1986. Letters Addressed to the Lord Mayor of London' 73 Letters addreffed to the Lord Mayor of London. dangerous, and ought, one way or other, (Continued from page 20.) LETTER X. MY LORD, ITTLE now remains to be faid with It may be fuppofed, that my intention would be to put a stop to the trade of prosti tution. As well might I attempt to stop the courfe of the fun. The idea is too ridiculous. However, furely I may be allowed to The position in recommending our withed to eftablifh, is, that they are a serious taufe of much mischief, by feducing the unwary, robbing them of their property, ftill keeping them in a ftate of infatuation, and feducing them to rob or murder, in order to recruit their finances. Befides their agency in this refpect, they ought to be removed from the treets as a dangerous nuifance for they allure the young and unthinking paflenger, and, befides ftripping him of his money, communicate, for the most part, a dileafe, which, by neglect, lays the founda tion of a miferable and debilitated life, and thus population is deftroyed. Permit me, to relate an incident which happened about year fince. Paffing through the Strand, I obferved a croud of people, the cause of which was a quarrel between a proftitute and ber gallant, which the conftable of the night put an end to, by apprehending the parties, and carrying them to the watch-houfe. Curiofity prompting me to fee the end of this difpute, I got admitted into the Round-houfe; the gial promifing to go home, and the gallant alfo to behave himself better; as no particular crime had been committed, they were difmiffed. "Would you think it," laid the conftable, addreffing himself to me, "that woman was taken up fome time fince for the murder of a man in this neighbourhood, whom the picked up when he was drunk; there was every proof but legal proof, her guilt was apparent to the entire conviction of every perfon, but for want of legal evidence fhe was difmiffed, and now prowls about as ufual." I have reafon to think this is no uncommon cafe, and indeed we have had recent aftances of it. In fome parts of the town, it is as dangerous to pafs where the proftitutes art, as it ever was on the most dangerous heath in the country. I may inftance the parlieus of Fleet-market and of Field-lane, St. Giles's, and many parts of Whitechapel and Houndsditch. Thefe places are infefted by a banditti of prostitutes fo truly abandoned, that we can scarcely trace in them any of the attributes of woman. It is to be faid for them, indeed, and a woeful apology it is, that they are in an habitual ftate of intoxication, incapable of any lawful occupation, continually drinking, fwearing, and Hafpheming, until their hearts become hardened beyond any power of amendment. But, for all these reafons, they are the more Hib. Mag. Feb. 1786. be rendered lefs dangerous, and that as many we find a woman at the bottom of all the mifchief, and this woman generally of the As for proftitutes of a higher class, that is to fay, proftitutes in the fuccefsful period of their existence, they must be left juft as we find them. I have often thought it were well if they could be prevented from infefting public places; but how shall this be done, when the keepers of public places find an intereft in their prefence? How fhall we pretend to reduce them to order, when the women of No, my Lord, a reform, in this respect, I am far from expecting; and, I regret, that there is not spirit enough left in our audiences to excite them to combine against this abufe; and, if proftitutes must be admitted, let them be contented with any obfcure corner, or the box-lobby. But we will leave a subject, on which we treat unfuccefffully, to return to that, where our endeavours may be of fome effect. It has been faid, and I believe with truth, that in fome countries on the Continent, proftitutes are under a regular government. in Italy, his Holiness receives a tax from them, and they are fubject to ftrict rules of decorum, if I may use a word fo foreign to the nature of their occupation. What effect a regulation of this kind might have in England, I am not able to fay, but I believe no man ever made ferious proposals on the fub K 1 1 ject, and I fancy that the Regulating Bill, and make what laws we please, but all must when brought into the Houfe of Commons, be ineffectual, abfurd, and nugatory. would afford more laughter both within and without doors, than any bill or speech ever framed. My idea, then, briefly is, that it fhould be taken into confideration how far each parish, ward, or diftrict is able to provide for the ftreet-walkers found therein; and whether, in cafe there are more than can be provided for in the common work-houfes, it would not be expedient to build houses on purpose to receive them, to eftablish laws for the government of them in fuch houfes; to make their lives as comfortable as poffible to fuch of them as may be willing to repent, and to render their lives as ufeful as poffible who may be too hardened for any remonftrance but that of feverity. This being confidered, let it be a particular precept to all conftables and others now employed, or who may, by the new Police Bill, be employed in keeping the peace, that they clear the ftreets effectually of all proftitutes, and that none in future be allow ed to appear after a certain hour, fuppofe eight o'clock. If they are fuch as can carry on their trade within doors, let them do it; If not, let them be kept from infefling the ftreets, and provided for as above-mentioned. On reflection, my Lord, I do not fee any thing visionary in this fcheme. I fee nothing but what is practicable. This, however, I am certain of, that if the above plan, or, fomething like it, be not foon adopted, the mifchiefs occafioned by proftitutes will accumulate in a double proportion. hey will be encouraged by the fupinenes of the legiflature, and co-operate more and more with thieves, robbers, ftrollers, vagabonds, &c. in the fubverfion of good order, and the deftruction of public peace. It will be in vain to make laws to punish the men, while this grand temptation remains unaffected by any reftraint. I have now finished what I had to fay on this part of my fubject, and I cannot conclude without expreffing furprife, that what is of fo great confequence has been hitherto fo little attended to. I am, nevertheless, firmly convinced, that if we pay no attention to thofe caufes of the increase of thieves which have been the subject of thefe letters, we may talk of a police as long as we picafe, I am, my Lord, &c. C. I V I S. THE next cause of the increase of thieves which comes to be mentioned, has been confidered by many as the principal. And, indeed, what would intoxication, the temptations of bad women, or a natural depravi ty of disposition be able to effect, without the affiftance of houfes and fhops where ftolen goods may be difpofed of in a manner profitable, fafe, and eafy? Money is the only article which a thief can with fafety difpole of publicly, but money is but an inconfiderable article; watches, jewels, plate, &c. are greatly more valuable, and how is it poffible to conceive that any man could be fuch a fool as to fteal thofe, if he did not know, or was not certain of an eafy and expeditious mode of felling them, and that without any hazard?---an eafy mode, because receiving houfes are in almoft every part of the town; expeditious. because the traffic is carried on in fuch houfes by midnight, fo that before the goods can be miffed by the rightful owner, they have undergone the melting procefs, or fome other means of disfiguration-- and perfectly fafe, because it is for the intereft of the receivers to encourage theft. Such as fteal only watches may difpofe of them to pawnbrokers, either in pawn, by which they receive a modicum fufficient for their prefent purposes, or they may fell them for a trifle more---If the perfon whose watch has been stolen finds it in the pawnbroker's fhop, and enquires how it came there, the antwer is ready: "Sir, it was pawned in my fhop by a person whom I do not know. It is not in my power to know or enquire into the characters of thofe perfons who leave their goods with us." And although the watch may be recovered, yet the pawnbroke cannot be punished. In fact, he is guilty o no crime in the eye of the law; for, as he fays very july, it is impoffible for him to know that a piece of goods offered to hun has been ftolen; he can judge nothing from the appearance of the perfon who offers the goods, as the cuftomers of a pawnbroker are feldom poffeffed of the drefs of a gentle man, their diftreffes having reduced them from that fituation, ere they applied for affiftance by this means. Where a watch, or other trinket is adver tifed as ftolen, and a defcription given fo a that it may be ftopt, the owner may recover 1786. Letters Addreffed to the Lord Mayor of London. his property, but the chance is against him -Pawnbrokers, likewife, I am told, afk the fame and refidence of the person who depoits any goods, but who does not know that Tom Nokes, or John Stiles, are very good travelling names? The evil does not reft with the individual pawnbroker. The moft honeft of the prohon cannot avoid receiving ftolen goods, lefs he were empowered to demand the real name and place of refidence, which is poffible. The evil is in the profeffion itef, which I am forry is fo much countenanced by Government. Some good, perhaps, may refult from the licenting of pawnbrokers, but a very few arguments only are wanting to prove that the mifchiefs are great, and of the moft ferious nature. A fhadow of caution, however, must be allowed to be preferved in pawnbrokers fhops Afhabby fellow could not offer an hundred, or two hundred ounces of new plate, thout fufpicion; and the pawnbroker Fuld be a thief himfelf, if he pretended to have no fufpicion-But this difficulty vahes in the midnight receiving houfes There you come into an infernal habitation, here every thing indicates guilty confciouf-A curtain is between you and the peryou are to deal with.---You depofit the ce of plate on the table, it is withdrawn behind the curtain, weighed, and the moby immediately given to you--- You neither nor are feen,; in a few minutes the plate ps into the furnace, and the caftors, tea, and fpoons, are foon an undiftinguifh le heap of filver. That this practice is not common, I believe will be generally ald. How elle, indeed, is it pofiible to fe of the immente quantities of plate ich have been ftolen lately? It is not neceffary, my Lord, to fay much this fubject. The matter fo clearly speaks felf, that it is unneceffary to add, that, - fuch houses are permitted in this mepolis, theft muft encreafe, because it is by amply encouraged---In my next, I confider the ftate of the laws on this t. Mean time,' iny Lord, LETTER MY LORD, I am, &c. XII. The fubject of my laft letter is of that tance, which would render it unneceftofay any thing of any other caules of crease of robberies, were it only moved. I will not, indeed, go fo far as to that if there were no receivers of ftolen pads,, there would be no thieves; but this I y fafely aver, that there would not in bat cafe, be one thief where at prefent we 75 have twenty. In countries where there are no pawnbrokers, nor receivers of ftolen goods permitted, theft or robbery are very uncommon, and can only extend to money. In this country it has fo happened, that every encouragement is held out to the thief, feemingly as if we had a refpect for the profeffion, and wifhed to give it every encou ragement. On revifing the laws against the receipt of ftolen goods, I find none that are effectual to prevent this, and, indeed, the univerfality of the practice at prefent, fhews that we have no effectual preventatives. By a ftatute of William and Mary, which is repeated in the 5th of Queen Anne, it is enacted, "That the buyers and receivers of ftolen goods, knowing them to be stolen, may be profecuted for a mifdemeanor, and punished by fine and imprifonment, though the principal felon be not before convicted of felony. A ftill later ftatute, inakes the crime to be punished by transportation; but com mon experience thows how ineffectual these laws are. Permit me, my Lord, to give the opinion of a very ingenious writer, on the extreme difficulty of convicting the offenders. "Where, fays my author, the thief can. be taken, you are not at liberty to profecute for the mildemeanor.--The thief himself, who must be convicted before the acceffary is tried, cannot be a witnefs.-Without fuch evidence, it is very difficult to convict of the knowledge that the goods were ftolen; which, in this cafe, can appear from circumftances only; fuch are, principally, buying goods of value, of perfons very unlikely to be the lawful proprietors-buying them for much less than their real value buying them, or felling them again, in a clandeftine manner concealing them, &c. -None of thofe circumftances can be easily proved." Since then, my Lord, there are not laws exifting by which the receipt of ftolen goods may be prevented: and fince this receipt of ftolen goods becomes one of the greatest inducements for idle vagabonds to prey upon the public, it is the bufin: fs of the legiflature to take the whole fubject into confidera tion, and make freth provifions. The firft prudent ftep were no doubt, to make the receiver punishable, as the thief; and the execution of the thieves and receivers on the fame gibbet, would, I have no queftion, ftrike a kind of terror to the furviving receiver. For really, to do juftice to the receivers of ftolen goods, they do preferve fomething like a character; and I fuppofe may, in other refpects obtain the appellation of boneft men.---They have, therefore, fomething more at ftake than the common thief; they have a large property, family, connections, &c. which they would be K 2 mortified Atooi. Dangerous Situation of his Watering Party.-Civil War in the Iflands.--Final Departure from the Sandwich Islands, mortified to be deprived of by an ignominious punishment, and yet death,' and confifcation of property, are the only remedies, the only means to ftrike terror to a set of men, who whatever their reputed character may be among neighbours, are certainly to be confidered as totally destitute of all ideas of honour and honefty, as the enemies of mankind, the encouragers of wickednefs, and confequently the pefts of fociety ---Would the punishment of fuch men be regretted? But, it will be faid, what are you to do with pawnbrokers? How can you poffibly regulate their conduct fo as to prevent their receiving ftolen goods, and that ignorantly? ---In their cafe, then, my Lord, it is expedient to make the receipt of ftolen goods, knowing them to be ftolen, capital; but as it is very difficult to bring home the proof of fuch knowledge, might it not be convenient to prohibit them from receiving any pledges, or purchafing any goods above a certain value, without fuch goods being immediately advertised, or infpected by a proper officer, appointed for the purpofe? A brewer or diftiller muft keep an officer in his houfe to fee that he preferves the strict law m the conduct of his bufinefs, and why fhould not fomething of the fame kind take place in the cafe of pawnbrokers? If laws to this purpose cannot be made, it is in vain that we attempt to reform the prefent enormities, by applying to the other caufes, which have been already mentioned; and if thefe laws, after being paffed, fhall be found ineffectual, there is ftill one thing to be done --abolish the bufinefs of pawn-broking entirely, or take it into the hands of Government. There may be fome of the profeffion who are as honeft as the profeffion will permit, but nothing can be more certain than this pofition, that it would be more difficult to prove that any good refults from pawnbroking, than clearly to demonftrate that much evil, wide and extended evil, is the natural confequence. I am, my Lord, Your Lordship's, &c. Voyage to the Pacific Ocean, undertaken by the command of his Majefly, for making Difcoveries in the Northern Hemisphere, and performed under the Direction of Captains Cook, Clerke, and Gore, of bis Majefy's Ships the Refolution and Difcovery, in the Years 1776, 1777, 1778, 1779 and 1780, (Continued from p. 25.) THE CONTENTS, Death of Captain Cook.-Captain Clerke's Departure from Owyhee-drrival at Their Number, Extent, and Climate.Singular Treatment of Dogs.-A remarkable Root. Defcription of the Natives.Treatment of the Women.-Ingenuity of the Natives. Great Capacity of Kaneena.Their Dreffes and Ornaments.Canoes and masked Rowers.-Houfes and Furniture.-Employments.-Amusements.--Perilous Diverfion in Swimming.Curious Sculpture and Painting-Fishing Tackle. -Gourds used as Utensils, НЕ and the various circumftances that led THE deplorable death of Capt. Cook, to it, after his return to the Bay of Karakakooa, have been already recorded." Captain Clerke, his fucceffor, finally left this fatal ifland, on the 22d of Feb. 1779. His first object was to fearch for an harbour on the S. E. fide of Mowee. Being driven, however, by the easterly winds and current, he was not able to gain it, but, on the rft of March, anchored again off the island of Atooi. The great bufinefs here was to procure water and provisions; but the party employed on fhore for this purpofe were in the moft imminent danger, Nothing but the moderation and management of Lieutenant King could have prevented a repetition of the cata trophe of Owyhee. Harmony however, was reftored by the interpofitio of the Chiefs, who attributed this hoftil circumftance to a want of fubordination, which was the natural confequence of the civil diffentions which then reigned in the islands, and which were occafioned by the goats which Captain Cook had left at Oneeheow, and which were all deftroyed in the conteft.-On the 8th, Captain Clerke failed from Atooi, and anchored the fame afternoon off Onceheow. On the 12th he final ly left these islands. We have already given various particulars of the Sandwich Islands, in our defcription of the island of Atooi, in our former Magazines. It will be now proper to add fome fupplemental obfervations.-They confift of a group of 11 in number, extending in lat. from 18° 54′ to 22° 15' North and in long. from 199° 36′ to 205° 06′E They were named the Sandwich lands by Capt. Cook, in honour of the Earl of Sand wich, under whofe aufpices this voyage undertaken. The climate here differs very little from that of the Weft India iflands, which lie in the fame latitude. Whether they are fubject to the same violent winds and hurricanes could not be difcovered, as the fhips were not there in any of the ftormy months; but Captain King thinks it proba ble, that, in this refpect, they refemble the Society wa 1786. Voyage of Captain Cook. 77 Society and Friendly Islands, which are, in that this may be the effect of their usual a great meature, free from these dreadful mode of falutation, which is performed by preffing the ends of their nofes together. rifications. Of the quadrupeds in thefe iflands the only fort worthy of obfervations are the dogs, and that merely on account of the manner in which they are treated here; a manner fo different from the European. Thefe dogs are about the fize of a common turnfpit; exceedingly fluggish in their nature; which may be more owing to the manner in which they are treated, than to their natural difpofition. They are, in general, fed, and left to herd, with the hogs; nor did there appear one inftance in which a dog was made a companion in the manner we do in Europe. Indeed, the cuftom of eating them is an infuperable bar to their admiffion into fociety; and as there are neither beafts of prey in the iflands, nor objects of chace, it is probable, that the focial qualities of the dog, his fidelity, attachment, and fagacity, will remain unknown to the natives. With refpect to vegetables, the moft remarkable were feveral large roots brought to the fhips at Oneeheow. They were of a brown colour, fhaped like a yam, and from fix to ten pounds in weight, The juice, which it yields in great abundance, is very Tweet, and of a pleafant tafte, and was found to be an excellent substitute for sugar. The natives are very fond of it, and use it as an article of their common diet; and our peopie alfo found it very palatable and wholefame. It was fuppofed to be the root of fome kind of fern. The natives of thefe iflands,' fays Capt. King, are, in general, above the middle fize, and well made; they walk very gracefully, run niinbly, and are capable of bearing great fatigue; though, upon the whole, the men are fomewhat inferior, in point of trength and activity, to the Friendly iflanders, and the women lefs delicately limbed than thofe of Otaheite. Their complexion is rather darker than that of the Otaheiteans, and they are not altogether fo handfome a people. However, many of both fexes had fine open countenances; and the women, in particular, had good eyes and teeth, and a weetnefs and fenfibility of look, which rendered them very engaging. Their hair is of a brownith black, and neither uniforinly traight, like that of the Indians of America, nor uniformly curling, as amongst the African negroes, but varying, in this refpect, Eke the hair of Europeans. One ftriking peculiarity, in the features of every part of great nation, I do not remember to have feen any where mentioned; which is, that, even in the handfomeft faces, there is always 2 fulness of the noftril, without any flatnefs or fpreading of the nofe, that diftinguishes them from Europeans. It is not improbable this Notwithstanding the irreparable lofs we fuffered from the fudden refentment and violence of these people, yet, in justice to their general conduct, it must be acknowledged, that they are of the most mild and affectionate difpofition; equally remote from the extreme levity and fickleness of the Otaheiteans, and the diftant gravity and referve of the inhabitants of the Friendly Iflands. They appear to live in the utmost harmony and friendship with one another. The women, who had children, were remarkable for their tender and conftant attention to them; and the men would often lend their affiftance in thofe domeftic offices, with a willingness that does credit to their feelings. It muft, however, be obferved, that they fall very fhort of the other iflanders, in that beft teft of civilization, the refpect paid to the women. Here they are not only de prived of the privilege of eating with the men, but the beft forts of food are tabooed, or forbidden them. They are not allowed to eat pork, turtle, several kinds of fish, and fome fpecies of the plantains; and we were told that a poor girl got a terrible beating, for having eaten, on board our fhip, one of these interdicted articles. In their domestic life, they appear to live almost entirely by themselves, and though we did not observe any inftances of perfonal ill-treatment, yet it was evident they had little regard or attention paid them. The great hofpitality and kindness, with which we were received by them, have been frequently remarked; and indeed they make the principal part of our tranfactions with them. Whenever we came on fhore, there was a conftant struggle who fhould be moft forward in making us little prefents, bringing refreshments, or fhewing fome other mark of their refpect. The old people never failed of receiving us with tears of joy; feemed highly gratified with being allowed to touch us, and were conftantly making comparisons between themselves and us, with the strongest marks of humility. The young women were not lefs kind and engaging, and, till they found, notwithstanding our utmost endeavours to prevent it, that they had reason to repent of our acquaint ance, attached themselves to us without the leaft referve. In juftice, however, to the fex, it must be obferved, that thefe ladies were probably all of the lower clafs of the people; for I am ftrongly inclined to believe, that, excepting the few, whofe names are mentioned in the courfe of our narrative, we did not fee any woman of rank during our stay amongit them. 'Their |