To the chapter on female prostitution, the fame remarks, as we have juft made on another chapter, will ftrictly apply. Its fatal effects on society are ftated with becoming feeling and force; but its caufes are not traced, and, of courfe, no means of prevention, and, indeed, no adequate or even practicable remedy, is propofed. Whoever ventures to offer an opinion on this fubject, fhould previously confider it not only in a political, and moral, but alfo in a religious, point of view. But under whatever point of view it be confidered, the deepest attention fhould be beftowed on it. The influence of female proftitution on the morals and manners of the inhabitants of large cities, the vices by which it is engendered, and the crimes which, in its turn, it generates, with the various confiderations connected with it, form one of the most interesting and important fubjects of investigation which can occupy the mind of man. Mr. Colquhoun has treated it in a very curfory manner, and, though we are not prepared to offer any plan of our own for putting an immediate ftop to those conftant and moft fcandalous breaches of decorum, committed by proftitutes, in the ftreets, in the theatres, and in all the places of public refort, which render them unfit for the reception of virtuous women, we have no fcruple in expreffing our most decifive difapprobation of the measure propofed by our author for giving fomething like a legal fanction to a vice which the law prohibits, to a fin which our religion condemns. On no plea, on no pretext whatever, we affirm, is man justified in doing evil that good may come of it; on no account, for no purpose, should any government prefume to oppose the laws of man to the declared will of God. Other writers may say, with Mr. Colquhoun, plus apud me ratio valebit quàm vulgi opinio; but we shall never fail to answer, plus apud nos RELIGIO valebit quam ratio humana.

If our author had ftudied this question he would have known that the plan which he proposes has not only been tried in Italy, and in Holland, (in the latter country, indeed, very partially), but even in England, where licensed ftews were eftablished at a very early period, and continued until the Reformation. Moft of thefe were fituated on the Bank-fide, Southwark, near to the palace of the Bishop of Winchester, under whose immediate jurifdiction and direction they were placed. The rules and orders of these fanctioned brothels are ftill extant. We mention it as a fact, without meaning to deduce any inference from it, that this abominable practice of giving a legal fanction to the commiffion of a fin, which, in our liturgy, we are fo properly taught to deprecate, was confined (with the fingle exception of Holland, which, indeed,

can

can fcarcely be deemed an exception) to Roman Catholic countries. God forbid, we should live to witness the revival of fuch a practice !

*

That the evil complained of prevails to a moft alarming extent is unquestionably true; but it is equally true, that the laws which have been enacted to check it are very seldom, if ever, enforced. It is in the power of a Magiftrate to commit a woman to prifon for a twelvemonth who has been delivered of a bastard child; but can a fingle inftance be adduced in which any Magiftrate, in the Metropolis, has exerted such power? It is the duty of watchmen, and officers of the night, to apprehend all proftitutes in the ftreets; but is it not notorious, that, fo far from discharging this duty, the watchmen receive a part of the wages of their proftitution, wholly to neglect it, by conniving at that which they are ordered to prevent? In our theatres, indeed, the remedy for the evil is vested in the hands of the audience; and it is a melancholy proof of the depravity of the age, that the audience never interfere to prevent or to punish the horrible outrages of modefty, the moft obfcene language, and the most indecent conduct, which are almost nightly witneffed in the lobbies, and in the boxes. Such women are guilty of mifdemeanours, and, if any individual had spirit or virtue enough to bring them to juftice, they would be feverely punished. But, if no other remedy can be found, the proprietors of theatres fhould be rendered refponsible for the prefervation of decency, and no known proftitute should ever be suffered to be seen in the lower part of the house. It is a melancholy truth, that, in these cafes, the men are as culpable as, if not more culpable than, the women.

Notwithstanding, however, the lamentable extent of this fpecies of profligacy, we cannot but think, that the author has given an exaggerated ftatement of the number of proftitutes in the capital, when he eftimates them at 50,000. Taking the whole number of inhabitants at 700,000, the males would not exceed 350,000; of these not more than two-thirds would be paft the age of 14; and, deducting from them, 80,000 men who may, we hope, be reasonably supposed to lead a

* One means of preventing the encrease of prostitutes, is to facilitate and encourage marriages; parochial affociations for giving fmall dowers to young women would have a very good effect; and a law fhould be paffed for inflicting fevere punishments, by a summary procefs, on men and women who live in a state of concubinage ;fuch perfons, after a time to be fpecified, fhould morcover be excluded from all parochial relief.

virtuous

virtuous life, the number of those who cohabit with prostitutes would be reduced to 152,000; which would leave only three men to one proftitute. This loofe calculation, we conceive, will be fufficient to thew the fallacy of Mr. C's estimate. Indeed wherever he deals in round numbers we are furprized at his temerity; in moft cates we have been unable to defcry any data on which he builds his calculations; and where we have been able to guess the grounds of his eftimate, they have appeared to us to be extremely loofe and fallacious.

We heartily concur with the author in his opinion of the neceffity of fome ftronger laws than any now in existence for the punishment of those who feduce innocence from the paths of virtue, and we fincerely hope that thofe worthy characters who have called the attention of Parliament to the growing fin of adultery will, at its next meeting, frame a bill for the attainment of this defirable object. Mr. C.'s thoughts upon the fubject may supply some useful hints.

"Female Seduction.-In contemplating the exceffive evils, and the dreadful confequences which refult from female feduction, whether it applies to married or fingle women, it would feem to be a matter of aftonishment that no punishment has been inflicted by the criminal law, by which the deftroyers of innocence, and of the peace of families, could be held up as public examples of infamy. A corporal punishment, accompanied with circumftances of obloquy and difgrace, is certainly not too fevere where a delinquent plunges a female (whether married or fingle) into a fituation, in most instances, worse than death itself; fince, when abandoned by her feducer, the is not only exposed to the reproach and contumely of the world, but subjected to herd with the phalanx of proftitutes who contribute fo much to the corruption of morals, and where the miferable victim may be faid to die, perhaps, a thousand deaths before her actual diffolution. Surely, an offence producing fuch dreadful confequences fhould, as a mean of prevention, be marked not only as an object of criminal punishment, but of pecuniary retribution to the injured party. Were fuch a law in force, the numerous inftances of female feduction would be greatly diminished; while the injured woman, under fuch unhappy circumftances, might, after the conviction of a Jury, have a fair profpect of being again restored to her friends, and, perhaps, to fociety."

The author's propofitions refpecting the means to be adopted for checking the evil effects of proftitution, are, as far as they relate to the apprehenfion and punishment of ftreet-walkers, unobjectionable; but he would have done well to publish a recent declaration of Lord Kenyon's, viz. that no person who lets a lodging to a woman who lives by the prostitution of her perfon can recover his rent by law; this fact cannot be

too

too generally known. As to the propofed establishment of "twelve difcreet matrons" we can fee no advantage that could be derived from it, that cannot be reaped, in a much greater degree, from that truly excellent inflitution, the Magdalen Hofpital, where the greateft poffible pains are taken, in every refpect, as well for the purpose of reconciling the penitents to their families and friends, as to inftil religious and virtuous principles into their minds, and to render them ufeful, and even valuable, members of society. We never can mention this admirable charity without paying a tribute of juftice to all who are entrusted with the management and direction of it; nor without recommending it moft ftrenuously to the protection and encouragement of the publick. If any farther receptacles for women of this defeription be neceffary (and we are far from thinking that they are not fo) let the means be fupplied for extending the plan of the Magdalen, under the direction and fuperintendance of the fame Governors and Officers, who are more competent than any other perfons whatever, firft to afcertain the neceflity of fuch extenfion, and fecondly to devise and execute the most practicable and most efficacious means for carrying it into execution.

Mr. Colquhoun is of opinion that the defects in the present fyftem of Police cannot be remedied without the establishment of a central board, which he proposes to veft with very extenfive powers. We agree with him, that fome more effectual means of co-operation between the different offices, than any which now exift ;-fome center of communication fhould be eftablished. But it appears to us, that fuch a Board might be inftituted without any additional magiftrates; that it fhould be managed by one magiftrate from each of the exifting offices ;— five or three to form a quorum; each magiftrate to prefide in turns; and all the Police Magiftrates to attend in rotation. By this means the neceffary communication and co-operation would be preferved, and the defired energy and effect, the want of which the author fo deeply deplores, would be produced. But if any other board of Magiftrates were to be established, having power and fuperintendance over the prefent Magiftrates, the jealousy ever attendant on rival jurifdictions would be excited, and all cordiality and vigour deftroyed. This very effential part of the fubject feems wholly to have escaped the author's attention.

Mr. Colquhoun's ideas, refpecting the great utility, and important fervices, of officers of Justice, are strictly correct; and we concur with him in confidering them as a valuable and refpectable class of men, to whom the community is highly

indebted,

indebted. Every Magistrate should be careful, by his conduct towards them, to render them refpectable in their own opinions, and, by his refentment and punishment of every infult or attack upon them, to make them refpected by others. It is much to be wifhed that the rewards which they receive were more adequate to their fervices; and that, after they had paffed twenty years as Police-officers, they fhould have a penfion of as many pounds fecured to them for their lives, on their refignation, from age or infirmity. But, unfortunately, an impolitic fyftem of economy, bordering closely on parfimony, prevails, in this particular department, the importance of which to the tranquillity of the public, to the fecurity of individuals, and to the morals and manners of the lower claffes of the community, cannot be difputed, which, if not speedily remedied,. will be productive of very pernicious confequences. The Police of Paris, if we be not mistaken, was attended with an expence of 150,000l. fterling to the ancient government, while no more than 14,000l. (exclufively of the Marine Police) has been allotted by the British Parliament for the Police of London-though when the difference of our laws, the extent of our commerce, and the fuperiority of our population are confidered, it would feem that the prefervation of the peace and all the other objects of magifterial power, would be much more difficult to attain, in this metropolis than in the capital of France.

On the inefficacy of our prefent fyftem refpecting watchmen; on the neceffity for extending the authority of Magiftrates in the metropolis; and on the policy of producing a regular co-operation between all the agents of the Civil Power, by the establishment of a more regular and efficient Police in the City of London, the want of which was fo evident during the late difturbances;-there is very little difference of opinion between the author and ourselves. There are many other topics difcuffed in this book on which we could confiderably enlarge; but our review of it has already been extended to a great length. We fhall therefore conclude, by repeating our conviction of the public importance of the various topics which the author has felected for difcuffion; and our opinion, that he has been more fortunate in the delineation of offences, than in the fuggeftion of remedies; that his remarks on existing crimes, their progrefs and effects, are juft and frequently cogent; that his obfervations on their origin and causes are moftly fuperficial; that his plans for their removal, though fometimes judicious, are feldom well-digefted, and not always practicable; that his calculations are generally vague and er

roneous;