Crown 8vo. 10_s._ 6_d._

BLANC (Henry), M.D.

+CHOLERA: HOW TO AVOID AND TREAT IT.+ Popular and Practical Notes.
Crown 8vo. 4_s._ 6_d._

BLUME (Major William).

+THE OPERATIONS OF THE GERMAN ARMIES IN FRANCE+, from Sedan to the end
of the war of 1870-71. With Map. From the Journals of the
Head-quarters Staff. Translated by the late E. M. Jones, Maj. 20th
Foot, Prof. of Mil. Hist., Sandhurst. Demy 8vo. 9_s._

BOGUSLAWSKI (Captain A. von).

+TACTICAL DEDUCTIONS FROM THE WAR OF 1870-71.+ Translated by Colonel
Sir Lumley Graham, Bart., late 18th (Royal Irish) Regiment. Third
Edition, Revised and Corrected. Demy 8vo. 7_s._

A volume of Henry S. King and Co.'s Series of Military Works.

BONWICK (James).

+THE TASMANIAN LILY.+ Cr. 8vo. With Frontispiece. 5_s._

+MIKE HOWE, THE BUSHRANGER OF VAN DIEMEN'S LAND.+ Crown 8vo. With
Frontispiece. 5_s._

BOSWELL (R. B.), M.A., Oxon.

+METRICAL TRANSLATIONS FROM THE GREEK AND LATIN POETS+, and other
Poems. Crown 8vo. 5_s._

BOTHMER (Countess Von).

+CRUEL AS THE GRAVE.+ A Novel. 3 vols.

BOWRING (L.), C.S.I., Lord Canning's Private Secretary, and for many years Chief Commissioner of Mysore and Coorg.

+EASTERN EXPERIENCES.+ Illustrated with Maps and Diagrams. Demy 8vo.
16_s._

BRAVE MEN'S FOOTSTEPS. By the Editor of "Men who have Risen." A Book of Example and Anecdote for Young People. With Four Illustrations by C. Doyle. Third Edition. Crown 8vo. 3_s._ 6_d._

BRIALMONT (Colonel A.)

+HASTY INTRENCHMENTS.+ Translated by Lieut. Charles A. Empsom, R.A.
With nine Plates. Demy 8vo. 6_s._

BRIEFS AND PAPERS. Being Sketches of the Bar and the Press. By Two Idle Apprentices. Crown 8vo. 7_s._ 6_d._

BROOKE (Rev. Stopford A.), M.A., Chaplain in Ordinary to Her Majesty the Queen.

+THE LATE REV. F. W. ROBERTSON, M.A., LIFE AND LETTERS OF.+ Edited by
Stopford Brooke, M.A.

I. In 2 vols., uniform with the Sermons. Steel Portrait. 7_s._ 6_d._

II. Library Edition. 8vo. Two Steel Portraits. 12_s._