as I suppose, to illustrate the mode or system. It is a distinct calling of a privileged and high order of thieves-or has been so. I believe it is not so successful of late years. London is of course the hiding-place of the band, and the business requires the entire devotion of associated and various talent, as well as capital. When they have got well a-going, it may be supposed they have capital enough. One essential part of the art consists in the manufacture of false keys; and another in obtaining such facilities of doing business with the bank selected to be robbed, and showing such address in managing them, as to obtain exact patterns of all its modes of access to the vaults and chests of money without being suspected. Of course it must take time. The false keys are manufactured in London, and a constant and protracted intercourse must be kept up between headquarters and the point of assault. In the case of the Bank of Swansea, when all the preparations had been made, it was entered on Sabbath evening, when people were at church, robbed, and left otherwise as it was found, with every lock fast and uninjured. It was not discovered till Monday morning, and the thieves arrived and were secreted in London before they could be overtaken.

Besides a vast amount of available funds, they had carried away important papers, which could be of no use to anybody but the bank. For the restoration of these a regular negotiation was opened through an attorney, who, by appointment, met one of the gang in London; they dined together, amicably arranged the price to be paid by the bank; the attorney advanced the money, and took the word of the thief for the delivery of the papers at a time and place agreed on. The papers were restored accordingly; but the thieves were never apprehended. I understand that one or more of them, having been since convicted and brought to justice for other crimes, have confessed to that robbery.

The other case is the robbery of the Bank of Paisley at Glasgow, in 1811, by Mackcoull and his associates, which by similar means, and after occupying several months, was completely successful, and the robbers arrived safe in London with their booty. In 1820, Mackcoull had the astonishing boldness to prosecute the bank for the payment of some of the notes of which he himself had robbed it, and was detected, tried, and convicted. "The Life and Trial of James Mackcoull" was published at Edinburgh in 1822, as developing a remarkable series of daring and desperate adventures, exceeding any of the accounts in Johnson's Lives of Highwaymen."

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It is remarkable, I believe, that the most successful robberies of banks in the United States have been done by

!

pupils directly or mediately connected with the London school. When they cannot find enough to do there, or are circumvented, they come to America; and from their ignorance of the country, they are much sooner brought to justice here than in England.

In connexion with crime in London, the interesting system of the London police establishment may be considered worthy of a brief notice.

"The police of such a metropolis as that of London cannot fail to excite interest in the minds of inhabitants as well as of visiters; for next to the blessings which a nation may derive from an excellent constitution and system of general laws, are those advantages which result from a well-regulated and energetic police, conducted and enforced with purity, activity, vigilance, and discretion.

"The City of London, as already stated, is under the control of its own magistracy, consisting of the lord mayor and aldermen. There are two police-offices: one in the Mansion-house, where the lord mayor presides; and the other at Guildhall, where the aldermen sit in rotation. All cases which occur east of King-street are taken to the Mansion-house, and those west of King-street to Guildhall. offices usually commence business at 12 o'clock.

Both

"The principal police officers under the lord mayor and aldermen, are two marshals, under whom are eight marshalmen, whose business it is to attend the lord mayor on all state occasions, to attend the courts of aldermen and common council, the Old Bailey sessions, and to superintend the management of the inferior officers of police. The city has also day and night patrol; and Smithfield patrol, who attend on market-days to keep order.

"Besides the general police of the city, similar to that of Westminster, each ward appoints beadles, constables, patrol, watchmen, and street-keepers, according to its size.

"The Metropolitan Police, established by Sir R. Peel, comprises all parts of the metropolis and its vicinity out of the jurisdiction of the city, and within twelve miles of Charing Cross. These are placed under the control of a board of police, consisting of three commissioners. This new police was commenced in several of the parishes in Westminster, Sept. 29, 1829, and gradually extended to the other districts. The old watch-rates were abolished, and a general police tax substituted instead of them. The metropolitan police district is formed into divisions, varying in size, but having the same number of men and officers. In each is a station or watch-house, from which point the duty is carried on. Every division is designated by a local name, and a letter of the alphabet. Each division is again divided into eight sections, and each section into eight beats, the limits of which are clearly defined.

"The police force consists of as many companies as there are divisions. Each company comprises one superintendent, four inspectors, sixteen sergeants, and 144 police constables. The company is divided into sixteen parties, each consisting of one sergeant and nine men. Four sergeants' parties, or one fourth of the company, form an inspector's party. The whole is under the command of the superintendent. Each man is marked on the collar of his coat with the letter of his

division, and a number corresponding with his name in the books of the office, so that he may at all times be recognised. The first sixteen numbers in each division denote the sergeants. All the policemen are dressed in blue uniform, and at night wear dark brown greatcoats. Each man is furnished with a rattle, a staff, and a lantern.

"The policemen are on duty at all hours, but of course a greater number are employed at night than in the day. One part of the force continues on duty from the evening till midnight, and the other from midnight till morning. The day police is also relieved in the same manner. The night police is of great utility in cases of fire, as in the watch-house of each division is kept an account of the names of the turncocks, and of the places where engines are kept. Besides the parochial engines, many public bodies are provided with them; and the principal ensurance-offices have engines stationed in various districts, with active men and horses. Water is supplied immediately by means of fire-plugs.

"Police-Offices. For those parts of the metropolis out of the jurisdiction of the city, twenty-seven stipendiary magistrates are appointed. Three at Bow-street, under a jurisdiction long established, and twentyfour by a statute called the 'police act,' passed in 1792.

"These twenty-four have eight different offices assigned to them, at different distances in Westminster, Middlesex, and Surrey; namely, one in each of the following streets: Bow-street, Great Marlboroughstreet, Hatton Garden, Worship-street, Shoreditch, Lambeth-street, Whitechapel, High-street, Marylebone, Queen Square, Westminster, and Union-street, Southwark. Besides these, there is the Thames police-office, Wapping.

"The duty of the magistrates in these offices extends to several important judicial proceedings, which, in a variety of instances, they are empowered and required to hear and determine in a summary way; particularly in cases relating to the customs, excise, coaches, carts, pawnbrokers, persons unlawfully pawning the property of others, &c. Their duty also extends to the cases of persons charged with being disorderly, or brought for examination under charges of treason, murder, felony, fraud, and misdemeanors of every description. At each of these offices there are three magistrates; two of whom attend every day except Sunday, and one every evening; two clerks, an officekeeper, &c. Each office has from eight to twelve constables attached to it, who are termed 'police officers.' Their pay from government is only one guinea per week; and for the rest of their means of existence they depend on the profits arising out of the services of summonses, warrants, &c., and portions of penalties.

"The office for regulating disputes relating to hackney-coaches has been removed from Essex-street to Bow-street, a circumstance which appears to have rendered the administration of justice in that particular less easy and certain.

"The police magistrates are now almost invariably selected from among barristers, according to regulations established by Lord Sidmouth. They have each an annual salary of 600l., and the resident magistrate has the house in which the office is held to live in.

The Bow-street police-office is upon a more enlarged scale than the rest. It has three magistrates, with salaries of 8001. per annum ; the chief magistrate having 500l. a year in addition, instead of fees. He has also 500l. per annum for superintending the horse-patrol. The

expense of this office, for a recent year, was 12,2701., while that of the seven other offices, not including the Thames police, was 24,1961. The whole expense, horse-patrols, Thames police, &c., for the same year, amounted to 51,7961. Besides the usual number of constables, horse-patrols ride every evening and night on the principal roads, to the distance of ten or fifteen miles from town. They have small houses to reside in on their various beats, with tablets bearing the title 'Horse-Patrol Station' affixed to each. This body of men is well armed, and is under the direction of chief magistrates of this office. The chief magistrate of the Bow-street office communicates daily with the secretary of state for the home department, as do the magistrates of the other offices, when matters of deep interest affecting the public tranquillity require such communication. Besides this, all the offices make monthly returns of the informations received, and of persons committed and discharged, which return from each office is presented by one of its magistrates, that inquiries may be made if necessary.

The Thames Police was established in 1798, for the purpose of repressing the numerous depredations on the Thames, which had then become notorious. Its importance will be admitted, when it is recollected that in this river are engaged upwards of 13,000 vessels, which annually discharge and receive more than three millions of packages. The superintendence of this department of the police extends from Vauxhall to Woolwich, embracing the quays, docks, wharves, &c., of both banks of the river, with the exception of the space from Tower stairs to the Temple, belonging to the jurisdiction of the city. There are three principal stations at Somerset House, at Wapping, and at Blackwall; and between these, three boats are constantly plying at night. The chief office at Wapping is open during the whole night."

It will be understood, that the Metropolitan Police is distinct from that of the city of London. The system has operated so well, that the city authorities seem inclined lately to abandon their own and adopt this. It has been shown, that besides being more efficient, it will be a great saving of money.

The next day after my encounter with the suspicious personage on Waterloo Bridge, I took in my head to visit the Thames Tunnel; and being somewhat of a pedestrian, I went on foot and alone. For the benefit of those who may wish to see this subterranean, or rather submarine, work of human enterprise and art, and who have never plunged into the dark and crooked ways and filthy regions of that great city, let me advise them either to take a passage by the river, or inquire well the farthest way round, that may conduct them most pleasantly, or least disagreeably, to this far and out-of-the-way place. Like an American Indian, who lays his course through the forest in a direct line, and follows it up by the suggestions of instinct, having arrived at London Bridge, thus far and no farther acquainted, I began to inquire the shortest way to the "Thames Tunnel,"

and failed not to receive civil answers in the outset, while among the civilized portion of the metropolis. It was eleven o'clock; and the morning had showed symptoms of a London dark day of December. He who has never seen such a day in London itself, cannot understand it. If one happens to be sitting at his table, reading or writing, he perceives the shades coming on, not unlike those experienced in fainting, and he doubts, perhaps, whether it be nature without or within. They thicken, and come rolling on like waves; and now he cannot see to read. He rings his bell and calls for candles, and orders the servant to close the blinds, that he may have perfect night, rather than be half way between. In all the shops of the town, the gas-lights are set in full blaze. If it happens to be night, alas! for the wanderer. The stagecoaches come slowly into town by the aid of link-boys (links are torches), dancing along at the heads of the horses, in expectation of a sixpence from the coachman, if they have come miles enough to have earned it. One of these fogs came over London on the queen's birthday night, and it was not a little amusing to observe the throngs groping about the streets in search of the illuminations! and link-boys leading the way, brandishing their flambeaux, and crying out, "Here is the illumination!" and then bowing-"Remember the link-boy, sir."

The day I went to see the Thames Tunnel was one of these. The waves of darkness rolled over the metropolis. The Tunnel is a good long mile, as I should think, below London Bridge; and having been begun on the south side of the river, the way to approach the only entrance, most directly from the city, on foot, leads through the lowest, vilest regions of the Borough of Southwark-Bermondsey and Rotherhithe. I wandered on, dodging this way and that way, asking, and as often forgetting my direction. It grew darker, and the lanes I had to thread became narrower, filthier, and more intricate. I asked again. "You are going the wrong way, sir. Yonder”-second, or third, or fourth turning, to the right or left, as might be. Where lamps or lights of any kind were to be had, they began to light them up. The ragged and filthy creatures in the streets stared at me, seeming to say within themselves-"He does not belong here." Some of them followed me with observing look, till I had turned a corner, or was lost in the fog. Now and then I stumbled on a ruffian, fiendly-looking form; and he, as I thought, was sure to mark me. It was a region of barbarians, and I was bewildered and lost in the midst of them. When I thought it prudent to inquire, some made the distance great, and some little: some said, Go this way, and some that; and most of them concluded with, "It is very dark, sir." A decent human being, in whom one could repose confidence, was nowhere to be found.