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rest of their baggage before they were up [servations and some laughter from the young in the morning; provided madame would ladies; upon which Mrs. Roberts said, "I be pleased to give him all the keys. On dont wonder, girls, at your being amused hearing this demand the countenance of by the queer look of every thing, and as Mrs. Roberts displayed a world of acute long as you do nothing but laugh it is very intelligence, and with a nod and a smile she well; but remember I shall be monstrous replied, "Thank you, mon ami. Mercy, angry if I hear any of you grumble, because mercy, my good friend. There is no occa-the real truth is, that one of the greatest adsion to put all that trouble upon you, pas vantages which English people are sure to du tout. Voila that gentleman, my hus- find in coming abroad arises from their beband, he will go to the douane with the ing themselves so every way superior. Dekeys, and look after the baggage himself." pend upon it the natives are not altogether Then turning to her son, she said, "That's such fools as not to perceive this, and that, a good lesson for you, Edward. Just ob- as I take it, is the principle reason why all serve, my dear, how necessary it is to be the English that come abroad get up so upon one's guard in such a country as this. much higher in society than those who stay I dare say now that if I had not been here at home. The only way, however, to make your father would have given up the keys the most and the best of this advantage is at once, and I should just like to know to remember constantly that whatever you what would have become of all our trinkets may have been at home, you are people of if he had ?" The commissionaire did not consequence here. You must never forget remonstrate, but with a civil smile desired that, girls, I promise you." that they would please to follow him. They did so, and having undergone the usual personal examination, a few minutes walking brought them to the hôtel. "I am as hungry as a hound," said Mr. Roberts, as he entered it; " and I hope, my dear, that you mean to order something more substantial than tea and bread and butter?"

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"Of course, child, I shall command whatever I want," replied Mrs. Roberts, rather impatiently, and then, having at last condescended to profit by the English of a waiter who came to receive her instructions, she ordered the most substantial repast that could be prepared in half an hour, the whole party declaring that they could not possibly exist without food for a longer time.

And then came a fille de chambre to inquire if the ladies would like to see their rooms. They followed her up stairs, complaining a good deal as they went, of the inferiority of the house in appearance to an English hôtel, and particularly in the want of stair-carpets. The colored petticoat, short jacket, and round-eared cap of their conductress, also elicited a good many ob

The first examination of the sleeping accommodation was by no means satisfactory to the ladies of the Roberts family, for their inexperienced eyes did not discern in the pile of what they indignantly termed " nothing but mattrasses," the most perfect sleeping apparatus in the world.

"Do ask her, Agatha, if they have no better rooms, with feather beds in them," said Mrs. Roberts, with such a frown upon her brow as might have frightened a chambermaid less used to the exigeance of new English travellers than was their present black-eyed conductress.

"Ces sont de fort bons lits," she quietly replied to the remonstrance of Miss Agatha. "Et vous n'avons pas des plus beaux chambres?" demanded Mrs. Roberts, still frowning.

"Non, madame," replied the girl, with that stoical indifference to her queer French, which seems so universally to preclude the possibility of a laugh among our polite neighbors.

"Il faut que vous sait," resumed Mrs. Roberts," que nous suis accoutumés à avoir la meilleur de tout les choses quand nous suis au logis."

"Oui, madame," replied the girl, without moving a muscle.

"It is no good, mamma, to talk any more to her-she's a fool," said Miss Maria. "But I wish you would tell me how long we are to be without our carpet-bags. Just look at my hair! I am in perfect misery for want of a comb! And, do you see, there is not a morsel of soap to wash our hands.

When are we to have our carpet-bags, | can go to bed without my night-bag, Mr. mamma?" Roberts.

"How in the world can I tell, Maria ?" replied her mother. "The man that brought us here said ten minutes; but I fancy we must never believe a word they say to us. They are a horrible set of liars you may dedend upon it."

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"But we must get the carpet bags somehow or other, mamma, said Agatha. Do let us go down stairs, will you, to inquire about them?"

And down stairs again they went, Mrs. Roberts talking exceedingly loud the whole time concerning the dreadful inferiority of the French to the English nation in all respects; which, considering that the language in which she spoke, was considerably more likely to be understood than her French had been, was both imprudent and uncivil, to say the least of it.

"No, my dear," replied her husband, "I dare say you can't-only I should be very glad if I could get a morsel to eat first, for I really do feel quite exhausted."

"Very well, Mr. Roberts, then you must eat of course, and I must go. I wonder if I shall find Stephen too much exhausted to go with me?"

"That's talking quite wild, my dear," returned her husband, taking up his hat and stick and preparing to depart; "I didn't mean, I am sure, to put any thing off upon you; but I must have some body to show me the way, and, after all, I am afraid I shall make but a bad hand of it, seeing that I don't understand one word of French."

"Good gracious, Mr. Roberts! How you do like to make difficulties! Of course the people will speak English at the custom On entering the large salle à manger, house. All you have to do is just to take where a servant was preparing a part of the Stephen with you to bring the bags, and to Give your table for their supper, Mrs. Roberts attack- get a lad to show you the way. ed him in her piebald jargon, with inquiries keys, girls-and yours, Edward - here's concerning the greatly-wanted carpet-bags. mine-I dare say you will be back before The man, with the uniform civility of his the supper is ready. Taking Stephen will class, strained every faculty to understand make a difference, you may depend upon it; her, and when at length she fortunately sub- there was nobody on board that had such a stited the words " carpet-bags" for "bags stylish servant, and you may be sure that de tapis," he caught her meaning, and rewhen they see he belongs to you, our busiplied that if she had left her bags with the ness will be attended to first. It is the way commissionaire à coup sur she would have of the world, my dear, take my word for it." them in a few minutes.

"What does he say about coosin?" demanded Mrs. Roberts, addressing her eldest daughter. "Who is coosin? What stupid plagues they are!"

Miss Agatha explained very distinctly what the man had said, and then replied to it by telling him that they had not left their keys; upon which, with all possible civility, the man told her that there was not the slightest chance that their bags would be sent to them at all.

"Do you hear him, mamma?" exclaimed both the girls at once. "Good Heaven! what are we to do?"

"Do?" returned Mrs. Roberts, looking exeeedingly angry. Why, of course your father must go this moment to the customhouse with the keys. What a shame it is to keep one's things from one in such an abominable manner! Pretty sort of freedom, isn't it? But you must go, my dear, this very moment, you must, indeed, for I shall want to go to bed the very instant I have supped, and I leave you to guess if I

As she spoke, Mrs. Roberts rang the bell; Stephen was summoned, and a man found to show the way.

"Now then," said she, "make haste, there's a good man, and I'll take care you shall have a good supper when you come back again."

Either poor Mr. Roberts was unskilled in the performance of his task, or the appearance of Stephen produced a less imposing effect than his mistress expected, for the very last bags examined were those of the Roberts family. It is possible, indeed, that the circumstance of their being the only ones left to the care of the owners, without any patronizing assistance from an hôtel commissionaire, might be the cause of this; but certain it is, that instead of coming back directly, the unfortunate Mr. Roberts did not make his appearance for nearly two hours. The worthy man sighed when he found that his family had finished their repast, and the remnants of the supper which were brought back to him might have been eaten, perhaps, with more relish had not the weary ladies each seized upon a bag, the

instant they greeted their longing eyes, declaring that they could not remain up a moment longer to obtain the universe.

Here is one fytte of Robert's pilgrimage;
Ye who of him may further seek to know,
Shall find some tidings in a future page,
If he that writeth now may scribble moe.

TREATMENT OF JUVENILE OFFENDERS.

From the Spectator.

The Birmingham Journal gives an account of an interesting meeting which was held on the 8th Jan., at Dee's Hotel in Birmingham, to hear an address from Mr. Hill, the Recorder of the borough, on the treatment of juvenile offenders. Mr. Weston, the Mayor, presided; and Mr. Scholefield, the Member, Captain Moorsom, Mr. J. B. Davies, the Coroner, the Reverend J. Garbett, Rural Dean, Alderman James, Alderman Van Wart, and other respectable inhabitants to the number of two or three hundred, including several ladies, attended.

a great fallacy; for what they might consider an increase of crime might only be an increase of vigilance on the part of the police. He recollected that in two counties which he should not name, great praise had been bestowed on them for the absence of crime: the Judges found the gaols empty; and white gloves were presented to them in accordance with an ancient practice: but those who best knew the counties knew that it was not crime that was wanted, but that it was police to detect it that was wanted. It was not the harvest of crime, which, as a French writer had well observed, returned with greater certainty than the harvest of food, that was wanted. No, it was the reapers of that harvest; and accordingly, when the police was established in those two counties, it was found that the inhabitants were not better than their neighbors.

Thus, improvements in police had the effect of swelling the calendars and of increasing the appearance of crime. Allowing the expenses of prosecutions had a similar tendency. Formerly several offences, such as that of pocketpicking, were not punished at law, but were summarily disposed of by the people under a kind of Lynch-law

Still, after every possible subtraction, it could not be doubted that there was moving in the midst of them, and round about, and encircling them, a criminal population of a very large amount in this country,-a population inflictMr. Hill began by referring to the general ing much pain upon all those around them, state of crime in England and Wales: in 1805, and suffering still greater evils themselves the number of committals was 4,763; in 1842, than they inflicted, and whose own state of it was 31,309, being an increase of sevenfold. wretchedness called for their sympathies and In the same period the population had in- compassion far more than those against whom creased twofold. If the commitments were to they had offended. Perhaps part of the exincrease at the same rate in the next fortyplanation of this state of society might be acyears, they would amount to 200,000! There counted for by the rude mode of administering were, however, some circumstances that miti- justice in former times, and by the state of the gated the frightful appearance of that state-law itself, to which their forefathers, as humane ment. It included all offences classed as men, felt a great aversion to subject their felcrimes," from stealing a pocket handkerchief low-creatures, because their code was formerto murder; although there was no commonly a code of blood. But now that their feelings measure between the two kinds: it would ceased to be outraged by spectacles so revolttake many thousand cases of pocket-picking to produce so much misery to mankind as one murder. In the same period, crimes of violence had decreased in number, and those which load the calendars are chiefly crimes against property. It is a defect in such tables that they are founded altogether on commit ments, and are only declared when made the subject of prosecution

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It was a defect in the jurisprudence of this country, that there was no record of crime but in connexion with prosecutions. In many countries, where they derive their laws from ancient civil code, it was the duty of certain officers to institute an inquiry relative to the existence and extent of such and such crimes; and by this means they obtained an accurate knowledge of the real state of society. In such a country they would be able to compare the state of crime at one period with another. At present, in this country, they might be led into

ing to humanity as those formerly exhibited through legal punishment, they could only wonder that their forefathers, who were men of humanity, could endure to live among the infliction of such punishments, which they knew were not only useless, but which frustrated the ends for which they were intended.

Here Mr. Hill made some allusion to prisonabuses, and to the recently-disclosed "black hole" in the prison of the Birmingham Court of Requests. That is, however, an exception to the prisons of England, which has been overlooked because it forms no part of the system of local government. To return to the main subject-the "mitigating circumstances" still leave an enormous and perhaps increasing amount of crime unaccounted for

There was a class who might be said to have alienated themselves from society. Their rights were not those of the community at large-their shame was not that felt by those

around him. Right with them was, to live by | ment worked; and he was proud to lay before theft and robbery committed upon their neigh- them the result of the experiment for the last bors; shame with them was, to be unable to two years. The results, if not satisfactory, evade detection, or to confess when detected, were encouraging. He found that the numor to assist in bringing their companions to jus- ber of youths who had been convicted at the tice. Reputation with them was a long course Sessions before him, and who had been handed of crime with impunity. That class was a over to their employers, was forty-seven. He large class, many of whom must be then found, that out of that number, thirty-three walking about their streets, almost within their had given proof of their contrition-proving hearing. What was to be done with that more or less according to the time, that an class of the population? He could not tell. evident improvement was going on in their Their condition had occupied the attention of regard. Of the remainder, three cases are the best men, but it was a problem still un-doubtful: and he was sorry to say there was solved. All they could hope was that the ex- no doubt about the remaining eleven-they ample of good men might diminish its num- were lost: they had left their masters under bers. But it was almost too much to hope circumstances which had brought them again that the class could be entirely extinguished. either before the Quarter-sessions in this Perhaps, when they were inclined to boast of borough or before some other court. But here the superiority of their unbounded commerce, again he was able to say, that, comparing and when they pointed with so much pride to that relapsing class with those usually sent to the zeal and energy of their missionaries prison, he found that the number that came abroad, it might be wholesome for them to re-back was very much smaller than those who flect that there was a population at their own doors who refused to be enriched by their commerce, who despised all offers of kindness, and who had yet resisted the most devoted exertions of the ministers of religion.

The young are apt to fall from the right path, and to become amenable to the law. They are not yet entirely contaminated by evil associations; but the question occurs, what is to become of them when their term of imprisonment expires? To meet that difficulty, he had acted upon a plan, which he was now to explain

They

suffered the punishment awarded. The fear
was, lest this lenity should produce a feeling
of impunity but it should be recollected, that
the object of this lenity was one in whose
favor they could engage the master to under-
take a great share of responsibility.
must recollect that he had invariably extended
this leniency with the most solemn assurance,
that, if ever the person abused the favor, he
need never expect the like again, and that he
would unquestionably have to bear the inflic-
tion of the severest terrors of the law. He
had felt it his duty to act upon that principle,
and had lately inflicted severe punishment
where great mercy had been abused.
the whole, he called upon them, if they agreed
with him, to try the experiment whenever
they had an opportunity.

On

The Reverend J. Garbett moved a resolution expressing entire concurrence in Mr. Hill's suggestion; which was seconded by Mr. William Wills, and carried unanimously.

In moving a vote of thanks to the Recorder, the Reverend J. A. James remarked, that Mr. Hill had provided for the offending youth who had been brought before him; but it would be well to anticipate his kindness, and not to be too hasty in bringing youthful offenders before a court of justice. He had himself tried that principle in the case of two youths

When practising at Warwick, he learned the plan from a benevolent body of Magistrates, whose worth he could testify, and who had most humanely established an asylum for the benefit of these young persons who had been sent to gaol for offences, from which it was hoped they might be reclaimed: from one of these benevolent gentlemen the suggestion came, that the master should, if possible, be prevailed upon to take back the offender; and this humane plan was suggested by the consideration, that a disposition of forgiveness was by far the best for the master, where it would secure for the offender that protection which he had forfeited. He soon became impressed with the necessity of taking measures to ascertain precisely the working of the system, lest the natural impulse of the mind, in One had committed a robbery upon his masseeing a suffering child before one, should ter by stealing his money. The fact was comprevent him from inflicting that punish-nicated to him, and he engaged to intercede ment which the justice of the country required. Every man who filled a situation such as he held would like, if possible to refrain from inflicting pain; but he knew that he was bound to repress crime, notwithstanding the pain to himself. At the end of the year 1841, he was enabled, by the zealous coöperation of the Police in Birmingham, to establish a regular plan by which every master and mistress who humanely took back an unfortunate servant, and every boy thus restored, should be visited, to ascertain at certain periods how the experi

with the master, who consented not to prosecute, but naturally refused then to repose further confidence in him. Silence, however, was observed. The youth was handed over to the kind treatment of a friend: and Mr. James's special advice to this friend was, "Keep it a secret, and we will watch him closely." They did so. He was patient; and soon the youth, thus rescued from inevitable destruction, gave convincing proofs of penitence; and he was at that moment in a place of trust, serving his master, with thousands of pounds under his

II.

care. He was a respectable member of society, and the member of a Christian congregation. The second came under his notice with the same results; only in this case there had been many small peculations. He told the master to let no soul know it-to keep him under close inspection and moral training: and the result was, that he was now the servant of one of the public companies in the town.

Mr. Hill observed in returning thanks, that he never had any difficulty in getting employers in humble circumstances of life to extend forgiveness to their servants; but he had found some difficulty in prevailing upon those in higher stations of life to extend the same consideration to their erring brethren. He was aware that they had greater obstacles to the restoration of the offenders to their establishments; still those obstacles were not insurmountable, and he hoped he should see that the more wealthy employers and manufacturers would not be outdone by those below them.

Mr. Scholefield moved a vote of thanks to those humane individuals who had taken back their servants after conviction. The motion was seconded by Captain Moorsom, and supported by Alderman James; who remarked, that, as a Magistrate, he had often heard the question asked on the bench, when a young offender was brought up, "Why bring that little boy here? why not try to reclaim him?" At the request of the Recorder, one of the masters who had taken back his servant after punishment, now gave testimony of the happy result

The first act of the boy, after his release, was to call on him and thank him for what he had done, and he then saw the seeds of refor mation in him. He then gave the boy good advice, and took him into his service; since that, his conduct had been most exemplary, and he had no doubt he would make a very useful member of society.

The proceedings closed with a vote of thanks to Mr. Weston, the Chairman of the meeting.

"WHY DO THE FLOWERS BLOOM?”

BY MRS. J. E. CARPENTER. From the New Monthly Magazine.

I.

"WHY do the flow'rets bloom, mother,
Why do the sweet flowers bloom,
And brightest those we rear'd, mother,
Around my brother's tomb ?"
"To fill the world with gladness,
My child, were flow'rets given,-
To crown the Earth with beauty,
And show the road to Heaven!"

"Then why do the flow'rets fade, mother,
Why do the sweet flowers fade,
When winter's dreary clouds, mother,
Earth's brighter scenes pervade?"
"My child, those flow'rs that wither,
Have seeds that still remain,
That sunshine and the summer
Restore to life again!"

III.

"And shall not those who die, mother, Come back to live once more, E'en as the rain and sun, mother,

Those beauteous flow'rs restore?" "Yes-yes, my child, such powers To human flow'rs are given, Here earth's frail flow'rs may blossom, But we may rise-in Heaven.”

LYRIC LAMENT,

ON A DEFUNCT SPARROW.* From the Metropolitan. ALACK! alack the day when sped The heedless stone,

That singled from its friends that fled,
And laid along with the cold dead,
This little one :

No longer through the live-long day,
On craggled trees

To flutter more from spray to spray,
Or bound on buoyant wing away
Upon the breeze.

By little, tuneful loves caress'd,
No more to reign
The pretty favorite of the nest,
Planting in many a feather'd breast
The pleasing pain.

Mute warbler!-ah! how cold and still
Thy mellow throat:

How songless now that merry bill,
At morn so blithely wont to thrill
Its carol-note!

Thy kindred oft,—a timid train,
Disconsolate,

Haunt the dark spot where thou wert ta'en ;
But o'er the widow'd nest-in vain-

Mourns thy mate.

Peace to thee, Care unruffled now :-
(For thou had'st care,

Apportion'd cares we cannot know!)
The tyrant, Man,-the witherer, Snow,
Touch thee not there;-

There in thy little shadowed grave,
Hung o'er the Deep,

Where, shelter'd from the wind and wave,
Tho' realms may rock and passion rave,
Thou wilt sleep.

If aught of thee to being clings-
Not mortal all-

TO HIM it soared on sinless wings,
Who marks, amid the maze of things,
The Sparrow fall!

The verdict was-" Killed by a random stone."

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