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 PERI 
 
DOCUMENTS 
 
 RELATIVE TO THE 
 
 INSTITUTED BY 
 
 Tiie Society for the Reformation of Juvenile Delinquents 
 
 (i 
 
 IX THE CITY OF NEW-YORK, 
 
 in 1 8 24. 
 
 COMPRISING 
 
 1st. MEMORIAL TO THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE, INTERSPERSED WITH FACTS 
 FROM THE REPORTS OF THE " SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF PAUPERISM. ' 
 2d. ACT OF INCORPORATION', 
 
 3d. THL SEVEN ANNUAL REPORTS OF THE SOCIETY. 
 
 4th. RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF THE HOUSE. 
 
 5th. AN ADDRESS DELIVERED BY THE REV. DR. STANFORD, ON THE OPENING Of 
 
 THE FIRST NEW BUILDING. 
 6th. LAWS AND STATUTES OF THE STATE RELATIVE TO THE HOUSE OF REFUGE. 
 
 PUSHiHUD BIZ" F£B2S1SSI0£T 
 
 OF THE 
 
 BY NATHANIEL C. HART, Superintendent. 
 
 PRINTED BY MAHLON DAY, 
 
 376 PEARL-STREET- 
 
 1832. 
 
JP GIFT 
 
 ESTATE OF 
 WU-LUM c. Rfy E s 
 W \APH1L, 1040 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 Acts of the Legislature relating to the House of Refuge, - 303 
 Ages of Children received from 1825 to 1831, - - 244 
 
 Cases of Juvenile Offences, furnished by the District Attorney, 28 
 Cases extracted from the London Reports, - 30 
 
 Description of the House of Refuge, - - - 98 
 
 Discourse by the Rev. John Stanford on opening the House, 28S 
 Estimates of the Funds required to support the House of Refuge, 55 
 Extract of a Report of the Committee on Education, - 99 
 
 First Annual Report, - - - - 37 
 
 Fourth Annual Report, ----- 147 
 Fifth Annual Report, - - - - 184 
 
 In what States, Children Indentured, - - - 211 
 
 Letters from Delinquents, - - - - - 115 
 
 134 
 
 Letter to the Masters, ----- 179 
 
 Letter to the Apprentice, ----- 180 
 Letter from the Superintendent, - 228 
 Letters addressed to the Superintendent, - - 42 
 
 90 
 115 
 
 Memorial to the Legislature, - — - 9 
 
 Memorial to the Legislature, - - - - 176 
 
 Number of Children in the House in each week of 1831, - 270 
 Officers of the Society, - - - - 36 
 
 73 
 112 
 146 
 183 
 215 
 24G 
 274 
 
 President's Address to the Superintendent, - - 100 
 
 Reply to the same, - 103 
 
iv. 
 
 Report on erecting a House of Refuge, - - - 11 
 
 Report of the Special Committee of the Common Council, 55 
 Report of the Ladies' Committee, - - -172 
 
 203 
 238 
 260 
 
 Rules and Regulations for the government of the H. of Refuge, 104 
 
 275 
 
 Requisites which the House has for the Reformation of 
 
 Delinquents, - 275 
 
 Labor, - 275 
 
 Employments in the House, - 275 
 
 Food, ...... 276 
 
 Clothing, 276 
 
 Females and Matron, ----- 276 
 
 Punishments, - 277 
 
 Wardsmen and Monitors, - 278 
 
 Arrangement of time, ----- 273 
 
 Classification, ------ 279 
 
 Superintendent and Keeper, .... 279 
 
 Teacher and Assistant Keepers, - - - 281 
 
 Acting Committee. - 281 
 
 Ladies' Committee, ----- 282 
 
 Indenturing Committee, - 283 
 
 Divine Service, ..... 2S4 
 
 General Regulations, ----- 285 
 
 Second Annual Report, - - - - 74 
 
 Sixth Annual Report, - - - - - 216 
 
 Seventh Annual Report, ----- 247 
 
 Subscribers and Donors, - - - - 62 
 
 310 
 
 Selection of Cases, - - - - 57 
 
 92 
 119 
 134 
 157 
 194 
 231 
 261 
 
 Statement of Manufactories, - 127 
 
V. 
 
 School Report, ...... 44 
 
 129 
 207 
 
 242 
 272 
 
 Statement of the numbers admitted, - - 41 
 
 89 
 123 
 175 
 206 
 240 
 247 
 
 Third Annual Report, - - - - - 113 
 
 Trades to which Boys have been Indentured, - - 210 
 
 Trades to which Girls have been Indentured, - - 211 
 
 Table of the average number of Children in the House, 1 829, 212 
 
 Table of the Division of Time, - - - - 109 
 
 Treasurer's Account, - - - - 54 
 
 97 
 145 
 182 
 213 
 245 
 259 
 
 Work done by the Girls, - - - - - 173 
 
 242 
 273 
 
 Work done by the Boys, - - - - - 174 
 
 204 
 241 
 271 
 
PREPACK 
 
 The subject of Penitentiary Discipline is of great and increas- 
 ing importance to civilized communities. As the dictates of 
 humanity gain an ascendency over the feelings of revenge in 
 penal inflictions against crime, the judicious substitution of 
 milder punishment in place of the more severe and sanguinary, 
 is a matter which must necessarily engage the attention of wise 
 and prudent Legislators, 
 
 The welfare of society is deeply involved in the question of 
 the most effectual mode of restraining vice, and preventing the 
 commission of crime ; and whether we consult the pages of 
 sacred or profane history, or compare nations with each other 
 in every stage of advancement from the savage to the most 
 civilized, the soundest induction appears to be, that the most 
 effective Legislation is that which is most conformable to the 
 precepts of Christianity. 
 
 In moral as well as corporeal diseases, it is a sound maxim y 
 that " prevention is better than cure." A slight observation of 
 the nature of the crimes which disturb society, and of the char- 
 
viii. 
 
 acter of the criminals, will convince any intelligent observer, 
 that the greater portion of those crimes originated in early 
 moral debasement; — in the contamination of youth by vicious 
 associations. It is on this ground that the Refuge establish- 
 ments are founded — on the conviction that they will save to 
 the communities in which they are erected, by their conserva- 
 tive and reformatory influence, a much greater sum than the 
 cost of their maintenance. 
 
 The House of Refuge in the city of New-York, being the 
 first of the kind in the United States, by which the experiment 
 of Juvenile Reformation has been fairly attempted, it has been 
 thought desirable that the several papers and reports which re- 
 late to its rise and progress, should be brought together, in 
 order to prevent their being scattered and lost, and to this end 
 the present volume makes its appearance. 
 
TO THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW-YORK, BY THE SO- 
 CIETY FOR THE REFORMATION OF JUVENILE DELINQUENTS, 
 WITH AN ABSTRACT FROM A REPORT OF A COMMITTEE AP- 
 POINTED BY THE SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF" PAUPER- 
 ISM, IN THE SAID CITY, ON THE SUBJECT OF ERECTING A 
 HOUSE OF REFUGE, FOR VAGRANT AND DEPRAVED YOUNG 
 PEOPLE. 
 
 To the Honorable, the Legislature of the State of New-York, 
 in Senate and Assembly convened :—The Memorial of the Society 
 for the Reformation of Juvenile Delinquents, in the City of New- 
 York, respectfully sheweth, 
 
 That having received an Act of Incorporation, at 
 the last session of the Legislature, your Memorialists, 
 with such means as were placed at their disposal, by 
 the liberality and public spirit of such of their fellow- 
 citizens as were applied to for their assistance, have 
 proceeded to the fulfilment of the objects of their In- 
 stitution. They have procured from our City Cor- 
 poration a lease of a piece of land eligibly situated 
 for the establishment of a House op Refuge, which 
 had been formerly used for the purpose of a National 
 Arsenal. And they have purchased from the Govern- 
 ment of the United States, a cession of their improve- 
 ments, consisting of various buildings, outworks, 
 sheds, &c. These improvements, the Society have 
 put in the best state of temporary repair possible, and 
 they are now ready to receive under their care, a 
 limited number of young persons, whose vagrancy, or 
 whose crimes, may have rendered them fit objects 
 for the care and discipline of this Society. 
 
 But in the very commencement of their operations, 
 they are presented with the fact of a treasury nearly 
 exhausted by the purchase of the above-mentioned 
 improvements, and the necessary repairs of them, and 
 the furnishing of a quantity of materials with which 
 to employ the objects of their care* in the great pur- 
 pose of their reformation and amendment. And the 
 small amount of their funds has enabled them to prc- 
 
 2 
 
10 
 
 pare accommodations for the number only of about 
 
 seventy persons. 
 
 Under these circumstances it is evident, that, in the 
 course of a few months, at most, the proceedings of 
 this Society, having for their object the reformation 
 and restoration to society, under circumstances fa- 
 vorable to their future prosperity, of the hundreds of 
 youth who are annually thrown upon our municipal 
 government for correction and punishment, must be 
 entirely suspended, and the humane effort that has 
 been made under the protection and fostering care of 
 your Honorable Body, and the no less distinguishing 
 liberality of our private citizens, must be abandoned, 
 unless the bounty of the State shall be added to the 
 private contributions that have already been made in 
 behalf of this Society. 
 
 We therefore address your Honorable Body, as the 
 guardians of all portions of the community, and par- 
 ticularly of those institutions which are formed for the 
 benign and necessary purpose of reforming the aban- 
 doned and profligate, of rescuing them from the de- 
 plorable consequences of ignorance, of bad example, 
 and of guilt; and of mingling the salutary lessons of 
 reformation, with the indispensable administration of 
 punishment, especially to those young and inexperi- 
 enced convicts, of whose future usefulness a reasona- 
 ble hope may be entertained. 
 
 And when your Honorable Body shall take into 
 consideration, the peculiarly exposed situation of the 
 city of New-York, to the migrations of the wandering 
 and restless subjects of poverty and vice, not only 
 from foreign parts, but from our own country and 
 state, the Managers of this Society entertain the con- 
 fident expectation, that your Honorable Body will 
 feel the necessity and propriety of extending towards 
 them such portion of the patronage of the State, as 
 shall enable them to erect the necessary buildings, 
 and to introduce extensive and permanent plans for 
 the employment and education of such juvenile of- 
 fenders as shall be committed to their charge. 
 
 The Society beg leave to refer your Honorable 
 Body to the annexed Abstract of a Report of a Com- 
 mittee of the Society for the Prevention of Pauperism 
 
II 
 
 in the city of New-York, for a full account of the ori- 
 gin of their Association, and a developement of the 
 principles and objects which are to govern them in 
 its administration. 
 
 CADWALLADER D. GOLDEN, President. 
 Robert F. Mott, Secretary, 
 
 REPORT, &c. 
 
 It will be admitted by every person conversant with human 
 nature, and with the great objects of political association, that there 
 are few judicial considerations of greater importance, than the 
 wise adaptation of punishment to crime. The safety of life and 
 property; the enjoyment of personal liberty ; the blessings of so- 
 cial intercourse ; and the strength and stability of governments 
 themselves ; are essentially interwoven with those penal regula- 
 tions, which coerce the refractory, and operate as dissuasives from 
 the indulgence of passions, hostile to the general good. Of the 
 various institutions of civil government, there are none, perhaps, 
 which more clearly mark the progress of refinement, and the 
 growth of enlightened feeling, than the meliorations which are 
 visible from time to time in the criminal code of nations. In the 
 savage and barbarous state, vengeance is the ruling principle in 
 the infliction of punishment, and death is seldom decreed, without 
 the accompaniment of lingering and merciless torture. As know- 
 ledge increases, men learn to discriminate more clearly between 
 actions and their motives : and although the divisions of the statute 
 book become more artificial, there is an obvious attention to the 
 natural distinctions of crime ; a more cautious inquiry into the quo 
 animo — the nature and force of the temptation ; and more human- 
 ity in the retributions of legal justice. But the most important 
 step in the enactment and administration of penal laws, is the full 
 admission of the principle, that it is not revenge which stimulates 
 society to the infliction of punishment, and arms the law with its 
 severest denunciations ; — that neither in the prescriptions of the 
 Legislature, nor in the progress of juridical investigation and de- 
 cision, are the vindictive passions to be allowed to operate : — but 
 that the great ends of punishment are, to deter others from crime, 
 to prevent the aggressor from the repetition of his offences, and, if 
 possible, to effect the moral reformation of all those who become 
 amenable to the laws. 
 
 It cannot but afford the highest gratification to every hunaane 
 individual, to witness the solicitude which now prevails in rela- 
 tion to this subject. The zeal which is observable in various coun- 
 tries, with respect to the improvement of prison discipline, to the 
 reformation of abuses, to the perfection of criminal laws, and to 
 the more discreet and consistent treatment of those whom offended 
 justice visits with its severe but needful inflictions, is an indubitable 
 indication of that expansive benevolence which is the genuine fruit 
 I of Christianity. It is creditable to this country, young as it was in 
 
12 
 
 experience, to have given to llic world one of the first effective im- 
 pulses in this new sphere of wise and charitable regulation — the 
 Penitentiary System of Prison Discipline. Had that system been 
 pursued among us with the same intelligent and disinterested zeal 
 with which it was commenced, our prisons would at this time ex- 
 hibit the best models for the world to imitate ; — their influence would 
 be far more decisive upon the public welfare; and we should not 
 now have to lament that disrepute into which the Penitentiary Sys- 
 tem has partially fallen, in consequence of .doubts of its superi- 
 ority. 
 
 Among the evils and abuses which obstruct the operation of this 
 system, and most powerfully counteract the reformatory influence 
 of imprisonment, is the want of classification among prisoners, the 
 indiscriminate assemblage of persons of all ages and degrees of 
 guilt, and the inevitably corrupting tendency of such an intercourse. 
 The very imperfect structure, and the crowded state of our pris- 
 ons, absolutely forbid the application of an adequate remedy for 
 this deplorable evil. So notorious is the demoralizing nature of 
 some of those institutions which are called Penitentiaries, — so gen- 
 erally do those who are liberated from them come out more vile 
 and corrupt, and more skilful in the various modes of depredation 
 than when they entered; — and so seldom do they manifest any signs 
 of reformation, that these places have acquired the appellation of 
 Schools and Colleges of crime. The amount of injury sustained by 
 the lamentable defects in the regulations of our city and state pris- 
 ons, is so great, — to such an extent is the younger class of prisoners 
 initiated in the mysteries of wickedness, by this exposure, it is a 
 questionable point, in the estimation of many persons, whether 
 the present system, with all its expensive apparatus, and all its 
 show of lenity and moral treatment, is not more inauspicious to 
 public tranquillity, than the simple incarceration and corporal chas- 
 tisements, the whipping-posts, pillories, and croppings of former 
 times. The experience, nevertheless, of some of the prisons of 
 the United States, whose discipline is the most exact, and where 
 classification is an object of careful attention; and the growing ex- 
 perience of England, and other countries of Europe, where the san- 
 guinary codes which have been for ages in operation, are beginning 
 to yield, in practice, to the more rational and humane substitution 
 of hard labor, restricted diet, solitary confinement, and judicious 
 classification, afford unquestionable evidence, that the energies of 
 the law in the suppression of crime, are most potent and availing, 
 when directed with a constant reference to the moral faculties of 
 our nature ; and when clothed with that spirit, which seeks to re- 
 store, in order that it may safely forgive. 
 
 The great object of the institution of civil government, is to ad- 
 vance the prosperity, and to increase the happiness of its subjects. 
 The agents of the government, become, in this point of view, the 
 fathers of the people ; and it may surely be ranked among the du- 
 ties incident to this paternal care, not only that those who are guil- 
 ty of crime should receive the chastisement due to their offences, 
 but that no pains should be spared to remove the causes of offence, 
 and to diminish, as far as possible, the sources of temptation and 
 corruption. This obligation applies with peculiar force to the case 
 of juvenile offenders; — a class whose increasing numbers, and de- 
 
13 
 
 plorable situation in this city, loudly call for the more effective in- 
 terposition of its police, and the benevolent interference of our cit- 
 izens in general. 
 
 To this class of guilty unfortunates, the Society for the Preven- 
 tion of Pauperism, beg leave to solicit the attention of their fellow- 
 citizens, in the earnest hope, that means may be devised to rescue 
 from the lowest degradation, and from the danger of utter ruin, 
 hundreds and thousands of the youth of this city, of both sexes, 
 whose crimes and misery arise, in a very marked degree, from 
 the neglect of those who ought to be their guardians and protec- 
 tors. 
 
 Every person that frequents the out-streets of this city, must be 
 forcibly struck with the ragged and uncleanly appearance, the vile 
 language, and the idle and miserable habits of great numbers of 
 children, most of whom are of an age suitable for schools, or for 
 some useful employment. The parents of these children, are, in 
 all probability, too poor, or too degenerate, to provide them with 
 clothing fit for them to be seen in at school ; and know not where to 
 place them in order that they may find employment, or be better 
 cared for. Accustomed, in many instances, to witness at home 
 nothing in the way of example, but what is degrading; early taught 
 to observe intemperance, and to hear obscene and profane language 
 without disgust; obliged to beg, and even encouraged to acts of 
 dishonesty, to satisfy the wants induced by the indolence of their 
 parents, — what can be expected, but that such children will, in due 
 time, become responsible to the laws for crimes, which have thus, 
 in a manner, been forced upon them? Can it be consistent with 
 real justice, that delinquents of this character, should be consigned 
 to the infamy and severity of punishments, which must inevitably 
 tend to perfect the work of degradation, -to sink them still deeper 
 in corruption, to deprive them of their remaining sensibility to the 
 shame of exposure, and establish them in all the hardihood of da- 
 ring and desperate villainy? Is it possible that a christian commun- 
 ity, can lend its sanction to such a process, without any effort to 
 rescue and to save ? If the agents of our municipal government 
 stand towards the community in the moral light of guardians of vir- 
 tue,— if they may be justly regarded as the political fathers of the 
 unprotected, does not every feeling of justice urge upon them the 
 principle, of considering these juvenile culprits as falling under 
 their special guardianship, and claiming from them the right which 
 every child may demand of its parent, of being well instructed in 
 the nature of its duties, before it is punished for the breach of their 
 observance? Ought not evecy citizen, who has a just sense oftfffe 
 reciprocal obligations of parents and children, to lend his aid to the 
 administrators of the law, in rescuing those pitiable victims of neg- 
 lect and wretchedness, from the melancholy fate which almost in- 
 evitably results from an apprenticeship in our common prisons. 
 
 In order to arrive at a more correct understanding of the amount 
 of the evils alluded to, the committee have to state, that they have 
 been furnished by the District Attorney, H. Maxwell, Esq. with an 
 abstract of those persons who were brought before the Police Mag- 
 istrates, during the year. 1822, and sentenced either to the City 
 Bridewell from 10 to 60 days, or to the Penitentiary from 2 to 6 
 months. The list comprehends more than 450 persons, all under 
 
14 
 
 25 rears of age, nnd a very considerable number of both sexes be- 
 tween the ages of 9 and 1 6. None of these have been actually char- 
 ged with crime, or indicted and arraigned for trial. It includes 
 those only, who are taken up as vagrants, who can give no satis- 
 factory account of themselves; — children, who profess to have no 
 home, or whose parents have turned them out of doors and take 
 no care of them, — beggars and other persons discovered in situa- 
 tions which imply the intention of stealing, and numbers who were 
 found sleeping in the streets or in stables. These miserable objects 
 are brought to the Police Office under suspicious circumstances, — 
 and, according to the result of their examinations, they are senten- 
 ced as before mentioned. Many of these are young people on 
 whom the charge of crime cannot be fastened, and whose only fault 
 is, that they have no one on earth to take care of them, and that 
 they are incapable of providing for themselves. Hundreds, it is 
 believed, thus circumstanced, eventually have recourse to petty 
 thefts; or, if females, they descend to practices of infamy, in order 
 to save themselves from the pinching assaults of cold and hunger. 
 The list furnished us, affords numerous instances, especially of fe- 
 males, who request to be sent to the Penitentiary, as a favor — as 
 their only resource and refuge from greater evils. 
 
 The District Attorney, in the explanations which accompany 
 his abstract, observes, " that many of each description might be 
 " saved from continued transgression, no one can doubt, who. will 
 " examine the statement that I have made from the records of the 
 " Police Office for the year 1822. This abstract contains the names 
 " of more than 450 persons, male and female, none over the age 
 " of 25, many much younger, and some so young as to be presumed 
 "incapable of crime. 
 
 "All these have been convicted by the Police Magistrates as 
 "disorderly persons, and imprisoned as such. . 
 
 "Many others not mentioned, have been discharged, from an 
 "unwillingness to imprison, in hope of reformation, or under pe- 
 culiar circumstances. 
 
 "Many notorious thieves, infesting the city, were at first idle, 
 "vagrant boys, imprisoned for a short period to keep them from 
 "mischief. A second and a third imprisonment is inflicted, the 
 "prison becomes familiar and agreeable, and at the expiration of 
 "their sentence, they come out accomplished in iniquity. 
 
 " I have already mentioned," observes the District Attorney, 
 "that this statement does not include prisoners, indicted and tried 
 "at the Court of Sessions. At each term of the Court (the terms 
 " are once a month,) the average number of lads arraigned for pet- 
 "ty thefts, is five or six; and I regret to state, that lately high 
 " crimes have been perpetrated in several instances, by boys not 
 " over 16, who, at first, were idle, street vagrants, and, by degrees, 
 " thieves, burglars, and robbers." 
 
 From further information it appears, that about 60 persons are, 
 upon an average, indicted and arraigned at each term of the Court 
 of Sessions, for misdemeanors and felonies ; and that out of this 
 number, four or five are boys under sixteen years of age. A large 
 proportion of them, amounting to fifty or sixty per annum, are 
 found guilty and condemned, either to the City or State Peniten- 
 tiary, there to associate with others more hardened in crime, and 
 
15 
 
 who are ever ready to impart their instructions in the arts of de- 
 ception and wickedness. 
 
 It is now generally admitted, that in none of our prisons, — in 
 the Bridewell, — the City Penitentiary — or the State Prison — as 
 they are at present constructed, and conducted, is it possible to in- 
 troduce those subdivisions, and restrictive regulations, which are 
 absolutely essential to the prevention of mutual contamination, and 
 independently of which, the prospect of reformation is really pre- 
 posterous. 
 
 In the City Prison or Bridewell, it is not only impossible to sep- 
 arate the juvenile offenders from those that are old in crime, but 
 the rooms are so small, and very often so crowded, as to produce 
 an atmosphere both physically and morally disgusting in a high 
 degree, and certainly adapted to the debasement of every virtuous 
 sentiment, and almost inevitably ruinous to the natural sensibilities 
 of youth. The condition of this prison, in our estimation, calls 
 loudly for the attention of the police ; and were its actual condi- 
 tion known to the citizens of the neighborhood, we think the no- 
 tice of Grand Juries would be often directed to it, as a nuisance, 
 disreputable to the character of the city. In rooms about eighteen 
 feet square, there are often thirty or forty persons, confined togeth- 
 er without any discrimination except that of sex and color — boys 
 of nine years of age and upwards, sharing the same dismal fare, 
 and mingling in conversation with aged villiany, — and girls of ten 
 or twelve exposed to the company and example of the most aban- 
 doned of the sex. This prison has no yard excepting for the use 
 of the keeper. The prisoners' rooms have no outlet whatever, not 
 even by pipes or conduits, and no ventilation excepting by the 
 door and windows. The convicts in these small, close rooms, are 
 employed in picking oakum. The period of confinement is from 
 a few days to a year or more, and it is not unusual for them to re- 
 main several mouths. The present keeper, Mr. Thorpe, evidently 
 conducts the prison with as strict an attention to cleanliness and 
 order, as the construction of the house and the nature of his charge 
 will admit ; but both in verbal and written communications to the 
 committee, he states unequivocally his opinion of the impossibility 
 of classifying the prisoners in the present confined and very imper- 
 fect building, and the consequent injury to the morals of juvenile 
 offenders- "The number of boys," he observes, " committed to 
 "this prison, as nearly as it can fairly be estimated, is from three 
 " to four hundred in the course of a year, and at one time from six 
 " to nine. They are committed generally for trifling offences, such 
 "as vagrancy, misdemeanors, &c. and some for petit and very few 
 " for grand larcenies. The proportion that are committed here for 
 " the second and third time, is about two-thirds of the whole, chief- 
 " ly owing to a want of residence, or a return from transportation, 
 " or an escape from the Alms-house. This prison," he adds, "is 
 " so constructed that there can be no suitable place for the confine- 
 " ment of this class of prisoners, separate from old and hardened 
 " offenders, with which it generally abounds ; and what induces or 
 "leads them to the commission of crime, is the education they re- 
 " ceive from the before mentioned offenders. There have been a 
 "multiplicity of instances where boys have been sent here as va- 
 grants, destitute of parents, &c. and have either been discharged> 
 
16 
 
 " transported, or sent to the Aims-House, and have returned char- 
 " ged with crime, and when examined, they have proved to have 
 " had or received their education in this prison. They are confi- 
 " ned with old and hardened offenders, by day and night, because 
 " the prison is so constructed that it will not admit of keeping them 
 "otherwise." 
 
 It may well be submitted to the judgment of a discerning public, 
 whether an exposure of a few weeks, or even of a few days, to such 
 company and fare as are here represented, is not sufficient to sup- 
 press, in youthful minds, all virtuous emotions ; to reconcile the 
 feelings to a life of guilt, and even of suffering, shame, and degra- 
 dation. Sleeping upon the bare floor, Without covering, or at best 
 with only a coarse and dirty blanket, they soon learn to brave the 
 exposure, and to disregard the privation. 
 
 That an institution of this nature, in a building so entirely inad- 
 equate to its object, and exhibiting so much that is repulsive to the 
 senses, and deplorable in moral regulation, should be suffered to 
 occupy one of the most prominent and beautiful situations in the 
 city, we cannot but consider as a reflection upon the humanity and 
 public spirit of our citizens ; and we indulge the hope, that the pe- 
 riod is not distant, when the city prison will be removed to a situa- 
 tion of greater seclusion, and erected upon a plan which will admit 
 of every facility for cleanliness, ventilation, classification, employ- 
 ment, and perfect inspection. 
 
 The Penitentiary at Bellevue, three miles from the City Hall, is 
 destined for convicts from the city, whose period of confinement 
 does not exceed three years. This prison, though comparatively 
 of modern erection, does not, we regret to say, possess those requi- 
 sites for convenient distribution, employment, instruction, moral 
 government and easy inspection, which the present improved plans 
 for prisons so readily afford. The boys, it is true, are here sepa- 
 rated from the old offenders ; but this, though it is the first impor- 
 tant step in classification, is entirely insufficient to answer the de- 
 sired end of reformation. No principle of our common nature is 
 better established, than that "evil communications corrupt good 
 manners." It is certainly as necessary, in order to preserve the 
 moral sensibilities of youth, to keep them from the society of cor- 
 rupt persons of their own. age and class, as it is from the company 
 of older criminals. Boys imitate each other* both in virtue and in 
 vice, more naturally and more rapidly than they do those who are 
 much their superiors in age. They may not, indeed, receive from 
 each other, such profound lessons in the science of crime, nor hear 
 from the lips of their equals, observations, which will tend so ef- 
 fectually to blast every germ of compunctive feeling, and establish 
 the guilty soul in the principles of infidelity and misanthropy; but 
 with associates of their own cast, they will more readily assimilate, 
 and their initiation in depravity may prove the more certain. It is 
 well known, that when vagrant children are taken up, on their first 
 offence, and threatened with imprisonment, they frequently evince 
 great penitence and contrition, entreat forgiveness on the promise 
 of better conduct, and deprecate a confinement in gaol with cries' 
 of distress and horror. But a familiarity with the company they 
 find there, soon wears off' this repugnance, and renders a second 
 conviction a thing of comparative inditlerence. Hence, to convert 
 
17 
 
 a prison into a real Penitentiary, there ought to be, in a collection 
 even of juvenile offenders, at least half a dozen different classes, 
 not regulated by age ; for it is obvious that a prisoner of eighteen 
 may be far less guilty, less hardened, and more open to the visita- 
 tions of remorse and shame, than others of twelve or fourteen. 
 The divisions should therefore depend upon an experimental inqui- 
 ry into their moral character and dispositions, and a knowledge of 
 their previous habits. 
 
 The most important facts relative to the Bellevue prison, as con- 
 nected with the objects of this report, will be best understood from 
 the following answers of Arthur Burtis, Esq., superintendent of 
 that extensive establishment, to questions sent to him from this 
 committee. 
 
 Ques. 1. What number of boys are sent to the Penitentiary in 
 the course of a year, and of what ages ; and what is the average 
 number at onetime in the prison? 
 
 Ans. The average number of boys sent to the Penitentiary for 
 the last three years, has been seventy-five per year, from twelve 
 to sixteen years old. The average at one time in the house is about 
 thirty-five. x 
 
 Ques. 2. For what offences generally are they imprisoned? 
 Ans. Most generally for petit larceny and vagrancy. 
 Ques. 3. What proportion of them are sent there for the second 
 or third time ? 
 
 Ans. About one-half are in for the second and third time ; but it 
 is impossible to be exact, as the same boys come in by so many 
 different names. 
 
 Ques. 4. How far are the boys instructed ? 
 
 Ans. They are taught the catechism, and to read and write. 
 
 Ques. 5. How far are they put to labor, in the Penitentiary ? 
 
 Ans. We have not put them to labor, except a part in the Pin 
 Factory. 
 
 Ques. 6. What effect has the present treatment upon them, in 
 reference to their reformation and future usefulness ? 
 
 A?is. The effect of their present condition is deplorable. Instead 
 of reformation, they must become worse, as we are compelled to 
 put a boy for his first, perhaps small crime, with the old offender, 
 if not in years, in crime, in the same room. 
 
 Ques. 7. What proportion of them are destitute of parents, or 
 other persons to take charge of them? 
 
 Ans. About two-thirds have one or more parents, but in al- 
 most every case their parents have taken very little or no care of 
 them. 
 
 Ques. 8. As far as you have experience, what is the origin, or 
 what leads to the commission of offences by boys of those ages? 
 
 Ans. The principal cause of Juvenile Delinquency, is, first, the 
 bad example they have from their parents and guardians; when 
 small, they are allowed to run at large without restraint. No child 
 will be a vagrant, if put and kept steadily to a well-regulated school, 
 biit for a few-years. — But the reason why their parents will not 
 send them, is, the encouragement which our citizens give, (and no 
 doubt from the best motives,) to begging. When a poor child 
 calls at a gentleman's house for a little cold victuals, who can re- 
 fuse, when they have it, and especially, since, if not given it must 
 
 3 
 
18 
 
 be thrown away ? Dut if our citizens were aware of the evil, I am 
 sure they would make a universal stop. I can not learn of one 
 child that has been in the habit of begging, who has not turned out 
 a prostitute, or vagrant; and their begging serves only to keep their 
 parents in idleness and profligacy : for they find it so profitable, 
 that, if they have one or two good begging children, (as they term 
 it,) it is all they want; all they can get by other means, goes for 
 drink. Another cause, is, sending small children round the docks, 
 under the pretence of picking chips, and .whatever they can find ; 
 in peddling small articles onboard of sloops, and through the streets, 
 <fcc. These habits introduce them into bad company, and prove an 
 almost certain cause of their ruin. It is hoped that they may be 
 discountenanced by all good citizens. 
 
 Ques. 9. What proportion of them can read and write, at the 
 time of their committal ? 
 
 Ans. About one in eight. 
 
 Ques. 10. How far are the boys separate from old offenders by 
 day and by night? 
 
 Ans. They are kept entirely separate, except a few who are in 
 the Pin Factory, and they are under the care of a keeper. 
 
 From the exposition thus given of the subjects referred to their 
 consideration, the Committee cannot but indulge the belief, that 
 the inference which will be drawn by every citizen of New-York, 
 from the fact-i now laid before him, will be in perfect accordance 
 with their own, — that it is highly expedient that A House of Re- 
 fuge for Juvenile Delinquents, should, as soon as practicable, 
 be established in the immediate vicinity of this city. 
 
 The subject presents itself to the minds of your Committee, as 
 one of the deepest importance. Such a proposition appears to us 
 to come forward at the present time, clothed with all the authority 
 which can be arrived from considerations not only of humanity, of 
 mercy, of christian tenderness, and parental feeling ; but of a due 
 regard for the honor and reputation of this metropolis. To suffer 
 such a building as the present Bridewell to remain in activity for a 
 single year, after the appalling facts have been fairly disclosed of 
 its total inadequacy to the purposes of such an institution, and the 
 inevitable corruption of our youth, which results day by day, and 
 hour by hour, from its continuance, — what is this but to view with 
 complacency, and even to sanction by our apathy, a school, whose 
 lessons of moral turpitude and of dark iniquity, must assuredly 
 render its pupils adepts in crime, and lost to all rational expecta- 
 tions of happiness as social and accountable beings. What parent 
 or guardian, who has had to contend in the execution of his charge, 
 with the innate perversities of human nature, and to enlist in the 
 struggle between the powers of light and darkness, but must shud- 
 der at the bare possibility, that the child of a near and valued con- 
 nexion, should, through the enticements of wicked associates, 
 chance to fall into the hands of the officers of justice in this city, 
 and be placed as an apprentice in this school ! 
 
 The present is emphatically an age of humanity, — of unusual 
 sympathy, on the part of the wise and virtuous, not only for those 
 who are suffering from the unavoidable calamities of the world, but 
 for those who, untaught and unprotected, are left to struggle with 
 its mauifold temptations. It is a period in which science is display- 
 
19 
 
 ingits vast and increasing resources, not only in the conveniences 
 and embellishments of life, but in advancing the interests of human- 
 ity, and facilitating the means by which men may become wiser and 
 better. Prisons and hospitals have felt and are feeling its benign 
 influence. The diseases of the body and the maladies of the mind, 
 have experienced its relieving hand, — and even the moral disorders 
 of our corrupt nature, have fallen within the circumference of its 
 beneficent energies. Abroad and at home, there is a spirit of more 
 than ordinary benevolence, seeking for the means by which it may 
 invade more effectually, the domains of prejudice and folly, and re- 
 lieve the sufferings which they have entailed for ages upon their 
 victims. In that quarter of the field which it has been our object 
 to explore, much has been done in other places, and unless this city 
 shall speedily renew its efforts, we shall soon be left greatly in the 
 rear in this progress of humanity. 
 
 That the views of your committee, in relation to a House of Re- 
 fuge, are not unsupported by the opinion of many of their fellow - 
 citizens, who have had the most extensive opportunities of forming 
 a correct estimate of its importance, they can confidently affirm. 
 The District Attorney, in reference to a House of Refuge, remarks, 
 in his communication to the committee, " That many of each de- 
 scription might be saved" by it, "from continued transgression, 
 " no one can doubt who will examine the statement which I have 
 "made from the records of the Police Office for 1822. This ab- 
 " stract contains the names of more than four hundred and fifty 
 " persons, male and female, none over the age of 25, many much 
 " younger, and some so young as to be presumed incapable of crime. 
 " Many others not mentioned have been discharged ; from an un- 
 " willingness to imprison, in hope of reformation, or under peculiar 
 "circumstances. Such facts," he adds, "must satisfy every one of 
 " the necessity of a House of Refuge. It would be indeed difficult 
 " to determine who would and who would not be influenced by such 
 " an institution, to leave the paths of vice : unworthy objects might 
 " be received, — imposition practiced ; yet surely out of three or 
 " four hundred miserable beings, some would be found worthy of 
 "protection, and desirous of amendment. 
 
 " Legislative interference must be had to carry into full effect the 
 "objects of your institution. 
 
 " The law under which the Police Magistrates convict as va- 
 " grants, &c, ought to be amended to authorise them in proper ca- 
 " ses, when the culprit consents, to deliver the party to the direc- 
 " tors of the House of Refuge. The court ought to be empowered, 
 " when boys under fourteen shall have been acquitted of a theft, 
 " on account of their tender years to dispose of them in like man- 
 "ner ; always consulting the views of the persons who may have 
 "charge of your proposed institution." Thus far the District At- 
 " torney. 
 
 The keeper of the City Prison (Bridewell,) says in his letter ; 
 " The proposition of the society for erecting a House of Refuge, 
 "meets my warmest approbation. Of the boys who are committed 
 " here, I presume there might be, with care and attention, about 
 " one-third received in a House of Refuge, with hopes of reforma- 
 " tion. The expense of supporting boys in a House of Refuge 
 " would not materially vary from 15 to' 20 cents per day." 
 
20 
 
 The Superintendent of the Bellevue establishment, thus replies 
 
 to the queries of the committee in reference to this immediate ob- 
 ject:— 
 
 Qurs. 11. What is your opinion of the expediency of establish- 
 ing a House of Refuge for Juvenile Delinquents? 
 
 Ans. I believe it feasible and necessary ; or we must continue to 
 have our city thronged with young, idle \agrants. I think it char- 
 itable, humane, and economical. 
 
 Ques. 12. Of the boys who are in general committed to the Pen- 
 itentiary, what proportion do you think might be received into a 
 House of Refuge with a fair prospect of their reformation? 
 
 Ans. I think two-thirds may be made useful to themselves and 
 the public. 
 
 Ques. 13. To what mechanical, or other employments could 
 boys be put, in a House of Refuge, to the most advantage ? 
 
 Ans. What mechanical employment will be the most advantage- 
 ous, it is impossible for me to say. I should however suggest that 
 they be put to different trades as application is offered for their la- 
 bor. 
 
 Ques, 14. Would it be more economical to hire out their servi- 
 ces by contract, to labor in the Establishment, or to procure raw 
 materials, and work them on account of the House of Refuge? 
 
 Ans. I have no doubt that hiring them out by contract would be 
 the most economical. 
 
 Ques. 15. What is the expense of supporting a boy per day in 
 the Penitentiary? 
 
 Ans. About 9 cents per day. 
 
 Ques. 16. What do you think would be the expense of support- 
 ing them in a House of Refuge? 
 
 Ans. In a Temporary Refuge it will cost at least 12 cents per 
 day, but in a Permanent, I should hope they would maintain them- 
 selves. 
 
 Ques. 17. Would it be necessary to deprive them of their liberty 
 by restraints of walls or otherwise ? 
 
 Ans. They must be kept secure until the keeper and committee 
 are well acquainted with their wishes and character. 
 
 Ques. 18. What proportion of them do you think would con- 
 sent to be bound by indentures to go to sea, or to the country. 
 
 Ans. They will all consent ; that must be left to the judgment 
 of the committee. 
 
 In answer to your general inquiry, I should suggest a Tempora- 
 ry and a Permanent Refuge : the Temporary to receive all Juve- 
 nile Offenders — to contain separate apartments for Classification ; 
 there to have them taught and employed at such trades as may be 
 found convenient, and not burthensome, with proper rewards and 
 punishments, and from these bind out all that after a proper ac- 
 quaintance with their characters and wishes, give a reasonable hope 
 of reformation, to merchants, farmers, or as seamen; with an as- 
 surance, if they should behave improperly again, they will have to 
 go into the Permanent Refuge. 
 
 The Permanent Refuge should receive all those in whom there i3 
 no reasonable hope of reformation, and those that should return to 
 bad practices, after being put out of the Temporary Refuge ; these 
 
21 
 
 should be taught such trades as will be found most useful and con- 
 venient, as applications may offer. 
 July 3, 1823. 
 
 Thus supported in their views of the importance of a House of 
 Refuge, by a mass of interesting facts, and by men, whose oppor- 
 tunities of practical information and judgment entitle their opinions 
 to much respect, the committee cannot but indulge the belief, that 
 the proposition of the society will meet with the prompt and cor- 
 dial support of their fellow-citizens, with the unhesitating patronage 
 of the Corporation, and the approval of the Legislature. It re- 
 mains for them to state more particularly their views of the plan 
 of such an institution, and to enter into a few details, relative to its 
 arrangement, and to advert to the success which has been obtained 
 in some other countries, in the erection and progress of similar es- 
 tablishments. 
 
 The design of the proposed institution is, to furnish, in the first 
 place t an asylum, in which boys under a certain age, who become 
 subject to the notice of our Police, either as vagrants, or houseless, 
 or charged with petty crimes, may be received, judiciously classed 
 according to their degrees of depravity or innocence, put to work 
 at such employments as will tend to encourage industry and ingen- 
 uity, taught reading, writing, and arithmetic, and most carefully in- 
 structed in the nature of their moral and religious obligations, while 
 at the same time, they are subjected to a course of treatment, that 
 will afford a prompt and energetic corrective of their vicious pro- 
 pensities, and hold out every possible inducement to reformation 
 and good conduct. It will undoubtedly happen, that among boys 
 collected from such sources, there will be some, whose habits and 
 propensities are of the most unpromising description. Such boys, 
 when left to run at large in the city, become the pests of society, 
 and spread corruption wherever they go. To expect the reforma- 
 tion of such, by the ordinary chances of Sunday schools, churches, 
 or admonitions from Magistrates, would be vain and fruitless. 
 There may be some, who, in the best regulated institution, would 
 prove altogether incorrigible. But if placed in a situation in which 
 their dress, their food, their labor, their privations, and enjoyments, 
 are all made to depend on their conduct ; and in which every im- 
 portant step in the progress of improvements, advances them into 
 a better class, and greater comforts, — when they learn to know 
 that a daily register is made of their conduct, that this register is 
 inspected by the governors of the institution, and by respectable 
 visiters, — that the public eye is thus fixed upon them, and their fu- 
 ture welfare has become the subject of public concern — is it not 
 probable that in a majority of cases, the latent sparks of emulation 
 may be elicited, and fanned into a goodly desire that they may yet 
 live to honor their country, and to reward the assiduity which thus 
 labors to save them ? Such an institution w ould, in time, exhibit 
 scarcely any other than the character of a decent school and man- 
 ufactory. It need not be invested with the insignia of a prison. 
 It should be surrounded only w 7 ith a high fence, like many facto- 
 ries in the neighborhood of cities, and carefully closed in front. 
 Second. — In addition to the class of boys just mentioned, the com- 
 mittee have no doubt that w r ere such an institution once well estab- 
 lished, and put under good regulation, the Magistrates would very 
 
22 
 
 often deem it expedient to place offenders in the hands of its Man- 
 agers, rather than to sentence them to the City Penitentiary. The 
 gradations of crime are almost infinite; and so minute are the shades 
 of guilt, so remote, or so intimate the connexion between legal 
 criminality, and previous character, it would often be judged rea- 
 sonable to use all the discretion which the law would possibly ad- 
 mit, in deciding upon the offence and the destination of juvenile de- 
 linquents; and every principle of justice and mercy, would point, 
 in numerous cases of conviction for crime to such a refuge and re- 
 formatory, rather than to the Bridewell or City Prison. 
 
 A third class which it might be very proper to transplant to such 
 an establishment, and to distribute through its better divisons, are 
 boys, (some of whom are of tender age,) whose parents, either 
 from vice or indolence, are careless of their minds and morals, and 
 leave them exposed in rags and filth, to miserable and scanty fare, 
 destitute of education, and liable to become the prey of criminal 
 associates. Many of such parents would probably be willing to in- 
 denture their children to the managers of a House of Refuge ; and 
 far better would it be for these juvenile sufferers, that they should 
 be thus rescued from impending ruin. The laws of this state, do 
 not, as in Massachusetts and some other places, authorize magis- 
 trates to use compulsory measures with parents who thus grossly 
 abuse their charge, and, at the same time, absolutely refuse to re- 
 sign their children to the hands of the guardians of the poor ; but 
 it is surely presumable, that were suitable provision made for the 
 economical support and instruction of such children, a law for this 
 purpose might readily be obtained. 
 
 There is still a fourth description of youthful delinquents for 
 whom the contemplated establishment would afford a most season- 
 able and essential refuge from almost inevitable suffering and dete- 
 rioration: that is those youthful convicts, who, on their discharge 
 from prison, at the expiration of their sentence, finding themselves 
 without character, without subsistence, and ignorant of the means 
 by which it is to be sought, have no alternative but to beg or steal. 
 They may, perhaps, be provided for at the Aims-House during a 
 few days, or they may receive the admonitions and advice of the 
 superintendents how to conduct themselves, but this can avail them 
 but little, and with their previous habits unaltered, and their vicious 
 propensities aggravated by corrupt intercourse, they again become 
 depredators, and are again consigned to the same, or to some other 
 prison, and most probably under a different name. Your commit- 
 tee, cannot but consider a House of Refuge for such outcasts from 
 society as a desideratum called for by every principle of humanity 
 and christian benevolence. Here they will be put to work, and 
 treated acoording to their dispositions and behavior; their capaci- 
 ties for useful service will become known; habits of industry will 
 be acquired; moral precepts will be implanted ; and suitable places 
 will be eventually obtained for them, in which they may have eve- 
 ry opportunity of becoming honest and useful members of the com- 
 munity. 
 
 There remains to be noticed but one more class, for whom a 
 House of Industry and Correction, under the management we con- 
 template, would be an appropriate place for reformation and im- 
 provement. We allude to that class of delinquent females, who 
 
23 
 
 are either too young; to have acquired habits of fixed depravity, or 
 those whose lives have in general been virtuous, but who, having 
 yielded to the seductive influence of corrupt associates, have sud- 
 denly to endure the bitterness of lost reputation, and are cast for- 
 lorn and destitute upon a cold and unfeeling public, full of com- 
 punction for their errors, and anxious to be restored to the paths 
 of innocence and usefulness. That there are many females of ten- 
 der age just in those predicaments in this city, none can doubt who 
 surveys the list of last year's culprits, furnished by the District At- 
 torney. In this list, are the names of thirteen females, of 14 years 
 of age, fourteen others of 15 and 16, and about forty of 17 and 18. 
 The ages of a considerable number in this appalling catalogue have 
 not been inserted, and it is by no means to be supposed that even 
 a majority of those unhappy females who are in the predicament 
 we have alluded to, have become the subjects of police investiga- 
 tion. 
 
 It is very far from the intention of the Committee, to propose, 
 that the contemplated Refuge should become the receptacle of fe- 
 males whose ages and habitudes in the paths of guilt, render their 
 restoration to society a question of dubious result. However de- 
 sirable it may be, that an institution should be formed for the spe- 
 cial purpose of affording the means of reformation, to those who 
 are sincerely desirous to abandon a life of such debasement and 
 wretchedness, we have no hesitation in expressing the belief, that 
 it ought to be altogether detached from every other concern, and 
 conducted by a separate association, and with the most prudent at- 
 tention to delicacy and retirement. But within the ages and under 
 the circumstances we have alluded to, it is our decided opinion, — 
 an opinion founded not only upon the reasonableness of the propo- 
 sition, but upon the result of similar institutions in Europe, that 
 destitute females might form one department of the establishment, 
 with the greatest benefit to themselves, and with advantage to the 
 institution. Occupying apartments entirely distinct from those of 
 the other sex, and separated from them by impassable barriers, the 
 females might contribute, by their labor, to promote the interests 
 of the establishment, and at the same time, derive from it their full 
 and appropriate share of benefit. On this point, however, the Com- 
 mittee only mean to express their opinion, without urging it as an 
 indispensable part of the concern. 
 
 The idea suggested by the Superintendent of the Aims-House 
 of two distinct institutions, a Permanent and a Temporary Refuge, 
 seems naturally to have sprung from the consideration of a distinc- 
 tion which will doubtless be found to prevail among the inmates 
 of such a Penitentiary, viz. — a separation of those who are obvi- 
 ously susceptible of reformation, from those whose vicious pro- 
 pensities appear to be incorrigible. But we do not conceive it ne- 
 cessary to carry this principle to the length of having two distinct 
 erections ; — nor is it apprehended that two classes will by any means 
 be sufficient. Even if there should be no more than forty or fifty 
 inmates of the House of Refuge, we believe that there ought to be 
 at least six classes, in order to form such a separation of character, 
 and establish such a gradation of treatment, as to afford a perpetual 
 and powerful stimulus to improvement and reformation. We would 
 make a distinction in each of these classes in their dress, diet, lodg- 
 
24 
 
 ing, hours oflabor, recreation, &c, and we doubt not that these 
 and other modes of treatment, would be found quite sufficient to 
 break down the most stubborn dispositions, without having recourse 
 to flagellation, or other personally degrading modes of punishment. 
 The middling and lower classes, should in no wise differ in appear- 
 ance from a decent and well ordered school and manufactory. But 
 we should rely above all in the reformation of our subjects, upon a 
 careful, unabated, and judicious course of moral and religious in- 
 struction. The Bible should become familiar, — the admirable 
 events which it records, and the Divine precepts which it contains, 
 should be the subject not merely of weekly but of daily enforce- 
 ment; and, in order to render the moral and also the economical 
 government of the institution more efficient, your committee would 
 strongly recommend that a suitable number of ladies should be ap- 
 pointed to take a share in its administration. Of the special and 
 very important advantages of associating the skill, the discretion, 
 the tenderness, and fidelity of females, in concerns of this nature, 
 we have not the least doubt. In those countries of Europe, in 
 which penitentiary institutions, and establishments for the support 
 of the poor, are under the best management, women aie associated 
 in the direction. In Holland, there is not, perhaps, an alms-house, 
 or a house of correction, in which the females do not take an active 
 share; and in no part of the world, it is believed, are the concerns 
 of charity, and economical government more wisely managed. In 
 England, Scotland, and Ireland also, since the illustrious example 
 of Mrs. Fry and her associates in Newgate, the humane design of 
 ladies' associations has been greatly encouraged, and accordingly 
 we are informed by the late reports, that female visiting committees 
 have been formed in the prisons at Bedford, Bristol, Carlisle, Ches- 
 ter, Colchester, Derby, Durham, Dumfries, Exeter, Glasgow, 
 Lancaster, Liverpool, Nottingham, Plymouth, York, and Dub- 
 lin. 
 
 The Committee would therefore deem themselves very deficient, 
 did they not hold up, in a prominent point of view, the benefits to 
 be derived from an enlistment of the services of judicious females 
 in this moral warfare against the vices of society ; • and they would 
 beg leave further to express the opinion, that if an association of 
 ladies were once formed for this purpose, essential benefits might 
 result from inviting them to appoint a committee for the regular 
 visitation and inspection of our City Penitentiary and Aims- 
 House. Their influence and assistance would, we presume, prove 
 acceptable and grateful to the superintendents of those depart- 
 ments. 
 
 The introduction of labor would constitute an important feature 
 in the concern, not only as a means of diminishing its expense and 
 promoting its moral influence, but in order to supply its subjects 
 with that instruction and with those habits which would enable 
 them, on leaving the house, to procure a decent and honest liveli- 
 hood. Various kinds of manufactories and trades might, doubt- 
 less, be introduced with advantage, and experience would soon 
 enable the managers to decide upon the most profitable and eli- 
 gible. 
 
 Although we are not apprised of there being any where in the 
 United States, a House of Refuge established and conducted upon 
 
25 
 
 the principles now proposed ; yet h is known to your Committee 
 that philanthropic individuals, in various places, have deemed such 
 an establishment a desideratum in each of our large cities. In Bos- 
 ton there is an institution approximating in its object, to that un- 
 der consideration. It consists of a house, to which are sent those 
 children, whose parents, through culpable and vicious neglect, 
 leave them to roam through the streets untaught and unprotected. 
 By the laws of Massachusetts, children thus neglected, may be ta- 
 ken from their parents, at the discretion of persons duly authori- 
 sed, and placed at school, or at trades with suitable masters. In 
 this asylum, their time is divided between the exercises of a school 
 and manufactory, and when they have attained to a sufficient de- 
 gree of skill and learning, places are obtained for them as appren- 
 tices at some useful art or trade. 
 
 But London and Dublin afford examples, quite in unison with 
 that which your Committee is anxious to see erected in this city. 
 In London there are several establishments of this nature, but the 
 one instituted in the borough, appears to come nearest in its gene- 
 ral system to that which we would recommend. It "originated 
 from the extent of Juvenile Depredations in the metropolis, and 
 from a desire to ascertain the causes and arrest the progress of this 
 great and growing evil. A large committee is appointed who meet 
 every fortnight ; and sub-committees, with confidential agents, are 
 employed to investigate the cases of individuals, and to register the 
 particulars. The building consists, first of a range of workshops of 
 one floor, upwards of 500 feet in length, under which is a rope- 
 walk, where every kind of lines, twines, and cord are manufactu- 
 red ; secondly, of a separate enclosure, used as a house of probation 
 or reform, for the criminal classes of boys ; thirdly, of a similar 
 receptacle for the same description of girls fourthly, of a chapel 
 for religious worship ; fifthly, of an eating-room, and also for an 
 evening school-room ; sixthly, of a warehouse, for the reception, 
 delivery, and sale of the manufactured articles; seventhly, of the 
 general kitchen, bakehouse, and dormitories; and, lastly, of the re- 
 quisite accommodations for the superintendents. The quality of 
 the food is proportioned to the gains of the youth, or the hardness 
 of their labour. The boys are bound apprentices for a certain 
 number of years to the master workmen employed within the in- 
 stitution. They have a particular dress, and a badge, which is left 
 off after a certain period. The hours of work are from six in the 
 morning till six in the evening in summer, and from day light till' 
 half past seven in winter. The school is open four evenings in the 
 week for reading, writing, and arithmetic. The elder boys are al- 
 lowed to go out one day in the month, and the younger, one day 
 in three months, to return before dark. If any one escapes and is 
 retaken, he is treated as a refractory apprentice. The task assign- 
 ed, is such as can easily be performed ; and of the extra labor, one- 
 half is allowed as a reward, a small part being given in money, and 
 the rest placed to his credit, to be paid at the end of his appren- 
 ticeship. Work of almost every trade is done by the boys. The 
 girls are employed in making, mending, and washing the boys' 
 clothes, and in different kinds of needle-work; and at the age oi 
 about 16, they are placed out as house servants, receiving a quar- 
 terly gratuity afterwards for good behavior during a certain period. 
 
 * 
 
26 
 
 There are about 200 boys and girls in the place, and the result, as 
 to conduct is extremely gratifying." 
 
 Some modifications of this plan would be requisite to adapt it to 
 the local circumstances of this city; but in its general character it 
 exhibits a cheering evidence of the blessings which flow from well- 
 directed efforts to inure young people to habits of industry, reg- 
 ularity, sobriety, and morality. One of your Committee who went 
 through the various wards of this institution, confirms the account 
 which has been here given. The cheerful animation of the youth- 
 ful laborers, and the neatness of their manufactured articles, were, 
 in the highest degree, encouraging. "Who can duly appreciate the 
 importance of taking from the streets, boys who are under no pa- 
 rental or guardian control, who are "exposed to every temptation, 
 "addicted to every vice, ignorant of all that is good, and trained by 
 " their associates to the perpetration of every crime;" and training 
 them during several years in such an institution, and then providing 
 them with situations, in which their corrected habits will, in all 
 probability, render them examples worthy of the imitation of others? 
 
 The annual reports of the committee detail at length, numerous 
 striking cases of the efficacy of this Refuge, in producing an entire 
 change in the character of individual boys and girls, and their ob- 
 taining situations of comfort and respectability.* 
 
 "They are," they observe, "more happy to allude to the suc- 
 " cess of this establishment in reclaiming the youthful character, as 
 " much difficulty is stated to be felt in managing juvenile offenders 
 "in ordinary prisons. But boys in fact require a species of disci- 
 " pline distinct from that of men ; and as the gaols of the metropo- 
 lis, from their crowded state and imperfect construction, do not 
 "admit, without considerable alterations, of such arrangements as 
 "are necessary to reclaim these delinquents, it becomes of great 
 "importance, that, at a period when crime is making such rapid 
 " progress among the rising generation, a prison should be built 
 " solely for the confinement of such offenders. It is not the wish 
 " of the Committee that one of these boys should escape correction; 
 " on the contrary, they would inflict a punishment that would be 
 " severely felt as such, but of an opposite character and tendency 
 "from that now experienced; imprisonment in the gaols of the 
 "metropolis, being at present regarded by youthful criminals, with 
 " comparative indifference." 
 
 It will doubtless be acknowledged by the society, that these im- 
 portant truths apply, with almost equal pertinency, to the state of 
 the prisons and of juvenile criminality in the city of New-York ; 
 and our authorities and our citizens at large, may echo the senti- 
 ment contained in another part of the same report, that, " it is the 
 " ordination of Divine Wisdom that man cannot suffer from the neg- 
 lect of man, without mutual injury ; and, by a species of moral 
 " retribution, society is punished by the omission of its duties to the 
 "ignorant and the guilty. The renewed depredations of the offen- 
 " der when discharged from confinement, the crimes which he pro- 
 " pagates by his seduction and influence, spread pollution among 
 " all with whom he associates, and the number of offenders thus 
 "become indefinitely multiplied." 
 
 • See Appendix B. 
 
27 
 
 From the views which they have thus laid before the society, 
 your Committee cannot but cherish the lively expectation, that 
 when the public mind comes to be impressed with the nature and 
 importance of these various considerations, there will be but one 
 opinion of the necessity and expediency of providing a place in this 
 city, which shall serve as a real penitentiary to the younger class 
 of offenders ; as a refuge for the forlorn and destitute, who are on 
 the confines of gross criminality; and as a temporary retreat for 
 the discharged criminal, where he may find shelter, labor, and reli- 
 gious instruction, until someway can be pointed out to him of ob- 
 taining subsistence, without a recurrence to dishonesty and crime. 
 If the actual situation of these several classes of criminal and des- 
 titute beings in this city, does not open a door for christian benev- 
 olence, as inviting in its promises of good, as any of the various 
 kinds of charity, either at home or abroad which claim the atten- 
 tion of our citizens, your Committee think they might in vain seek 
 to explore the miseries of their fellow-creatures, with the hope of 
 exciting the feelings of commiseration, and the energies of active 
 and unwearied humanity. Can it be right that we should extend 
 our views to the wants of those that are thousands of miles from 
 us, and close our eyes upon the condition of the worse than heathen, 
 that wander in our streets ?— Shall our hands be opened, with dis- 
 tinguished liberality, to the means of civilizing and reforming whole 
 
 S3 J » S3 S3 
 
 nations in the remotest quarters of the globe, and closed to the ob- 
 vious necessities of the outcasts of our own society? Your Com- 
 mittee mean no reflection whatever on the schemes so actively 
 prosecuted of doing good in distant parts of the earth; — but surely, 
 if this we ought to do, the other we ought not to leave undone. 
 
 "We venture upon those remarks, under the strongest impression 
 of the importance of the subject upon which we have undertaken 
 to dilate. Much more might be said in the way of elucidation and 
 argument, but this is deemed unnecessary : and we cannot terminate 
 our report more to the satisfaction of our own minds, than by quo- 
 ting the conclusion of the last year's report of the London Com- 
 mittee for the improvement of Prison Discipline and the reforma- 
 tion of Juvenile Offenders. "We live in times in which extraor- 
 " dinary efforts are in action for the moral welfare of mankind ; 
 "when the state of Europe opens channels of extensive usefulness, 
 "and presents occasions for immediate exertion, which could 
 "scarcely have been anticipated, and which it would be criminal 
 " to neglect. There seems, too, at the present time, to prevail 
 " among the benevolent of different nations, a unity of thought and 
 "design, which cannot fail to strike a considerate beholder: and 
 " he must be dead to sensibility, who can contemplate, without 
 " emotion, the intercourse which now subsists between men of va- 
 "rious countries who are laboring for the public good, and whom 
 "national differences have too long kept asunder. Enlightened 
 " principles and practical benevolence are taking deep root. Ar- 
 "sociations, originating in public feeling and sanctioned by public 
 " authority, are forming in countries, where co-operation in deeds 
 " of mercy, has hitherto been but little known. The moral effects 
 " of these institutions will be vast, and indeed incalculable not only 
 "by the accomplishment of that which it is their professed object 
 " to promote ; but such associations call into action the latent seeds 
 
28 
 
 *« of public virtue, — bring together the pious and the good of every 
 •« religious sentiment and political opinion, and eradicate those pre- 
 judices which too often alienate affection, and separate man from 
 " man. In the exercise of their duties, prison societies bring into 
 " benevolent contact the educated and the enlightened, with the 
 "ignorant and the debased; the great and the powerful, with the 
 " lowly and the oppressed ; the pure and the elevated, with the ab- 
 ject and the guilty. They supply an important chasm in the 
 " widely extended circle of human charities ; connecting those who 
 " most need, with those who most effectually can dispense mercy. 
 " To behold nation after nation thus catching the spirit, and enga- 
 " ged in the arduous struggle, of self-improvement ; to, trace the 
 " progress of civilization and refinement, by the establishment of 
 " institutions which have for their direct object the reformation of 
 "the vicious and the succour of the oppressed; to observe the rig- 
 " or of antiquated custom, and the relics of barbarism yielding be- 
 " fore the advancement of knowledge, and the humanizing influence 
 *' of christian principles — this is a moral spectacle which it is indeed 
 " a privilege to witness, and in which it is a glory to share. 
 
 " To diffuse principles, and cherish feelings, which are directly 
 " calculated to insure respect and obedience to the laws — meliorate 
 " the state of society, and promote the present and eternal well- 
 -being of man — is the aim of the society for the improvement of 
 " Prison Discipline ; and surely an object of greater importance 
 " cannot engage the attention or impress the heart. Of the various 
 " obligations due to the community, the prevention of crime, may 
 "be ranked among the most sacred : — whether regarded as a duty 
 "enjoined by religion, urged by enlightened policy, or impelled by 
 "benevolent feeling, it is one which involves the great interests of 
 "human nature, and demands exertions from which no man is enti- 
 " tied to consider himself exempt.' 1 
 
 ASSUME 
 A. 
 
 The following list is extracted from the four hundred and fifty 
 cases of Juvenile Offences, furnished by the District Attorney, 
 from the Records of the Police Office, for 1822. 
 
 Henry H. aged 15, came out of Bridewell, now charged with 
 stealing, vagrant thief; sentence 6 months to the Penitentiary, 
 
 David B. aged 12, brought up by the watch, charged with steal- 
 ing, vagrant thief; 6 months Penitentiary. 
 
 William H. goes about begging, no home or business, a vagrant; 
 6 months Penitentiary. 
 
 John T. aged 12, no parents, boards with a woman in Thomas- 
 street, cannot tell her name, came from Newburgh a week ago, arres- 
 ted in coming out of a house where he went to steal, vagrant thief; 
 6 months Penitentiary. 
 
 Henry M. aged 12, no place to live at, goes out to beg, charged 
 with stealing fat, vagrant thief; 6 months Penitentiary. 
 
29 
 
 Joseph P. aged 13, no parents, no home, goes a begging, char- 
 ged with stealing, vagrant thief; 6 months Penitentiary. 
 
 Oliver R. aged 14, father lives in Flushing, stays with a woman 
 in Mulberry-street, no home ; vagrant thief; 6 months Peniten- 
 tiary. 
 
 George D. aged 14, father dead, mother in Baltimore, picks up 
 chips, begs for victuals, and steals, vagrant thief; 6 months Peni- 
 tentiary. 
 
 Thomas Y. and James M'D. boys, wandering about idle, no home, 
 and thieves; 6 months Penitentiary. 
 
 Thomas H. C. aged 12, father is dead, mother lives at service, 
 never went to school, been twice in Bridewell, once in Penitentiary, 
 charged with stealing ; 6 months Penitentiary. 
 
 Martha Van C. aged 22, taken up by the watch, out of Peniten- 
 tiary last week, often in Bridewell, three or four times in the Pen- 
 itentiary, no means of living, a vagrant; 6 months Penitentiary. 
 
 Eliza M. aged 15, has no parents, came out of Penitentiary in 
 December last, been there twice, charged with stealing; 4 months 
 in the Penitentiary. 
 
 Hetty S. aged 13, goes to beg, found in a house with another 
 stealing; 6 months Penitentiary. 
 
 Francis J. aged 17, has no money, no clothes, no residence; 4 
 months Penitentiary. 
 
 Jacob B. aged 17, came out of the Penitentiary in October last, 
 is now indicted for burglary: 6 months Penitentiary. 
 
 Jane Ann S. aged 14, has been twice in Bridewell; 6 months 
 Penitentiary. 
 
 Alexander G. aged 18, no occupation, no particular place of 
 abode, vagrant thief; 6 months Penitentiary. 
 
 Peter W. and John W. ages 19, both noted vagrants, and idlers, 
 vagrant thieves; 6 months Penitentiary. 
 
 Phebe Ann M. aged 19, no honest means of living; 60 days City 
 Prison. 
 
 Mary Ann T. aged 18, has no honest means of support; 60 days 
 City Prison. 
 
 John C. aged 19, no particular place of residence, charged with 
 stealing; 60 days City Prison. 
 
 Samuel S. aged 14, has no means of support, came out of the 
 Aims-House, vagrant; 6 months Penitentiary. 
 
 Sally B. brought up by the watch, was taken from under the 
 stoop of the Aims-House ; 60 days City Prison. 
 
 John B. brought up by the watch, has no place of residence, and 
 is very filthy. 
 
 Hannah M. has no home, and has lodged in the watch-house for 
 two nights past; 60 days City Prison. 
 
 George, alias Rodolph T. aged 19, has no particular place to live 
 at, no money, no clothes, charged with stealing ; 6 months in the 
 Penitentiary. 
 
 Alfred C. aged IS, was brought up, having been found sleeping 
 in some shavings, destitute, and no home ; 6 months Penitentiary. 
 
 Samuel C. was found drunk in the street, without clothes to 
 cover his nakedness, no means, no money; 60 days City Prison. 
 
 Jane B. aged 18, came from the Penitentiary a year ago; 6 
 months Penitentiary. 
 
30 
 
 Thomas P. aged 15, has just come out of Bridewell, has been in 
 the Penitentiary, has no particular place to live at; 6 months Pen- 
 itentiary. 
 
 Charles M., John B. and Jacob B., ages 14, were found sleeping 
 at night in a boat, no homes, no parents ; 6 months Penitentiary. 
 
 William S. aged 11, his father turned him out of the house, was 
 found sleeping in a boat at night; 6 months Penitentiary. 
 
 Sophia H. aged 14 years, was charged with stealing,, goes about 
 begging, has been in Bridewell 6 times, no means ; 6 months Peni- 
 tentiary. 
 
 Alexander C. has no money, no business, just come out of prison, 
 no particular place to sleep at; 6 months Penitentiary. 
 
 Etienne S. aged 21, came from Canada five months ago, first of- 
 fence, has no place to live at ; 60 days City Prison. 
 
 Rachel S. aged 18, has no particular place to live at, is poor and 
 ragged, was found in the street, said she was sick ; 3 months Peni- 
 tentiary. 
 
 Susan J. aged 18, has no home or means of taking care of her- 
 self, very filthy, and nearly naked ; 3 months Penitentiary. 
 
 Mary B. aged 16, has been a vagrant about two years; 30 days 
 City Prison. 
 
 Harriet B. aged 18, has no Clothes, most of those on her back 
 are borrowed ; 60 days City Prison. 
 
 Edward Van C. aged 13, was found at night sleeping on the side- 
 walk, has been once in Bridewell, no parents ; 6 months Peniten- 
 tiary. 
 
 John H. aged 13, was found at night sleeping on the side-walk, 
 no parents ; 6 months Penitentiary. 
 
 Lueinda D. aged 16, came out of Bridewell about two months 
 ago, is a prostitute, no home ; 6 months Penitentiary. 
 
 Robert T. a boy, brought up charged with stealing, has been in 
 Bridewell and Penitentiary, no home ; 6 months Penitentiary. 
 
 John C. aged 14, has no parents, was found sleeping in a yard 
 on some shavings; 6 months Penitentiary. 
 
 Maria W. aged 18, lives with her parents at the Hook, has been 
 a prostitute for six months ; 4 months Penitentiary, &c. &c. &c. 
 
 ->» i g in » ' 
 
 B. 
 
 EXTRACTED FROM THE LONDON REPORTS, 
 
 TEMPORARY REFUGE. 
 
 The following Cases are given, as an outline of the description of 
 characters which have been relieved by the Committee : — 
 
 1. — A. B. aged fourteen, was discharged from the New Prison, 
 Clerkenwell. When received under the care of the Society, he had 
 been in the commission of crime for. eight months. During this 
 period, he had plundered to a considerable amount, and had been 
 engaged in purchasing and passing forged notes, picking pockets, 
 and shop-lifting. He was in the Temporary Refuge for four 
 
31 
 
 months, and his conduct satisfied the Committee of the sincerity of 
 his professions, and the earnestness of his desire to amend his life. 
 He was consequently admitted into the Permanent Establishment, 
 where his conduct continued to afford great satisfaction. He was 
 discharged to his father-in-law, who is by trade a weaver, and who 
 is teaching the lad his own trade. The accounts of his conduct are 
 extremely favourable, and such as to justify the expectation, that 
 he will become an honest and industrious member of society. 
 
 2. — C. D. aged seventeen, was discharged from the Borough 
 Compter. He had been apprenticed to a paper-stainer, but having 
 misconducted himself, left his master, and engaged himself as a gen- 
 tleman's servant. He was tried in Horsemonger-lane, for stealing 
 lead, in company with other bad characters, and sentenced to one 
 month's imprisonment. When in his master's service, he de- 
 frauded him to a considerable amount. On the discharge of the 
 boy from prison, he applied to one of the visiters of the Society, who 
 placed him in the Temporary Refuge, where his general conduct 
 and demeanor have given general satisfaction. He has been bound 
 apprentice for seven years: and the accounts received of his con- 
 duct are very favourable. 
 
 S. — E. F. aged twelve, was discharged from the Borough Comp- 
 ter. The father of this youth deserted his wife, and left her with 
 five children to maintain, entirely destitute. This boy defrauded 
 his mother, from whom he stole the implements of trade, which 
 his father had left at home. For this offence, his mother caused 
 him to be committed to the Borough Compter for a week. On his 
 discharge, he was admitted into the Temporary Refuge, and after 
 conducting himself with propriety for six months, he was received 
 into the Permanent Establishment. He has been bound appren- 
 tice to a captain in the merchant service, and has lately returned 
 from a voyage of eight months, and presented himself to the com- 
 mittee, with an excellent character from his master. 
 
 4. — J. S. aged fourteen. This youth has been for eight months 
 engaged in the commission of crime, during which time he had 
 plundered and defrauded to a great amount. He had been engaged 
 in purchasing and passing forged notes, shoplifting, picking pock- 
 ets, &c. After having been four months in the Temporary Ref- 
 uge, he was admitted into the Permanent Establishment, where he 
 made considerable progress as a tailor. He has since been given 
 up to his father-in-law, a weaver, who is teaching him his own 
 trade, and reports to the Committee that he is going on very well, 
 and conducts himself with great propriety. 
 
 5. — B. M. aged sixteen. This youth was about three years in 
 the service of different gentlemen as a footboy. After having left 
 his last place, he was taken up for picking pockets, tried at New- 
 gate, and sentenced to six months imprisonment in the House of 
 Correction, Cold Bath Fields. He is now in the Permanent Estab- 
 lishment, making considerable progress in his trade as a tailor, and 
 conducts himself with great propriety. 
 
 6. — W. V. aged seventeen. This lad was apprenticed to a 
 paper-stainer for some time, and afterwards engaged as a gentle- 
 man's servant. He was tried at Horsemonger-lane for stealing 
 lead, in company with some other lads, and sentenced to one 
 month's imprisonment, and to be flogged. Whilst in the employ- 
 
32 
 
 ment of one of his masters, he defrauded him to a consider- 
 able amount, but for this offence he was not tried. He was in the 
 Establishment for three months, and gave great satisfaction by his 
 general conduct and demeanor. He was then bound apprentice 
 for seven years to a merchant in Honduras, and the account both 
 from himself and others, as to his industry and integrity, is very 
 satisfactory. 
 
 7. — J. S. aged sixteen, is a natural child ; he never knew his 
 father, and his mother has been dead for some years. He was in 
 three several employments ; the first with a stationer, where he 
 learnt part of the business, and in the two others as an errand boy. 
 Unfortunately for him, two of his emyloyers became bankrupts, 
 and upon the failure of the last, this lad was thrown upon the town 
 completely destitute. He then fell into evil courses, and was im- 
 prisoned twice ; once for passing forged notes, and the second for 
 picking a gentleman's pocket. Upon his discharge from Newgate, 
 he solicited admission into the Temporary Refuge, and after re- 
 maining there four months, was received into the Permanent Es- 
 tablishment. He is now engaged in the book-binding department, 
 where he takes a leading part, and bids fair to be a useful and res- 
 pectable member of society. 
 
 8. — J. W, aged sixteen. His father is a schoolmaster, and in 
 consequence of the misconduct of the lad, who had become con- 
 nected with some bad boys, he turned him out of doors, about a 
 year before he solicited an asylum in the Temporary Refuge. 
 From that period until his admission, he was engaged in the com- 
 mission of crime, and was twice in Newgate, but was discharged the 
 last time by proclamation, none appearing against him ; from the 
 Temporary Refuge he was received into the Permanent Establish- 
 ment, where he behaves very well, and is making considerable 
 progress in his trade of a shoe-maker. 
 
 9. — R. aged eighteen. This lad was received into the Tem- 
 porary Refuge, upon the recommendation of the Sheriffs of Lon- 
 don. He had wandered from the paths of rectitude twelve months 
 before he was received, six months of which had been passed in 
 prison. He behaved orderly and well whilst in the Establishment, 
 and as there was every reason to believe that he might be trusted 
 again in the world, he was recommended to a captain of an East 
 Indiaman, and is now on his voyage. 
 
 10. — R. I. aged twelve years, Both the parents of this boy are 
 dead. He was for some time in the work-house of his parish, from 
 whence he was placed out as an errand boy. In this situation he 
 robbed his master of a one pound note, and was sent to prison for 
 two days by the magistrates. He was recommended to the Tem- 
 porary Refuge, and pity being taken upon his destitute situation, 
 he was immediately received. He is now in the Permanent Estab- 
 lishment, and has made good progress in his trade. He conducts 
 himself perfectly well, and there is every reason to expect that he 
 will turn out an honest and useful man. 
 
 11. — J. H. aged twenty; this young man was in the navy for 
 two years as servant to a warrant officer. Having obtained his 
 discharge, he was employed in different situations, and latterly as 
 a potboy in different public houses. Having embezzled some 
 property belonging to the master whom he last served, he was» ap- 
 
33 
 
 prehended, but discharged upon trial, in consequence of a flaw in 
 the indictment. He solicited admission into the Temporary Ref- 
 uge, and after having conducted himself very well there for some 
 time, was placed on board a ship bound to India, and is now on 
 his voyage. 
 
 12. — M. C. aged twenty-five ; a man of colour, was born in Ja- 
 maica, and had been in England fifteen years. He lived nine years 
 in the family of the gentleman who brought him to this country, 
 and five years in another gentleman's service. He embezzled 
 some wearing apparel of his last master, who immediately dis- 
 missed him from his service, but did not prosecute him. After be- 
 ing in some other employment, he was apprehended for theft, and 
 sent to prison. From thence he was received into the Refuge, and 
 when an opportunity offered, was placed aboard a ship in the coal 
 trade. With this situation he was not satisfied; but his first mas- 
 ter having met with him, and feeling convinced that he was a re- 
 formed character, he has taken him into his service again, and he 
 is now on his voyage to India with him. 
 
 IS. — J. A. aged sixteen. This lad is entirely destitute, having 
 no father or mother, or any friend who could assist him. He was 
 twice imprisoned, first for a petty theft, and the second time as a 
 vagrant. After having been six months in the Temporary Refuge, 
 he was admitted into the Permanent Establishment, where he is 
 now occupied in the shoemaker's shop. He conducts himself very 
 well, and is making a good progress in his trade. 
 
 14. — W. B. aged fourteen ; this lad was corrupted by some bad 
 boys in the neighborhood where his parents resided. They per- 
 suaded him to abscond from his home ; and by them he was initia- 
 ted into the ways of vice. After having been a short time in 
 prison, he was received into this Establishment. Having expressed 
 a wish to go to sea, he was sent on a voyage in the merchant ser- 
 vice. He conducts himself well, and to his master's satis- 
 faction. 
 
 15. — J. G. aged twelve : this child absconded from his father's 
 house, and associated with bad boys for two months. He was 
 then taken up for theft, and after trial was received into the Tem- 
 porary Refuge, where he remained eight months, when he was de- 
 livered to his father. He now conducts himself extremely well, 
 and works at his father's trade. Twelve months have elapsed 
 since his discharge. 
 
 16. — II. P. aged thirteen ; the father of this boy has been sepa- 
 rated for many years from his mother, and now lives with another 
 woman. She declared she would not continue with him, if his 
 child remained under the same roof. In consequence of this, the 
 unnatural father turned him out of doors. He maintained himself 
 for about six weeks by begging and holding horses in the street ; 
 at length, in a state of starvation, he stole a loaf of bread out of a 
 baker's shop. He was apprehended and sent to prison for one 
 month. From the Temporary Refuge he was after some time, sent 
 on a voyage in a merchant vessel, and has behaved so well that the 
 captain has desired that he might be apprenticed to him. 
 
 17. — T. F. aged twelve years. This child robbed his father, 
 who is a poor man, of some money which he had saved to pay his 
 rent Having absconded from his home, he was picked up in the 
 
34 
 
 streets by a boy who took him to his lodgings, where he remained 
 till he had spent the greater part of the money, and been robbed of 
 the remainder. He then returned to his father's house, who sent 
 for an otliccr, when he was taken to Worship-street Police Office, 
 and from thence to New Prison, Clerkenwell. Being recom- 
 mended by the magistrates, he was received into the Temporary 
 Refuge, where he remained nine months. He is now in the Per- 
 manent Establishment, where he behaves very well and is learn- 
 ing the trade of a tailor. 
 
 18. — J. B. aged sixteen ; this boy who was in a stationer's ware- 
 house, was prevailed upon by a man who had . former! v been in 
 the same employ, to rob his master. The theft being discovered, 
 he was apprehended and was sent to Clerkenwell Prison ; from 
 thence he was received into the Temporary Refuge, and after being 
 therefor nine months, was admitted into the Permanent. Inboth in- 
 stitutions his conduct has been good, and he is now in the shoe- 
 making department. 
 
 19. — B.-B. aged fourteen : this lad had been employed in two or 
 three different manufactories in the neighborhood where his 
 mother resided, his father being dead. In going to and from his 
 mother's house to the place of his employment, he became con- 
 nected with some bad boys, and was apprehended for stealing a 
 pint pot from a publican's door. He remained in the Temporary 
 Refuge four months. From thence he was apprenticed to a baker 
 by his mother ; he has been in this situation seven months, and his 
 master gives him an excellent character. 
 
 20. — J. U. aged sixteen. This lad, whose parents are dead, ap- 
 pears to have conducted himself respectably whilst he was in dif- 
 ferent situations as an errand boy, &lc. Being out of employment, 
 he became connected with some bad characters, and unfortunately 
 was prevailed upon by them to commit a theft. For this he was 
 apprehended and commited to Newgate, where he lay twelve 
 w r eeks. After his discharge, he was received into the Temporary 
 Refuge, from whence, after eight months, he was admitted into the 
 Permanent. There he is engaged in the shoemaking shop : he 
 conducts himself well, and makes great progress in his trade. 
 
 21. — C. E. aged sixteen years. This lad, whose father is an 
 honest and industrious man, was employed for some time as an 
 errand boy ; but having become acquainted with some bad boys, 
 he was induced by them to become a partner in their depredations. 
 Happily for him he was soon stopped in his career ; for being ap- 
 prehended for a theft, he was, after a short confinement, received 
 into this asylum. Here he remained six months, and is now in the 
 Permanent Establishment. He is learning the trade of a shoema- 
 ker, in which he makes considerable progress, and conducts him- 
 self with great propriety. 
 
 22. — W. J. was born at sea ; his father was for many years in 
 the naval service. At the age of 14 years, he was apprenticed to a 
 trade. He fell into the company of bad characters, and joined them 
 in committing depredations. His case was made known to the 
 Committee ; he was received into the Temporary Refuge, and hav- 
 ing remained a considerable time in that asylum, was apprenticed 
 to a captain of a merchantman. His conduct on board has been 
 most exemplary, and entirely to the satisfaction of his employers. 
 
35 
 
 He lately presented himself to the Committee, and returning thanks 
 for the kind assistance which he had received, said, with much 
 emotion, " This House has saved me from ruin !" 
 
 23. — T. H. 16 yeais of age, was received into the Temporary 
 Refuge, having been in confinement for picking pockets. He 
 was discharged by the Magistrates, because no prosecutor appear- 
 ed against him. After remaining some time, he was admitted into 
 the Refuge for the Destitute, and has since been apprenticed, at his 
 own request, onboard of a ship in the merchant service. 
 
 24. — W. J. aged 16 years ; at 12 years old he went to the ser- 
 vice of a pawn-broker, and was with him eight months; was after- 
 wards 20 months as a pot boy, and three months in the employ of 
 a harness-maker ; got acquainted with some young thieves, who 
 persuaded him to join them, and he commenced picking pockets in 
 September, 1819: has been three times in confinement; once in 
 Tothill fields, once 'in Clerkenwell, and for the last offence, robbing 
 a child's neck of coral beads, at Sadler's wells, was confined seven 
 weeks in Newgate, tried at the Old Bailey, and sentenced to three 
 months imprisonment in the House of Correction. Having been 
 admitted into the Temporary Refuge, he has been since transferred 
 to the Permanent Establishment, where he is learning the tailoring 
 business, and is going on very well. 
 
 25. — W. A. aged 13 years : his father is dead, mother a poor wo- 
 man supports herself by charing and washing. This boy has been 
 two years in the practice of thieving, but has been imprisoned 
 but once, for picking a gentleman's pocket, and was discharged in 
 consequence of the prosecutor not appearing againstliim. He has 
 been transferred to the Permanent Establishment, in which he has 
 conducted himself with great propriet}', and shows much gratitude 
 for the assistance afforded him. 
 
 26. — D. W. aged 13 years : his father is dead, mother is a book- 
 folder. This boy robbed his master of eight books, which he sold 
 for 3s6d. Was in confinement one month at Newgate, and tried 
 at the Old Bailey. He has been placed in the Permanent Estab- 
 lishment, where his conduct has been most exemplary. 
 
 27. — C. D. aged 16 years. This lad was two years a clerk in a 
 respectable counting-house, but having stolen some property be- 
 longing to his master, he lost his situation ; his employers declined 
 to prosecute. He was received into the Temporary Refuge, where 
 having conducted himself with great propriety, his former master 
 has again taken him into his employ. 
 
 28. — C. B. 16 years of age: his parents are both dead. He 
 worked several years at a cotton factory in Cheshire. Having 
 found his way (about three years since) to London, has been em- 
 ployed in the brick fields, in summer, and in the winter, in several 
 dust yards. Being in company with three boys, he was apprehen- 
 ded with them for robbing a till in a shop, and was committed to 
 the New Prison, Clerkenwell, where he was confined a week. His 
 conduct, during his residence in the Refuge was most exemplary, 
 and he has been apprenticed for 7 years to a respectable house at 
 Honduras. 
 
36 
 
 FEMALES. 
 
 E. S. was deprived of her father at an early age, and was brought 
 up by her mother, a poor charwoman. At the age of fourteen 
 years, she obtained a situation as servant in a decent family, from 
 whose house she soon absconded, through the persuasion of some 
 wicked girls in the neighborhood, taking away with her apparel to 
 a considerable amount. She was immediately apprehended, taken 
 before the magistrates, and committed for a second hearing. The 
 prosecutor having declined to appear against her, she was dischar- 
 ged. — She was immediately placed in the Temporary Refuge, and 
 has since been received into the Refuge for the Destitute, where her 
 conduct induces the hope that she will ultimately be restored to so- 
 ciety, as a reformed character. 
 
 E. W. 19 years of age, was convicted of robbing her master's 
 house, and was sentenced to twelve months imprisonment in the 
 House of Correction, Cold Bath Fields. On her discharge from 
 prison, she was placed in the Temporary Refuge by this society, 
 and has been since restored to her relatives, and continues to con- 
 duct herself with propriety. 
 
 M. R. 26 years of age, was convicted of picking pockets, and was 
 sentenced to seven years transportation. This sentence was, sub- 
 sequently, on account of some favorable circumstances in her case, 
 commuted for two years imprisonment in the House of Correction, 
 Cold Bath Fields. Upon the expiration of her sentence, she was 
 sent to the Temporary Refuge by this Society, under whose care 
 she still remains. Her friends have since been reconciled to her, 
 and are now endeavoring to procure for her a reputable situation. 
 
 Officers of the House of Refuge* 
 
 CADWALLADER D. COLDEN, President. 
 STEPHEN ALLEN, 
 PETER A. JAY, 
 JOHN T. IRVING, 
 JOHN GRISCOM, 
 HENRY I. WYCKOFF, 
 CORNELIUS DUBOIS, 
 RALPH OLMSTED, Treasurer. 
 ROBERT F. MOTT, Secretary. 
 JOSEPH CURTIS, Superintendent. 
 
 Vice Presidents. 
 
 Stephen Allen, 
 Arthur Burtis, 
 C. D. Colden, 
 Isaac Collins, 
 Samuel Cowdrey, 
 Gilbert Coutant, 
 John Duer, 
 Cornelius Dubois, 
 Cornelius R. Duffie, 
 
 Managers, 
 
 Thomas Eddy, 
 John Griscom, 
 James W. Gerard, 
 Joseph Grinnell, 
 John E. Hyde, 
 Ansel W. Ives, 
 John T. Irving, 
 Peter A. Jay, 
 James Lovett, 
 
 Robert F. Mott, 
 Hugh Maxwell, 
 Henry Mead, 
 Ralph Olmsted, 
 John Stearns, 
 John Targee, 
 J. M. Wainwright, 
 Henry I. Wyckoff. 
 
FIRST ANNUAL REPORT, &c. 
 1825. 
 
 With a heart-felt interest in the cause which has 
 been committed to their charge, the Managers of the 
 Society for the Reformation of Juvenile Delinquents 
 meet their constituents and the public, in the needful 
 formality of a first annual Report. At no period since 
 their appointment (on the 19th of December, 1823,) 
 has the question of the establishment of a House of 
 Refuge, on the plan indicated in the Report of the 
 Society for the Prevention of Pauperism, (which led 
 to the formation of the Society they now represent) 
 been for one moment regarded as an object unworthy 
 of their anxious solicitude, and their earnest and un- 
 remitted efforts. If any thing could have been neces- 
 sary to stimulate them to diligence and perseverance 
 in the accomplishment of the desired object, the gene- 
 rous sympathies which were promptly manifested on the 
 distribution of that report, and the benevolence which 
 flowed spontaneously from their fellow citizens into 
 the channel first opened to receive it, were abundantly 
 sufficient to excite the Board of Managers to a zealous 
 discharge of the trust reposed in them. It was obvious 
 that throughout our whole community, the evils which 
 were accumulating upon destitute children and young 
 people, were regarded as truly deplorable. The expo- 
 sure to which they are subjected, in the streetsand lurk- 
 ing places of the vicious,and more especially in the pri- 
 sons to which they are sentenced as a punishment, 
 when once made known, called forth, from every hu- 
 mane bosom, a burst of feeling in favour of some more 
 efficient protection from the pit of destruction which 
 yawned beneath their feet. To sentence individuals 
 of a tender age and of either sex, for crimes into 
 which they may have been drawn, by the almost irre- 
 sistible impulse of circumstances to them unavoidable, 
 to a penalty which tends immediately to prepare them 
 for deeper guilt, was perceived to be not only a sole- 
 
38 
 
 cism inlegnl justice, but a departure from every prin- 
 ciple of enlarged humanity and sound discretion. 
 The protection of society from the depredations of the 
 vicious, is the main object of penal legislation. Not 
 only to correct the criminal in his unprincipled course, 
 but as far as possible to eradicate the habit and the 
 desire of vicious indulgence, is the concurrent aim of 
 all well devised schemes of penal jurisprudence. 
 Reformation is, or ought to be an object dear to every 
 man, who votes for a penal statute. In the case of the 
 young it is almost every thing; for who can deny that 
 juvenile offences proceed almost entirely from the 
 influence of bad example. To neglect the reformation 
 of this class of delinquents, — to punish those who are 
 young in years and in crime, by dungeons, compul- 
 sory indolence, and wretched fare, without any attempt 
 to break in upon the darkness of their understandings 
 by the radiance of knowledge and religion, — and this 
 with a view of affording protection to society, — of ren- 
 dering property secure and public morals uncontamr- 
 nated, is surely to neglect the plainest maxims of 
 prudence and common sense. Such, nevertheless, 
 has been the course pursued in our own andinother 
 countries, in relation to one of the most important 
 considerations embraced in the whole circle of crimi- 
 nal law r . In what code shall we find a just discrimi- 
 nation between adult and juvenile crimes, and an 
 adequate provision for withdrawing young offenders 
 from the vortex of corrupt association, for enlightening 
 their minds, changing their habits and inclinations, 
 and restoring them to society, prepared to increase 
 the amount .of industry, morals, and virtue. That a 
 far more ample provision of this nature is absolutely 
 necessary to complete the reformatory system of 
 prison discipline, so happily commenced in this coun- 
 try, few persons we think will entertain a doubt; — 
 that such is the tenor of public opinion in this city, 
 is most obvious from the evidence which has been 
 afforded us, by the cheerfulness with which contribu- 
 tions were made, for the commencement of an insti- 
 tution, which we trust will be not less permanent, 
 than beneficent in its operation and example. 
 
 The first concern of the Managers, after being duly 
 
?9 
 
 organized, was to ascerain to what extent they might 
 rely upon the bounty of the city, for the means requi- 
 site to carry into effect the proposed asylum for va- 
 grant and depraved young people. For this purpose 
 the city was divided into districts, and with such as- 
 sistance as we found it not difficult to obtain, a per- 
 sonal application was made to those of our citizens, 
 who, it was believed, would be likely to respond to 
 the views and objects of the Society. The result was 
 an amount of subscriptions and donations, of about 
 15,000 dollars, and a universal expression in favour of 
 the contemplated institution. Thus encouraged, the 
 Board proceeded to solicit of the corporation, the ap- 
 propriation of some suitable site, for the erection of a 
 House of Refuge, and in conference with the commit- 
 tee of that honourable body, the ground and buildings 
 held by the general government as an Arsenal, near 
 the head of Broadway and the Bowery, was stated to 
 be the most eligible of any in the city, especially as it 
 was reported that the United States had no occasion 
 to continue much longer in the occupation of it at 
 least as a depot of arms and ammunition. The man- 
 ner in which this application to the city authority was 
 received, was manifest by the report of its committer, 
 a copy of which is hereunto subjoined. 
 
 The officers of the War Department, including the 
 present Vice President of the United States, to whom 
 application was made in favour of a relinquishment 
 of the said ground and buildings, for the purposes cf 
 this Society, received the proposition with cordiality, 
 acknowledged their conviction of the utility and im- 
 portance of the proposed institution, and agreed to 
 convey the government title to the premises and build- 
 ings for as small a sum as w r as consistent with the na- 
 ture of their public duties. An arrangement being 
 thus amicably concluded w 7 ith both the authorities 
 concerned, the Board of Managers was put in posses- 
 sion, upon terms which must be regarded as extreme- 
 ly favourable, of ground and buildings better adapted 
 to their wants than any other within their knowledge. 
 
 From the erratic and vicious habits of the boys w ho 
 would necessarily be sentenced to a House of Refuge, 
 it was easily foreseen that a high wall around the 
 
49 
 
 premises would be indispensable. The arsenal not 
 only afforded this important advantage, but it con- 
 tained a suitable dwelling for a superintendent and 
 his family, and a building which has furnished tempo- 
 rary accommodations for a limited number of sub- 
 jects. The outer wall includes a space of 320 feet by 
 300, which is quite sufficient for any extension of the 
 institution, which will be required at any future 
 time.* 
 
 The unavoidable delay attendant on the removal 
 of the government stores, and the making of such al- 
 terations as were requisite to adapt the building to 
 the purposes intended, together with those prelimina- 
 ry steps relative to the collection of subscriptions, the 
 procuring of a charter, &c. which were not to be omit- 
 ted, the Board was not prepared to open the institu- 
 tion until the commencement of the present year. 
 
 On the first day of January last, the board met 
 and opened the Institution, in presence of a considera- 
 ble concourse of citizens, (among whom were seve- 
 ral members of the Corporation) who assembled to 
 witness the ceremony of the introduction of a number 
 of juvenile convicts, the first in this city, if not in this 
 country, into a place exclusively intended for their 
 reformation and instruction. The ceremony was 
 interesting in the highest degree. Nine of those 
 poor outcasts from society, 3 boys and 6 girls, clothed 
 in rags, with squalid countenances, were brought in 
 from the Police Office, and placed before the audi- 
 ence. An address appropriate to so novel an occa- 
 sion was made by a member of the board, and not an 
 individual, it may safely be affirmed, was present, 
 whose warmest feelings did not vibrate in unison with 
 the philanthropic views which led to the foundation 
 of this House of Refuge. Thus commenced, our insti- 
 tution assumed a standing among the charities of our 
 city and state, and the managers confidently believe, 
 will prove inferior to none in the satisfaction which 
 its operation will afford to a benevolent public, and 
 
 *An application to the Legislature, for an act of incorporation met with no obsta- 
 cle. The act received its final sanction on the 29th day of March, 1824, and a 
 grant of $2000 per annum, for five years, to aid in the support of the Institution, 
 was made the last session of the Legislature. 
 
41 
 
 in its moralizing influence upon the most degraded 
 portions of our community. The number of its delin- 
 quent inmates continued to increase until it amounted 
 to 58 — beyond which the present limited accommo- 
 dations for the males, at least, admit of no extension. 
 Of this number, 44 were boys and 14 girls. Of the 
 former, the oldest, at the time of his admission, was 
 18, and the youngest 9. — The whole number admit- 
 ted into the house, from its commencement to the pres- 
 ent time, is 73. They have been received from the 
 following sources, viz : — 
 
 From the Court of Sessions, for grand larceny l 
 
 , for petit larceny 9 
 
 From the Police Magistrates, for stealing and vagrancy - 47 
 From the Commissioners of the Aims-House, for 
 
 stealing, vagrancy, and absconding - - - - 16 
 
 Total 73 
 
 Of this number, 6 have never been in Bridewell, 
 
 , 49 have been in that prison from 1 to 7 times, 
 
 , 19 have been confined in the City Penitentiary. 
 
 Total 73 
 
 Of those who have been confined in the Penitentiary, 
 
 9 have 
 
 served 
 
 1 
 
 term of 
 
 
 2 to 12 months 
 
 3 do. 
 
 do. 
 
 2 
 
 terms amounting 
 
 to 12 do. 
 
 1 do. 
 
 do. 
 
 2 
 
 do. 
 
 do. 
 
 24 do. 
 
 1 do. 
 
 do. 
 
 2 
 
 do. 
 
 do. 
 
 3 do. 
 
 1 do. 
 
 do. 
 
 2 
 
 do. 
 
 do. 
 
 9 do. 
 
 1 do. 
 
 do. 
 
 3 
 
 do. 
 
 do. 
 
 18 do. 
 
 1 do. 
 
 do. 
 
 4 
 
 do. 
 
 do. 
 
 33 do. 
 
 2 do. 
 
 do. 
 
 5 
 
 do. 
 
 do. 
 
 36 do. 
 
 19 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Of the whole number received in the house, 30 are the children 
 of foreigners, and 43 are from the city and various parts of the state. 
 
 They have been thus disposed of: — 
 
 BOYS. 
 
 Returned to their parents 2 
 
 Indented - 5 
 
 Absconded ------ 4 
 
 At present in the house 43 
 
 GIRLS. 54 
 
 Sent to the Alms-House 1 
 
 Discharged, being of age * - 1 
 
 Indented 4 
 
 In the house 13 
 
 19 
 
 6 Total 73 
 
42 
 
 Of the 5 boys who have been indented, 2 were 
 placed with farmers, and the other three were bound, 
 as seamen, to a person in whom the Managers and 
 Superintendent place entire confidence. From one 
 of the boys, a favourable report has been received,* 
 the others having been recently indented, no account 
 from them has been obtained. 
 
 From two of the girls, the Superintendent has re- 
 ceived acceptable information.* The others have 
 but lately left the house. 
 
 The subjects, on their admission, have proved, with 
 a few exceptions, to be very ignorant. Some of them 
 
 * The following letters from the respectable persons to whom these children 
 were indented, afford encouraging hopes of their continued good conduct. 
 
 P e, June 21st, 1825. 
 
 Dear Sir, 
 
 Believing that the Managers of the House of Refuge, as well as the patrons 
 generally of that Institution, feel a lively interest in the welfare of those intrusted 
 to your care, and sufficient time having elapsed since I recieved J. and J. to be- 
 come acquainted with their dispositions, I write to acquaint you with their deport- 
 ment. Joseph for about ten days, behaved extremely well — always attentive; but 
 after church he came to me and asked permission to take a walk; as he had been 
 more than a mile to church, I did not consider it necessary; and being extremely 
 cautious that he should not become acquainted with the town boys, I refused him 
 permission to go, and he gave out some threats to one of the servants, and refused 
 to eat his supper. The next morning I called him to me and conversed 
 with him for a considerable time, telling him that he must look to me for protec- 
 tion, which he would be sure to find whilst he conducted himself with propriety ; 
 and that he would be equally sure of punishment when his conduct was bad; and 
 as he had been angry enough to go without his supper, he must take the field with- 
 out his breakfast, and at noon I would inform him whether he could have his din- 
 ner. At 12 he came in with my man, evidently humbled and weak for want of 
 food. I asked him if he was sorry for his conduct,he said he was; and after a prom- 
 ise of better behaviour, for the future, I gave him his dinner. Since that I have not 
 had cause of complaint. Jane has shown nothing of that temper which I have 
 discovered in Joseph, and I am pleased to say, her conduct has been unexception- 
 able up to the present time. Wishing that all those that are bound out from that 
 Institution may conduct themselves as well as these two have so far done, 
 I remain respectfully, Your Friend, 
 
 J. W. 
 
 Extract from a Letter from the same dated 18th October. 
 Since my last, under the date of 21st June, J. continues to conduct himself as 
 well as boys generally who have been creditably educated. He is attentive to 
 church and to school, and appears anxious to improve. As respects J. her con- 
 duct has been uniformly good, and I am informed by her teachers she is the best 
 scholar in her class. 
 
 D i, August 30,1825. 
 
 Dear Sir, 
 
 You may recollect that when I took Diana from the House of Refuge, I en- 
 gaged to give you information respecting her behaviour in my family ; and it is 
 with no little satisfaction that I can with truth state to you that her conduct has 
 been good. She has given less cause of complaint since being here, than we 
 should have reason to expect,from a girl of her age taken from one of our well reg- 
 ulated families in this part of the country. The lessons taught her while under 
 your care appear to have made a proper, and I think lasting impression on her 
 mind. She evinces a disposition to learn what is good, and such kinds of work as 
 is proper to employ her in, she performs with ingenuity and neatness. She is not 
 
43 
 
 by an irregular attendance at schools, had learned to 
 read, but had acquired no relish for intellectual im- 
 provement. Their habits, as it respects skill and 
 useful industry, were still more deplorable. With 
 one exception, there has not been a girl received, 
 who could sew even well enough to make an apron. 
 Of washing, ironing, cooking, or baking, they knew 
 but very little, and indeed, were unable to do any 
 thing without instruction. But such has been the 
 progress of the females in these important attain- 
 ments, the Superintendent has been enabled to have 
 every garment, which his subjects have required, 
 made without charge to the Institution. The employ- 
 ment of the girls, in addition to the needful domestic 
 occupations, has been chiefly the plaiting of grass ; 
 and although they have not yet advanced sufficiently 
 to render their skill of much pecuniary advantage, 
 many of them have made attainments, in this branch, 
 which justify the belief, that it may become a source 
 of profit to the Institution, and the means of honest 
 support to them when discharged. 
 
 The most considerable occupation of the boys, has 
 been the clearing up of the premises, by the removal 
 and disposal of the lumber, sheds, &c, clearing and 
 cultivating a small garden, and more especially in 
 waiting upon, and assisting the masons and carpenters 
 that have been engaged in various repairs, elevating 
 the wall, and erecting a new building within the en- 
 closure. In this exercise, they have been very effi- 
 cient; a number of them have evinced a becoming 
 spirit of ambition and desire of improvement, and can- 
 not fail to have laid the foundation of future industry. 
 
 able, (and perhaps never will be) to perform any heavy work, yel I consider it 
 a fortunate acquisition that I obtained her from you, and if the want of order and 
 regularity in my family should not tend to weaken or do away the habits she ac- 
 quired while under your care, we should have reason to be thankful. From the 
 cursory view I had of your establishment, a very favourable impression was made 
 on my mind respecting the beneficial effects it might produce in society. Since 
 that time, I have reflected much on the subject; from which, and the facts I have 
 learned from little D. I have been led to consider the Institution as one of the 
 most wise, humane, and (as respects your city in particular) the most beneficial of 
 any I am acquainted with, and cannot but hope and believe that it may receive 
 from both the corporation and the legislature, that fostering care and aid which 
 in my opinion it so justly merits — and 
 
 I am, Sir, with sentiments of respect and esteem, 
 Your Fiiend, &c. &c. 
 
 e. r. 
 
44 
 
 The principal in-door employment has been shoe- 
 making and tailoring. In these, the boys have made 
 no inconsiderable advancement; — one hundred and 
 twenty -nine pair of shoes having been made, in addi- 
 tion to forty-one pair used in the family. With res- 
 pect to manual employment, it therefore appears that 
 although nothing has yet been done, as a source of 
 income to the Institution, the work accomplished by 
 both sexes has produced a positive saving, and afford- 
 ed a promise, under a more favourable circumstances, 
 of a useful and profitable extension of manufacturing 
 skill and activity. 
 
 About two hours in the day, one in the morning 
 and one in the evening, are devoted to mental improve- 
 ment. During the first hour, they are occupied in 
 learning to spell, read, write, and cypher, and in this 
 exercise the system of mutual instruction is followed, 
 and they are divided into classes agreeably to the 
 method pursued in the Lancasterian schools. 
 
 On that system the 
 1st Class learn the Alphabet. 
 2d " words and syllables of two letters. 
 3d 44 words and syllables of three and four letters. 
 4th " words and sentences from Scripture of five and six let- 
 ters. 
 
 5th " words and sentences from Scripture of two syllables. 
 
 6th 44 words and sentences from Scripture of three syllables. 
 
 7th 44 words and sentences from Scripture of four syllables. 
 
 8th 44 includes the best readers, who spell and write words, 
 with their meanings attached, and read the Old and New Testa- 
 ments. Arithmetic, as far as Compound Division, is divided into 
 nine classes, each class advancing a single rule. This explanation 
 will enable us to understand the following statement of the Super- 
 intendent, relative to the improvement of a number of his subjects. 
 
 BOYS. 
 
 
 Date of Entry. 
 
 Class 
 
 of 
 Entry. 
 
 Class 
 advan- 
 ced to. 
 
 
 Date of Entry. 
 
 Class 
 
 of 
 EDtry. 
 
 Class 
 advan- 
 ced to. 
 
 w. c. 
 
 Jan. 1 
 
 1 
 
 4 
 
 J. B. 
 
 Feb. 16 
 
 1 
 
 5 
 
 J. B. 
 
 44 1 
 
 3 
 
 8 
 
 L. S. 
 
 March 5 
 
 5 
 
 8 
 
 J. R. 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 4 
 
 D. S. 
 
 44 5 
 
 1 
 
 5 
 
 S. C. B. 
 
 7 
 
 5 
 
 8 
 
 T. S. 
 
 44 14 
 
 I 
 
 5 
 
 J. H. T. 
 
 13 
 
 6 
 
 8 
 
 w. s. 
 
 44 19 
 
 6 
 
 8 
 
 A. T. 
 
 12 
 
 1 
 
 4 
 
 J. L. 
 
 44 23 
 
 4 
 
 6 
 
 E. M. 
 
 15 
 
 1 
 
 8 
 
 J. G. 
 
 April 7 
 
 1 
 
 5 
 
 A. M. 
 
 21 
 
 1 
 
 5 
 
 J. B. 
 
 5 
 
 3 
 
 5 
 
 J. P. 
 
 44 27 
 
 1 
 
 6 
 
 T. S. 
 
 7 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 E. E. 
 
 27 
 
 1 
 
 6 
 
 C. J. 
 
 44 20 
 
 1 
 
 4 
 
45 
 
 GIRLS. 
 
 
 Date of Entry. 
 
 Class 
 of 
 Entry. 
 
 Class | 
 advan- 
 ced to. 
 
 
 M. A. Y. 
 
 Jan. 
 
 1 
 
 5 
 
 8 
 
 
 C. A. A. 
 
 u 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 5 
 
 
 M. S. 
 
 u 
 
 1 
 
 5 
 
 8 
 
 
 A. M'C. 
 
 a 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 4 
 
 
 M. A. C. 
 
 a 
 
 12 
 
 5 
 
 8 
 
 
 M. A. P. 
 
 n 
 
 29 
 
 5 
 
 8 
 
 
 J. A. B. 
 
 it 
 
 22 
 
 5 
 
 8 
 
 
 The advancement in learning, exhibited as above, 
 affords a very satisfactory promise of the intellectual 
 benefit that will be likely to ensue from the present 
 arrangements ; and the Managers are further encour- 
 aged in their views of these advantages, by knowing 
 that the Superintendent is in the daily practice of lec- 
 turing to the boys on the subject adapted to their intel- 
 ligence, such as various objects of natural history, 
 and the useful arts, availing himself of the opportuni- 
 ty thus afforded of enforcing moral and religious 
 truths, and inculcating desires, which tend to elevate 
 their minds above the low and degraded habits to 
 which they had been accustomed, and to implant the 
 ambition of entering upon an honourable and useful 
 course of life. By the liberality of several citizens, a 
 number of books have been presented to the Institu- 
 tion, suitable for the instruction of those who can read; 
 thus laying the foundation of a library for the benefit 
 of the House of Refuge which, it is hoped, will be en- 
 larged by further appropriate donations, from benev- 
 olent individuals. To excite in those delinquent 
 youth a fondness for spending their leisure hours, in 
 profitable reading, will be to gain no small ascenden- 
 cy over their idle and corrupt propensities. The last 
 of the two hours of the day devoted to instruction, is 
 chiefly employed, by the Superintendent, in reading, 
 lecturing, explaining, and questioning. 
 
 Agreeably to a suggestion held out in the original 
 report, the board of managers have availed them- 
 selves of the auxiliary superintendence of a committee 
 of ladies, whose watchful care and enlightened coun- 
 sel have entitled them to the sincere thanks of the 
 board. Their benovolent attentions are producing 
 conspicuous effects in relation to the domestic econo- 
 
16 
 
 my and to the deportment and improvement of the 
 female delinquents. In their weekly visits, a portion 
 of their time is employed in hearing the girls recite 
 portions of Scripture, and other pieces, which they 
 have committed to memory; an exercise in which 
 several of them have distinguished themselves by 
 laudable and remarkable exertions. The advanta- 
 ges to be gained by the continued superintendence 
 of the Ladies' Committee, as the institution becomes 
 enlarged, and the employment and exercises of the 
 girls are multiplied, cannot be anticipated without 
 feelings of particular satisfaction. In addition to 
 their oversight of the domestic regulations, and of the 
 employment of the girls, their conversations with 
 these unfortunate children, their admonitions, their 
 encouragement, their patient efforts to gain upon their 
 sensibilities, to enlighten their judgments, and to im- 
 plant, however slowly and discourageingly, the pure 
 principles of integrity and religious obligation, all 
 strengthened by their clear and pertinent explana- 
 tions of Scripture truths, — cannot fail to come power- 
 fully in aid of the instructions of the matron in effec- 
 ting the moral improvement of her charge. 
 
 Upon the whole, as it respects the important and 
 main question of moral reformation, the managers 
 have abundant reason to congratulate the society on 
 the evidences, which their short experience has af- 
 forded, of the substantial benefit which may be ex- 
 pected to flow from the operation of this institution. 
 The superintendent, (whose vigilant and judicious at- 
 tentions to the untried duties of his station have given 
 much satisfaction,) speaks in the most decisive terms 
 of encouragement, with respect to the moral improve- 
 ment of the children of both sexes. Some of the boys 
 who appeared for a considerable time to be the most 
 obstinately depraved, began at length to yield to the 
 application of the moral remedies which were pa- 
 tiently and steadily applied, and now rank among the 
 very best in the institution, — docile, industrious, and 
 so useful by their example and correct deportment, 
 as to have gained upon the esteem and affections of 
 their care-takers. 
 
 The same observations apply to several of the girls. 
 
It was ascertained by an investigation of the circum- 
 stances of those who first entered, that their depraved 
 condition was, in several instances, to be attributed 
 to the example and persuasives of a young female, 
 who, though well known in the haunts of vice, had 
 never rendered herself absolutely amenable to the 
 criminal laws. To abstract such an example" as this 
 from the company to which the unguarded youth of 
 the city were daily exposed, was considered by the 
 superintendent as important to the objects which the 
 society have in view, and the officers of the police 
 w r ere requested to have her secured and placed \n 
 the House of Refuge as soon as they could find a law- 
 ful occasion for such a commitment. It was not very 
 long before she was brought in ; and proved by her 
 deportment in the house, that she had abandoned the 
 principles of feminine propriety. Her case was dif- 
 ficult and discouraging ; but, restrained in conversa- 
 tion and behavior, by the salutary rules of the institu- 
 tion, her habits became changed, and she appeared 
 to feel sensible of the superior excellence ot virtue. 
 In the course of a few months, her conduct was so al- 
 tered, and evinced so many proofs of thorough amend- 
 ment, that she was considered eligible to the station 
 of a domestic in a respectable family in Connecticut 
 with whom she has been indented. 
 
 This, with other cases of an analogous nature, have 
 sufficiently demonstrated that among the neglected 
 and profligate children of our metropolis, there is at 
 least a large proportion who need only the reclaiming 
 hand of such an institution to secure their abstraction 
 from the delusions and horrors of vice, and establish 
 in their minds a decided preference for a life of honest 
 industry. The managers are thus encouraged to be- 
 lieve even from the short period of their operations, 
 that the influence of the society, and its institution, 
 will produce a decided effect upon the moral habits 
 of the children of poverty and neglected education, 
 in this rapidly increasing city ; — that it will contribute 
 to render its streets more decent, and its magistrates, 
 judges, and jurors, less occupied with painful and 
 perplexing cases of juvenile criminality. Its effects 
 in this important relation, are believed to be already 
 
43 
 
 conspicuous. On inquiring of the District Attorney, 
 whose station enables him to judge correctly of these 
 effects, he expresses himself thus: — "lam happy to 
 state, that the House of Refuge has had a most be- 
 nign influence in diminishing the number of juvenile 
 delinquents. The most depraved boys have been 
 withdrawn from the haunts of vice, and the examples 
 which they gave, in a great degree destroyed. 
 
 " I find no difficulty now in checking the young of- 
 fenders. Before the establishment of the House of 
 Refuge, a lad of fourteen or fifteen years of age might 
 have been arrested and tried four or five times for pet- 
 ty thefts, and it was hardly ever that a jury would 
 convict. They would rather that the culprit ac- 
 knowledged to be guilty should be discharged alto- 
 gether, than be confined in the prisons of the state or 
 county. 
 
 " This disposition so frequently exercised by mag- 
 istrates and jurors, rendered the lad more bold in 
 guilt; and I have known instances of lads now in the 
 House of Refuge, being indicted half a dozen times, 
 and as often discharged to renew their crimes, and 
 with the conviction that they might steal with impunity. 
 
 "The consideration, however, that there is a char- 
 ity which provides for objects of this character, has 
 removed all objections to convictions in cases of guilt. 
 
 " Formerly, too many citizens were reluctant in 
 bringing to the police-office, young persons who were 
 detected in the commission of crimes. This operated 
 as an encouragement to depraved parents to send 
 very young children to depredate on the community, 
 — if detected they knew no punishment would follow. 
 This is one cause of the small number of juvenile of- 
 fenders during the last year. I might enlarge on the 
 benefits of this noble chanty, were it necessary. Of 
 this I am certain, that no institution has ever been 
 formed in this country by benevolent men, more use- 
 ful and beneficent. 
 
 "I am very truly your obedient servant and friend, 
 
 "Hugh Maxwell." 
 
 Oct. 21, 1825. 
 
 Of the nature and tendency of such an institution, 
 nothing further it is presumed, need at present be 
 
49 
 
 urged. While them anagers console themselves with 
 the persuasion, that it has thus far equalled, in effect, 
 all that could reasonably have been anticipated, thej 
 need not dissemble the fact, that a few of the subjects 
 appear to evince but little fruits of the efforts made to 
 reform and meliorate their character. Of the whole 
 number in the house, the superintendent reports that 
 eleven are still restless and refractory. Considering 
 their previous habits this is no cause of surprise. As 
 the Refuge was considered by them all as a place of 
 durance, it was not to be expected that they would 
 enjoy the greater liberty of this new prison without 
 the most ingenious efforts to escape its bounds. The 
 alteration of the walls, the erection of the new build- 
 ing, and the liberty of the yard, necessarily granted 
 them during the day, greatly facilitated the means of 
 escape. A number of them from time to time contin- 
 ued to elude the vigilance of their guards. With the 
 exception however of the four cases already men- 
 tioned, those who absconded were brought back, and 
 in some instances within a few hours. Of those four, 
 one is in the state-prison for stealing, one is in the 
 Philadelphia county-prison, one in the city-peniten- 
 tiary, and from the other no account has been received. 
 
 This restlessness and desire to escape, has been the 
 greatest source of anxiety and difficulty which the 
 superintendent has had to encounter. It has rendered 
 a constant guard necessary; but since the first of May, 
 there has been a sufficient number of trust-worthy 
 boys in the house, who were able and willing to act 
 as guards over the others ; and at present, there is 
 much less desire among them to run away^ than at any 
 previous time. In two instances, boys who ab- 
 sconded, returned voluntarily to the house, from la 
 conviction that it was better for them there to remain, 
 than to expose themselves again to their old associ- 
 ates. 
 
 With respect to the means by which this Institution 
 is to be supported, and to take a permanent stand 
 among the concerns of beneficence which every chris- 
 tian nation finds it necessary to cherish, the Managers 
 wish that they could give to the Society definite and 
 conclusive information. The benevolence of the city 
 
50 
 
 has indeed given to it an excellent " local habitation ;" 
 and in the confidence of acknowledged utility, and as 
 essential to the success of the experiment, the board 
 felt itself bound to lay such a foundation for the recep- 
 tion of juvenile delinquents as could alone satisfy their 
 own views and those of their most intelligent fellow- 
 citizens, of the importance of such an establishment. 
 The building which they found on the premises, 
 although it has answered a good temporary purpose, 
 is totally inadequate to the wants of such a school of 
 industry and reformation as the society has contem- 
 plated, and the occasion demands. iVccordingly, after 
 repairing and elevating the wall around the premises, 
 the managers contracted for the erection of a new 
 building, designed exclusively for boys. This build- 
 ing is in a state of forwardness, and will probably be 
 completed by the first of December. It is a stone edi- 
 fice, 150 feet long, by 38 feet wide, and two stories 
 high. The lower story is to be arranged for work- 
 shops and kitchen, and the upper for school-rooms, 
 hospital, and dormitories, and calculated for the sep- 
 arate lodgment of 132 male subjects. This building 
 will cost, w hen completed, independently of school- 
 room and other fixtures, $ 10,000. The expense of 
 raising the wall, and making needful repairs and alte- 
 rations, has been upwards of $3,000. Two thousand 
 have been paid to the United States, and $4,000 more 
 remain to be paid, being the valuation of the build- 
 ings and materials relinquished by the War Depart- 
 ment. As soon as the new building is in readiness 
 for the male subjects, it is intended to appropriate the 
 one now occupied, to the use of the females. But it 
 will be easily foreseen by the society, that after assign- 
 ing suitable accommodations to the matron, this build- 
 ing which at best is not well constructed for the pre- 
 sent object, is quite too small to admit of that exten- 
 sion of the female department of the institution which 
 is so desirable. A building, corresponding with that 
 now in progress for the males, is therefore a great de- 
 sideratum in the completion of the plan, and the board 
 cannot but indulge the earnest hope, that the enlight- 
 ened bounty of the city and state will speedily author- 
 ize its erection. It will be perceived by a statement 
 
5] 
 
 of accounts, that the funds of which the Board has 
 been put in possession, are all pledged in the erection 
 of the building on hand, and will scarcely be adequate 
 to its completion. The House of Refuge has been 
 brought into existence by the animating sympathies 
 of our city for the destitute objects whom it embraces. 
 But how it is to be supported, — by what unquestion- 
 able means its continuance and its prosperity are to 
 be secured, are considerations which call for the de- 
 liberate attention of the Society, and which cannot but 
 excite a feeling in the breast of every enlightened 
 member of our community, who has turned his atten- 
 tion to the nature and tendency of this institution. 
 That the free-will offers of benevolent citizens will, 
 when called for, still flow to its support, cannot be 
 doubted from the manifestations already obtained of 
 heart-felt interest in our cause. The same liberal 
 hands that have given us a place and a name, are able 
 to insure our continuance, and even to enlarge the 
 sphere of our useful activity. But the question will 
 naturally arise, — Ought such an institution as this to 
 rest for its support on the voluntary contributions of a 
 city, whatever may be the extent of the benevolence 
 which it is calculated to excite ? Is it of that local and 
 incidental character which places it in the class of 
 those objects which are fitted merely to awaken the 
 impulse of spontaneous charity ? We would venture 
 to call upon the members of our Corporation and of 
 our state Legislature, to view the facts in relation to 
 this question. Can there be a more legitimate and 
 worthy object of legislative provision than the educa- 
 tion of the destitute? And of all classes of the desti- 
 tute, have not they the most emphatic claim to the 
 charity of public instruction, who have the misfortune 
 to be drawn into the vortex of crime, by the force of 
 inevitable suffering, by the urgency of guilty parents, 
 by the excitement of wicked associates ? Our state is 
 beginning to stand in the very front of those countries 
 which view the question of education under the most 
 truly enlightened aspect ; — which conceive it to be a 
 solemn duty to provide liberally for the instruction of 
 all its children, — and to spare the hand of correction, 
 and the brand of infamy, from those whose juvenile de- 
 
52 
 
 linquencies spring from the combined influence of ig- 
 norance and wretchedness. On the importance of a 
 legal provision for the education of the poor, there is 
 hardly at present a divided opinion. But how are the 
 peculiar objects of your bounty to be educated, unless 
 they are entirely withdrawn from the purlieus of wick- 
 edness, and their habits radically changed, by the im- 
 possibility of criminal indulgence? We would appeal 
 to the good sense of every citizen who hears or reads 
 our statement. And above all we would appeal to 
 those who have visited our House of Refuge, imper- 
 fect as it still is, and have witnessed the altered coun- 
 tenances, the modest demeanour, the cheerful indus- 
 try, and the promising indications which its inmates 
 exhibit. Ought such a school to be left to the casual 
 charities of the kindhearted — annually to be sought 
 after, — with difficulty gathered — and of doubtful effi- 
 ciency? Can it be questioned that the redemption of 
 all such children from such schools of crime as our 
 Bridewell and County Prison, and sending them forth, 
 in due time to the world, honest, intelligent, and indus- 
 trious, will be to strike at the root of those alarming 
 evils which fill our State Prisons, and greatly aug- 
 ment the numbers of our city and county paupers? 
 Will not then, such a provision as ours for juvenile 
 delinquents prove a real saving to the state ? We have 
 the satisfaction to know that this question is affirma- 
 tively answered by most, if not "all of those who have 
 viewed the subject in all its bearings. Considered ei- 
 ther as a school, a prison, or a work-house, it is deem- 
 ed to have as just a claim upon the protection of muni- 
 cipal and state authority as any establishment of a 
 similar denomination. With respect to the educa- 
 tional part of our system, we trust there will not be 
 the least hesitation in any quarter. The state has al- 
 ready embarked in the glorious purpose of educating 
 its children, and especially its poor. The only point 
 which can suggest the least difficulty, is the question 
 of a public maintenance of these children, — of supply- 
 ing them with food, clothing, lodging, and all the ap- 
 paratus of a perfect domicil. But when we reflect 
 that these pitiable beings must be somehow main- 
 tained, and that by their depredations, and the expense 
 
53 
 
 necessary to restrain them, they are the occasion of 
 greater actual cost to society, than they will be when 
 made to contribute by their own labour, under the 
 guidance of experience and system, to their own sup- 
 port, the saving policy of such a provision cannot, we 
 think, admit of a doubt. It will be proper to observe, 
 that from the best estimates that can be drawn from 
 the facts at present before the Board, it appears that 
 the daily average cost of each subject, for clothing, 
 food, fuel, light, hospital and school expenses, is 1 3 and 
 1-10 cents. This estimate is formed from the average 
 number of 41 children, from the first of January to the 
 first of October, embracing the first nine months of 
 the, first experiment of such an establishment. With 
 a greater number and longer experience, the amount 
 would in all probability be diminished. It includes 
 also no other allowance for the work of the children 
 than the saving of expense in the making of shoes and 
 other garments. But when the Institution is well or- 
 ganized, it is the belief of the Managers, that the pro- 
 fits of their labor will cover a considerable portion of 
 the expense of their maintenance. A little time and 
 experience will enable the Managers to decide upon 
 the most eligible occupation, for each and all of the 
 inmates, and, it is presumed, to adapt their exercises 
 to the difference of genius and capacity which may be 
 found amongst them. We are encouraged therefore, 
 — nay emboldened and animated in the belief, that 
 upon the face of our unvarnished statement, there will 
 not be found an individual member either of our city 
 or state Legislature, who will say that an institution 
 erected for such objects, and commenced under such 
 auspices, ought to be left to struggle with the embar- 
 rassment of an uncertain support, but rather that it 
 ought to enjoy that ample countenance, which the 
 wealth and prosperity of our state enable it so freely 
 to extend to institutions exclusively beneficent. 
 
54 
 
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55 
 
 An Estimate of the Funds that will be required to support the 
 House of Refuge to 1st May, 1826. 
 
 For Food, Clothing, Shoes, School, and Hospital Ex- 
 penses, for 60 Children $1666 32 
 
 For additional Furniture, Beds and Bedding - - 248 65 
 
 For Fuel and Light, Alterations necessary to enlarge the 
 
 Girl's Apartment, &c. 460 49 
 
 For Salaries of Superintendent, Assistant, and Matron 1124 99 
 
 3501 45 
 
 If the Society should receive into the House of Re- 
 fuge, as many children as the two buildings can accom- 
 modate, (and which they intend to do, provided sufficient 
 funds for their support can be obtained,) 
 viz:— Boys 130 
 Girls 40 
 
 Making 170 
 
 It would cost for their maintenance in addition to the 
 above sum, viz : 
 
 For 110 additional Children, Food, Cloth- 
 ing, &c. $1729 20 
 
 For Beds, Blankets, Crockery, &c. - - 521 92 
 
 2251 12 
 
 Total $5752 57 
 
 IN COMMON COUNCIL, 
 March 1st, 1824. 
 
 The special Committee to whom was referred the Memorial of 
 the Board of Managers of the Society for the Reformation of Ju- 
 venile Delinquents, presented the following Report which was 
 adopted. 
 
 The Committee to whom was referred the Memorial of the Board 
 of Managers of the Society recently formed in this city, for the Re- 
 formation of Juvenile Delinquents, report, 
 
 That they have taken the subject into consideration, and confer- 
 red with gentlemen appointed on behalf of said Board, and they 
 feel a pleasure in expressing their approbation of the laudable ob- 
 jects, which they have in view. Perhaps no institution is more de- 
 sirable in our city, than one which affords a place of refuge for 
 neglected and depraved children, just entering upon the paths of 
 vice, where they may be reclaimed from their bad habits, their 
 minds instructed in the rudiments of learning, and their time devo- 
 ted to some useful employment. Also a refuge for those juvenile 
 convicts, continually discharged from the Bridewell and Peniten- 
 tiary, many of whom have neither friends, parents, nor employment 
 to return to. 
 
56 
 
 The Committee believe that such an institution, properly regula- 
 ted and conducted, would not only tend to improve the condition of 
 society, by lessening the commission of crime, and the number of 
 convicts sent to our prisons, but would have a tendency to diminish 
 the. expenses of the city, incurred on that account. Under the di- 
 rection of the intelligent and judicious individuals who now super- 
 intend its concerns, the Committee feel satisfied- that the institution 
 and necessary erection of buildings, will not only be commenced 
 upon an economical footing, but conducted in a manner calculated 
 to produce permanent advantages. 
 
 The immediate aid which the Memorialists solicit from the Cor- 
 poration, is a grant of land or a piece of ground for the purpose of 
 locating their establishment, and commencing their operations. 
 To this subject the Committee have turned their attention, and are 
 of opinion that the wishes of the Memorialists can be accommodated 
 without much inconvenience to the city. 
 
 The piece of ground lying at the junction of the Bloomingdale 
 and old post roads, on which the United States Arsenal is situated, 
 was on the seventeenth of November, eighteen hundred and seven, 
 granted by the Corporation to the General Government, upon the 
 express condition and understanding, that the same should be used 
 for the purpose of an arsenal and deposite of military stores; and 
 whenever it should cease to be used for such purpose, it was to re- 
 vert to the Corporation. 
 
 This piece of ground, which, together with the triangular plot in 
 front containing about three acres, the Memorialists are of opinion, 
 will be an eligible place for their establishment, and they have sta- 
 ted to the Committee, that if the Corporation will grant, to the Mem- 
 orialists, the right and title to said piece of ground, they are indu- 
 ced to believe that they can make an arrangement with the General 
 Government, by which they can obtain their interest in the same, 
 and the improvements thereon erected. This request your Com- 
 mittee consider reasonable, and are of opinion that it ought to be 
 granted, and therefore offer the following resolution : — 
 
 "Resolved, That whenever the Board of Managers of the Soci- 
 ety for the Reformation of Juvenile Delinquents, shall obtain from 
 the General Government, a conveyance of their interest in the 
 piece of ground, lying at the junction of the Bloomingdale and Old 
 post roads, the Corporation will convey to the said Board of Man- 
 agers, the said piece of ground, and the triangular plot in front, by 
 a proper deed for that purpose, to be used by said Managers for the 
 purpose of a House of Refuge for Juvenile Delinquents ; On con- 
 dition, that if it shall cease to be used for that purpose, it shall then 
 revert to the Corporation. 
 
 (Signed) Jameson Cox. 
 
 Alpheus Sherman. 
 Geo. Zabriskie. 
 Thomas Bolton. 
 Shivers Parker." 
 
57 
 
 SELECTION OF CASES. 
 
 BOYS. 
 
 S. C. B. — Committed from the Police-Office, aged fourteen, was 
 born in Newtown, Conn. His lather moved to New- York, and died 
 before his memory, his mother died about a year ago, and left him 
 friendless. He early commenced a career of stealing and depreda- 
 tion, to which he was led by the company of older boys, and his 
 brief life exhibits one of the most extraordinary instances of juvenile 
 depravity that has come under the notice of the board. His thefts, 
 as admitted by himself are almost beyond number. He has twice 
 served out his sentence in the Penitentiary. He was much encour- 
 aged in his thefts by the facilities afforded him in selling the articles 
 he stole to persons who must have been aware of the manner in 
 which he got them. His depredations upon entries were numerous. 
 The Circus and Theatre also presented a wide field for his dexter- 
 ity in picking pockets. 
 
 The reformation of such a character, was a bold undertaking by 
 the institution, but as he was young, and his offences had been the 
 result of bad company, his case was not considered hopeless. He 
 found means to escape the first week, but was brought back: his 
 temper was obstinate and he was determined upon opposition. Se- 
 vere remedies and punishments were then applied to bend his spirit, 
 and the managers have reason to believe with success. Since April 
 he is much improved in temper and has evinced a disposition to be- 
 have well ; he is now one of the most agreeable and pleasant boys 
 in the house, and is apparently quite happy: should application be 
 made for him for a proper place where he would be strictly attend- 
 ed, the Board think they could bind him out with safety. 
 
 A. T. — Aged 16 years, was committed to this establishment by 
 the Police under the vagrant act. Although he was once taken up 
 for being in company with a boy who had committed theft, yet it 
 does not appear that he himself had ever stolen. He lost his pa- 
 rents when very young, and was thus thrown upon the world. 
 He has lived at several places, and worked for short periods at sev- 
 eral employments. Latterly he lived in Bancker-street, where his 
 sole employment was to pick chips, and play in the streets. The 
 first week of his commitment to this establishment, he found means 
 to escape by the aid of carpenter's tools, the next day he returned 
 unexpectedly, and to the great satisfaction of the superintendent — 
 said that he had no desire of leaving the house, but was persuaded 
 by another ; that he wished to see his sister, whom he had heard 
 was sick; he is sensible that this is the place for him, and the only 
 means of ridding himself of his former associates and his evil pro- 
 pensities. He has for several months been in the confidence of the 
 superintendent, and principally employed as a guard over the other 
 boys : he has also frequently been sent to the city on errands,, 
 which he has discharged faithfully. The managers think that they 
 could bind him out to a proper place with confidence. 
 
 J. H. — Now about 12 years of age, was born in the city, his pa- 
 rents died in his infancy, and he was successively taken by several 
 of his relations. He was one year in the Aims-House, and has 
 been left to follow pretty much his own inclinations, without a 
 friendly hand to guide him. So far as we know he has never been 
 
 3 
 
58 
 
 arraigned for crime or put in prison. He was sent to this estab- 
 lishment by the Police under the vagrant act. He was in May last 
 indented to a farmer in Poughkeepeie. 
 
 From the time be was received into this asylum up to his leaving 
 it, his conduct was almost unexceptionably good: to his fellows he 
 was pleasant and agreeable, to his superiors obedient and humble. 
 Two letters have been received from the gentleman to whom he is 
 indented, which give satisfactory accounts of his behavior.* 
 
 E. M. — Aged 15 years. His parents are now living in this city, 
 and with whom he has always lived. He used to pick chips in the 
 street, and the first thing he ever stole was chips from other boys. 
 About two years since, he, in company with an older boy who had 
 been in the Penitentiary, stole from a man in the street who was 
 intoxicated, a bundle containing many articles; he was taken up, 
 tried for highway robbery, and sent to the Penitentiary for six 
 months, when his time was out, he commenced thieving again. 
 He was again taken up and put in Bridewell, (where he has been 
 three or four times,) convicted and sentenced to the House of Re- 
 fuge. He escaped in a short time, and was found in Bridewell, 
 where he had been committed under a feigned name, under suspi- 
 cion of shop-lifting. Severe remedies and punishments were ap- 
 plied for nearl} 7 two months. He was put to the shoe maker's 
 bench. Since April, his conduct has been such as to give much 
 satisfaction. He is unremitted in attention to his work, and evin- 
 ces much ambition. In short, his uniformly good conduct since 
 the above time " impress us with the belief," says the superinten- 
 dent, " that the steps taken for his preservation will prove success- 
 ful ; in him we anticipate the realization of our wishes." 
 
 J. P. — Aged between fourteen and fifteen, was born in Boston ; 
 his father being dead, his mother removed to this city, and married 
 again ; she takes in washing, and his step-father is a laborer, and 
 works along shore. He has been to sea four months, on his return 
 he lived with his mother, has not lived at any other place; he used 
 to sell oysters and clams, and play about the streets. About two 
 years ago, he stole a goose from on board a sloop, and was sent by 
 the Police six months to the Penitentiary. He stayed out his time, 
 and stole nothing (he says) afterwards : he was taken up in Jan- 
 uary last on a Sunday, for getting with other boys into the cabin of 
 a steam-boat : he was put in Bridewell and then committed to this 
 establishment. He was never at school. His conduct at first was 
 very refractory; evincing a settled determination to escape, in 
 which he once succeeded, but was retaken. Appearing bent on 
 his purpose, and making several ineffectual efforts, it was found ne- 
 cessary to apply severe and continued punishments and confine- 
 ment to break the obstinacy of his temper. 
 
 Since April, his conduct has been very good, he has been one of 
 the guard for some months, and has frequently been sent to town 
 with the cart. 
 
 M. W. — Between 15 and 16 years of age, from the Police — he 
 has no mother but his father is living in this city : without his fa- 
 ther's consent he went to sea; on his return, he lived at various 
 places and employments for short periods, in wandering in the 
 
 See Page 42. 
 
59 
 
 streets and picking chips, by which he was exposed to constant 
 temptation. He was at length taken up for stealing a turkey, and 
 sent to the Penitentiary for six months. When he came out he 
 strolled through the streets, and commenced pilfering as an occu- 
 pation, and was three times committed to Bridewell. 
 
 His conduct from the day he was received into this establishment, 
 was uniformly good : he was one of the guard for about three 
 months, the duties of which he performed vigilantly. After having 
 given many evidences that he would not return to his former mal- 
 practices, he was at his own request indented to a farmer in Broome 
 County, on the 14th of October. 
 
 G. D. — Between 14 and 15 years of age— was born in this city, 
 his parents are living, and he has always staid with them ; he was 
 brought up in idleness, which led to habits of pilfering. He was 
 charged with stealing clothes, tried, and sentenced for six months 
 to the Penitentiary, at the expiration of his sentence, as his parents 
 had neglected him, he was sent to the Refuge by the commissioners 
 of the Alms-house. 
 
 He has conducted himself better than we had a right to expect, 
 considering the manner in which he has been brought up. He 
 has a cheerful and obliging disposition, and does much to obtain 
 the good-will of the other boys. He is engaged to a person in the 
 country. 
 
 T. B. — Aged 17, committed by the Police under the vagrant act. 
 He was born in this city; his father is a laborer. He was' some 
 years in the Aims-House, whence Jie was bound to Paterson, but 
 having permission to spend a fourth of July in town, he did not re- 
 turn : the winter following, he was again sent to the Aims-House, 
 and indented to a gentleman in one of the western counties, who 
 removing to New-YorJ\, brought the boy with him, who left his 
 master and went to live with his father, where he staid until his 
 mother died, when he began to lead an irregular life. The first 
 theft he ever committed was in stealing some silver from his young 
 brother. About four years since in company with another boy, he 
 stole a bundle of clothes, for which he was sent to the Penitentiary 
 for six months. He has been in the habit of drinking, in which his 
 parents encouraged him. He says he drank one day twenty-two 
 glasses and was not intoxicated. 
 
 Since he has been in the house, the superintendent has not had 
 much cause to complain of frim. He has frequently been heard to 
 express his gratitude that he was snatched from the vortex of dissi- 
 pation into which he was fast hastening, and to exclaim " what 
 would have become of me by this time, if I had not been brought 
 here." 
 
 — R. F. — About 16 years old. Was born in this city. His pa- 
 rents, with whom he has lived most of the time, allowed him to be 
 a street idler. He early commenced stealing, which seems to have 
 been with him a passion. He has been tried for it four several 
 times, and served out in the Penitentiary four different terms of 
 punishment, and was finally sent to this Refuge. 
 
 As he has had no opportunities of gratifying his vicious propen- 
 sity since he has been here, it is not possible to say how far good 
 principles and virtuous examples have had an effect on him. The 
 superintendent reports that his conduct has been such as to five 
 
60 
 
 him much satisfaction; he is in possession of his confidence, and 
 has occasionly been on guard. 
 
 J. T. E. — aged 17 years, is a young man of good parentage, and 
 who has lived in several respectable places in this city. His first 
 temptation to error was the sudden attainment of money by draw- 
 ing a prize in a lottery, which led him into dissipation and evil 
 company. He became acquainted with women of loose character, 
 who led him into extravagance, which induced him to commit theft 
 to support his manner of living when his lottery money was ex- 
 pended. The Court considering his youth, the respectability of 
 his family, and it being the first offence, thought fit to sentence 
 him to the House of Refuge. He says he never knew a moment's 
 happiness from the time he committed the first offence, to his be- 
 ing taken up. 
 
 Since his admission into the establishment, his conduct has been 
 such as we have reason to be satisfied with. The abhorrence he 
 appears to feel at, and the contrition he evinces for, his former 
 conduct, give strong encouragement to believe that he will yet be- 
 come a useful and respectable member of society. 
 
 GIRLS. 
 
 C. A. — Aged between 15 and 16, has a mother in this city, with 
 whom she has always lived. This girl was brought up to no other 
 employment than picking chips for her mother, which led her to 
 live in the streets, and be exposed to every species of crime. She 
 was taken up with other girls for stealing a watch. She made two 
 several attempts to escape, and her conduct was such as to require 
 confinement and punishment. The misconduct of this girl, we 
 think, may with justice be attributed to the example of a depraved 
 mother and elder sister, who are now in the Penitentiary, as well 
 as to an impaired mind, occasioned by an epileptic affection with 
 which she has been afflicted since a child. Our physicians have 
 prescribed for her, and have been successful in suspending her fits: 
 since July she has not had a return of them. From which time 
 she has behaved much better. The improvement of her mind is 
 also sufficient to give flattering hopes of her yet becoming a res- 
 pectable woman. 
 
 A. M. C— Between 13 and 14 j-ears of age. Her mother lived 
 in Bancker-street, but is now in the Alms House; the girl has 
 lived for short periods in several places. She afterwards became 
 associated with girls of bad character, was in the habit of picking 
 chips, running about the docks, stealing small articles and selling 
 them to market women. She, in company with other girls, com- 
 mitted several robberies upon strangers in the public streets, of an 
 aggravated nature, which indicated a degree of daring and vice be- 
 yond her years. It may not be proper to give a detailed account 
 of the life of this girl and several others hereafter mentioned ; suf- 
 fice it is to say, that to reform such characters requires no ordi- 
 nary patience and talent. 
 
 Upon reading her history, it will naturally be supposed that 
 from one so early depraved, much was not to be expected. Since 
 her reception into this establishment, she has frequently been vis- 
 ited by her mother, from whom we have learned sufficient to jus- 
 tify our saying that her conduct may rather be ascribed to her bad 
 
61 
 
 example, than to any intrinsic or natural propensity to evil. Yet 
 notwithstanding her early disadvantages, we feel pleasure in say- 
 ing, that within the last three months, a great change in her feel- 
 ings, as w r ell as her conduct, has been effected, and she bids fair to 
 become entirely reformed. 
 
 J. M. C. — Twelve years old, born in this city, is sister of the 
 preceding. With such an example, and such company, and 
 without any controul from her mother, a different fate from her 
 sister's could not be expected. She became vicious and criminal, and 
 was taken up as an accomplice in her sister's robberies. Being 
 younger in crime and years than her sister, there were much 
 greater hopes of her reformation ; nor have they been disappointed . 
 She was indented to a gentleman in Poughkeepsie some months 
 ago, from whom very flattering accounts of her conduct have been 
 received. He states that "her conduct has been unexceptionable, 
 and he is informed by her teachers, that she is the best scholar in 
 her class." 
 
 D. W. — Aged fifteen ; was with the last two girls on the com- 
 mission of their robberies, and was sent to this place by the police 
 on her being detected. 
 
 After remaining a sufficient time to convince the superintendent 
 that she felt a desire to reform, agreeably to her own wishes she 
 was bound to a gentleman in the western part of the state. In a 
 letter under date of the 30th August last, he states "that her con- 
 duct has been good. She has given less cause of complaint than 
 he should have reason to expect from a girl of her age taken from 
 one of our well regulated families in this part of the country. The 
 lessons taught her while under your care appear to have made 
 a proper, and, I think, a lasting impression on her mind. 
 She evinces a disposition to learn w^hat is good ; and such work 
 as is proper for her, she performs with ingenuity and neatness." 
 
 M. A. C. — Aged sixteen years. Both her parents are dead. 
 She has been to service in several places in this city. Being out 
 of place, she formed acquaintance with girls who led her into vi- 
 cious courses. She was sent one day with others of errands; after 
 being absent some hours she returned, and said she had been to see 
 her relations. She stated that from the moment she had left the 
 house until her return she was unhappy, and that she wished to 
 remain here until it was thought best for her to leave. Her im- 
 provement is such as to give much satisfaction. She appears de- 
 termined upon becoming a respectable woman. She has acquired 
 the art of manufacturing grass into hats, and has a happy faculty 
 of teaching others. 
 
 S. A. R. — Aged between thirteen and fourteen years, was born 
 in this city. Her parents having died, she was put to several pla- 
 ces, at none of which she remained any time, or received any im- 
 provement. She w r as taken up by the watch and sent to this es- 
 tablishment. Her conduct since June has been more than ordina- 
 rily good : she is very ambitious, and frequently exerts herself 
 beyond her strength. She, in a few r days, is to be bound out. 
 
 J. G. — Aged between 16 and 17. She has lived in several pla- 
 ces but in none to any advantage to her principles or habits. Her 
 last place, in Bancker-street, led her to form evil associates. She 
 was taken up by the watch, being in bad company, and committed 
 
62 
 
 to this house. With her conduct since in the house, the superin- 
 tendent has had hotter reason to he satisfied than with that of any 
 other of our female subjects, notwithstanding the vicious life she 
 led the last year before she came into this establishment. She has 
 many good principles. After being in the house a few weeks, she 
 became willing to yield to restraints and attend to advice given her. 
 She has a good disposition, and pleasant manners. She was inden- 
 ted the beginning of last month. 
 
 Subscribers and Donors 
 
 TO THE 
 
 LIFE SUBSCRIBERS. 
 
 Israel Corse - - $100 
 
 Harriot Douglass - 100 
 
 Thomas Gibbons *- 100 
 
 William Jauncey - 100 
 
 James Lovett - - 100 
 
 John Watts - - 100 
 
 Moses Allen - 50 
 
 John Adams - - £0 
 
 George Arcularius - 50 
 
 Stephen Allen - - 50 
 
 William B. Astor - 50 
 
 David Austin - - 50 
 
 Saul Alley - 50 
 
 Thomas Allen - - 50 
 
 Cornelius M. Allen - 50 
 
 Heman Averili - - 50 
 
 Divie Bethune - 50 
 
 Daniel Berrien - 50 
 
 Henry Brevoort, jun - 50. 
 
 Thomas S. Byrnes - 50 
 
 Robert Brown - 50 
 
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 Henry Barclay - - 0811 
 
 Joseph Blackwell - 50 
 
 Isaac Bronson - 50 
 
 James Boggs - 50 
 
 Floyd S. Bailey - - 50 
 
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 Hyppolite Barrere - 50 
 
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 Robert Bogardus - 50 
 
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 G. W T . & H. Bruen 
 Thomas Buckley 
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 Matthew Clarkson 
 Mrs. Costar 
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 John G. Costar - 
 Isaac Carow 
 Lynde Catlin 
 Barney Corse 
 Henry Carey 
 Duncan P. Campbell 
 Henry A. Costar 
 Levi Coit - 
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 T. S. Clarkson - 
 J. J. Coddington 
 John B. Coles - 
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 Cornelius Du Bois 
 M. Douglass 
 John F. Delaplaine 
 E. C. Delavan - 
 Daniel B. Dash - 
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 Moses Field 
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 John Flack 
 Samuel Falconer 
 Andrew Foster - 
 John Fleming - 
 Augustus Fleming 
 William W. Fox 
 Hickson W. Field 
 
 50 
 50 
 50 
 50 
 50 
 50 
 50 
 50 
 50 
 50 
 50 
 50 
 50 
 50 
 50 
 50 
 50 
 50 
 50 
 50 
 50 
 50 
 50 
 50 
 50 
 50 
 50 
 50 
 50 
 50 
 50 
 50 
 50 
 50 
 50 
 50 
 50 
 
63 
 
 Joseph Grinnell 
 N. L. Griswold - 
 John J. Glover - 
 J. Graff - 
 J. A. Graff- 
 John C. Halsey - 
 Elijah Humphreys 
 William Howard 
 Wager Hull 
 H. Hendricks - 
 Peter Harmony - 
 L. T. & C. Hammersley 
 G. G. &l S. Howland - 
 Philip Hone 
 John Hone - 
 D. G. Hubbard - 
 Timothy Hedges 
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 Isaac S. Hone - 
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 John A. Hamilton 
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 Jacob Harvey - 
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 John Hone, jun. 
 Fisher How 
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 S. Jones - 
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 Alice Johnson - 
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 Edward Kellogg 
 Henry Kneeland 
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 George Klotts - 
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 Gideon Lee 
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 Gr. Ludlow 
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 Rufus L. Lord - 
 George Lorillard 
 Aaron Leggett • 
 Isaac Lawrence 
 
 50 
 
 Herman Le Roy 
 
 C A 
 50 
 
 50 
 
 Iti lay Lecke 
 
 Eft 
 
 50 
 
 £ a 
 50 
 
 i> lcholas Low 
 
 £ A 
 
 50 
 
 50 
 
 Cornelius Low - 
 
 e a 
 
 50 
 
 50 
 
 iSicnoIas Low, jun. 
 
 £ A 
 
 50 
 
 50 
 
 Henrietta Low - 
 
 £ A 
 OU 
 
 £ A 
 
 5 (J 
 
 John L. Lawrence 
 
 00 
 
 50 
 
 \\ llliam Lawton 
 
 £ A 
 
 50 
 
 50 
 
 David Lytfig 
 
 • A 
 
 oO 
 
 50 
 
 Thomas Lord 
 
 £f\ 
 
 oO 
 
 50 
 
 Abner Lord 
 
 50 
 
 50 
 
 Jabez Lovett 
 
 50 
 
 50 
 
 Lindley Murray 
 
 50 
 
 50 
 
 Benjamin Marshall 
 
 £ A 
 
 50 
 
 ( ) 
 
 John Mason - - 
 
 OU 
 
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 00 
 
 \\ illiam r . iVlott 
 
 K A 
 00 
 
 £ A 
 
 50 
 
 H. 31'rarland 
 
 £ A 
 
 50 
 
 50 
 
 James M'Bride - 
 
 fi A 
 
 00 
 
 £ a 
 00 
 
 Catharine Murray 
 
 £ A 
 
 00 
 
 Z>\) 
 
 Ann M. Adams - 
 
 ou 
 
 RA 
 
 00 
 
 O. 31aui an - 
 
 £ A 
 
 00 
 
 £ A 
 
 00 
 
 E. Morewood 
 
 £ A 
 
 00 
 
 £ a 
 50 
 
 L. Malibran 
 
 £/ k 
 
 00 
 
 50 
 
 hi. ti. iNlCOll 
 
 £ A 
 
 00 
 
 e a 
 50 
 
 TJ> TLX XT , • „ , 
 
 K. H. jNevins 
 
 £ A 
 
 50 
 
 rz a 
 
 50 
 
 r . H. rsicoll 
 
 cry 
 OU 
 
 e a 
 00 
 
 George INewbold 
 
 K A 
 50 
 
 50 
 
 Ralph. Olmsted - 
 
 £ A 
 
 50 
 
 50 
 
 Francis Olmsted 
 
 £ A 
 
 50 
 
 50 
 
 John Oothout 
 
 £ A 
 
 50 
 
 OU 
 
 Jonathan Ogden- 
 
 ou 
 
 50 
 
 W illiam Osborn - 
 
 £ A 
 
 50 
 
 50 
 
 John K. Peters - 
 
 50 
 
 00 
 
 John Pintard 
 
 50 
 
 00 
 
 Anson Cr. rnelps 
 
 £ A 
 00 
 
 Oil 
 
 [ J. G. Pierson <fc Brothers 
 
 £ A 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 N. Prime - 
 
 £ A 
 50 
 
 RA 
 Ou 
 
 Amos Palmer 
 
 DO 
 
 50 
 
 ! Henry II. Paxton 
 
 £ A 
 
 oO 
 
 50 
 
 i Vv illiam Paulding 
 
 £ A 
 
 00 
 
 ou 
 
 Henry H. Panton 
 
 £ A 
 00 
 
 £ a 
 00 
 
 inaclueus rnelps cc Co. 
 
 DO 
 
 00 
 
 Charles Porter - 
 
 £ A 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 Matthew Keed - 
 
 £ A 
 
 50 
 
 £ A 
 
 00 
 
 P. Remsen 
 
 £ A 
 
 00 
 
 A A 
 OU 
 
 Moses Rodgers - 
 
 £ A 
 
 50 
 
 50 
 
 David Kongers - 
 
 Cft 
 
 50 
 
 £ A 
 
 50 
 
 William Khineiander - 
 
 50 
 
 £ A 
 00 
 
 M. Robinson 
 
 £ A. 
 
 50 
 
 50 
 
 William M. Russell - 
 
 50 
 
 50 
 
 R. M. Russell - 
 
 50 
 
 50 
 
 William Roberts 
 
 50 
 
 50 
 
 H. C. De Rham - 
 
 50 
 
 60 
 
 Thomas H. Smith 
 
 50 
 
64 
 
 John 0. Sullivan 
 
 50 
 
 Richard Varick - 
 
 50 
 
 Edmund Smith - 
 
 50 
 
 G. C. Verplanck 
 
 60 
 
 J. Suydam - 
 
 50 
 
 John Watts 
 
 50 
 
 Thomas Suflern - 
 
 50 
 
 Charles Wright - 
 
 50 
 
 David Stebbins - 
 
 50 
 
 John R. Willis - 
 
 50 
 
 Samuel St. John 
 
 50 
 
 Augustus Wynkoop - 
 
 50 
 
 Nathaniel Smith 
 
 50 
 
 John G. W T arren 
 
 50 
 
 Sands, Spooner, & Co. 
 
 50 
 
 Samuel Ward 
 
 50 
 
 J. S. Schermerhorn - 
 
 50 
 
 William Weyman 
 
 50 
 
 Richard Sadlier 
 
 50 
 
 Thomas Woodruff 
 
 50 
 
 Nicholas Schureman - 
 
 50 
 
 James D. L. Walton - 
 
 50 
 
 Anthony Steinback 
 
 50 
 
 E. Wainwright - 
 
 50 
 
 Frederick Sheldon 
 
 50 
 
 Henry Walton - 
 
 50 
 
 Peter Sharpe 
 
 50 
 
 Henry I. Wyckoff 
 
 50 
 
 Arthur Tappan - 
 
 50 
 
 John Waite 
 
 50 
 
 James Thompson 
 
 50 
 
 Charles Wilkes - 
 
 50 
 
 Jeremiah Thompson - 
 
 50 
 
 William W. Woolsey 
 
 50 
 
 Gideon Tucker - 
 
 50 
 
 Samuel Whittemore - 
 
 50 
 
 Najah Taylor 
 
 50 
 
 M. Willit 
 
 50 
 
 Francis Thompson 
 
 50 
 
 William Wallace through the 
 
 Robert Tillotson 
 
 50 
 
 Savings Bank 
 
 53 
 
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 50 
 
 
 
 
 
 A TV1VTTAT 
 All U AL 
 
 SUBSCRIBERS. 
 
 
 Charles Anthon . 
 
 10 
 
 James Bertine . 
 
 3 
 
 D. Anderson 
 
 s 
 
 J. W. Brown 
 
 3 
 
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 3 
 
 L. Binnse . 
 
 3 
 
 C. C. Andrews . 
 
 3 
 
 Isaac Bell . 
 
 5 
 
 Daniel Bache . 
 
 10 
 
 Silas Brown 
 
 3 
 
 William G. Bucknor . 
 
 10 
 
 N. Benjamin 
 
 3 
 
 J. W. Bleecker . 
 
 10 
 
 J. M. Bruce 
 
 3 
 
 Robert P. Bell . 
 
 10 
 
 B. C. Burdett . 
 
 3 
 
 Frederick R. Bunker . 
 
 10 
 
 Ira Barnum 
 
 3 
 
 J. & L. Brewster 
 
 10 
 
 James Bogart, jun. 
 
 3 
 
 James A. Burtis . 
 
 10 
 
 James Benedict . 
 
 10 
 
 William Baldwin 
 
 10 
 
 John S. Crary . 
 
 10 
 
 Thomas Brooks . 
 
 10 
 
 Jacob B. Clark . 
 
 10 
 
 E. Byrne . 
 
 10 
 
 D. Crassous 
 
 10 
 
 Benjamin Bailey 
 
 10 
 
 William Calder . 
 
 10 
 
 Lewis Bancel 
 
 10 
 
 N. Comstock 
 
 10 
 
 Arthur Burtis 
 
 10 
 
 William M. Carter 
 
 10 
 
 William Bleakley 
 
 3 
 
 Francis Cochran 
 
 10 
 
 R. C. Barfree 
 
 3 
 
 Joseph Curtis 
 
 10 
 
 John Burk . 
 
 3 
 
 Dr. Thomas Cock 
 
 10 
 
 Joseph Bayley . 
 
 3 
 
 Samuel Cheesman 
 
 10 
 
 E. W. A. Bailey 
 
 3 
 
 J. Couzins 
 
 10 
 
 Gaston Barnard . 
 
 3 
 
 Peter Cooper 
 
 10 
 
 William Bryce . 
 
 3 
 
 J. W. Corlies . 
 
 10 
 
 G. Bancker 
 
 3 
 
 John Clapp 
 
 3 
 
 Enos Baldwin 
 
 3 
 
 G. Chichester 
 
 3 
 
 Smith Bloomfield 
 
 3 
 
 J. Cummings 
 
 3 
 
 Mrs. Banks 
 
 3 
 
 John Curtis 
 
 3 
 
 Thomas Browning 
 
 3 
 
 John Cassilear ♦ 
 
 3 
 
65 
 
 S. D. Craig 
 
 S 
 
 Robert Gracie - 
 
 3 
 
 Joseph Corlies - 
 
 3 
 
 Samuel Hannay 
 
 10 
 
 Ebenezer Cauldwell - 
 
 3 
 
 John E. Hyde * 
 
 10 
 
 W. & H. Chardyne, - 
 
 3 
 
 Jacob Houseman 
 
 10 
 
 W. R. Cook 
 
 3 
 
 John Hancock 
 
 10 
 
 Oliver L. Clark 
 
 3 
 
 Alexander Henderson 
 
 10 
 
 A. Canter 
 
 3 
 
 Til 1 1 IT 1 
 
 Lldad Holmes - 
 
 1U 
 
 Benjamin Davids 
 
 10 
 
 John Halsey 
 
 1 1\ 
 
 10 
 
 Mahlon Day- 
 
 10 
 
 1 XT TT 11 
 
 Charles H. Hall 
 
 10 
 
 John Dean 
 
 10 
 
 W. Hall - 
 
 10 
 
 Evert Duyckinck 
 
 10 
 
 M. Hoyt 
 
 10 
 
 James W. Dominick - 
 
 10 
 
 James Hopson 
 
 *> 
 
 D. E. Dunscomb 
 
 10 
 
 G. F. Hopkins 
 
 3 
 
 John Demon 
 
 10 
 
 Hugh Holmes - 
 
 3 
 
 Miss H. Disabaye 
 
 3 
 
 Oliver Holden, jun. - 
 
 iS 
 
 G. S. Duryea 
 
 3 
 
 Henry Hinsdale 
 
 Q 
 
 Elizabeth Duryee 
 
 3 
 
 D. J. Hubbs 
 
 o 
 
 J. E. Dekay 
 
 3 
 
 John R. Hurd - 
 
 o 
 o 
 
 John F. Doland 
 
 3 
 
 J. H. Hetherington - 
 
 3 
 
 J. L. Dunning - 
 
 3 
 
 J. J. Ingersoll 
 
 10 
 
 E. G. Dunnell - 
 
 3 
 
 William Israel 
 
 5 
 
 J. Duffee - 
 
 3 
 
 TV a T 
 
 D. &. Jones 
 
 m ft 
 
 1" 
 
 Enoch Dean 
 
 3 
 
 James Jarvis 
 
 10 
 
 John C. Davenport - 
 
 3 
 
 D. Jacot - 
 
 a 
 3 
 
 Ogden Edwards 
 
 10 
 
 T 1X1 
 
 Joseph Johnson- 
 
 3 
 
 Robert Emmett 
 
 10 
 
 Napthali Judah - 
 
 3 
 
 George Englehart 
 
 3 
 
 Richard Jennings 
 
 3 
 
 Thomas Eddy, jun. 
 
 3 
 
 Silvester Judson 
 
 3 
 
 S. Flewwelling 
 
 10 
 
 John Kemp 
 
 l0 
 
 Thomas Freeborn 
 
 10 
 
 Francis Kane 
 
 3 
 
 Lockwood Feeks 
 
 10 
 
 WIT IT 1 1 
 
 William Kemble 
 
 Q 
 O 
 
 N. Fellows 
 
 10 
 
 Isaac Keeler 
 
 3 
 
 Martha Farrier 
 
 3 
 
 John D. Keese - 
 
 Q 
 
 3 
 
 Ferris Finch 
 
 3 
 
 H. T. Kiersted 
 
 6 
 
 Job Furman 
 
 3 
 
 Henry Lowery - 
 
 3 
 
 Theodosius Fowler - 
 
 3 
 
 H. B. Lambert - 
 
 3 
 
 William Forrest 
 
 3 
 
 ITT* 11* T» T 
 
 William B. Lowery - 
 
 3 
 
 William Frazer 
 
 3 
 
 T. F. Livingston 
 
 3 
 
 James Fellows 
 
 3 
 
 Rufus Lockwood 
 
 o 
 
 3 
 
 John A. Franklin 
 
 o 
 
 3 
 
 T» • 1 IT • 
 
 Richard Loins - 
 
 3 
 
 D. A. Frost 
 
 o 
 
 3 
 
 Walter Langdon 
 
 3 
 
 John Gnscom - 
 
 10 
 
 T T „ _ J 
 
 J. Lockwood 
 
 Q 
 
 James W. Gerard 
 
 1*0 
 
 Allen C. Lee 
 
 10 
 
 J. & C. Gascoigne 
 
 10 
 
 John W. Leavitt 
 
 10 
 
 Jonathan Goodhue 
 
 10 
 
 Henry Laverty 
 
 10 
 
 Charles Guyer 
 
 10 
 
 Hugh Laing 
 
 10 
 
 Henry E. Grinnell 
 
 3 
 
 Charles Lawton 
 
 10 
 
 F. Gebhard 
 
 10 
 
 Lebbeus Loomis 
 
 10 
 
 Samuel L. Governeur 
 
 10 
 
 C. L. Livingston 
 
 10 
 
 Isaac Greenwood 
 
 3 
 
 Matthias Luff - 
 
 10 
 
 James Grey 
 
 3 
 
 J. Lucas 
 
 10 
 
 Samuel Gesmon 
 
 3 
 
 J. W. Lent 
 
 10 
 
 James Guion 
 
 3 
 
 George Lovett - 
 
 3 
 
 William Geib - 
 
 3 
 
 T. Lovett 
 
 3 
 
 9 
 
66 
 
 Mrs. P. Lawrence 
 Peter Lorillard - 
 R. M. Livingston 
 John De Lancey 
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 Dr. V. Mott 
 D. M'Carthy 
 James M'Gee & Co - 
 George Manold 
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 Richard Mott - 
 Robert F. Mott 
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 D. M-Lauirhlin 
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 Alexander M 'Donald - 
 Oliver Morse 
 Daniel Mersereau 
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 M. Mulden 
 
 N. Mead 
 
 T. W. Moore - 
 
 William W. Miner - 
 
 S. Nathan 
 
 J. & C. Nichols & Co 
 Andrew S. Norwood - 
 William Neilson 
 M. Nicholl - . - 
 John Ogden 
 Jacob Ostrom - 
 Samuel Osborn - 
 F. Olmstead 
 James F. Palmer 
 John Poillon 
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 E. T. Pinckney 
 Walter Peck 
 Stephen Peck - 
 William Prior - 
 Richard E. Purdy 
 N. Smith Prentiss 
 George Pardon - 
 Joel Post 
 Thompson Price 
 Lemuel Pitman - 
 R. Pardesses 
 Joseph Parker - - 
 Rodger Prout - 
 
 3 
 
 F. Place 
 
 3 
 
 10 
 
 Josiah B. Quinby 
 
 3 
 
 K) J G. S. Robbins - 
 
 •10 
 
 11) 
 
 J. F. Randolph 
 
 10 
 
 10 
 
 James Roosevelt 
 
 10 
 
 •10 
 
 David Reynolds 
 
 10 
 
 10 
 
 William 0. Rhinelander 
 
 10 
 
 10 
 
 Henry Rodgers 
 
 10 
 
 10 
 
 Beverly Robinson 
 George Robson - 
 
 10 
 
 10 
 
 3 
 
 10 
 
 Henry Robinson 
 
 
 10 
 
 S. F. Randolph 
 
 3 
 
 10 
 
 C. N. S. Rowland 
 
 3 
 
 o 
 
 John Robins 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 John S. Roper 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 N. Rodgers 
 
 a 
 
 3 
 
 \ir "ill* l i 
 
 F. W. Rhinelander 
 
 o 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 P. Rhinelander - 
 
 5 
 
 3 
 
 John Redfield 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 George Seaman 
 
 10 
 
 3 
 
 Stephen Smith 
 
 1 O 
 
 3 
 
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 10 
 
 5 
 
 David Seaman 
 
 10 
 
 3 
 
 Henry Sheldon - 
 
 10 
 
 3 
 
 Benjamin Strong 
 
 10 
 
 3 
 
 Peter Stagg 
 
 1 f\ 
 
 10 
 
 3 
 
 G. H. Stanton 
 
 1 u 
 
 3 
 
 J. Shepherd - 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 Dr. G. Smith 
 
 3 
 
 10 
 
 William Stephens 
 
 6 
 
 10 
 
 Morris Shipley 
 
 3 
 
 10 
 
 S. Seaton 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 James S. Slover 
 
 £5 
 
 3 
 
 W. W. Shirley - 
 
 ct 
 O 
 
 10 
 
 Mrs. G. Smith - 
 
 5 
 
 10 
 
 Dr. James Stewart 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 P. N. Strong 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 Philip Smith 
 
 3 
 
 10 
 
 James Stewart - 
 
 3 
 
 10 
 
 William Scott - 
 
 o 
 
 3 
 
 10 
 
 Thomas Stevens 
 
 3 
 
 10 
 
 William F. Stevens - 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 William Schureman - 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 Henry D. Sedgwick - 
 
 5 
 
 3 
 
 Bishop Sherwood 
 
 er 
 
 a 
 
 3 
 
 Jacob Tier 
 
 10 
 
 3 
 
 Frederick Tracy 
 
 10 
 
 3 
 
 James Tessier 
 
 10 
 
 3 
 
 Orin Thompson 
 
 10 
 
 3 
 
 Henry Thomas 
 
 10 
 
 3 
 
 John G. Tibbits 
 
 5 
 
 3 
 
 Samuel H. Turner 
 
 5 
 
 3 
 
 William Thompson 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 J. C. Totten 
 
 3 
 
67 
 
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 3 
 
 Dr. H. W. Webb 
 
 10 
 
 Walter Underhill 
 
 10 
 
 Wi.liam Wright 
 
 10 
 
 George Upfold 
 
 3 
 
 Elijah Whipple 
 
 10 
 
 Eli Vail 
 
 10 
 
 James Wallace 
 
 10 
 
 M. M. Valentine 
 
 10 
 
 L. Wyckoff 
 
 3 
 
 A. M. Valentine 
 
 10 
 
 Salem Wines 
 
 3 
 
 Cornelius Van Allen 
 
 10 
 
 Henrv Wyckoff 
 
 3 
 
 N. Van Antwerp 
 
 10 
 
 Eliphalet Wheeler 
 
 3 
 
 H. Van Wagenen 
 
 3 
 
 Lewis Wiseburn 
 
 3 
 
 L. Van Antwerp 
 
 3 
 
 Elizabeth Walsh 
 
 3 
 
 Thomas Van Antwerp 
 
 S 
 
 Jonathan M. Wainwright 
 
 3 
 
 Ahraliain Van Riwkirk 
 
 3 
 
 H. Worrall 
 
 3 
 
 William WaHncr 
 
 11 11I1CX11& »» til J li^ 
 
 3 
 
 George Wrasffif 
 
 3 
 
 E. J. White 
 
 3 
 
 Henry Wendall 
 
 3 
 
 Francis P. Videl 
 
 3 
 
 R. N. Wenman 
 
 3 
 
 M. Valangeas 
 
 o 
 O 
 
 Thomas W aring 
 
 q 
 
 W. Van De Water 
 
 3 
 
 Joseph Walker 
 
 5 
 
 J. Webb & Co. 
 
 10 
 
 J. S. & R. Comstock 
 
 10 
 
 Charles Wardell 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 William Agnew 
 
 10 
 
 Col. Barclay 
 
 3 
 
 B. Armitage 
 
 5 
 
 Thomas Barrow 
 
 10 
 
 N. T. Arnold 
 
 2 
 
 Andrew Bowden 
 
 1 50 
 
 Hugh Auchincloss 
 
 5 
 
 David Briggs 
 
 2 
 
 D. J. Anderson 
 
 2 
 
 T. G. Bull 
 
 2 
 
 Ezra Ayres 
 
 o 
 
 George Brooks 
 
 3 
 
 M. Allison 
 
 3 
 
 James Bleecker 
 
 5 
 
 B. Andariese 
 
 3 
 
 R. H. Bowne 
 
 5 
 
 J. Auchincloss 
 
 5 
 
 D. Brooks 
 
 10 
 
 S. & J. Angevine 
 
 2 
 
 Mrs. D. Brinckerhoff 
 
 10 
 
 William Acheson 
 
 2 
 
 Peter Burtsell 
 
 5 
 
 N. Allen 
 
 3 
 
 Lyman Betts 
 
 15 
 
 Benjamin Andreoin 
 
 2 
 
 John Buckley & Son 
 
 2 
 
 Henry Arcularius 
 
 10 
 
 R. V. Beekman 
 
 3 
 
 Dr. S. Akerley 
 
 5 
 
 T. H. Bogart 
 
 5 
 
 Benjamin Aymar 
 
 10 
 
 C. Bostwick 
 
 3 
 
 Daniel Alley 
 
 3 
 
 Samuel A. Bascom 
 
 5 
 
 Jacob Aimes 
 
 3 
 
 William Berrian 
 
 3 
 
 Obadiah Ayres 
 
 1 50 
 
 William Brown 
 
 3 
 
 Joanna Bethune 
 
 5 
 
 Thomas Brown 
 
 5 
 
 E. Bliss & E. White 
 
 20 
 
 J. Blackfan 
 
 3 
 
 Anna Braithwaite 
 
 20 
 
 Richard Berrian 
 
 5 
 
 Nathan Bailey 
 
 25 
 
 Joseph Baggot 
 
 2 
 
 James Bailey 
 
 10 
 
 Samuel Brown 
 
 2 
 
 James Boyd 
 
 10 
 
 J. V. B. Barricklo 
 
 2 
 
 Andrew Brunn 
 
 5 
 
 J. Bolton 
 
 10 
 
 Mrs. A. Brown 
 
 5 
 
 Burrell 
 
 1 
 
 W r illiam Burtsell 
 
 10 
 
 George W. Brown 
 
 5 
 
 Noah Brown 
 
 20 
 
 B. & L. 
 
 3 
 
 Jas.&Th.Beatty & others 21 25 
 
 Peter Bartine 
 
 3 
 
 D. I. Boyd 
 
 10 
 
 Abraham Bogart 
 
 5 
 
68 
 
 Richard Bird 
 
 5 
 
 William S. Capper 
 
 10 
 
 Miles Bacon 
 
 5 
 
 David Crowther 
 
 5 
 
 Jacob Benderhajer 
 
 1 
 
 Thomas Collins 
 
 20 
 
 Edward Breman 
 
 3 
 
 William Craig 
 
 10 
 
 J. K. Boyd 
 
 8 
 
 J. G. Collins 
 
 10 
 
 Joseph Barnes 
 
 
 Amsy Chapman 
 
 3 
 
 Henry Bunce 
 
 3 
 
 Henry Calam 
 
 3 
 
 David Brooks 
 
 10 
 
 John Camm 
 
 3 
 
 William Butler 
 
 3 
 
 John B. Cheesman 
 
 3 
 
 Isaac Brewster 
 
 3 
 
 Henry Coit 
 
 10 
 
 Isaac Brown 
 
 3 
 
 Cash 
 
 1 
 
 C. C. Blatchley 
 
 3 
 
 Dennis H. Doyle 
 
 20 
 
 Peter Burdet 
 
 3 
 
 John Day 
 
 10 
 
 William J. Bunker 
 
 20 
 
 Lyman Dennisson 
 
 5 
 
 John Corlies 
 
 10 
 
 T. C. Doremus 
 
 3 
 
 Benjamin Corlies 
 
 10 
 
 J. P. Dervent 
 
 10 
 
 Cash 
 
 10 
 
 Joseph Depew 
 
 5 
 
 Sarah Collins 
 
 20 
 
 Davis & Smith 
 
 6 
 
 David Clarkson 
 
 5 
 
 William Du Bois 
 
 3 
 
 John Conger 
 
 10 
 
 Robert Dickson 
 
 5 
 
 Cash 
 
 5 
 
 B. Deming 
 
 2 
 
 William Cooper 
 
 20 
 
 John C. Dillon 
 
 2 
 
 Levinus Clarkson 
 
 10 
 
 Mrs. Mary Dale 
 
 3 
 
 William Civill 
 
 2 
 
 John Drake 
 
 3 
 
 Robert Center 
 
 5 
 
 R. Dyson 
 
 5 
 
 Francis Cochran 
 
 10 
 
 John Darg 
 
 5 
 
 Cash 
 
 5 50 
 
 Thomas Doyle 
 
 2 
 
 Benjamin Clapp 
 
 1 
 
 John M. Dow 
 
 3 
 
 Mrs. Currie 
 
 2 
 
 Charles Dusenbury 
 
 2 
 
 R. H. Cummings 
 
 3 
 
 E. Dudley 
 
 5 
 
 Cash 
 
 25 
 
 Archibald Davie 
 
 2 
 
 D. D. Crane 
 
 3 
 
 Philo Doane 
 
 2 
 
 C. Cadell 
 
 2 
 
 Andrew Dooley 
 
 5 
 
 W'illiam Corech 
 
 10 
 
 John Duncase 
 
 3 
 
 Cash 
 
 16 
 
 Mrs..Doyer 
 
 3 
 
 Cash 
 
 36 
 
 Benjamin Disbrow 
 
 5 
 
 Abraham Coursen 
 
 10 
 
 John Dean 
 
 2 
 
 John Colgate 
 
 3 
 
 Miss H. Dessabaye 
 
 4 
 
 T. S. Clark 
 
 3 
 
 Edward Doughty 
 
 3 
 
 Cash 
 
 17 
 
 Dagget & Kinsett 
 
 1 50 
 
 James Casey 
 
 5 
 
 Richard Dunn, jun. 
 
 3 
 
 William A. Cook 
 
 3 
 
 PaulDominge 
 
 3 
 
 John Concklin 
 
 1 
 
 Cornelia Edgar 
 
 10 
 
 John Cowan 
 
 3 
 
 John L. Embree 
 
 5 
 
 P. Clendining 
 
 20 
 
 Thomas A. Emmet 
 
 5 
 
 Cash 
 
 13 50 
 
 George Ehrenger 
 
 4 
 
 J. H. Cowperthwaite 
 
 3 
 
 Daniel Ensley 
 
 10 
 
 Charles O'Connor 
 
 5 
 
 John Ely, jun. 
 
 2 
 
 Mr. Cahoone 
 
 1 
 
 Joseph D. Evernghim 
 
 10 
 
 Captain Conee 
 
 o 
 o 
 
 John Emmons 
 
 3 
 
 Benjamin Crane 
 
 5 
 
 Robert Edwards 
 
 2 
 
 Alexander Cascaddon 
 
 1 
 
 Joseph D. Fay 
 
 3 
 
 W. &, T. C. Chardavoyne 
 
 2 
 
 A Female Friend 
 
 50 
 
 Cash 
 
 3 
 
 James Fox 
 
 3 
 
69 
 
 Mr. Foot 
 George S. Fox 
 A. Falconer 
 William J. Forbes 
 Gilbert Fowler 
 Arnest Fisk 
 A Friend 
 Joseph Flower 
 Orlando Fish 
 Mrs. Forrest 
 
 Fink 
 A Friend 
 Gabriel Furman 
 A Friend 
 Female Friend 
 John Fream 
 Alexander S. Glass 
 George Gallagher 
 Sarah Gerard 
 John Graham 
 Robert Gill 
 John Greenfield 
 J. Boonen Graves 
 T. A. Gill & Co. 
 James Gilbert 
 
 Griffin 
 Mr. Gammell 
 John F. Gardiner 
 A. Greele 
 Eli Goodwin 
 William B. Gilley 
 C. W. Gallagher 
 Peter G. Hart 
 Harriet Howell 
 Silas Hicks 
 Benjamin Haight 
 James Heard 
 Cornelius Heyer 
 Abner Higgins 
 E. Holbrook 
 A. P. Hamlin 
 Mrs. Halthouse 
 H. Hone 
 Murray Hoffman 
 E. Hamilton 
 O. Hull 
 
 John Herriman 
 Philo Hillyer 
 Herriman &, Nash 
 James R. Harned 
 O. Holmes 
 J. Hay, jun. 
 H. & P. 
 V. G. Hall 
 
 2 
 
 E. Higgin9 
 
 5 
 
 20 
 
 G. M. & W. Hinchman 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 Eli Hart 
 
 20 
 
 3 
 
 Peter Hattrick 
 
 25 
 
 5 
 
 A. P. Halsey 
 
 3 
 
 5 
 
 Elvin Hunt 
 
 3 
 
 1 
 
 James C. Haviland 
 
 3 
 
 1 
 
 J. Hauptman 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 William Hilton 
 
 5 
 
 3 
 
 Edmund Haviland 
 
 3 
 
 50 
 
 Isaac Hatch 
 
 3 50 
 
 10 
 
 Mrs. Charles Hall 
 
 10 
 
 10 
 
 Charles Harlett 
 
 3 
 
 30 
 
 N. C. Hart 
 
 9 
 
 20 
 
 Willet Hicks 
 
 20 
 
 10 
 
 William Hogeland 
 
 5 
 
 10 
 
 Thomas Hewitt 
 
 3 
 
 20 
 
 Gideon Hewitt 
 
 3 
 
 2 
 
 Walter Howell 
 
 10 
 
 2 
 
 Dr. Home 
 
 10 
 
 10 
 
 Isaac Halsey 
 
 10 
 
 5 
 
 A. W. Ivjes 
 
 10 
 
 10 
 
 D. John-on 
 
 10 
 
 3 
 
 George Ireland 
 
 6 
 
 1 
 
 William Jones 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 T. W. Jenkins 
 
 20 
 
 3 
 
 Henry James 
 
 3 
 
 50 
 
 Thomas Jeremiah 
 
 3 
 
 20 
 
 Dr. Ireland 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 James Jenkins 
 
 5 
 
 10 
 
 Chester Jennings 
 
 20 
 
 3 
 
 Joseph Kissam 
 
 10 
 
 20 
 
 Leonard Kip 
 
 25 
 
 10 
 
 Isaac L. Kip 
 
 10 
 
 20 
 
 Joseph Kirby 
 
 3 
 
 10 
 
 Keoler & Luff 
 
 5 
 
 10 
 
 R. V. Kissam 
 
 3 
 
 10 
 
 Leonard W. Kip 
 
 3 
 
 10 
 
 Mrs. B. Kenan 
 
 3 
 
 15 
 
 James G. King 
 
 5 
 
 10 
 
 H. H. Lawrence 
 
 20 
 
 1 
 
 Thomas H. Leggett 
 
 25 
 
 10 
 
 James Lowery 
 
 3 
 
 2 
 
 Isaac H. Lawrence 
 
 5 
 
 3 
 
 John Ledyard 
 
 1 
 
 3 
 
 P. W. Livingston 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 Catharine Lawrence 
 
 20 
 
 25 
 
 Daniel Lord 
 
 3 
 
 5 
 
 Mrs. S. Lee 
 
 5 
 
 2 
 
 George Long 
 
 2 
 
 10 
 
 Mrs. Elizabeth Ludlow 
 
 3 
 
 5 
 
 Z. Lewis 
 
 5 
 
 7 
 
 Thomas Lawrence 
 
 20 
 
 1 
 
 Mrs. E. Lewis 
 
 5 
 
Mrs. F. Ludlow 
 
 William Langdon 
 Philo Lewis 
 C. W. Lawrence 
 Richard Lawrence 
 Mrs. Isaac Lawrence 
 Samuel W. Lavcrty 
 Thomas Lyon 
 Mrs. Elizabeth Lewis 
 Mrs. Jane Livesay 
 James W. Lent 
 Francis B. Lynch 
 Lynch & Clark 
 William W. Mott 
 Samuel Millbank 
 Hannah Murray 
 Mary Murray 
 Hannah L. Murray 
 Charles M'Evers 
 Daniel M'Cormick 
 Dr. H. Mott 
 John M'Donald 
 A. M'Clure 
 Mrs. A. Moiris 
 R. Morris 
 Mr. Munn 
 Charles Miller 
 A. Mather 
 L. f. Maroin 
 Ralph Mead 
 H. I. Megary 
 J. M. Moore 
 Mrs. Manning 
 John B. Martin 
 Milford Martin 
 Nath'l. G. Minturn 
 John Moore 
 Thomas W. Marshall 
 Ezra W. Miller 
 John Morehead 
 James Montgomery 
 Mordecai Myers 
 James Mesham 
 Abraham M. Martling 
 Thomas Mooney 
 Charles Mills 
 A. M'Cullum 
 Leander Mead 
 Mr. Marsh 
 Jonas Ma pes 
 Samuel Manning 
 James Morgan 
 Hugh Miller 
 John Moran 
 
 70 
 
 5 
 
 Abraham Merrill 
 
 1 
 
 5 
 
 Benjamin Merrit 
 
 10 
 
 3 
 
 Samuel Martin 
 
 3 
 
 10 
 
 Samuel Marsh 
 
 3 
 
 5 
 
 Su phen B. Munn 
 
 5 
 
 10 
 
 David Marsh 
 
 ]() 
 
 3 
 
 William Marshall 
 
 10 
 
 1 
 
 John M'Vicker 
 
 10 
 
 10 
 
 James M'Cready, iun. 
 
 3 
 
 20 
 
 Thomas Masters 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 Peter I. Nevius 
 
 10 
 
 3 
 
 J. Nicholl 
 
 50 
 
 10 
 
 H. W. Nicholl 
 
 5 
 
 20 
 
 Magdeline Oothout 
 
 10 
 
 10 
 
 Daniel Oakey 
 
 10 
 
 5 
 
 Peter Ogilvic 
 
 12 
 
 10 
 
 Charles Oakley 
 
 10 
 
 10 
 
 Alexander Ogilvie 
 
 3 
 
 10 
 
 Silas Olmsted 
 
 1 
 
 £0 
 
 Charles Osborn 
 
 10 
 
 20 
 
 William P, Page 
 
 20 
 
 5 
 
 Peter Pinckney 
 
 3 
 
 5 
 
 Jonathan Pinckney 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 James Palmer 
 
 20 
 
 2 
 
 Robert Pearsall 
 
 20 
 
 1 
 
 H. Parrish 
 
 20 
 
 10 
 
 Allen Peck 
 
 5 
 
 3 
 
 J. Pittsbury 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 J. S. Piatt 
 
 5 
 
 5 
 
 Philopon 
 
 5 
 
 2 
 
 Samuel Penny & Son 
 
 5 
 
 3 
 
 Dr. Perkins 
 
 3 
 
 5 
 
 John Penot 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 F. S. Peet 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 Laurence Proudfoot 
 
 10 
 
 10 
 
 John Peterson 
 
 3 
 
 5 
 
 M. Parker 
 
 5 
 
 2 
 
 Henry Post 
 
 10 
 
 5 
 
 John Poiner 
 
 3 
 
 5 
 
 Mrs. Pool 
 
 50 
 
 2 
 
 Isaac Peckford 
 
 2 
 
 1 
 
 Peter Powell 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 Joseph Petit 
 
 3 
 
 2 
 
 Peter A. Peshine 
 
 3 
 
 1 
 
 Henry Peters 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 Robert M. Pennoyer 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 William Paluck 
 
 3 
 
 2 
 
 Tunis Quinby 
 
 5 
 
 1 
 
 Susan A. Remsen 
 
 10 
 
 10 
 
 Collin Reed 
 
 20 
 
 10 
 
 A. Richards 
 
 10 
 
 1 
 
 Laman Read 
 
 20 
 
 1 
 
 Thomas Richards 
 
 5 
 
 50 
 
 Dr. J. S. Rodgers 
 
 10 
 
71 
 
 Robert Ray 
 Thomas A. Rich 
 D. L. Rapelve 
 B. S. Rowland 
 Frederick Richard 
 W. H. Robinson 
 J. Robertson 
 Thomas A. Ronalds 
 Mr. Robinson 
 T. O. Richards 
 H. Remsen 
 Moses Ritter 
 James B. Reguire 
 Robert Le Roy 
 George Suckley 
 James Swords 
 Isaac T. Storm 
 Francis Saltus 
 L. Saltus 
 Thomas Skelding 
 H. H. Schieffelin 
 William Schott 
 Samuel Stillwell 
 Henry Shelters 
 S. Seaman 
 Isaac Sayre 
 Charles G. Shipman 
 Mr. Shapter 
 Peter H. Schenck 
 Miss Shaw 
 J. C, Sigourney 
 J. D. Steele 
 Jacob Smith, jun. 
 William Stewart 
 Ira Smith 
 J. A. Snyder 
 Thomas T. Storm 
 Samuel Sawyer 
 Dennis Stryker 
 Abraham Stagg 
 John Stuart 
 Joseph Sandford 
 John Snedecor 
 George Schmelzel 
 Richard A. Stryker 
 Selfe & Conklin 
 L. L. Sturges 
 R. Sevanton 
 Abraham Shoemaker 
 B. Skaats 
 James A. Sackett 
 Mr. Sinclcare 
 George L. Storer 
 Mrs. Stewart 
 
 3 
 
 William Scudder 
 
 3 
 
 2 
 
 W. H. Sacket 
 
 
 2 
 
 Harris Scovel 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 Joseph P. Smith 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 C. Swan 
 
 10 
 
 10 
 
 Daniel Spader 
 
 3 
 
 2 
 
 John Simonson 
 
 3 
 
 10 
 
 P. Simmons 
 
 3 
 
 2 
 
 E. Secor 
 
 1 
 
 5 
 
 James Suydam 
 
 5 
 
 10 
 
 Daniel D. Smith 
 
 5 
 
 3 
 
 Thomas Stokes 
 
 5 
 
 3 
 
 Mark Spencer 
 George Tre dwell 
 
 5 
 
 10 
 
 20 
 
 25 
 
 Seabury Tread well 
 
 20 
 
 10 
 
 Stephen Thorn, jun. 
 
 20 
 
 2o 
 
 Adam Tredwell 
 
 20 
 
 20 
 
 Richard T. Tucker 
 
 25 
 
 10 
 
 John B. Thorpe 
 
 10 
 
 10 
 
 Mrs. Turner 
 
 1 
 
 5 
 
 Charles W. Taylor 
 
 2 
 
 5 
 
 John G. Tardy 
 
 3 
 
 10 
 
 Robert Thompson 
 
 5 
 
 10 
 
 Mrs. Templeton 
 
 2 
 
 1 
 
 Grant Thorburn & Sen 
 
 1 
 
 5 
 
 Peter C. Tappan 
 
 5 
 
 5 
 
 John Telfair 
 
 10 
 
 1 
 
 Mrs. Catharine Jones 
 
 25 
 
 10 
 
 George T. Trimble 
 
 10 
 
 3 
 
 John G. Tibbitts 
 
 10 
 
 10 
 
 Samuel Turney 
 
 5 
 
 3 
 
 Walter Titus 
 
 10 
 
 n 
 
 Luke Torboss 
 
 25 
 
 10 
 
 Jonah Tilley 
 
 5 
 
 2 
 
 Hester Tauzer 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 George B. Thorp 
 
 5 
 
 3 
 
 Bela TifTany 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 John S. Timmins 
 
 10 
 
 3 
 
 Samuel Thompson 
 
 5 
 
 3 
 
 John B. Thorpe 
 
 10 
 
 5 
 
 Isaac Tucker 
 
 5 
 
 10 
 
 Thomas Thomas 
 
 10 
 
 2 
 
 P. B. Van Beuren 
 
 3 
 
 1 
 
 William L. Vandervoort 
 
 10 
 
 1 
 
 John Van Beuren 
 
 20 
 
 1 
 
 Mrs. C. Valentine 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 Abraham Voorhees 
 
 2 
 
 5 
 
 T. Van Tine 
 
 2 
 
 15 
 
 Vreeland & Embree 
 
 3 
 
 10 
 
 James J. Van Allen 
 
 5 
 
 3 
 
 William P. Van Ness 
 
 5 
 
 1 
 
 S. Van Dozer 
 
 3 
 
 10 
 
 Eli White 
 
 20 
 
 3 
 
 Timothy Whittemore 
 
 10 
 
72 
 
 P. H. Wendover 
 
 10 
 
 T. V. Winckle & Co. 
 
 3 
 
 Ezra Weeks 
 
 10 
 
 J. R. Wheaton 
 
 3 
 
 C. & I. D. Wolfe 
 
 25 
 
 James Walker 
 
 2 
 
 Andrew C. Wheeler 
 
 10 
 
 Robert T. Walker 
 
 • 5 
 
 J. M. Willard 
 
 5 
 
 J. & H. Waterbury 
 
 2 
 
 John E. Wise 
 
 2 
 
 White 
 
 50 
 
 Mrs. Wall 
 
 1 
 
 E. Watholf 
 
 1 
 
 N. Weed 
 
 10 
 
 Mrs. Wadsworth 
 
 10 
 
 John Wilson 
 
 3 
 
 William Winins 
 
 1 
 
 W. & M. Wilber 
 
 5 
 
 R. White 
 
 50 
 
 J. P. Whittelsey 
 
 5 
 
 M. Wirckmister 
 
 3 
 
 Wisner & Gale 
 
 10 
 
 William Wilber 
 
 50 
 
 William & Harriman 
 
 2 
 
 H. Waterbury 
 
 1 
 
 M. Q. Wood 
 
 5 
 
 Reuben Withers 
 
 10 
 
 Alexander Wiley 
 
 5 
 
 Tunis B. Waldron 
 
 3 
 
 John G. Wendall 
 
 3 
 
 William C. Wales 
 
 3 
 
 J. & O. Williams 
 
 10 
 
 John Williams 
 
 3 
 
 H. Wheeler 
 
 3 
 
 Henry Wicker 
 
 5 
 
 Stephen Ray 
 
 50 
 
 C. P. White 
 
 20 
 
 Lewis Wilcox 
 
 3 
 
 William C. Yarwood 
 
 2 
 
 D. West 
 
 2 
 
 George Youle 
 
 1 
 
 Ann White 
 
 8 
 
 George Zabriske 
 
 1 
 
 Wyckoff, Brown, & Co. 
 
 3 
 
 
 The preceding List exhibits a gratifying testimonial of the be- 
 nevolence of our fellow citizens towards the House of Refuge for 
 Juvenile Delinquents. There may possibly be some errors or 
 omissions in it, and the Managers would be obliged to Subscribers 
 to point out such as may appear to them, that it may be rendered 
 % more complete in the next annual report. 
 
 The Managers tender to the liberal patrons of this Institution 
 generally, their acknowledgments for the prompt manner in which 
 the subscriptions have been paid in, so as to enable them to pursue 
 the objects of the association. Mr. Peter Barker is appointed to 
 collect the sums yet unpaid, and to procure additional subscriptions, 
 in the confidence of the continued extension of public benevolence 
 to this important charity. 
 
 The payment of 50 dollars or of 10 dollars per annum for six 
 years, constitutes a person a member of the Society for life ; and 
 an annual subscription of 3 dollars, a member so long as it is con- 
 tinued to be paid. 
 
73 
 
 Officers of the Society for the Reformation of 
 Juvenile Delinquents. 
 
 CADWALLADER D. COLDEN, President 
 STEPHEN ALLEN, ^ 
 JOHN T. IRVING, 
 JOHN GRISCOM, 
 HENRY I. WYCKOFF, 
 CORNELIUS DUBOIS, 
 JAMES LOVETT, 
 RALPH OLMSTED, Treasurer. 
 ROBERT F. MOTT, Secretary. 
 
 Vice Presidents. 
 
 Stephen Allen, 
 Arthur Burtis, 
 C. D. Colden, 
 Isaac Collins, 
 Samuel Cowdrey, 
 Robert C. Cornell, 
 William A. Davis, 
 Cornelius Dubois, 
 Thomas Eddy, 
 John Griscom, 
 
 Managers, 
 
 Thomas Gibbons, 
 James W. Gerard, 
 Joseph Grinnell, 
 John E. Hyde, 
 Ansel W. Ives, 
 , John T. Irving, 
 James Lovett, 
 William F. Mott, 
 Robert F. Mott, 
 Hugh Maxwell, 
 
 Ralph Olmsted, 
 Richard Riker, 
 John Stearns, 
 Fred'k Sheldon, 
 Peter Sharpe, 
 Arthur Tappan, 
 J. M. Wainwright, 
 Henry I. Wyckoff, 
 Gabriel Wisner, 
 Samuel Wood. 
 
 Acting- Committee. 
 
 Cornelius Dubois, Peter Sharpe, 
 
 Robert C. Cornell, James Lovett, 
 
 John E. Hyde, William F. Mott, 
 
 Isaac Collins, Arthur Burtis. 
 
 Ladies' Committee. 
 
 Mrs. Ann Shipley, 
 " Isabella Steele, 
 " Martha Willis, 
 ** Charlotte Fox, 
 " Mary Bostwick, 
 " Rebecca M'Comb, 
 " Ann Warner, 
 
 Mrs. Abigail Barker, 
 " Maria Hyde, 
 " Almy Cornell, 
 " Alice Townsend, 
 " Margaret Prior, 
 
 Miss Sarah Collins. 
 
 House of Refuge* 
 
 JOSEPH CURTIS, Superintendent. 
 HENRY MILLER, Assistant. 
 PHEBE CURTIS, Matron. 
 
 *** Donations to the House of Refuge will be thankfully receiv* 
 ed by the Officers and Managers of the Society. 
 
 10 
 
SECOND AMUAL REPORT, &c 
 1827. 
 
 It is with great satisfaction that the Managers of 
 the Society for the Reformation of Juvenile Delin- 
 quents, in the city of New- York, report the state of 
 this Institution, at this second anniversary of its estab- 
 lishment. This satisfaci ion arises, as well from the 
 liberality with which a fund, during the last year, has 
 been provided by the Legislature lor its support, as 
 from a thorough conviction, that the good, which it 
 was hoped would result from its establishment will 
 be amply realised. 
 
 It is but a proper tribute of grateful recollection to 
 mention that the public is indebted for this Institution 
 to the philanthropic labours of the Society for the 
 Prevention of Pauperism. The attention of that So- 
 ciety which was composed of a number of our most 
 valuable citizens, had been awakened by the con- 
 dition of the many vagrant children, who appeared 
 to be cast upon the public, destitute of protectors, a 
 home, or the means of support. Our court for the 
 investigation of criminal offences was monthly enga- 
 ged in the trial of children, and the consciences and 
 feelings of jurors were shocked, on being continually 
 called upon to decide on the gnilt or innocence of 
 those who were arraigned before them almost uncon- 
 scious of their situation, and some of them incapable 
 of truly appreciating the criminality of the offences 
 with which they stood charged. In truth, to them 
 an acquittal or a conviction, was attended with the 
 like disastrous consequences. If acquitted, they 
 were returned destitute, to the same haunts of vice 
 from which they had been taken, more emboldened 
 to the commission of crime, by their escape from 
 present punishment. If convicted, they were cast 
 into a common prison with older culprits to mingle 
 in conversation and intercourse with them, ac- 
 quire their habits, and by their instruction to be made 
 
13 
 
 acquainted with the most artful methods of perpetra- 
 ting crime, and with the surest means of avoiding 
 its detection. 
 
 By the report of a committee of that Society, made 
 in June, 1823, it appears that during the year, 1822, 
 more than 450 persons, under 2-5 years of age, had 
 been sentenced in the Court of Sessions, either 
 to the City Bridewell or to the Penitentiary, and that 
 of those a considerable number were between the 
 ages of 9 and 16 years. That the average number of 
 lads, arraigned at the sessions for petty thefts, was five 
 or six monthly. And that 7:3 a year, for the three pre- 
 ceding years, had been sentenced to the Penitentiary, 
 and one half of that number for the second and third 
 offences. It was therefore evident from these melan- 
 choly facts, that motives of public good, as well as of 
 priv ate benevolence, called loudly for the devising of 
 some means by which this great and growing evil 
 might be remedied. 
 
 Children among: us were becoming accustomed to 
 the admission of crime, before they were fully aware 
 of its iniquity. The moral sense became hardened 
 or corrupted almost before it had began its monitory 
 admonitions. Those sensibilities which ever cling 
 to the first season of life, and w hich are as well the 
 nurse as the guards of virtue, w ere cowered, broken 
 down, and destroyed by suffering, degradation and 
 punishment; when dismissed from prison, those 
 wretched culprits had neither a character, a shelter, 
 or any to care for them. As perfect derelicts, they 
 appeared to be placed beyond the pale of confidence, 
 and almost of commiseration: debased and destitute, 
 they became prepared, from the very hopelessness of 
 their condition, and also from its necessities, to make 
 fresh depredations upon society. 
 
 May it not be asked, w as not the public, from this 
 very course of treatment, in some measure accessary 
 to their accumulated guilt? 
 
 The arraignment and trial of children, is often a 
 mere compliance with the forms of law, in order to 
 produce a legal conviction. The accused themselves, 
 are usually inattentive spectators of the formalities 
 observed in their respective cases, without capacity 
 
76 
 
 properly to comprehend the investigation which is 
 taking place; or, if unjustly accused, to assert and 
 demonstrate their innocence. Even when guilty, ju- 
 rors have strained their consciences to find some 
 ground for their acquittal. Their youth, their help- 
 less situation, and a heartfelt repugnance to consign 
 them over to the common herd of malefactors, has 
 often plead powerfully and successfully in their be- 
 half, when truth and justice exacted their conviction. 
 Yet this acquittal proved no salvation to them; 
 again left to join their dissolute companions, and to 
 unite and indulge with them in the same vicious em- 
 ployments, they only by a course of deeper depravity, 
 became prepared and ripened for a second arraign- 
 ment, without the hope of escaping condemnation. 
 
 If we follow them into the prisons to which they 
 are consigned, how demoralizing the scene which that 
 prison discloses. The work of depravity, began when 
 they were at large, here progresses with a more than 
 double rapidity; they listen, with that eager curiosity 
 which belongs to their years, to the escapes and ad- 
 ventures of old and fearless offenders, admire what 
 appears to be daring and chivalric in their exploits, 
 receive and treasure up their advice, and when en- 
 larged, are prepared to enter with them upon the same 
 course of bold and desperate villainy. 
 
 Reformation, in our enlightened day, is considered 
 one of the main objects of punishment; and surely, 
 towards the young, it can be the only legitimate ob- 
 ject: their years and their inexperience forbid the 
 idea of making them the subjects of retributive justice. 
 The vengeance of the law, when inflicted upon them 
 as a terror to others, is altogether misplaced, and has 
 neither vindication for its justice, nor apology for its 
 severity. But reformation in a place like that we 
 have described, and in the midst of such associates, 
 so far from being accomplished, will never have a 
 beginning. The prison, instead of becoming the 
 school of reform, becomes the nursery of crime. The 
 place where bad morals are taught, bad counsel 
 given, and bad examples set. Nothing can be ex- 
 pected from such a system of retribution but the in- 
 crease of crime, and the accumulation of expense for 
 its detection and punishment. 
 
77 
 
 Indeed, this subject cannot be placed in a clearer 
 point of light, or the advantages which will result to 
 the state from a separate imprisonment of adult and 
 juvenile offenders, be more forcibly illustrated, than 
 has been already done in the report of a committee, 
 of the Senate of this state to that body at its last ses- 
 sion. To this committee had been referred the peti- 
 tion to the Legislature from the managers of this In- 
 stitution, praying assistance from the state, towards 
 the building of a house for females, and which was 
 then erecting, and also an annuity of eight thousand 
 dollars towards the support of this Institution. The 
 committee, after remarking upon its utility and suc- 
 cess, as far as the experiment had been made with its 
 limited means, observe : 44 Your Committee are fully 
 persuaded, that a better disposition of the funds of 
 the state to these amounts, could not be made. If the 
 House of Refuge were to be considered merely as a 
 place where so many children may be rescued from 
 poverty, reclaimed from the haunts of vice and wick- 
 edness, protected, instructed, and reformed, it would 
 be a charity having the highest claims to the liberal- 
 ity and bounty of government. But when viewed as 
 a means by which the perpetration of crimes will be 
 prevented, and the increased number of criminals, 
 which without it, the state would be obliged to sup- 
 port in our state prisons, it is believed, that a regard 
 to economy alone would require the support of this 
 Institution. There is hardly a child who will be con- 
 demned to it, who, if left to the course which would 
 bring him to the House of Refuge, would not finally 
 be supported by the state as a convict. The evidence 
 of this is, that a very large proportion, as your com- 
 mittee have been informed, and as they believe, who 
 are now confined in our state prisons, commenced 
 their career in crimes when they were children, in 
 the city of New-York, or some other of our large 
 cities. One person in particular, who is now confined 
 in the prison at Auburn, was first convicted when he 
 was only ten years old, and has since been, at dif- 
 ferent times, twenty-eight years a convict, supported 
 by the state, at an expense of not less than two thou- 
 sand dollars. This case, which is by no means sin- 
 
73 
 
 gular, except as to time, shows at once what may be 
 the advantages, even in point of economy, of an Insti- 
 tution which will arrest young persons in their pro- 
 gress and crime, and at the same time is an evidence 
 that confinement in the state prisons, was ill calcu- 
 lated to produce reformation in young offenders."' 
 
 But apart from these considerations of public pol- 
 icy, which must ever condemn as inefficient any sys- 
 tem of punishment which tends rather to increase than 
 to diminish the evil; we are called upon by a helter 
 principle to forsake a system, which has been here- 
 tofore pursued towards juv enile offenders, hy a regard 
 for the unfortunate beings, who are thus early made 
 the subjects of penal retribution. Their youth, their 
 ignorance, and their necessities, appeal to our best 
 feelings, and beseech us to spare and to consider, 
 while we compel them to account and to atone for 
 their offences. Let them be arrested in the career 
 of crime, and removed from the haunts of wickedness: 
 let them be corrected, restrained, and their passions 
 subdued : let them be made tractable and obedient. 
 Towards them Seta vigorous course of moral and 
 corporal discipline be observed and enforced ; but 
 never let them be made the victims of the law. We 
 can have but little commiseration for the old and har- 
 dened offender, who transgresses both against know- 
 ledge and experience, but how much can be said in 
 palliation of him, who lacks both maturity of mind 
 and of years; who has no judgment within, and no 
 friend without to warn or to controul him: who 
 through his own inexperience, the force of tempta- 
 tion, and by the enticements of others, may have been 
 completely M outwitted and betrayed into evil." 
 
 And shall there be no redemption for a mind thus 
 led astray, no separate place for reflection and atone- 
 ment? Shall its conscience, freshly awakened and 
 alarmed, be turned over to the derision of the heart- 
 less and the vile? Shall no attempt be made at a 
 time like this to make a lodgement both upon its feel- 
 ings and its fears, and to turn its shame and contrition 
 to a good account ? 
 
 The Chistian Observer contains an instance of the 
 corruption of an innocent boy, who had been unjustly 
 
79 
 
 imprisoned, and whose principles were perverted by 
 
 the pernicious influence of his prison associates. The 
 case is extracted from a work entitled, "An Inquiry 
 by Thomas P. Buxton, M. P. whether crime and 
 misery were produced or prevented by the present 
 system of prison discipline in England." " When i first 
 went to Newgate," says Mr. Buxton, "my attention 
 was directed by my companion to a boy, whose appa- 
 rent innocence and artlessness had attracted my no- 
 tice. The schoolmaster said he was an example to 
 all the rest; so quiet, so reserved, and so unwilling to 
 have any intercourse with his dissolute companions. 
 At his trial, he was acquitted, upon evidence which 
 did not leave a shadow of suspicion upon him ; but 
 lately I recognized him again in Newgate, but with a 
 very different character. He confessed to me, that, 
 on his release, he had associated with the acquaint- 
 ances he had formed in prison. Of his ruin I can feel 
 but little doubt, and as little of the cause of it. He 
 came to Newgate innocent ; he left it corrupted." 
 
 The same work also contains an address made by 
 a man condemned to death for murder, at Douay, in 
 France, as affectingly illustrating the evil of mingling 
 persons of all ages together, in a common place of 
 imprisonment. "This individual requested to speak 
 in private with Mr. Apert, when he thus addressed 
 him: 4 1 await,' said he, 'the hour of execution, and 
 since you are the first person who has visited me, I 
 will address you with confidence, and conceal from 
 you nothing. I am guilty of the dreadful crime for 
 which I am to suffer; but from my infancy my parents 
 neglected me: I had neither a moral example nor a 
 religious education : I was abandoned to the violence 
 of my passions: I fell, when young, into bad company, 
 by whom I was corrupted : but it was a prison that 
 completed my ruin. Among the persons now in this 
 apartment are several boys, who, with pain 1 observe, 
 are preparing themselves for the further commission 
 of offences, when the term of their confinement shall 
 expire. I entreat you to obtain their removal into a 
 separate ward, and snatch them from the contagion 
 of such associates. Believe me, sir — and I speak 
 
80 
 
 from bitter experience — you can confer on those 
 boys no greater favor !"* 
 
 These affecting cases prove not only the inefficiency 
 of this mode of punishment, but the deplorable conse- 
 quences which must result from mingling together 
 adult and juvenile offenders. They urge upon us with 
 a feeling and a truth which cannot be resisted, the 
 absolute necessity of providing a separate place of 
 punishment for the offences of the young. The 
 young offender should, if possible, be subdued by 
 kindness. His heart should first be addressed, and 
 the language of confidence, though undeserved, be 
 used towards him. He should be taught that his 
 keepers were his best friends, and that the object of 
 his confinement was his reform and ultimate good. 
 If he is made to believe that he is still of some use 
 and value, he will soon endeavor to act up to the 
 character which is set upon him. Obedience thus 
 procured, not by stripes, but by a reformation of his 
 mind, will be willing, cheerful and lasting. His heart, 
 which had been closed, and become almost callous, 
 by a consciousness of its own unworthiness, softened 
 by this course of treatment, will again expand, and 
 made to hope better of itself; will look up with af- 
 fection and reliance upon those, who, with so much 
 consideration and mercy, have tempered its punish- 
 ment. 
 
 The minds of children, naturally pliant, can, by 
 early instruction, be formed and moulded to our 
 wishes. An inclination can there be given to them, 
 as readily to virtuous as to vicious pursuits. The 
 seeds of vice, which bad advisers may have planted, 
 if skill is exercised, can yet be extracted. Evil habits, 
 before they have become inveterate by long indul- 
 gence, can be entirely changed ; and on the mind 
 which appeared barren and unfruitful, may yet be 
 engrafted those principles of virtue which shall do 
 much to retrieve the errors of the past, and afford a 
 promise of goodness and usefulness for the future. 
 
 If we look into the bosoms of our own families, how 
 
 "This is extracted into the Christian Observer, from the 6th Report of the So-* 
 eiety established in England for the improvement of Prison Discipline, and for 
 the reformation of Juvenile Offenders. 
 
81 
 
 much, in respect to the management of children, will 
 be found to depend upon ourselves. How necessary 
 to guard the purity of our own conduct, in order to 
 preserve the purity of theirs. How closely do they 
 watch what is passing around them, with the eye of 
 ardent and freshly awakened curiosity. How eagerly 
 do they imitate, not only what is meritorious and 
 praiseworthy in those on whom they are dependent, 
 but even their foibles and their peculiarities of char- 
 acter. Theirs is not the period of correct discrimi- 
 nation, that is the work of judgment, and belongs to 
 their after years. If models of correct and virtuous 
 conduct are at all times necessary and useful, they 
 are especially so to the young. The tender mind 
 can be easily made not only to comprehend, but to 
 love all that is excellent in virtue itself, and to per- 
 ceive the advantages which will be obtained from 
 observing and obeying its dictates. It can be led on 
 step by step,from one degree of goodness untoanother; 
 improved and improving, until it is prepared to launch 
 into the world, .with sufficient ability to encounter and 
 withstand the many allurements and temptations which 
 shall there beset it. 
 
 These little vagrants, whose depredations provoke 
 and call down upon them our indignation, are yet but 
 children, who have gone astray for want of that very 
 care and vigilance we exercise towards our own. 
 They deserve our censure, and a regard for our pro- 
 perty, and the good of society, requires that they 
 should be stopped, reproved, and punished. But they 
 are not to be destroyed. The public must in some 
 measure take the place of those who ought to have 
 been their natural guardians and protectors. If we 
 are parents, and look to our own children, and we 
 know not what vicissitudes may await them ; how 
 powerful is the appeal both to our pity, and to our 
 protection ! 
 
 If it is possible then, let those children be saved. 
 Let their unformed minds, now dark and ignorant, be 
 made glad with the light of knowledge. Let their 
 hearts, as yet young and tender, be softened by a 
 mercy unexpected, and be subdued by a kindness 
 which before they had never known. Let their voices, 
 
 n 
 
82 
 
 reclaimed from obscenity and profaneness, be raised 
 in grateful thanks to those by whose benevolence they 
 have been rescued from destruction : and beyond 
 them, to that Being who has provided a refuge for 
 them in their greatest need. 
 
 It is with these benevolent designs that this House 
 of Refuge has been established for Juvenile Delin- 
 quents. It is here, that separated from vicious com- 
 panions and pursuits, by a judicious course of re- 
 straint, instruction, and employment, their dispositions 
 are ameliorated, their depraved morals corrected, and 
 their idle habits changed. This has not only been 
 the case with the children generally, confined in this 
 Institution, but has been signally displayed in some 
 who were termed its worst subjects. 
 
 Several cases of this nature are attached to this 
 Report, and which have been selected from a Register 
 which is kept by the Superintendent, and in which 
 the age, offence, disposition, and conduct of each 
 child in the establishment is regularly noted. We 
 here select one instance, as illustrative of the refor- 
 mation which may be produced by a course of steady 
 discipline, even in those who appear to be the most 
 obstinate and depraved. 
 
 "John P — — s, aged about 17 years, was born in 
 Boston : his father being dead, his mother removed 
 to this city, and remained here. He had no oppor- 
 tunity in his early years, of acquiring an education, 
 but was permitted to rove the streets, and to form such 
 associations as he thought proper. After pursuing a 
 vagrant course of life, he shipped as a sailor to the 
 West Indies; and upon his return, in company with 
 some depraved boys, committed an act of petit lar- 
 ceny, for which he was convicted, and sent to the 
 Penitentiary for six months. A short time after the 
 expiration of his sentence, he was again taken up, for 
 being with some companions in the cabin of a sloop, 
 for the purpose of stealing. He was sent from the 
 Bridewell here. 
 
 " At first his conduct was such as to render him 
 almost unmanageable. He evinced a settled deter- 
 mination to escape ; in which he once succeeded, but 
 was retaken. Appearing bent on his purpose, and 
 
83 
 
 making several desperate yet ineffectual efforts, it 
 was found necessary to apply severe and continued 
 punishments, in order to break the obstinacy of his 
 spirit. With him, the discipline enforced, had a most 
 happy effect. He became submissive and obedient. 
 For several months, he conducted himself with the 
 most unexceptionable propriety; he was frequently 
 sent on errands to the city, and which he discharged 
 faithfully. He was also placed as a guard over others, 
 and was invariably found vigilant and impartial. In 
 July last, he became desirous of going to sea. Con- 
 sidering the object of the Institution realized in him, 
 his request was complied with, and he was indented 
 to a respectable ship owner of this city. He has re- 
 turned, after a voyage of three or four months, with an 
 excellent character for good conduct. Such was his 
 determination not to be influenced by bad examples, 
 that upon one occasion during the voyage, the master 
 of the vessel w r as obliged to punish the whole crew 
 for some flagrant misdemeanor: John alone was ex- 
 cepted: he having refused to participate in their 
 vicious conduct.'' 
 
 It will be remarked, that in the case of this boy, 
 corporal punishment was used to subdue his vicious 
 and turbulent disposition; this, by the rules of the 
 Institution, is not permitted, unless absolutely neces- 
 sary. Every effort is first made to influence the feel- 
 ings by mild treatment, and it is only when this fails 
 of its effect, that recourse is had to harsh and severe 
 measures. The most judicious means the Managers 
 could devise, are used to awaken the faculties of the 
 children, and to excite a proper spirit of emulation. 
 It is found that few of them are so abandoned, as not 
 to be operated upon by shame, or that cannot be 
 aroused to exertion by motives of ambition. Wards- 
 men and monitors, selected from among the most 
 orderly and best qualified, are appointed to observe 
 the conduct and behavior of the respective classes to 
 which they are attached, and to see that they keep 
 their persons clean, and their apartments and clothes 
 in good order. 
 
 The children, according to their moral conduct, 
 are formed into four grades or classes, each grade 
 
84 
 
 having its distinct badge, and which is at all times to 
 be worn. As those in the lower grades improve in 
 morals and behavior, they are advanced to the higher, 
 and so also those in the higher, who relapse into bad 
 conduct, are transferred and degraded to the lower 
 classes. 
 
 The number of children at present in the House, 
 is one hundred and twenty-two boys, and twenty-seven 
 girls. The boys, when in health, are kept strictly 
 employed during the hours appointed for labor, at 
 chair-making, shoe-making, tailoring, brass nail man- 
 ufacturing, and silver plating. The object being not 
 only to keep them employed, but to teach them some 
 trade, by which they may obtain a livelihood when 
 set at large. Two school sessions, of two hours each, 
 are held every day; at which times the children are 
 taught reading, writing, arithmetic, geography, and 
 book-keeping. Eight hours in each day are allotted 
 to labor, and the residue of their time to their meals, 
 reading, recreation, and sleep. 
 
 At night, each child has his own private sleeping 
 apartment, which is properly ventilated, and in which 
 he is locked during the night, and is required after he 
 has retired, to remain silent. The only guard at 
 night, is eight of the reformed boys, who each stand 
 their regular watch of one hour, and this guard has 
 been found sufficient for the purpose of its employ- 
 ment. When a boy by his disposition, conduct, and 
 industry, has recommended himself to the notice 
 and approbation of the Superintendent, he becomes 
 eligible to the office of guard, and is also, with the 
 approbation of the visiting Committee, occasionally 
 permitted to visit his friends and relatives, in company 
 with the Superintendent, or one of the Assistant 
 Keepers. These indulgences and distinctions are 
 found to have a powerful influence on the morals, in- 
 dustry, and conduct of the children. When any of 
 them become trustworthy, and suitable situations are 
 found for them at a distance from this, or any of our 
 large cities, they are bound out to trades, or other 
 suitable employ-merits. During the last year, twenty- 
 three boys and eleven girls have been thus appren- 
 ticed. The information received from the persons to 
 
85 
 
 whom they have been entrusted, has generally been 
 very satisfactory; complaints have been made but in 
 two or three instances, and in those, the misconduct 
 could be traced and attributed to improper associa- 
 tions, which they were permitted to form in the places 
 where they resided. 
 
 The girls are engaged in baking, tailoring, sewing, 
 and washing for the Institution, and which engrosses 
 almost the whole of their time ; as all the" clothing 
 worn by the children is prepared in the house. They 
 are visited by a Committee of ladies, whose kind of- 
 fices are employed in instilling into their minds the 
 principles of virtue and piety, in inculcating habits of 
 industry, cleanliness, and strict obedience to the di- 
 rections of the matron: in exciting a generous spirit 
 of emulation amongst them, and in rewarding those 
 who have distinguished themselves by their industry, 
 neatness, and modest behavior. 
 
 The Managers cannot sufficiently express theirjn- 
 debtedness to those ladies, who have thus with so 
 much patience, perseverance, and success, devoted 
 themselves to the benevolent objects of this Institu- 
 tion. The female delinquents, addressed in that sooth- 
 ing and persuasive language, which so peculiarly be- 
 longs to their own sex, have appeared to be sensibly 
 impressed with such kindness and condescension, and 
 have evinced sooner than was expected, a change for 
 the better in their dispositions and deportment. 
 
 In general, the children are obedient, and conform 
 themselves to the rules and discipline of the house. 
 No death has yet occurred among the children, which, 
 as many of them were sent to the house diseased, is 
 perhaps the best evidence, that the diet and regula- 
 tions established there are conducive to health. Most 
 of the boys, w hen committed, were in the habit of 
 using profane language. It is very seldom that an 
 expression of this nature is now heard, even in their 
 hours of recreation. Their minds, before they were 
 placed here, had been generally suffered to run to 
 waste for want of proper culture and education. 
 Many of them had been wanderers about our streets, 
 destitute of parents, or, w hat is worse, had been under 
 the influence of parents worthless and depraved. 
 
86 
 
 With those of them who are quite young, the Su- 
 perintendent has not much difficulty. They stand 
 chiefly in need of guidance and advice. They are 
 soon taught habits of industry and obedience, and, 
 with but a few exceptions, become pleased and dili- 
 gent in their employments. The most untractable 
 are generally among the oldest of them, and who had 
 become more hardened by a longer course of indul- 
 gence in vicious pursuits. 
 
 On Sundays, the whole of them attend morning and 
 afternoon service in the chapel of the Institution; 
 where a discourse is delivered to them, adapted to 
 their years and situation, and suitable advice is given. 
 On these occasions many visiters attend, and the con- 
 duct of the children has been observed to be remark- 
 ably quiet and correct. Having been taught psalm- 
 ody, they principally conduct that part of the devo- 
 tion, and the whole scene is solemn, impressive, and 
 affecting. 
 
 Since the last anniversary, the Managers have to 
 deplore the loss, by death, of Robert F. Mott, their 
 late valuable Secretary. To those who knew him 
 well, little need be said in favor of his worth. He 
 was the friend of the friendless, and the advocate of 
 the poor. Our public schools found him diligent and 
 zealous in their support Unobtrusive in his manners, 
 yet steady to his purpose, nothing could swerve him 
 from the path of duty, or divert him from the main 
 object of his life, and which was the good and welfare 
 of his fellow-creatures. He has early finished his 
 course of rectitude, and has left for the approval and 
 imitation of others, a bright example of active and 
 disinterested worth. 
 
 It will be recollected, that this Institution was 
 started by the bounty of individuals. The appeal 
 which was made to cur citizens in behalf of this char- 
 ity, was met with a warmth, which proved how deeply 
 they felt the necessity and propriety of the applica- 
 tion. Seldom has there been witnessed among us, a 
 more generous flow of feeling, than was manifested 
 upon that occasion. Every hand appeared to be 
 open to assist, and every heart responded its best 
 wishes in favor of so good and benevolent a work. 
 
O/ 
 
 In the course of a few weeks, upwards of % 1 5,000 was 
 subscribed and collected. This stream of benevo- 
 lence has still continued to flow, and the fund from 
 this source alone, at present amounts to upwards of 
 $ 19,000. 
 
 With this fund, the Managers commenced their op- 
 erations. The ground at present occupied by the 
 Institution, was liberally granted to them, for that pur- 
 pose, by the Corporation of this city. The Society 
 at the same time, procured from the General Govern- 
 ment the relinquishment of its interest in the improve- 
 ments which had been made upon these premises. 
 This was obtained for the consideration of six thou- 
 sand dollars, two thousand of which the Managers 
 have been able to discharge. 
 
 The fund which private benevolence had thus be- 
 stowed, though munificent, was insufficient to provide 
 suitable buildings and conveniences, for the unfortu- 
 nate inmates of the Institution, or to permit the recep- 
 tion of many others, who were proper subjects for its 
 discipline. An application was therefore made to 
 the Legislature, at its session in the year 1825, for as- 
 sistance. It was conceived that few objects could be 
 presented to them of more public interest than this, 
 or more deserving of their attention and patronage. 
 The application was zealously approved and suppor- 
 ted by the Executive of the State, and met with the 
 most cordial encouragement from both branches of 
 the Legislature. 
 
 In 1825, an act was passed, appropriating $2000 a 
 year, for five years, to the purposes of this Institution; 
 and in 1826, it was provided, that young delinquents 
 from all parts of the state should be received into it, 
 and a source of revenue was provided for its support, 
 being the surplus monies which annually accrued at 
 the Marine Hospital, after defraying all its necessary 
 expenses. The. aid from this source will of course be 
 fluctuating, as it must depend upon the amount of per- 
 quisites annually received from passengers in vessels, 
 and from seamen, and also on the expenditures and 
 wants of the Hospital, which are first to be amply pro- 
 vided for and satisfied. 
 
 The Managers believe that the revenue to be de- 
 
88 
 
 rived from those sources will not defray the necessary 
 expenses of the Institution, if all the children are re- 
 ceived which the present buildings can accommodate. 
 The building for the boys can receive one hundred 
 and forty, and that for the girls seventy children; and 
 these have been so substantially erected, that they 
 will need but little expense in their repair for many 
 years. But to support the whole number which the 
 house is capable of receiving, will, according to pre- 
 sent calculation, require an annual income of at least 
 thirteen thousand dollars, of which about three thou- 
 sand dollars may be obtained from the labor of the 
 children. 
 
 The Managers believe that but little more assis- 
 tance can be reasonably expected at present from the 
 State, or from individual benevolence: but they trust 
 that the Corporation of our City, from a conviction of 
 the great use and importance of this charity, will pow- 
 erfully aid their endeavors in extending its benefits to 
 the many juvenile delinquents, who yet stand in need 
 of its succour. 
 
 The managers cannot close their remarks upon this 
 occasion, without expressing, from their hearts, the 
 pride which they feel in the interest which our State 
 has taken in the improvement and the welfare of the 
 young. The great appropriation made for diffusing 
 education, while it secures the happiness and pros- 
 perity of millions, will prove the most efficient means 
 for the preservation of order and prevention of crime. 
 
 While the school fund, therefore, ample and in- 
 creasing, stands a proud monument of the character 
 of our State, the present Institution, the first which 
 has yet been established of this nature, shall continue 
 a lasting memorial of its benevolence. 
 
 While a virtuous education is extended, without 
 distinction, to the children of all, it is a solace to the 
 philanthropist, that even those who. have been con- 
 sidered as the outcasts of our species, not forgotten 
 and forsaken, but reclaimed and regenerated, shall 
 be gathered to the fold, and the whole, as far as the 
 infirmities of our nature will permit, under the blessing 
 of Providence, be formed into an intelligent, moral, 
 and religious community. 
 
89 
 
 STATEMENT. 
 
 The whole number admitted into the House from the commence- 
 ment to the present time, is 220. They were committed from the 
 following' authorities, viz. 
 
 From the Court of Sessions, for different degrees of larceny, 36 
 
 From the Sessions at Albany and Schoharie, - 2 
 From the Circuit Court of the United States to await his 
 
 trial, 1 
 
 From the Police Magistrates for stealing and vagrancy, - 88 
 From Commissioners of the Aims-House, for stealing, va- 
 grancy, and absconding from that institution, - - 93 
 
 Total, 220 
 
 Of this whole number received into the House, 83 are the chil- 
 dren of foreigners, 137 are from the city and various parts of the 
 state. 
 
 The following disposition has been made, viz. 
 
 BOYS. 
 
 Indented, 28 
 
 Sent to the Aims-House, 2 
 
 Returned to parents, 11 
 
 Absconded, - -- -- -- 8 
 
 In the House, ------- 125 
 
 169 
 
 GIRLS. 
 
 Indented, 15 
 
 Discharged, being of age, 8 
 
 Sent to the Aims-House, 4 
 
 At present in the Refuge 29 
 
 51 
 
 Total, 220 
 
 Of this number, 48 never have been confined in Bridewell, 
 
 , 141 have been confined there from 1 to 7 
 
 times, 
 
 , 31 have been in the Penitentiary. 
 
 Total, 220 
 
 Of those who have been confined in the Penitentiary, 
 20 have served 1 term of 2 to 12 months. 
 
 3 " 2 " amounting to 12 months each. 
 
 1 « 2 44 " 24 " 
 
 1 " 2 44 44 8 " 
 
 1 " 2 " u 8 " 
 
 1 44 3 " " 18 " 
 
 I a 3 44 " 21 u 
 
 1 » 4 « " 33 " 
 
 1 " 5 " a 36 " 
 12 
 
90 
 
 Of the 28 boys who have been indented, 5 were named in the 
 last Annual Report. 
 
 Of the 15 girls, 4 were named in the last Annual Report. 
 
 The Superintendent has heard from all, except 3 or 4 who have 
 left the House lately ; and the following extracts from such letters 
 as have been received from their masters, will enable us to judge 
 as to the success of our labors, and the encouragement there is to 
 persevere. From all we have favorable accounts, except 3 boys, 
 2 of whom, after remaining with their masters for a short time, re- 
 turned to the House. One of these was discharged nearly 300 
 miles from the city, on account of getting intoxicated: with a few 
 shillings in his pocket, he, in three weeks honestly worked his pas- 
 sage back to the House, where he now is learning a trade. The 
 other absconded, being unwilling to eat with the blacks, while the 
 laborers sat at the table with his master. The third boy was in- 
 dented about eighteen months since as a mariner, under circum- 
 stances of expediency ; after serving about six months, he abscon- 
 ded, and has returned to his former habits of stealing; has since 
 been in the Penitentiary, for a six-month term. 
 
 ft **** 
 
 Extract from Letters addressed to the Superintendent, during- 
 the year 1826. 
 
 "Your letter is now before me. In answer to your inquiries re- 
 specting the conduct of little D a, I can assure you that it has 
 
 been such as to merit my entire approbation. Excepting for or- 
 dinary juvenile errors, she has not given any cause for admonition. 
 My other girl will probably leave me in the spring, and if I could 
 procure another, either black or white, that possessed the same 
 good qualities that D a has, I should deem it a great acquisi- 
 tion, but I have no reason to expect such a thing, unless I should 
 be so fortunate as to get another who had been instructed and dis- 
 ciplined in your school." E. F. 
 
 The following letter gives an account of a colored boy, the tenth 
 subject received by us. He was committed as a vagrant, aged about 
 thirteen years. He said his name was Jo : did not know how old 
 he was, nor where he was born; did not know that he had a fa- 
 ther; he believed that his mother was in the Aims-House, had 
 never been at school, and did not know one letter from another; 
 used to steal his victuals, when he could not get enough by beg- 
 ging. In short, his was a deplorable case of ignorance and vice. 
 
 "In answer to your letter on the subject of Joseph Refuge, we 
 find him possessed of better abilities than I at first anticipated, but 
 poorly cultivated, except the good lesson received at your valua- 
 ble institution. Your first and most important rule, 'Tell no lies,' 
 he is not apt to violate, but pays less attention to your other rule 
 "Do as well as you know how.' He often speaks with much pleas- 
 ure and confidence, of whatever you said to him as being right. 
 Upon the whole, we think much of Joseph, and hope he will make 
 a good boy." D. F. 
 
 The following extract gives an account of M. A. C. a girl aged 
 
91 
 
 sixteen, who was mentioned in the last Report. After complaint 
 of her indolence and carelessness, the writer proceeds: — 
 
 "Her conduct otherwise has generally been good; she seems to 
 possess a good disposition, although her temper sometimes discov- 
 ers itself: she is kind to the children, and not inclined to gad about. 
 We hope, that before her term of service expires, her conduct will 
 authorise a different report," A. D. 
 
 " S. A. K." who was named in the last Report, " is as good a 
 domestic as I can ever expect to have in my family. She is affec- 
 tionate, respectful, generally obedient, perfectly honest, and makes 
 satisfactory improvement in whatever branch of business she has 
 been instructed in. The disposition to run away, which she man- 
 ifested at first, has entirely subsided. She does not always exhibit 
 a regard for truth, and is dull at learning her book. Her obliging 
 conduct has gained her much esteem in the neighborhood, and there 
 is a fair prospect of her becoming a useful and respectable woman." 
 
 L. W. L. 
 
 J. G. was noticed in the last Report, and is the same spoken of 
 in the body of the Report, as the seducer of young females. Since 
 she left us, she has uniformly supported the character given in the 
 following letter. 
 
 " It is with great satisfaction I can say that Jane's conduct is even 
 better than we expected to find it. Her reformation is greater than 
 that of any person I ever knew. She has not formed any acquain- 
 tance, and is very attentive to her business : her time soon expires. 
 She is about engaging with a missionary who moves to Ohio in the 
 spring. M. C. 
 
 The following letter gives an account of a girl about thirteen 
 years old, taken from a house in Bancker-street. 
 
 " I am pleased in being able to state, that we have uniformly 
 found her of a willing and obliging disposition, and that she has 
 proved a useful inmate of my family. I may add, that I feel en- 
 couraged with the prospect of her becoming in her riper years, an 
 intelligent and virtuous woman. She frequently speaks of the kind 
 treatment she received from the Superintendent of the Refuge." 
 
 J. C. 
 
 Cooperstown, Dec. hih, 1826. 
 "Dear Sir, — Mr. Scott brought the little girl safe to us, we are 
 very much pleased with her thus far, she answers your representa- 
 tion in every respect. She is amiable in her disposition, and very 
 industrious - appears very contented and happy, and it will be our 
 endeavor always to make her so. I do not feel disposed to lay 
 myself under any legal obligation, to do for her, more than is spe- 
 cified in the indenture ; but should she continue to manifest the 
 same good disposition, the same industrious habits, and serve us 
 faithfully, not prove vicious, nor leave us, until the expiration of 
 the time for which she has to stay, I shall feel myself bound in con- 
 science, to do well by her. This obligation will bind me as strong 
 as any other whatever. Mary wishes to be remembered to you 
 and Miss Andrews— she often speaks of you with gratitude — she 
 also wishes that her mother might be infonned of her safe arrival, 
 and that she is well and happy. F. T. T. 
 
92 
 
 SELECTION OF CASES. 
 
 BOYS. 
 
 W. H. O. — This boy's history exhibits one of the most striking 
 instances of juvenile depravity that we have on the records of this 
 institution. He, at the early age of nine years, commenced his 
 career of stealing, and with the assistance of some, more hardened 
 and older in crime than himself, he continued it for three years, 
 with the most undeviating success. 
 
 Of his short life, two and a half years, in three separate terms, 
 have been served in the Penitentiary, besides having been several 
 times in Bridewell. The associations he formed in those schools 
 of vice, instead of reclaiming him, served only to strengthen his 
 vicious propensities, and at his discharge from them, he recom- 
 menced his depradatory acts with renewed skill ; in short, with 
 him, stealing seemed to be an instinctive principle. 
 
 Thus he continued until the establishment of this institution. 
 He fortunately became one of its first inmates. Upon his intro- 
 duction, he evinced a settled determination to escape, (in which he 
 succeeded three several times.) The most rigid treatment was for 
 along time unsuccessfully applied. At length he began gradually 
 to yield to the restraints, and submit to the regulations required of 
 him. From January to December, 1826, he so far improved that 
 we considered him one of the most amiable boys in the House. 
 The person who contracted for his services, said, that his attention 
 to his work was such as to afford him much pleasure ; that he was 
 entirely obedient, agreeable, and active in the discharge of his 
 duties. 
 
 Conceiving that the object of the Institution in the effect of his 
 reformation was completed, and that a better state of mind could 
 not be effected in William, he was indentured to a highly respecta- 
 ble mechanic living in Connecticut. Some time previous to his 
 indenture, he was asked whether he would everredarken his char- 
 acter by the commission of crime, if selected to be bound out ; his 
 reply was, that he was then influenced by the wicked one, but that 
 he now felt his mind to be in a different channel; and if a modest 
 and humble deportment for several months, together with a know- 
 ledge of his frequently practising devotional exercise, are proper 
 criterions by which to judge, we feel perfectly safe in saying that 
 William was truly an altered boy. 
 
 Since his indenture, a very favorable report has been received 
 from him. 
 
 S. T. — Aged sixteen years, born in Paterson, N. J. ; he lost his 
 father and mother when quite young, after which he was left to 
 the care of guardians, who neglected him. He in a short time 
 acquired a degree of celebrity among his companions by his skill 
 in stealing old rope, iron, copper, &c. from around the docks. His 
 career, however, was made short by the superintending care of 
 the city authority, by whom he was committed to the Aims-House 
 as a vagrant. He twice escaped from that institution, and when 
 retaken the second time, he was sent here. 
 
 Soon after his commitment, it became evident that the discipline 
 of the House was all that was requisite to make him obedient. 
 
93 
 
 After conducting himself to the entire satisfaction of the Superin- 
 tendent, he was indented to a farmer in the country. Since his in- 
 denture, we have been informed by the gentleman with whom he 
 lives, that " he is industrious, attentive, and kind ; and such is the 
 state of his mind as relates to religion and morality, that he will 
 reprove his men for using profane language, in a prompt, though 
 modest and becoming manner, often referring to the precepts he 
 received from his recent friends." 
 
 D. B. L. — Aged fifteen years, born in New-York, committed 
 from the Police, on suspicion of having stolen a shawl. He was 
 brought up in the vicinity of Bancker-street, and for some months 
 played the tambourine, in those receptacles of vice and misery, 
 the dancing-houses of Corlears Hook. He acknowledges having 
 stolen some few articles, but denies stealing the article for which 
 he was sent here. From the time he was committed until his dis- 
 charge, he conducted in an entire satisfactory manner. In Octo- 
 ber, he was indented to a respectable gentleman residing about 
 sixty miles north of this city. 
 
 L. S. — Aged about sixteen years, born in Ireland ; his parents 
 emigrated to this country about eight years ago. Hrs father has 
 since died. His education was entirely neglected by his parents, 
 and the choice of his companions left exclusively to himself. He 
 has worked at several mechanical branches of business, to none of 
 which his restless disposition could attach itself. He was commit- 
 ted to the Refuge in March, 1825, from the Police Office, for steal- 
 ing a copper kettle, for which he had been confined in Bridewell 
 eight days, (and where he had been four times before.) The char- 
 acter of a notorious thief cannot with justice be attached to this 
 boy, though he had been a habitual pilferer for several years. 
 Upon his entry into the House, he gave no evidence of a disposi- 
 tion palpably wicked, yet he was a source of much trouble to the 
 superintendent. In mischief, he was almost invariably first ; to 
 the rules and regulations of the House he was perfectly indifferent, 
 and in one instance he absconded. After a few days he was re- 
 turned, severely punished, and put in irons for forty-three days, 
 when his irons were taken off. In December, his improvement 
 was so great, that he was promoted to the situation of night watch 
 and day guard, the duties of which he faithfully performed until 
 July, 1826, when he requested to be sent to sea : his request was 
 complied with, and he was indentured to a highly respectable ship 
 owner of this city. 
 
 After an absence of three months, he returned to the Refuge on 
 a visit, stated that he was perfectly contented with his situation, 
 and that he had often reflected while at sea, that instead of enjoy- 
 ing the blessings of liberty, he might have now been in State 
 Prison, had it not have been for the establishment of a House of 
 Refuge. 
 
 D. S. — Aged fifteen years, born in New-York. His father died 
 while he was yet an infant, his mother since married an oysterman, 
 now living in the vicinity of Bancker-street. David has lived with 
 three different persons, who kept oyster-cellars. After leaving 
 them he returned to his mother. He commenced his thefts by 
 stealing wood from about the docks ; has also been in the habit of 
 
94 
 
 stealing old junk, copper, &c. He has been three several times 
 committed to Bridewell ; the last time for stealing a copper kettle 
 in company with the foregoing boy : it was for this offence that he 
 was committed to the Refuge. 
 
 He was at first very refractory, constantly plotting how to es- 
 cape, and endeavoring to persuade others to accompany him. He 
 was for some months treated with much strictness : from June, 
 1825, to February, 1826, his conduct was entirely satisfactory. At 
 this time, an opportunity offering to give him an advantageous sit- 
 uation, it was deemed incompatible with the object of the Institu- 
 tion to detain him longer. He was consequently indented to a 
 gentleman residing in the western part of this state, who, in a letter 
 directed to his mother, two months after the date of his indenture, 
 says he has much reason to be pleased with David's conduct. 
 
 J. D. S. — Aged eleven and a half years, born in New-York. 
 This child, notwithstanding his extreme youth, has committed 
 many errors. He was first led to the perpetration of crime, by the 
 persuasion of one older than himself, in whose company he stole 
 many articles ; he was once in Bridewell for stealing, and was fre- 
 quently punished by his parents, but to no effect. He was com- 
 mitted here at the solicitation of his father, in April, 1825. He 
 conducted himself with uniform propriety until October, 1826, 
 when he was returned to his parents, for the purpose of indentur- 
 ing to a gentleman who was instrumental in his reformation, and 
 who was well acquainted with his disposition. 
 
 Here is another instance in which the preservation of a child 
 from ruin may be attributed to the establishment of a House of 
 Refuge. Had this boy's thieving practices been permitted to de- 
 generate into a habit, they doubtless would have procured for him 
 a residence in our State Prison or Penitentiary, where the object 
 is punishment, and not reformation, he must have been thrown in 
 the company of old and hardened offenders, the contaminating 
 influence of whose conversation, would eventually have banished 
 every virtuous and generous sentiment from his tender bosom. 
 What reflecting mind but must admit the utility of such an institu- 
 tion, and what generous soul but would contibute to its support ? 
 
 G. D. — Between sixteen and seventeen years of age, born in 
 New-York. He had been sentenced to the Penitentiary for petit 
 larceny for six months, in October, 1824. At the expiration of 
 his sentence, in April, 1825, being sick, and no one appearing to 
 take charge of him, he was sent to the Refuge by the Commission- 
 ers of the Aims-House. 
 
 His conduct, from the time of his commitment until December 
 ensuing, was uniformly good. He was at this time indentured to a 
 gentleman residing at Poughkeepsie ; and four months subsequent 
 to his departure, we received a letter from his master, giving a 
 very satisfactory account of his behavior. 
 
 GIRLS. 
 
 M. S. — Aged sixteen years, was committed by the Police on the 
 day the Institution commenced its operations ; for the first sixteen 
 months of her confinement, she manifested a restless and uneasy 
 disposition, and twice was successful in escaping, but was re- 
 taken. 
 
95 
 
 After this, she appeared to reflect upon her former conduct, with 
 regret, and gave evidence of a determination to reform. Having 
 conducted herself well for three or four months, she was indented 
 to a clergyman in the country, from whom the superintendent has 
 since received a letter, in which he states, that he is very much 
 pleased with the girl. 
 
 M. L. B. — Aged about seventeen and a half years. Some few 
 days previous to her indenture, some one of the committee hap- 
 pened to express a doubt as to the reality of her reformation ; this 
 was communicated to her by a girl who heard it. She said nothing 
 at the time, but quietly commenced her apprenticeship. In a letter 
 subsequently directed to the Superintendent, she manifests a de- 
 gree of exultation in doing well, and in disappointing those who 
 suspected her fidelity. She also expresses much regard and friend- 
 ship for those she left behind, and appears very grateful "for the 
 good advice given her." 
 
 M. A. C. — Aged seventeen years, born in New- York. Is an or- 
 phan : was committed to the Refuge in January, 1825, at the so- 
 licitation of her aunt, in whose charge she was left by her parents. 
 
 After having been but three months here, her conduct was such 
 as to gain the entire confidence of the Superintendent, who in one 
 instance permitted her to go off the premises in search of greens : 
 after having been absent about six hours, she returned, and said 
 she had been to see her friends in town ; expressed a regret that 
 she had done so without permission, and said that she did not wish 
 to leave the House until the Managers thought best. From this 
 period, her conduct was very good until April 21st, 1826, when 
 she was indented to a gentleman residing in the central part of the 
 state. Since her indenture, we have received letters from her, ex- 
 pressive of her entire contentment. 
 
 J. A. B. — Aged between sixteen and seventeen years, born in 
 Philadelphia, father and mother both dead. She was committed in 
 February, 1825, for stealing a few articles of wearing apparel from 
 a person with whom she lived as a domestic. She has lived at 
 many different places, and has been in considerable bad company 
 for about one year. After her commitment, she was almost un- 
 manageable. She in one instance escaped, but was shortly after 
 retaken. The frequent application of corporal punishment and 
 solitary confinement, were finally successful. After giving evi- 
 dence of a change of feeling, by conducting herself with uniform 
 propriety for many months, she was indented to a lady living a 
 short distance from the city, who informs us that she wants no 
 better girl. 
 
 C. W. — Aged fourteen years, born in New-York, of Irish pa- 
 rents, who now keep a fruit shop in this city. This child became 
 a victim to the seductive arts of a villain at the early age of eleven 
 years. For two and a half years subsequently continued to asso- 
 ciate with lewd and abandoned women, and has twice been in 
 Bridewell for being found in such company. She has also been 
 guilty of stealing many articles. 
 
 She was brought here in July, 1826, at the request of her father, 
 for leaving his roof, and frequenting houses of ill fame. At first 
 
96 
 
 her conduct was such as to give little hope of reformation : she 
 would use profane and vulgar language, was disobedient and disres- 
 pectful. She was soon given to understand, that this was not a 
 place in which she could indulge in improprieties with impunity, 
 and was treated as her conduct deserved. 
 
 After about two months, the treatment she received produced 
 the desired effect, and she became directly the reverse of what she 
 before was. The Matron now thinks her the best girl in the House, 
 and says that if she offends in the most trivial thing, she is not con- 
 tent until she has asked and obtained forgiveness. 
 
 Many more cases of both sexes could be selected, but it is pre- 
 sumed that those mentioned will be adequate to convince every 
 judicious person, that the House of Refuge has not been established 
 in vain ; and our subscribers, that they have not contributed their 
 money to a useless purpose. 
 
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98 
 
 DESCRIPTION OF THE HOUSE OF REFUGE. 
 
 Th« Houses of Refuge for Juvenile Delinquents, are situated 
 about two miles north of the City Hall, at the junction of the Har- 
 laem and Bloomingdale roads, on the ground recently occupied by 
 the United States Arsenal. A more convenient or eligible situa- 
 tion could not probably have been selected. The lot of ground, 
 320 feet by 300, is enclosed by a stone wall 17 feet in height, and 
 more than two feet thick. Within this enclosure, the Society has 
 erected two stone buildings, each 150 feet in length by 38 in 
 breadth, and two stories high. One of the houses is appropriated 
 for Boys, the other for Girls, and the two being separated by a 
 high wooden fence, there is no communication between them. 
 
 The first story of the Boys' Refuge is divided into five rooms, 
 30 by 34 feet, for Dining Room, Common Hall, Superintendent's 
 Office, and Tailor's and Shoemaker's Shops. Three flights of 
 stairs lead into the second story, which contains a Hospital, 30 by 
 34 feet, and two rows of Dormitories, each 3| feet by 7, and 6 feet 
 high, for the accommodation of 132 boys with separate rooms, 
 each of which is well ventilated by openings in the rooms and stone 
 wall. Two aisles, 10 feet by 110, are used as School Rooms, and 
 are furnished with desks and benches, suitable for the monitorial 
 plan of instruction. The Garret is one large room, 150 feet by 34, 
 and may be occupied when required as a work-room. The whole 
 building is well lighted and ventilated. 
 
 The Girls' Refuge is finished in a superior manner to that for 
 the Boys. The first story is divided into four rooms, 30 feet by 
 34, for a Kitchen, Dining Room, and Work Rooms. The other 
 part of this story is occupied by a neat Parlor and Chamber for the 
 Matron, a Committee Room, and a Laundry. In the south end of 
 the second story is a handsome Chapel, with a gallery, sufficiently 
 large to accommodate 140 boys, 70 girls, and 300 visiters. At the 
 north end is the Hospital, 25 feet by 34, and the intermediate space 
 is occupied by two rows of Dormitories, furnishing 63 rooms for 
 as many girls, which are also ventilated similar to the Boys' rooms. 
 The Garret is 150 feet by 34, and is intended for the stowing of 
 goods and drying of clothes, and may be used as a work-room. 
 
 A two-story brick building, 40 feet by 30, situated on the south- 
 west corner, is occupied by the Superintendent and his family. 
 Near to this is another brick building, 22 feet by 60, occupied by 
 the Superintendent, and by the Assistant Keeper and his family. 
 Adjoining this is a two-story brick Work-House, 40 feet by 80, di- 
 vided into four rooms, each 40 feet square, in which 40 boys are 
 employed in the chair-making business. 
 
 On the south-east part of the yard, is a one-story wooden build- 
 ing, 60 feet by 14, in which 30 boys are employed in the manufac- 
 turing of brass nails and sadlery, and in filing, &c. — to this is at- 
 tached another wooden building, used as a foundry, &c. Near to 
 the north wall is a wooden building, 80 feet by 18, used as a Bakery 
 and Store-House, under which are large vaults for provisions, 
 stores, and fuel ; a stable and carriage-hpuse under one roof, and 
 some small out-buildings, complete the establishment. 
 
 A part of the ground is laid out into kitchen and flower gardens, 
 
99 
 
 grass plots, and gravel walks. There are four wells on the prem- 
 ises, of excellent soft water. Adjoining the south wall, the Soci- 
 ety occupies an angular piece of ground, containing about one acre, 
 as a pasture. 
 
 The whole aspect of the establishment is cheerful and comforta- 
 ble, and it has little or none of the appearance of a prison. 
 
 ■»igiiin 
 
 EXTRACT FROM A REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE 
 ON EDUCATION. 
 
 The Sub-Committee to which was assigned the duty of providing 
 the books, furniture, &c, required for the schools in the House of 
 Refuge, Report — 
 
 That they selected the east and west aisles of the second story, 
 as most convenient for the purpose intended ; and the necessary 
 arrangements for this important part of our system having been 
 completed, the boys' school was opened, and conducted on the 
 monitorial plan of education. The committee have frequently vis- 
 ited the school, and Dr. Griscom has repeatedly delivered familiar 
 lectures on Natural History and Natural Philosophy, which have 
 instructed and interested the children, and have been listened to 
 with eager attention. We have no design to convey to their young 
 minds any profound instruction, or to prepare them for the pursuit 
 of science ; but the intellectual darkness in which they have been 
 involved, and the difficulty of inducing them to devote the requisite 
 degree of attention to their simpler studies, make it advisable to 
 combine in their view, the ideas of study and amusement. We are 
 persuaded, that if such lectures were more frequent, and accom- 
 panied with simple experiments, very beneficial results would be 
 discovered. 
 
 The Committee purchased a library of 476 volumes, comprising 
 History, Voyages and Travels, .Biography, Fables, Poetry for Chil- 
 dren, Narratives and Anecdotes, and a few elementary Treatises of 
 Science. Those boys who can read, avail themselves of the priv- 
 ilege of obtaining books from the library, and it is not unusual to 
 observe them reading at table when their meals are finished, as 
 well as during their leisure hours, and particularly on the Sabbath. 
 
 Soon after the girls were removed into the new building, the east 
 aisle of the second story was appropriated as a school room, under 
 the care of the male teacher, when he is not engaged with the boys. 
 When the funds of the Institution will warrant the expense, and the 
 Female Refuge shall contain its full number of 70 girls, it will be 
 proper to employ an assistant Matron, qualified to superintend their 
 studies. 
 
 Agreeably to the direction of the Board of Managers, four hours 
 daily are devoted to instruction in each house, and the Committee 
 have the satisfaction of stating, that the Teacher is assiduous in the 
 discharge of his important duties. He informs us, that the con- 
 duct of the children is such as would reflect credit on any well reg- 
 ulated school, and that, in general, they are gentle, studious, and 
 obedient, and with few exceptions, are anxious for the arrival of 
 school hours. 
 
 Donations of books, maps, slates, globes, &c. have been received 
 from individuals, who are anxious that a good school should be es- 
 tablished in the Refuge. 
 
100 
 
 The following are among the books used in the schools — Tytler's 
 General History, Histories of England and of the United States, 
 Park's Chemistry, Conversations on Natural Philosophy, American 
 Speaker. Brief Remarker, Introduction to English Reader, Mur- 
 ray's Reader, Popular Lessons, Scripture Lessons, Spelling Books, 
 Willet's Arithmetic, Hart's Geography, Daboll's Book-keeping, &c. 
 
 One hundred and twenty six boys attend the school, who can all 
 read, with a single exception — 08 of these could not read, and 
 many did not even know the Alphabet, when they were committed 
 to the House of Refuge — 70 now write on paper, and 56 on slates ; 
 a few study Geography and Book-keeping. 
 
 Of the 29 girls, 19 read in Scripture Lessons, and 10 read and 
 spell in the Lancastrian Lessons on boards ; 7 study Geography 
 and Arithmetic, 14 write on paper, and 15 on slates. 
 
 Each School is supplied with Maps on large and small scales, 
 and with a pair of 13 inch Globes. 
 
 The expenditure has been $776 76, viz. 
 
 For the Library, exclusive of donations, - - $200 00 
 For Stationary, Furniture, &c. - 576 76 
 
 We recommend that the weekly visiting Committee should be 
 
 requested to visit the Refuge, during the school session, at least 
 
 once in each week. 
 December 16, 1826. 
 
 THE PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS TO THE 
 SUPERINTENDENT. 
 
 Sunday, July 2, 1826. 
 
 By request of the Acting Committee, the Managers of the Soci- 
 ety for the Reformation of Juvenile Delinquents, assembled at the 
 House of Refuge this day, for the purpose of attending public wor- 
 ship, and of transferring the superintendence of the Institution to 
 Nathaniel C. Hart, he having been appointed to this office in place 
 of Joseph Curtis, who had resigned. 
 
 Many visiters were present upon this interesting occasion. After 
 prayer, and a sermon by the Rev. John Stanford ; the President 
 of the Board, the Hon, Mr. Colden, delivered the following ad- 
 dress to Mr. Hart : — 
 
 Sir, 
 
 I am happy to address you on your assuming the Superinten- 
 dence of this Institution. We know that you have left an estab- 
 lishment where your services have been pre-eminently useful,* and 
 we are persuaded, that you have been induced to change your situ- 
 ation with a view not of personal advantage only, but by conside- 
 rations of public benefit. You are no doubt aware, that the House 
 of Refuge had its foundation in the benevolence, and zealous exer- 
 tions of a number of your fellow-citizens ; under whose guardian- 
 ship, and the liberal patronage of the State, it has assumed its pre- 
 sent importance. 
 
 Hitherto it has answered the most sanguine expectation of its 
 friends, and its success must be in some measure imputed to the 
 exertions, industry, and good conduc t of your predecessor. He has 
 
 * Mr. N. C Hart has been one of the teachers in the Male High-School. 
 
101 
 
 no less share than any other member of the Institution, in its or- 
 ganization. While we receive you with every feeling of cordiality, 
 and with perfect confidence, that, under your administration, the 
 Establishment will continue to realize our anticipations, we cannot 
 take leave of him, without those feelings which are naturally con- 
 nected with a separation from a worthy brother and fellow-laborer, 
 who so well deserves the commendation of "Well done thou good 
 and faithful servant." 
 
 The children you will have under your care, are the victims of 
 vice ; not always resulting from their own depravity, so much as 
 from the negligence, the bad examples, and very often the precepts 
 of their parents, or of those from whom their immature minds 
 would receive character and impulse. It was believed by the foun- 
 ders of this Institution, that many of these might be reclaimed, and 
 instead of being left to grow in crime as they increased in years, 
 that their young minds might be imbued with the principles of vir- 
 tue and religion, and the juvenile delinquent transformed into a 
 virtuous, religious, and industrious citizen. So far as we have had 
 experience, we are warranted to believe that such reformations may 
 be effected. If not in all cases, at least in such a proportion as 
 will be an ample reward for our exertions. But our success can 
 depend on nothing so much as upon the course pursued by those 
 who may fill the station you are about to assume. It requires great 
 kindness, great patience, and great firmness. The objects of your 
 care will understand, from your attention to administer to their 
 wants and comforts, both in sickness and in health — from your 
 efforts to give them religious as well as moral instruction — from 
 your making them industrious, and giving them the means of gain- 
 ing an honest livelihood, that you have no motive but their welfare. 
 When this impression is on their minds, respect and obedience fol- 
 low. If unhappily it should not, then punishment must be inflic- 
 ted. But this, with you, I am persuaded, will seldom be necessary,, 
 and will be a last resort. It requires much less capacity, much less 
 knowledge of human nature, to govern a child by his corporal, 
 than by his mental feelings. And therefore it is, that the former 
 are appealed to so often, and frequently so injudiciously. A child 
 may be made quiet and industrious by beating, but it seldom hap- 
 pens, I believe, that kindheartedness, morality, and intelligence are 
 induced by whipping. There can be no worthy sentiment in the 
 apprehension of corporal chastisement. But an appeal to the un- 
 derstanding and affections will generally awaken feelings that soften 
 the mind and elevate the character : no human being ever gave 
 himself credit for doing right from fear, but every one feels a self 
 respect, when he is conscious that he does right from reason. 
 
 There may be however instances, and they are most likely to 
 occur in an institution of this nature, where the painful necessity 
 of resorting to punishment is inevitable. In such cases I am con- 
 vinced I need not say to one of your experience, that their efficacy, 
 either for example or reformation, must depend on their being in- 
 flicted with firmness but with temperance, and with no more than 
 a just severity. 
 
 I know from your character that the children now to be placed 
 under your protection, will meet with every indulgence that they 
 can claim. If any caution on this head were necessary, it would 
 
102 
 
 be that they should be so treated as that they may not forget that 
 they are placed here for their misdeeds. My own view of this es- 
 tablishment is, that it should be kept in the remembrance of those 
 who are committed to our care, that they are offenders against the 
 laws of their country, that they are in a place of punishment, and 
 that that punishment is confinement and labor, from which they 
 can only be redeemed by a continuation of good conduct that will 
 give such assurance of reformation, as that they may be trusted to 
 mix with society. I cannot think, therefore, that these children 
 are to be treated exactly as they would be if they were the innocent 
 inmates of a college. Were they to be treated as those deserve 
 who are pure and innocent, they might be led to think, that vice 
 was not odious to mankind, and that the stain of crime was too ea- 
 sily obliterated. 
 
 The charge that you have assumed is an arduous one, and its 
 employments must be less agreeable than others in which you have 
 been engaged ; but, I am persuaded, you will find encouragement 
 and reward in the considerations that there are few situations in 
 which you could be placed where you would have it in your power 
 to do more good. The consciousness that by your assistance a 
 number of your fellow-creatures are rescued from perdition ; that 
 the child who was hurrying from stage to stage in the progress of 
 vice, is turned to the paths of virtue, and instead of the hardened 
 adult, becomes the virtuous citizen, must be a gratification not often 
 enjoyed. But it is not only the individuals who may be here that 
 will feel the advantages of this Institution. Society at large has 
 experienced, and will continue to feel its benign influence. Al- 
 ready has it greatly diminished the number of juvenile offenders, 
 who are brought to the bar of our criminal courts. Formerly 
 there was no other mode of disposing of these than by sending them 
 to the Penitentiary, or to the State Prison. There they mixed with 
 old and hardened offenders, and after having their vices confirmed, 
 and received new instructions in wickedness, they were turned from 
 the doors of the prison, without character, without food, and with- 
 out a roof under which they could claim a shelter. What resource 
 had these abandoned objects, but to commit new crimes ? And this 
 they did with the less reluctance, because often they had not been 
 taught the difference between virtue and vice. We have found in 
 several instances, that children were encouraged to believe that 
 there was no crime in stealing, if it were not detected. So little 
 sense of guilt in theft do we find in some children, that it has hap- 
 pened, when asked how they came to the House of Refuge, they 
 have answered, "by begging and stealing," seemingly without any 
 consciousness that they were making a shameful confession. 
 
 Were other considerations wanting to excite our compassion to- 
 wards the subjects of this Institution, and to stimulate our exertions 
 to maintain it, we should find them in the knowledge we have, that 
 so manv of these objects owe their situation to the want of that pa- 
 rental care and instruction, so necessary to plant in the youthful 
 mind, and to cherish the seeds of virtue. Many of these that are 
 now before us, have been orphans, or abandoned by their parents 
 from their earliest infancy. Often a child wanders to this wilder- 
 ness of vice, from some remote quarter of the country. Frequently 
 an infant of tender years is left in our streets without protection, 
 
103 
 
 by the death of a father or a mother. Some who might have been 
 brought up virtuously and lived happily, had their natural guardians 
 been spared to them, have no other recollection of their parents 
 than is impressed on their minds by the agony with w r hich a father 
 or a mother bid them an eternal farewell, and left them unprotec- 
 ted, and in poverty to struggle for existence, and to encounter the 
 temptations of the w r orld. 
 
 How many may there be among these poor orphans whose mother, 
 
 " Bent o'er her babe, her eyes dissolv'd in dew, 
 "The big drops mingling with the milk it drew, 
 "Sad presage of its woes in future years! 
 " The child of misery baptis'd in tears." 
 
 I will not detain you further, sir, than to give you assurances, that 
 the managers of this institution will be anxious to render your sit- 
 uation agreeable, and that you may at all times rely on their exer- 
 tions and co-operation with you to promote the objects of the es- 
 tablishment. 
 
 N. C. Hart's Reply. 
 
 Sir, — 
 
 Deeply impressed with the great responsibility devolving 
 on the superintendent of this important Institution, I cannot reflect 
 on the confidence you have placed in me in calling me to succeed 
 the gentleman who has so ably conducted its affairs from its com- 
 mencement, without trembling. 
 
 Children without parents, some of them worse than destitute, 
 have, by your fostering hands, been snatched from infamy. The 
 world indeed is gazing upon your noble charity, while the commun- 
 ity is rejoicing in hope of your success. 
 
 The weight and responsibility tower like mountains before me; 
 but when I reflect that I shall have your wisdom in council, and, 
 I trust, the directions of Him who prompts you to these praisewor- 
 thy acts, I console myself that I shall be enabled in a degree to be 
 a father to the fatherless. 
 
 Yes, my dear children, I have sons, and I have daughters, and 
 am enabled to feel for you ; and often in my dealings with the chil- 
 dren of others, solve this question for my own government, — 'How 
 should I like my child to be dealt with under similar circumstan- 
 ces?' This rule, I think, shall govern me here. 
 
 As to government, sir, I have no doubt but that many of these 
 children only require to know my wishes, in order to obey them ; 
 but others Will require to be more closely watched. Virtue shall 
 be rewarded; while vice and immorality shall be promptly attended 
 to. That you may understand my views on this subject, I would 
 remark, sir, that in my opinion, the most benevolent and humane 
 method for the management of children, is, to require prompt and 
 implicit obedience. 
 
104 
 
 RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR THE GOVERNMENT 
 OF THE HOUSE OF REFUGE, 
 
 ADOPTED JAN. 2d, 1827. 
 
 Requisites which the House of Refuge possesses for the Reforma- 
 tion of Juvenile Delinquents. 
 
 1. The Means of Security. 6. Allowance of Food and 
 
 2. Inspection. Clothing, 
 
 3. Classification. 7. Space for Exercise con- 
 
 4. Constant Employment. ducive to Health. 
 
 5. Religious and Moral In- 8. Separation of the Sexes. 
 
 struction. 9. Attendance upon the Sick. 
 
 The introduction of labor into the House of Refuge, will be re- 
 garded principally with reference to the moral benefits, and not 
 merely to the profits, to be derived from it. If the employment 
 should be unproductive of much pecuniary profit, still the gain to 
 the city and state will eventually prove considerable, from the re- 
 formation, and consequently the reduced number of offenders. 
 
 Preference will be given to those trades, the knowledge of which 
 may enable the prisoners to earn their subsistence, on their dis- 
 charge from the House. 
 
 acting committee. 
 
 The Board of Managers shall choose from their own number, an 
 Acting Committee, consisting of seven members : one of whom 
 may go out of office monthly, and a new member be chosen to 
 supply his place. 
 
 The Acting Committee shall meet at least once in each month at 
 the House of Refuge, for the transaction of business. 
 
 The Acting Committee shall appoint a Sub-Committee of two, to 
 visit the House of Refuge weekly, one of whom shall retire each 
 month, and anew one be appointed. The sub-committee shall re- 
 cord in a book, to be submitted to the Acting Committee, such 
 observations on the cleanliness of the House, and the conduct of 
 the officers and children, as may seem to them proper. From these 
 records summary minutes shall be made by the Acting Committee, 
 and laid before the stated meetings of the Managers. 
 
 The Acting Committee shall, at every meeting, appoint a chair- 
 man, for the time being, whose duty it shall be to appoint all Com- 
 mittees, and to preserve order and decorum in the transaction of 
 business. 
 
 The Acting Committee shall, out of their number, appoint a 
 Secretary, whose duty shall be to keep regular minutes of all their 
 proceedings, and to notify in writing the appointment of all sub- 
 committees. 
 
 The Acting Committee shall be empowered to appoint an Assis- 
 tant, or Assistants, for the purpose of instructing the children in the 
 House of Refuge, in any work, manufacture, or useful employment, 
 which they may deem expedient to introduce into the House. 
 
 The Acting Committee shall be authorised to apprentice the 
 children out to suitable persons, under regular articles of indenture, 
 and to enter into such contracts as they may think proper, with 
 any person, for the employment of the children in any work, 
 manufacture, or trade. 
 
105 
 
 The Acting Committee shall have power, by a majority present* 
 to summon special meetings of the Board of Managers ; specifying 
 the occasion upon which they are summoned. 
 
 ladies' committee. 
 
 •The Managers will annually appoint a Committee of 13 Ladies, 
 to visit the Female Delinquents, and to advise and confer with the 
 Matron, relative to the affairs and management of this Department* 
 
 This Committee of Ladies will visit the House of Refuge monthly, 
 and they will appoint in rotation a sub-committee, of two of their 
 number, to visit it once in each week, to inspect the Female 
 Department, to excite in the girls a sense of virtue and piety, to in- 
 culcate habits of industry, cleanliness, and strict attention to the 
 directions of the Matron and the Rules of the House, and to reward 
 those who shall distinguish themselves for industry and good con- 
 duct. 
 
 Minutes will be kept by the general and sub-committee, in a 
 book provided for that purpose, in which they will note the order, 
 cleanliness, and improvement of the girls, and make such sugges- 
 tions and remarks as they may deem proper and useful. Abstracts 
 from these minutes will be read at the meetings of the Acting Com- 
 mittee, and a summary of them also at the stated meetings of the 
 Managers. 
 
 Should vacancies occur in this Committee by death or resigna- 
 tion, the Committee may appoint such Ladies as they shall have 
 previously ascertained will, if elected, attend to the important duties 
 devolving on them. 
 
 SUPERINTENDENT. 
 
 The Superintendent shall have the general superintendence of 
 both male and female departments of the House of Refuge, and 
 shall carry into effect all the rules and regulations adopted by the 
 Acting Committee for their management and government. 
 
 He shall keep a register of every child committed to his custody; 
 the name, age, and description of person ; when received, by whom 
 committed, on what charge, when discharged, and such other re- 
 marks as may be proper and useful, including a brief historical 
 sketch. 
 
 He shall keep a regular account of the expense incurred for the 
 keeping of the children placed under his charge, with every item 
 properly designated ; also, an inventory of the whole personal 
 property within the House belonging to the Society, and the man- 
 ner in which the same may have been disposed of, to be submitted 
 to the Acting Committee every year, or oftener if required. 
 
 He shall keep a record of the events worthy of note that may 
 occur, daily, during the recess of the Committee, and submit the 
 same for inspection at every meeting. 
 
 He shall daily inspect every part of the Establishment in person, 
 and shall not absent himself from the Establishment for a night, 
 without permission from the Acting or Visiting Committee. 
 
 He shall exercise the authority delegated to him with firmness, 
 moderation, and discretion ; but in order that the certainty of pun- 
 ishment may deter from a repetition of offence, he shall permit no 
 offence against the rules to pass without some punishment, except 
 by consent of the Acting Committee. 
 
 14 
 
106 
 
 He shall procure such supplies for the Establishment as may be 
 directed by the Acting Committee. 
 
 He shall not, at any one time, allow more than four of the chil- 
 dren to be absent from the premises, and then only in company 
 with himself, the Matron, or one of the Assistant Keepers, who are 
 not to lose sight of them while absent from the Refuge. 
 
 He shall have the direction of the Assistant Keeper or Keepers, 
 in all matters relative to carrying into effect the rules, regulations, 
 and discipline of the House ; and he shall be responsible for their 
 acts and conduct while on the premises, and in the employ of the 
 Society. 
 
 ASSISTANT KEEPERS. 
 
 The Assistant Keepers, Teachers, and other officers and ser- 
 vants, shall conduct themselves in strict conformity with the rule3 
 of the Establishment : they are to receive their orders from the 
 Superintendent, and to obey his directions. They shall not absent 
 themselves from the House, without his permission. 
 
 LABOR. 
 
 The Children shall be employed every day in the year, except 
 Sundays, at such labor, business, or employment, as may from time 
 to time be designated by the Acting Committee. 
 
 A LIST OF EMPLOYMENTS THAT MAY BE CARRIED ON IN THE 
 THE HOUSE OF REFUGE. 
 BOYS. GIRLS. 
 
 Tailoring. 
 
 Shoe Making'. 
 
 Comb Making. 
 
 Pin Making. 
 
 Broom Making. 
 
 Basket Making. 
 
 Making Rope Mats. 
 
 Cutting Corks and Pegs. 
 
 Oakum Picking. 
 
 Straw Braiding. 
 
 Twine Making. 
 
 Cutting Skewers for Butchers. 
 
 Folding Sheets for Book-Binders. 
 
 Sticking Card Teeth. 
 
 Turner's Work. 
 
 Sash Cord. 
 
 Scratches and Wigs for Hair 
 
 Dressers, 
 Coopering. 
 
 Cutting out and Making Wear- 
 ing Apparel for Girls and Boys. 
 Washing, Ironing, and Mending 
 for Girls and Boys, Plain 
 Cooking, and House Work 
 generally. 
 Plaiting Straw. 
 
 Making Women's Shoes and 
 Gloves. 
 
 Knitting, and Needle Work of 
 all kinds. 
 
 Spinning, Weaving, fyc. 
 
 Folding Sheets for Book-Bind- 
 ers. 
 
 Sticking Card Teeth. 
 
 FOOD. 
 
 The Children shall be fed with a sufficient quantity of coarse, 
 "but wholesome Food, in conformity with a Dietary to be estab- 
 lished by the Acting Committee. 
 
 CLOTHING. 
 
 The children shall be clothed in coarse but comfortable apparel, 
 of the cheapest and most durable kind. The cloth to be of a uni- 
 
107 
 
 form color, and the clothes of the same cut or fashion. All the 
 clothes, garments, shoes, &c. must, if practicable, be made on the 
 premises, and by the children. 
 
 FEMALES AND MATRON. 
 
 The Females shall eat their meals and lodge in a separate build* 
 ing from the males, with whom they shall have no intercourse or 
 communication, except at family or public worship. 
 
 The Females shall be placed under the immediate care and su- 
 perintendance of a Matron, or Female Keeper, who shall reside in 
 the House, and shall at no time absent herself from the premises, 
 without the permission of the Acting Committee, or the Superin- 
 tendent. 
 
 None but the Matron shall search or examine the Female De- 
 linquents. She shall superintend their work, and take charge of 
 the clothes and bedding of the Establishment. She shall accom- 
 pany the Superintendent or Physician, whenever it may be neces- 
 sary for either of them to visit the apartments of the Females. 
 She shall endeavor to unfold to those under her charge, the advan* 
 tages of a moral and religious life, and to impress them with a 
 conviction of the evils and miseries that attend the wicked and 
 profligate. She shall, at the season set apart for the purpose, 
 teach them the rudiments of education, and instruct them in the 
 business of Housewifery, &c. She shall be authorised to punish, 
 them for offences against the rules of the House, or for indecorum 
 in their behavior towards herself or one another ; and she shall 
 keep a daily record of the occurrences, and regularly report to the 
 Superintendent, such matters relative to their deportment and con- 
 duct, and the punishment she has inflicted, with the nature of the 
 offence committed, as will be proper for him to lay before the Act- 
 ing Committee. 
 
 PUNISHMENTS. 
 
 If any child shall refuse, or wilfully neglect, to perform the work 
 required of him or her, or to obey the orders of the Superintendent 
 or Matron, or Assistant Keepers, or shall use profane or indecent 
 language, or shall assault or quarrel with a fellow-delinquent, or 
 shall make a noise, or talk after having retired to the sleeping 
 room, he or she shall be punished at a suitable time ; and if, after 
 this, such child persist in disobedience, he or she shall be confined 
 in solitude, for such time as the Superintendent or Matron may- 
 direct. 
 
 If any subject shall strike or resist the Keeper, or attempt to 
 escape from the House, or shall wilfully injure any article belong- 
 ing to the Society, he or she shall be punished, except the same be 
 remitted on application to the Acting Committee. 
 
 The Superintendent shall possess a discretionary power in 
 awarding the punishment to offenders. He may try offenders by a 
 jury of their peers, and inflict such punishment as they shall award, 
 subject, however, to his revision. He shall, in all cases, enter on 
 the daily journal, and report to the Acting Committee, a brief de* 
 tail of the offence, and the punishment inflicted for the same. 
 
 If it should ever be necessary to inflict corporal punishment upon 
 females, it shall only be done by or in the presence of the Matron* 
 
108 
 
 KIND!? OF PUNISHMENT THAT MAY BE USED IN THE HOUSE 
 OF REFUGE. 
 
 1. Privation of play and exercise. 
 
 2. Sent to bed snpperless at sunset. 
 
 3. Bread and water, for breakfast, dinner, and supper. 
 
 4. Gruel without salt, for do. do. do. 
 
 5. Camomile, boneset, or bitter herb tea, for breakfast, dinner, 
 and supper. 
 
 6. Confinement in solitary cells. 
 
 7. Corporal punishment, if absolutely necessary, or if awarded 
 by a jury of the boys, and approved. 
 
 3. Fetters and handcuffs, only in extreme cases. 
 
 WARDSMEN OR MONITORS. 
 
 The Superintendent may, whenever in his opinion it shall be 
 useful, appoint for each ten or more children, one of the Delin- 
 quents as Wardsman or Monitor, who shall be selected from the 
 most orderly, well behaved, and best qualified for the purpose. 
 
 The general duty of the Wardsmen shall be, to observe the be- 
 havior and conduct of their respective classes ; to see that they 
 daily wash their persons ; that their sleeping and work rooms are 
 regularly swept every morning, and washed or scrubbed once in 
 each week; that the rooms and bedding be ventilated and aired, 
 and the night utensils removed and cleansed: and lhat decency 
 and good order prevail throughout the class. 
 
 The Wardsman shall be authorised to select from his class, in 
 rotation, one of the number, to perform the duty of sweeping, 
 scrubbing, &c, and it shall be an offence against the rules, for any 
 of the class to disobey the reasonable commands of the Wardsman. 
 He shall report to the Superintendent, any improper act commit- 
 ted by a member of his class, immediately after its occurrence, in 
 order that it may be corrected forthwith. 
 
 ARRANGEMENT OF TIME. 
 
 A Bell shall be rung every morning, one quarter of an hour be- 
 fore the unlocking of the lodging rooms, and also at the hour of 
 unlocking, when every child shall be prepared to leave his room, 
 in order to wash, &c. previous to going to work. 
 
 The time of beginning and leaving off work, of eating breakfast, 
 dinner, and supper, of attending school, and of retiring to sleep, 
 shall be in conformity with a table prepared by the Acting Com- 
 mittee, and each time shall be designated by the ringing of the 
 bell, as the Superintendent may direct. 
 
A TABLE OF THE DIVISION OF TIME. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 •BBH9 
 
 
 mm sai 
 
 CO 
 
 :hool. | 
 
 
 
 g 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 so 
 
 
 ne to Rise 
 
 
 CO 
 
 
 Dinner. 
 
 
 Supper. 
 
 
 
 
 CO 
 
 
 o 
 
 .a 
 
 to 
 « 
 
 Work. 
 
 Work. 
 
 School. 
 
 
 of Woi 
 
 of how 
 
 
 & 
 
 
 Q 
 
 
 
 s 
 
 
 
 
 % 
 
 
 January, 
 
 7 
 
 1 o 
 
 7* 
 
 1 8 
 
 12 
 
 | 1 
 
 4 
 
 
 8 | 7 
 
 3 £ 
 
 February, 
 
 7 
 
 
 u 
 
 1 3 
 
 12 
 
 | 1 
 
 4 
 
 I H 
 
 I 8 
 
 |7 
 
 1 3i 
 
 March, 
 
 6 
 
 
 7 
 
 1 1h 
 
 12 
 
 | 1 
 
 1 4 
 
 IH 
 
 1 8 
 
 174 
 
 1 3 £ 
 
 April, 
 
 1 H 
 
 
 1 T 
 
 1 H 
 
 1 12 
 
 1 1 
 
 M 
 
 1 5 
 
 1 8 
 
 1 8 
 
 1 4 
 
 May, 
 
 1 ^ 
 
 
 
 1 7J- 
 
 12 
 
 | 1 
 
 
 1 5 2- 
 
 1 8 
 
 \H 
 
 1 4 
 
 June, 
 
 5 
 
 H 
 
 \1 
 
 
 12 
 
 | 1 
 
 I 5 
 
 1 5 2~ 
 
 1 8 
 
 1 H 
 
 1 4 
 
 July, 
 
 1 5 
 
 
 i n 
 
 l ia 
 
 
 1 H 
 
 1 6 
 
 1 8 
 
 i 9 
 
 1 3| 
 
 August, 
 
 1 5 
 
 1 *i 
 
 I 7 
 
 1 7* 
 
 1 12 
 
 | 1 
 
 1 H 
 
 1 6 
 
 1 8 
 
 i 9 
 
 1 3 ? 
 
 September, 
 
 I H 
 
 h> 
 
 1 7 
 
 I n 
 
 1 12 
 
 
 \ 5 
 
 1 «H 
 
 1 8 
 
 I 81 
 
 1 H 
 
 October. 
 
 1 6 
 
 1 o 
 
 1 7 
 
 14 
 
 1 12 
 
 | 1 
 
 1 H 
 
 1 5 
 
 1 8 
 
 1 8 
 
 1 3 
 
 November, 
 
 i n 
 
 1 o 
 
 1 7 
 
 1 »i 
 
 1 12 
 
 | 1 
 
 1 4 
 
 1 H 
 
 1 8 
 
 \n 
 
 1** 
 
 December, 
 
 i 7 
 
 1 o 
 
 1 H 
 
 1 8 
 
 1 12 
 
 | 1 
 
 |4 
 
 1 4^ 
 
 1 ^2 
 
 1 8 
 
 \n 
 
 1 » 
 
110 
 
 The half hour between unlocking and work, in the morning, 
 shall be employed in washing and combing, in calling the roll, and 
 in hearing a chapter read in the bible, and in such other moral and 
 religious exercise as the Superintendent may direct. 
 
 On Sunday, the children after washing, combing, and shifting 
 their clothes, shall proceed to the school or lecture-room, and shall 
 be employed as in Sunday Schools, until the hour of breakfast ; af- 
 ter which they shall be employed in the same manner, until the 
 hour of religious exercises, and so throughout the day, with such 
 relaxations, as the Superintendent may order and direct. 
 
 CLASSIFICATION. 
 
 The Boys and Girls shall be classed according to their moral 
 conduct, and as soon as practicable there shall be four Grades or 
 Classes formed, viz. No. 1, 2, 3, 4. 
 
 Class, No. 1. Shall include the best behaved and most orderly 
 Boys and Girls : those who do not swear, lie, or use profane, ob- 
 scene, or indecent language or conversation, who attend to their 
 work and studies, are not quarrelsome, and have not attempted to 
 escape. 
 
 Class, No. 2. Those who are next best, but who are not quite free 
 from all of the foregoing vices and practices. 
 
 Class, No. 8. Those who are more immoral in conduct than Class 
 No. 2. 
 
 Class, No. 4. Those who are vicious, bad and wicked. 
 
 Badges, bearing the number of each class, shall be worn on the 
 arm at all times in the day. 
 
 In case of improper and bad conduct, the children in Classes No. 
 1, 2, or 3, shall be transferred or degraded by the Superintendent 
 to the lower or lowest Class. And for improvement, or good con- 
 duct, in Classes 4, 3, or 2, they may be transferred or promoted to 
 a higher class. 
 
 The children in Class No. 1, who behave well, and are orderly 
 and correct in their conduct, shall be rewarded Monthly by the Su- 
 perintendent, in the presence of all the children, and of the Acting 
 Committee. 
 
 Those children who have behaved well for three months in suc- 
 cession, shall be allowed to wear a badge of distinction and appro- 
 bation. 
 
 Extracts from such parts of these regulations, as relate to the 
 several classes of delinquents, shall be printed and hung up in sev- 
 eral parts of the House of Refuge. 
 
 GENERAL REGULATIONS. 
 
 No spirituous liquors shall, upon any pretence whatever, (excep* 
 ting by order of the Physicians,) be brought into any part of the 
 premises of the House of Refuge. 
 
 No species of gambling, nor of plays or games having a tendency 
 thereto, shall be permitted at the House of Refuge. 
 
 The walls and ceilings of the wards, dormitories or sleeping- 
 rooms, and passages, used by the delinquents throughout the House 
 of Refuge, shall be white-washed and thoroughly cleaned at least 
 twice in each year ; which work shall be done by the delinquents* 
 except on particular emergencies! 
 
Ill 
 
 Every morning the school-rooms, hospital, work-rooms, passa- 
 ges, and dormitories shall be swept ; the pans emptied, the dirt and 
 ashes, and all filth and rubbish collected in the yard, removed to 
 the place appropriated for the same. The school-rooms, work- 
 rooms, and sleeping-rooms, shall be washed once a week, or oftener 
 if requisite. The doors of all the sleeping-cells, and also the 
 windows, when the weather will permit, shall be kept open during 
 the day. 
 
 The bedding of the House shall be hungup to air, whenever the 
 Superintendent shall require it. The straw in the Mattresses shall 
 be changed, and the corn husk Mattresses scalded and washed as 
 often as the Physicians may think proper. The blankets and bed- 
 ding shall be washed frequently, and in all cases clean bedding shall 
 be provided for every new delinquent. 
 
 No delinquent of any description, shall, on any account what- 
 ever, be confined in any apartment under ground, or where there 
 is not sufficient light and ventilation. 
 
 Every delinquent, seized with any disorder, shall be forthwith re- 
 moved to the Infirmary ; and, in case of any putrid or infectious 
 disorder, to the Hospital. The dormitories, from which he or she 
 was taken, shall, immediately after such removal, be cleansed, fu- 
 migated, and white-washed. 
 
 Bibles and Testaments, and such elementary books on Natural 
 History, Juvenile Biography, Voyages and Travels, as may be 
 thought necessary, shall be provided for the use of the children, to 
 be distributed among them, at the discretion of the Acting Com- 
 mittee. 
 
 The Superintendent shall present all written applications for ap- 
 prentices and servants to the Acting Committee, by whom they 
 shall be approved before they are granted; and no child shall be 
 put to service out of the House, unless under regular indentures from 
 the Society. 
 
 A Bible and printed paper of advice relative to his or her future 
 conduct, shall be given to each delinquent when so apprenticed. 
 
 The term of the apprenticeship of the Girls shall not extend be- 
 yond the age of 18 years ; they shall not be apprenticed to unmar- 
 ried men, nor placed in boarding-houses, or academies for boys. 
 
 At every Anniversary Meeting of the Society, the several Boys 
 and Girls who have been apprenticed by the Managers, and who 
 shall appear at such Meeting, in a clean dress, and produce a writ- 
 ten testimonial from their master or mistress of their good beha- 
 vior during the preceding year of their apprenticeship, shall receive 
 a reward or prize, as a token of approbation from the Society. 
 
112 
 
 Officers of the Society* 
 
 CADWALLADER D. COLDEN, President. 
 STEPHEN ALLEN, 
 CORNELIUS DUBOIS, 
 JOHN GRISCOM, 
 
 JOHN T. IRVING, / Vlcc Presidents. 
 HENRY I. WYCKOFF, 
 JAMES LOVETT, 
 RALPH OLMSTED, Treasurer. 
 ISAAC S. HONE, Secretary. 
 
 House of Hefuge. 
 
 NATHANIEL C. HART, Superintendent. 
 CHARLOTTE E. ANDREWS, Matron. 
 MONMOUTH B. HART, Teacher. 
 HENRY MILLER, 
 
 JOHN MILLER, \ Assistant Keepers! 
 P. SHERLOCK, Gate Keeper. 
 
 Managers, 
 
 Stephen Allen, William W. Fox, Hugh Maxwell, 
 Heman Averill,- John Griscom, Ralph Olmsted, 
 Arthur Burtis, James W. Gerard, Fred'k Sheldon, 
 C. D. Colden, John E. Hyde, Peter Sharpe, 
 
 Isaac Collins, Isaac S. Hone, John Stearns, 
 
 Robert C. Cornell, John T. Irving, Benjamin L. Swan, 
 Samuel Cowdrey, Ansel W. Ives, David Stebbins, 
 Joseph Curtis, James Kent, M. Van Schaick, 
 
 Cornelius Dubois, James Lovett, Henry I. Wyckoff, 
 Thomas Eddy, William F. Mott, Samuel Wood. 
 
 Acting Committee. 
 
 Cornelius Dubois, Arthur Burtis, 
 
 Robert C. Cornell, Henry I. Wyckoff, 
 
 Isaac Collins, David Stebbins, 
 
 William F. Mott, Wm. W. Fox. 
 
 Ladies' Committee. 
 
 Mrs. Ann Shipley, Mrs. Ann Warner, 
 
 Martha Willis, 
 Charlotte Fox, 
 Sarah Hawxhurst, 
 Almy Cornell, 
 Alice Townsend, 
 Rebecca M'Comb, 
 
 D. Embury, 
 Maria Hyde, 
 Isabella Buloid, 
 Margaret Prior, 
 Maria Colden. 
 
 # * # Donations to the House of Refuge will be thankfully receiv- 
 ed by the Officers and Managers of the Society. 
 
 The payment of 50 dollars, or of 10 dollars per annum for six 
 years, constitutes a person a member of the Society for life ; and 
 an annual subscription of 3 dollars, a member so long as it is con- 
 tinued to be paid. 
 
 A complete list of the Donors and Subscribers to this important 
 Institution, will be published in the next Annual Report. 
 
THIRD ANNUAL* REPORT, &c. 
 1828. 
 
 The Managers of the Society for the Reformation 
 of Juvenile Delinquents, in commencing their Third 
 Annual Statement, cannot but congratulate the Soci- 
 ety, on the prosperous condition of its Institution, and 
 the beneficial results which evidently flow from its 
 operations. 
 
 The actual condition and results of the House of 
 Refuge have become so far the objects of public in- 
 quiry and minute examination, as to have furnished 
 the means of a more exact appreciation of its value 
 as an establishment of charity, and a moral instrument 
 in the community, than can be said of almost any 
 other of the benevolent institutions of our state. The 
 principles on which it is founded, and the nature of 
 the evils which it is intended to remedy, have been 
 commented upon by some of the ablest jurists of our 
 country; and it appears to be conformable to the 
 most correct views of human nature, and to the sound- 
 est principles of legal justice, that in the infliction of 
 punishment for offences against society, there ought 
 to be a marked distinction between juvenile and adult 
 offenders; — that the treatment of each class, in order 
 to be the most effectual, ought to be distinguished by 
 those discriminations which are so clearly indicated 
 by the natural and acquired propensities of the guilty 
 in these different periods of human life; — and that, 
 with respect to the greater number of youthful offend- 
 ers, — those whose offences are so intimately connected 
 with the abandoned situation to which they have been 
 exposed, it would be a wide and grievous departure 
 from moral justice to condemn them to a life of suffer- 
 ing, for crimes that might have been prevented with 
 less expenditure to the community than that which 
 must unavoidably be incurred in the infliction of the 
 penalty. 
 
 The practical recognition of these principles, in 
 
 15 
 
114 
 
 the establishment of a juvenile penitentiary, together 
 with a knowledge of the immense degradation of cha- 
 racter which has ensued from the mixture of young 
 and old convicts, in the prisons of this and other states, 
 was the leading motive in the formation of this Soci- 
 ety ; and the Managers do not fear to assert, that the 
 call upon their fellow-citizens and the legislature for 
 support in this undertaking, has been justified to the 
 fullest extent in the progress and present state of the 
 House of Refuge. 
 
 The advantages, abstractly considered, of an insti- 
 tution of this nature, have been so fully developed in 
 the former Reports of the Society, that it is deemed 
 unnecessary to insist further upon them. It is not 
 among the least of the gratifications of the Society, 
 that its efforts have gained the attention of the Legis- 
 lature, and so far received the sanction of the highest 
 authorities of the state, as to justify the belief, that a 
 juvenile penitentiary will hereafter be regarded as an 
 integral part of those institutions, which, from a due 
 consideration of public safety and benefit, have a per- 
 manent claim to its protection and support. 
 
 The source from which its support has hitherto 
 been chiefly derived, under the authority of law, has 
 proved to be fully adequate to the several objects to 
 which that fund is destined. This fund, it is well 
 known, accumulates, mainly, from the payment of a 
 small sum by each of the emigrants who arrive in this 
 state from other quarters of the globe. Provision is 
 first made for the ample maintenance of the Marine 
 Hospital on Staten Island : — and few persons there 
 are, it may be presumed, who will assert, that a more 
 reasonable and fit appropriation of the surplus could 
 be made, than to the reformation of juvenile delin- 
 quents, a large proportion of whom are the offspring 
 of these very emigrants. The children of seamen are 
 also as likely to partake of the benefits of the Refuge, 
 as those of any other class; and the pursuits of sea- 
 manship under judicious captains, are considered by 
 the Managers to be a fit destination for those of the 
 inmates who incline thereto ; and it will be seen by 
 the reports that a considerable number have been 
 thus apprenticed. 
 
115 
 
 There have been, within the last year, ninety boys 
 apprenticed by the Managers, and thirty-five girls. 
 About thirty of the boys have been sent to sea, prin- 
 cipally on whaling voyages from Nantucket and New 
 Bedford, as apprentices to captains or owners, in 
 whose caie and guardianship the Managers have 
 reason to confide. The others have all (with one pe- 
 culiar exception) been placed in situations more or 
 less remote from this city, under circumstances favor- 
 able to the formation of virtuous habits, and to an en- 
 tire change of old associations. The masters to whom 
 they are bound, covenant with the Society for giving 
 them a suitable share of school learning, and for their 
 due instruction in the art or trade in which they are 
 engaged. 
 
 In a. few cases, the children who have been thus 
 apprenticed, have, after a trial of their new homes, 
 returned to the Refuge, disappointed in the opportu- 
 nities of improvement which were afforded them, or 
 dissatisfied with the treatment they received. The 
 cases appear to have been very few in which the mas- 
 ter has been glad to relinquish his bargain from the 
 continuance of depraved habits in the apprentice ; but 
 on the other hand, the Managers have been much 
 gratified in the information received from various 
 quarters, of the good conduct of those who have been 
 thus disposed of, and of the mutual satisfaction of 
 master and apprentice. As this is a point of vital im- 
 portance, and the intelligence thus obtained affords 
 an unquestionable evidence of the tendencies of the 
 House of Refuge, it will not be deemed improper to 
 introduce in this place, extracts from several letters 
 from persons who have taken apprentices from our 
 establishment. 
 
 A. 
 
 £#**#* November 7, 1827. 
 
 Dear Sir, — I received your letter, dated September, inclosing 
 an address to G . I am much pleased to find that the Mana- 
 gers of the Society feel such a deep interest for the happiness, and 
 are so solicitous for the improvement of the morals and habits of 
 
 the children from under their care. G. was much pleased with 
 
 ihe address sent him by his friends, containing instructions and ad? 
 
116 
 
 vice* so encouraging. lie keeps it as a treasure, and often read's 
 it, as though lie intended to adhere to the instructions of his much 
 respected friends. 
 
 I shall comply with your request in as brief and plain a manner 
 
 as possible. I am happy to say that G 's conduct has been 
 
 praiseworthy since he left the House of Refuge. If he continues 
 as faithful as he has been, I think he will do honor to the Institu- 
 tion : he is a very industrious, obedient, and trusty boy ; I have 
 never found him to be guilty of telling an untruth, or make use of 
 any bad language, but he reads his bible, attends public worship, 
 and always speaks well of the House of Refuge. His improve- 
 ment in learning has not been as great as I should wish, but I am 
 in hopes he will improve faster with longer experience. He seems 
 to be seriously inclined, and we endeavor to impress his mind with 
 the necessity of religion. 
 
 I remain yours, &c. 
 
 B. B . 
 
 B. 
 
 February 28, 1827. 
 Dear Sir, — Yours of the 3d of January I have just received, in 
 
 which you want to know how my boy (J. H. S ) behaves; — 
 
 he has spent the winter at school — his conduct as yet has met my 
 entire approbation. You will communicate this information to Mr. 
 Hart, if he has not received a previous letter which I have sent to 
 him and vou. I remain yours, &c. 
 
 W. B. S. 
 
 C. 
 
 JV*##*# October 19, 1827. 
 Dear Sir, — I received your letter on the 17th of this month, 
 
 stating that you would esteem it a favor to have a detail of R 's 
 
 conduct. With pleasure I write a few lines to inform you thatR. 
 has conducted very well ; he has been very attentive to his busi- 
 ness, and learns as fast as I can expect. He has made but very 
 few acquaintances since he has been with me in this place, and ap- 
 pears to be very well contented, and has no disposition to run 
 about the town in the evening as many boys do. He assists me in 
 keeping my books, and I leave him the charge of my business 
 when I am absent. On the whole, I have found him honest and 
 industrious. Yours, with respect, 
 
 E. C. B. 
 
 D. 
 
 Jf*****, TurnbuU County, Ohio, September 17, 1827. 
 
 Dear Sir, — It affords me much pleasure to report to you the 
 general good conduct and behavior, since his residence with me, 
 of A. V., the young lad I took from the House of Refuge in your 
 city, about twelve months since. 
 
 I have discovered in him no vicious habits ; he is faithful, honest, 
 and industrious ; though not very active or intelligent, always will- 
 ing and obedient, even-tempered, and contented : had he more 
 sprightliness and activity, he would be a most valuable boy. I 
 
 * A printed Letter of Advice from the Managers is given to each child on leav- 
 ing the Refuge. 
 
117 
 
 should be, however, loath to part with him for the chance of ob- 
 taining a better. 
 
 Many of my friends in the vicinity are desirous of procuring 
 lads from your institution, who cannot conveniently personally ap- 
 ply for them ; could arrangements be made without their personal 
 attendance, several persons of very respectable standing in this 
 place would like to obtain them. 
 
 Your institution I consider of the first order amongst the nu- 
 merous benevolent and humane associations of the present day to 
 benefit mankind, and as such entitled to public and individual pat- 
 ronage. Enclosed I send you five dollars, accompanied with my 
 hearty wishes that success and prosperity may attend the laudable 
 exertions of yourself and associates to reclaim the youth of our 
 country from the paths of vice. 
 
 Very respectfully, I am, Sir, your Obedient Servant, 
 
 L. K. 
 
 E. 
 
 Y****town, Ohio, November 18, 1827. 
 
 Dear Sir, — Your letter of September, I did not receive until 
 yesterday. By some means it has been mailed at Cleveland, Ohio, 
 which I presume occasioned the delay. 
 
 In answer to your letter, I am happy to state to you, that M 
 
 V , whom I took from the House of Refuge in the month of 
 
 October, 1826, has behaved himself as well as any boy I ever saw. 
 I have had him at school ever since I brought him home. He is 
 the most attentive boy to his learning I ever saw, and his instructer 
 informs me that he is the most attentive scholar he has in his 
 school. I am also pleased to state to you that the impressions he 
 has received from your excellent institution, I have no doubt, have 
 been the means of reclaiming the youth M- V . 
 
 My intention is, if he remains as attentive to his learning as he 
 has done, to make a scholar of him. 
 
 Accept of my best wishes for the success of your excellent insti- 
 tution. I remain yours, respectfully, 
 
 W. R. 
 
 P. S. — M will write to you before your next Report. I 
 
 shall be pleased to hear of the success of your institution occa- 
 sionally. 
 
 AA. 
 
 jP#******, February 27, 1827. 
 
 Respected Friend, — After a full trial of the indented little girl, 
 
 (C D ,) which I procured through your means from the 
 
 House of Refuge, we have great reason to be highly pleased with 
 her. As she was in the House of Refuge, so she is beloved by the 
 whole family. She is useful and attentive in all the kinds of busi- 
 ness in which we have employed her. I have no doubt, that with 
 ordinary care, and the blessing of God, she will grow up in favor 
 of God and man. 
 
 The great interest which you take in this interesting institution, 
 is fully deserved by its undoubted utility. That Providence may 
 long continue you in your successful career of practical benevo- 
 lence, is the sincere prayer of your friend, 
 
 C. D ? W. 
 
118 
 
 BB. 
 
 ##**#**# (Conn.) October 27, 1827. 
 
 Mr. Hart, 
 
 Sir, — In compliance with the request contained in your 
 circular, thai I should give you an account of the character and 
 
 conduct of E M. M , a girl whom we received from the 
 
 House of Refuge in March last, I address to you the following 
 lines. In answer to your queries, I am happy to inform you, that 
 she is a girl of good disposition, and that her conduct and deport- 
 ment have been such as to meet our approbation. She is a very 
 good domestic, faithful and industrious, and she performs expedi- 
 tiously and correctly, the various duties which are entrusted to her. 
 She goes to church every Sabbath, freq uently reads aloud in the 
 Bible, and receives moral advice and instruction from myself and 
 from Mrs. P., which we hope has been beneficial to her. I should 
 have written to you sooner, but my health is very poor, and I am 
 not able, nor have I had an opportunity of writing before. 
 
 Yours, respectfully, For W. P., 
 
 W. E. W. 
 
 CC. 
 
 p##**#*###*# October 18, 1827. 
 
 Sir, — In compliance with your request, and my promise made 
 last spring, I proceed to give you an account of the deportment of 
 
 E B . I should have written before, but thought best to 
 
 delay until a sufficient time had elapsed to test her character ; and 
 it affords me much pleasure to say, that after six months' trial, 1 
 can bear testimony to the correctness of her conduct. The funda- 
 mental rules of the institution over which you preside, appear to 
 be indelibly impressed on her mind. I have never discovered any 
 deviation from the truth in her, and as to the work allotted to her, 
 she performs it as well as a child of her years can be expected to 
 do, and expresses her gratitude to the Managers and Officers of the 
 House of Refuge, for their interference in her behalf, and being in- 
 strumental in rescuing her from a vicious course, and restoring her 
 to a virtuous and correct line of behavior. She does now, and I 
 trust, by the blessing of God, will continue to do credit to that best 
 of charities, the House of Refuge. 
 
 It must be a source of much gratification to the Managers and 
 Officers of the Refuge, to find that in many cases their benevolent 
 efforts have been crowned with success, in rescuing delinquents 
 from the abyss of vice, and restoring them to the paths of virtue. 
 Wishing every prosperity to the Institution, and temporal and eter- 
 nal happiness to all connected with this invaluable establishment, 
 I remain. Sir, your Obedient Servant, 
 
 J. V. B. V* 
 
 As an exemplification of the characters of the youth 
 who are the subjects of the Refuge, including those 
 respecting whom the foregoing Letters were written, 
 the following selection is made from the books of the 
 superintendent. 
 
119 
 
 SELECTION OF CASES. 
 
 BOYS. 
 
 G. W» B. — This boy was sentenced here from the Sessions, foi 
 being connected with that gang of youthful depredators, who crea- 
 ted so much public excitement by store-breaking in the latter part 
 of last fall. He was put to work in the Chair department, where 
 his industrious and quiet disposition soon gave the Superintendent 
 reason to believe that he had rather been a victim to bad example 
 than to any intrinsic vicious propensity. After continuing in the 
 House eight months, and exemplifying his determination to do as 
 well as he knew how, he was indented to a respectable mechanic 
 in West Chester County, whose account of him is given in the pre- 
 ceding letters. (A.) 
 
 M. — Aged about fourteen years, was born in Ireland, emigra- 
 ted to this country at the age of eight years ; soon after which his 
 father died, leaving his mother in very indigent circumstances. 
 The boy shortly after became a subject of the Aims-House, from 
 which institution he was indented to a painter in the country, who 
 discharged him on account of his not being sufficiently strong, and 
 gave him a letter to Mr. Burtis, stating the reason why he had sent 
 him back. M. instead of returning, destroyed the letter and ran 
 away. Having no home, he in a short time commenced stealing, 
 and pursued it for more than three years uninterruptedly. His 
 thefts were principally confined to old rope, copper, and lead ; but 
 after a while he joined the gang of store-breakers referred to in the 
 foregoing case, and was connected with them in entering twenty-six 
 stores. They were all arrested excepting M. He was apprehen- 
 ded in the course of three months for stealing two dollars, and sent 
 here at the recommendation of the Grand Jury. 
 
 From the information the Superintendent had previously receiv- 
 ed of his character, he anticipated much trouble from him, and in 
 taking his examination he explained to him the object of the insti- 
 tution, and told him that if his conduct merited it, all his former 
 crimes should be forgotten, and he should be treated kindly ; but 
 on the contrary should his conduct be vicious and immoral, he might 
 depend that it should meet with prompt punishment. This lesson 
 was evidently listened to with attention. He went to work indus- 
 triously and cheerfully, and continued to merit the approbatory 
 smiles of the Superintendent as long as he continued in the House. 
 In August last, he was indented to a gentleman in Connecticut, who 
 subsequently informs us that M. is a sterling good boy ; that he is 
 the quickest boy in the neighborhood at doing an errand, and that 
 he is perfectly satisfied with his situation. 
 
 J. H. S. — Aged about sixteen years, was sent to the Refuge in 
 March, 1826, from the Penitentiary, to which place he had been 
 committed some few months previous for vagrancy. His conduct 
 was entirely void of every thing of a flagitious or immoral nature ; 
 he was industrious while at work, and in his private deportment 
 quiet, peaceable, and inoffensive. In nine months after his admis- 
 sion he was indented to an opulent farmer in Orange County, who 
 after the lapse of a sufficient length of time fully to test his conduct, 
 writes to the Superintendent that "John has spent the winter at 
 
120 
 
 school, and that his conduct had met his entire approbation.'' (See 
 letter B.) 
 
 R. T. C. — Aged seventeen years, born in New-York, of very re- 
 spectable parents. At the age of thirteen years his father put him 
 with a merchant in the country, where he unfortunately contracted 
 a habit of pilfering from his employer ; after continuing for one 
 year, he returned to this city, and was engaged as a clerk in a res- 
 pectable dry-goods store, in Pearl-street. While there he stole 
 about sixty dollars at different times, in sums of five dollars each, 
 in a few months ; he was suspected and discharged. His father 
 then sent him on a voyage to Germany; he was absent five months, 
 returned and resuming his old practices of stealing, he was put into 
 Bridewell by his brother-in-law, for stealing a merino shawl and 
 sundry jewels from his wife. He was tried at the Sessions, plead 
 guilty, and was sentenced to tlie Refuge. 
 
 After being in the House some few months, he was promoted to 
 the class of honor, which station he soon forfeited by a misde- 
 meanor. A short time after this, he attempted to escape, but was 
 arrested and punished. From this period his conduct became ex- 
 emplary, and he seemed determined to obliterate the remembrance 
 of his past misconduct, by his future good behavior, and in which 
 he was entirely successful. 
 
 In July, 1827, he was bound an apprentice to a mechanic, in 
 New-Jersey, whose account of him, after a few months trial, is 
 given in letter C. 
 
 A. V. — Aged about 14, born in New- York, was a friendless or- 
 phan, entirely destitute of a home, and gave himself up as a vagrant, 
 and at length desired to be sent to the House of Refuge. Upon 
 questioning him as to the manner in which he had spent his past 
 life, it was ascertained that his parents when living were poor and 
 incapable of providing for their children ; that he had worked alter- 
 nately with tobacconists and boatmen ; he had never stolen any 
 article of consequence, but had commenced pilfering about the 
 markets, whence we may infer that he would too soon have become 
 an adept. 
 
 While in the House he appeared at all times entirely cheerful 
 and happy. In October, 1826, he was bound to a gentleman, in 
 the State of Ohio, who, after a year's trial of his character, speaks 
 of him in encouraging terms. (See Let. D.) 
 
 B. W. R. — Committed from the Police in November 1828. His 
 father was a Counsellor at Law, and unfortunate in his circumstan- 
 ces. B. was sent to school at an early age, and continued two or 
 three years, after which, he accompanied his uncle on a voyage 
 round Cape Horn, and was absent about eighteen months. When 
 he returned, he became connected with some vicious boys, and 
 commenced the practice of stealing. From his grandmother he 
 stole money, in small sums, a number of books, handkerchiefs, &c. 
 From the yards of several people, residing contiguous to his grand- 
 mother's house, he stole frequently chickens and clothes. He was 
 finally detected, in stealing cakes from a store in the Bowery, and 
 sentenced to the Refuge. After conducting himself, with uniform 
 propriety, for half a year, he was indentured to a gentleman, in the 
 State of Connecticut. 
 
121 
 
 ^fhe reformatory influence of this establishment upon his mind, 
 the following anecdote may serve to illustrate. B. on his passage 
 in the steam-boat, up the East River, found a watch, in one of the 
 private rooms of the boat, belonging to a passenger; he immedi- 
 ately sought the captain, and delivered it to him, and was solicitous 
 that the owner might be found. The- gentleman, to whom the 
 watch belonged, struck with the honesty of the act, was led to in- 
 quire his name and residence. This gave rise to a very interes- 
 ting dialogue, in which B. evinced a degree of exultation, in having 
 been an inmate of the Refuge, and in realizing the benevolent mo- 
 tives which led to its establishment. 
 
 GIRLS. 
 
 C. D. — Aged about nine years, committed in April, 1825. This 
 little girl was a very singular case of youthful female depravity. 
 She had been in Bridewell, before she became an inmate of the Re- 
 fuge, for stealing, and had been in the practice of pilfering, from 
 her earliest childhood. After having been confined for one month 
 in the Refuge, she was returned to her parents, by order of the Act- 
 ing Committee, in order to remove some private unhappiness, be- 
 tween her father and mother. 
 
 Three months afterwards, she was found by the Superintendent 
 in Bridewell, where she had been put for stealing, and returned to 
 the Refuge.— She acknowledged that soon after her discharge, she 
 ran away from her father's house and offered her services ts a wo- 
 man at Powles Hook; she continued with her three weeks, stole 
 five dollars, absconded, and returned to the city. 
 
 She enumerated a variety of articles that she had stolen, with as 
 much simplicity and apparent innocence, as if she was unconscious 
 that she had done wrong. 
 
 After her return, it was frequently necessary to punish her for 
 falsehoods, and such was her general misconduct, it was almost 
 feared that she was incorrigibly vicious. She continued in this 
 course for many months, without manifesting any evidence of are- 
 formation; but some time in September, 1826, she appeared to be 
 a subject of religious excitement, and from this period became a 
 new girl ; instead of an untractabie and almost unmanageable dis- 
 position, she evinced an agreeable, cheerful, obedient state of mind, 
 which endeared her to all who saw her. 
 
 In January, 1827, she was indentured to a reverend gentleman, 
 residing in the central part of this state, who after the lapse of a 
 few months, in a letter addressed to one of the managers, speaks 
 of her in flattering terms. (See letter A. A.) 
 
 S. I. F. — Aged about seventeen, committed in November, 1826. 
 This girl was the daughter of pious and respectable parents, resid- 
 ing in the central part of this state. She was persuaded to come to 
 this city to learn the mantuamaking business, by a female, who, 
 after she had arrived here, introduced her to a house of ill fame, 
 where her inexperienced youth was soon persuaded to relinquish 
 her greatest treasure, for the glittering vanities offered her. She 
 was kept by a young man, who indulged her in every thing she 
 
 wished for, but he soon died and left S friendless. Soon after 
 
 this, she was taken by Mr. Hays, and sent to the Refuge, 
 
 16 
 
122 
 
 She acknowledged that she never experienced a moment's har> 
 piness, while living in the haunts of vice, and, that the parting ad- 
 vice of her kind mother was constantly in her mind. 
 
 Her conduct in the house was at all times good ; in conversation 
 she frequently spoke of her lost reputation, with the most poignant 
 anguish and apparent heart-felt contrition. 
 
 When her time of confinement had nearly expired, she earnestly 
 solicited that a place of service might be procured for her, in the 
 country, where she would be out of the reach of the persuasions of 
 her former associates, and where by her future good conduct, she 
 might create the forgiveness of the past. Her request was com- 
 plied with, and she voluntarily consented to bind herself, for a pe- 
 riod of one year over the general time, in order to secure the situa- 
 tion. 
 
 Some few months after her indenture, we received from her mas- 
 ter, a very flattering account of her conduct; he states that she 
 is a good and industrious girl, and that he is much pleased with 
 her. 
 
 E. M. M. — Aged fifteen years, committed by the Commissioners 
 of the Alms House, for vagrancy. Her mother kept one of the 
 
 brothels of Corkers Hook, and E resided with her. With 
 
 such examples and associates, it was not to be expected that she 
 would be free from error — she was daily in the practice of running 
 the streets, and associating with women of the most abandoned 
 character. Her mother's house was indicted, and she and her 
 
 daughter were put in Bridewell, from which place, E , was sent 
 
 to the Refuge. 
 
 Her conduct, when she first came into the House, was such as- 
 was anticipated ; she was wild and indolent, and gave the matron 
 much trouble ; she was frequently reprimanded, and in one or two 
 instances punished. After a while, however, the discipline of the 
 
 House was productive of the desired effect, and E became a 
 
 very good girl. For the last six months of her residence here, she 
 never gave the matron occasion to find fault with her, but was al- 
 ways quiet and industrious. 
 
 In March last she was bound to a gentleman of Connecticut, who, 
 in the ensuing September, furnished the statement contained in 
 letter BB. 
 
 E. B. — Aged about thirteen years, born in Liverpool, (Eng.) 
 The predominant propensity of this girl was a restless disposition ; 
 she repeatedly absconded from her father's house, but was as often 
 found and taken home. 
 
 In one instance she ran away, and was taken up and put in the 
 Alms House, from which place she was bound out on Staten Island, 
 where her father found her and took her home; in a few weeks 
 afterwards, she stole some articles from her father, and again ran 
 away, she was then taken, and a second time became a subject of 
 the Alms House, from which place she was sent here. 
 
 After being in the House nearly two years, she was indentured 
 to a gentleman residing in Dutchess County. (See Letter CC.) 
 
 S. A. M'C. — Aged about sixteen years. — At the age of twelve 
 years, she was put, by her father, to live with a woman, who kept 
 & eailof boarding-house; her association in this place naturally 
 
123 
 
 tended to the corruption of her morals, and after continuing three 
 years, she quit, and became a prostitute. She had been living, ia 
 this abandoned course, six months, when she was arrested by the 
 watchman, for being very noisy in the streets, taken to the Police, 
 and from thence sent here. 
 
 Upon her entry into the Refuge, she appeared entirely callous 
 to every principle of shame or morality; but the rigid enforcement 
 of the discipline of the House were productive of a happy influence, 
 in correcting her vicious propensities, and it is hoped in effecting 
 her entire reformation. 
 
 In May, 1826, she was indentured to a gentleman in West Ches- 
 ter County, who after sixteen month's trial informs us that S 
 
 is a very good girl, and a faithful and industrious domestic. 
 
 Numerous other cases of an analagous nature might be related, 
 but it is believed that those already quoted will be sufficient to sat- 
 isfy the public. 
 
 STATEMENT 
 
 Of numbers admitted, destination, §c. 
 
 The whole number of subjects received into the House, from 
 the commencement of its operations to the present time is 377, 
 viz : — 
 
 Boys - - 270 
 
 Girls - 107 
 
 877 
 
 They have been committed by the following authorities, viz : — ■ 
 
 From the Court of Sessions 42 
 
 U. S. Court 1 
 
 ■ Ballstown Saratoga Sessions - 1 
 
 Albany Sessions 8 
 
 - Schoharie Sessions - 1 
 
 Troy Sessions 3 
 
 ■ — Washington Co. Oyer and Terminer - 1 
 
 Newburgh Sessions 2 
 
 Police of this City - - - - - 122 
 
 Commissioners of N. Y. Alms House 
 
 ■ Bridewell - 
 
 196 
 
 877 
 
 Of the above number, one hundred and forty-nine are the chil- 
 dren of foreigners, and the remaining two hundred and twenty- 
 eight were born in the city and in various parts of the adjacent 
 states. — 
 
 They have been disposed of as follows : — 
 
 BOYS. 
 
 Indentured 115 
 
 Sent to the Aims-House, - - - - - 4 
 
 Returned to friends 14 
 
 Deceased - - - . - - - - . - 1 
 Of Age - 5 
 
 Permanent Escapes 6 
 
 Now in the House 123 
 
 270 
 
124 
 
 GIRLS. 
 
 Indentured - 
 Of Age 
 
 Sent to the Aims-House 
 Returned to friends 
 Permanent Escape 
 In the House 
 
 50 
 3 
 8 
 2 
 1 
 
 38 
 
 107 
 
 -377 
 
 Of the 118 boys Indentured, 28 were included in last Report. 
 
 4 sent to Alms H. 2 do. do. do. 
 14 ret'd to friends, 11 do. do. do. 
 
 5 perm't escapes, 3 do. do. do. 
 
 Of the 50 girls indentured, 15 were named last year. 
 8 of age, 3 do. do. do. 
 
 8 sent to AlmsH. 4 do. do. do. 
 
 Of the whole number, 109 never have been in Bridewell, 
 
 225 have been there from 1 to 7 times, 
 43 have been in Penitentiary from 1 to 3 
 times. 
 
 The boys have been apprenticed, as follows, viz 
 
 Farmers, 
 
 8 in Putnam County, N. York. 
 
 1 
 
 4 
 3 
 3 
 14 
 1 
 1 
 2 
 1 
 
 Queens do. 
 Saratoga do. 
 Delaware do. 
 Ulster do. 
 Dutchess do. 
 Livingston do. 
 Genessee do. 
 Steuben do. 
 Oneida do. 
 
 do. 
 do, 
 do. 
 do. 
 do. 
 do. 
 do. 
 do. 
 do. 
 
 7 in West Chester Co. 
 
 Sullivan 
 
 Orange 
 
 Greene 
 
 Clinton 
 
 Somerset 
 
 do. 
 do. 
 do. 
 do. 
 do. 
 
 N. York, 
 do. 
 do. 
 do. 
 do. 
 do. 
 
 State of Connecticut, 
 State of New-Jersey, 
 State of Ohio. 
 
 2 Assistants, in an Oil and Candle Store, in Nantucket, Mass* 
 2 Chair Makers, in Syracuse, Onondago Co. New- York. 
 2 Paper Makers, in New Prospect, New-Jersey. 
 I Potter, in Norwalk, Connecticut. 
 1 Weaver, in Poughkeepsie, Dutchess Co. New-York, 
 
 1 Cabinet Maker, in West Chester Co. New-York. 
 
 2 Printers, 1 in West Chester Co. and 1 in Suffolk Co. (L. I.) 
 2 Shoe Makers, 1 in Stamford, and 1 in Fairfield, Con. 
 2 Tanners and Curriers, 1 in Orange Co. and 1 in Somerset 
 
 New-York. 
 1 Tin Smith, in Newark, New-Jersey. 
 1 Hatter, in West Chester Co. New-York. 
 1 Provision Dealer, in the city of New-York. 
 4 Blacksmiths, 1 in West Chester Co. 2 in Nantucket, and 
 
 Dutchess Co. 
 
 35 Seamen, 5 for European voyages, 30 for the Nantucket Whale 
 Fishery, in the Pacific Ocean, and on long voyages. 
 
 Co* 
 
 1 in 
 
125 
 
 The girls have all been indented, as domestic servants, in the 
 following places : — 
 
 2 in Delaware Co. N. York. 
 
 10 Dutchess do. do. 
 
 2 Wayne do. do. 
 
 4 Steuben do. do. 
 
 1 Courtlandt do. do. 
 
 4 Rensselaer do. do. 
 
 9 WestChesterdo. do. 
 
 1 Sullivan do. do. 
 
 1 in Ontario Co. N. York. 
 
 6 Ulster do. do. 
 
 1 Jefferson do. do. 
 
 4 Sussex do. do. 
 
 3 State of Connecticut. 
 
 I State of New- Jersey. 
 
 1 State of Ohio, 
 
 Note.-— It is an invariable rule, that no child is indented, except by his own 
 Consent. 
 
 From the foregoing statement, it will be perceived, 
 that while the labors of the Society in the support and 
 management of the House of Refuge, are affording a 
 local convenience to the city of New- York, it is at the 
 same time acquiring the character of more general 
 usefulness in becoming the receptacle of youthful con- 
 victs from other parts of the state. In proportion as 
 its benefits are thus perceived by the courts and mag- 
 istrates of interior counties, the necessity will arise of 
 more extended accommodations than the present 
 limits can supply. The house for boys has been for 
 some time past, nearly full; and some restriction is of 
 necessity placed on the number and character of those 
 who are now admissible from our city authorities. 
 Whatever may be thought by those who indulge in 
 cold and abstract speculation on the relative amount 
 of good which this or any other benevolent institution 
 may produce upon the great mass of our population, 
 there cannot, as the Managers fully believe, be a doubt 
 remaining in the mind of a sound political economist, 
 of the meliorating, protecting, and reformatory influ- 
 ence of such an establishment as the House of Refuge. 
 Its positive effects on those who partake of its coer- 
 cions, its persuasions, and instructions, and the terror 
 which is inspired by a knowledge of its incarcerations 
 and its penalties, all tend to increase in the minds of 
 our youth, a sense of the magnitude of crime, and to 
 diffuse throughout the neglected and misguided por- 
 tion of our juvenile community a better feeling in rela- 
 tion to their social and moral duties. This effect is 
 already obvious to the magistrates, attornies, and of- 
 ficers whose duty it is to arraign such young criminals 
 
126 
 
 at the bar of justice. Nor ought we to omit, in the 
 enumeration of its benefits, the important fact that it 
 strengthens the too feeble hands of parents, (many of 
 whom are widows,) over their ungracious and disobe- 
 dient children, furnishing them with a final resource 
 altogether new, and almost, altogether exempt from 
 the insuperable objection which lies against the com- 
 mitment of young people to the common prisons. 
 
 The Managers are induced, from these considera- 
 tions, to turn the attention of the Society and the pub- 
 lic to the means of enlarging the sphere of their ope- 
 rations. One hundred and Tbrty boys are all that the 
 present buildings can accommodate. Two hundred 
 and seventy is the whole number upon which the in- 
 stitution has been in operation. If within these nar- 
 row limitations, advantages so decisive have resulted 
 to this populous city, and to the adjacent counties, as 
 the letters and other cases contained in this Report 
 clearly prove, what might not be expected from an 
 adequate extension of such a salutary system of juve- 
 nile reform ? That it would eventually diminish the 
 increasing number of those adult convicts who crowd 
 the cells of the state prisons, and whose established 
 career of vice is generally found to have been con- 
 nected with, and preceded by, a youth of neglect and 
 abandonment, is nearly as certain as that effects pro- 
 ceed from established causes in the moral as well as 
 in the physical world. 
 
 Buildings adapted to at least double the number of 
 male Delinquents, may on these accounts become de- 
 sirable. Nor are we so enthusiastic as to suppose, 
 that, with a population so rapidly augmenting, congre- 
 gated from so many parts of the world, and comprising 
 so great a variety of character, and amidst so many 
 sources of temptation to criminality, the utmost exer- 
 tions of the benevolent by this and all other modes, 
 will be able to exterminate vice, or remove the neces- 
 sity of penal inflictions. 
 
 [t seems obvious to the Managers, that while the 
 New- York Refuge is thus interposing its shield against 
 the devastations of crime within the limits of this me- 
 tropolis, it ought to be the timely concern of magis- 
 trates and other enlightened citizens in the interior 
 
127 
 
 districts of the state, to devise the means of erecting a 
 similar institution, in some one of the most populous 
 or central places within their confines. We shall do 
 no more than make this suggestion, indulging the 
 hope that it will in due time meet the views of those 
 who are competent to estimate its importance, and to 
 give it all the efficiency which it may deserve. 
 
 The following is an account of the manual opera- 
 tions in the shops of the Refuge during the past year. 
 
 STATEMENT OF MANUFACTURES, 
 Done on the Premises, from January 1st, 1827, to Jan. 1st, 1828. 
 
 IN THE SHOE DEPARTMENT. 
 
 1214 pair of Pumps have been completed. 
 4341 " Pump Uppers closed. 
 
 39 " Boots completed. 
 4262 " Boot Legs crimped and closed. 
 1556 " Brogans and Shoes closed. 
 
 IN THE CHAIR, SHOP. 
 
 9834 Cane Seats for Plain Frarnes. 
 864 " " for Maple Frames. 
 330 " " and Backs for large Arm Chairs. 
 132 " Settee Bottoms, caned. 
 
 IN THE BRASS NAIL SHOP. 
 
 14976 M. Brass Nails. 
 
 228 doz. Bits, 
 
 2196 pair Stirrups, 
 
 396 " Holster Tips, 
 
 104436 feet of Moulding, 
 660 gross Ornaments, 
 
 156 " Buckles, 
 
 732 pair Wheclbands, 
 
 780 " Spanish Gig Steps, 
 
 108 « Hames, 
 
 408 " Gig Handles,., 
 
 396 " Cavessons, 
 
 1200 " Ferrets. 
 
 IN THE DOMESTIC SHOE-SHOP. 
 
 394 pair of new Shoes for the subjects, besides mending.. 
 
 IN THE TAILOR'S SHOP. 
 
 350 pair Canvass Pantaloons, for summer. 
 175 Round Jackets of Satinett, for winter. 
 175 pair Pantaloons, " " 
 Besides all the requisite mending for 135 or 140 subjects. 
 
 In addition to the above, it may be observed, that 
 much has been done by the boys in improving the 
 walks, garden, and grounds within the walls. The 
 work assigned them is in general performed with 
 great alacrity, and some of them have acquired no in- 
 considerable dexterity in the trades in which they are 
 employed. 
 
 But valuable as is the labor performed in the work 
 shops, both in amoral and physical point of view, it 
 
123 
 
 will be perceived by the Society, that this labor can- 
 not be relied upon as a source of profit, to so great an 
 extent as might at first be anticipated from the evi- 
 dence of industry which the shops exhibit. Nearly 
 as soon as the boys acquire a dexterity at their trades 
 which renders their labor increasingly valuable, they 
 are sent into the country, and inexperienced hands 
 succeed to their places. On this account, it has been 
 found impracticable to obtain for them steady employ- 
 ment, at higher wages than an average of twelve and 
 a half cents per day, of eight hours each ; the remain- 
 der of the twelve hours being devoted to their school 
 exercises. A few of them are also too small to be 
 considered as entitled to any reward. From the 
 work of the females, no other profit is obtained than 
 that which is saved by the performance of domestic 
 duties. 
 
 Their number, since the increase of the boys to their 
 present amount, has been only sufficient to accom- 
 plish the varied routine of cooking, cleaning, making 
 of garments, and other work, incident to so large a 
 family. 
 
 But although it is desirable to direct the employ- 
 ment of the youth so as to render it an important item 
 in the pecuniary concerns of the institution, it is not, 
 and cannot be the main object of the Refuge, to cause 
 those juvenile offenders to support themselves. To 
 inflict upon them a suitable punishment for their of- 
 fences, and to effect that moral reformation which will 
 restore them to the world, enlightened and regenera- 
 ted, are the great objects of this Society. Accom- 
 plish this, and we hold it to be a demonstrable truth, 
 that, whatever the cost of such an institution within 
 the bounds of practicable economy, it cannot but 
 prove in its ultimate effects, an essential advantage to 
 the finances of the state. 
 
 The School, we believe to be in a prosperous con- 
 dition ; and that it forms an invaluable department of 
 the institution, not only as the means of literary im- 
 provement, but of intellectual and moral culture. The 
 following is the teachers' report. 
 
129 
 
 SCHOOL REPORT. 
 
 There are now in the Male School, 123 pupils. Of this number, 
 when they entered the House, the greater part could not read, and 
 many did not know their letters. 
 
 At present 13 spell words of one and two S5 r llables on Boards, 
 23 read on boards select sentences from Scripture, 
 14 " in Spelling-books and Moral Monitor, 
 7 " Jack Halyard and Popular Lessons, 
 30 " Murray's Introduction and Reader, 
 13 " History of the U. States. (Goodrich's.) 
 
 11 " History of England, and American Speaker, 
 
 12 " Natural Philosophy and Parkes' Chemistry. 
 
 123 
 
 Of the 101 Boys indented and otherwise disposed of within the 
 last year, 9 had made considerable proficiency in Geography; 77 
 could read, write, and cypher; and 15 had not been in the House 
 sufficiently long to make much improvement. 
 
 Of the number at present in the House, very few were acquainted 
 with the first principles of Arithmetic. 
 
 22 now Cypher in Addition, 
 9 " " Subtraction, 
 8 " " Multiplication, 
 10 " " Short Division, 
 7 " " Long Division, 
 21 " " Compound Rules, 
 7 " " Rule of Three, 
 1 " " Tare and Trett, 
 1 " " Vulgar Fractions, 
 37 Studying the Tables preparatory to Cyphering. 
 
 123 
 
 46 write very legibly on paper, and 75 on slates. 
 
 The Female School may be said to be in a like good condition ; 
 there being 38 Girls, the most of whom read and write, and a few 
 are somewhat adf anced in Arithmetic. 
 
 Four hours in each day, are devoted in both Houses, to instruc- 
 tion. 
 
 The Schools are in good order, and the children tractable, obe- 
 dient, submissive, and with few. exceptions, fond of learning. 
 
 Each Sabbath morning, previous to church hours, the teacher is 
 assisted by two or three pious gentlemen from the city ; the child- 
 ren are then organized, and taught in the manner of a Sabbath 
 School, In addition to this, one hour between meetings, is appro- 
 priated to reading the Scriptures, and the general and silent atten- 
 tion the children appear to give to- this exercise, to a spectator is 
 solemn and impressive. 
 
 The teacher feels a pleasure in saying, that though the children 
 under his tuition, are generally from the lowest classes of society, 
 they evinee in their conduct, a degree of decorum, equal to that 
 which is discovered in well regulated schools : and though they are 
 at first wild, and sometimes almost incorrigible, nothing is requisite 
 but steady discipline, to inure them to habits of perfect order. 
 
 17 
 
130 
 
 The health of the Refuge since the last Report, has 
 been remarkably preserved, notwithstanding the 
 prevalence of fevers in several parts of the vicinity. 
 But one death has occurred since the opening of the 
 institution, and that was the result of vicious impru- 
 dence on the part of the sufferer. In the momentary 
 absence of the Assistant Apothecary, this boy swal- 
 lowed a portion of the tincture of cantharides, design- 
 ing, as is supposed, to take some laudanum. To the 
 skill and benevolent attention of the physicians, Drs. 
 Stearns and Ives, the Institution is greatly indebted 
 for its relative exemption from disease, and for which 
 these gentlemen are entitled to the thanks of all those 
 who are interested in the health of its inmates. 
 
 With respect to that kind of improvement which 
 constitutes by far the most important experimental 
 part of the Discipline of the Refuge, — its moral influ- 
 ence upon the minds and dispositions of its subjects, 
 the Managers are persuaded they may congratulate 
 the Society on the evidence of no inconsiderable 
 amount of actual good. The Superintendent, whose 
 rigilant attention to this part of his charge, affords the 
 strongest assurance of that general fidelity with which 
 the Managers have hitherto been highly gratified, ap- 
 pears to be much encouraged by the temper and 
 feeling which are now r prevalent in the House. — The 
 Sabbath exercises are performed with solemnity. 
 The meetings are attended by ministers of various de- 
 nominations ; the gospel is often preached with power 
 by those who take a deep and lively interest in the 
 children's welfare, and their appeals to the under- 
 standings and consciences of their hearers, are often 
 productive of an awakened sensibility, on the part of 
 both sexes. There has been, within the last three 
 months, an indication of the power of religious im- 
 pressions, in the case of some, whose minds, it was 
 feared, would prove impregnable to every effort that 
 could be made to arouse them to a sense of their moral 
 danger. Both the Superintendent and Matron in- 
 dulge the hope, that in some of these hardened and 
 desperate cases, a conversion has been experienced, 
 which will eventuate in an entire change of temper 
 and inclination. " J.*C, who had been one of the 
 
131 
 
 ©lost notorious villains of his day — notorious in all the 
 criminal courts, professed last spring, at the time of a 
 religious excitement, to find mercy, and to make his 
 peace with God. He has ever since evinced all he 
 professed. Nor have we, (says the Superintendent 
 under date of November 20th,) had occasion to re- 
 prove him since. He was a few days ago bound to a 
 respectable mechanic. Also, J. McD., who was per- 
 haps one of the most accomplished thieves that ever 
 entered the House, and who boasted last winter, that 
 we should never have it to say, that the House of 
 Refuge had done him any good, — was also a subject 
 of hopeful conversion last spring, — lived several 
 months in the House accordingly — was some time 
 since bound to a mechanic in Westchester county, and 
 the information respecting him is very flattering. 
 
 " D. B., who was left an orphan, became connected 
 with bad boys in this city, and commenced stealing 
 about the docks, was taken up and sent here. At first 
 he promised but little, but in a few months it was 
 found that he possessed talents of a sterling quality, 
 which, like the ornamental veins in the marble, needed 
 only the proper culture to bring them conspicuously 
 to view. In proportion as he was trained in regularity 
 and order, he gained confidence, and he, as well as 
 the two above named, became members of the class 
 of honor, who alone are suffered to be our night-guard, 
 and he never betrayed his trust, but was industrious 
 and vigilant. 1 saw his master, to whom he was 
 bound, this morning, who informs me that he never 
 had such a boy in his shop; industrious, ingenious, 
 obedient, and kind, and that he wants no better." 
 
 Cases of a similar nature have occurred among the 
 females, and upon the whole, the Superintendent re- 
 marks, " the moral influence which pervaded the 
 minds of the wickedly disposed, (at the time of a re- 
 ligious awakening in the spring,) even to this day is 
 not easily described." 
 
 The Managers are aware that in resting their con- 
 clusions of a decided reformation, in the subjects of 
 the House, on an incidental or special appearance of 
 religious excitement, considering that impressions thus 
 made, upon minds habitually corrupt, are too often 
 
\ 
 
 132 
 
 transitory and illusive, would be very unsafe; yet 
 from the general demonstrations of order and cheer- 
 ful obedience which are observable to every visiter, 
 the decorous attention of the children during religious 
 service, the frequent instances which occur of private 
 devotion after they have retired to their cells, and are 
 unseen by their fellows, and the testimonials furnished 
 by the letters, of which extracts have been given, we 
 think it may be safely inferred, that under judicious 
 management, a House of Refuge for Juvenile Delin- 
 quents may become a true penitentiary, — and that at 
 least during the period of childhood and adoles- 
 cence, no mind of ordinary native powers, however 
 debased by vice, should be considered as beyond the 
 reach of moral discipline and the admonitions of re- 
 ligious truth. 
 
 The assembling together of so large a number of 
 the vagrant, corrupt, and wicked youth of the city as 
 are collected in the House of Refuge, the entire con- 
 fidence which the Superintendent is able to gain in 
 his conversations with them, and the full confessions, 
 which, in due time, they make of their past lives and 
 actions, furnish data from which it is easy to deduce 
 conclusions relative to the principal causes of that 
 degradation and abandonment to vice which lead the 
 culprit to prison or to infamy. There is no truth of 
 sacred writ more fully confirmed by the testimony of 
 ages, than that "evil communications corrupt good 
 manners.*' A propensity to steal and to evade the 
 truth, is often manifest at an early age, and appears 
 to exist in different degrees of native force. But the 
 temptation to these vices, might, it is believed, in 
 all common cases, be easily checked, were it not for 
 the power of associations, and the encouragement af- 
 forded by companionship in vice. The motives to 
 thieving are therefore those principally which lead to 
 vicious gratifications of a social character. The thief 
 is often prodigal of his money. He squanders it to 
 purchase a transient enjoyment with boon compan- 
 ions. Whatever holds out to him this lure, excites his 
 unprincipled passion, and plunges him into the vortex 
 of habitual indulgence. Among these causes of vicious 
 excitement in our city, none appear to be so powerful 
 
133 
 
 in their operation as theatrical amusements. JThe 
 mention of the number of boys and young men who 
 have become determined thieves in order to procure 
 the means of introduction to the theatres and circuses, 
 would appal the feelings of every virtuous mind, could 
 the whole truth be laid open before them. A small 
 sum is at first pilfered, to obtain a single sight of 
 amusements respecting which they hear so much, 
 and whose entertainments the street advertisements 
 exhibit in such conspicuous and alluring characters. 
 The first gratification prompts powerfully to the means 
 of renewal, — new acquaintance is formed — the secrets 
 of others still deeper in crime become known — other 
 passions are elicited — dishonesty and falsehood, once 
 rendered habitual, and the vicious propensities of the 
 mind gaining a complete ascendency — the barriers of 
 the law, and a regard for character, present no fur- 
 ther impediments, than a desire to evade the one and 
 to conceal the abandonment of the other. 
 
 In the case of the feebler sex, the result is still 
 worse. A relish for the amusements of the theatre, 
 without the means of honest indulgence, becomes too 
 often a motive for listening to the first suggestions of 
 the seducer, and thus prepares the unfortunate cap- 
 tive of sensuality for the haunts of infamy, and a total 
 destitution of all that is valuable in the mind and 
 character of woman. 
 
 The two following cases, selected from the exami- 
 nation of the boys of the Refuge, by the Superintend- 
 ent, will tend to corroborate the opinion entertained 
 by the Managers, that no greater evil could have be- 
 fallen our city, in relation to the morals of its youth, 
 than the extraordinary increase which has recently 
 taken place in the number and variety of its theatres 
 and other analogous places of public amusement. 
 From the rivalship which prevails between these 
 places, and the necessity of resorting to some means 
 in order to sustain a reputation for numbers, the terms 
 of admission are reduced to a modicum; and, if our 
 information be correct, tickets of admission, even in 
 some of the largest of these establishments, are freely 
 granted to that class of females which it is expected 
 will be able to bring companions with them, and thus 
 add to the emoluments and appearance of the house. 
 
134 
 
 June 2bth, 1827. 
 
 II S , from the Commissioners, by the intercession of 
 
 his mother and friends, aged eleven years the third of March last, 
 born in Yonkers, Westchester Co. N. Y. His father has been 
 dead six or seven years, his mother keeps a boarding house, on the 
 corner of B. and R. street, is to pay one thousand dollars rent an- 
 nually, and has twenty-seven boarders. 
 
 H. lived two years with his uncle R. M., at II**** N****, Con- 
 necticut; returned to his mother in September last. 
 
 His first theft was sixpence from his mother ; the second was two 
 shillings from her, with which he went to the Chatham Theatre, 
 and told his mother that he had been playing with boys in the 
 street; then six shillings from his mother, which he spent in going 
 to the Bowery Theatre twice; next five dollars from his aunt H. 
 M„ of which he spent three dollars, in going to the Park Theatre 
 three times, and concealed the rest under his mother's back stoop; 
 then four shillings from Miss J. M., which he spent in going to the 
 Chatham. Theatre, including ice cream, oranges, &c. &c. ; then 
 five dollars from Miss S., one of his mother's boarders — spent 
 three dollars in going to the Bowery Theatre, and concealed the 
 rest as before; next two dollars from Mrs. D., which he hid under 
 the back stoop as before ; then ten dollars from his mother, spent 
 the greatest part in going twice to the Chatham Theatre, put the 
 balance as before under the back stoop. The object of his hiding 
 these little amounts, was, that he might have a sufficiency on the 
 ensuing fourth of July. 
 
 January, 1827. 
 
 J M'l , from the Commissioners, at the request of his 
 
 step-father, E. W. H. J. was born in Philadelphia; his father, 
 who died about fourteen years since, was president of the N. A. I. 
 C. He has four sisters and one brother living. About nine months 
 since, his mother married E. W. H., a shipping merchant, who has 
 since failed in business, and is now employed by R., and has a 
 salary of sixteen hundred dollars per annum. J. appears to have 
 had opportunities for a fair English and German education ; was 
 three years and a half at the Nazareth School, is naturally bashful 
 and timid, submissive and quiet : has lived thirteen months in his 
 brother-in-law's printing office, and some time in the office of his 
 step-father. He removed from Philadelphia to this city, about three 
 months since. 
 
 The first thing he recollects to have stolen, was six large silver 
 spoons from his mother, about four years since, for which he ob- 
 tained nine dollars ; the half of it he gave to his cousin, and spent 
 the remainder in gambling on the fourth of July. The next was 
 five dollars from his father, after which he ran away, and was ab- 
 sent about one week ; he then took a large six dollar atlas, which 
 his step-father gave him, and sold it for three dollars, and spent it 
 by going to the Theatre ; then, a box of mathematical instruments 
 from his father, which he sold for three dollars ; at different times, 
 a large number of books from his father's library, one of which he 
 sold for five dollars, it being full of valuable plates ; next, his 
 mother's gold watch, which he pawned for ten dollars, but his 
 mother obtained it again by paying the sum for which it was 
 
135 
 
 pawned. He stole his sister's necklaces, offered them for sale, and 
 the man detaining them, his sister obtained them again. His father 
 then found him in the Theatre, and sent him to his brother-in- 
 law's, with a view to save him ; he continued there thirteen months, 
 as above, and then returned to Philadelphia. On his departure 
 from his brother-in-law's, Mr. G. T., he stole two watches, which, 
 upon his arrival in Philadelphia, he sold for twelve dollars and a 
 half, and as his father was in New-York on business, he spent it in 
 going to the theatre, &c. It appears that as he came to New- 
 York, on his return from his brother-in-law's, by the way of Phi- 
 ladelphia, he commenced his old trade with renewed vigor; the 
 first commencement was in sacrificing his father's library, by 
 selling Rollin's Ancient History, breaking a set of the Encyclope- 
 dia, by selling eight volumes out of forty, French and German 
 books, dictionaries, &c. ; next, a suit of his mother's bed curtains, 
 for which he obtained seven dollars. He, about this time, formed 
 an acquaintance with a thief, by the name of C. A. Crossing from 
 Brooklyn one night, on their way he made an agreement with A. to 
 meet him at his father's house, very early next morning, and he 
 would furnish him with some of his mother's bed clothes ; A. came, 
 and J. gave him a load, which he sold and returned him half the 
 proceeds. 
 
 It would be well here to remark, that it was now in the summer 
 season, and J's mother had put away her curtains, sheets, blankets, 
 &c. in trunks in their garret. A. and J, continued for a week or 
 more to lug off these articles, until they had stripped the house 
 pretty thoroughly : the last articles that A. was furnished with, 
 were Mrs. H's cloth coat, silk frock, white dress, &c, which he 
 kept and returned no more. The greatest amount that J. ever 
 received from Allen, at any one time, was ten dollars for his 
 mother's goods stolen. J. also stole his father's saddle and bridle, 
 for which he obtained seven dollars ; then he went to a neighbor- 
 ing clerk, and b}^ stratagem, persuaded him to sign a merchant's 
 name to five checks, one for forty-five dollars, two for thirty- 
 five dollars each, one for twenty-five dollars, and another for fif- 
 teen dollars. He went to different shops where his father dealt, 
 and changed the greater part of them, and raised about one hun- 
 dred dollars, and stole fifty dollars more from his father. This 
 occurred on a Saturday evening, and on Sunday morning he 
 started for Philadelphia. His father, accidentally received early 
 information of his departure, and overtook him at Elizabeth Town, 
 in the afternoon ; had him locked up one day, and on the follow- 
 ing day told him that he could trust him no longer, and that 
 he should be obliged to send him to sea. J. did not wish to go, 
 therefore he went to a house where Mr. C. President of the L. S. 
 boarded, and told the landlady, that Mr. C. had sent him for his 
 coat, which he obtained and sold in the Bowery for eleven dol- 
 lars ; then a pair of boots from his father, for which he obtained 
 three dollars and a half; then a coat from his cousin G. H. for 
 which he obtained seven dollars, and ran away from his father and 
 took private board, to avoid being sent to sea. His father found 
 him in the Chatham Theatre, about seventeen days since, put him 
 in Bridewell, and from thence to the House of Refuge. 
 
136 
 
 His friends and himself all say that his great thirst for visiting 
 theatres and places of amusement, was the leading passion which 
 induced him to steal so much. 
 
 It is not believed that these are very rare or very- 
 peculiar cases. The number of boys that occupy the 
 lower seats of the theatres and of those too whose rag- 
 ged appearance indicates the poverty in which they 
 live, is said to be very great; and the examinations of 
 the Refuge would lead to the conclusion, that these 
 places are the resort almost universally of those, who, 
 by the dishonesty of their lives become candidates for 
 the Refuge and City Prison. But it is much easier to 
 point out these evils than to prescribe the remedy. 
 It would not perhaps be extravagant to assert that 
 were the theatres and circuses made to contribute an 
 amount equal to the maintenance of the city prison, 
 they would do no more than compensate for the ex- 
 tent of the moral evil which they entail upon the infe- 
 rior classes of our population. 
 
 In the management of the female part of the institu- 
 tion and in the domestic arrangements of the whole 
 establishment, the Managers can cordially acknowl- 
 edge the assistance which has been derived from the 
 Ladies' Committee. Their attentions have been 
 steadily directed, in weekly visits to the Refuge, to 
 the moral and religious improvement of the females, 
 and to the strengthening of the hands of the Matron 
 in her delicate and important duties. Although it 
 may not be probable that the number of female sub- 
 jects will much exceed its present proportion, yet ev- 
 ery instance of restoration to virtue, or protection from 
 the horrors of vice in this class of its subjects, cannot 
 fail to yield the blessing of an ample reward for all the 
 labor and care it may have cost. " The benevolent 
 interests of the Matron, (observes the Sixth Report of 
 the London Society for the improvement of Prisons, 
 &c.) will not be confined to the walls of her gaol. 
 There is not perhaps in the whole range of human 
 destitution, a more genuine object of compassion, than 
 the friendless girl, who quits a prison, with the desire, 
 yet without the means of reformation. Satisfactory 
 may have been her conduct during confinement, and 
 gratifying the proofs of her moral improvement; 
 
137 
 
 yet what can reasonably be expected, if at the expira- 
 tion of her sentence, she is thrown upon the wide 
 world ? She is surrounded by temptation, and even the 
 distinction of her sex, and the helplessness of her con- 
 dition — which constitute the strongest claims upon 
 protection — are too often the most fatal sources of 
 her moral ruin and hopeless degradation. How many 
 thus circumstanced, feel at this moment the wretch- 
 edness of guilt in the loss of character, the abandon- 
 ment of friends, the pressure of want, the pangs of dis- 
 ease, and the bitterness of despair; and how many 
 have quitted confinement in a state of entire destitu- 
 tion, whom the hand of kindness might have saved 
 from ruin, and rescued from an untimely and dishon- 
 orable grave! To devise means for the relief of the 
 repentant and distressed criminal, on her discharge, 
 may form no part of the official instructions of a prison 
 matron; but her own feeling will prompt her to the 
 execution of duties which are enjoined by the most 
 sacred obligations of religion, and the strongest dic- 
 tates of humanity; and it will be her care to anticipate 
 the wants of the discharged female; and to remove, 
 as far as may be practicable the temptations to which 
 she is about to be exposed." 
 
 It is also well observed in the same valuable Re- 
 port, that, "The peculiar relation in which a prison 
 matron stands towards the objects of her care, ought 
 to inspire her with no ordinary share of interest and 
 compassion. In the exercise of her duties she is at 
 once the representative and guardian of her sex, and 
 she ought to be a bright example of its purity, disin- 
 terestedness, and love. To win affection, yet enforce 
 authority, — to inspire confidence, yet command res- 
 pect, — to war against the vices, yet make just allow- 
 ance for the frailties of humanity, — are qualities of 
 mind in an eminent degree essential to her who would 
 reclaim the thoughtless, subdue the stubborn, and heal 
 the broken heart. She must be prepared to encoun- 
 ter disappointment from ingratitude, indifference and 
 deceit; yet if she do not always attain success, it will 
 be her care uniformly to deserve it : nor will such dis- 
 couragements easily repress exertions that flow from 
 Che convictions of duty, and derive strength from the 
 
 18 
 
133 
 
 influence of Christian principles. A pious and judi- 
 cious effort to reclaim the vicious is seldom wholly 
 lost; and a prison matron may be assured, that to the 
 faithful discharge of her interesting duties, the blessing 
 of Heaven will never be denied." 
 
 The government of the Refuge, as far as is deemed 
 compatible with the penitentiary objects of the insti- 
 tution, is strictly paternal. On their first admission, 
 the subjects are made acquainted with the rules of 
 the House and the duties that will be required of 
 them. These are so clearly explained that none can 
 plead ignorance as an excuse for violation. They are 
 informed that cheerful and punctual obedience to 
 these duties, will ensure them kind treatment and all 
 the benefits which the institution and the interests of 
 the Managers can procure for them. But that pun- 
 ishment, prompt and severe if necessary, will inevita- 
 bly be the consequence of disobedience. These en- 
 gagements are strictly observed on the part of the Su- 
 perintendent. Those who distinguish themselves by 
 undeviating good conduct for a certain length of time, 
 are enrolled in the class of honor, and wear the badge 
 of this class on the left arm. Certain privileges are 
 granted to this class. From them the night-guards 
 are chosen, who are officers of considerable trust. 
 The Superintendent finds no difficulty in procuring 
 boys of fourteen or fifteen years of age who are wor- 
 thy of this confidence. If they betray it, (which has 
 seldom been done except for the purpose of escaping 
 from the premises,) they know that the punishment 
 will be proportionably heavy. This punishment con- 
 sists in flagellation, with a whip of strings, in solitary 
 confinement to their cells, either with or without the 
 accompaniment of a low diet, in forbidding any one to 
 hold communication with the offender without permis- 
 sion, and in extraordinary cases of flagitious conduct, 
 in wearing an iron on one side, # fastened to the waist 
 at one end and to the ankle at the other. By a judi- 
 cious alternation, or use of these punitive measures, 
 no difficulty, of a formidable character, has occurred, 
 in supporting a system of perfect order, among boys, 
 who, from their age and crime are well entitled to the 
 
 * Under their pantaloons. 
 
139 
 
 appellation of ruffians, without the use or display of 
 dangerous or destructive weapons of any kind. To 
 dispense with any one of these correctives would not 
 as we believe contribute in any way to diminish the 
 amount of punishment and suffering, or subserve the 
 cause of humanity. Punishment by whipping, when 
 apportioned with tempered firmness by him who is 
 known by the culprit to be his friend, is received with 
 feelings altogether different from that which proceeds 
 from useless violence or untempered severity. When 
 rightly administered, the sting is felt upon the con- 
 science as well as upon the nerves ; and we hold it to 
 be possible in every case of flagellation, when there 
 is a consciousness of disobedience, for the culprit to 
 part from the keeper without any increase of dislike 
 or aversion. 
 
 The subject of penitentiary discipline is a topic 
 which has recently claimed an unusual share of public 
 attention, and the discussion of it by distinguished 
 philanthropists on both sides of the Atlantic, has eli- 
 cited a very animated controversy with respect to the 
 mode of treating convicts so as to accomplish most 
 effectually the various objects for which they are sen- 
 tenced to the confines of a prison. These objects are 
 admitted to be, first, labor, so that the prisoner may 
 contribute to the expenses of his maintenance; second, 
 moral reformation, so that on his discharge, he may re- 
 new his intercourse with the world with a determina- 
 tion to avoid the errors of his past life, and become 
 an honest man; third, punishment, to an extent suffi- 
 cient to deter others from the commission of crime, 
 and thus promote the safety and well-being of society. 
 The experience of the most enlightened nations ap- 
 pears to have established the conclusion, that sanguin- 
 ary laws and cruel or vindictive punishments answer 
 no valuable purpose as instruments of terror, and that 
 crimes are least numerous when the whole system of 
 penal legislation is conducted upon principles of hu- 
 manity and with a reference to the nobler motives 
 which can be made to operate upon the human mind. 
 The penitentiary system in this country has, it must 
 be admitted, experienced a retrogression from the 
 bright promise and happy influences under which it 
 
140 
 
 was first exhibited to the world. But it has unques- 
 tionably again experienced a revival ; and it may we 
 think with justice be doubted whether that system 
 was ever more efficaciously administered, and with 
 less expence to the feelings of humanity, than it is 
 now exercised in the Auburn prison, under Mr. Pow- 
 ers, and in the new prison at Mount Pleasant, under 
 the direction of Captain Lyndes. The government of 
 those prisons is conducted essentially upon the prin- 
 ciples practised at the House of Refuge. The varia- 
 tions are such as the more hardened criminality and 
 the greater physical strength of the culprits so obvi- 
 ously require. Solitary night cells, and labor and 
 meals performed in perfect silence are found to be ef- 
 fectual securities against mutual contamination and 
 concerted schemes of mischief. There is enough of 
 society to prevent the dreariness and corrosive gloom 
 of entire solitude, and not enough to admit of its de- 
 moralizing perversions and abuses. Insubordination 
 is promptly punished by corporal chastisement of 
 which the prisoner has been amply forewarned, and 
 which being meted to him in proportion to the mani- 
 festations of his disobedience, it is received as the in- 
 evitable consequence of a departure from duty, and 
 hence it falls as nearly as possible in the rank of those 
 physical miseries which result from a man's own im- 
 prudence or intemperance. Its moral impressions are 
 thus brought home to the feelings of the sufferer in 
 his hours of sober reflection, and associating the pen- 
 alty with the crime, he soon learns to avoid the latter 
 from the sense of its immediate and inseparable con- 
 nexion with the former. Hence in his mind there pre- 
 vails an incipient reformation, which results in an 
 habitual and submissive acquiescence in the circum- 
 stances in which he is placed. The pains and priva- 
 tions he endures come to be regarded as the conse- 
 quences of his follies and crimes, — his keeper as the 
 minister of the law, whose duty it is to fulfil its provi- 
 sions — and the law itself as a decree of necessity 
 which it is in vain to resist. 
 
 It is perhaps possible that these moral deductions 
 may be made by a person sentenced to exclusive 
 solitude without the intervention of the whip, and of 
 
141 
 
 course without any conflict between his passions and 
 his relative duties to his keeper and to his fellow- 
 prisoners. But of the comparative efficacy of the 
 two modes in producing reformation, no doubt re- 
 mains upon our minds. Nor have we less hesitation 
 on the question of humanity, — or in other words on 
 the relative amount of suffering which the prisoner 
 would have to endure when confined absolutely to 
 solitude, cut off entirely from all intercourse with 
 his fellow men, or when obliged to submit to a sea- 
 sonable castigation for disobedience. The experi- 
 ence of the Refuge, notwithstanding the difference 
 which may exist between young and old offenders, 
 does in our opinion throw light on this important 
 question. The most weighty argument against in- 
 vesting the keeper of a prison with the power to 
 chastise, is the danger of abuse. This danger it 
 would be unreasonable, in the abstract, to deny. It 
 is however found reasonable and salutary in society 
 at large to acknowledge this power, as one of the 
 rights of a parent over his children, a teacher over 
 his scholar, a master over his apprentice, the captain 
 of a ship over his hired men. It may in all these ca- 
 ses be grievously abused, — but there is a remedy in 
 other principles of our social compact, which, in a 
 healthy state of society, cannot fail to be speedily 
 applied. When therefore a keeper of a penitentiary 
 is selected with a special eye to the nature of his du- 
 ties, — with reference to his intelligence, his moral 
 and religious character, his reputation for benevo- 
 lence as well as firmness, and when moreover he is 
 surrounded with a well chosen body of inspectors, 
 and acts constantly in the presence of under keepers, 
 we think that the hazards of an abuse of power, are 
 not to be put in competition with the actual advanta- 
 ges of a system of energetic parental government. 
 The abuses which were alleged to have taken place 
 at Auburn a few years since, vanished into almost 
 nothing, when a strict investigation was made by a 
 committee of the Legislature, conducted with all the 
 solemnity of a judicial tribunal, and affording ample 
 opportunity for those who had made the charges, to 
 substantiate them by adequate testimony. The pub- 
 
142 
 
 lication of this inquiry, appears in the view of the 
 Managers to have removed entirely the objections to 
 this system of government arising from the charge of 
 abuses at the Auburn prison. We advert to this sub- 
 ject on the present occasion, from a belief that it con- 
 stitutes an important question in the practical man- 
 agement of the state prisons of this country, and in rela- 
 tion to which, every fact drawn from actual experi- 
 ence affords additional light and facilitates the means 
 of a correct solution of the problem. 
 
 We conclude with an extract from an " Introduc- 
 tory Report to the Code of Prison Discipline, &c, 
 
 PREPARED FOR THE STATE OF LOUISIANA," by the HoN. 
 
 Edward Livingston. The opinion of so enlightened 
 and experienced a judge of penal law, cannot fail to 
 add weight to the evidence contained in the preceding 
 statements. 
 
 "One other institution remains to be described; 
 one of perhaps quite as much importance as any other 
 in the system. It is the School of Reform ; designed 
 for the confinement, discipline, and instruction of ju- 
 venile offenders and young vagrants. Of all the 
 establishments suggested by the charity, and exe- 
 cuted by the active and enlightened benevolence of 
 modern times, none interests more deeply the best 
 feelings of the heart. Whether we consider the evil 
 avoided, or the positive good bestowed, it is equally 
 worthy of our admiration." 
 
 After pointing out the injustice and inhumanity of 
 including in the same system of penalties, the crimes 
 of childhood and those of adult age, the author pro- 
 ceeds : 
 
 H To argue the utility, or to descant on the humanity, 
 of this establishment, after demonstrating its justice, 
 would be a useless task. 
 
 " Every mind that has investigated the causes and 
 progress of crime, must acknowledge the one ; every 
 benevolent heart must feel the other. And even 
 economy, cold, calculating economy, after stating the 
 account in dollars and cents, must confess that this is 
 a money saving institution. 
 
 " If it is wise to prevent a hundred atrocious crimes 
 by removing the opprobrium of a venial fault, and 
 
143 
 
 substituting instruction for punishment ; if it is the 
 highest species of humanity to relieve from the mise- 
 ries of vice and the degradation of crime; to extend 
 the operation of charity to the mind j and snatch with 
 its angel arm innocence from seduction; if it be a 
 saving to society to support an infant for a few years 
 at school, and thereby avoid the charge of the depre- 
 dations of a felon for the rest of his life, and the ex- 
 pense of his future convictions and confinement, then 
 is the School of Reform a wise, a humane, and an eco- 
 nomical institution. 
 
 " I need not enlarge this report by the details for 
 the government of this School ; they are minutely 
 contained in this code. One principle pervades the 
 whole, which has been sufficiently enlarged upon; 
 that the offences of children may be sufficiently cor- 
 rected, both for the ends of punishment and example, 
 by education and employment. If this be wrong, the 
 whole plan must be remodelled ; but in establishing 
 it, I have been guided by something better than the 
 best reasoning. In the city of New- York, there is an 
 establishment of this kind, which can never be visited 
 but with unmixed emotions of intellectual pleasure. 
 In now contains one hundred and twenty-five boys 
 and twenty-nine girls, for the most part healthy, cheer- 
 ful, intelligent, industrious, orderly, and obedient; 
 animated with certain prospect of becoming useful 
 members of society, who, but for this establishment, 
 would still have been suffering under the accumula- 
 ted evils attendant on poverty, ignorance, and the 
 lowest depravity, with no other futurity before them 
 than the penitentiary or the gallows. I ought not to 
 omit mentioning here, that the female department is 
 superintended by a visiting committee of ladies, who, 
 at regular and frequent periods, examine the school, 
 converse with the scholars, encourage the diffident, 
 reprove the disorderly, reward the industrious, and 
 inspire all with their own virtues. The code I sub- 
 mit invites a similar superintendence, from which the 
 highest advantages, such as nothing but the benign 
 influence of female character can give, are expected. 
 
 " The plan of indenting the scholars to useful trades 
 has been recommended, from the practical effect that 
 
144 
 
 has been observed at New-York. It might at first be 
 supposed, that an aversion would be found to taking 
 apprentices from such a place ; but experience has 
 proved that the confidence inspired by the mode of 
 education pursued, is so great, that applications are 
 more numerous, for children of both sexes, than the 
 rules of the institution will permit them to supply. 
 And, although twenty-eight boys and fifteen girls have 
 been indented, the most favorable accounts have 
 been received of their behavior; two having received 
 what they thought ill usage from their masters, left 
 them and returned to the school: and only one has 
 resumed his former bad habits. What renders the 
 reformation of these children the more extraordinary, 
 is, that thirty of them had before been sentenced to 
 the penitentiary from one to five different times. A 
 register is kept of the behavior of the different boys, 
 and as much of their previous history as can be dis- 
 covered. Extracts from this are annually published, 
 and they contain a number of facts of the most inter- 
 esting kind, all proving the practical utility of the 
 plan." 
 
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146 
 
 Vice Presidents. 
 
 Officers of the Society* 
 
 CADWALLADER D. COLDEN, President. 
 STEPHEN ALLEN, 
 CORNELIUS DUBOIS, 
 JOHN GRISCOM, 
 JOHN T. IRVING, 
 HENRY I. WYCKOFF, 
 JAMES LOVETT, 
 RALPH OLMSTED, Treasurer. 
 ISAAC S. HONE, Secretary. 
 
 ANSEL S ™^VES,' M. D. \ Physicians and Surgeons. 
 
 House of Refuge. 
 
 NATHANIEL C. HART, Superintendent. 
 
 HENRY MILLER, Assistant Superintendent* 
 
 CATHARINE GOWEY, Matron. 
 
 MARY WEAVER, Assistant Matron. 
 
 J. M'CONNELL, Teacher. 
 
 P. SHERLOCK, Gate Keeper. 
 
 J. BIRMINGHAM, Cartman. 
 
 Indenturing Committee. 
 
 WILLIAM F. MOTT, 
 HEM AN AVERILL, 
 BENJAMIN L. SWAN. 
 
 Stephen Allen, 
 Heman Averill, 
 Arthur Burtis, 
 
 C. D. CoLDEN, 
 
 Isaac Collins, 
 Robert C. Cornell, 
 Samuel Cowdrey, 
 Joseph Curtis, 
 Cornelius Dubois, 
 Thomas Eddy, 
 
 Managers, 
 
 William W. Fox, 
 John Griscom, 
 James W. Gerard, 
 John E. Hyde, 
 Isaac S. Hone, 
 John Hunter, 
 John T. Irving, 
 Ansel W. Ives, 
 James Lovett, 
 William F. Mott, 
 
 Hugh Maxwell, 
 Ralph Olmsted, 
 Fred'k Sheldon, 
 Peter Sharpe, 
 John Stearns, 
 Benjamin L. Swan, 
 David Stebbins, 
 M. Van Schaick, 
 Henry I. Wyckoff, 
 Samuel Wood. 
 
 Ladies' Committee. 
 
 MRS. ISABELLA BULOID, First Directress. 
 " SARAH HAWXHURST, Second Directress. 
 « CHARLOTTE FOX, Treasurer. 
 " MARIA HYDE, Secretary. 
 
 Mrs. Martha Willis, Mrs. 
 
 " Almy Cornell, " 
 
 " Alice Townsend, " 
 
 " Rebecca M'Comb, " 
 
 " Ann Warner, 
 
 Donations to the House of Refuge will be thankfully receiv- 
 ed by the Officers and Managers of the Society. 
 
 The payment of 50 dollars, or of 10 dollars per annum for six 
 years, constitutes a person a member of the Society for life ; and 
 an annual subscription of 3 dollars, a member so long as it is con- 
 tinued to be paid. 
 
 D. Embury, 
 Margaret Prior, 
 Maria Colden, 
 Anna Mott. 
 
FOURTH ANNUAL REPORT, &c. 
 1829. 
 
 — 
 
 With another anniversary, the duty of the Mana- 
 gers of the Society for the Reformation of Juvenile 
 Delinquents to present a Report, for the information 
 of the members of the Institution and of the public, 
 recurs. This is a task which it must always be a 
 gratification to perform, as long as the Managers are 
 able to state, as they can now do, that the establish- 
 ment continues to realise the most sanguine expecta- 
 tions of its friends and advocates. 
 
 After the Institution has been in operation several 
 years, and its objects, its principles, and its system 
 have been so often developed in former annual re- 
 ports, it might be unnecessary to discuss, at this time, 
 at any length, its policy, its humanity, and its justice. 
 It would be necessary, on this occasion, to do no more 
 than to make known the proceedings of the Society 
 for the last year, and the results of the efforts of the 
 Managers to accomplish the designs of the establish- 
 ment; but as the unexpected state of the funds, and 
 the resources of the Society, will oblige them again to 
 apply to the legislature for more certain means of 
 support, it is thought that it will be proper in this 
 report, to present some general views of the merits of 
 the Institution. 
 
 It must be satisfactory to those with whom this 
 charity originated, and to those by whose exertions it 
 has been, and is supported, to find that it is not only 
 approved at home, but that it has attracted the atten- 
 tion of those in other countries, whose minds are bent 
 on the amelioration of the condition of mankind. If 
 it were possible that any feelings but those of pure 
 benevolence could mix with the consideration of this 
 subject, we might feel a pride in the reflection, that 
 our young country which has so lately assumed the 
 rank of an independent nation, was the first to adopt 
 with any efficacy, the penitentiary system of prison 
 
148 
 
 discipline, and the first to attempt to prevent the com- 
 mission of crimes, by seeking out the youthful and un- 
 protected, who were in the way of temptation, and by 
 religious and moral instruction, by imparting to them 
 useful knowledge, and by giving them industrious and 
 orderly habits, rescuing them from vice, and render- 
 ing them valuable members of society. Several of 
 our neighboring states are profiting by our example, 
 and we cannot but hope that our success in this new 
 system of wise and charitable regulation, will induce 
 a more extensive adoption of it in our own state. 
 
 Though by a recent law, the establishment is opened 
 for the reception of Juvenile Delinquents from every 
 county in the state, yet owing to this provision not 
 being sufficiently known, or possibly, owing to objec- 
 tions which there are to transporting young offend- 
 ers for petty crimes, to a distance from their homes, 
 there have been but few subjects in the House of 
 Refuge sent from elsewhere than the city and county 
 of New-York. If the happy effects of this establish- 
 ment, on the community where its influence is imme- 
 diately felt, were better and more generally known 
 and considered, it could not fail to insure the adoption 
 of similar institutions in other districts of our state. 
 
 Previously to the establishment of the House of 
 Refuge, there were more than five hundred young 
 persons annually committed, in the city of New- York, 
 either as criminals or vagrants; now the officers of 
 justice do not find half that number, of these descrip- 
 tions ,• so that the effects of the institution are not only 
 felt by those who are committed to its care, but the 
 community at large feels its benign influence in the 
 diminution of crime. Its operation, in this respect, is 
 riot only in the present time, but future generations 
 will be rendered more pure and virtuous, by the re- 
 formation of the depraved youths of the present race, 
 who, if they were left to their ordinary course, would 
 have been matured in vice. The laws which provide 
 for the punishment of aged criminals, are not more 
 important than those which regard Juvenile Delin- 
 quents. If the young can be rendered virtuous, 
 there will be comparatively but few crimes, for how 
 
149 
 
 seldom does it happen that a person in advanced life 
 is criminal, who was not vicious when he was young? 
 
 Jf there could, at this time, be a question as to the 
 humanity and justice of the institution, the condition 
 of the objects of its care, previously to and after they 
 are received into the House of Refuge, might be ex- 
 hibited, in a manner that would appeal to the most 
 obdurate feelings. Very generally, the children who 
 are committed to this asylum are orphans, or if not, 
 they are so neglected, or misled by their parents, as 
 to be in a worse condition than if they had none — 
 deserted and in poverty, often in absolute want, and 
 without a roof under which they can claim shelter ; 
 not only without religious or moral instruction, but 
 in many instances taught to be vicious by precept as 
 well as by- example, these unfortunate children are 
 found offending against the laws. Frequently the 
 younger persons who are received in the House of 
 Refuge are so totally devoid of moral instruction, 
 that they evince an entire want of a knowledge of 
 right and wrong. It has happened that when one has 
 been questioned as to his former course of life, and 
 asked how he obtained means of subsistence, he has 
 answered, by begging and stealing, with apparently, 
 as little consciousness that he was making a disgrace- 
 ful confession, as if he had said that he had found 
 a support from some honest employment. Under 
 such circumstances, what could be more unjust than 
 to visit the young delinquent with the same kind or 
 degree of punishment, which would be due to a de- 
 liberate offender of mature years? 
 
 To confine these youthful criminals in our loath- 
 some and crowded prisons, where no, or scarcely 
 any, distinction can be made between the young and 
 old, or between the more and less vicious, where 
 little can be learned but the ways of the wicked, and 
 from whence they must be sent to encounter new 
 wants, new temptations, and to commit new crimes, 
 is to pursue a course, as little reconcileable with jus- 
 tice as humanity ; yet, till the House of Refuge was 
 established there was no alternative. The unfortu- 
 nate child, though hardly beyond the years of infancy 
 who had committed the least offence was doomed to 
 
150 
 
 a confinement, not only without hope of his reforma- 
 tion, but with almost a certainty that, when he was 
 discharged, he would again be obnoxious to punish- 
 ment; and that thus, a course would be pursued, 
 every step in which, would lead to new and greater 
 crimes. 
 
 The value of the institution of which we are the 
 guardians, will not be duly appreciated, unless this 
 retrospect be taken, and this dismal, but true picture 
 be compared with that, which it is our happiness to 
 be able to present. — The forlorn, helpless, aban- 
 doned or misled child, finds a comfortable home 
 under our roof. He is supplied with food and rai- 
 ment, and is surrounded by friends who devote them- 
 selves to his instruction. He acquires habits of in- 
 dustry and regularity; and soon sees in his fellow- 
 creatures, who are around him, not as he formerly did, 
 in the whole human race, beings whom he considered 
 as regardless of him and his misery, as he was of 
 them, but beneficent guardians, administering to his 
 necessities, endeavouring to render him virtuous, to 
 give him the means of future independence and hap- 
 piness in this world, and to show him the right path 
 to the next. 
 
 In almost every case, we do not say in all cases, 
 the discipline of the institution works a reformation. 
 The moral faculties are awakened, the thoughts of 
 the young offender are turned, often with regret, upon 
 his past life, and he is led to resolve on a better 
 course. In many instances, the child not only thinks 
 of his future condition in this world, but his mind is 
 filled with a concern for his eternal, as well as his 
 temporal welfare ; a conviction is produced that our 
 happiness in this life, as well as in that which is to 
 come, depends on a due application of our moral and 
 physical faculties. The transition of a being from a 
 life of want, ignorance, idleness, corruption and hope- 
 lessness, to the enjoyments in the Refuge of comfort, 
 to the relief which is afforded to the mind, by con- 
 stant and useful employment, to the knowledge of 
 good and evil, to the hope of obtaining an honest liv- 
 ing, and to the consolations of religion, must be to 
 him as a new birth. 
 
151 
 
 That these are not visionary or exaggerated views 
 of the effects of the institution, will, in some measure, 
 appear from the statements, furnished by the Super- 
 intendent, of the eases of some of the children who 
 have been received into the House of Refuge, and by 
 the letters from some who have been apprenticed, 
 and from persons to whom they have been bound. 
 These statements and letters will appear in the Ap- 
 pendix. It is true they relate to but a few cases. 
 Did the occasion permit, many more of the same na- 
 ture might be presented; and it may be said with 
 great truth, that, very generally, the children who 
 have been taken from the House of Refuge, as ap- 
 prentices, have evinced the benefit they derived 
 from the institution, and have merited the commenda- 
 tions of those to whose care they have been entrusted. 
 It is worthy of remark, that several of those who ap- 
 peared the most depraved, when they came into the 
 Refuge, and for some time afterward appeared incor- 
 rigible, have subsequently given the best hopes of 
 their entire reformation. 
 
 Since the establishment was opened, on the first of 
 January, 1825, to the commencement of the present 
 year, five hundred and twenty-seven subjects have 
 been received, of these two hundred and seventy-five 
 have been bound out, and of the latter, only twenty- 
 two have been returned on account of their having 
 given dissatisfaction to those to whom they were ap- 
 prenticed. 
 
 The feeling manifested by the letters from the 
 children, towards those who have the immediate 
 care of them, is very general, while they are in the 
 house, and is not always lost when they leave it. 
 Many who have been discharged or apprenticed, have 
 seemed anxious to avail themselves of an opportunity 
 of visiting the place, and the parents of their reforma- 
 tion. In several instances reformed youths, after an 
 absence, which they were conscious they had advan- 
 tageously employed, have presented themselves to 
 greet those to whose care they were indebted, with 
 filial affection, and with full hearts to express their 
 gratitude. 
 
 The course of these remarks leads to a fit occasion 
 
152 
 
 for the Managers to state, that they are always watch- 
 ful of their officers, who have the immediate care and 
 charge of the children. They hav e been led, by re- 
 cent circumstances, to a severe scrutiny of the con- 
 duct of their Superintendent, and they think it due 
 to him to avail themselves of this opportunity to say, 
 that they have been confirmed in their opinion of his 
 strict integrity, his capacity, his zeal for the prosper- 
 ity of the institution, and his entire devotion to the 
 important station he fills. By a mild, but firm conduct, 
 he maintains order and discipline. He does not hes- 
 itate to resort to severity, where it is necessary. His 
 punishments are inflicted with discretion and modera- 
 tion, and always with an appeal, as well to the moral, 
 as to the corporal feelings of the delinquent; so that 
 he kindles no animosity; but on the contrary, the of- 
 fenders and their companions, while they acknowl- 
 edge the justice of the chastisement, do not regard 
 him by whom it is inflicted, otherwise than as their 
 friend and benefactor. The Managers would not be 
 understood as applying these remarks, as to the effect 
 of punishments, to every case where it has been ne- 
 cessary to resort to the severest measures: but they 
 are warranted as being applicable in most instances, 
 and as presenting generally, the true character and 
 efficacy of the system of discipline the Managers have 
 adopted. 
 
 The rules of the House have lately been revised, 
 and are now arranged under the following heads: — 
 Employment, Arrangement of Time, Food, Female 
 and Matron, Punishments, Wardsmen and Monitors, 
 Classification, Superintendent and Keeper, Teachers 
 and Assistant Keepers, Acting Committee, Indentur- 
 ing Committee, and Divine Service. The titles to 
 these regulations indicate the subjects to which the 
 attention of the Managers has been particularly di- 
 rected. Experience has led to improvements in rela- 
 tion to most of them. — The occasion does not admit 
 of details, but the rules have been printed and pub- 
 lished, and those who feel an interest in the establish- 
 ment are invited to examine them. It will be seen, 
 that though the Managers chiefly rely on a system of 
 moral discipline, yet, moderate corporal chastisement 
 
153 
 
 is not prohibited. — It rarely happens, but there are 
 some natures who can be made to feel only through 
 their corporal senses; and the Managers have not 
 been willing to suffer these to be sacrificed to notions 
 of ultra-philanthropy, which would abolish all punish- 
 ments. 
 
 The introduction of the supervision of a Committee 
 of Ladies, for the female department, is an improve- 
 ment, the benefits of which are constantly felt. 
 
 To those ladies who have been unremitting in the 
 discharge of the duties they have assumed, the Man- 
 agers feel themselves bound to make their acknowl- 
 edgements. Their last annual report will appear in 
 the Appendix, and will best explain what services 
 they render, and the manner in which they are per- 
 formed. 
 
 There have been in the House of Refuge, during 
 the last year, including those who were left there the 
 preceding year, three hundred and thirty-seven boys 
 and girls, of whom one hundred and forty-eight have 
 been bound out, and one hundred and sixty-one re- 
 mained at the close of the year. For information in 
 relation to the respective children who have been ap- 
 prenticed, and in relation to the employment of the 
 subjects, while they are in the House, as well as for 
 other information, the Managers must refer to the 
 subjoined tables, for particulars which would swell 
 this report to too great an extent. 
 
 It is to be regretted that this report can not be clos- 
 ed, without adverting to a subject, which is very far 
 from affording any grounds of satisfaction — it is the 
 state of the funds and the revenue of the institution. 
 In 1826, a law was passed, by which the surplus of 
 the receipts of the Commissioners of Health, after 
 paying all the expenses of the Marine Hospital and 
 leaving an ample provision for repairs and contingen- 
 cies, was appropriated to the maintenance of this 
 charity. As it was ascertained that the expenses of 
 the Marine Hospital did not, at that time, exceed sev- 
 enteen thousand dollars a year, that the receipts were 
 upwards of thirty-six thousand dollars and were an- 
 nually augmenting, it was thought ample and certain 
 means were provided for the House of Refuge. The 
 
 20 
 
134 
 
 Managers, however, have not been able to realise 
 their expectations from this source, and find them- 
 selves now short of the necessary funds. They can 
 not doubt but that the legislature will put their reve- 
 nue on a certain and permanent footing. This estab- 
 lishment must be considered as an integral part of the 
 penitentiary system which has been adopted by the 
 state; it may be said to be the foundation on which the 
 whole superstructure rests; and there can be no more 
 reason to believe that the legislature will withhold 
 from it an adequate support, than there is to believe 
 that they will abandon the principles of a penal code, 
 which marks the advancement of mankind in knowl- 
 edge, civilization, and humanity. 
 
 The Managers, while on this subject, beg leave to 
 present some extracts from a report of a Committee of 
 the Senate, which introduced the law of 1826. 
 
 The Committee say "If the House of Refuge were 
 to be considered merely as a place where so many 
 children may be rescued from poverty, reclaimed from 
 the haunts of vice and wretchedness, protected, in- 
 structed, and reformed, it would be a charity having 
 the highest claims to the bounty and liberality of the 
 government; but when viewed as a means by which 
 the perpetration of crimes will be prevented, and if 
 the increased number of criminals be considered, 
 w r hich, without it, the state would be obliged to main- 
 tain in our prisons, it is believed that a regard to econ- 
 omy alone would require the support of the institution. 
 There is hardly a child who will be condemned to the 
 House of Refuge, who if left to the course, which will 
 bring him there, would not finally become a charge to 
 the state as a convict. The evidence of this is that a 
 very large proportion, as your Committee are inform- 
 ed and believe, of the persons who are now confined 
 in our state prisons, commenced their career in crime, 
 when they were children, in the city of New-York, or 
 in some other large cities. One person, in particular, 
 who is now confined in the prison at Auburn, was first 
 convicted when he was only ten years old, and has 
 since, at different times, been twenty-eight years a 
 convict, supported by the state at an expense of not 
 less than two thousand dollars. This case which is 
 
155 
 
 by no means singular, except as to time, shews, at 
 once, what may be the advantages, even in point of 
 economy, of an institution which will arrest young of- 
 fenders in their criminal course, and at the same time 
 is an evidence that confinement in our state prisons 
 is ill calculated to produce reformation in young per- 
 sons. 
 
 "Since the House of Refuge was opened," contin- 
 ues the same report, "the number of children who 
 have been brought to the bar of the criminal courts 
 in JNew-York, has lessened in the proportion of four to 
 one." 
 
 The institution, it will be recollected, was set on 
 foot, and was for some time maintained by voluntary 
 contributions, to the amount of upwards of twenty- 
 thousand dollars, from inhabitants of the city of New- 
 York; adverting to this circumstance, the report from 
 which the above quotations are made, adds, "it is not 
 to be expected that this institution will longer be sup- 
 ported by private charitable contributions. It would 
 be unjust to require that an establishment of such pub- 
 lic benefit should be sustained at the expense of indi- 
 viduals. Unless the state affords it efficient aid, it 
 must fall. If this were to happen, while other states, 
 under a conviction of its great utility, are adopting 
 similar institutions, entirely at the public charge, we 
 must be deprived of the great advantages ours must 
 afford." 
 
 The Managers will add, in the language of a memo- 
 rial they presented to the legislature, last year, that 
 in such an event, "the children who have found ref- 
 uge in this asylum, must be turned upon society to pur- 
 sue a course which must again bring them to the bars 
 of our criminal courts, from thence to be sent to our 
 penitentiaries and state prisons, there to be main- 
 tained, as irreclaimable criminals, at a greater expense 
 to the state than would be required to continue the 
 support of an institution, in which they may receive 
 moral and religious instruction, acquire habits of in- 
 dustry, be reformed, and fitted to be useful members 
 of society." 
 
 As there has been much misunderstanding, in rela- 
 tion to the application to the House of Refuge, of a 
 
156 
 
 portion of the money collected by the Commission- 
 ers of Health, a copy of a memorial presented to the 
 legislature last year, containing a full elucidation of 
 that matter, is subjoined in the Appendix. It will be 
 seen that no part of the contribution of mariners, to 
 the Hospital fund, was ever touched; but that on the 
 contrary, the Managers of the House of Refuge could 
 only receive a part of what was paid by passengers, 
 the most of whom are foreigners. How just and ap- 
 propriate a disposition, of this contribution from emi- 
 grants, was made by the law of 1826, will appear by 
 the fact, that of the five hundred and thirty-three sub- 
 jects, who have been received into the House of Re- 
 fuge, two hundred and ninety-six, that is very consid- 
 erably more than half, were born abroad, or were the 
 children of foreigners. And of one hundred and fifty- 
 nine received last year, ninety-three or nearly two- 
 thirds were of European parents. 
 
 That it may be seen in what manner the Managers 
 exercise the power given to them, to bind out the chil- 
 dren committed to their care, they subjoin, in the Ap- 
 pendix, circular letters, copies of which go with every 
 apprentice taken from the institution. 
 
 In conclusion, the Managers have only to say, that 
 they desire nothing more than the moderate means 
 necessary to support the institution; and relying on 
 the disposition which has been heretofore manifested 
 by the legislature, to support an establishment which, 
 the Managers believe, was justly characterised by 
 the late governor, as "the best penitentiary institution 
 ever devised by the wit, and established by the bene- 
 ficence of man;" and relying on a continuance of their 
 own zeal and exertions, which have hitherto overcome 
 every difficulty, they cannot but hope that the estab- 
 lishment will be maintained, and transmitted to pos- 
 terity, as an evidence of the wisdom and humanity of 
 their ancestors. 
 
157 
 
 SELECTION OF CASES ANJ> LETTERS 
 
 From Apprentices, and from Persons to whom Apprentices 
 have been bound. 
 
 BOYS. 
 
 September 17, 1826. 
 
 J. B. — from a court of General Sessions, aged 16 years the 25th 
 of July last. Born in New- York — his father is dead, his mother 
 keeps a confectionary store in New- York. About two years since 
 J. went to live with Mr. M., a tailor in Philadelphia, where he 
 continued but a short time, and quit ; being an only child, was 
 greatly indulged ; soon after he went on board of a packet, that 
 sailed from New-York to Baltimore, &c. 
 
 His first thefts were small amounts of money from his mother, 
 then old rope, copper, &c. with his companions, who were of the 
 worst class of thieves, passers of counterfeit money, &c. A man 
 by the name of King, informed him where he could steal a watch, 
 which he succeeded in obtaining : King sold the watch for ten dol- 
 lars, and divided the money with J. He also took from the money 
 drawer of a grocer in Grand-street, twenty-five dollars. Once in 
 company with J. C. and H. H., they went to Philadelphia on a 
 cruise ; they there stole several pieces of linen and muslin ; by going 
 into gentlemen's kitchens after dinner, they stole two or three 
 dozen silver spoons ; he then entered a house in the day time, 
 finding the front door not fastened, went up stairs, shook the trunks 
 to find where he could get the most valuable articles, cut the leather 
 hinges of a trunk, took from it twelve dollars in silver, a valuable 
 silver repeating watch, which he sold for eighteen dollars, two 
 coats, linen shirts, and pantaloons. 
 
 In New-York, he went with A. D. a butcher, they entered houses 
 and stole clothing. Once in Philadelphia, he was taken up and 
 put into the work-house, for having a gentleman's coat which he 
 knew and swore to ; but when the court came to look for the 
 marks that the owner had described, they were not to be found, 
 J. having taken them out ; he in consequence was discharged. In 
 company with H. T. and R. D., they stole, near Fulton market, 
 18 gold watch keys — on the following Monday morning about three 
 o'clock, they broke open the same store, and took all the valuable 
 property they could find, amounting in value, he thinks, to about 
 three hundred dollars : he has been in Bridewell three times. 
 
 For several months after J. became an inmate of this Institution, 
 he evinced an unhappy, discontented turn of mind, and was fixed 
 on making his escape, if an opportunity should afford. It was 
 found necessary to deal strictly with him, and to keep a watchful 
 eye constantly over him ; by degrees we discovered his feelings to 
 change, until he became one of the most pleasant and agreeable 
 boys in his class. We find the following remark posted to his 
 history. 
 
1.58 
 
 1828, January 2, — J. was this day indentured to Mr. M. P., of 
 T. town, S. Co. New-York, farmer. 
 
 Previous to his coming here, he was a wild youth, but has con- 
 ducted himself uniformly well for nearly a year ; he became 
 pleasant and agreeable in his manners, and industrious in his 
 habits. 
 
 T , £ Co. February 25, 1828. 
 
 Mr. Nathaniel C. Hart, 
 
 Dear Sir, — This will inform you that I find in J. B. a very 
 good boy ; he appears to possess a modest and excellent disposi- 
 tion, and in my estimation bids fair to make a useful citizen. He 
 appears to be very contented, and thinks he should not be so happy 
 in any other situation. 
 
 He wishes to see Mr. Hart, (of whom he speaks very highly,) 
 and also his former mates in the Refuge. He appears to be far 
 from those vices which generally characterize boys of his class and 
 age, and improves well in our line of business. I think he pos- 
 sesses all the qualities of a good moral young man, and I shall en- 
 deavor to instruct him in the way he should go. 
 
 I should be pleased to hear from either yourself or the committee 
 at any time, and more so should you ever think proper to call on 
 us personally. 
 
 Receive the sincere respects of Yours, &c. 
 
 (Signed) M. P. 
 
 The following is from the boy alluded to in the above letter. 
 My Dear Frienb, Mr. Hart, 
 
 I let you know that I am well, and hope this may find you are 
 the same, not forgetting Mr. Miller, Miss Goewey and Miss Weaver, 
 and all my former fellow inmates. 
 
 I like the gentleman I live with better than I thought I shouW, 
 and he is as clever to me as I wish him to be. Mr. Hart will please 
 read this letter to the boys I left behind me, and I hope they may 
 all abide by the two rules of the House ; they are simple, but true 
 to them that follow them. I shall follow them as long as I can 
 ** speak the truth at all times," and then we will find friends al- 
 ways. I hope I may soon return and see you all as well as I left 
 you. 
 
 I shall never forget the House of Refuge ; it is the home I was 
 looking for, long before I came there : but I found it at last, and if 
 I had not found it, where should I have been now, not where I now 
 am learning a good trade. 
 
 I remain yours affectionately, 
 
 J. B. 
 
 May 10, 1826. 
 
 N. S., from the commissioners, aged 14 years the 27th June, 
 born in New-York of Irish parents. His father died about eight 
 years since ; his mother is a widow, and has been confined to the 
 house above a year, with the consumption. 
 
 About three years since he was sent to the Aims-House, from 
 whence he was put to live with Lieut. B. at fortD., where he stayed 
 about one year, when he returned to his mother ; soon after he was 
 put on board the ship I., and made a voyage to C. ; after he re- 
 turned, he shipped on board the C, and made another voyage to 
 
159 
 
 C. ; he returned about six months since, and has played about the 
 streets ever since. He once stole a copper kettle and some old 
 iron from his mother, which he sold — says he never stole any thing 
 from any one else. His mother wanted him to learn a trade, but 
 he liked to play too well to work at any trade. He says he had 
 rather learn a trade than go to sea. Enters 6th class. 
 
 Previous to N. being brought to the House of Refuge, we knew 
 him to be a very bad boy, associating with the worst of boys, idling 
 about the streets, and was pointed at, as a boy swiftly running to 
 destruction. But since he has been introduced to regular habits of 
 industry and obedience, he has become one of the smartest boys in 
 the shop that he works in, improved smartly in his education, was 
 promoted to the class of honor, and left the House in a good state 
 of mind. 
 
 March 5, 1827, He is indentured to Mr. S. H., of P. P., D. Co., 
 Blacksmith. 
 
 p*#* p##*## Co., April 14, 1828. 
 
 Dear Sir, — Agreeably to your request, and in compliance with 
 my promise, I address you on the subject of N. S., whom I took 
 from the House of Refuge in November last. I shall not be under 
 the necessity of multiplying many words on the subject, but can 
 with propriety make the following remarks. N., while living with 
 me, has behaved well in every respect ; has been industrious and 
 attentive to his business; has not frequented bad company, nor 
 shown a disposition so to do ; and should he pursue his present 
 course of conduct and attention to business, I have no hesitation in 
 saying, he will make a respectable man, and a first rate workman. 
 Yours Respectfully, 
 
 (Signed) S. H. 
 
 December 2, 1 826. 
 
 W. C. from the Police, aged twelve years the 22d May ; born in 
 New-York ; his father and mother have been dead about two years. 
 His father, at his decease, left a lot of ground, with a front and 
 rear house thereon for the children, six in number : his sisters oc- 
 cupy the rear house, and take care of the property, and the small 
 children. He went once to live with Mr. P., a farmer in the coun- 
 try, disliked and quit after staying three months, then with Mr. F. 
 in R., continued two years and quit. After his return from the 
 country, he went to live with Mr. C. a cooper, and quit after three 
 months. He was recently indentured to Mr. W. B., a coppersmith, 
 continued four months, and ran away because his master punished 
 him for a fault about two weeks since. 
 
 The first thing he stole was cakes from his mother, the next ap- 
 ples from a grocery ; while an apprentice to Mr. B., he stole cop- 
 per twice, (about six pounds) and to avoid punishment for it after 
 being detected, he ran away from him. He used to associate with 
 bad boys, who used to steal Qld rope, iron, &c. 
 
 He and seven or eight other boys, were found in an indicted 
 grocery, playing cards, for which he was sent here. 
 
 December 2, 1826. 
 J. A. M. from the Commissioners, aged 14 years the 12th of 
 July last. Born in New-York; his father has been dead nine 
 months. His mother resides in this city ; nurses for a living. The 
 
160 
 
 only bad trait I can find in J., is that his mother cannot control 
 him, nor keep him at any place to which she puts him : he says he 
 never stole any thing. 
 
 November 24, 1827. 
 W. C. was this day indentured to Mr. J. B. L., paper manufactu- 
 rer, of N. P. (N. J.) 
 
 November 24, 1827. 
 J. A. M. was this day indentured to Mr. J. B. L., of N. P. (N. J.) 
 
 jV*#* p*#***#* April 25, 1828. 
 Dear Sir, — An apology is due you, for having delayed so long 
 answering your letter, asking information in regard to the beha- 
 vior of J. A. M. and W. C, from the House of Refuge, under my 
 charge. 
 
 Had any thing censurable occurred in their conduct deserving 
 particular notice, I should have immediately informed you on the 
 subject : but so exemplary and praiseworthy has been their de- 
 portment, that not a single act indicative of their former abandon- 
 ment has fallen under my observation or come to my knowledge. 
 
 So effectual indeed has been the treatment pursued at the Ref- 
 uge, in reclaiming them from vice and vicious habits, that the most 
 willing obedience has been rendered to all directions given them, 
 without the necessity of punishment in any one instance. 
 
 No stronger proofs of the utility and benefits derivable from an 
 institution, intended for the reformation of Juvenile Delinquents, 
 need be pursued to my mind, than those cases under my immedi- 
 ate observation, to impress me with the hope of its prosperity and 
 success, equal to the wishes of its most sanguine supporters. 
 
 Yours sincerely, 
 (Signed) J. B. L. 
 
 April 27, 1828. 
 
 J. B. C. from the commissioners, aged 15 years, the 24th of 
 August ; born in New-York, of Irish parents. His father is quite 
 intemperate ; his mother he has not seen in three months, nor 
 does he know where she lives ; he says he never stole any thing ; 
 he has been in the practice of drinking pretty freely, beer, wine, 
 rum, and cider ; he was often seen staggering about the streets, 
 fighting and quarrelling to the great annoyance of his neighbors ; 
 he says he was sent here because he would not stay at the Aims- 
 House, until Alderman Burtis could get him a place. 
 
 Remarks. 
 
 Proved to be one of the most troublesome boys ever sent to the 
 House ; bold and daring, influencing others to venture in his exploits ; 
 made his escape four times, and made two unsuccessful attempts^to 
 escape. In one of his attempts to escape, he made use of three 
 sheets and a small cord that was attached to his hammock ; these 
 he fastened together, broke through the upper part of his cell, into 
 the garret, broke out one of the circular blinds, and while in the 
 act of letting himself down, the cord broke, and he fell twenty- 
 eight or thirty feet, which broke six of his bones ; yet he recovered 
 and w r as still bent on being wicked, until the softening grace of 
 God touched his heart, and made a deep impression : although we 
 do not believe he is a thoroughly changed boy, yet the deep im- 
 
181 
 
 p-ression was visible and lasting, and notwithstanding we believe 
 he received the worst and severest punishments of any boy in the 
 House, yet he left us with the most cordial feelings, determined to 
 become a man of respectability. 
 
 December 16, 1827. 
 
 J. is indentured to Mr. S. M. of N., to go a whaling voyage. 
 
 The Superintendent has since received a letter from his captain, 
 who states, that he shall try to teach J. navigation, and "knows 
 no reason why he should not become a captain of a ship." 
 
 Brazil Banks, on board the ship 2T., in 
 lat. 42m, 51 deg. S. Feb. 29, 1828. 
 Dear Sir, — I embrace this opportunity, to inform you that we 
 are all well, and if it was not for the thoughts of those friends we 
 left behind, would be happy. Shortly after I sent you my last, we 
 dropped down below the flats, and on the 22d of December, we 
 weighed anchor, and set sail for the Pacific Ocean ; we had pleas- 
 ant weather until we were out three days, when we experienced 
 much bad weather, until about the 30th, when we crossed the gulf 
 stream, and got in warm weather ; from then till the 14th of Jan- 
 uary, when the man from the mast head, cried out whales ! we 
 lowered our boats, and pulled after them ; after rowing two or 
 three hours we fastened on one, and had the pleasure of seeing him 
 turn up ; we got him alongside about one o'clock, A. M. ; we got 
 the rigging all ready, and next morning cut him in. This whale 
 was but a small one in comparison to some, but I thought it was a 
 monster. 
 
 It may not be improper to make a few remarks on this whale ; 
 he was of an immense bulk, his body is covered over with a blacjt 
 skin, about the eighth of an inch thick, so hard that it is difficult to 
 cut unless the knife is very sharp, his head is long and square, and 
 his jaws are about fifteen feet long. 
 
 This morning we fell in with the ship Ontario, of Nantucket, 
 which ship is nearly full, and is expected to go home in a short 
 time, so I thought I would take this opportunity to let you hear 
 from me. Give my best respects to Mr, Collins, and all enquiring 
 friends. 
 
 Please excuse this miserable writing, as I am so hurried on ac- 
 count of sending the oil we have on board of the Ontario. 
 
 We are yours, with the most perfect respect and esteem, 
 (Signed) J. B. C. 
 
 J. M. and W. E. 
 
 Here the Committee would remark that from another captain, 
 who wrote to his owners in Nantucket, having five or six Refuge 
 boys on board ; he says " they are the best sailors I have in my 
 ship ;" and another who has about as manv, savs " they are fine 
 fellows." 
 
 May 4, 1826. 
 
 D. M'N., from the Sessions, aged twenty years the 4th of April; 
 born in Scotland, his parents are living. About three years since, 
 he came to Charleston, (S. C.) to seek employment as an account- 
 ant, he was received by his uncle, a wheel-wright in that place. 
 About one month after his arrival, he hired to J. R., a grocer, 
 where he lived about sixteen months, then returned to his uncle, 
 
 21 
 
162 
 
 the wheel-Wright, and remained with him about one year, and kept 
 his books; in November he took passage for New-York, and took 
 board with R. T., a ship carpenter in C. street, a man that he had 
 known in Charleston. Until February, he did no work, but spent 
 his time in walking the streets, and in public houses, he then took 
 board in O. street, at Mr. B's porter-house, where there was card 
 playing. He used to play, but not for money. 
 
 The first theft he ever committed, was in stealing nine dollars 
 from the pocket of a fellow boarder, which money he spent, while 
 he boarded in O. street ; he became acquainted with J. H. about 
 eighteen years of age, who was in the habit of stealing; he went 
 with him and stole from a dwelling house, a coat, which' they sold 
 in Catharine-street, for four dollars ; about one week after, in com- 
 pany with the same boy, stole a time-piece, for which he was taken* 
 up, tried, and sent here. Last December he stole from a fellow 
 boarder, twenty-five dollars ; he was taken up, tried, and sent to 
 the penitentiary for four months, which time expired on the 14th 
 of April last. Enters 9th class, 
 
 April 4, 1827. 
 
 He is sent to sea, on a whaling voyage from Nantucket. 
 
 On board the ship p****# 
 
 Sir — I hope this will find you in good health, as this leaves me- 
 at present. The four boys aboard here, are all in good health; 
 they send their best respects to you: please give my best respects 
 to Mr. M. B. Hart, and to all the boys. I have seen M. W. and 
 W. S. about three weeks ago ; they were both in good health at that 
 time. M. W. saw J. C. in a port of South America, who told him 
 that W. P. was lost off Cape Horn. I have not seen the ship that 
 he sailed in myself: I will write you the news more particularly 
 when we get into port, which w ill be in the course of one month,, 
 from this date. We have got at this date, seven hundred barrels of 
 sperm oil : our ship holds about twenty-seven hundred barrels. 
 Since we came round Cape Horn, Captain C. has taken me as 
 steward and clerk; he is a very fine man, he has told me several 
 times, he will instruct me in the art of navigation, as much as is 
 in his pow r er. Excuse bad writing, as the ship by which I send this, 
 is laying by for our letters. No more at present, but remain your 
 affectionate servant, 
 
 (Signed) D. M'N. 
 
 P. S. I hope the boys are all getting on well with their learning ; 
 they will all find that it is most to their advantage, to pay attention 
 to it while they have an opportunity. 1 wont forget the shells. 
 
 D. M'N. 
 
 18th February, 1828, lat 5 deg. ? 
 4min. south. Ion. 107 deg. west. $ 
 
 J. W. — from the Commissioners, aged fourteen years in Septem- 
 ber 1826. Born in New-York, of English parents. 
 
 J. lost his mother about three years since : he had attended Free 
 School No. 1 about three yeais, without playing truant one day: 
 but after the death of his mother, he was solicited by J. M. and F. 
 M. to play truant from school, which he feared at first to do ; but 
 they at last succeeded in persuading him. He was absent one 
 month, before he was found out, during which time, he had become 
 
163 
 
 pretty well initiated in the practice of stealing lead from buildings, 
 ships, &c, old iron, copper, and the like ; and has constantly been 
 in the practice of running away from his father's house since. 
 
 After practising awhile with the M's in stealing lead, pewter, 
 zinc, old rope, &c, the company was increased by G. S., G. B., 
 W. S., H. and J. H., J. H., and others. In consequence of their 
 frequently climbing to the tops of houses after lead, they discovered 
 a way to enter stores and houses through the scuttles, at which they 
 became very expert, insomuch that they would sometimes enter a 
 half dozen stores in a single night. .This boy, and J. H. at one 
 time entered a' store in Broad-street, and obtained $40, which they 
 divided ; it proved, (he says,) to be counterfeit. At another time, 
 in company with M. M., they broke open an office on the corner 
 of Spruce and Nassau-streets, broke open a desk, and stole $18 in 
 gold, &c. Enters 7th Class. 
 
 Remark. 
 
 J. is a smart boy, and has improved very much, and if his lot 
 should in time be cast with a prudent man, would, we trust, make 
 a good citizen : he possesses a good bright intellect. 
 
 J. is indentured to Mr. A. B. of B. C. 
 
 B 1, July 13th, 1828. 
 
 Mr. N. C. Hart, 
 
 Sir, — Agreeably to your request, I transmit to you an account 
 of J. W. the boy taken from the House of Refuge in March last. 
 It is now a little over three months that he has been with me, and 
 he has, I think, improved very much, both in work and in his stu- 
 dies : he has been so far faithful and obedient, and appears willing 
 to do as well as he knows how in all things ; he attends church and 
 Sunday School regularly every Sabbath, and his evenings are em- 
 ployed in study, spelling, reading, writing and ciphering, as is most 
 convenient, or as we think most proper. We do not allow him to 
 associate with other boys of the neighborhood, therefore his time 
 and attention must be devoted to his work or studies. He has the 
 same treatment and privileges as one of our family, and I doubt not 
 but he finds it a good home : he appears very well pleased with his 
 business and situation, and if he continues to do as well as he has 
 done, as I have every reason to suppose, he will, with proper at- 
 tention, become a respectable and worthy citizen. 
 
 J. frequently speaks of Mr. Hart, and desires at this time to be 
 remembered to you, also to the boys generally, and hopes or wishes, 
 that they will all do better and become good. I have given J. 
 some little trees, and some cuttings of the vine, which he appears 
 to be much pleased with, and wishes to know how long before they 
 will bear grapes, as he will send some to Mr. Hart. I hope he will 
 soon be able to write sufficiently well to write to you himself. And 
 wishing you good success, in so good a cause as that to which you 
 are devoted, I remain your very obedient servant. 
 
 A. B. 
 
 E. M'L. — from the Commissioners, aged sixteen years the 1st of 
 May 1827, born in N. Y. of Irish parents. His father died about 
 one year since; his mother resides in this city, owns the house in 
 which she lives, and receives about $3 per week rent. His first 
 
164 
 
 place of residence was with Mr. Z. a baker in S. street: he warn 
 employed in carrying out and selling rusk : he continued three 
 weeks. The next and last place was with Mr. P. in N. J. to learn 
 the shoe-making business: continued two weeks and quit. Then 
 to selling fish, clams, &lc. about the streets : would drink frequent- 
 ly, and occasionally become intoxicated. 
 
 The first thing he stole was sixpence from his mother, then an 
 apple from a Mrs. S. then a fishing line from an associate, then two 
 shillings while selling fish, next a ball from P. B. and again six- 
 pence, &c. &lc. Was a frequent visiter of theatres, circuses, &c. 
 -was disobedient to his mother, was finally taken up at a late hour 
 drunk, while returning from Mount Pitt circus, carried to the watch- 
 house, and sent. from there here. Enters Sixth Class. 
 
 After having been in the house some months, and manifested to 
 our satisfaction a disposition to do as well as he knew how, was 
 advanced to the station of guard, which station he filled with faith- 
 fulness and integrity, until June 1828, when he was indentured to 
 Mr. W. M. a hatter, at C. R., W. county, N. Y. 
 
 C. R. August 1st. 
 
 Mr. N. C. Hart, 
 
 Sir, — As it has been your wish that I should write, I now take 
 the opportunity of informing you, that my boy, E. M'L. has been 
 very steady and attentive to his business ever since I have had him: 
 for so far, I must say, I never had a better boy: he gains in learning 
 the hatting business as fast as can be expected. 
 
 Yours, respectfully, 
 (Signed) W. M. 
 
 December, 1828. 
 E. M'L. called to see us, with a very pleasing letter from his 
 master, who in consequence of his good conduct, had permitted 
 him to visit his mother. E. expressed his intentions to do as well 
 as he knew how, of his pleasure in his master, and his determina- 
 tion to stay and learn his trade. 
 
 C. T. S., from the Commissioners, aged fifteen years the 5th of 
 July, 1826, born in N. Y. — His father and mother removed to P., 
 N. J. two years ago. C. returned to this city three months since, 
 and went to live with Mr. B. a shoe-maker, inC. street ; continued 
 six or seven weeks, and absconded. He first stole fruit from the 
 marketplaces, next a pair of spurs from a livery stable in Bancker- 
 street, cakes from shops, and many other things which he cannot 
 recollect. Enters Fourth Class. 
 
 May, 1828.— C. was indentured to Mr. W. H. P. of P. O. county, 
 N. Y. 
 
 P. August 19th, 1828. 
 
 Mr. N. C. Hart, 
 
 Respected Friend and Benefactor, — Since T left your place 
 of confinement, I have been constantly employed in the factory, 
 with which business I am much pleased ; and by strict attention to 
 my business, I expect to become acquainted with a trade that will 
 afford me a full employment, and of course a good living. 
 
 I have been regularly to meeting every other Sabbath, which is 
 four miles from this place, and to Sabbath School every week, 
 
165 
 
 which is half a mile. At this place there is an abundance of fruit of 
 all kinds, which I can have in any quantity by asking for it, and 
 that without pay. I have been well and hearty since I left vou. 
 
 (Signed,) C. S. 
 
 August 19th, 1828. 
 
 Mr. N. C. Hart, 
 
 Dear Sir, — The writer of the foregoing letter, C. S. appears to 
 be well satisfied with the business he is employed at, and also with 
 his exchange of a city for a country residence, and has never ex- 
 pressed any desire to return to N. Y. I think he will make an hon- 
 est man, if he has proper attention paid to him, which I shall spare 
 no pains to bestow upon him. 
 
 I am, respectfully, 
 (Signed,) W. H. P. 
 
 May, 1827. 
 
 T. C. from the Commisioners, -aged sixteen years in April last, 
 born in Ireland. His father, T. lives in this city, and bottles por- 
 ter, cider, &c. for a living. 
 
 I believe the complete history of this boy is comprised in the 
 following narrative : he was put to eleven different places to learn 
 a trade, and ran away from them all, viz. three shoe-makers, two 
 bricklayers, two looking-glass frame-makers, two carpenters, two 
 bakers, and I believe was too lazy to "work. When he came here 
 he was filthy in the extreme. Enters Seventh Class. 
 
 August 1st, 1828. T. has become quite a good boy; has gained 
 our confidence, and is promoted to the class of honor as night 
 guard, which station he fills to our satisfaction. 
 
 October. He is indentured to Mr. G. R. of W. G. county, N. Y. 
 
 W , November 1st, 1828. 
 
 Dear Sir, — I have the pleasure of informing you that T. C. ar- 
 rived here on the 24th of October in good spirits, and appears to 
 be a well disposed boy, is very willing to do what he can ; is not 
 at all acquainted with our business, but appears to learn very easy: 
 he has been very ill one night, but is now healthy, and appears 
 contented ; says he likes living in the country very much ; he is 
 anxious to learn to handle the hoe and axe, and if his health is 
 spared, will, I think, make a good farmer. I have delayed send- 
 ing the indenture, in order to be able to write concerning the boy. 
 I shall encourage him to write to you as soon as he can write a 
 legible hand. 
 
 Yours, &c. 
 (Signed,) G. R . 
 
 T. W. from the Police, aged (he says,) twelve years the 15th of 
 May last, which we doubt ; his age can be found on the books of 
 Public School No. 2— born in England. His father, J. came to 
 this country several years since, and died in this city soon after. 
 His mother some years ago married again. His mother, it was 
 supposed, was on her death-bed when he came here. 
 
 This boy was a member of Public School No. 2, four or five 
 years since, then a notorious truant, and has continued so ever 
 since. He informs me that he then practised pilfering about the 
 docks ; nor had he much improved in any thing except stealing. 
 Rope, copper, lead, and the like, were the articles that he made 
 
166 
 
 his calculations to raise cash from by stealing, almost every day 
 for five years past, and for which he was sent here : twice he stole 
 money from his mother. Enters Eighth Class. 
 
 It appeared in the case of T. that he only wanted some friendly 
 hand to place and direct him in the right way. He soon became 
 industrious, quiet, and attentive to all his duties. 
 
 October, 1828. T. is indentured to Capt. F. B. farmer, of P. D. 
 county, N. Y. 
 
 P , November 9, 1828. 
 
 Dear Sir, — The little boy, T. W. does very well, and appears 
 perfectly contented and cheerful; he is up every morning of his 
 own accord by day-light, and I can hear him whistling and singing 
 as he makes the fire and feeds the stock, before I am out of bed. 
 I am, Sir, with due respect, 
 
 Your most obedient servant, 
 F. B. 
 
 FEMALES. 
 
 June 9th 1827. 
 
 C. N. from the Police, aged about 1 1 years, born in N. C. Her 
 father, S. N. removed to this city when she was young, and died 
 about seven years since: her mother married D. L. a cartman 
 within a year past, and now" resides near the corner of D. and E. 
 streets. She lived with Mrs. M. in G. street a short time last 
 summer. 
 
 She has for some time past been connected with her elder sister 
 and others, in selling soap, needles, cotton balls, &c. about the 
 streets. She has been in the practice of attending theatres, cir- 
 cuses, &c. would use profane and indecent language; was disobe- 
 dient to her parents, and would steal. 
 
 The first thing she stole was one hundred needles from a shop- 
 keeper, while pretending to praise or purchase some : this prac- 
 tice she often repeated. Next a silk handkerchief, which she sold 
 for three shillings ; then two or three dollars from a shop drawer, 
 in company with four or five others, which she divided, this being 
 their practice. She appears to be quite an accomplished thief: 
 often stole worked Vandykes, handkerchiefs, &c. and sold them 
 about the streets. The last attempt she made to steal, was in 
 company with several of her companions in a dry-goods store in 
 D. street : she, being the heroine, was sent in to steal money from 
 the drawer, inside of the counter, from which she took four or five 
 dollars, when the shop-keeper discovered her, gave chase and 
 caught her ; for which crime she was sent here. 
 
 She has stolen much ; has a bold and daring manner ; she says 
 she never would have stolen, had it not been for A. M'D. who she 
 says steals a great deal, and lives near the Alms House. Enters 
 Third Class. 
 
 February bth, 1828. 
 Indentured to Mr. J. D. B, of W. O. county, N. Y. In this child 
 there has been a most pleasing change. Once a champion for da- 
 ring expeditions in stealing, wild and impudent, has now become 
 one of the best girls in the house ; pleasant, obedient, active, and, 
 we trust, seriously and religiously inclined. 
 
167 
 
 W , April 22nd, 1828. 
 
 Mr. N. C. Hart, 
 
 Sir, — The bearer of this is Mr. J. D. B. from this place, who 
 wishes a girl from the House of Refuge : Mr. W. gave him infor- 
 mation that one would be kept for him. It is certainly an excel- 
 lent place, in which a young girl would receive the best of exam- 
 ple and precept, and be instructed in the solemn truths of our holy 
 religion. I can recommend this situation to you with much plea- 
 ure, inasmuch as I believe, that in this family, a child would re- 
 ceive such information as will make them useful in after life, and 
 a credit to themselves and to their benefactors. 
 
 We are much gratified with our little girl C. N. she answers the 
 recommendation given me by Mr. A. she is an industrious, obedi- 
 ent, kind and affectionate child, and we feel entirely satisfied with 
 her conduct thus far, and I trust, (through the blessing of God,) 
 she may continue as she has began. She appears willing to learn 
 and receive instruction; she progresses rapidly in reading in her 
 Bible ; she has committed about half of the shorter catechism to 
 memory; she has altered in appearance greatly since she came to 
 reside with me; has grown so that you would scarcely recognize 
 her. She feels very anxious that her sister Catharine should come 
 with Mr. B. says if she had Catharine here she would never want 
 to see New-York : she was much pleased that her little sister Jane 
 came with Mr. W. and was much afilicted at the death of her 
 mother. She speaks with much feeling and affection of yourself 
 and Miss Goewey, and continues, I believe, the duty of prayer, at 
 least I enjoin it upon her. The sisters appear to have much affec- 
 tion for each other, and I hope they may prove a blessing, and not 
 a hindrance : and I trust that your labour may not be in vain in 
 reclaiming the lost and wandering children of obscurity, that their 
 hearts may be regenerated. That your institution may be blessed 
 is my heart's desire and prayer to God, and receive my assurances 
 for your peace and felicity. 
 
 (Signed,) J. D. B. 
 
 January 9th 7 1828. 
 
 C. N., from the Police, aged fifteen years the 17th of June last* 
 born in C. Her father has been dead about eight years, since 
 which her mother married D. L., who is now a labourer, 
 
 C. commenced to sell cotton balls about six years ago ; then 
 shaving soap, needles, almanacs, songs, &c. &e. — this practice led 
 her to stealing. The first theft was six skeins of silk, four or five 
 years ago, then one hundred needles, and so on, until she was sent 
 here for being connected with two of her old associates in stealing" 
 forty dollars from Captain , near White Hall, which they di- 
 vided among them. She enters fourth class. 
 
 When Catharine entered the House, her sister Charity took the 
 earliest opportunity to give her the best counsel she was capable 
 of ; who by this time had greatly profited by the discipline and op- 
 portunities the House offered : from a wild and uncultivated child, 
 she became quiet, mild, and one of the most industrious little crea- 
 tures in the House, and was found often in secret places in private 
 devotions to her Maker. Her remarks were to this amount: — 
 You must be very particular to obey the Matron ; not do as naughty 
 girls do, but obey the two rules of the House, " Never tell a lie" 
 
168 
 
 — " Do as well as you know how," and you will be happy. But a 
 short time had passed, before Charity's influence had caused Cath- 
 arine to unite in her secret devotions ; and such an attachment be- 
 tween sisters so natural and correct, it is uncommon to witness. 
 Catharine soon convinced us that she only wanted to be put into 
 the right path, and she would ornament it. But a few months had 
 elapsed after their confinement in the House, before their mother 
 died, and they were left without any earthly parent — Charity at this 
 time being bound out as above. Catharine was taken down to see 
 her lifeless mother, where was found the only remaining little sis- 
 ter, hanging around the corpse of her mother, and none but neigh- 
 bors to comfort her. Such were the strong appeals of Catharine 
 to the Superintendent to take her little sister under his care and 
 protection, that he went immediately to the Commissioners with 
 the child, and related the circumstances ; they at once approved 
 and committed her as a vagrant, not haying any home. 
 
 Tn a short time they were all indentured to superior places in 
 W., O. county, where they can see each other every week. 
 
 November 27th, 1828. 
 J. D. B. Esq. of O. county, to whom Charity was indentured, 
 called and stated that she and her two sisters, who were in the 
 same neighborhood, were three of the finest children he knew : 
 that he would not part with Charity for $100 ; am! that the oldest 
 sister, Catharine, who lived with Mr. J. B., was, in point of mind 
 and deportment, a superior girl, and that they manifested much 
 tender and kind feeling towards each other, and had no idea of ever 
 returning to the city to live, lest they should fall into temptation's 
 way. Mr. B. said, the children express the warmest regard for 
 their former care-takers while in the House of Refuge, and it was 
 in consequence of their strong solicitations that he had called to 
 spend a few hours with us. 
 
 January 9th, 1 828. 
 
 M. L., from the Police, aged sixteen years the 20th of Novem- 
 ber last, born in the western part of this state. Her father, W. L. 
 resides at No. 83 S.-street, is poor and intemperate. This child, 
 and her sister, have been employed several years selling soap, 
 cotton balls, almanacs, pencils, &c, which led her to all kinds of 
 company. The first thing she recollects to have stolen was 250 
 needles, in company with A. M'D. and her younger sister ; then a 
 dozen tapes, &c. &c. ; so on for two or three years, dividing all 
 they could take. Would occasionally attend theatres and circuses. 
 She says she has frequented bad company much. 
 
 A few days since, she, her sister, and C. N. went into a grocery 
 store near Coenties' Slip to sell soap, when a Captain B. began to 
 carry on with them ; she consented to go with him for one dollar, 
 and while he was planning with her, she slipped her hand into his 
 pocket and stole his pocket book, containing $40, agreed to meet 
 him at the next corner, and ran ; went up Broadway and divided the 
 amount between them. The Captain, rather than lose his money, 
 exposed himself, and by some means found where C. N. lived, at 
 whose dwelling the girls were found next day in the afternoon. 
 They however took a good twenty shilling carriage ride, drank 
 
169 
 
 cordial, &c. out of their money, before they were taken up. She 
 enters the Third Class. 
 
 When M. first came to the House, she put on many important 
 airs, and manifested a considerable degree of impudence, and our 
 hopes in her case were not very flattering ; but by steady perseve- 
 rance in correcting her errors, exhibiting to her view the enormity 
 of her crimes, and what they must eventually result in; holding up 
 virtue and piety, and the happy consequences that must result from 
 a virtuous course ; she, witnessing the high estimation that was 
 placed upon those that had reformed, in a few months her manners 
 changed to mildness, industry, and obedience ; she became ambi- 
 tious to have an opportunity to show how highly she appreciated 
 her new views of virtue and propriety. The result was, she was 
 indentured to J. N. of B., B. county, P. on the 27th of August last. 
 
 A few weeks since, we were visited by Mr. N's daughter, a young 
 married lady, who informs us that M. is a fine girl, and that she is 
 beloved by all the family, and bids fair to make a fine woman. 
 
 January 9th, 1828. 
 
 S. H. L., from the Police, aged fourteen years the 25th of De- 
 cember ; born in New- York. Her father is infirm and does no 
 work, drinks hard — had a handsome property left him by his father, 
 but has spent it. He was the cause of introducing his children to 
 sell soap and the like. One of his daughters, elder than either of 
 these, became a prostitute through the same channel ; but finally 
 found a husband on board the S. F., and is now doing better. This 
 little girl commenced her career, about two years since, selling 
 soap, needles, pencils, almanacs, &c. She first commenced to 
 steal soap from Mr. II., then needles from Mr. P. in Maiden-lane 
 — she has taken four hundred at a time ; and would receive from 
 her companions a part of their stolen property, and in turn would 
 give them a part of hers. I judge her not to be much past twelve 
 years of age. She however learnt the trick of getting money from 
 men, with the promise that she would go with them, and afterwards 
 run away : her suitors would sometimes chase her ; if she found 
 herself too closely pursued, she would run into a grocery store, 
 and tell them that a man was chasing her. She would pick up her 
 sweethearts at the Battery, Steam Boat Wharves, Theatres, &c. 
 She and her associates would occasionally attend the theatres and 
 circuses. If they took five dollars each, per day, home to their 
 mother, she was satisfied, and they could spend the rest. Some- 
 times they could clear eight dollars per day, honest sales, then 
 again 12 s. per day, when they were successful in stealing needles 
 and soap. This girl also received a portion of the forty dollars. 
 Enters Fifth Class. 
 
 This child soon gave hope in her case, was open and frank in her 
 communications, and became modest and industrious in her habits ; 
 only wanted to know her duty, and she performed it. 
 
 She was indentured to Mr. L., of H. C., in April last. 
 
 H. April 28, 1828. 
 
 N. C. Hart, 
 
 Dear Sir, — S. II. L. arrived on Friday, and I also received 
 from Mr. H. her indentures by the same conveyance ; and also 
 your circular address to masters. The indentures I have signed* 
 
 22 
 
170 
 
 and they are witnessed by one of my daughters, (not wishing to ga 
 out of my family for a witness to this instrument, on S's account,) 
 one of which will be returned herein. The address of the Mana- 
 gers to masters, I hope and intend to comply with strictly. 8. 
 commenced Sunday School yesterday, with my children— and to 
 the same meeting with us, is seated under our sight. She com- 
 menced a private day school this morning, under the instruction of 
 a pious female, in company with one of my children.. Our Sunday 
 School is attended by classes of society, from those in the first 
 standing, down to the dregs of the lowest kind. From my family 
 I have seven children in the school, one male and two female teach- 
 ers, and four pupils. S. will have much advantageous preparation 
 for Sunday School at home, from my two daughters, who are teach- 
 ers, and I trust, Christians. 
 
 It cannot be expected I should say much of S's conduct thus 
 early, but for the little time she has been with us, the ready cheer- 
 fulness with which she performs the little required of her, has al- 
 ready interested us all very favorably. I hope to be able, hereafter, 
 to give you a further good account of her. 
 
 I am very respectfully yours, 
 
 (Signed) R. L. 
 
 Since which we have been informed that she is doing well, and is 
 a girl of promise. 
 
 Septeviber, 1827. 
 
 M. K., from the Commissioners, aged 12 years the first of April; 
 born in Ireland. Her father and mother are both dead. Between 
 three and four years since, her father, E. K. put her to live with 
 Mr. J. P., a distiller, in this city, where she continued until within 
 a few days since, when Mr. P. informs me that one of his hired 
 men made free with her twice, the last time it was discovered by 
 the servant woman : and as the child was young and had no friends, 
 Mr. P. w T as fearful she would go to destruction, if she was not se- 
 cured more closely than lay in his power ; consequently obtained 
 legal permission to send her here. 
 
 The girl simply states, that some weeks since, S., one of Mr. P's 
 men, threw her on the floor, &c, and that a few days since, he 
 found her in the still house, and threw her on the hogshead, but 
 the servant woman came so soon that he did not effect his purpose. 
 She appears perfectly honest in her confession, says she never 
 stole any thing ; and I think if placed in a small careful family, will 
 yet make a good girl to work. Enters seventh Class. 
 
 March 5th, 1828, M. is indentured to the Rev. W. G., of S., 
 N. J. 
 
 S , June 23d, 1828. 
 
 Dear Sir, — The bearer of this, Mr. N. C. is anxious of obtain- 
 ing a lad from the House of Refuge, should there be one at present 
 to put out that will suit him. Mr. and Mrs. C. are members of my 
 church. He is a farmer in easy circumstances ; his family is small, 
 and among the most respectable in this place. So far as I can 
 judge, I think it would be a desirable situation for one of the boys; 
 and hope you will aid him in selecting one of a pleasant disposition, 
 of industrious habits, and in whom confidence can be placed. 
 
 Mrs. G. and myself are much pleased with M. K., she is a good 
 girl, respectful, industrious, pleasant, and seems anxious to com- 
 
171 
 
 mend herself to our approbation. Her health is good ; and from 
 her pleasantness and cheerfulness, I have reason to believe that 
 she is perfectly satisfied with her situation, as an inmate of our 
 family. She frequently speaks with much feeling of the House of 
 Refuge, and in affectionate and grateful terms of yourself and the 
 matron ; and seems to regard it as one of the favored circumstan- 
 ces of her life, that her lot was cast, for a season, in the House of 
 Refuge. 
 
 From what I have witnessed in M. connected with her conver- 
 sations with Mrs. G. more particularly, I am led to form a high 
 opinion of that interesting institution, over which you preside, and 
 hope that you will feel encouraged still to persevere in your labors 
 of love. Rest assured, my dear sir, that the blessings of many of 
 these unfortunate children and youth, who were ready to perish, 
 will come upon you, and that your instructions and councils are 
 neither forgotten nor disregarded, by many of them, though re- 
 moved from your watch and care. 
 
 Yours, very sincerely, 
 
 (Signed) W. G. 
 
 March 28^, 1828. 
 A- E- F-, from the Commissioners, aged, she thinks, twelve years 
 the fourth of July last ; born in B-, of Irish parents. Her father, 
 she says, was first partner and then foreman, to Mr. M'Q., the 
 founder in D- street ; but a few months since went to the state of 
 O. Her mother, she says, used to drink so hard, that her father 
 left her, and she then went to live in A. street. This child went to 
 live with a married sister, Mrs- N-, in C. street, but was taken ill 
 and went to Trenton. When this child went to live with Mrs- H., 
 in Y. street, near A. street, she says her step-sister, T. B-, had her 
 sent here, for going out and staying with different boys, about four- 
 teen and fifteen years of age, in new buildings, at different times. 
 She says that Mrs- H's daughter M- persuaded her to do so, and 
 she used to go also ; and the boys would purchase cakes and apples 
 for them — they used to carry on badly in the streets- Enters 
 Eighth Class- 
 
 March 27 — she was indentured to the Hon- L« E-, of D., S. Co., 
 New-York. 
 
 December Hh — Senator E-, with his lady, called on us this after- 
 noon : they speak highly of A-, saying she is a good girl, and they* 
 are much pleased with her. 
 
 August 25, 1828. 
 
 M. H-, from the Commissioners, aged twelve years last spring ; 
 born in B-, New-York, of English parents. Her father, J- H., put 
 an end to his existence, in A- M- has no sister living, but five 
 brothers — the mother resides in T- street, takes in washing and goes 
 out to labor by the day. 
 
 This little girl has been three years in bad practices, by going 
 with boys, in other girls' company first — speaks of many of the 
 same age and practices, then by degrees with larger boys. As 
 small as she is, and as young as she appears, she has been in the 
 practice of receiving men's company for more than a year. In her 
 time she has been very active and successful in winning other little 
 girls from the paths of virtue- Had finally taken a room with Mrs* 
 
172 
 
 H., in T. street — frequently attended theatres, circuses, &c-, La 
 Fayette and Mount Pit- Enters Third Class- 
 
 Since M's residence in the Hoi.se, there has been an astonishing 
 change. For nearly four months past, she has evinced the sweetest 
 Christian spirit, mild and meek, quiet and kind ; often seen to weep 
 under religious exercises, but never discovered to show any fruits 
 of her former life — is one of the most industrious and trusty of her 
 class ; and when a sufficient length of time shall have elapsed, for 
 her to be settled and grounded in the way she should go, we trust 
 to have the pleasure of transplanting this hopeful child into some 
 eoil that will be congenial to her future prosperity and usefulness. 
 
 REPORT OF THE LADIES' COMMITTEE. 
 
 The Ladies' Committee to the Female Department of the House of 
 Refuge, respectfully Report : 
 
 That we have great satisfaction in finding ourselves able to 
 communicate information respecting our truly excellent institution, 
 ■which must be very acceptable. 
 
 Where there are so many abandoned and profligate young per- 
 sons, daily entering this establishment, it must be expected that 
 some among them will be refractory, and occasion vexation and 
 trouble ; yet these are not numerous. Within the last year we have 
 heard few complaints from the Matron- Two or three of the girls 
 have not behaved so well. Their improper conduct may probably 
 be, in some measure, attributed to the nearness of a store-room, by 
 which the boys have access to the baking room of the girls. Here 
 they can communicate to each other and contrive mischief, only a 
 thin partition separates them. We are glad to learn that the di- 
 rectors of the institution have in contemplation to turn this store 
 room into an eating hall for the boys, where they will only be ad- 
 mitted at meal time- In our opinion they should be kept out of 
 view of each other — it is certainly the best plan, and most likely to 
 keep them orderly and well behaved- 
 
 The Female Committee have not been unmindful of the sugges- 
 tions of the Indenturing Committee, in respect to the selection and 
 recommendation of girls to be apprenticed. Four are now, in the 
 opinion of the Ladies' Committee, qualified, by their general good 
 conduct, to give satisfaction, in any family in which they may be 
 placed. At the same time, we would observe, that it is most desi- 
 rable that these children should be sent to some distance from the 
 city, where they would not be likely to meet their former bad asso- 
 ciates. 
 
 The Ladies' Committee have held their monthly and weekly 
 meetings, without intermission, even in stormy weather. They have 
 constantly visited the House of Refuge, inspected the apartments, 
 heard recitations from the Scriptures, and attended to the different 
 lessons in which the children were engaged : most, of them have 
 improved satisfactorily, and give promise, under the advantages of 
 religious education which the House of Refuge affords, that they 
 may become worthy members of society, and repay the friends of 
 the institution, the expense, trouble, and anxiety they have under- 
 gone* 
 
173 
 
 In our monthly reports, every particular, in regard to these chil- 
 dren, is given with great exactness. We now only add, that we 
 shall continue our visits, with unabated zeal. We have daily more 
 reason to think this institution is going on well, and that it is doing 
 much good in the community. The beneficial effects of the estab- 
 lishment must and will be continually seen. Under the influence 
 of this humane institution, vice will forsake its wonted haunts, and 
 virtue find votaries in those who were depraved — Praise be to God ! 
 through the perseverance of a few benevolent persons so much has 
 been effected. We have nothing further to add, but to assure the 
 Directors of the House of Refuge, that we desire not to weary in 
 our efforts to aid them every way in our power. 
 
 ISABELLA BULOID, First Directress. 
 
 MARIA COLDEN, Second Directress. 
 
 CHARLOTTE L. FOX, Treasurer. 
 
 SARAH C. HAWXHURST, Secretary. 
 
 Managers. 
 
 Almy Cornell, Rebecca M'Comb, 
 
 Martha Willis, Anna Warner, 
 
 Maria Hyde, Phebe Mott, 
 
 Deborah L. Embree, Esther Seymour, 
 
 Margaret Prior, Margaret Beers. 
 Dece?nber, 29th, 1828. 
 
 REPORT OF WORK DONE BY THE FEMALES. 
 
 A statement of the work performed by the Female subjects in the 
 House of Refuge, from December first 1827, to the first of Decem- 
 ber 1828, inclusive, viz: 
 
 Reeling two hundred and seventy thousand skeins of cot- 
 ton yarn 270,000 
 
 Shirts made 482 
 
 Stockings run in the heels, pairs - 250 
 Ravens Duck Pantaloons made - - - - 134 
 
 Spreads for Cells - - - - - - -113 
 
 Woolen Pantaloons - - 59 
 
 W r oolen Jackets 52 
 Sheets for Cells made ------ 80 
 
 Sheets for Hospital 10 
 
 White Van Dykes made 79 
 
 Calico do. do. - - - - - 9 
 
 Calico Frocks - -- -- -- Q 
 
 Gingham do. - - - - - - - 81 
 
 Chemises made - -- -- --54 
 
 Brown Aprons - - - - - - - 67 
 
 Brown Aprons for Boys ----- 6 
 
 Night Caps 66 
 
 Night Gowns 12 
 
 White Aprons - - - - - - 15 
 
 Jackets 30 
 
 Brown Towels - - - - - - 53 
 
 Brown Rollers 20 
 
 Pillow Cases 26 
 
174 
 
 Bed Ticks 50 
 
 Mattresses 17 
 
 Carpeting, yards of ----- - 65J 
 
 Quilts for Hospital 10 
 
 Blankets mended - - - - - - 52 
 
 ' Bed Ticks mended 30 
 
 The number of stockings mended were so numerous, that to have 
 kept an account of them would have proved tedious. 
 
 Washing and baking, are two branches of no inconsiderable im- 
 portance. The washing on an average has during the year, amount- 
 ed to about eight hundred pieces per week, and the mending of the 
 same. In addition to the above estimate of work there" is to be 
 considered all the domestic work relative to themselves, and the 
 keeping in order the female department, viz : cooking, mending 
 for themselves, cleaning house, &c. &c. of which there cannot be 
 a minute account given. 
 
 WORK DONE BY THE BOYS. 
 
 BRASS NAIL MANUFACTORY. 
 
 Of assorted sizes, 15,600 M. which averages 300 thousand per 
 week. 
 
 CHAIR BOTTOM MANUFACTORY. 
 
 Cane chair bottoms, 10,844, or 907 dozen. 
 It will be understood that the cane is dressed, and the frames 
 for the seats made by the boys. 
 
 WILLOW WORKERS. 
 
 Have covered 200 3 Gallon Demijohns 
 
 500 2 do. do. 
 
 700 1 do, do. 
 
 400 J do. do. 
 
 350 quart do. 
 
 BRUSH MANUFACTORY. 
 
 1000 dozen Shoe Brushes. 
 
 250 dozen Hair Brushes. 
 
 250 dozen Cloth Brushes. 
 
 200 dozen Tooth Brushes. 
 50 dozen Hatters' Brushes. 
 
 250 dozen Scrubbing Brushes. 
 60 dozen Crumb Brushes. 
 2000 weight Bristles, assorted and combed. 
 
 500 pound Bristles picked. 
 1000 weight Bristles washed and bleached. 
 
 carpenters' shop. 
 
 Soap boxes, for Shipping - - - 12,407 
 
 Windsor do. 1,722 
 
 Large brown do. 2,529 
 
 Candle do. 1,842 
 
 18,600 
 
 SHOE SHOP. 
 
 Cacks - 1,500 
 
 Pumps 500 
 
 For domestic use &50 
 
175 
 
 tailors' shop. 
 
 150 Suits, jacket and trowsers for winter, 
 400 pairs canvass trowsers for summer. 
 50 Caps. 
 
 STATEMENTS. 
 
 Subjects, 
 
 There were in the house when the last report was made, 161 
 Of those previously disposed of, there have been returned 17 
 
 Received during the past year - - - - - 1 59 
 
 337 
 
 Of whom there have been indentured - 148 
 Escapes - 6 
 
 Returned to friends 13 
 
 Returned to the Aims-House - 2 
 
 Of age 7 
 
 Now in the House 161 
 
 337 
 
 The number of subjects received into the House of Re- 
 fuge since our last report as above - 159 
 
 Committed by the following authorities, viz: 
 Commissioners 98 
 Police 45 
 New-York Sessions - 8 
 Brooklyn Sessions - 3 
 Albany Sessions 2 
 Utica Sessions - 1 
 Newburgh Sessions - 1 
 
 Schoharie Oyer and Terminer 1 
 
 159 
 
 Of the above number, ninety-three are foreigners, or the chil- 
 dren of foreigners, and the remaining sixty-six are of American 
 parentage. 
 
 SUMMARY. 
 
 
 Inden- 
 
 Esca- 
 
 Returned 
 
 Retur'd 
 
 Of . 
 
 
 
 tured 
 
 ped 
 
 to friends 
 
 to A. H. 
 
 age. 
 
 
 1828. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 January, 
 
 5 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 
 February, 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 IVIarch, 
 
 11 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 April, 
 
 24 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 May, 
 
 24 
 
 
 o 
 O 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 June, 
 
 19 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 July, 
 
 8 
 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 
 August, 
 
 1 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 2 
 
 
 September, 
 
 16 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 October, 
 
 20 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 November, 
 
 12 
 
 o 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 December, 
 
 6 
 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 . j 148 
 
 6 
 
 13 
 
 2 
 
 7 I 
 
 tot. 176 
 
176 
 
 MEMORIAL. 
 
 To the Honorable the Legislature of the State of New- York. 
 
 The Memorial of the Managers of the Society for the reformation 
 
 of Juvenile Delinquents, respectfully sheweth, 
 
 That your memorialists have seen, with deep concern and re- 
 gret, a remonstrance addressed to your honorable body, purporting 
 to be from shipmasters, mariners and citizens of the city of New- 
 York, against the appropriation made by law towards the support 
 of the House of Refuge, of a part of the moneys collected by the 
 commissioners of health. 
 
 Your memorialists will not doubt but that the authors of the re- 
 monstrance are actuated by the best motives, nor que ion the sin- 
 cerity of their declaration, that they are not "hostile to any char- 
 itable institution;" neither will your memorialists presume to say, 
 that by the remonstrance, facts are intentionally misrepresented ; 
 yet it is certain the language the shipmasters, mariners and citizens 
 have adopted, is calculated to mislead the Legislature, and to create 
 a prejudice in the public mind against an establishment which the 
 late Governor, in his message to the Legislature, in eighteen hun- 
 dred and twenty-six, characterised as "the best penitentiary in- 
 stitution ever devised by the wit, and established by the beneficence 
 of man." 
 
 In adverting to the law creating the fund, a part of which is ap- 
 propriated to the House of Refuge, the remonstrance could not 
 avoid disclosing, that it was collected as well from passengers as 
 from mariners; yet, in the zeal of their remonstrance, this impor- 
 tant fact is entirely overlooked, and the injustice of a diversion of 
 any part of the moneys collected by the commissioners of health 
 to any other purpose than the immediate benefit of mariners, is ur- 
 ged on the ground of the fund being "wholly earned by them, in 
 their arduous profession. If it be meant by the remonstrance, that 
 the money collected from passengers, as well as that which is paid 
 by mariners, is earned by the latter because the passengers in ques- 
 tion arrive here by sea ; then seamen might, with equal propriety, 
 claim a particular interest in the public funds derived from duties 
 on importations in the ships they navigate. 
 
 Soon after the law of eighteen hundred and twenty-six, relative 
 to this subject, was passed, the managers received, under an order 
 from the late Governor, nineteen thousand dollars out of a surplus 
 then in the hands of the commissioners. This sum was applied to 
 the extensive buildings erected by the society, owing in some meas- 
 ure to the house having been opened by a late law, to the Juvenile 
 convicts of all the counties in the State, the number of delinquents 
 it would be proper to receive has so far increased, that an addition 
 to the building has become necessary. — To meet the expense of an 
 enlargement of the establishment, the managers obtained from the 
 late Governor an order for a further appropriation of seven thou- 
 sand dollars, from any surplus the commissioners might find in 
 their hands. • Of this appropriation the managers have received no 
 more than two thousand dollars. 
 
 Soon after the law, giving the Managers a claim on the surplus 
 of the Hospital fund, was passed, they entered into an arrangement 
 with the Health Commissioners, to receive from them at the rate 
 
177 
 
 of eight thousand dollars a year, which the Managers calculated 
 would be sufficient for the support of the House of Refuge, as it is 
 at present established ; and the Commissioners estimated that the 
 Managers might be allowed this sum, and ample funds be left, not 
 only for the support of the Marine Hospital, but to meet all the 
 expense of the very extensive additions and improvements which 
 the Commissioners are making at the establishment on Staten 
 Island. 
 
 The Managers have received nothing more from the Commis- 
 sioners of Health than what is above mentioned : and to show how 
 far the eight thousand dollars a year, which, under the present ar- 
 rangement the Managers are to receive, will be from encroaching 
 on the contributions of mariners, your memorialists beg leave to 
 submit the following statement: — 
 
 There was received, during the last year, as appears from the 
 Custom-House books, 
 
 From 1465 captains and mates, - $1297 50 
 
 From 13,750 seamen, 13750 00 
 
 From coasters, 3199 50 
 
 Making the whole amount received from mari- 
 ners, 19,147 00 
 
 During the same time, there was received from 
 
 passengers, ------- 17,747 26 
 
 Making the whole receipts for the year 1827, - $36,894 26 
 From which deduct for the House of Refuge, - 8000 00 
 
 And there will be left for the use of the Marine 
 
 Hospital, - - > - - - - - $28,894 26 
 
 "Whereas the contributions of mariners have 
 
 been, as above stated, only, - 19,147 26 
 
 Leaving, $9747 00 
 
 More than was contributed the last year by mariners. 
 
 There is every reason to believe, that the proportion of the hos- 
 pital fund, which will be contributed by passengers, will be greater 
 than it was last year. 
 
 The receipts for the current year from passengers have been 
 more than they were in the corresponding months of the last sea- 
 son, and the information from Europe is, that the emigrations from 
 thence will be this year greater than they have been. 
 
 The sums collected by the health commissioners are not only 
 sufficient for the support of the marine hospital, and to afford to 
 the House of Refuge all it requires, but will enable the commis- 
 sioners, from the surplus, to establish a fund to meet contingencies, 
 and pay the expenses of further improvements. 
 
 The ordinary expenses of the hospital are, as your memorialists 
 have been informed and believe, less than seventeen thousand dol- 
 lars a year, so that however pathetic the appeal of the remonstrance 
 in favor of mariners may be, it is obvious, that it was not required 
 by the occasion, nor was the expression of an opinion that an ap- 
 plication of the earning of mariners, otherwise than for their bene- 
 fit, would be unjust, (from which, it is probable, no one would dis- 
 
 23 
 
178 
 
 sent,) called for by any circumstances connected with the subject 
 under consideration. 
 
 It is ascertained, that by far the greater part of the collections 
 made from passengers, are paid by foreigners, who arrive in this 
 state from different parts of the world. Your memorialists most 
 readily admit, that not only a liberal support should be allowed 
 out of the hospital fund for the. Marine Hospital, but that ample 
 provision should also be reserved for contingencies. For all this 
 the law has provided. But when this is done, your memorialists 
 respectfully submit that there could not be a more just or reason- 
 able appropriation of the surplus arising from the contributions of 
 foreign passengers, than to the support of juvenile delinquents, a 
 large proportion of whom are children of emigrants. 
 
 When the last annual report of the Managers was made (with a 
 copy of which the members of the legislature have been furnished, 
 and to which your memorialists pray leave to refer) the w T hol« 
 number of subjects received into the House of Refuge from the 
 commencement of its operations, was three hundred and seventy- 
 seven, of these, one hundred and forty-nine were the children of 
 foreigners. 
 
 The Managers forbear, on this occasion, to urge the advantages- 
 or merits of the establishment under their care. This has been 
 done at the several times when the legislature has been induced to- 
 extend to the institution its patronage and support. The House 
 of Refuge has more than realized the most sanguine anticipations 
 of its founders and friends. Its benefits are not only felt in our 
 own community, but the influence of its example is extending to 
 every part of the Union, and even to foreign countries. The prin- 
 ciples on which it is founded, its management, and the advantages 
 resulting from its operations, have been the theme of the most en- 
 lightened jurists and philanthropists, both abroad and at home. 
 Whenever it shall be thought more politic and humane to prevent 
 crime than to punish criminals, asylums for the protection and 
 reformation of juvenile delinquents, must find advocates. In sev- 
 eral stales, similar establishments are forming wholly at the pub- 
 lic expense. The House of Refuge in New-York, grew from, and 
 was for some time supported by, private contributions, which 
 have amounted to more than twenty thousand dollars. But so 
 extensive an establishment can not be maintained at the cost of 
 individuals, and is utterly incapable of supporting itself. If the 
 appropriations made for this object be withdrawn, and no adequate 
 revenue be substituted, the institution must be abandoned. The 
 hundreds of children who have found refuge in this asylum, must 
 be again turned upon society, to pursue a course which must 
 bring them again to the bars of our criminal courts, from thence 
 to be sent to our penitentiaries and state prisons, there to be main- 
 tained as irreclaimable criminals at a greater expense to the state, 
 than would be required to continue the support of an institution 
 in which they may receive moral and religious instruction, acquire 
 habits of industry, be reformed, and made useful members of 
 society. 
 
 The Managers of the Society for the Reformation of Juvenile 
 Delinquents, can have no other interest in the establishment of 
 which they have charge, than that which ship-masters, mariner?, 
 
179 
 
 and every citizen ought to feel. Your memorialists, therefore, can 
 have no other prayer, than that you will duly consider the impor- 
 tance of the institution, its situation, the consequences of its being 
 abandoned, and that you may do what is right. 
 
 By order of the Board of Managers, 
 
 CADWALLADER D. COLDEN, President, 
 New-York, April, 1828. 
 
 LETTER TO THE MASTERS. 
 House of Refuge, New- York, 1 82 
 
 The Managers of the Society for the Reformation of 
 Juvenile Delinquents. 
 
 To 
 
 Sir, 
 
 We have consented to bind one of 
 
 the children under our care in the House of Refuge, to you as 
 an apprentice, pursuant to powers given to us by an act of the 
 Legislature of this state. 
 
 We should not have done this, had not our inquiries, as to your 
 character, induced us to believe, that your example, and your 
 treatment of this young person will be such as may tend to per- 
 fect the moral reformation, we have reason to hope, he has expe- 
 rienced since he has been in the asylum under our charge. 
 
 Great pains are taken to impress on the children, committed to 
 the House of Refuge, a love of truth, to give them religious in- 
 struction, habits of order and industry, and to teach them to be 
 respectful and obedient. We have found from experience, that 
 this may be done by a steady and firm conduct, not incompatible 
 with great kindness. We are persuaded that most children may 
 be more easily, and more effectually, governed by proper appeals 
 to their mental feelings, than by corporal punishments, and that 
 where these are inflicted frequently and with severity, it oftener 
 marks a want of sense or humanity, on the one part, than demerit 
 on the other. 
 
 We hope the system we pursue, will have had an effect on the 
 child you will receive from us, which will render him useful to 
 you, and contribute to make him a worthy member of society, 
 when his connection with you shall cease. But this can not be 
 expected, unless you, to whose care he will now be committed, 
 interest yourself in his welfare. 
 
 It has not been concealed from you, and ought not to be forgot- 
 ten, that this child has been a delinquent. We beg, therefore, to 
 remind you that conduct may require more attention than 
 
 might be thought necessary to one who had never been led from 
 the paths of virtue. Should your kindness and care redeem this 
 child, and make religious, moral, and industrious, you will 
 
 participate with us in those feelings, which must result from the 
 reflection that we may have contributed to the temporal and eter- 
 nal happiness of a fellow-being. 
 
 It will be very satisfactory to us, to receive from you, from time 
 to time, an account of the conduct of this young person. This is 
 desirable not only as respects the individual, but should be- 
 
180 
 
 have, as we hope will, your favorable report will be service- 
 
 able to our Institution. We wish you would encourage to 
 write occasionly to our superintendent. We are happy to say, 
 that the accounts we have had of, and from the children, we have 
 bound out, have been, except in a very few instances, highly satis- 
 factory. When the child's service has expired, it is desirable that 
 should receive from you a certificate, which may express 
 your opinion of conduct while was under your care. 
 
 With a hope that you may find in your apprentice a worthy and 
 useful servant, and he in you an able instructer and kind master, 
 and with our best wishes for and your happiness and pros- 
 
 perity, M'e commit to your care. 
 
 By order and in behalf of the Board of Managers, 
 
 Superintendent. 
 
 LETTER TO THE APPRENTICE. 
 House of Refuge, New- York, 1 82 
 
 The Managers of the Society for the Reformation of 
 Juvenile Delinquents, 
 
 To 
 
 You are about to leave the House of Refuge. You will be bound 
 as an apprentice to a person, who, the Managers believe, will pro- 
 vide for you, instruct you, and if you behave well, treat you with 
 kindness. 
 
 We should not have consented to part with you at this time, had 
 not your conduct given us reason to hope, that the religious and 
 moral instruction you have received, since you have been under 
 our care, have disposed you to lead an honest, industrious, and so- 
 ber life. You are now of an age when you are capable of distin- 
 guishing between virtue and vice ; you have had experience that 
 must teach you, that if you are good you may be happy, if you are 
 bad you must be miserable. You can not but have perceived how 
 much your welfare depends upon yourself, and upon the observ- 
 ance of the precepts you have seen inculcated with so much pains 
 by your preceptors in the House of Refuge. Among these are the 
 following : — You are always to tell the truth. You are to be obe- 
 dient to those under whose care you are placed, doing your duty 
 as well as you know how, industriously and cheerfully. You are 
 to be civil and respectful in your manners, and to avoid all bad lan- 
 guage. You will find time that you may employ, not only in reli- 
 gious reading and exercises, but in improving your mind, and in 
 acquiring such learning as may be useful to you. If you mean to 
 be a good and respectable man, you will not fail to avail yourself 
 of these opportunities. 
 
 Do not be discouraged by what has happened from striving to 
 raise yourself to a respectable station in the world. If your life be 
 hereafter exemplary, the errors of your infancy will be forgiven or 
 forgotten. In our happy country, every honest man may claim 
 the rewards he merits. Many of our most distinguished citizens 
 have been the makers of their own fortunes, and in their childhood 
 were as poor and unprotected as you have been. There is no 
 reason why you, if you pursue the course they have done, may not 
 
181 
 
 command the same good fortune. At all events, you may be sure, 
 that if you make yourself master of your business, are diligent in 
 your calling, establish a character, for truth, honesty, industry, and 
 sobriety, you can not fail to obtain a comfortable living, and to be 
 beloved and respected. Look at those you have seen in poverty, 
 and observe those you will hereafter meet with, who are in want: 
 you will generally, if not always, find, that they owe their condi- 
 tion to bad company, to idleness, and intemperance, which not only 
 debase the individual, but often make all who have the misfortune 
 to be connected with him, unhappy and ashamed to acknowledge 
 any relationship. 
 
 When you see a man, and particularly a young man, frequenting 
 bad company, given to drink, and using profane language ; when 
 you see that he neglects his business, is wasting his time, and taking 
 no pains to learn, you may be sure he is in the road to ruin ; he 
 has no chance to be reputable ; he can hope for nothing but to live 
 all his days from hand to mouth, and to earn by mean and hard 
 bodily labor, enough to keep himself alive, and if he should have a 
 family, to save them from starving. On the other hand, if you see 
 a young man attentive to his business, passing his leisure time so- 
 berly, but cheerfully, with companions of whom he need not be 
 ashamed ; if he loses no opportunity of gaining religious and moral 
 instruction, and is obedient and civil in his manners, you may be 
 sure that when left to make his own way in the world, he will al- 
 ways be beforehand. Instead of leading a life of continual toil and 
 hardship, and of reliance on his daily labor for his daily bread, he 
 will become independent and happy, and may have around him a 
 family and friends who will esteem and respect him, and be proud 
 of their connection with one who is so deserving. 
 
 You well know the evil consequences of bad company : there is 
 nothing as to which you ought to be more on your guard. You 
 ought particularly to avoid those with whom you associated before 
 you was placed in the House of Refuge. That you may not be 
 again tempted by these, you should not be too anxious to^return 
 to this city, and put yourself in a situation where you may meet 
 with them. When your time of service is out, and you become 
 your own master, you may have a better chance of success in 
 the world, if you will establish yourself where you will have 
 no friends but those you may hereafter make by your good con- 
 duct, and where the history of your early life is unknown. 
 
 It will always be gratifying to us to hear of your welfare. W T e 
 shall be pleased to learn that you preserve and often read this letter. 
 We wish you occasionally to write to our Superintendent ; you will 
 always find in him, and in us, friends ready to advise and to serve 
 you. 
 
 Committing you to the protection of Providence, and to the care 
 of your master, and repeating our admonition to you, to be reli- 
 gious, to love the truth, to be sober and industrious, and to avoid 
 bad company, we bid you farewell. 
 
 By order and in behalf of the Board of Managers, 
 
 Superintendent. 
 
182 
 
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183 
 
 Officers of the Society* 
 CADWALLADER D. COLDEN, President. 
 STEPHEN ALLEN, \ 
 CORNELIUS DUBOIS, 
 JOHN GRISCOM, 
 HENRY I. WYCKOFF, 
 JAMES LOVETT, 
 PETER SHARPE, 
 CORNELIUS DUBOIS, Treasurer. 
 FREDERICK SHELDON, Secretary. 
 
 ANSEL S W E 1[VES,' M. D. \ Ph y sicians and Surgeons. 
 
 House of Refuge. 
 
 NATHANIEL C. HART, Superintendent. 
 P. SHERLOCK, Assistant Superintendent. 
 CATHARINE GOEWEY, Matron. 
 MARY WEAVER, Assistant Matron. 
 DAVID TERRY, Jun. Teacher. 
 
 Vice Presidents. 
 
 Indenturing Committee. 
 
 WILLIAM F. MOTT, 
 ROBERT C. CORNELL, 
 NATHANIEL RICHARDS. 
 
 Acting* Committee. 
 
 WILLIAM W. FOX, 
 JAMES LOVETT, 
 MYNDERT VAN SCHAICK, 
 RUFUS L. LORD, 
 RALPH OLMSTED, 
 JOHN HUNTER. 
 
 Stephen Allen, 
 Heman Averill, 
 Arthur Burtis, 
 c. d. colden, 
 Robert C. Cornell, 
 Cornelius Dubois, 
 William W. Fox, 
 John Griscom, 
 Joseph Grinnell, 
 John Hunter, 
 
 Managers, 
 
 John E. Hyde, 
 Isaac S. Hone, 
 Jacob Harvey, 
 Ansel W. Ives, 
 James Lovett, 
 Rufus L. Lord, 
 William F. Mott, 
 Hugh Maxwell, 
 Dennis M'Carthy, 
 Ralph Olmsted, 
 
 Nath'l Richards, 
 Fred'k Sheldon, 
 Peter Sharpe, 
 John Stearns, 
 Benjamin L. Swan, 
 Najah Taylor, 
 M. Van Schaick, 
 Henry I. Wyckoff, 
 John W. Wyman, 
 Samuel Wood. 
 
FIFTH ANNUAL REPORT, &c. 
 2830. 
 
 — 
 
 The Society for the Reformation of Juvenile Delin- 
 quents, has now been in operation five years. Pre- 
 viously to its organization much pains were taken to 
 explain to the public the necessity for such an insti- 
 tution, the principles upon which it was to be estab- 
 lished, and the benefits it was expected to afford. 
 
 At each anniversary, the execution of the original 
 design, and its favorable results, have been fully dis- 
 closed. In compliance with the expectations of the 
 public, and the duty of the Managers, another report 
 is now to be presented. 
 
 After having exhibited the usual financial and sta- 
 tistical accounts for the past year, and given assu- 
 rances of the general prosperity and augmented use- 
 fulness of the establishment, it will be impossible to 
 add any thing very new to former expositions. But as 
 these may be forgotten, or unknown to many, it will 
 not be improper, it is presumed, to notice, generally, 
 with as little repetition as possible, the objects of the 
 institution, its operation, and its effects. Such re- 
 marks will be offered as are suggested by the experi- 
 ence we have now had, or as grow out of circumstan- 
 ces connected with the institution. 
 
 There is a disposition in human nature, while pre- 
 sent advantages are enjoyed, to forget the past. 
 
 We shall not appreciate the usefulness of this 
 establishment unless we remember what was the con- 
 dition before this asylum was opened, of that class of 
 the community which is its object. 
 
 In New- York, as in every large city, there were a 
 number of forsaken children, many of them orphans, 
 and many who derived no protection from parents, 
 who received no instruction from them but in wicked- 
 ness and profanity, and no example but in the prac- 
 tice of vice and immorality. These destitute beings 
 began life by resorting to dishonest means to main- 
 
185 
 
 tain it and became criminal in their infancy. The 
 law made no distinction between the minor, after a 
 very immature age, and the adult offender; much less 
 did it consider the education, the wants, or the temp- 
 tations of the criminal. The nature of the punish- 
 ment for the old and hardened sinner, and for the 
 helpless, ignorant, starving child, was the same. — 
 Not only was there no difference in the nature of the 
 punishment inflicted on the old and the young, but 
 the treatment of all while under accusation, or detain- 
 ed for trial, was similar. All were secluded in the 
 same apartments. The inexperienced child was asso- 
 ciated with the aged, and hardened criminal, under 
 circumstances calculated to impart the contamination 
 of bad society. 
 
 It often happened that young persons who were 
 brought into this situation, were not accused of any 
 crime, but were committed for no other reason than 
 that they were vagrants; and they were vagrants only 
 because they were houseless orphans, or were driven 
 from their unprovided homes, by the cruelty or vices 
 of their parents. • 
 
 When the same walls enclosed old and young of- 
 fenders, the consequences were such as must have 
 been expected. From the moment a child was ob- 
 noxious to a criminal proceeding, he was lost. There 
 could be no hope of saving him from destruction, if 
 he were innocent, or of informing him if he were 
 guilty. His life was one of incessant transitions from 
 crime to punishment, each offence more aggravated 
 in, its character, till he became a hardened villain, 
 and ended in being a capital felon. 
 
 Benevolent men who had an opportunity of witness- 
 ing this deplorable condition of things, devised the 
 House of Refuge as a means of alleviating, if not re- 
 medying, evils so disgraceful to humanity, and with 
 which the savage might have reproached the boasted 
 refinements of civilization. Many of these have left 
 this world, and if departed spirits may look back 
 upon the past, our Eddys, Fews, Jones, Eastburns, 
 and Haynes, must regard with such feelings as we 
 may believe belong to another and a better nature, 
 the entire success, and prosperity of an institution 
 
 24 
 
186 
 
 which they had so large a share in establishing. We 
 should not suffer the active zeal of such men in the 
 organization of this charity to be forgotten, not only 
 because the world owes them a large debt of grati- 
 tude, but because a remembrance of their zealous 
 co-operation in its establishment, should subdue the 
 hostility of some, who have endeavored to make it be 
 believed that its principal means of support are di- 
 verted from a more legitimate appropriation of them. 
 But the institution never has touched a cent to which 
 there is any more lawful, more appropriate, or more 
 conscientious claim. No one could be unfriendly to 
 such a charity, or could desire to take from it the fa- 
 vor of the public or of the legislature, if he were 
 acquainted with the great benefits it is daily affording 
 to the community. Let the person who would ques- 
 tion its utility, or benevolence, so far subdue his pre- 
 judices as to be induced to visit the House of Refuge. 
 Let him see for himself within its w alls, two hundred 
 children enjoying health, comfort, and education. 
 Let him turn to our records and learn what was the 
 condition of these young persons before they were 
 consigned to our care. Let him also learn how many 
 have been redeemed and regenerated. Let him turn 
 his thoughts back to the time when there was no 
 refuge for the parentless, or the deserted, or seduced 
 child of poverty. Let him imagine these brought to 
 the bars of our criminal courts, and tried, and con- 
 demned. Let him reflecf on what was their subse- 
 quent treatment. Let his imagination follow them to 
 their prison, and keep them in view till they were 
 again turned into the streets to starve, or to steal. — 
 But let him further imagine that the doors of the 
 House of Refuge are opened, and the children he sees 
 before him left to wander without protection or home : 
 and if he has any thing of humanity in his composi- 
 tion, it could not but recoil from the consequences 
 which he must see would ensue. 
 
 While we are adverting to the founders of this mer- 
 ciful charity, it is just to claim for them the credit of 
 having been the first to establish an institution on the 
 principles we have adopted. This, because we have 
 called our building the House of Refuge, a name 
 
187 
 
 .Which hns long been applied in Europe, is often de- 
 nied. But the Society for the reformation of Juvenile 
 Delinquents, is very different in its powers, and indeed 
 in its objects, from any institution that existed pre- 
 viously to its incorporation, in this or any other 
 country. 
 
 It is true that before our society was thought of, 
 Houses of Refuge existed in England, and probably 
 elsewhere. But these were either pure charities to 
 receive and comfort destitute children, so long as they 
 should be in want of mere penitentiaries for the pun- 
 ishment of such as were convicted of crime. There 
 was no authority to detain a child who was not crim- 
 inal, and all the power and control over one who was 
 so, was prescribed by his sentence, and ceased when 
 that expired, and he quitted the walls of the prison. 
 No provision could be made for his protection during 
 his non-age. 
 
 The legislature has very much enlarged the ob- 
 jects of our institution, and entrusted to its managers 
 powers that have not heretofore been delegated. 
 These are essential to its beneficent action, and mark 
 the great difference between it and other institutions 
 that previously existed, however similar they may be 
 in name. If a child be found destitute — if abandoned 
 by its parents — or suffered to lead a vicious or va- 
 grant life ; or if convicted of any crime, it may be 
 sent to the House of Refuge. There is in no case 
 any other sentence than that it shall " there be dealt 
 with according to law." That is, it may if not re- 
 leased by some legal process, be there detained, if 
 the managers should think it unfit to be sooner dis- 
 charged, until it arrives at age. Parents or guardians, 
 from the time it is legally sentenced to the Refuge, 
 lose all control of its person. When it is believed 
 that a child is reformed, the managers have power, 
 with its consent, to bind it as an apprentice, till the 
 age of eighteen years, if a female, and if a boy till 
 the age of twenty-one. It is these important features 
 that mark the difference between our institution and 
 all others that previously existed; and it is in this 
 sense that we may say with truth, that the New- York 
 House of Refuge was the first of its kind ever estab- 
 lished. 
 
188 
 
 The system of instruction, employment, and dis- 
 cipline, as developed in our former reports, is not 
 materially changed. The attention of the children 
 to religious and moral instruction; the assiduity with 
 which they study; the industry with which they la- 
 bor; their cleanliness and healthful appearance, 
 cheerfulness and orderly conduct, evince the zeal, 
 intelligence, and discretion of the superintendent, 
 and of those to whom the immediate management of 
 the institution is entrusted. 
 
 The education of a large portion of the children 
 who are taken into the House of Refuge, is found to 
 have been as much neglected as their morals. Very 
 many of them can neither write nor read. But though 
 by the rules of the house, only four hours a day are 
 devoted to their schooling, they make a progress in 
 learning equal to what is generally experienced in 
 institutions devoted to literary instruction. In most 
 instances, the child whose delinquenc'es^render him 
 a subject for this establishment, has been led to an 
 early exercise of his mental faculties. The frauds or 
 tricks he has practised to provide for his sustenance, 
 or for the gratification of his vicious propensities, 
 have obliged him to exercise thought, reflection, and 
 ingenuity. The mind of such a one seems precocious, 
 more so than that of a child whose wants are all sup- 
 plied, who has found no necessity for the exercise of 
 his own energies, and who has been accustomed to 
 rely on the judgment and guidance of others. An 
 early self-dependence prepares these children to re- 
 ceive instruction, and when their minds are rightly 
 directed, that ability which would have made ingen- 
 ious rogues, renders them apt scholars. There are 
 few who leave the House of Refuge, who have not the 
 rudiments of a common education, and very generally 
 are so far capable of reading, writing, and ciphering, 
 as to be able to engage in ordinary business. Many 
 of them, as will be seen by the subjoined reports, have 
 so profited by the instruction they have received in 
 this institution, as to have laid, as we may hope, the 
 foundation of their advancement to stations in society 
 of profit, usefulness, and respect. 
 
 The managers mention with much pleasure, that 
 
189 
 
 they have a means of disposing of a number of the 
 elder boys, which is particularly advantageous to 
 them. Eighty of these have been bound (always with 
 their own consent, and that of their parents, when they 
 could be consulted) to the owners, or masters of wha- 
 lers from tiie Eastward. In this employment, the lad, 
 for many months, and sometimes for years, is abstract- 
 ed from his bad associates, and has no opportunity of 
 returning to his former habits. On the contrary, he 
 finds himself subject to wholesome restraint and dis- 
 cipline, and has the example, though they be sailors, 
 of moral, industrious, and religious companions. He 
 finds at once too, that he may derive a profit to him- 
 self from his own exertions ; for, in this trade, even the 
 apprentices are sharers in the loss and gain. It is 
 very satisfactory to refer to the letters subjoined to 
 the Reports, written from another hemisphere by lads 
 who are from the House of Refuge, and by their mas- 
 ters. The first will shew how the human mind ex- 
 pands — how capable it is of generous and virtuous 
 sentiments, when it feels independence, and is cheered 
 by hope. The other letters teach us that we should 
 never believe a young person so depraved, as that 
 judicious treatment may not produce reformation. 
 
 The influence and efficacy which the moral system 
 of treatment pursued in the Refuge, has on the chil- 
 dren, may be illustrated by the following facts. 
 
 Within the walls of the prison is a pretty large piece 
 of ground, cultivated as a fruit and flower garden, as 
 well as for raising vegetables for the use of the House. 
 The fruits and flowers are all within reach of the chil- 
 dren, and indeed when they are in season, are tempt- 
 ing them every moment. Yet there is scarcely an in- 
 stance of any thing having been touched without per- 
 mission. It may be thought that this forbearance is 
 produced by great severity. This is not the case. 
 The youthful inmates of this institution are governed 
 by appeals to their understandings, to their generous 
 feelings, rather than by corporal punishments. It is 
 rectitude, or the fear of disgrace, and not of pain, that 
 has this happy influence. In this little community, 
 each member of it is led to estimate the value of char- 
 acter, and is not only anxious to avoid a bad reputa 
 
190 
 
 tion,but is emulous of being distinguished among his 
 fellows for his goodness, his proficiency, and his abil- 
 ity. Badges of distinction are here objects of ambi- 
 tion, are borne with pride, and regarded with defer- 
 ence, as they are by human nature under other cir- 
 cumstances. With this difference, that here they are 
 known to be always the reward of merit, and are 
 never the adventitious appendages of birth or good 
 fortune. 
 
 It is not improbable that these may be considered 
 by some, as prejudiced and exaggerated representa- 
 tions of the patrons of the institution. The fear that 
 this may be the case, should not prevent our exhibit- 
 ing what we conscientiously believe to be the truth. 
 We owe to humanity a faithful and fearless testimony 
 of the success of the experiment we are making. It 
 is a step in the improvement of the condition of man- 
 kind, which it is so obvious Providence is permitting. 
 When generations to come, look back to trace the 
 amelioration of their species, they will find among the 
 first grades our Infant and Public Schools, the refor- 
 mation of Juvenile Delinquents, and our merciful pen- 
 itentiary code. 
 
 Let it not be supposed that it is pretended that we 
 are invariably successful in producing reformation; 
 on the contrary, it is acknowledged that we sometimes 
 meet with incorrigible wickedness; but this is so 
 rarely the case, that we do not hesitate to say, that 
 after some years of experience, we are warranted to 
 present the above as faithful representations of the 
 condition of the institution and its general effects. 
 
 The managers feel it a duty to notice particularly 
 the female department. Though they have to regret 
 that the ill health of their former excellent Matron, 
 Miss Goewey, has deprived them of her services, her 
 place is supplied by a lady in whom they have every 
 reason to believe they may repose entire confidence. 
 The acknowledgments of the managers are especially 
 due to the ladies whose report is herewith submitted. 
 A committee of the Senate of this state at the last ses- 
 sion, offers to the benevolence of the ladies who have 
 devoted themselves to this charity, a tribute in which 
 the managers most cordially join. The ladies whose 
 
191 
 
 Report is now presented, have been no less active, 
 zealous, and useful, than their predecessors. Their 
 superintending care is attended with the happiest ef- 
 fects, and is essential to the good management of this 
 branch of the institution. Their Report offers sug- 
 gestions well deserving consideration. It is as they 
 have observed, extraordinary, that while we see at 
 every corner of our streets so many youthful females 
 abandoned to vicious courses — while so many of them 
 are prosecuted as vagrants, and criminals, so few 
 should be found in an asylum, where, under the guar- 
 dianship of the most amiable of their own sex, they 
 would receive religious, moral, and useful instruction, 
 and when they left the walls that confined them, 
 would be put into a right path. 
 
 The reports of cases of females heretofore and now 
 submitted, shew in how many instances the hapless 
 child was vicious, only because her virtuous dispo- 
 sitions were uncultivated, and how often the most 
 hopeless depravity has yielded to the influences of 
 the institution. There are many females who have 
 been bound out by the managers, who are now lead- 
 ing exemplary lives, and who, as will be seen by the 
 letters annexed to the reports, are gaining the confi- 
 dence and good will of all around them. It happens 
 in many instances that females, when the time for 
 which they are sentenced expires, are so nearly of 
 age, that they must be discharged without such pro- 
 vision as may be made for younger persons.' A female, 
 though she may have been reformed in the Refuge, 
 and may have determined to lead a life of virtue and 
 industry, if she be nearly eighteen years old, cannot 
 be indentured — she must be discharged. Without a 
 home, without friends, without means, and even with- 
 out a character, except such as she can obtain from 
 those who have known her only as a delinquent, — she 
 could hardly have any choice but to starve, or to 
 obtain a miserable subsistence by a return to her for- 
 mer habits, — and although benevolent persons do 
 often interpose to rescue objects from this dire ne- 
 cessity, yet the managers agree with the ladies' com- 
 mittee, that nothing can be more desirable than that 
 there should be some permanent resource for unhappy 
 beings so circumstanced. 
 
192 
 
 Among the benevolent projects which constantly 
 filled the mind of our late excellent and venerable as- 
 sociate, Thomas Eddy, was one for establishing an 
 asylum for *hose who might deserve it, and who are 
 turned from our prisons in a desolate state. He 
 proposed to give them a shelter and employment, by 
 which they might earn something, until they could be 
 offered the means of gaining an honest livelihood. 
 It was part of his plan to obtain a law which would 
 authorise persons who needed the benefit of such an 
 establishment, to bind themselves to submit to its 
 regulations, so that they might not be uncontrolled 
 when in it, or leave it at their pleasure. There would 
 seem to be much less difficulty in realizing such a 
 prospect for females, than for the other sex. Possi- 
 bly it wants only the patronage of the ladies, who in 
 their report advert with so much feeling and humanity 
 to the deplorable condition of young women dischar- 
 ged from the House of Refuge, to bring into existence 
 a charity the successful operation of which would be 
 so grateful to their feelings. 
 
 Though there be vacant room in the female apart- 
 ment, the boys' house is generally so crowded that it 
 often happens, that there are from fifteen to twenty 
 obliged to sleep in the halls- and passages, — an ar- 
 rangement which is a violation of the salutary regula- 
 tion that each child shall have a separate dormitory, 
 and be secluded when he cannot be watched. It is in 
 the silence of night, in solitude, and within the naked 
 walls of a cell, that the mind is obliged to turn upon 
 itself, and that reflection is awakened which gives 
 growth to the seeds of virtue and religion, planted in 
 the school and in the chapel. 
 
 The managers soon perceived that though the influ- 
 ence of the institution in society, in lessening the 
 number of crimes, should be equal to their most san- 
 guine expectations, the present buildings would be 
 too small for the increase of population, and to meet 
 the extended operation which is given to the House 
 of Refuge, by the act of the legislature opening it for 
 young delinquents from every part of the state. 
 
 The managers, therefore, in 1828, proposed to build 
 an additional house, and with that view obtained 
 
193 
 
 from the late Governor Clinton, who was so much the 
 friend and patron of the institution, an order on the 
 health commissioners for seven thousand dollars, to 
 be applied to the erection of a new building. Only 
 two thousand dollars had been received under this 
 order, when the law of 1829 placed the revenue of 
 the establishment on a new footing. But this two 
 thousand dollars has been held for the purpose for 
 which it was designed, and forms part of the availa- 
 ble funds on hand, as will be seen by the subjoined 
 account. The managers are happy to find, that this 
 year there will be some surplus, and they now hope 
 that these funds will soon- warrant them to erect the 
 building so much required, and enable them to meet 
 the increased expenses of an enlarged establishment. 
 
 It may be thought, that when we represent the 
 children in the House of Refuge as enjoying all the 
 comforts of life, and as submitting to their confinement 
 with cheerfulness, it must lose so much of the charac- 
 ter of a penitentiary, that to be confined in it will not 
 be considered as a punishment, and that the fear of 
 being sent, or returned to it, will not deter young per- 
 sons from the commission of crimes. But it must be 
 remembered, that it is by amending the heajrt, inspi- 
 ring a love of virtue, and a conscious rectitude, that 
 this institution is expected to produce its beneficial 
 effects. If experience warranted the conclusion that 
 this could only be done by terror, the House of 
 Refuge might fail in its objects. But though it has 
 been established now more than five years, how few 
 are the instances of a child being re-committed after 
 a regular discharge ! Let us contrast this with the 
 representations of the District Attorney made in 1822, 
 when with a view to the formation of this Society, he 
 furnished from the records of the police office, a list 
 of upwards of four hundred and fifty cases of juvenile 
 delinquents. This did not include the young persons 
 who were charged with indictable offences. Fifty or 
 sixty of these, he stated, were tried in the course of a 
 year, and some of them not over fourteen or fifteen 
 years of age, he had known to be indicted and tried 
 five or six times. But the love of liberty is as natural 
 to man as the love of life. It may be said of incar- 
 
 25 
 
194 
 
 ceration as it has been of slavery — disguise it as you 
 will, still it is a bitter draught. The cage cannot be 
 made so tine, or so comfortable, that the bird will not 
 covet the open air. 
 
 The frequent, and as will be seen by a subjoined 
 document, sometimes successful attempts, to escape 
 from the Refuge, is evidence that there is little proba- 
 bility that we shall ever have voluntary inmates ; and 
 there seems no reason to believe that there will not 
 bea fear of this prison, or of being subjected to its 
 confinement and discipline, after they have been once 
 experienced. Indeed we know that " the boys' 
 prison" is very familiar in the mouths of a certain 
 class of the younger part of our population, and is 
 mentioned with a dread that to be sent to it may be 
 the punishment of misconduct. 
 
 It is highly gratifying for the managers to repeat, 
 after the experience of so many years, that the House 
 of Refuge continues to realize the anticipations of its 
 warmest friends and advocates. Religion, policy, and 
 benevolence, require its support, not only in reference 
 to the present time, but in regard to other genera- 
 tions, to whom, with a continuance of the liberality 
 they have heretofore met from the legislature, and 
 with the blessing of Providence on their zeal and ex- 
 ertions, the managers hope to transmit the institution. 
 
 SEEECTIOM OF CASES AND LETTERS 
 
 From Apprentices, and from Persons to whom Apprentices 
 have been bound. 
 
 BOYS. 
 
 A. B., the son of a dissolute mother and a runaway father, — was 
 bound out from the Aims-House, discharged by his master, and in 
 a few months changed his place of service in this city five or six 
 times. This course led to idle and reckless habits ; visiting Thea- 
 tres, and petty thefts followed, and he came into the Refuge, with 
 a peevish and sullen disposition and only able to spell words of one 
 syllable. This is one of the cases in which the efficacy of a mild, 
 firm and regular system of instruction, was soon made apparent 
 by bringing out the good qualities cf the lad. He was indentured 
 
195 
 
 in October, 1828. August 12, 1829, his master writes as follows: 
 — " For the most part A. is a very good boy, and certainly we 
 would not part with him for any consideration. He is generally 
 faithful and steady at his work, which consists in tending my gar- 
 den, &c. When he gets older, I shall put him on the farm and in- 
 struct him in all the branches of the profession, provided he proves 
 a good boy, stays with me till he is 21, is smart and industrious, 
 and looks to my interest as to his own, he shall never be turned off 
 with no more than is mentioned in his indentures. I have it in my 
 power to do as much for him as any man in this part of the coun- 
 try ; having no children of my own and two good farms, either of 
 which I shall be glad for him to manage after he is 21, and in a way 
 that he shall find profitable. In fine, it is my design to make a 
 smart business man of him, and to this end he shall have a good 
 education. He is not suffered to spend the Sabbath day as some 
 other boys in this place and elsewhere do, in strolling from place 
 to place, hunting, fishing, swimming, &c. : but on such days he is 
 generally found with his spelling book or testament, reading to me 
 or my wife, or to himself. In fine, I shall spare no pains to make 
 a good and respectable citizen of him, and if he does not do well, 
 his blood shall not be upon my hands." 
 
 In another letter he says — " I have always found him remarkably 
 quick and willing to do whatever I command him, and perhaps no 
 boy of his age has proved himself more trusty and faithful when 
 left alone, &c. He often speaks of Mr. Hart, and I think views 
 him almost in the relation of a father, though nothing will cause 
 him to shed tears sooner than to talk of sending him back again to 
 the House of Refuge, &lc. I have taken the special charge of his 
 education, &c. He loves me dearly, and his mistress, as he loves 
 his life." 
 
 The letter is too long to be continued, but it is filled with favor- 
 able descriptions of the boy, and there can be no doubt that his 
 prospects of success in life are of the most animating kind. We 
 scarcely know which most to admire, the character of the boy, or 
 that of his christian master. 
 
 George W., at the age of 10, had accomplished so great a num- 
 ber of petty thefts as to make him an adept. His last feat was a 
 burglary of a daring character, for which he was committed to the 
 Refuge, on the 20th of February, 1827. Having grownup toman's 
 estate in profligate habits, with thoughts bent on mischief, and 
 being wholly unaccustomed to work, he found his situation in the 
 house extremely irksome. Upon one occasion, it became neces- 
 sary to use severe measures to reduce him to obedience. But 
 being administered in the cautious and paternal manner which the 
 rules prescribe, happy effects soon followed, and in 16 months after 
 his commitment, he was considered fit to be indentured. 
 
 On the 23d February, 1829, his master writes as follows: — "I 
 have received your letter making enquiries respecting G. W.,who*n 
 I got from the House of Refuge in June last, and can say he is 
 industrious, and that I have no knowledge but that he has a strict 
 regard for truth, that he attends public worship and sabbath school, 
 and reads the scriptures ; that I believe he does as well as he 
 knows how, and exceeds my expectations. He considers the 
 House of Refuge a blessing for him, and speaks of the Superin- 
 tendent in the highest terms." 
 
196 
 
 Anthony C. born on the passage from France. His parents 
 died before he was two years old. 
 
 Committed by the police in March 1825, for a petty crime. A 
 most impracticable boy. After two years discipline in the House, 
 he was bound out with some misgivings. But the account of him 
 is favorable. His master writes : " C. has conducted as well as I 
 could expect a boy of his age, he has made but very few acquain- 
 tances since he has been with me in this place, and appears to be 
 very well contented and has no disposition to run about the 
 town in the evening, as many boys do. I should be loth to part 
 with him for the chance of obtaining a better." 
 
 J. R. commenced thieving at 9 years of age, and soon became 
 notorious, being frequently instigated by older boys to enter 
 houses to steal plate, watches, &,c. " After having been in the 
 House of Refuge more than a year, he became one of the most in- 
 teresting children we had." April 17, 1829, his master writes as 
 follows, " J. R. is in good health and very well pleased with his 
 situation, and we are much pleased with him, we would be glad to 
 hear from you to obtain the 1st annual report of the House, if con- 
 venient to send it. It gives J. R. new energy every time he hears 
 you approve of his good behaviour, and on that account a line now 
 and then would be of infinite service to the boy and gratifying 
 to," &c. 
 
 Subsequent verbal information confirms this account, and says, 
 " that J. R. indulges no other disposition than to make a man of 
 himself." 
 
 J. M. B. an orphan boy, was bound out from the alms house and 
 ran away from his conductor, before he left the city. His exploits 
 were numerous and various, reaching almost every description of 
 petty thefts, such as of old lead, copper, rope, porter bottles, eggs, 
 and fruit in the markets, a shawl from a store, &c. For these and 
 other offences, he has been in Bridewell 10 or 12 times, but always 
 escaped conviction because no one appeared against him. When 
 brought to the Refuge, May 9, 1827, it was soon discovered that 
 he had one redeeming quality which has been made the foundation 
 of a good work. "He told the truth with the utmost prompti- 
 tude," and in a few months excited attention by his industry and 
 punctuality. But such had been the extent of his depredations 
 and so apprehensive were the Indenturing Committee that at the 
 age of 14, the bad habits he had contracted when at large upon the 
 world with no hand to guide and no heart to cherish him, had be- 
 come too confirmed to be suddenly eradicated, that he was de- 
 tained in the House 16 months before they acquired sufficient con- 
 fidence in his stability to put him out. 
 
 March 15, 1829, his master writes: — "It affords me much 
 pleasure to report to you the general good conduct and behavior 
 of J. M. B. I have discovered in him no vicious habits, he is faith- 
 ful, honest, and industrious, though not as active as I could wish; 
 always willing and obedient, even tempered, and appears perfectly 
 contented. He has been at school this winter, besides attending 
 Sabbath school and church with my family. Is very attentive to his 
 book, reads his bible, and receives good instructions from my 
 family. He speaks very highly of the House of Refuge, and often 
 
197 
 
 speaks of Mr. Hart with as much respect as a child for a father. 
 With my best wishes for your Society, &c." 
 
 A. T., had been employed in selling sweet potatoes, clams, &c. 
 about the streets, (the most fatal business a boy can pursue) and 
 contracted an inveterate habit of drinking ardent spirits, which led 
 to the commission of other errors. He was sent to the House as 
 a vagrant. After 18 months of detention, his conduct became so 
 satisfactory, that he was indentured to learn a carpenter's trade. 
 Poor fellow! his unhappy propensity returned upon him, and the 
 slave of rum again became an inmate of the House of Refuge. 
 Eighteen months training in temperate, industrious and moral hab- 
 its, had not been sufficient to cure that dreadful malady, and his 
 master with sorrow gave him back to our care. After a suitable 
 time had elapsed, he was bound out to a Nantucket Merchant, and 
 departed on a three years whaling voyage. His letter dated " Coast 
 of Japan, Lat. 32, Long." — is too long for insertion, but from its 
 cleanly appearance and fair hand, we should judge that he was kept 
 from the use of ardent spirits. 
 
 April 7, 1825. 
 
 T. S. — from the Police, aged 13 years. His mother died three 
 years since. This boy was and we presume is still what is tech- 
 nically called, a hard character. The detail of his criminal ex- 
 ploits, would fatigue the reader. He followed stealing as a profes- 
 sion, and with associates of the same age, seems to have delighted 
 in the vocation in which he had acquired expertness and hardi- 
 hood. 
 
 He remained in the Refuge more than three years, and great 
 desire was felt to place him at a good trade. He had the fairest 
 opportunities, but every attempt failed, and he was at length bound 
 to a merchant of Nantucket. 
 
 ■He writes to Mr. Hart: — September 12, 1828. 
 
 I take this opportunity to let you know that I am in good health. 
 We have had a pleasant time: we are on the Brazilian Banks, <fcc. 
 You must excuse my letter. I just want to mention to the boys 
 that want to go to sea, if they were to see me on the maintop-gal- 
 lant mast, or royal yards, they would like to stay at home; but if 
 they would like to come, let them come. 
 
 Your Refuge Boy. 
 
 W. A. — received into the House, March 8, 1828, from a Court of 
 Special Sessions held in the country, aged 14 years. His father 
 drinks very hard; his mother is in the Poor House, with all her 
 children except the oldest. 
 
 W, was indentured by the Poor Masters, three or four times, 
 and ran away as often. His thefts were trifling. Being only ac- 
 customed to a vagrant life, it was difficult to change his habits to 
 those of order and industry. But in a few months he became what 
 the Superintendent calls a " lovely boy." He was indentured to a 
 farmer in Illinois, a kind and respectable man, who answers our 
 letter, October 4, 1 829. " He is both trust-worthy and industrious. 
 He has as strict a regard for truth as children of his age commonly 
 have. I am fully convinced he does as well as he knows how," &c. 
 
 February 10, 1827. 
 William, committed by the Police, aged 14 years. His parents 
 
198 
 
 arc still more depraved than those mentioned in the last history. 
 Their residence is the abode of dissipation and misery. A linger- 
 ing recollection of former respectability, induced them to send 
 William to school. But what could the boy do to resist the effect 
 of so much bad example. Domestic instructions he had none; a 
 virtuous precept he probably never heard. He ran from school, 
 was bound to a shoemaker, ran away: was put to a chair maker, 
 stopped a little while and quit: he then became a vagrant, and his 
 history exhibits an acquaintance with the most depraved modes of 
 life. After he was in the House 13 months, he was indentured to 
 a farmer. Here he stayed only 4 months : his vicious thoughts 
 had not been eradicated nor his heart changed. He was found in 
 his old haunts, and returned to the House: some months after, 
 made his escape, was recovered, and after another probation, was 
 indentured to a respectable merchant in Nantucket. This is a bad 
 case, and yet, thank Heaven! not without hope, for while this 
 report is preparing, the following letters from him have been re- 
 ceived. 
 
 $ Ship E , at Cape Verd 
 
 l Islands, August 14, 1829. 
 Dear Grandmother. — I take the first opportunity of informing 
 you by a letter that I am in a very good state of health. We have 
 been out now one month, and I expect I shall be gone about 
 twenty eight or thirty months. I am very much pleased with the 
 vessel and all the officers, they appear to be very nice men indeed, 
 and treat me more like a son than any thing else. We have a 
 meeting held in the cabin every Sunday afternoon, and there is no 
 swearing allowed on board." The residue is uninteresting. 
 
 His letter to the Superintendent is written in a handsome strong 
 hand, and is well expressed* He repeats the substance of his let- 
 ter to his grandmother, and then says, "I feel very grateful indeed 
 for the kindness which you shewed me, while under your care and 
 instruction. I now see the errors of my former conduct, and you 
 may rest assured that I have commenced a new beginning, and shall 
 always endeavor to behave myself with all the propriety and deco- 
 rum that I am capable. I have often read the (printed) letter which 
 you handed me on my departure from the House of Refuge, and 
 shall endeavor to keep in mind all the good instructions contained 
 in said letter," &c. 
 
 I am sir, with the greatest respect, 
 
 Your most obedient servant. 
 
 There are two classes of criminals whom it is difficult to convert 
 or save from the error of their ways. These are, dissolute girls, 
 and drunken boys. There are no practices of which corrupt human 
 nature is guilty, that so certainly carry their victims to destruction 
 as these: It seems as if the soul had become tainted with so deadly 
 a leprosy, that no mortal balm could cure it. Other stains the 
 House of Refuge has washed away, and often in cases of so deep a 
 dye, as to excite the highest degree of astonishment and gratifica- 
 tion; but five years experience furnishes us with but few cases of 
 reformation from the effects of these, the most public and destruc- 
 tive vices of civilized life. 
 
199 
 
 GIRLS. 
 
 Catharine D. was sent to the House of Refuge by the Police 
 Magistrates, before she was 9 years old. At this tender age, she 
 had already been convicted of stealing, and other offences and was 
 becoming hardened in iniquity, having been twice confined in 
 Bridewell. The catalogue of her misdeeds is too long for minute 
 relation, and it is not intended to give any other than a general view 
 of each case, so as to avoid wearying the patience, or shocking the 
 delicacy of the reader. 
 
 In the Refuge, the most strict attention was paid to the morals 
 of this little unfortunate: we say unfortunate, for be it remembered 
 that the parents of this child belong to that dissipated and intem- 
 perate class of beings, whose dwellings are the abodes of misery 
 and crime. The discipline of the House was so happily adapted to 
 the temper of her mind, that Catharine soon assumed habits of 
 obedience, industry and regularity, and after a few months residence 
 in the House, when her guilty thoughts began to be displaced by 
 new hopes and aspirations, the natural sweetness of her disposition 
 and her moral and religious feelings became so apparent, that in 
 the language of the superintendent, "she was beloved by all who 
 became acquainted with her." 
 
 January 3, 1827, Catharine was indentured to the Rev. Mr. W., 
 of F. In answer to our enquiries about her, made in pursuance of 
 rules of the establishment, this highly respectable and pious gen- 
 tleman, under date of July 13, 1829, writes as follows. "Iam 
 happy that I am.enabled to state that Mrs. W., myself, and all my 
 family, still are, as they always have been, highly pleased with the 
 temper of her mind and the tenor of her conduct. Such has been 
 and still is our pleasure in her, that she is in my family as one of 
 my children." The letter contains answers to six questions, re- 
 specting her behavior, character and education, and the account 
 given of her is such as a good parent would give of a good child, 
 and it concludes in the following manner: "She speaks with ten- 
 derness and affection of the House of Refuge. She inquires in the 
 kindest manner concerning the Superintendent, and takes deep in- 
 terest in every intelligence from that institution. Catharine is far 
 superior to almost all the hired girls in her situation. She is very 
 interesting in her appearance and in her manners, and bids fair to 
 grow up in a manner which shall have effaced from her mind and 
 deportment every trace of her origin. May God reward you and 
 the honored patrons of your institution, and make you all and it 
 an extended and extending blessing to your day and generation." 
 
 Before the reader indulges in those feelings of pleasure and sur- 
 prise which this little history must excite in every christian bosom, 
 we wish to inform him that when Catharine came into the Refuge, 
 " she did not know her letters," and her conduct was leading her 
 to "inevitable destruction." Now her moral culture is quite as 
 perfect as is given to children of the best families, and she is getting 
 a good education. 
 
 Sarah A. G., was received into the House at the age of 14. Its 
 discipline and instruction saved her. A letter from her master 
 speaks of her in terms of praise. "I have never discovered in her 
 any bad habit; she is industrious and honest, and devotes all her 
 
200 
 
 leisure time to her studies, the principal of which is the Bible, &c. ft 
 The writer promised to send her to school in the spring. We have 
 no doubt this was done, and that she will be allowed a reasonable 
 opportunity for mental improvement. 
 
 Margaret J., sent into the House for some petty crime, at the 
 age of 12, and was thus happily snatched from the ruinous contact 
 of a deeply depraved and bad example. What in the aberrations 
 of the worst of Nature's works, can be so shocking and baneful as 
 the intentional and persevering misconduct of a mother. 
 
 This child soon fell into our habits of regular industry, became 
 fond of reading, gained the matron's confidence, was promoted to 
 the class of honor, and never betrayed her trust. Her attachment 
 to her Bible became ardent, and her knowledge of its precepts un- 
 usual. This induced a foreign gentleman of distinction to make 
 her a present of a handsome Bible. Shortly after the house was 
 visited by some Indians from Canada. She became acquainted 
 with their religious hopes, and joyfully presented her new Bible to 
 one of the aborigines to be given to his wife. Some months after, 
 the Indian woman was taken sick. The child's Bible was her 
 constant companion; she would not part with it, and she died with 
 it in her arms. In a subsequent visit to New-York, the same peo- 
 ple made much inquiry about "that beloved little girl of the House 
 of Refuge." 
 
 That beloved little girl is growing up in the way she should go, 
 is at a good trade, is pious, industrious, and happy; and writes a 
 creditable letter to the matron, in which she says, "Oh, if I had 
 not been sent to the House of Refuge, where would I have been 
 this day. My dear Miss Goewey, I can hardly call you any thing 
 else but my dear mother, I thank you and Miss Weaver for all 
 your motherly care over me. I never can pay you for all, but I 
 do believe that my Heavenly Father will." 
 
 September^, 1827. 
 M. D., from the commissioners aged 13 years. Her mother has 
 been dead seven years. She has been to six places of service in 
 about fourteen months. She was a girl of talents, resolute, way- 
 ward, and apparently bent on her own destruction. Not succeed- 
 ing in a bold attempt, to escape, she contrived a plan to set the fe- 
 male house on fire, which was detected and prevented. This led 
 to a more rigid course of discipline, which together with the in- 
 struction of the House, subdued her temper, and in eighteen 
 months she was considered fit to be indentured. She shall speak 
 for herself. 
 
 Pennsylvania, Feb. 22, 1829. 
 
 "My Dear Father. — You need not feel uneasy on my account, 
 as I have got a good place. I like my situation very much, as the 
 lady I live with is very kind to me. I want to know if my little 
 sister M., has got a good place, and if she has I wish her to stay to 
 it. My dear father, do not grieve after me, my time will soon be 
 expired, when I hope I shall be a comfort to you in your old age. 
 
 Tell my sister for me, to try and be a good girl, not to be saucy 
 to the lady she lives with; to do all she can to please her. Tell 
 her she must pray to God to help her, and he will hear her Drayers, 
 
201 
 
 for his ear is ever open to the prayers of the orphan. Tell her she 
 must never dare to take that which does not belong to her." 
 
 The letter contains three pages of pious and fervent encourage- 
 ment to her father, and admonition to her sister. 
 
 Her letter to the Matron, dated March 8, is written in a similar 
 strain. 
 
 The following is from a member of the Legislature, a gentleman 
 of distinguished reputation, July 1, 1829. 
 
 "Sarah appears to be a kind and good girl as yet, and gives good 
 satisfaction thus far : she is kind to the children, and they are fond 
 of her; attends Sunday Schools, and her whole deportment thus 
 far is perfectly satisfactory. She speaks often of you, (the matron) 
 and appears grateful for the treatment and advice she received at 
 the House of Refuge. I trust the instruction she has been favored 
 with in your institution, will not be lost upon her, but that she will 
 become a useful member of society, and prepared for that kingdom 
 where there shall be no more trial or sorrow." 
 
 The father of this child burst a blood vessel, and upon his death 
 her mother was removed to the Alms House. The child was 
 thrown upon the wide world at the age of ten or eleven, and fell 
 into the common course of idleness and petty crime. The Refuge 
 saved her from total ruin. 
 
 December 23, 1828. 
 
 E. N., committed by the Police, aged 10 years. Her father kept 
 a bad house. The mother employed her child in the business of 
 begging victuals and old clothes, while she remained home in a 
 state of intoxication. 
 
 Some of the suspicious persons who frequented her father's 
 house, would occasionally go out begging and take this little girl 
 with them: this was a cover. for thievish practices. It is not pos- 
 sible to conceive a story of more sickening depravity than this would 
 make, if related in plain language. 
 
 The Superintendent says, " when this interesting girl first en- 
 tered the House, she was as black and as dirty as a chimney sweep; 
 her muslin was the color of the earth, it being all the garment of 
 the kind she had. 
 
 After the Matron had thoroughly cleaned her, and put on her a 
 clean plain dress, she excited our sympathy, and we thanked the 
 Lord that he had put it into the hearts of benevolent men, to get 
 up a House of Refuge, for such unfortunates. The child having 
 been accustomed to live in degradation and filth, and now begin- 
 ning to enjoy the sweets of regularity, good order and cleanliness, 
 could not be induced to say that she would like to return home. 
 
 Her parents finding that they had lost a valuable member of 
 their fraternity, had her brought before the Recorder on a writ of 
 Habeas Corpus. The judge examined the case with much atten- 
 tion, interrogated the child, discovered that she preferred the Re- 
 fuge to her father's house, seemed pleased with her clean and sweet 
 appearance, and then looked with disgust at the dirty heap of 
 clothes in which she had come to the Refuge : and suddenly ad- 
 dressing the lawyer : " Sir, said he, if I should return you this child, 
 my conscience would not let me sleep this night!" 
 
 The child's improvement in the House was rapid, and she soon 
 
 26 
 
202 
 
 became fit to be indentured. The gentleman under whose roof she 
 leads a happy and an innocent life, writes as follows : 
 
 November 16, 1829. 
 "It gives me much satisfaction to state that E's conduct and dis- 
 position have been such, that I think a person not knowing from 
 whence she came, would be induced to believe her almost incapable 
 of committing crime, the most trivial in its nature, should it be 
 placed within her reach. Her disposition is very mild and pleas- 
 ing, her willingness to do as directed, seems to indicate there could 
 have been no pains spared, while under your control to instil upon 
 her mind the manner of conduct that should govern her through 
 life," &c. 
 
 The decision of the Recorder, has probably saved this child from 
 a life of infamy and wretchedness. 
 
 It must not be supposed that all the children sent from the House 
 of Refuge, turn out as well as those alluded to in the preceding 
 histories. On the contrary, our previous remarks admit that we 
 do not always succeed in producing reform : but though we have 
 to regret occasional failures, they are not of a character to arrest 
 our efforts, or impair our confidence in the general results of the 
 system. The interesting and conclusive cases of penitence and 
 reform, which we have related, afford us ample encouragement to 
 perseverance in this good work. To these, many other cases ex- 
 hibiting instances of reformation might be added. Besides, these 
 failures, though comparatively few in number, and of no great im- 
 portance as it regards their bad example to the inmates of the House, 
 may in some instances be traced to the unfitness of the master who 
 has been intrusted with the care and education of a child. Though 
 great caution is observed in the selection of situations for our 
 children, it is not possible always to discover the true character 
 of applicants, notwithstanding that the Indenturing Committee, 
 consisting of three gentlemen, devote a large portion of their 
 time, with unwearied diligence, to this responsible and laborious 
 business. 
 
 It will be observed in one of the histories we have given, that a 
 salutary dread of returning to the Refuge was felt by a child. 
 This is a safe and advantageous state of mind, provided it is accom- 
 panied, as in this instance it appears to have been, by kind and res- 
 pectful recollections of the officers of the House. For it must 
 not be forgotten, that the House of Refuge is in fact a prison for 
 children, and that whilst the greatest tenderness is due to their 
 youth, and the greatest compassion should be displayed towards 
 their involuntary errors, no such relaxation of discipline can be 
 permitted, as may tend to call off their minds from the severer du- 
 ties of life, or encourage the illusory expectation of exemption from 
 wholesome restraint, and from inevitable punishment whenever it 
 is deserved. 
 
 Other histories shew that the children love the House of Refuge, 
 for the good it has done them. Any more happy illustration of its 
 merits, cannot be desired than those cases display. The wish of 
 every benevolent mind, should therefore be, that it may long con- 
 tinue to be a blessing, and a refuge to the houseless orphan, and 
 the child of neglect, of bad example, and of crime. 
 
* 
 
 203 
 
 REPORT OF THE LADIES' COMMITTEE. 
 
 To the Managers of the House of Refuge, the Ladies' Committee 
 respectfully Report — 
 
 That, since their last Annual Report, the Monthly Meetings of 
 the Committee have been regularly held, besides such special Meet- 
 ings as circumstances appeared to require. A Sub-Committee of 
 their number have visited the House of Refuge, at least, once in 
 each week during the year. Minutes have been regularly kept by 
 the Committee and Sub-Committees, a summary of which will be 
 laid before the Managers, and to this summary, they refer for a 
 more detailed account of their proceedings. 
 
 On this occasion it may be sufficient to remark, that, so far as 
 opportunity has been afforded, the present Matron appears quali- 
 fied to discharge the arduous duties of her station, with credit to 
 herself, and benefit to the Institution. The girls continue to be 
 fully employed, and their time profitably divided between the usual 
 School exercises. Family devotions, and the numerous domestic 
 duties of the House, such as baking, washing, making and mending 
 their own and the boys' clothes, bedding, &c. And in each of 
 these departments, the Committee are happy to say, there is evi- 
 dence of improvements. 
 
 The Sub-Committees have, during their weekly visits to the Re- 
 fuge, advised with, and assisted the Matron in the arrangement of 
 its domestic concerns, and have not been unmindful of the highly 
 important duty of endeavoring to instil into the minds of the girls, 
 principles of piety and virtue, and excite them to a sense of the 
 necessity of cultivating habits of industry, cleanliness and order; 
 and a strict attention to the directions of the Matron, and the rules 
 of the House. These efforts have not in every instance been 
 crowned with that success which the Committee could desire ; but 
 the exceptions have been so few, that, instead of diminishing, they 
 have stimulated to renewed and increased exertions. 
 
 The sympathies of the Ladies' Committee, have been peculiarly 
 and strongly elicited on behalf of those girls who cannot be bound 
 out, in consequence of having been sent to the Refuge when nearly 
 arrived at the limited age, and are therefore discharged and again 
 exposed to temptation, without friends or the honest means of 
 immediate support. The Committee cannot conceive a case in the 
 "whole range of human destitution," that presents a stronger 
 claim on our compassion, than a penitent female thus circumstan- 
 ced. 
 
 The committee are aware that when such cases have occurred in 
 the Refuge, the private benevolence of individuals connected with 
 the Institution, has applied at least a partial remedy; but they res- 
 pectfully suggest whether some permanent arrangement cannot 
 be made to provide this interesting class of female delinquents with 
 the means of support, till they can place themselves in situations 
 beyond the reach of their former associates. Without some such 
 provision, there is reason to fear that many on whom the discipline 
 of the House, and the admonitions received within its walls, had 
 exerted a beneficial influence, may become so disheartened by the 
 hopelessness of their condition, as to yield to the pressure of cir* 
 
» 
 
 204 
 
 cumstances, and again resort to those haunts of vice from which 
 they had been rescued. 
 
 The average number of girls in the House of Refuge during the 
 past year, does not exceed one half of the number for which there 
 are accommodations. Could the Committee believe that this re- 
 sulted from a deficiency of suitable objects, it would indeed be 
 cause of thankful acknowledgment ; but their daily walks through 
 the city, furnish conclusive evidence that this is not the fact, for 
 they are met at almost every corner by numbers of vagrant female 
 children, whose ragged appearance and disorderly conduct shew 
 that they are destitute of Parents or Protectors, or what is even 
 worse, under the influence of such as urge them to the commission 
 of crime. Deeply impressed with the importance of snatching as 
 many as possible of these unfortunate children from that course of 
 life, which our Records abundantly shew they are persevering in, 
 the Ladies' Committee earnestly solicit the attention of the Mana- 
 gers to the subject. They will not permit themselves to doubt the 
 existence of a disposition on the part of our City Authorities to 
 co-operate and lend them assistance in a cause like this. The 
 Committee need scarcely advert to the fact, that applications for 
 girls to be placed in respectable families, remote from large towns 
 or cities, are much more numerous than the means of supply. 
 That the conditions of the class of girls referred to, would be im- 
 proved by the change, is too self-evident to admit of dispute : and 
 the Committee indulge the hope that the period is not remote when 
 the existing accommodations, at least, shall be fully occupied by 
 these houseless children of want. 
 
 The Committee feel bound, before closing this report, thankfully 
 to acknowledge the goodness of the Great Disposer of Events, in 
 continuing to the inmates of the Refuge, the blessing of health. 
 
 SARAH C. HAWXHURST, Secretary, pro tern. 
 
 12th mo. (December) 4th, 1829. 
 
 WORK DONE BY THE BOYS. 
 
 CANE CHAIR BOTTOM MANUFACTORY. 
 
 Cane chair bottoms, 750 dozen plain seats. 
 
 •« 44 145 Curled Maple flush back seats, 
 
 " 4t 41 doz. raised back, solid front, curled maple, 
 
 " " 59 plain maple solid front seats, 
 
 «• " 20 settee seats, 
 
 2025 pounds of cane, (after dressed) from the Rattan. 
 
 BRUSH MANUFACTORY. 
 
 3515 dozen Shoe Brushes. 
 90 dozen Flesh Brushes. 
 
 700 dozen Hair Brushes. 
 
 300 dozen Horse Brushes. 
 
 780 dozen Cloth Brushes. 
 
 100 dozen Plate Brushes. 
 
 186 dozen Tooth Brushes. 
 
 120 dozen Hat Brushes. 
 1030 dozen Scrubbing Brushes^ 
 
 400 dozen Horse Brushes. 
 
205 
 
 4500 pound Bristles, assorted and combed. 
 
 1400 pound Bristles picked. 
 
 1300 pound Bristles washed and bleached. 
 
 200 pound Whalebone cleaned. 
 1500 dozen Shoe Brushes finished. 
 
 300 dozen Hair Brushes finished. 
 
 200 dozen Cloth Brushes finished. 
 
 300 dozen Horse Brushes finished. 
 
 SHOE SHOP. 
 
 Cacks, ot Children's Shoes, - - - 2,034 
 For the use of the House, - 350 
 Besides double that number mended. 
 
 carpenters' shop. 
 
 Soap boxes, for Shipping - 12,500 
 
 Windsor do. - - - ' - - 1,550 
 
 Large brown do. ----- 4,000 
 
 Candle do. 2,500 
 
 20,550 
 
 TAILORS SHOP. 
 
 By the girls, 250 Suits, jacket and trowsers for winter use. 
 
 By the boys, 100 / p a - rg canvag!S trowsers for summer. 
 By the girls, 250 $ 1 
 
 By the boys, 150 Cloth Hats or Caps for boys. 
 
 DRUGS PREPARED FOR APOTHECARIES. 
 
 400 pounds roots cut up. 
 180 pounds Gum broken up. 
 
 CABINET SHOP. 
 
 500 Cradle Bottoms, for willow cradles. 
 500 W r agon do. do. do. 
 
 800 pair Cherry Rockers. 
 500 pair pine Rockers. 
 
 1 dozen Wash Stands. 
 3 dozen Pine Tables. 
 
 10 dozen Safes, (wire) 
 20 dozen Wash Boards. 
 200 pair small Rockers, for toy cradles, 
 20 dozen Spitting Boxes. 
 
 2 dozen Knife Boards. 
 6 dozen Paste Boards. 
 
 3 dozen Wash Benches. 
 
 40 dozen Bottoms for willow chairs. 
 40 dozen Tables for do. 
 12 dozen Knife Boxes. 
 200 Segar Boxes. 
 
 4 dozen Foot Benches. 
 6 dozen Boot Jacks. 
 
 12 dozen Step Ladders. 
 6 dozen Clothes Horses. 
 
206 
 
 OTHER WORK DONE BY THE BOYS AND GIRLS. 
 
 Tilling the grounds ; working in the gardens. All the cooking 
 for the Male House, has been done by t-ie boys, except the baking ; 
 that is done by the girls. The boys whitewash and cleanse their 
 own apartments ; mend the greater part of their own clothes, save 
 their shirts and stockings. The girls make and mend all the shirts; 
 knit a part, and mend all the stockings. The girls do all the 
 washing for the whole establishment, which is said to be eight 
 hundred pieces per week. The girls make and mend all their own 
 clothes, and in some instances, they have become quite decent 
 mantuamakers in making their plain garments. 
 
 , i fin 
 
 STATEMENTS. 
 
 Subjects. 
 
 There were in the house when the last report was made, 161 
 Of those previously disposed of, there have been returned 26 
 
 Former escape, returned, ------ 1 
 
 Received during the past year - - - - - 154 
 
 342 
 
 Of whom there have been indentured - 148 
 
 Escapes - 8 
 
 Returned to friends ------ 12 
 
 Returned to the Aims-House - 3 
 Of age - -- -- -- - 5 
 
 Now in the House - - - - - -166 
 
 342 
 
 Of the 26 returned, 7 came to the House for protection, having 
 been unfortunately situated. One was a little girl 7 years of age, 
 and proved too small for the purposes for which she was wanted. 
 Two in consequence of indisposition. 
 
 The number of subjects received into the House of Re- 
 fuge since our last report as above - - - - 154 
 Committed by the following authorities, viz : 
 Commissioners 76 
 Police 33 
 New- York Sessions - 16 
 Brooklyn Sessions - 6 
 Albany Sessions - - 11 
 Monroe Sessions 4 
 Washington County Sessions 2 
 Green County Sessions - 1 
 Rensselaer County Sessions 1 
 Tompkins co. Oyer and Terminer 1 
 Orange County Sessions 1 
 Westchester Sessions - 1 
 Dutchess County Sessions 1 
 
 154 
 
 Of the above number, eighty-five are foreigners, or the chil- 
 dren of foreigners, and the remaining sixty-nine are of American 
 parentage. 
 
207 
 
 COUNTRIES OF FOREIGNERS, OR CHILDREN OF FOREIGNERS. 
 
 Ireland 47, Scotland 2, England 24, France 1, Spain 1, Germany 
 4, Wales 1, Italy 1. 
 
 STATES OF AMERICA PARENTS OR CHILDREN OF DITTO. 
 
 Massachusetts 2, Connecticut 2, New-York 54, New-Jersey 9, 
 Pennsylvania 1, Maryland 1. 
 
 The ages of the Children received into the Refuge since it was 
 opened on 1st January, 1825, to 1st January, 1830. 
 
 BOYS. 
 
 Years of 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 age. - - 
 
 7 
 
 8 
 
 9 
 
 10 
 
 11 
 
 12 
 
 13 
 
 14 
 
 15 
 
 16 
 
 17 
 
 18 
 
 19 
 
 20 
 
 1825 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 to 1826, 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 6 
 
 13 
 
 14 
 
 7 
 
 5 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 
 to 1827, 
 
 
 1 
 
 4 
 
 7 
 
 4 
 
 6 
 
 9 
 
 20 
 
 25 
 
 10 
 
 11 
 
 5 
 
 9 
 
 3 
 
 to 1828, 
 
 
 
 4 
 
 8 
 
 13 
 
 14 
 
 13 
 
 16 
 
 11 
 
 12 
 
 8 
 
 4 
 
 1 
 
 
 to 1829, 
 
 
 3 
 
 5 
 
 11 
 
 12 
 
 18 
 
 13 
 
 32 
 
 12 
 
 11 
 
 5 
 
 
 
 
 to 1830, 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 10 
 
 7 
 
 17 
 
 6 
 
 25 
 
 23 
 
 10 
 
 5 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 1 
 
 GIRLS. 
 
 18?5 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 to 1826, 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 
 
 to 1827, 
 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 
 
 
 to 1828, 
 
 1 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 7 
 
 6 
 
 5 
 
 9 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 
 to 1829, 
 
 3 
 
 
 3 
 
 1 
 
 3 
 
 7 
 
 10 
 
 3 
 
 5 
 
 5 
 
 3 
 
 1 
 
 
 to 1830, 
 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 5 
 
 10 
 
 4 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 
 Classification of the Children received into the House of Refuge 
 since it was opened on 1st January, 1825, to 1st January, 1830, 
 in literary improvement. 
 
 BOYS. GIRLS. 
 
 Class, - - 
 
 1 
 
 •2| 3 
 
 4| 
 
 5 
 
 6| 
 
 *) 
 
 8 
 
 9 1 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 8 
 
 9 
 
 from 1825 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 to 1826, 
 
 6 
 
 5 
 
 24 
 
 2 16 
 
 10 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 
 3 
 
 
 6 
 
 
 5 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 to 1827, 
 
 10 
 
 9 
 
 13 
 
 15 19 
 
 10 
 
 13 
 
 21 
 
 4 1 
 
 6 
 
 5 
 
 S 
 
 5 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 3 
 
 1 
 
 
 to 1828, 
 
 9 
 
 11 
 
 9 
 
 7 
 
 12 
 
 8 
 
 25 
 
 19 
 
 4 j 
 
 3 
 
 5 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 6 
 
 3 
 
 17 
 
 
 
 to 1829, 
 
 10 
 
 10 
 
 12 
 
 7 
 
 7 
 
 8 
 
 38 
 
 26 
 
 4 1 
 
 5 
 
 5 
 
 7 
 
 4 
 
 2 
 
 5! 3 
 
 8 
 
 4 
 
 to 1830, 
 
 6 
 
 10 
 
 20 
 
 10 
 
 9 
 
 13|20 
 
 16 
 
 6 1 
 
 6 
 
 3 
 
 5 
 
 5 
 
 7 
 
 1 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 1 
 
 SCHOOL REPORT. 
 
 The School was re-organized 1st January, 1829. 
 The following Tables are designed to show the improvement of 
 the children, for the past year, and embrace as well those that were 
 in the House at the period of re-organization, as those received du- 
 ring the past year. 
 
 Of those who entered the following reading classes, there have 
 been promoted from the 
 
 1st to the 2d, 3d, 4th, 5th, Gth, 7th, 8th, 9th, 
 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 3 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 2d 
 
 
 8 
 
 8 
 
 4 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 3d 
 
 
 
 14 
 
 8 
 
 10 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 
 
 4th 
 
 
 
 
 16 
 
 9 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 
 
 5 th 
 
 
 
 
 
 16 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 
 
 6 th 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 16 
 
 5 
 
 
 
 7th 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 40 
 
 4 
 
 8th 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 28 
 
208 
 
 Of those who entered the Arithmetic classes, there have been 
 promoted from the 
 
 Combination, 1st to the 2d, 3d, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th 
 
 20 12 12 2 
 Addition, 2d - - 27 24 4 
 Subtraction, 3d - -- 16 6 0000 
 Multiplicat'n,4th ... 20 4 
 Division, 5th - -- -- 12 000 
 
 Comp. Rules, 6th - -- -- -920 
 
 Reduction, 7th - • - 5 3 
 Rl. of Three, 8th 5 
 
 In the ninth class there are twenty-nine children* who read His- 
 tory and study Geography. 
 
 Fifty-two write on paper; 114 write on slates. 
 
 "With this exhibit of the improvement of the children, the teach- 
 er would remark, that the regular and stated employment of the 
 children, eight hours per day, does not appear in any wise to mili- 
 tate against as successful a prosecution of their studies during the 
 time allotted them, as is observed in our Public Schools. 
 
 The Sabbath School is also under the sole care of the teacher, 
 and it is gratifying to say, the attention given to the reading and 
 searching the Holy Scriptures, affords reason to hope, that many 
 of our children will hereafter (as many already have) date their 
 acquaintance with that " salvation" which is no where taught save 
 in the " lively oracles," to Sabbath School instruction received in 
 the House of Refuge. 
 
 It appears due in this place to advert, with thankfulness, to the 
 very liberal donations which have been made from time to time, by 
 the Young Men's Bible Society of New-York, Auxiliary to the 
 American Bible Society ; nor should the monthly visits of the 
 friends of Sabbath Schools, who are careful to present us with 
 their monthly rewards, for the encouragement of such children as 
 are diligent in searching the Scriptures, be forgotten. 
 
 The number of children received into the Refuge, since it was 
 opened, 1st January, 1825, to 1st January, 1830, that have been in 
 places of confinement, viz : In Bridewell, Prisons, Penitentiaries, 
 &c. &c, and the length of time they were confined, before being 
 sent to the Refuge. 
 
 Bridewell. — 47 have been in once, 23 twice, 11 three times, 3 
 four times, 5 five times, and 1 ten times. 
 
 Penitentiary. — 13 have been in six months, 3 twelve months, 
 4 eighteen months, 1 thirty months, 2 thirty-six months. 
 
 State Prison. — 1. 
 
 Character of the Parents of Children received into the Refuge. 
 
 Parents been in Bridewell, 25 ; Penitentiary, 6 ; State's Prison, 
 2; Intemperate, 401 ; Houses of 111 Fame, 9; Parents allow chil- 
 dren to steal, 8 ; Parents receiving the avails of stealing, 8. 
 
 • This exhibits the state of the schools, male and female. 
 
209 
 
 Statement of the ages of the Children now in the House of 
 Refuge, up to 31st December, 1829. 
 
 Boys. — 1 eight years, 2 nine, 6 ten, 14 eleven, 16 twelve, 19 
 thirteen, 25 fourteen, 15 fifteen, 21 sixteen, 6 seventeen, 3 eighteen. 
 
 Girls. — 1 eight years, 2 nine, 4 eleven, 1 twelve, 6 thirteen, 7 
 fourteen, 8 fifteen, 5 sixteen, 4 seventeen. 
 
 Since the opening of the House there have been received, 690. 
 Of whom there have been indentured, 
 Boys, 
 Girls, 
 
 Of the above there have returned, 
 
 Returned to friends, Boys, 
 Girls, 
 
 Returned to Commissioners, Boys, - 
 
 Girls, » 
 
 Of Age, Boys, - 
 Girls, - 
 
 Deceased, Boys, - 
 Sea Service, Boys, ... 
 Escaped permanently, Boys, 
 J Girls, 
 
 Now in the House, Boys, 
 Girls, 
 
 27 
 
210 
 
 from 1 829 
 to 1830. 
 
 from 1828 
 to 1829. 
 
 from 1 827 
 to 1828. 
 
 from 1826 
 to 1827. 
 
 c 
 so 
 
 09 
 
 from 1825 
 
 YEAR. 
 
 Ci 
 CO 
 
 &■ 
 o» 
 
 CO 
 
 o 
 
 co 
 
 C3 
 
 
 Farmer. 
 
 CT> 
 
 to 
 
 
 
 
 
 Shoe Maker. 
 
 ejt 
 
 ♦o 
 
 to 
 
 
 
 
 Blacksmith. 
 
 h* 
 
 
 to 
 
 
 
 
 Chair Maker. 
 
 w | Brush Maker. 
 
 CD 
 
 ro 
 
 Ml 
 
 
 
 
 Tailor. 
 
 to 
 
 4* 
 
 w 
 
 
 
 
 Hatter. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Potter. 
 
 
 
 
 — 
 
 
 
 Silversmith. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Carver. 
 
 tO 
 
 to 
 
 I*. 
 
 
 
 
 Tinman. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 | Pump and Block Maker. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Brass Founder. 
 
 to 
 
 to 
 
 H< 
 
 
 
 
 Tanner and Currier. 
 
 JO 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Wheelwright. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Carpenter. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Cabinet Maker. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Printer. 
 
 IO 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Comb Maker. 
 
 
 to 
 
 
 
 
 j Miller. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 | Baker. 
 
 to 
 
 
 to 
 
 
 
 
 Paper Maker. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Boat Builder. 
 
 M 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Glass Blower. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Mason. 
 
 to 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Sugar Mak r. 
 
 
 to 
 
 
 
 
 
 Cloth Manutactory. 
 
 
 
 to 
 
 CO 
 
 
 
 Returned to Parents. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 To Commissioners. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Of Age. 
 
 CO 
 
 
 
 to 
 
 K 
 
 
 Sea Service. 
 
 CO 
 
 til 
 
 
 
 
 
 W haling. 
 
 
 Stocking Weaver. 
 
 
 Deceased. 
 
 
 O 
 
 'eo 
 SO 
 
 to 
 CD 
 
 o 
 
 c 
 
 3 * -/ 
 
 I 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 * 1 
 
 CO 
 
 5 
 
211 
 
 TO WHAT TRADE OR BUSINESS — GIRLS INDENTURED. 
 
 
 
 
 
 "3 
 
 r> a 
 
 so 
 
 
 
 YF A T? ft 
 
 Domestic. 
 
 Milliner. 
 
 Tailoress. 
 
 Returned t< 
 Parents ai 
 Friends. 
 
 To Comm 
 sioners. 
 
 Of Age. 
 
 J. Olai. 
 
 fn i m 1 ft"? -\ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 to 1826. 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 6 
 
 from 1826 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 to 1827. 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 3 
 
 12 
 
 from 1827 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 to 1828. 
 
 20 
 
 1 
 
 
 3 
 
 8 
 
 6 
 
 38 
 
 from 1828 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 to 1829. 
 
 34 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 8 
 
 1 
 
 3 
 
 48 
 
 from 1829 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 to 1830. 
 
 23 
 
 
 
 8 
 
 3 
 
 5 
 
 37 
 
 141 
 
 IN WHAT STATES INDENTURED. 
 
 Boys, Girls. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 XI 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ■~ 
 o 
 
 Lieut. 
 
 rsey. 
 
 .2 
 
 '2 
 
 S3 
 > 
 
 
 to 
 3 
 
 
 -3 
 
 S 
 
 . I 
 
 12 
 
 Lieut. 
 
 rsey. 
 
 vania 
 
 [« 
 
 
 >* 
 
 0) 
 
 i 
 
 
 
 
 'o 
 
 a? 
 
 
 w-Yc 
 
 w 
 
 a> 
 
 >> 
 
 l/J 
 
 . 1 
 
 YEARS. 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 a 
 
 
 CO 
 
 to 
 
 
 
 — 
 
 
 
 
 O 
 
 
 Z 
 
 o 
 
 
 as 
 GLi 
 
 IS 
 
 o 
 
 
 
 S3 
 
 £ 
 
 
 
 Q 
 
 1 
 
 — 
 
 C ! 
 
 from 1825 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 to 1826. 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 from 1826 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 to 1827. 
 
 13 
 
 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 
 
 from 1827 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 to 1828. 
 
 36 
 
 1 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 16 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 
 1 
 
 from 1828 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 to 1829. 
 
 44 
 
 11 
 
 8 
 
 2 
 
 14 
 
 
 
 
 
 26 
 
 3 
 
 o 
 
 1 
 
 3 
 
 from 1829 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 to 1830. 
 
 71 
 
 21 
 
 7 
 
 
 4 
 
 1 2 
 
 1 
 
 l 
 
 1 2 
 
 13 
 
 4 
 
 2 
 
 > 
 
 
212 
 
 SUMMARY. 
 
 
 Inden- 
 
 Esca- 
 
 Returned 
 
 Returned 
 
 Of 
 
 
 tured. 
 
 ped. 
 
 to friends 
 
 to A. H. 
 
 age. 
 
 1829. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 January, 
 
 3 
 
 _ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 February, 
 
 7 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 March, 
 
 10 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 April, 
 
 19 
 
 2 
 
 1 
 
 _ 
 
 1 
 
 May, 
 
 14 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 - 
 
 1 
 
 June, 
 
 19 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 July, 
 
 17 
 
 
 2 
 
 
 1 
 
 August, 
 
 13 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 September, 
 
 9 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 October, 
 
 9 
 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 November, 
 
 17 
 
 1 
 
 3 
 
 2 
 
 
 December, 
 
 11 
 
 2 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 148 
 
 1 8 
 
 I 12 
 
 3 
 
 5 1 
 
 A table showing the weekly report of the number of children in the 
 House, with the average number, for the year 1829. 
 
 DATE. 
 
 1 829. | boys 
 
 girls 
 
 total 
 
 | DATE. 
 
 1829.|boys|giris|total 
 
 Januaiy, 
 
 6 
 
 J 3 J 
 
 34 
 
 105 
 
 J uiy, 
 
 7 
 
 139 
 
 33 
 
 172 
 
 a 
 
 13 
 
 133 
 
 35 
 
 168 
 
 « 
 
 14 
 
 144 
 
 35 
 
 179 
 
 a 
 
 20 
 
 135 
 
 36 
 
 171 
 
 tt 
 
 21 
 
 138 
 
 37 
 
 173 
 
 it 
 
 27 
 
 136 
 
 36 
 
 172 
 
 a 
 
 28 
 
 135 
 
 36 
 
 171 
 
 February, 
 
 3 
 
 138 
 
 35 
 
 173 
 
 August, 
 
 4 
 
 136 
 
 36 
 
 172 
 
 a 
 
 10 
 
 139 
 
 36 
 
 175 
 
 tt 
 
 11 
 
 138 
 
 39 
 
 177 
 
 tt 
 
 17 
 
 139 
 
 36 
 
 175 
 
 tt 
 
 18 
 
 137 
 
 41 
 
 178 
 
 tt 
 
 24 
 
 141 
 
 36 
 
 177 
 
 ii 
 
 25 
 
 139 
 
 41 
 
 180 
 
 March r 
 
 3 
 
 141 
 
 35 
 
 176 
 
 September, 
 
 1 
 
 137 
 
 41 
 
 178 
 
 it 
 
 10 
 
 143 
 
 34 
 
 177 
 
 k 
 
 8 
 
 136 
 
 42 
 
 178 
 
 a 
 
 17 
 
 145 
 
 35 
 
 180 
 
 a 
 
 15 
 
 134 
 
 41 
 
 175 
 
 a 
 
 24 
 
 148 
 
 38 
 
 186 
 
 a 
 
 22 
 
 135 
 
 40 
 
 175 
 
 it 
 
 31 
 
 144 
 
 37 
 
 181 
 
 a 
 
 29 
 
 135 
 
 39 
 
 174 
 
 April, 
 
 7 
 
 137 
 
 36 
 
 173 
 
 October, 
 
 6 
 
 139 
 
 38 
 
 177 
 
 tt 
 
 14 
 
 142 
 
 38 
 
 180 
 
 tt 
 
 13 
 
 140 
 
 36 
 
 176 
 
 tt 
 
 21 
 
 138 
 
 39 
 
 177 
 
 ti 
 
 20 
 
 139 
 
 36 
 
 175 
 
 n 
 
 28 
 
 141 
 
 39 
 
 180 
 
 u 
 
 27 
 
 140 
 
 37 
 
 177 
 
 May, 
 
 5 
 
 136 
 
 36 
 
 172 
 
 November, 
 
 3 
 
 138 
 
 37 
 
 175 
 
 n 
 
 12 
 
 131 
 
 37 
 
 168 
 
 a 
 
 10 
 
 140 
 
 40 
 
 180 
 
 a 
 
 19 
 
 130 
 
 37 
 
 167 
 
 (• 
 
 17 
 
 134 
 
 40 
 
 174 
 
 U 
 
 26 
 
 137 
 
 37 
 
 174 
 
 tt 
 
 24 
 
 127 
 
 38 
 
 165 
 
 June, 
 
 2 
 
 138 
 
 37 
 
 175 
 
 December, 
 
 1 
 
 134 
 
 37 
 
 171 
 
 (i 
 
 9 
 
 140 
 
 34 
 
 174 
 
 it 
 
 8 
 
 135 
 
 36 
 
 171 
 
 a 
 
 16 
 
 133 
 
 32 
 
 165 
 
 a 
 
 15 
 
 130 
 
 36 
 
 166 
 
 a 
 
 2S 
 
 139 
 
 33 
 
 172 
 
 a 
 
 22 
 
 128 
 
 33 
 
 166 
 
 N 
 
 30 
 
 134 
 
 32 
 
 106 
 
 it 
 
 29 
 
 129 
 
 36 1 
 
 165 
 
* note 1 — Upon Tax on Tavern Licences, and Theatres. 
 
 It will be noticed in the preceding statistics, how large a pro- 
 portion of the Parents of children sent to the Refuge, are intem- 
 perate : more than one half of the whole number: viz. of 690 chil- 
 dren received, 401 of their parents drink ardent spirits to excess. 
 The examination and histories of the children, furnish the melan- 
 choly fact, that upwards of 150 children of both sexes, commenced 
 stealing, and other vices, for the purpose of being furnished with 
 the means to frequent Theatres, and to obtain Rum. — There are 
 now two children in the Refuge, (of the ages of 12 and 14 years,) 
 who were previous to being sent there, in the daily practice of 
 drinking from 8 to 12 glasses of rum or whiskey, and one of them 
 has drunk a quart of ardent spirits in a day, when they were suc- 
 cessful in pilfering property, which could be exchanged for it, or 
 which they could sell for the value of 20 to 30 cents. 
 
 t note 2 — In relation to the balance of Funds on hand. 
 
 The Building at the Refuge, appropriated for the Boys, has 128 
 Dormitories, or sleeping rooms. It will be noticed in the "Weekly 
 Report of the number of boys in the House," that a larger num- 
 ber has constantly been in the Institution during the past year, 
 than could be accomodated with separate sleeping cells, (an object 
 very important in the system of Reformation,) and that from 6 to 
 20 of the smaller Boys, have been compelled to sleep upon the 
 floors of the School-hall, (for the want of additional accommoda- 
 tions,) which is very unsafe, inconvenient and unhealthy. At sev- 
 eral periods, during the past year, the managers were obliged 
 (reluctantly) to notify the police and commissioners of the Alms 
 House, to withhold sending Boys to the Refuge, not having accom- 
 modations for them. The interest of the Institution requires an 
 additional building, for sleeping apartments, an eating room, and 
 bake house. And the managers have authorised their Acting Com- 
 mittee to contract for the erection of a building, to connect the two 
 present houses, which will furnish accomodations for 100 more 
 Boys. The Building will probably be ready to be occupied by the 
 1st of May next, and will cost, furnished, (from estimates received) 
 about 8000 Dollars : which will absorb all the funds now on hand, 
 and the balance will have to be paid from the receipts of the 
 year 1830. 
 
215 
 
 Vice Presidents. 
 
 Officers of the Society* 
 
 CADWALLADER D. COLDEN, President. 
 STEPHEN ALLEN, ^ 
 CORNELIUS DUBOIS, 
 JOHN GRISCOM, 
 HENRY I. WYCKOFF, 
 JAMES LOYETT, 
 PETER SHARPE, 
 CORNELIUS DUBOIS, Treasurer. 
 FREDERICK SHELDON, Secretary. 
 JOHN STEARNS, M. D. ? m . . , « 
 
 ANSEL W. IYES, M. D. J Physicians and Surgeons. , 
 
 House of Refuge. 
 
 NATHANIEL C. HART, Superintendent. 
 RICHARD WYMOND, Assistant Superintendent. 
 REBECCA ORAM, Matron. 
 SARAH ANN ORAM, Assistant Matron. 
 DAYID TERRY, Jim. Teacher. 
 
 Indenturing- Committee. 
 
 ROBERT C. CORNELL, 
 NATHANIEL RICHARDS, 
 JAMES LOVETT. 
 
 Acting' Committee. 
 
 WILLIAM \V. FOX, 
 MYNDERT VAN SCHAICK, 
 RUFUS L. LORD, 
 JOHN HUNTER, 
 ROBERT D. WEEKS, 
 FREDERICK A. TRACY, 
 JACOB HARVEY. 
 
 Managers, 
 
 Stephen Allen, Ansel W. Ives, John Stearns, 
 Heman Averill, James Lovett, M. Van Schaick, 
 Arthur Burtis, Rufus L. Lord, Henry I. Wyckoff, 
 C. D. Colden, William F. Mott, John W. Wyman, 
 
 Robert C. Cornell,Hugh Maxwell, Samuel Wood, 
 Cornelius Dubois, Dennis M'Carthy, Russel H. Nevins, 
 William W. Fox, Ralph Olmsted, J. I. Roosevelt, Jun, 
 John Griscom, Nath'l Richards, Frederick A. Tracy, 
 John Hunter, Fred'k Sheldon, Robert D. Weeks, 
 John E. Hyde, Peter Sharpe, William L. Stone. 
 Jacob Harvey, 
 
 Ladies' Committee. 
 
 Rebecca M'Comb, Isabella Buloid, 
 
 Sophia Wyckoff, Phebe Mott, 
 
 Ann Warner, Charlotte L. Fox, 
 
 Deborah L. Embree, Sarah C. Hawxhurst, 
 
 Almy Cornell, Maria L. Hyde, 
 
 Margaret Beers, Martha Willis, 
 
 Ann L. Mott, Esther Seymour. 
 
SIXTH ANNUAL* REPORT, &c # 
 1831. 
 
 The Managers of the House of Refuge, proceed to 
 lay before the " Society for the Reformation of Juve- 
 nile Delinquents," the Sixth Annual Statement of 
 the Institution committed to their charge. It would 
 be an easy task for the Managers, at the present 
 time, to extend their Report by a renewed, or an en- 
 larged exposition of the nature and importance, of 
 the system of Juvenile Reform, which has now been 
 steadily prosecuted by them, throughout a period of 
 six years. But, so fully have these points been illus- 
 trated, by the early Reports and publications of the 
 Society, and so distinctly were they recapitulated in 
 the last Annual Report, that it is deemed to be alto- 
 gether inexpedient, at the present time, to occupy 
 the attention of the Society, or the public, with a rep- 
 etition of these arguments. The minds of all those 
 of our citizens, who have taken the trouble to read 
 our Reports, and to examine, deliberately, the ques- 
 tion of a Juvenile Penitentiary, distinct from that of 
 adults, and governed in conformity to the clear dis- 
 tinctions which separate the two classes of public 
 offenders, will, we confidently believe, unite with one 
 voice, in the importance of such a distinction. If 
 there are any of our fellow citizens, whose judgment 
 and character, claim for them an influence in the 
 community, who have declined their assent, to the 
 value of such an institution as ours, we venture to be- 
 lieve, that they are among those who have never vis- 
 ited our establishment, and examined the history of 
 its inmates. 
 
 It is no small satisfaction to the Managers, to be 
 able to say, that the experience they have gained, in 
 the knowledge of juvenile crime, and the causes 
 which lead to it, have greatly tended to increase 
 their convictions, of the humanity and necessity of 
 such a charity. 
 
217 
 
 They 3re not aware, that any of their anticipations 
 have proved too sanguine — that any of those expec- 
 tations, which, prior to the foundation of the Refuge, 
 rested chiefly upon theoretic views, have been disap- 
 pointed or defeated. There was nothing in the 
 scheme, which suggested such a mode of relief, for 
 some of the most alarming evils, which have proved 
 to be of an impracticable nature. 
 
 The incomparably greater influence of moral and 
 religious treatment, over the minds and habits of the 
 young, than in the case of adult criminals, has been 
 amply confirmed. The prospect of being able to 
 rescue hundreds of children and youth, of the finest 
 natural endowments, from almost inevitable ruin, has 
 been fully realised. The possibility of inculcating a 
 love of literary improvement, and habits of industry 
 and honesty, upon the idle and profligate, has been 
 well established. The readiness with which even 
 young boys can be taught mechanic arts, has been 
 demonstrated in our work shops. The advantage of 
 appropriating from two to four hours per day, to liter- 
 ary instruction, has been manifest by the progress in 
 spelling, reading, and writing, of many of the boys, 
 who otherwise would have remained destitute of this 
 knowledge, throughout their lives. The efficacy of 
 religious instruction in meliorating the character, 
 and changing the dispositions, of some of the most 
 abandoned youth, has most clearly appeared, by their 
 good conduct after leaving the Refuge, and by their 
 grateful acknowledgements, that it had been to them, 
 as an ark of safety, and a rescue from destruction. 
 The short history of our establishment, has proved, 
 that it is possible to convert juvenile thieves and va- 
 grants, gamblers, and pick-pockets, the most profane 
 and abandoned, into honest farmers, good sailors, 
 ingenious and faithful mechanics. It has also proved, 
 that a House of Refuge, while it effects these sal- 
 utary changes in the character of its subjects, is nev- 
 ertheless, a house of improvement. It has thus 
 gained for itself, a name in the community, well known 
 throughout the various ranks of juvenile depravity. 
 Its name imposes a wholesome terror upon disobedi- 
 ent and vicious youth ; and it appears evident, to the 
 
 28 
 
218 
 
 managers, from the small number of commitments 
 which they now receive from the city police, and the 
 Court of Sessions, compared with those of the Com- 
 missioners of the Alms House, that the influence of 
 the Refuge, is highly auspicious to the peace of the 
 city, and the security of our dwellings. It is an in- 
 stitution also, which with other concommitant cir- 
 cumstances, enables its managers to trace to their 
 earliest effects, the causes of those crimes, which in 
 their punishment, occasion to the municipal and State 
 governments, so heavy an expense of time, and labor, 
 and taxation ; and it must be, by a judicious attention 
 to facts, thus developed, that the criminal laws of a 
 country, can be made to approximate the most nearly 
 to a perfect system of prevention and cure. The 
 Managers therefore, beg leave to invite the attention 
 of the Society, as opportunities occur, to the record 
 of cases on the books of the Refuge, a number which 
 have been printed in the Annual Reports. 
 
 They would earnestly invite all respectable citi- 
 zens, who entertain doubts of the value of this insti- 
 tution, to visit the Refuge, — to witness, on working 
 days, the activity and ingenuity of the young mechan- 
 ics — the order and economy of the table — the good con- 
 dition of the School, and, on the Sabbath, the de- 
 cency and devotion of the Chapel; and then seriously 
 to inquire, whether it is possible, by any other mode, 
 to lay the needful restraint upon the vicious propen- 
 sities of young criminals, — of children, corrupted or 
 abandoned by their parents, — to reform their habits, 
 and to train them to usefulness and respectability. 
 
 So obvious is the necessity, and so palpable the 
 benefits of a reformatory for Juvenile delinquents, in 
 every populous city. It is well known, that the prin- 
 ciples upon which our House of Refuge is conducted, 
 have been approved in all parts of the Union, and 
 that similar establishments are now in operation in 
 Boston and Philadelphia, and that humane individ- 
 uals in Baltimore, have taken some steps for the 
 erection of one in that city. 
 
 Since the last Annual Report, the Managers have 
 completed an additional building of stone, 120 feet by 
 38, and three stories high, which, besides other im- 
 
219 
 
 portant accommodations, affords 138 additional dor- 
 mitories; and being constructed with a view to greater 
 security than those previously in use, they are much 
 better adapted to the nightly confinements of older 
 and larger boys, and will thereby supply a want, which 
 has long been felt. 
 
 The Managers cannot well avoid again calling the 
 attention of those who may favor this Report with a 
 perusal, to the two most fertile sources of juvenile 
 profligacy and crime — the Theatres and Grog Shops. 
 Very few are the instances on their books, which do 
 not go to demonstrate, that the earliest departure from 
 honesty and filial duty, is immediately connected with, 
 if it does not result from, the allurements of those two 
 capital sources of "public amusements." They are 
 emphatically, the Scylla and Charybdis of the current 
 of life, to the youth of this metropolis. Could we ab- 
 stract from the various incentives to evil which abound 
 in the city, the vicious excitement produced by these 
 places of resort; we know of nothing, which could be 
 found as a substitute, that would be productive of half 
 the amount of crime and misery which so evidently 
 result from them. 
 
 In the preceding remarks, we have endeavored to 
 give a brief general view of the prosperous condition, 
 and the moral effects of the Institution. But there 
 are some points, respecting which, it will be necessary 
 to descend more into particulars. 
 
 The cause of elementary instruction, has been pros- 
 ecuted as usual, in both departments of the Refuge, 
 and with flattering success. The Sunday schools 
 have likewise been continued, and, it is believed, with 
 happy results. The course of religious and biblical 
 instruction, which it is the primary object of Sunday 
 schools to impart, may be counted first among the 
 means of effecting a reformation of vicious youth. 
 Among numbers of the inmates, there have been de- 
 cided evidences, not only of outward reformation, but 
 of sincere piety. And it is hoped that numerous 
 others, who do not afford a confident hope of such a 
 change, previously to their departure from the Refuge, 
 will carry thence many precious lessons from the 
 scriptures, which will be freshly remembered, and 
 
220 
 
 productive of much good, in after years. In aid of 
 the religious instruction given, the Managers have to 
 acknowledge the receipt ofdonations of Bibles, from 
 the Young Men's Bible Society. It would be a work 
 of supererogation, at this day, to urge the necessity of 
 continuing these schools, and rendering them as in- 
 teresting and effective as possible. But were it other- 
 wise, and should we attempt to illustrate their utility 
 and importance, and to show the close affinity existing 
 between vice and crime, it would only be necessary 
 for the Managers to state, that of the commitments 
 during the last year, of boys alone, fifty-five could not 
 read a syllable. Fifteen of this number knew not a 
 letter of the alphabet. The ages of these latter, were 
 from eight to sixteen — averaging eleven and a half 
 years. The remaining forty were from ten to sixteen 
 years of age, averaging twelve and a half. 
 
 In speaking of the House of Refuge in his late Mes- 
 sage to the Legislature, His Excellency the Governor 
 remarks: — "The funds provided by the Government, 
 are ample for all the purposes of the institution." 
 This declaration of the Chief Magistrate, whose views 
 and feelings are decidedly in favor of the institution, 
 when taken in connexion, with the present embarrass- 
 ing condition of our Treasury, seems to require some 
 explanation from the Managers. The erection of the 
 large new building already referred to, required heavy 
 disbursements. This addition to our accommoda- 
 tions, was already necessary to the enlarged and in- 
 creasing usefulness of the institution; but the law of 
 the last session of the Legislature, authorising the 
 Governor to transfer minors from the state prisons to 
 the House of Refuge, rendered the new edifice indis- 
 pensable to the comfort, convenience, and safety of 
 the establishment. For the means of paying for its 
 construction, the Managers have confidently relied 
 upon the funds by law appropriated to their use, but 
 which, without the knowledge of His Excellency the 
 Governor, as it is presumed, have for many months 
 been retained in the hands of the Mayor, under the 
 direction, (as regards far the greater sum,) of the 
 Common Council. The funds here referred to, are 
 those derived from the additional excise imposed by 
 
221 
 
 the act of 1829, upon the grocers and tavern keepers 
 of this city, for the especial benefit and support of the 
 House of Refuge; and likewise the money derived 
 from the licences of theatres, circuses, &c. Every 
 member of the Society is probably aware of the fact, 
 that the constitutionality of this additional excise upon 
 the venders of ardent spirits, has been contested by 
 those required to pay it; and although the tax was 
 collected, yet the money has been withheld by order 
 of the Common Council, and is to be withheld, until 
 the question in litigation shall have been finally dis- 
 posed of. In order to save expenses, however, and 
 bring the question to a more speedy decision, a case 
 was made up in the first instance, and submitted, by 
 consent of parties, to the Supreme Court; by which 
 tribunal the constitutionality of the law has been sus- 
 tained, and judgment awarded in behalf of the House 
 of Refuge. That such would be the decision of this 
 enlightened tribunal, the Managers never entertained 
 a doubt; and on hearing of the decision, they suppo- 
 sed the money would be paid over without further dif- 
 ficulty or delay. But they have been disappointed 
 in this reasonable expectation; and because of an in- 
 timation, (though as yet unofficial, as your Managers 
 believe,) that the cause is to be carried up to the 
 Court of Errors by an appeal, His Honor the Mayor 
 still withholds the money from our treasury, to the 
 amount of between four and five thousand dollars, of 
 which the Managers are in the utmost need. 
 
 The amount due the institution, accruing from li- 
 cences granted to theatres and circuses, is twelve 
 hundred and fifty dollars. No constitutional diffi- 
 culty has been raised by those who have taken these 
 licences. Nor do any pending or threatened legal 
 proceedings afford an excuse for retaining the money 
 from the House of Refuge. But his Honor the Mayor, 
 and, as it is understood, without the direction of the 
 Common Council, has thus far declined paying it over, 
 upon the ground that, under the best opinion he has 
 been able to form, if the additional excise upon gro- 
 cers and tavern licences is unconstitutional, so also 
 must be the tax upon places of public amusement. 
 His Honor therefore expresses a determination to re- 
 
222 
 
 tain these moneys also in his hands, until the question 
 involved in another, and, as your Managers believe, 
 a very different and distinct case, shall have been de- 
 finitively adjudicated. 
 
 In stating the foregoing Facts, the Managers feel that 
 they have been in the discharge of their duty, not 
 only to the Society in whose service they are engaged, 
 but to the Chief Magistrate of the state, and to the 
 government by which it has been so liberally endow- 
 ed. But in doing so, they would by no means be un- 
 derstood as questioning the motives of the Mayor. 
 Still, they cannot but regret the embarrassments to 
 which they have been subjected by these unexpected 
 proceedings. Their treasury is not only empty, but 
 they have been compelled to draw upon the private 
 funds of their treasurer, to the amount of upwards of 
 three thousand five hundred dollars. 
 
 No apprehension, however, is entertained by the 
 Managers, as to the ultimate result of the legal con- 
 troversy mentioned above; but every week of delay 
 must necessarily add to their pucuniary difficulties. 
 The constitutionality of the law has been sustained, 
 not only by the opinions of men of great legal emi- 
 nence, but by the ablest judges on the bench. But 
 while the Managers feel it to be unnecessary to enter 
 upon any argument as to the equity of the law, they 
 are constrained to repeat their belief, that it is the 
 consumption of ardent spirits, arid the influence of the 
 theatres, which contribute, more than all other cau- 
 ses, to the numbers sent to the Refuge. Intemperate 
 parents, being unfit for the care and management of 
 their children, suffer them to grow up in idle and vi- 
 cious habits — the criminal infirmity of the parents, 
 too often begets a like infirmity in the children, while 
 the pestilent atmosphere of the theatre, conspires to 
 hasten the work of destruction. 
 
 Although the Managers feel that they have but little 
 to fear from such an application, yet they have learn- 
 ed with regret, that a renewed effort is to be made 
 during the present session of the Legislature, to de- 
 prive the treasury of the House of Refuge, of the mo- 
 nies hitherto, during the last few years, derived from 
 the Health Commissioners' department — being a com- 
 
223 
 
 paratively small portion of the receipts from passen- 
 gers arriving in this port. The pretext under which 
 it is hoped to deprive the Refuge of this portion of 
 its revenue, is the old and unfounded complaint, that 
 it is encroaching upon the contrihutions of mariners, 
 and perverting their hospital money to a purpose for- 
 eign to that for which such contributions were orig- 
 inally, and are yet professedly levied. This is by no 
 means a fair or correct statement of the case, as the 
 members of this society, the public, and the Legis- 
 lature, must all by this time very well know. It would 
 be unnecessary, were it otherwise proper, to go into 
 the argument here. The facts are simply these: The 
 hospital funds, so called, are derived as well from pas- 
 sengers as mariners. Nay, the receipts from passen- 
 gers will always approximate near, if they do not 
 swell beyond, the amount derived from the mariners. 
 Such has been the fact for several years past; and 
 during the year now just closed upon us, it is estima- 
 ted that the receipts from passengers alone, will 
 amount to nearly thirty thousand dollars — say twenty- 
 eight thousand. The act of the Legislature of 1829, 
 appropriates the sum of eight thousand dollars from 
 the moneys so collected, and no more. So that the 
 hospital fund will have received about twenty thou- 
 sand dollars during the past year, from passengers 
 alone, over and above the amount paid to the House 
 of Refuge, and in addition to the contributions of the 
 mariners; for, notwithstanding the clamors upon this 
 subject, it is nevertheless a fact, that not one dollar 
 of the money arising from such contributions, has 
 ever been asked for, or received, by the Refuge. 
 Nor is there any more reason, so far as your Mana- 
 gers can perceive, why the mariners should exclu- 
 sively enjoy the benefits accruing from the contribu- 
 tions of the passengers arriving at this port, than there 
 is that the latter should in some way participate in 
 the benefits of the tax upon the former. But there is 
 a very substantial reason wfyy the House of Refuge 
 should receive a portion of these funds. By referring 
 to the series ofthe Annual Reports of this Society, it 
 will be seen that a very large proportion of the in- 
 mates ofthe Refuge, are the children of foreigners — 
 
224 
 
 of the same passengers who have contributed towards 
 this fund. Of one hundred and forty-four inmates 
 committed during the past year, sixty only were 
 children of American parents, while eighty-four were 
 children of foreigners. Of these forty-one were of 
 Irish, and twenty-three of English extraction — the 
 countries, which, more than all others, have contribu- 
 ted to the fund of which we are speaking. This sim- 
 ple statement of facts is deemed amply sufficient to 
 prove the peculiar propriety of the enactment of the 
 State Legislature, which appropriate a part of the 
 revenues thus accruing, to the House of Refuge. 
 
 There is one other subject to which, though a mat- 
 ter of some delicacy, the Managers feel constrained 
 to invite the attention, not only of the members of 
 the Society, but of the community at large, and of the 
 state government. Whenever it has so happened 
 that fresh depredations have been committed upon the 
 property of individuals, or the peace of the public, 
 by persons who may have formerly been inmates of 
 the Refuge, the cases have been eagerly seized upon 
 by certain persons, who, from interested or some 
 other motives not apparent, are opposed to the insti- 
 tution, magnified beyond measure, and employed as 
 means of exciting unfriendly feelings towards the In- 
 stitution, and distrust as to its utility. Such, in par- 
 ticular, has been the fact on two occasions during the 
 past year, viz : on the return of a couple of sailor-boys 
 last summer, who had been inmates of the Refuge, 
 and in the recent case before the Court of Sessions, 
 of John Lace. In regard to the former, the Managers 
 are persuaded, that the larceny charged upon one of 
 them, was imputed to him by mistake. He had most 
 worthily performed a long sea-voyage, and returned 
 here with his earnings in his pocket, to visit his rela- 
 tives, and in particular to thank the Superintendent 
 of the Refuge, for his kindnesses towards him. He 
 was moreover, at this very time, under a profitable 
 engagement for a second whaling expedition, upon 
 which he is now absent. The case of Lace was a 
 hard one from the beginning. When first thrown 
 upon the hands of the managers, and conveyed to the 
 Refuge, he was old and skilful in crime. Indeed his 
 
225 
 
 case was one of the few which seemed altogether 
 hopeless in the outset: and it is now several years 
 since he left the Refuge. He was bound out to a 
 trade, but soon ran away from his master, and has at 
 length found a situation in the State Prison, where he 
 ought to have been in a state of discipline long since. 
 But is it just or generous to raise a clamour against 
 an institution of this peculiar description, on account 
 of three or four, or even of a dozen unfortunate cases? 
 There have been eight hundred and thirty J uvenile 
 Delinquents received into the Refuge, since its com- 
 mencement, six years ago. Six hundred and fifty 
 of these have been disposed of in different ways; — 
 and is it to be supposed that in so great a number, a 
 thorough moral reformation could, by human means, 
 have been wrought in every one? Such a general 
 and radical transformation, it is apprehended, how- 
 ever desirable, could not have been produced, save 
 by the immediate and visible interposition of Divine 
 Power. It is to be recollected, however, that when 
 the Refuge was founded, it was an experiment. There 
 was no other institution of the kind in America ; and 
 errors both in judgment and practice were to be 
 expected, until time and experience should have 
 enabled the Managers to discover the ;aost wholesome 
 principles upon which to build their moral edifice, 
 and to devise the best practical system for the effec- 
 tive administration of its affairs. When moreover, its 
 doors were first opened, and for a year or two there- 
 after, many of the larger classes of the delinquents 
 sent to the Refuge, were already adepts in crime, and 
 not a few of them had previously been in the peni- 
 tentiary, once, twice, and in some cases, even thrice. 
 Was it reasonable, then we repeat, to suppose, that 
 in each and every of these cases, a radical, perfect, 
 and permanent reformation was possible; — or, in 
 default of having effected such reformation, in such 
 cases, is it just to question or deny the utility of 
 the institution ? If so, the age of human perfec- 
 tibility might have been considered very near, 
 since nothing more would have been necessary to 
 banish sin and shame, crime and sorrow, than to 
 transform all the dwellings in the world into houses 
 
 29 
 
226 
 
 of Refuge for Juvenile Delinquents. But notwith- 
 standing the disadvantages which all new and untried 
 establishments for improving the moral and intellectual 
 condition of man, must encounter, and in despite of 
 other untoward circumstances, so far from the exis- 
 tence of anyjust cause of censure or disappointment, 
 the wonder is, that so much has been accomplished ; 
 that so many hopeful reformations have taken place; 
 that so much real, substantial, and, to all human ap- 
 pearance, enduring good, has been effected. If the 
 Managers of this institution can already point to 
 hundreds of cases, in which idle and dissolute, and 
 even criminal, children, of both sexes, have been re- 
 claimed — snatched, as it were from the steep leading 
 to inevitable destruction, — and moulded into well- 
 behaved, sober, moral, industrious and modest young 
 artizens, farmers, seamen, seamstresses, &c, — some of 
 them already grown up, married, and respectably 
 settled in life, — then surely may the Institution appeal 
 with confidence, to the favor and support of the pub- 
 lic. That such have been the fruits of the salutary 
 moral and religious discipline of the House of Refuge, 
 and in very numerous instances, too, its archives are 
 supplied with abundant testimony to prove. A 
 portion of this testimony, which is constantly accu- 
 mulating, has been laid before the Society, from year 
 to year, in its annual reports; and some additional 
 items of evidence to the same effect, are hereunto 
 annexed. That some of the inmates have proved 
 irreclaimable, and that others, after an apparent 
 reformation — speaking contrition for the past, and 
 promising well fur the future, — have again relapsed 
 into immoral and vicious practices, the Managers 
 feel no disposition to conceal or deny. But such 
 cases, they are warranted in saying, are comparatively 
 rare — comprising but a small proportion of the whole 
 number who have fallen under the care of the institu- 
 tion. On the contrary, if the assurances of their 
 officers are to be believed, some of the finest young 
 seaman in the navy, have been taken from the Refuge. 
 Others have been entered in the whaling business, 
 to the entire satisfaction of their employers, and with 
 profit to themselves. There has been general good 
 
227 
 
 conduct among these, and some of them are at the 
 present time engaged as officers in that hardy and 
 lucrative service. Others, again, are seamen, en- 
 gaged in different branches of commercial enterprise ; 
 and one of the reformed inmates of this Institution, 
 has recently sailed from one of our ports, the second 
 mate of an Indiaman. Many are now engaged, under 
 very favorable circumstances, as apprentices in the 
 art of husbandry. The term of service of some has 
 expired, and they have grown up respectable young 
 men. One of these has married, and settled down a 
 good citizen. Some of the number have become res- 
 pectable mechanics. One of these, a very hard, but 
 ultimately a very interesting case, became decidedly 
 devout while in the Refuge. His whole temper and 
 disposition were changed to mildness and docility. 
 He was bound out to a trade—has acquired it — and 
 having married a respectable girl, is now established, 
 and engaged in the successful prosecution of a lucra- 
 tive business. Several cases have occurred, where 
 young girls, guilty of different offences, have been 
 thoroughly reclaimed from the paths of iniquity. Of 
 these, some have been bound to service at distant 
 places in the country, where their deportment was in 
 all respects so excellent, that they have married res- 
 pectably, and are now discharging the duties of affec- 
 tionate and virtuous wives and mothers. And the 
 reports from great numbers of others, of both sexes, 
 whose periods of service have not expired, are of the 
 most gratifying, and even animating description. 
 With these facts before us, is there not much cause 
 for rejoicing that Providence has in such numerous 
 instances, smiled upon the labors of this institution! 
 And is there not large encouragement for the contin- 
 uance of our exertions, in a cause which has already 
 been attended with such gratifying results, and which 
 is so rich in promise for the future ! 
 
 In conclusion, the Managers have only to express 
 the very great obligations they are under to the la- 
 dies who have the supervision of the Female Depart- 
 ment of the Refuge, for their continued and efficient 
 services in that interesting branch of this important 
 public charity. It is peculiarly pleasant to content- 
 
228 
 
 plate the spirit of philanthropy, resting upon virtuous 
 and accomplished women, enabling them, as her min- 
 isters, to forego the luxuries and refinements of ele- 
 gant homes, to watch over the management of an in- 
 stitution like the House of Refuge — filled, as it must 
 be, with beings often rendered loathsome by their 
 vices and their crimes, and seeking to bring back the 
 erring wanderer to the paths of virtue, and to elevate 
 even the most degraded to a state of comparative 
 moral purity. It is woman who invests charity with 
 her most beautiful drapery, while her deeds of benefi- 
 cence increase her own loveliness. Could there be 
 an excess of true charity, woman would be prodigal; 
 " but in charity there is no excess ; neither can man 
 or angel come in danger by it.'- 
 
 To the physicians of the institution, likewise, Doc- 
 tors Stearns and Carter, the thanks of the Managers 
 are eminently due, for their gratuitous services ren- 
 dered during the past year, in the hospital of the 
 Refuge. 
 
 Confidently relying upon the continuance of the 
 public and legislative favor, and determined to spare 
 no exertions themselves to render this institution, if 
 not all that can be desired, at least much more than 
 could, a very few years since, have been anticipated 
 by the most sanguine, the Managers close their sixth 
 year's labors, with the consolation arising from what 
 they have believed a faithful discharge of their public 
 duty, and are prepared to enter upon the seventh with 
 renewed confidence, and with still brighter prospects 
 of success in proportion to their means. 
 
 LETTER FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT. 
 In reply to a note addressed by the Committee appointed to pre- 
 pare this Report, to the Superintendent of the Refuge, requesting 
 the necessary facts and documents to be incorporated therein, the 
 following letter was received with the other papers. It was not 
 written for publication ; but as it embraces many statements proper 
 for the public eye, the Committee have thought it advisable to in- 
 clude it in this Appendix. 
 
229 
 
 14 You ask, gentlemen, the causes of the commitment of our in- 
 mates. I would first refer you to the number of intemperate pa- 
 rents ascertained — doubting not, but if the truth was known, there 
 are many more of this class than the parents of the sixty-three I 
 have mentioned. The consequence is, the children are neglected, 
 and suffered to run about the streets, to form acquaintance and con- 
 nexion with older and idly trained boys and girls. They next 
 begin to pilfer — sleep out nights, around the market places, &c. ; 
 and as their depravity naturally leads them from one step of vice 
 to another, they begin to find the power of money, not only to 
 gratify their appetites, but by degrees are led to different places of 
 amusement, which in their nature are very seducing. Indulgence 
 does but create stronger dispositions to obtain the means for at- 
 tending Circuses, Theatres, &c, and we rarely receive a child of 
 any years, which is not quite familiar with either the one or the 
 other, or both. We have one of the strongest instances of the in- 
 fatuation produced by theatrical amusements, in a boy now in the 
 House, that we recollect to have witnessed. He is a youth of 
 highly respectable parentage, and his father had the means and 
 disposition to give him a liberal education. Much pains and ex- 
 pense were expended to qualify him for college, and he actually 
 entered one of those seminaries, where he spent part of two ses- 
 sions. But while quite young, he was taken to the theatre, by a 
 person unknown to his parents, and continued to attend there for 
 a length of time, before it was discovered by them. "When it be- 
 came known to them, they set their faces strongly against it ; — but 
 such was his propensity thitherward, that, in the first instance, if 
 means could not be obtained, he would sell his school books — then 
 his mother's silver spoons, and books from his father's library ; 
 and when these were not obtainable, would change away his best 
 clothes for inferior ones, to obtain the difference, for the purpose 
 of gratifying himself in these amusements. It had such an influ- 
 ence upon him, as to become a perfect infatuation. He would not 
 attend to his literary pursuits, and would stop at nothing to obtain 
 money, that he might indulge his passion. To prevent greater 
 disgrace, his friends interfered, and had him sent here. We have 
 not discovered that this youth is beset by any other propensity. 
 And had it not been for this, there is no probability that his pa- 
 rents' hearts w r ould have been wounded in so tender a point, and 
 one of our colleges would doubtless now have had one more res- 
 pectable and promising young man enrolled upon its catalogue. 
 And while we look over our large family, we see many under our 
 care, who, had they been blessed with sober and industrious parents, 
 would doubtless have made such children as we all would have 
 been proud of, had they been sons of our own. We consider the 
 inculcation and practice of industrious habits, a powerful means of 
 restoring to a good state of feeling, this young class— connected 
 with those moral and religious precepts taught in the Bible. Not- 
 withstanding we do not always see the fruits of religious instruc- 
 tion; still, feeling the influence of a kind father's precepts and ex- 
 ample upon my own mind, we pursue our labors cheerfully, be- 
 lieving the impressions will be lasting and powerful in more 
 mature age. 
 
 " Of the larger and more hopeless class, we have sent them on 
 
230 
 
 long voyages to sea, where they will arrive to manhood in this 
 honest and industrious calling- — hoping that on their return, those 
 bubbles and toys, that in their youth glistened in their eyes like 
 the diamond, will have lost their charms. Some, it is true, have 
 disgraced themselves, and brought sorrow to the hearts of the 
 managers of this institution, who devote much of their time by day 
 and by night, for the interest of these unfortunate Juvenile Delin- 
 quents,* without fee or reward, other than the satisfaction they must 
 experience, at having done all in their power to reclaim and to save 
 them, by placing them in a way to obtain a respectable and honest 
 livelihood. Yet, on the other hand, they are cheered to see now 
 and then a hearty and hardy Tar return from his voyage — and 
 passing even his own relatives to come up with his certificate of 
 good conduct from his captain, or the merchant, first to greet his 
 kind benefactors at the Refuge. I now recollect two boys who 
 once afforded but little hope. They are now mates of ships out of 
 this port, one of whom is entrusted with large amounts of valuable 
 property, and is considered to be a young man of the strictest in- 
 tegrity. 
 
 "As to the children occasionally returned upon our hands, while 
 we are compelled to say some are unworthy of the stations they 
 were placed in — yet with all the vigilance and industry of our In- 
 denturing Committee, who spare no pains to obtain information, 
 not only of the respectability, but fitness of the families of persons 
 applying to them for apprentices from the Refuge, yet sometimes 
 children are unhappily located — or more is expected from them 
 than it is reasonable to require of children of their age. A striking 
 instance at this moment occurs to my mind. A gentleman of res- 
 pectability obtained a little girl. His family became so dissatisfied 
 with her, that the gentleman put her out to board for a short time, 
 until he could make application to the Indenturing Committee, and 
 have an opportunity of returning her to the Refuge, which he did 
 with an appearance of strong dislike, &c. All were fully satisfied 
 that his complaints w r ere without just grounds, and after retaining 
 her a few months, another favorable opportunity offered to send 
 her to the West. After she had been out several months the se- 
 cond time, the gentleman's brother came (a few days since) nearly 
 three miles, to tell us how highly his brother and family were 
 pleased with the little girl, and that she was the admiration of the 
 neighborhood. 
 
 " From one neighborhood in Massachusetts, w r e have lately had 
 an account from five boys, who are all doing well, and were very 
 much beloved. In one place in Connecticut, six of our boys are 
 all doing well; and, gentlemen, I could fill a little volume with in- 
 teresting facts like the foregoing, as we always keep an account of 
 parentage, former life, conduct in the House, reports from their 
 masters after being indentured, and even after they are free, mar- 
 ried and settled in business, with great care and precision, and 
 have now rising eight hundred of these histories of cases thathave 
 fallen to our care. I will close by furnishing you with a few ex- 
 tracts from the books of the past year, showing the effects of this 
 beneficent public charity. 
 
 "Respectfully yours, 
 
 N. C. HART." 
 
231 
 
 SELECTION OF CASES ANU LETTERS 
 
 From Apprentices, and from Persons to whom Apprentices 
 have been bound. 
 
 BOYS. 
 
 September 18, 1829 
 C. D., from a court of Oyer and Terminer, held- in Albany, in 
 and for the county of Albany, aged 18 years the 11th inst., born 
 on the island of Guernsey, of English parents ; his mother died in 
 Guernsey, twelve or thirteen years ago ; his father moved to P. 
 several years since. Not long after, moved back to V. Some 
 short time previous to his father's death, he had put C. D. as an 
 
 apprentice, to Mr. , where he continued four years ; had 
 
 learned the trade so that he could make cream cups, silver spoons, 
 (fee. — became acquainted with a boy about 15 years of age. M. C. 
 proposed leaving that place for the north; C. D. said he had no 
 money; C. replied that he had sixty dollars. They started the 7th 
 of June last. The first stop they made was with P. M. in Broad- 
 way, four days ; they then went to Albany, put up with Mr. J. 
 They stayed there about a week, and then cleared out without pay- 
 ing their board; went to Troy, put up with Mr. P. three days, 
 paid their board and started for Waterford : put up with Mr. H. 
 F. a short time, and cleared without paying their bill. They then 
 started for Albany, took lodgings with Mr. C, told him they had no 
 money, but they were to write to Washington for some; stopped 
 one week, walked out to Rensselaer Yille, and put up with C. T. 
 Not having any cash, they were asked for money; C. D. pawned 
 his watch, which, according to calculation, would defray their ex- 
 penses for several days, (subject to be redeemed for §8) ; but in 
 about two days they arose before day, contrived to get into the bar 
 room, took the landlord's pocket book containing $12 50 cents in 
 cash, and several promissory notes. C, as it rained, helped himself 
 to a cloak, and on they started, (this was the 4th of July.) They 
 were pursued and taken near Coeyman's Landing, with the money 
 on them, having thrown away the pocket book and papers. C. was 
 bailed out for $500 ; went home, and forfeited the bond. C. D. 
 remained and was found guilty, and sentenced here. He says du- 
 ring the four years that he was with his master, he in a few instan- 
 ces picked up scraps, made gold rings and sold them ; his master 
 knew of it twice, but only reproved him. Entered the 8th class. 
 
 On the re-examination which took place, I judge about three 
 months after the foregoing, he says that he was a bad boy, would 
 play truant from school, &c. ; feels deeply impressed that his bad 
 conduct was the leading cause of his father's death, and shows 
 much contrition for his past misconduct. 
 
 When this boy first came here, he was very troublesome, and 
 showed a strong disposition to avail himself of the first opportunity 
 to make his escape, and gave us much anxiety ; but in a few 
 months, we can truly say, the Lion became (from every appear- 
 ance) a Lamb; he became humble and pliable, of a quiet and meek 
 spirit ; a lover of his Bible and of his closet ; would gather the 
 smaller boys around him during play hours, in the school hall, 
 
232 
 
 read some good book, and converse so sweetly about good things, 
 that he had much influence with them ; as he was large and some- 
 what advanced in years, we felt it our duty to give him a fair pro- 
 bation. He was in due time, indentured to a Blacksmith in U. I 
 saw a gentleman from that neighborhood, who informed me that 
 lie was an admirable boy, his life was an example for the neighbor- 
 hood. 
 
 The following is the copy of a letter from E. F., a little Irish 
 boy, whose father is dead, and whose mother is very intemperate: 
 inconsequence of which she was expelled her humble abode, not 
 being able to pay her rent; they were found in the street, without 
 house or home, by the Commissioners. This boy having been 
 guilty of some little improprieties, was sent here as a vagrant, in 
 July, 1828 ; and in about nine months was indentured to Mr. B. 
 M., farmer of M. 
 
 M. December 7, 1830. 
 
 *'My Dear Mother. — Your letter dated the 26th of January 
 last, was received by my friend, Mr. M., it has given me great 
 pleasure. I have been well through summer and fall : I have at- 
 tended Sunday School regularly ; I am well pleased with my place; 
 yet, dear mother, I wish you good health, and sister, and uncle, 
 and friends ; likewise I wish you to let me know how you are ; I 
 like my master and his family very well so far; I expect to go to 
 day school this winter; I am going to have a suit of new clothes 
 this christmas ; I have learned to ride on horseback pretty well ; 
 I have plenty of good food and raiment; I have seen D. F., he is 
 well, and lives two miles from us ; if I live, and be a good boy, I 
 expect to go to New-York, and see you and my sisters, and perhaps 
 some of my friends too; we have had a very fine fall in this coun- 
 try; we are privileged with plenty of nuts and apples. 
 
 Mr. M., has a large fine ox, and when he takes him to New-York, 
 he will be dressed with ribbons. 
 
 Dear mother, I give my best respects to all my friends and ac- 
 quaintances. Dear mother don't give yourself any uneasiness on 
 my account. I am hearty, well, and contented, and hope to see 
 you again before long. 
 
 I remain your affectionate son. 
 
 E. F. 
 
 The following is at the bottom of E. F's letter, written by his 
 master, Mr. M. 
 
 E. appears to be well pleased with his place, and we like him 
 very well ; we think he is full as smart, and trusty, as common for 
 boys of his age. This letter is his own hand writing and compo- 
 sition. Yours, &c. 
 
 N. C. Hart. B. M. 
 
 The following letter was received from G. S., who was inden- 
 tured to a Mr. S., in D. Co., New-York, farmer, nearly four years 
 ago, and may be interesting. His father is dead, and his mother is 
 a poor, low, miserable drunkard. 
 
 Mr. N. C. Hart, — Dear Friend, I take this opportunity to write 
 to you these few lines. I am well, and hope this will find you so 
 too, and all my mates, and I hope they will all behave well, and 
 get good places, and when they get them, I hope they will stick to 
 
 4 
 
233 
 
 them. I have stuck by Mr. S., and have "done as well as I knew 
 how" so far. I have got the promise of a farm when my time is 
 out. My dear mother, I hope, is well, and my brothers and sis- 
 ters too. My time will soon be out, and I will come and see you 
 all. 
 
 Mr. Hart, please write to me, and tell me where my mother and 
 brothers and sisters are, and how they are doing. I should like to 
 hear from all. Yours, &c. J. M. 
 
 [This poor boy's prospect of having a farm on shares when his 
 time is out, connected with the tender interest manifested in behalf 
 of his mother, brothers and sisters, comes home to our feelings, 
 N. C. H.] 
 
 1826, Dec. 2, H. C, from the Commissioners, aged 15 years, 
 born in New-York. He, commenced a wild career very young, 
 was, by his father, turned over to the Commissioners of the Alms 
 House as a vagrant. Alderman Burtis bound him out in the coun- 
 try. He soon ran away from his place, and returned to his father, 
 who sent him to school; but he played truant about the streets. 
 He was then put with a cabinet maker, as an apprentice, in a short 
 time was sent with a piece of furniture, received the money, and 
 ran away, and in fact he could not be kept by his father nor mas- 
 ters from running at large. He said his first theft was committed 
 five years ago, by stealing a shilling from his father. He stole a 
 silver watch from one of his father's boarders. In offering it for 
 sale, he was mistrusted, and taken. The watch was obtained by 
 the owner, and he severely punished by his father. Soon after, 
 he procured a key that opened a trunk belonging to the same man 
 from whom he had stolen the watch, where he found a sum of 
 money in bank bills; — he took them, but was detected before he 
 left the house. His father then locked him up for two or three 
 months, and kept him on bread and water; but notwithstanding, 
 he frequently afterwards pilfered small amounts from his father, 
 and sometimes when sent on errands with money, would run away 
 with it, and be gone from home several days at a time. The last 
 time, he was absent a month, carrying wood, begging, &c, when 
 his friends had him taken up, and sent here as a vagrant. 
 
 H. was not a bad dispositioned boy, nor was he very trouble- 
 some to manage; yet, after keeping him here two years and a half, 
 we could not feel that confidence in his integrity, which warranted 
 us in binding him out in +he country. Consequently, in June, 1829, 
 as an opportunity offered, he was sent on a whaling voyage. 
 
 The following is a copy of a letter sent by him to the Superin- 
 tendent: 
 
 Sante Jago, July 23, 1830. 
 
 Mr. N. C. Hart, — Dear Friend, I take my pen in hand to inform 
 you that I am well, and hope you enjoy the same blessing. 
 
 I am now on my second voyage; — when I return, I will come 
 and see you. There being a brig near us bound to New- York, I 
 thought it a favourable time to let you know where I was, and how 
 I. come on. I am hearty as a buck ; I never will forget what you 
 have done for me. I remember what you told me — "H, you are 
 going to sea,* but remember there is seldom arose without a thorn." 
 
 'At which he was very much pleased. 
 30 
 
234 
 
 If Hire, when I return I shall come and see you with pleasure. I 
 saw J. M., who has gone round Cape Horn the second voyage. I 
 am on board the same ship, the old Congress forever. We got 
 last year, 1300 barrels of oil. We have three pots and four boats. 
 We are determined to get a voyage. We are going to the Cape of 
 Good Hope ; of late we call it the Cape of Storms, where there is 
 many a bitter blow. If we do not get a load, we are going to double 
 the Cape, and cruise for the Spanish coast. We are in hopes to 
 return by next March, with a full cargo of oil. When I return to 
 Nantucket, I will let you know. I leave my blessing with you. 
 
 H. C, a Refuge boy in the ship C. 
 
 Feb. 18, 1830. 
 
 H. J. was received from the Police, aged 10 years, the 4th of 
 July t last; born in New-York, of Irish parents. They are both 
 dead, and he has been two years in the Orphan Asylum. 
 
 His sister, the wife of J. S., took him, thinking that she could 
 do for him. But it appears that her husband drank. He received 
 a coat to mend, which he pawned, and for which he was sued; he 
 threw all the blame and disgrace upon his wife, wrongfully. Feel- 
 ing herself so disgraced, she told her husband to clear out, and 
 went herself to service. Consequently, the care of H. devolved 
 on his brother T., a stone cutter ; but he not being married, put him 
 as an apprentice, first to G. W., a butcher, to whom he was so diso- 
 bedient and saucy, that he would not keep him. Next his brother 
 put him to live with a Mr. , a shoe maker, where he remain- 
 ed two weeks, and ran away. On application of his brother to the 
 Police, they sent him here as a vagrant. He hardly knew his let- 
 ters, and a more scurvy looking little object of pity, we have seldom 
 received. But it was soon found, that all that he required to make 
 him a first rate boy, was proper discipline, with regularity and some 
 encouragement. He soon rose to the class of honor, and a more 
 faithful, respectful, industrious child, we could not desire. In about 
 
 nine months, he was indentured to , of , who has sent 
 
 us the following letter : 
 
 Dec. 13, 1830. 
 
 Dear Sir, — I now sit down to drop you a few lines respecting the 
 boy who was indented to me by you on the 23d of October last, 
 and thereby fulfil my promise. As respects the boy, I certainly am 
 much pleased with him ; and as far as my observations have ex- 
 tended, must say, that his willingness to make himself useful, ex- 
 ceeds the ordinary run of boys. As yet, I have not selected a 
 school for him, but think of doing so in a few days, as the winter is 
 the most convenient time for me to spare him. He tells the family 
 he would rather stay than return, notwithstanding he has to work 
 hard. Should you, or any other person, who is, (or ought to be,) 
 interested in the boy's welfare, be passing through this section of 
 the country, I should like you to call. 
 
 Your Obedient Servant, 
 
 Mr. N. C. Hart, Superintendent of the House of Refuge. 
 
 August 21, 1829. 
 O. P., from a court of Special Sessions held in this city, aged 12 
 
 \ When we cannot ascertain what month or day they were born, we always put 
 It the 4th of July.— N. C. H. 
 
235 
 
 years the 4th of July last, born in — — - County, of American pa- 
 rents. His father resides in street; does occasionally drink 
 
 too much. His mother died about four years ago. His father mar* 
 ried again in about two years. He appears to have been at loose 
 ends for some time. The boy has been in the practice of playing 
 truant from school, running about the markets, <fcc. He commen- 
 ced stealing by taking fruit from different markets, at different times, 
 such as apples, peaches, melons, &c. Next he went into a cellar 
 kitchen, with S. J., where a table was standing and took two small 
 silver spoons, which they sold for three shillings : then a sleigh 
 from another boy, which he sold for two shillings: then in com- 
 pany with his brother H. and others, two vests and a silk handker- 
 chief: then again with S. J. in another cellar kitchen, two large 
 silver spoons. He was taken up in offering them for sale. Could 
 not read. 
 
 One of the largest of his associates has since been sent to State 
 Prison, for Burglary, known as a leader and teacher of little boys 
 in crime. 
 
 O. had been here but twelve days, before he secreted himself 
 under the floor of one of the work-shops, with an intention to es- 
 cape, for which he was punished; but it appears it had not its de- 
 sired effect, for the sixth day following, bent on making his escape* 
 being very active, he ran up a tin leader on the side of the house, 
 got on the roof, down another tin leader, on the other side of the 
 same building, and ran like a little deer, but was discovered by one 
 of the Superintendent's domestics, was chased into a swamp, and 
 re-taken in a few minutes. He was then locked up in solitude for 
 several days on bread and water, which had its desired effect. He 
 soon after, by his quiet, meek and respectful manners, connected 
 with punctuality in the faithful performance of all his labor and 
 duty, not only gained a high degree of esteem and confidence from 
 his care-takers, but was esteemed by his fellows, whose society was 
 courted by the first class of boys, was in due time promoted to the 
 highest class of honor, by the unanimous vote of all his mates, 
 which vote is always taken when offered by the Superintendent for 
 so high a rank among his fellows, nor did he ever disgrace his 
 badge while he remained in the House ; but his former associates 
 having been of a base kind, and his crimes having been considera- 
 ble, for a little boy, it was thought proper to give him a pretty good 
 probation in the Refuge. 
 
 After remaining in the House from the 21st of August, 1829, to 
 the 8th of October, 1830, he was indentured to a respectable me- 
 chanic in D. C. who in a short time, being much pleased with his 
 boy, has written to know if he could procure a girl from the Insti- 
 tution. After describing the age and qualifications of the girl he 
 wants, he concludes by saying, "one of your choice girls, as you 
 called the boy that I took from your Institution. And sir, I do 
 really consider him a choice boy." — But his request was not grant- 
 ed, as the Managers think it imprudent, generally, to place two of 
 our children in one family. 
 
 A few days since we received the following letter, in the boy's 
 own hand writing, which is fair and every word spelt correctly. — 
 
 Mr. Hart. — As you requested me to write you, to inform you 
 how I was pleased with my place and trade ; I am certain I think 
 
236 
 
 you have obtained a good place and trade for me. Mr. B., puts roe 
 to work with a journeyman, who instructs me well. I attend to 
 writing and arithmetic, evenings. You will not expect more the 
 first time. I look to you for good advice. 
 
 My thanks to you and good wishes, and to my former compan- 
 ions. 
 
 Yours Truly, 
 
 O. P. 
 
 As we report one death during the year, in the House, it may 
 be gratifying to some to have an account of the case. 
 
 His name was John Gillen — between 11 and 12 years of age. 
 He was naturally a good dispositioned child, but his former habits 
 were such as might be expected from a child living in one of the 
 most abandoned parts of the city — without father or mother, or any 
 other care-taker than an aunt, who wished him away from her, un- 
 less he could bring her some money. He was sent here by the 
 Commissioners, on the 8th of August, 1829. About five months 
 previous to his death, he was taken with the scarlet fever, which 
 terminated in the consumption. During his illness, he was fre- 
 quently admonished of his approaching dissolution, and of the ne- 
 cessity of a preparation to meet the change ; and occasionally 
 prayers were offered up with him, and he was pressed to look to 
 his Redeemer for mercy; which, for some time, he was daily in 
 the practice of. He appeared to die in a very happy frame of mind. 
 A few minutes before his death, he was asked if he thought he 
 should go to heaven. He answered, "I wish I was there now," 
 and requested the children standing round his bed, to sing the fol- 
 lowing lines: 
 
 O how happy are they, 
 Who their Saviour obey, 
 
 And have laid up their treasure above ; 
 Tongue can never express, 
 The sweet comforts and peace 
 
 Of a soul in its earliest love, &c. 
 
 He made an effort to join in singing; but his strength would not 
 allow. After they had sung three verses, he strove to say some- 
 thing ; but was too far gone, and immediately breathed his last, 
 without a struggle or a groan. 
 
 GIRLS. 
 
 April 20, 1830. 
 
 G. H., from the Commissioners, aged 13 years the 13th of Oct. 
 last, born in New-York of English parents. Her mother as well 
 as her father, drank hard, and he quitted her and went to W. S. C. 
 where he died a short time since* 
 
 This child says she was at loose ends, and had nothing but bad 
 examples before her, running about the streets, forming acquain- 
 tance with loose girls, &c. Entered 8th Class. 
 
 From the time the child first came here, her deportment appear- 
 ed to show that the bent of her mind was to reform, and to try to 
 re-establish her character, by "doing as well as she knew how." 
 She soon, not only gained the confidence of her care-takers, but 
 their esteem and affections. 
 
 She was, the 19th of August, indentured to a pious family in O. 
 C. who are delighted with the girl, and call her "a charming child." 
 
237 
 
 May, 1828. 
 
 B. C, from the Commissioners, aged 7 years the 4th of July 
 last : born in this country, of Irish father and English mother, who 
 died about one year ago. Since which time, she and her sister, 
 about eleven years of age, have been their father's principal house- 
 keepers : he, by trade, is a soap boiler and starch manufacturer, 
 and drinks very hard ; when intoxicated is very cruel. The chil- 
 dren thus having no one to look after them but a drunken father, 
 would run about from place to place, forming acquaintances with 
 wicked, swearing, thievish girls, who put them up to steal their 
 father's goods and sell them — tear up his shirts and sell them for 
 old rags. This course they kept until they found their way to the 
 House of Refuge. This one did not know her letters. She being 
 young, with proper management soon bid fair to make a desirable 
 child ; and an opportunity offered to place her in a good pious 
 family, where we had no doubt she would be trained up in the 
 way she should go. The Indenturing Committee ordered her In- 
 dentured in a few months. After remaining in her place about two 
 years, the following letter was received. 
 
 December, 1830. 
 Dear Sir, Thinking you would be pleased to hear from B. C, 
 whom we received from your institution about two years ago, I 
 would inform you that she has enjoyed good health since that 
 time, and has learned to read, knit and sew. Her conduct in gen- 
 eral, has been good. She is perfectly contented with us, and does 
 not express a wish to return to New-York. 
 
 Respectfully Yours, T. W. 
 
 F. G. H. from the Commissioners of the Alms House, aged 13 
 years the 10th of September last, born in New-York of American 
 parents. Her father was a ship carpenter by trade ; died about 
 three years ago. Not long after, her mother commenced keeping 
 a bad house in R. street, but removed to L. street, where after this 
 course for nearly three years, she died, leaving three orphan 
 daughters. This and the next youngest, about ll years of age 
 were taken charge of by girls of ill fame, where the Commissioners 
 found them about a week after her mother's death. The young- 
 est, about seven years of age, was taken possession of by her 
 mother's washer-woman. When she first came here, she was 
 very wild, exhibiting that kind of deportment, which was natural 
 for her to acquire from the examples of lewd girls. 
 
 After a few months, she become very industrious and obedient, 
 and gave much hope, that she would yet make a fine woman. 
 The Ladies' Committee recommended, that she be indentured, 
 when a suitable place in the country should offer. She was so 
 indentured, to a gentleman residing in the state of Massachusetts, 
 who has written the following letter, relative to the child. — 
 
 October 19, 1830. 
 Mr. Hart — Dear Sir, — It is with pleasure that I am able to 
 state to you and the Board of Managers of the House of Refuge, 
 that the girl that you bound to me last spring, has uniformly con- 
 ducted herself with propriety, and to my satisfaction. From her 
 conduct thus far, I trust, and think that she will prove to be supe- 
 rior to most girls. She appears to be pleased with her situation, 
 and does not wish to return to New-York. 
 
 I am Dear Sir, Your Ob't Servant. 
 
238 
 
 October 21, 1829. 
 
 A. B. a girl from the Police, aged 14 years, the 2d of April last. 
 Born in S. N. J. Her father left her mother with ten children to 
 look after, all of whom are now living. 
 
 A. B. left her mother contrary to her wishes, about twelve 
 months ago, thinking that she could do better by herself. First 
 lived three months with Mrs. H. at three dollars per month : next 
 with Mrs. O. who kept a small shop nearly opposite, four months, 
 at three dollars per month ; then with her aunt, Mrs. R. about five 
 months, at three dollars per month and other presents. * * * 
 
 Her going out so often without having any errand to do, raised 
 the suspicions of her aunt and sister ; this led her sister to watch 
 her one evening, when she saw her join a stranger in her walk — 
 headed her, and directed her to go home. Her aunt then inter- 
 ceded with the Police and had her sent here. Entered the eighth 
 class. 
 
 Soon after she came here, she united with another girl in form- 
 ing a plan to escape, but was detected and punished ; after which, 
 her deportment was very satisfactory ; she became contented and 
 satisfied, and would converse freely upon her condition and state, 
 and manifested by degrees, much thoughtfulness. 
 
 It pleased Divine Providence, to visit the females in such a man- 
 ner as to produce much religious excitement among the children, 
 at which time A. B. became a subject of hopeful conversion, nor do 
 we believe she ever swerved from the path of piety afterwards. 
 Last summer she became quite indisposed, and her sickness baffled 
 the skill of our Physicians. She loved her Bible, and was strict 
 in her private devotions, and occasionally, while confined to her 
 bed of affliction, would break out in humble but modest acclama- 
 tions of praise to her Blessed Saviour — blessing God that she had 
 ever seen the House of Refuge. 
 
 In September last, her friends made application to the Inden- 
 turing Committee, to return her to them; feeling, as they should 
 do, a solicitude for their dying relative. It was granted. Some 
 of the Ladies' Committee, the Matron, and myself, frequently 
 called to see her — always found her in the same sweet and even 
 frame of mind. A few days since she breathed her last, in the tri- 
 umph of faith ; blessing and praising her Maker, that ever she saw 
 the House of Refuge, and came under the care of Mrs. Oram, the 
 present matron. Her last request, was, that her friends should 
 send for the Matron and Superintendent. 
 
 REPORT OF THE LADIES' COMMITTEE. 
 
 To the Managers of the House of Refuge, the Ladies' Committee 
 respectfully Report — 
 
 That, since their last Annual Report, the Monthly Meetings of 
 the Committee have been regularly held, and the House has been 
 visited at least once in each Aveek by sub-committees, appointed 
 for that purpose. From the Minutes of these Committees a sum* 
 mary of which will be laid before the Managers, it appears, that, 
 with the exception of a few months during which the matron was 
 seriously indisposed, general good order has prevailed, and the 
 usual routine of duties been well performed. 
 
239 
 
 By the detailed Report appended to this, it will be seen, that in 
 addition to t!ie every-day occupations of cooking, washing, and 
 mending their own and the boys' clothes, attending school, and 
 family devotions, &c, the girls have made upwards of twenty-five 
 hundred garments for themselves and the boys. 
 
 At the date of our last Annual Report, there were thirty-eight 
 girls in the House; of whom twenty-three have been Indentured; 
 two returned to the Commissioners of the Alms House—three to 
 their parents — six released, being of legal age, and four remain in 
 the House. 
 
 During the past year 31 girls, have been committed to the House, 
 and 6 returned who had been indentured, in 'previous years : leav- 
 ing 40 in the House at this time. 
 
 The exertions of the Matron to reform the habits and characters 
 of the girls, have, we believe, been attended with salutary effects ; 
 an evidence of which is furnished by the fact, that in no previous 
 year has there been so entire an exemption from gross miscon- 
 duct in the female department of the Refuge. 
 
 The practice of committing to memory portions of the Holy 
 Scriptures, and reciting them to the weekly Committees, is con- 
 tinued, and frequently furnishes opportunities for admonition and 
 reproof, which we trust has not been without its share of influence 
 in promoting the objects of the Institution. Indeed the neglect of 
 this practice, has generally been accompained by a corresponding 
 deviation from the rules of good order and propriety. 
 
 It cannot be doubted that there are in this city a large number of 
 female children, destitute of the means of moral instruction, and 
 exposed to the contaminating influence of corrupt example ; and 
 that their condition would be greatly improved and the communi- 
 ty relieved, by placing them in the House of Refuge ; we are so 
 increasingly and deeply impressed with the importance of the sub- 
 ject, that we again call your attention earnestly to it. We do still 
 indulge the hope that our Public Authorities may be induced to 
 apply to this acknowledged evil, at least, a partial remedy — and 
 earnestly desire that your exertions for the attainment of this ob- 
 ject may not be relaxed. 
 
 In taking a retrospective view of their labors during the past 
 year, the Ladies' Committee cannot but advert with feelings of re- 
 gret to cases in which their efforts have been fruitless. These 
 have not, however, been numerous, while, in many instances, the 
 cheering reflection remains, that their labors have, with the Divine 
 blessing, been crowned with success. 
 
 They are therefore encouraged to persevere in the good work, 
 remembering the injunction, "In the morning sow thy seed, and 
 in the evening withhold not thy hand, for thou knowest not which 
 shall prosper." 
 
 SARAH C. HAWXHURST, Secretary, 
 12th mo. (December) 27th, 1830. 
 
240 
 
 STATEMENTS. 
 
 , . , Subjects. 
 
 There were in the house when the last report was made, 
 
 Boys, 128 
 Girls, 38 
 
 % ' ___ 165 
 
 Of those previously disposed of, there have been returned 
 
 Boys, 20 
 Girls, 5 
 
 25 
 
 Received during the past year, Boys, - - - - 113 
 
 Girls, . 3i 
 
 144 
 
 335 
 
 Of whom there have been indentured, Boys, * - 105 
 
 Girls, 23 
 
 128 
 
 Returned to friends, Boys, 3 
 
 Girls, 3 
 
 11 
 
 Returned to the Aims-House, Boys, - 5 
 
 Girls, - 2 
 
 7 
 
 Of age, Girls, - -- -- -- .6 
 
 To the General Sessions, Boys, ------ i 
 
 Deceased, (sick with consumption when received,) Boy, 1 
 
 Now in the House, Boys, 141 
 
 Girls, ------ 40 
 
 181 
 
 335 
 
 The number of subjects received into the House of Refuge du- 
 ring the past year, Boys, - - - - - 113 
 Girls, 31 
 
 Committed by the following authorities, viz : 
 
 Boys, — Commissioners of the Alms House 31 
 
 Police of New-York county, 53 
 Special Sessions of do. - 1 
 
 General Sessions of do. 10 
 Erie County Sessions - 3 
 Albany county Sessions - 3 
 Kings County Sessions - - - - 7 
 Herkimer County Sessions - 1 
 
 Auburn State Prison, - 2 
 Sing Sing State Prison, - 1 
 
 113 
 
 Girls, — Commissioners of Alms House, - - 17 
 
 Police of New-York, - - - - 11 
 Court of Special Sessions - - - i 
 
 Albany County, 2 
 
 31 
 
 144 
 
241 
 
 Of the above number, are children of 
 
 American Parentage, 
 
 60 
 
 Irish, - 
 
 41 
 
 English, - 
 
 23 
 
 German, - 
 
 7 
 
 Scotch, - 
 
 3 
 
 Italian, - 
 
 1 
 
 French, 
 
 1 
 
 Unknown, 
 
 8 
 
 
 144 
 
 The parents of sixty-three of the above children are Intemperate. 
 Indentured during the past year, 
 
 ) Farmers, - - - 
 
 30 
 
 Sea Service of various kinds, 
 
 31 
 
 Blacksmiths, - 
 
 6 
 
 Cloth Manufacturers, 
 
 10 
 
 Hair Dresser, - 
 
 1 
 
 Cabinet Maker, - 
 
 1 
 
 Piano Forte Maker, 
 
 1 
 
 Bellows Maker, - 
 
 1 
 
 Paper Maker, - 
 
 1 
 
 Shoe Makers, - 
 
 4 
 
 Sugar Manufacturers, 
 
 12 
 
 Whip Manufacturer, 
 
 1 
 
 Tailors, - - - - 
 
 2 
 
 Saddler, - 
 
 X 
 
 Comb Manufacturer, 
 
 1 
 
 Mason, - 
 
 1 
 
 Hatter, - 
 
 1 
 
 
 105 
 
 Girls, — Domestic Service, Tailoresses, &c, 23 
 WORK DONE BY THE BOYS. 
 
 CANE CHAIR BOTTOM MANUFACTORY. 
 
 Cane chair bottoms, 351 dozen plain Maple Seats. 
 
 294 dozen plain solid fronts. 
 143 dozen Curled and Birds Eye fronts. 
 18 dozen curled sewing chair fronts. 
 24 dozen curled solid front, raised back, and 
 box seat. 
 
 17 dozen large seats and backs caned for 
 • arm chairs. 
 
 847 dozen. 
 
 39 settee seats. 
 
 BRUSH MANUFACTORY. 
 
 1000 dozen Shoe Brushes. 
 200 dozen Scrubbing Brushes; 
 600 dozen Hair Brushes. 
 600 dozen Cloth Brushes. 
 100 dozen Horse Brushes. 
 50 dozen Hat Brushes. 
 31 
 
 (i « 
 it ii 
 
 <« <T< 
 
242 
 
 50 dozen Flesh Brushes. 
 10 dozen Nail Brushes. 
 10 dozen Table Brushes. 
 2000 pound Bristles, assorted and combed. 
 1400 pound Bristles picked. 
 1400 pound Bristles washed and bleached. 
 1000 dozen Shoe Brushes finished. 
 200 dozen Scrubbing Brushes finished. 
 600 dozen Hair Brushes finished. 
 500 dozen Cloth Brushes finished. 
 100 dozen Horse Brushes finished. 
 50 dozen Hat Brushes finished. 
 50 dozen Flesh Brushes finished. 
 10 dozen Table Brushes finished. 
 
 SHOE SHOP. 
 
 The boys make and mend all the shoes used by the subjects in 
 both houses. 
 
 New shoes made for the use of the house, past year, 400 pair. 
 Mended, a large quantity. 
 
 carpenters' shop. 
 Soap and Candle Boxes, 20,175. 
 
 OTHER WORK DONE BY THE BOYS. 
 
 Tilling the grounds; working in the gardens. All the cooking 
 for the Male House, has been done by t'lem : they whitewash and 
 cleanse their own apartments, and mend all their woollen clothes ; 
 pick wool ; cut roots and sarsaparilla ; clean and sort gums and 
 drugs for Apothecaries, &c. &c. 
 
 WORK DONE BY THE GIRLS. 
 
 Shirts made, 
 
 300 
 
 Pillow Ticks, 
 
 16 
 
 Pantaloons, 
 
 702 
 
 Bolsters, - 
 
 1 
 
 Roundabouts Jackets, 
 
 527 
 
 Stockings run, (pair) 
 
 439 
 
 Chemises, 
 
 106 
 
 Stockings footed, " 
 
 16 
 
 Frocks, - 
 
 151 
 
 Spreads made and quilted, 
 
 18 
 
 Aprons, - 
 
 82 
 
 Brown Rollers, 
 
 125 
 
 Waistcoats, 
 
 45 
 
 Diaper Towels, 
 
 12 
 
 Petticoats, 
 
 44 
 
 Brown Towels, 
 
 12 
 
 Night caps, 
 
 116 
 
 Pantaloons mended, 
 
 2178 
 
 Vandikes, 
 
 104 
 
 Shirts mended, 
 
 2628 
 
 Pillow Cases, - 
 
 104 
 
 Bed Ticks mended, 
 
 114 
 
 Sheets, - 
 
 209 
 
 Blankets mended, 
 
 360 
 
 Pillows, - 
 
 8 
 
 Sheets made for Hospital, 
 
 24 
 
 Pieces Washed, 46,800. 
 
 SCHOOL REPORT. 
 
 From the 1st of January to December 31, 1830, one hundred 
 and forty-four children have entered school. 
 71 of the above number could not read. 
 
 20 of the 71 did not know a letter They were from 8 to 16 
 years of age: average, 11 years 6 months. 
 
 51 were in the second, third, and fourth classes; they were 
 from 10 to 16 years of age : average, 12 years 6 months. 
 
 45 entered the first reading classes, viz : sixth and seventh. 
 
243 
 
 28 in the more advanced, or eighth and ninth. 
 
 33 of the 144, are all that knew any thing of Arithmetic. 
 
 22 of the 33 were in addition. 
 
 During the past year the promotions have been as follows : — 
 20 have been promoted from the 1st to 2d class, 
 
 19 " " " 2d to 3d class, 
 
 28 " " " 3d to 4th class, 
 
 31 " " " 4th to 5th class, 
 
 36 " " " 5th to 6th class, 
 
 47 « " " 6th to 7th class, 
 
 31 " " " 7th to 8th class, 
 
 21 " M " 8th to 9th class. 
 
 Of those who entered the Arithmetic classes, there have been 
 an equal number of promotions. 
 
 In the ninth class there are twenty-one children* who read His- 
 tory and study Geography. 
 
 Forty-two write on paper ; 110 write on slates. 
 
 With this exhibit of the improvement of the children, the teach- 
 er would remark, that the regular and stated employment of the 
 children, eight hours per day, does not appear in any wise to mili- 
 tate against as successful a prosecution of their studies during the 
 time allotted them, as is observed in our Public Schools. 
 
 The Sabbath School is also under the sole care of the teacher, 
 and it is gratifying to say, the attention given to the reading and 
 searching the Holy Scriptures, affords reason to hope, that many 
 of our children will hereafter (as many already have) date their 
 acquaintance with that " salvation" which is no where taught save 
 in the "lively oracles," to Sabbath School instruction received in 
 the House of Refuge. 
 
 It appears due in this place to advert, with thankfulness, to the 
 very liberal donations which have been made from time to time, by 
 the Young Men's Bible Society of New- York, Auxiliary to the 
 American Bible Society ; nor should the monthly visits of the 
 friends of Sabbath Schools, who are careful to present us with 
 ' their monthly rewards, for the encouragement of such children as 
 are diligent in searching the Scriptures, be forgotten. 
 
 • This exhibits the state of the schools, male and female. 
 
244 
 
 The age9 of the Children received into the Refuge since it was 
 opened on 1st January, 1825, to 1st January, 1831. 
 
 BOYS. 
 
 Years of 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 age. - - 
 
 7 
 
 8 
 
 9 
 
 10 
 
 11 
 
 12 
 
 13 
 
 14 
 
 15 
 
 16 
 
 17 
 
 18 
 
 19 
 
 20 
 
 1825 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 to 1826, 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 6 
 
 13 
 
 14 
 
 7 
 
 5 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 
 to 1827, 
 
 
 1 
 
 4 
 
 7 
 
 4 
 
 6 
 
 9 
 
 20 
 
 25 
 
 10 
 
 11 
 
 5 
 
 9 
 
 3 
 
 to 1828, 
 
 
 
 4 
 
 8 
 
 13 
 
 14 
 
 13 
 
 16 
 
 11 
 
 12 
 
 8 
 
 4 
 
 1 
 
 
 to 1829, 
 
 
 3 
 
 5 
 
 11 
 
 12 
 
 18 
 
 13 
 
 32 
 
 12 
 
 11 
 
 5 
 
 
 
 
 to 1830, 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 10 
 
 7 
 
 17 
 
 6 
 
 25 
 
 23 
 
 10 
 
 5 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 1 
 
 to 1831, 113 — average age 12 years 2 months. 
 
 GIRLS. 
 
 1895 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 to 1826, 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 
 to 1827, 
 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 
 
 to 1828, 
 
 1 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 7 
 
 6 
 
 5 
 
 9 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 to 1829, 
 
 3 
 
 
 3 
 
 1 
 
 3 
 
 7 
 
 10 
 
 3 
 
 5 
 
 5 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 to 1830, 
 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 
 4 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 5 
 
 10 
 
 4 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 to 1831, 31— average age 12 years. 
 
 The number of children received into the Refuge, since it was 
 opened, 1st January, 1825, to 1st January, 1831, that have been in 
 places of confinement, viz : In Bridewell, Prisons, Penitentiaries, 
 &c. &c, and the length of time they were confined, before being 
 gent to the Refuge. 
 
 Bridewell. — 57 have been in once, 26 twice, 14 three times, 3 
 four times, 5 five times, and 1 ten times. 
 
 Penitentiary. — 13 have been in six months, 3 twelve months, 
 4 eighteen months, 1 thirty months, 2 thirty-six months. 
 
 State Prison. — 4. 
 
 Character of the Parents of Children received into the Refuge, 
 
 Parents been in Bridewell, 35 ; Penitentiary, 16 ; State's Prison, 
 2 ; Intemperate, 464 ; Houses of 111 Fame, 9 ; Parents allow chil- 
 dren to steal, 10; Parents receiving the avails of stealing, 8. 
 
 Since the opening of the House of Refuge, there have been 
 committed and received into it eight hundred and thirty-four chil- 
 dren. Boys, 628 
 
 Girls, 206 
 834 
 
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246 
 
 Officers of the Society. 
 
 CADWALLADER D. COLDEN, President. 
 STEPHEN ALLEN, 
 CORNELIUS DUBOIS, 
 JOHN GRISCOM, 
 
 HENRY I. WYCKOFF, / * *cc Presidents. 
 JAMES LOVETT, 
 PETER SHARPE, 
 CORNELIUS DUBOIS, Treasurer. 
 FREDERICK SHELDON, Secretary. 
 JOHN STEARNS, M. D. ? n , . . , e 
 
 GALEN CARTER, M. D. \ *h™ians and Surgeons. 
 
 House of Refuge. 
 
 NATHANIEL C. HART, Superintendent. 
 JOSEPH B. ROE, Assistant Superintendent. 
 REBECCA ORAM, Matron. 
 SARAH ANN ORAM, Assistant Matron. 
 CHARLES CECIL, Teacher. 
 
 Indenturing- Committee. 
 
 WILLIAM F. MOTT, 
 HEMAN AVERILL, 
 MYNDERT VAN SCHAICK. 
 
 Acting Committee. 
 
 WILLIAM W. FOX, 
 MYNDERT VAN SCHAICK, 
 HEMAN AVERILL, 
 JOHN HUNTER, 
 ROBERT D. WEEKS, 
 FREDERICK A. TRACY, 
 RUSSEL H. NEVINS. 
 
 Managers, 
 
 Stephen Allen, William Kent, Peter Sharpe, 
 Heman Averill, James Lovett, John Stearns, 
 Arthur Burtis, Rufus L. Lord, P. R. Starr, 
 C. D. Colden, William F. Mott, William L. Stone, 
 Robert C. Cornell,Hugh Maxwell, Charles Town, 
 Cornelius Dubois, Dennis M'Carthy, Frederick A; Tracy, 
 Jacob Drake, Russel H. Nevins, M. Van Schaick, 
 
 William W. Fox, Ralph Olmsted, Henry I. Wyckoff, 
 John Griscom, Nath'l Richards, John W. Wyman, 
 John Hunter, Fred'k Sheldon, Robert D. Weeks. 
 Jacob Harvey, 
 
 Ladies' Committee. 
 
 Rebecca M'Comb, Isabella Buloid, 
 
 Sophia Wyckoff, Phebe Mott, 
 
 Ann Warner, Charlotte L. Fox, 
 
 Deborah L. Embree, Sarah C. Hawxhurst, 
 
 Almy Cornell, Maria L. Hyde, 
 
 Margaret Beers, Martha Willis, 
 
 Ann L. Mott, Esther Seymour. 
 
SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT, &c. 
 
 1832. 
 
 IN obedience to the act incorporating the Society 
 for the Reformation of Juvenile Delinquents in the 
 city and state of New-York, the Managers respect- 
 fully Report :— That 
 
 Subjects. 
 
 There have been received into the House of Refuge during the 
 past year, Boys, - 101 
 
 Girls, - 24 
 
 125 
 
 Of those who had been previously indentured, there have 
 been returned, Boys, - - n 
 
 Girls, - - 2 
 
 13 
 
 There have been also returned, two boys who had escaped, 2 
 There were in the House, at the date of the last Annual 
 Report, Boys, - - ]4l 
 
 Girls, - 40 - 
 181 
 
 Thus making, of all the children under the care of the 
 
 Society during the past year, the total of - - - 321 
 
 Of these there have been Indentured, 
 
 Boys, - - 102 
 Girls, - - 20 
 
 122 
 
 Returned to friends, - - Boys, - - 12 
 
 Girls, - - 2 
 
 14 
 
 Of Age, - One Girl, - - l 
 
 Escaped during the year, - Boys, - 2 
 And there are now remaining in the House, 
 
 Boys, - - 139 
 Girls, - - 43 
 
 182 
 
 321 
 
 Those received into the House, were committed by 
 the following authorities, viz : — 
 
 Boys : — By the Commissioners of the Aims-House, 6 
 
 " Police of the City and County of N. Y. 63 
 
 " Special Sessions of do. 6 
 
 " General Sessions of do. - 7 
 
 !< Albany County Sessions, 7 
 
 " Kings County Sessions, ... 4 
 
248 
 
 44 Orange County Sessions, 3 
 
 44 Renssclear County do. - - - 1 
 
 44 Monroe County do. - - 2 
 
 44 Ulster County do. - - - 1 
 
 44 Oneida County do. - - - 1 
 
 Girls: — By the Commissioners of the Aims-House, 5 
 
 44 Police of New-York County - 18 
 
 44 Special Sessions of do. - 1 
 
 Of the above number, there are, 
 
 Of American Parentage, - - 61 
 
 Of Irish do. - 32 
 
 Of English do. 15 
 
 Of German do. 2 
 
 Of Scotch do. 3 
 
 Of French do. 8 
 
 Of Welch do. ... 3 
 
 Of unknown do. 1 
 
 Those committed were of the following ages, viz: 
 
 125 
 
 One of 
 
 5 
 
 years, 
 
 One of 
 
 7 
 
 K 
 
 Five of 
 
 8 
 
 (4 
 
 Five of 
 
 9 
 
 (| 
 
 Six of 
 
 10 
 
 (( 
 
 Seven of - 
 
 11 
 
 (( 
 
 Thirteen of 
 
 12 
 
 (( 
 
 Eighteen of 
 
 13 
 
 (« 
 
 Twenty-one of - 
 
 14 
 
 (( 
 
 Twenty-nine of - 
 
 15 
 
 U 
 
 Twelve of 
 
 16 
 
 K 
 
 Five of 
 
 17 
 
 u 
 
 One of 
 
 18 
 
 ti 
 
 One of 
 
 19 
 
 u 
 
 Total, one hundred and twenty-five. 
 
 There have been Indentured during the year ; — 
 
 Boys, — To Farmers, ... - 35 
 
 South Sea "Whale Fishery, and 
 
 other Sea Service, 24 
 
 Shoe Makers ... 8 
 
 Blacksmiths, - 9 
 
 Tailors, - 2 
 
 House Carpenters, 4 
 
 Ship Carpenters, - 3 
 
 Mason, - I 
 
 Chair Makers, - 4 
 
 Tanners and Curriers, 4 
 
 Baker, - 1 
 
 Carriage Makers, - 2 
 
 Carried over, — 97 
 
249 
 
 Brought over, 97 
 Hatter, - 1 
 
 Printer, - 1 
 Cloth Manufacturers, 2 
 Cabinet Maker, - - I 
 
 102 
 
 Girls, — House-wifery, 20 
 
 122 
 
 It will be observed in the foregoing Tables that in 
 a few instances, children have been returned to their 
 friends. This course has never been pursued, except 
 under peculiar circumstances, which appeared to the 
 Managers not only to justify the proceeding, but to 
 render it more advisable than the ordinary mode of 
 indenturing apprentices. It was done, for example, 
 in one instance, in which a child's parents of respect- 
 able characters had removed from the city to the 
 country, and settled on a farm with a view to perma- 
 nent agricultural pursuits, and offered perhaps the 
 most advantageous apprenticeship, which it was in 
 the power of the Managers to procure. In another 
 instance, it was satisfactorily proved that the charge 
 on which a boy had been sent to the Refuge was ut- 
 terly unfounded, and the Magistrates before whom he 
 had been arraigned, united in a certificate of his in- 
 nocence. One little boy of very tender years, afflic- 
 ted by a disease which ultimately terminated in his 
 death, was surrendered, temporarily, to the care of 
 an anxious mother. This departure from the usual 
 disposition of the children, has been allowed only 
 when on the best consideration, it seems preferable 
 to any other course which could be pursued in rela- 
 tion to the child. 
 
 In indenturing the Children, committed to the Man- 
 agers' care, the most patient consideration is bestow- 
 ed upon the selection of suitable occupations and pla- 
 ces of abode, and every means within the power of 
 the Managers is diligently employed in the investi- 
 gation of the character and circumstances of the per- 
 son to whom an apprentice is indentured. The wish- 
 es of the child are carefully attended to, and an ap- 
 prenticeship rarely takes place without the perfect 
 accordance of his feelings. The execution of this im- 
 portant branch of the Directors' duties, involves in it 
 
 32 
 
250 
 
 perhaps the greatest degree of labor attending the 
 management of the Institution. Three of the Mana- 
 gers, forming what is termed the Indenturing Committee, 
 are specially charged with this employment. This 
 Committee meets always once, and frequently twice 
 or three times a week at the House of Refuge, often 
 spending the greater part of a day in a meeting. Be- 
 fore this Committee are laid the applications for ap- 
 prentices; and all such certificates and evidence as 
 it is possible to obtain of the character and circum- 
 stances of the applicants, are required and minutely 
 examined : and as far as a personal investigation into 
 every circumstance connected with the proposed In- 
 denture is within their power, it is industriously pros- 
 ecuted by the Members of the Committee in the re- 
 cess of their Meeting. 
 
 It is felt by the Managers, to be due to the gentle- 
 men to whom this important department of the man- 
 agement of the Institution has been confided, to be- 
 stow a further remark upon the additional labors with 
 which they charge themselves. The supervision of 
 this Committee over the children of the Refuge, ceases 
 not with the departure of the latter from our walls. 
 As far as is practicable, a tutelary observation is still 
 maintained over the situation of the youth who have 
 been indentured, and particularly over the treatment 
 which they receive from their employers. And in 
 some instances, where an interference on behalf of 
 the apprentice was demanded, as where it was dis- 
 covered that he had been cruelly treated, or that his 
 morals had been neglected, or that the character of 
 his master was different from what it had been repre- 
 sented, and likely to affect injuriously the welfare of 
 the indentured boy, a change was effected by the ex- 
 ertions of the Committee, and the child transferred to 
 a more humane and advantageous situation. 
 
 The discipline and government of the children 
 within the House of Refuge, are enforced and impro- 
 ved by the collateral labors of the Indenturing Com- 
 mittee. In guiding their judgments in the selection 
 of Apprentices, the Members of the Committee render 
 themselves minutely acquainted with the individual 
 character and circumstances of the different children* 
 
251 
 
 mnd are enabled to assist the Officers of the Institution 
 by their counsel, in the details of their treatment of 
 the inmates of the House. The children are sepa- 
 rately called before them, and examined in private; 
 their good or bad standing is inquired into, and its 
 causes ascertained ; those who are subject to cen- 
 sure are exhorted, advised and reproved, while the 
 meritorious are commended and encouraged to per- 
 severe in the performance of their duties : and a reg- 
 ular classification of all the persons in the House is 
 made, with a view to the relative standing of each in- 
 dividual, and the distribution of rewards or the ap- 
 plication of punishments. The effect of these servi- 
 ces is perceived by the Managers, on the whole ope- 
 ration of the Institution, and draws from them this ac- 
 knowledgment to the gentlemen whose gratuitous 
 labors, at the cost of so much time and active exer- 
 tion, have been faithfully and unremittedly performed. 
 
 The tables above given, exhibit the different occu- 
 pations selected by the Managers for the Apprentices 
 whom they have indentured. 
 
 One of the occupations, which may strike the ob- 
 server on the first consideration, as the most hazard- 
 ous and doubtful in its effects on youth — we allude to 
 that of a seaman — has been proved by experience to 
 be among the most benign and favorable. The young 
 men, (for those indentured as seamen were the oldest 
 boys in the establishment,) shipped as sailors were 
 mostly sent on the South-Sea whaling voyages, of 
 which the results appear to have been favorable to 
 their morals, as well as to their pecuniary interests. 
 The Superintendent, in a letter to the Managers, of 
 which we give an extract, has pointed out this class 
 of our boys as deserving of particular notice. "1 
 shall," he remarks, "feel much gratified in speaking 
 " of the happy results of sending our boys on the long 
 " South-Sea whaling voyages. A large number have 
 " returned this season, and almost uniformly come to 
 "see us; dressed without exception like gentlemen; 
 " some with watches in their pockets, the fruits of 
 " their own industry. The greater part of them re- 
 " turn to the same employ again. Many are shipped 
 
252 
 
 "as boat-steerers, and one, I am informed, has been 
 "made second mate of one of the whaling ships." 
 
 During the past year, the inmates of the House of 
 Refuge have been engaged in the following mechan- 
 ical employments: In the manufacture of Brushes for 
 clothes, shoes, hats, &c. ; in Cabinet work, making 
 bedsteads, piue and cherry tables, wash stands, &c. ; 
 in the manufacture of bead ear-ring, safety-chains, 
 and necklaces; and, principally, in the manufacture 
 of seats for chairs and settees. The amount of work 
 performed by the boys in these branches, will appear 
 in the statements of the Superintendent annexed to 
 this Report. Shoes for the use of all the children are 
 made within the walls, as are also clothes for the use 
 of the whole establishment. The cooking of the 
 Male and Female Houses, is done exclusively by the 
 inmates of the respective Houses; and the washing 
 for all the children is done by the girls. By a recent 
 arrangement, fifteen of the girls are now employed by 
 a tailor in making clothes, on wages of a shilling each 
 per day. And in the above mentioned trades, (except 
 the making of shoes and clothes,) the boys are, in like 
 manner, hired by contractors at wages of 12 1-2 each 
 per day. This method has been adopted by the Man- 
 agers, after a trial of different dispositions of the chil- 
 dren, as on the whole the most advantageous. It is 
 free from the losses and risks attendant on the car- 
 rying on of trades for the account of the Society, and 
 enables the Officers of the Institution to bestow more 
 time, and greater attention on the moral government 
 of the children, who remain, by the terms of the con- 
 tracts, exclusively under the discipline and control of 
 the Society. 
 
 It is with great satisfaction that the Managers ad- 
 vert to the health of the Refuge. During the past 
 year not a single death has occurred among the chil- 
 dren within the House, nor scarcely a case of serious 
 disease ; and at the present moment, there is not in 
 our Hospital a child whose sickness excites the least 
 apprehension. In a season like the present, of unu- 
 sual sickliness in the city of New-York, the healthy 
 state of the House of Refuge cannot but be considered 
 as a convincing proof of the propriety of the regimen 
 
253 
 
 and treatment observed in it. The Managers have, 
 however, some time during the late year, felt much 
 solicitude at the existence in the Refuge of a disease 
 of the eyes, which at one period assumed an alarming 
 aspect. At the commencement of 1830, about thirty 
 boys were afflicted with this Opthalmia.* The at- 
 tention of the Managers, and of the Physicians of the 
 Society, was particularly turned to it, and a system 
 of sanitary regulations, under the advice of the latter, 
 adopted, which has been followed by a reduction of 
 the number of those affected by the disease to four, 
 all of whom appear to be on the recovery. In no in- 
 stance has the eye-sight of an individual been lost, 
 and the Managers now confidently anticipate the 
 speedy extirpation of this disorder among the chil- 
 dren. 
 
 The judicious management and skill of Dr. Power, 
 the Resident Physician of the House of Refuge, in 
 relation to this disease, have been felt and apprecia- 
 ted by the Managers; and they avail themselves also, 
 of this opportunity, to renew to Doctors Stearns and 
 Carter, their grateful acknowledgments for their 
 gratuitous services, rendered in the past, as during 
 the preceding year, with indefatigable and perseve- 
 ring attention. 
 
 The nature of the government and discipline exercised 
 over the children, will perhaps be better illustrated 
 by a summary account of the routine of a single day 
 in the House of Refuge, than by any other descrip- 
 tion which it is in the power of the Managers to give. 
 
 At sun-rise of every day in the year, a bell rings to 
 rouse the children. In fifteen minutes the cells are 
 opened, and each of the children, having made up his 
 own bed, and arranged his little apartment, steps 
 forth at a signal into the Hall. They are then marched 
 in order to the wash-room, where the utmost atten- 
 tion to personal cleanliness is required and enforced. 
 From the wash-room, they are called to parade in the 
 open air (the weather permitting) when they are 
 ranged in ranks, and undergo a close and critical in- 
 
 * As far as it could be traced, it was introduced into the House by three boys, 
 \rho had been subject to this distemper in the City Alms-house. 
 
254 
 
 spection as to cleanliness and dress. The Parade 
 finished, they are summoned to Morning Prayers. 
 These various operations consume about a half-hour; 
 and at half-past five o'clock, in the summer, the 
 Morning School commences. In school, they remain 
 till seven o'clock, when they are dismissed for a few 
 minutes, and until the bell rings for breakfast, which 
 consists, according to the dietary regulations of the 
 Managers, of bread, molasses, and rye coffee, occa- 
 sionally varied by the substitution of indian meal for 
 bread, and milk for coffee. A half-hour is allowed 
 for breakfast, at the expiration of which, the signal 
 for labor is given, and the children are conducted to 
 their respective work-shops, to remain there until 
 noon. By an allotment of tasks, however, these hours 
 of labor are shortened to the industrious. The work- 
 ing day for this purpose is considered as commencing 
 at one o'clock in the afternoon, when a certain task, 
 proportional to his years and capacity, is assigned to 
 each child, and if this task is performed before twelve 
 o'clock at noon of the succeeding day, the child is re- 
 warded by the allowance for his recreation of what- 
 ever time he thus gains before twelve and after eleven 
 o'clock, until which hour all are kept in the work- 
 shops. The benefit of this arrangement is sensibly 
 perceived upon the spirits and industry of the boys, 
 and there are few among them, who do not thus gain, 
 what all but the wilfully idle are able to gain, some 
 extra time for their own amusements. 
 
 At twelve o'clock, a bell rings to call all from work, 
 and one hour is allowed for washing (which is again 
 scrupulously attended to) and dinner. The dinner, 
 by the Managers' regulations, consists [for five days in 
 the week,] of nutritious soups, meat, potatoes and 
 bread. On Fridays, fish is substituted for soup and 
 meat; and on Sunday, a dinner of Beef and a vegeta- 
 ble of superior quality to those of the other days is 
 allowed. At one o'clock, a signal is given for recom- 
 mencing work, which continues till five in the after- 
 noon, when the bell rings for the termination of the 
 labor of the day. A half-hour is allowed for wash- 
 ing (which is once more enforced) and supper, con- 
 sisting of mush and milk, molasses and rye coffee. At 
 
255 
 
 half-past five, the children are conducted to their 
 Evening School, in which they are kept till 8 o'clock. 
 Evening prayers are now attended to by the Superin- 
 tendent, and the children, ranged in order, are then 
 marched to the Sleeping Halls, where each takes 
 possession of his separate apartment, and the cells 
 are locked, and silence is enforced for the night. 
 
 The above is the history of six days of every week 
 in this year, except that during the short winter-days, 
 morning school is suspended, and the work-shops are 
 closed at four o'clock in the afternoon. On Sundays 
 labor, of course, ceases, and instead of the Morning 
 School, the time allotted on other days for this pur- 
 pose, is taken up in the classification of the children 
 according to their conduct during the preceding 
 week, and the distribution of Badges of Merit. Reli- 
 gious Service is performed twice during the day in the 
 Chapel, in the presence of a Committee of the Mana- 
 gers, by the clergymen of the city in rotation. In the 
 interval between the church services, a Sunday 
 school is held for the children ; and after the Evening 
 Service, they are allowed to walk about the grounds 
 under the observation of the officers until eight o'- 
 clock. 
 
 The children have been instructed during the past 
 year by the Assistant Superintendent of the respec- 
 tive Houses, in reading, writing and arithmetic. Their 
 progress has been on the whole satisfactory ; but the 
 Managers have it in contemplation to extend and im- 
 prove the system of instruction. The duties of the 
 Assistant Superintendent are necessarily varied and 
 pressing, and it is deemed advisable to appoint a well 
 qualified person to discharge the single duty of in- 
 structing and watching over and promoting the moral 
 and religious improvement of the children. 
 
 The discipline exercised over the inmates of the 
 House of Refuge, is of a mild and simple character. 
 The children are divided, with reference to their 
 merit, into four classes, the most worthy being placed 
 in class No. 1. Each wears on his arm a badge of 
 the class to which he belongs. To a station in the 
 third class, is annexed a certain slight deprivation of 
 play ; and to the fourth class, which consists of the 
 
256 
 
 worst boys, who have been guilty of flagrant offences 
 against the rules of the House, is attached, during the 
 first week, the penalty of the third class, with an ad- 
 ditional one, consisting of the deprivation of Sunday 
 supper. A second week's continuance in the fourth 
 class, which is the consequence of further bad con- 
 duct during the first week, brings with it the addi- 
 tional punishment of confinement after evening service 
 on Sunday. On the other hand, four weeks mainte- 
 nance of a station in class No. 1, which is the result of 
 continued good conduct during this period, entitles a 
 boy to a blue ribbon, and certain slight but highly 
 appreciated privileges: four weeks of further good 
 conduct, entitles the wearer of the blue ribbon to the 
 higher honors of the red and blue : — and if after this, 
 he shall, without any special limitation of time, prove 
 himself worthy of the confidence of the officers, he 
 receives the highest reward of merit in the tri-color 
 badge. 
 
 This simple system of rewards and punishments, 
 suffices, in the main, to preserve in contented and 
 cheerful obedience the two hundred little beings con- 
 fided to our care. Cases however do arise, which 
 require severer punishments. Bold and daring at- 
 tempts to escape, and rude and obstinate disobedi- 
 ence do occasionally occur, when corporal punish- 
 ment — never however of a severe character — and 
 solitary confinement — rarely of a protracted duration 
 — are found indispensably necessary. The miscon- 
 duct which renders necessary punishments of the 
 last description, is almost invariably committed by 
 those of the youth who are approaching the years of 
 manhood. The experience of our Institution fully 
 confirms the common opinion, that the hope of a de- 
 linquent's reformation is inversely as his years ; and 
 that the benefit which an offender of mature age de- 
 rives from the discipline of the Refuge, is greatly 
 counterbalanced by the evil which he spreads around 
 him. It must indeed be an obvious truth, that a 
 youth of either sex, who has passed the years of child- 
 hood — who adds a thorough acquaintance with vice 
 to the untutored passions of early life, and who has 
 felt all the attractions, and but slightly the bitter con- 
 
257 
 
 sequences of guilt, is not included among those Juve- 
 nile Delinquents, whom, it was the design of this In- 
 stitution, to receive, and cherish, and reform. The 
 means of coercion and government possessed by the 
 House of Refuge, were intended moreover for chil- 
 dren, in the ordinary meaning of the term, and not 
 for those who in bodily strength, temper, fixed habits, 
 determination of character, and every thing except 
 the legal definition of infancy, are separated from this 
 class. It will be remembered, by those who have at- 
 tended to the history of the House of Refuge, that 
 some years since, a desperate plan of escape was 
 formed and nearly executed, which cost the blood, 
 and almost the lives of several of the officers. This 
 was the work of a boy of nineteen years of age. In 
 the past year, several daring plans of escape by vio- 
 lent means, have been detected among the older boys. 
 It is of importance that these facts should be under- 
 stood and appreciated by the community, as, by a 
 late statute, amendatory of the act incorporating this 
 Society, every court in the state is empowered to send 
 to the House of Refuge, such convicted children as 
 shall be deemed by them to be proper objects. And 
 under this authority, the Managers are very fre- 
 quently compelled to receive boys, sentenced hither 
 by courts influenced by deceptive statements of the 
 ages of the offenders, or by the suggestion, as they 
 respectfully conceive, of ill-judging compassion, who 
 would have been excluded by a due consideration of 
 the nature and objects of this Society. 
 
 A statement of the receipts and expenditures of the 
 Society during the past year, by Cornelius Dubois, 
 Esq. the Treasurer of the Society, is annexed to this 
 Report. 
 
 Subjoined to this Report, will be also found a few 
 histories of children who have heretofore been under 
 our charge, and who were indentured under our su- 
 pervision. The selection is made from a mass of 
 cases, perhaps equally interesting, and could have 
 been extended far beyond its present limits. In these 
 short and simple annals, no attempt has been made 
 by the Managers to alter or suppress the language of 
 the communications of the children whose cases are- 
 as 
 
258 
 
 given, under the belief that their own artless, if im- 
 perfect narratives, are the best form in which their 
 stories can be presented to the public eye. But in 
 histories of these children, preceding their entrance 
 into the House of Refuge, the Managers have been 
 compelled to throw a veil over many details, which 
 would have heightened the contrast of the present 
 situation of these little beings, snatched from the 
 midst of vice of the deepest, and in some instances, 
 most unnatural depravity. 
 
 The Managers invite attention to the annual report 
 of the Ladies' Committee, of whose services to the In- 
 stitution — particularly the Female Department, it i& 
 difficult to speak in terms of adequate commendation, 
 and sufficiently grateful acknowledgment. 
 
 In closing this report, the Managers have only to 
 observe that they are aware of no circumstances in 
 which this Institution has failed to fulfil the wishes and 
 hopes of its Founders and Patrons : and, on the con- 
 trary, they feel encouraged by every view of this So- 
 ciety and its effects, to persevere in their direction of 
 this noble attempt on the part of the community, to 
 stay the contagion of corrupting guilt, and to direct 
 to paths of virtue and peace, the footsteps of erring 
 and deserted childhood. 
 
259 
 
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260 
 
 AIHHBStlDOSo 
 
 REPORT OF THE LADIES' COMMITTEE. 
 
 To the Managers of the House of Refuge, the Ladies' Committee 
 Report — 
 
 That since their last Annual Report, the Monthly Meetings of 
 the Committee have been regularly held, and a Sub-Committee of 
 their number have visited the House of Refuge at least once in 
 each week during the past year. 
 
 Minutes have been kept by the Committee and Sub-Committees, 
 a summary of which will be laid before the Managers ; and to this 
 summary they refer them for particulars of their proceedings. 
 
 By a reference to our Minutes of the past year, we find general 
 satisfaction is expressed with the order and management of the 
 House. We believe the several Committees have endeavored as 
 far as they could, to assist and advise with the Matron on the ar- 
 rangements necessary for the improvement and comfort of the fe- 
 males committed to their superintendence, and to convince them 
 that the path of virtue is the only one to happiness, while they ac- 
 knowledge the necessity of Divine agency to make their counsel 
 effectual. 
 
 The usual duties of washing, making and mending the boys' and 
 their own clothes and bedding, have been accomplished by the 
 girls with general satisfaction; which, together with school-exerci- 
 ses, family devotion, and moral and religious instruction, have fully 
 occupied them ; and we may notice an improvement in industry 
 and order, although we have to lament that we cannot, in every 
 case acknowledge success. We believe, however, that the past has 
 not been a year of particular discouragement, but that we have the 
 usual incitements to perseverance, leaving consequences with Him 
 who alone can bless our efforts for the amelioration of these chil- 
 dren of sorrow. 
 
 The Committee express their pleasure with the effort now making, 
 to give our larger inmates a more perfect knowledge cf the taylor- 
 ing business than they have hitherto had. We have long wished 
 for a more profitable application of time for many of them, than the 
 routine of the family furnishes. There will always be several of 
 them, who, from various causes, will continue under our care until 
 they are of age, and we feel very desirous, that when they leave 
 us, they may be sufficiently instructed to gain a respectable living, 
 if so disposed, with but little exposure. 
 
 The subject of classification has long engaged much of our atten- 
 tion, and we earnestly solicit your co-operation with our wishes 
 on this subject. We know that it involves many difficulties, but 
 not more than you have already encountered and successfully 
 combated. We think our usefulness would be much increased by 
 a judicious separation between girls of sixteen and children of ten 
 years of age, who are at present promiscuously instructed ; the 
 former of whom must naturally be older in delinquency than the 
 latter. 
 
 We have before said to you, how pained we frequently are, in 
 
261 
 
 our walks through this city, with the sight of disgusting pauper- 
 ism, which must almost with certainty eventuate in crime, if not 
 prevented by adequate care j and we do feel how much better and 
 easier prevention is than reformation. And when we reflect that 
 almost one half of our comfortable House is untenanted, we greatly 
 desire for these children of destruction, so safe and effectual a Re- 
 fuge from contamination and suffering. 
 
 We have painfully to acknowledge, since the date of our last 
 Annual Report, the separation, by death, of our esteemed friend, 
 Sophia "WyckofF. She is the first so separated from our Commit- 
 tee since its formation. She was indeed one of those who fed the 
 hungry, clothed the naked, and visited the sick and imprisoned ; 
 and we humbly hope she has her inheritance with those who are 
 blessed of God our Father. Her last moments were consoled with 
 the belief that she should be permitted, through the merits of her 
 Redeemer, to join the Heavenly company in praising and adoring 
 the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. 
 
 Before closing this Report, we note with gratitude, the general 
 health of our inmates during the past year, and hope, as we perse- 
 vere in attention to the objects of the Institution, we shall be en- 
 couraged by beholding future improvement amongst them. 
 
 SARAH C. HAWXHURST, Secretary. 
 
 12th mo. (December) 26th, 1831. 
 
 "MM«r 
 
 SELECTIOiV ©F CASES AftD LETTERS 
 
 From Apprentices, and from Persons to whom Apprentices 
 have been bound. 
 
 The following cases were furnished by the Super- 
 intendent. It is his practice to write down the history 
 of each child, taken from his own narration, on his ad- 
 vent to the House. After the lapse of some time, the 
 child is re-examined, and the accuracy of his first 
 account is thus tested. In the following cases, it will 
 be perceived, that the history of the child, preceding 
 its entrance into the House of Refuge, consists of the 
 narrative thus taken down by the Superintendent. 
 
 The statements, &c, following the cases of the boys, 
 were also furnished by the Superintendent. 
 
 BOYS. 
 
 September 17, 1830. 
 
 A. B., from the Police, aged 14 years the 22d of December last; 
 born in New-York, of Irish parents. His father is an old porter ; 
 he occasionally drinks too much ; then, the boy says his father will 
 swear off for a year at a time, but when the time is past will pay for 
 all in excess of drinking. 
 
 He has two sisters and one brother. A. and one of his sisters 
 lived about two years in Paterson, where he was a good boy; but 
 his father took him home to go to school, when he soon commen- 
 
262 
 
 ced playing truant and going round the markets (Washington and 
 Fulton) stealing fruit. 
 
 He commenced, injunction with two others, stealing eggs from 
 barrels standing by grocery stores, in which they were very suc- 
 cessful, and one would pass and take a handful, and another would 
 receive them at a convenient place, and sell them to a woman who 
 
 keeps a victualing stand, by the name of , who gave them 
 
 one shilling for eighteen eggs. This woman would give them three 
 shillings per piece for smoked beef, and from four to eight shillings 
 for hams by the lump; these articles, this boy and his companions 
 were very successful in stealing. He stole hats occasionally, some- 
 times they stole cocoa-nuts from stands and vessels, lead frequently, 
 and sometimes old rope ; but his associates told him that was too 
 low, that he could make more at more honorable stealing. He 
 once stole an umbrella in Maiden-lane, once he stole from the pocket 
 of a drunken man three shillings, and at another time one shilling 
 and eleven-pence from a money drawer in Hudson-street. 
 
 He was very successful in selling stolen handkerchiefs about the 
 markets : they frequently stole clothes when they would be out to 
 dry. A. was in the act of stealing a pair of pantaloons from a 
 yard near the white fort, North River, when he was detected, taken 
 and sent here. He would be frequently away from home, first one 
 night, then a week and three weeks at a time, sleeping in shavings 
 in new buildings, lumber yards, &c. 
 
 He and his companions had curious names for different articles 
 that they stole, so as not to be understood by honest men : for in- 
 stance, smoked beef or hams were smokers, hats cadies, shoes and 
 boots crabs, handkerchiefs wipers, vests garvises, trowsers kickers, 
 watches thimbles, shirts and other articles taken from yards were 
 gooseberries ; when they proposed to plan to get articles of this 
 kind, they would say we will go a gooseberrying; crockery and 
 glass from crates would be tapping crates, a trunk they called 
 Peter. 
 
 They often deposited their goods in lumber yards and slept in 
 them. He often went to the Theatre. 
 
 By the above, we see that this unfortunate, interesting boy, had 
 learned many lessons in one year, and was in the broad road to 
 destruction. On re-examination, the boy thinks it likely that he 
 stole many other things; that he cannot remember all. Enters 6th 
 class — could not read in the New Testament. 
 
 September 27th, 1831.— He was indentured to Mr. V. D., Prin- 
 ter, of -. 
 
 It was a matter of much pleasure to the Managers, to witness 
 the great improvement in this boy, snatched from the haunts of 
 vice, rapidly running into such crimes as must, had there not been 
 a House of Refuge, have soon added to the number in our Peniten- 
 tiary or State*s Prison. The moral influence used in our Institu- 
 tion, had a visible effect upon his mind, and by degrees he became 
 a good boy. He selected such company as prided themselves in 
 doing as well as they knew how : and before he left the House, ar- 
 rived to the highest grade of the Class of Honor. 
 
 It will be observed, that when he came here, he could not read 
 intelligibly the New Testament ; but to show his advancement, we 
 will here insert a letter from his master, relative to the boy. 
 
263 
 
 JV , Nov. 14, 1831. 
 
 N. C. Hart, 
 
 Dear Sir, — You no doubt wonder at my silence with respect 
 to the boy A. B. I did expect to have visited you ere this, or 1 
 should certainly have answered yours of the 26th October, previ- 
 ous to this time : with respect to him, I have the satisfaction to 
 inform you, and the rest of his friends, that his conduct, so far, 
 has proved entirely satisfactory. He is obedient, active, willing, 
 and very apt, and appears to do everything that he is requested to, 
 with cheerfulness. Considering the time he has been with us, he 
 has made very great progress, certainly more than we did expect 
 of him ; although he has not been with us two months yet, he can 
 set very near a column of our paper per day, which, I am proud to 
 say, I consider rather extraordinary. He appears to be perfectly 
 satisfied with his situation, and says he has no desire to associate 
 with his former street companions. I have no doubt, sir, he wili 
 prove an honor to your house and to himself. 
 
 I am, Dear Sir, 
 
 Yours, Respectfully, 
 
 J. V. D . 
 
 July 15, 1830. 
 
 C. D., from the Police, aged 15 years the 9th of May, last; born 
 in Ireland, his father is a stone cutter by trade, and carries on the 
 
 business in , keeps journeymen and apprentices, at which 
 
 business he put this boy, but he would not work with his father. 
 Said that he first began to run away from home about five years 
 ago ; would be absent from one week to a month at a time, sleeping 
 in stables, &c. — would steal old rope, copper, iron, lead, &c. : in 
 fact, almost any thing that he could lay his hands upon : frequently 
 was very successful in stealing old copper from the Dry Dock; not 
 uncommon to make six shillings per day. Says the opportunities 
 for stealing old copper at the Dry Dock, make many boys thieves. 
 He stole money several times from his father, from two shillings to 
 two dollars at a time ; sometimes would go over to Long Island 
 and pick peas, &c. He contracted an ardent thirst for rum, which 
 was to him a serious harm. 
 
 He states, as one reason why his home was disagreeable to him, 
 that his father drank hard, and would often go home intoxicated, 
 quarrel with his mother, and raise mobs about the house. 
 
 He used to find market for his stolen goods at , in . 
 
 street. After an absence of three weeks, his father discovered where 
 he was, had him taken up and sent here. 
 
 C. D. entered the 7th Class — that is, could read moderately in 
 the New Testament. 
 
 After he had been here a few months, the Superintendent made 
 the following written remarks to his history, which is his custom to 
 do to every case occasionally, as their cases may be. 
 
 44 C. D.has a good deal of natural cleverness about him, we are 
 sometimes almost ready to confide in him, but fear his habits have 
 been so long badly fixed, as to require a longer probation." 
 
 However, a mason by trade, who was represented to be a reli- 
 gious man, wanted an apprentice, and it was thought as he had 
 some knowledge of stone cutting, it would be to hi3 advantage to 
 
264 
 
 put him to this business, he was selected for that purpose — when 
 called to converse with the gentleman and to ascertain whether he 
 would be pleased to go with him and learn the Mason's trade, (as 
 the Managers are careful never to compel a child to go with any 
 person, nor to any trade contrary to their wishes,) his first remark 
 was that he would be willing to go providing liquor could be kept 
 from him; that being easily disposed of, he was indentured accor- 
 dingly, and in rather less than a year after he came to the house. 
 It appears that his Master last summer built a large stone House for 
 M. in Connecticut, brother to one of our Managers, who wrote to 
 him recently, "we have so far progressed towards finishing the 
 "house, and not a drop of ardent spirits has been used by any of 
 " the workmen, but we have been greatly favored with the out 
 "pouring of the Spirit of the Lord," enumerating how many of his 
 workmen and neighbors had become the subjects of grace, he says 
 " C. D. is one of the members, *and his light shines daily, his de- 
 portment corresponds with his profession, he is a fine boy, has 
 "joined a Christian Church, and is much beloved." 
 
 August 18, 1829. 
 
 E. F., from the Police, aged he says 16 years, but we judge 14 
 the 4th of July last, born in Ireland, his father sells potatoes, clams, 
 &c. his parents both drink, but his mother is very intemperate, his 
 father (the boy says) used to beat him very unmercifully, for being 
 a bad boy, he often ran away from home, once he was absent 15 
 months in different parts of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Paterson, 
 Lehigh <fcc. used to steal different articles from his father and oth- 
 ers, would often sleep out nights, would drink very hard, often get 
 
 very drunk, a few days since in company with went into 
 
 a house while selling clams, saw a man lying drunk, they conclu- 
 ded to sound him, and stole a Pocket Book containing six dollars, 
 but were so profuse in spending it in the [neighborhood that it led 
 to their detection. He was in the practice of driving a Horse and 
 Cart or Wagon to sell the above articles, consequently could get 
 as much rum as he wanted, often drank 10 and 12 glasses per day. 
 Entered 8thjclass. 
 
 We find that after he had been here about 5 months, the Super- 
 intendent remarked under his history that E. improved, and had 
 become a boy that afforded some promise, and professed to have 
 lost his desire for ardent spirits, but to the regret of all concerned, 
 he was persuaded some time after to unite with two larger boys in 
 making arrangements to escape, in which he was detected ; this, 
 connected with his former very intemperate habits, caused the 
 Managers to think it best to give him a long probation before they 
 parted with him. For several months before they parted with him, 
 he evinced a uniform, industrious, moral course, showing much 
 contrition for his errors; consequently after remaining in the 
 
 House about 20 months M. of made application for a boy 
 
 as an apprentice to the shoe-making business. The indenturing 
 Committee made thorough investigation as to the character of the 
 man, his family, &c. They were not only satisfied that M. was 
 a very suitable man to have an apprentice, but that all his appren- 
 tices had joined the Temperate Society, in the place where he 
 lived, as well as their Master, and were suitably zealous in this 
 
265 
 
 good cause, consequently they thought this a very suitable place 
 for the boy who was formerly in the practice of drinking 10 and 
 12 glasses per day. 
 
 Some months after M. called and informed the gentleman who 
 furnished him with the boy, that E. was a very fine youth, moral, 
 modest, sober and industrious, and that he had frequently sent him 
 to collect money, and had never discovered any thing improper in 
 his apprentice, that he attended Sabbath School, &c. and was so 
 much pleased with him, that he would be glad to have another from 
 the Institution. 
 
 Oct. 21, 1830. 
 
 G. H. from the Commissioners, aged 10 years the 4th of July 
 last, born in Philadelphia of Irish parents, his mother .died about 
 5 years ago, and his father a shoe-maker, died about 4 or 5 months 
 since, he then was left in charge of his step-mother. It appears 
 that when his friends made application to the Commissioners to 
 have him sent here, they represented him to be a disobedient bad 
 boy, running about the streets, playing truant from school, sleep- 
 ing out at night, going with bad boys, who would occasionally 
 steal &c. they sent him here. 
 
 On examining the boy himself, he says that he ran away because 
 his step mother beat him, he would sleep almost any where, when 
 night overtook him, in sand and coal boxes, &c. then up in the 
 morning, away to the Dry-Dock, steal copper, or any thing that he 
 could get, and when he could not supply the calls of nature by 
 stealing, then he would beg. Entered the 7th class. 
 
 The following remark was made by the Superintendent some 
 months after he had been in the house, under the head of remarks 
 on the page of his history* , 
 
 G., is a bright, intelligent, interesting, little fellow, and we set 
 much store by him. 
 
 On the 6th of Oct. 1331. He was indentured to Mr. J. D. of 
 town County, State of New York. 
 
 Since which the following letter has been received from the boy 
 in his own hand writing : 
 
 Nov. 24, 1831. 
 
 Dear Sir, — I with pleasure inform you that I am in good health, 
 and like my master and mistress well. They are very kind to me. 
 We have every day something that is good. He has given me two 
 suits of clothes. I have a good bed to sleep in : but he is very 
 angry if I tell him a crooked story. He has once boxed my ears 
 for telling him that I had watered his horse, when I had not water- 
 ed him. I drive the horse for him when he goes abroad with his 
 one horse wagon ; then my fingers got cold, but now I have got a 
 new pair of mittens to keep my hands warm. I have learned the 
 printed instructions you gave me by heart, and I intend to follow 
 them, for my master has promised me that if I be a good boy, he 
 will be a good master, if I be a bad boy he will be a hard master. 
 But I choose the good part. I intend, as much as in me lies, to 
 follow your good advice, for which I kindly thank you. I am go- 
 ing to school on Monday next. Our school house is near by. 
 
 I remain your obedient boy, G. H* 
 
 To Nathaniel C. Hart. 
 
 34 
 
266 
 
 Jan. 8, 1831— J. J. K. r from the Police, aged 13 years, the 29 th 
 of August last, bom in New-York, of American parents. His fa- 
 ther was a carpenter by trade, died 6 or 7 years ago ; after which 
 his mother took in sewing and washing, but she died about three 
 years ago. Since which time he has been principally under the 
 
 care of his uncles residing in . He once lived with 
 
 who keeps stages, &c. at , returned to his uncle in 
 
 and went to school, rendering assistance as the cases required. 
 Last February, being a tolerable scholar, he, by the influence of 
 
 Mr. , got a situation with Mr. , where he remained 
 
 some months, and he thinks gave satisfaction. Would often have 
 several thousand dollars given him to deposit in the bank, or pay 
 away. His aunt, with whom he boarded, was very strict with 
 him, allowing him but 20 minutes to be at her house after he shut 
 up his office at 3 o'clock. Towards the close of July, the boy 
 
 took a notion to go to after he closed his office — did not 
 
 return until 6 o'clock in the evening — his aunt scolded him very 
 hard, and gave him to understand that he might clear out, and go 
 about his business, and let his uncles take care of him, if he was 
 running there, neglecting to come home at the appointed time. 
 He felt rather dissatisfied with the reception he met with, a»nd left 
 his aunt the next morning. It appears that his wages were drawn 
 by his aunt to pay board, &c. ; there being $17 due, he forged an 
 
 order for $10 of it, and ran away. Went to , worked a 
 
 little while in one place, and then to another ; was doing very 
 poorly : shunned his relatives, and was doubtless in the broad way 
 to destruction, when they interfered, and had him taken before 
 the authorities, and sent here. — Entered the 9th class. 
 
 He was indentured, the 27th of September last, to Mr. 
 of Co. Conn. Shoe-maker, The following letter was re- 
 cently received from him. 
 
 .Conn., Bee. 12, 1831. 
 
 Mr. Nathaniel C. Hart, — I take my pen in hand to inform you 
 that I am well, and hope these few lines will find you the same. 
 I have got a good place, and am doing well. I am going to school 
 at present to a good man. I am used well, and have every advan- 
 tage that can be wished for. I had the pleasure of seeing my 
 sister before I left New-York. I also had a meeting with my old 
 school-master at Wilton, who has often given me good advice ; 
 and if I had taken it, I should never have been in the House of 
 Refuge. But I feel it a blessing that I have seen the House of 
 Refuge. Had it not been for the good instructions I have received 
 there, I might long ago been ruined. My eyes got well in about 
 three days, so that I could work as well as ever, by washing them 
 morning and evening in eye water procured by Mr. 
 
 I like the country, and enjoy liberty with thanks, and with 
 pleasure, and thank you and Mr. Roe for the good instructions 
 which I have received from you both : though I confess with 
 shame and with sorrow, that I did not deserve it as well as I ought 
 to have done. I am now at work a little, closing shoes at night 
 and go to school in the day time. Give my respects to Mr. Mon- 
 mouth 13. Hart, Mr. Roe, and Mr. Joseph Belden, when you see 
 
267 
 
 him again. Tell G. D. that I hope he will conduct himself so that 
 I may have the pleasure of seeing him at liberty. 
 
 Please send me an answer as soon as you get this letter. 
 I am your humble and obedient servant, 
 
 I. J. K. 
 
 Extract of a letter from the Rev. David Terry, jun. to one of his 
 friends in this city. 
 " Please tell Mr. Hart, that E. F. and G. H. are living on the 
 circuit that I travel. I saw E. F. with his master ; he was dressed 
 like a gentleman. G. H. " is all alive in religion, and I understand 
 is very gifted — that is, he exhibits superior talents for a boy of 
 his years," &c. 
 
 This boy was brought up in one of the most dissolute parts 
 of our city, (the Five Points.) His mother kept a brothel : the child 
 of course was suffered to run about the streets without restraint. 
 Being very active, with rather a winning address, and withal cun- 
 ning, he became the successful leader of a little band of thieves* 
 From this deplorable condition he was rescued, and placed in the 
 House of Refuge. On the 12th of March, 1829, it pleased the 
 Lord, by the influence of his Holy Spirit, in the fall of the same 
 year, to cause a considerable religious excitement among the chil- 
 dren ; and although but between 13 and 14 years of age, he was 
 one of the number that gave the strongest evidences of a happy 
 change by grace. 
 
 Notwithstanding we loved the boy, we deemed it most prudent, 
 in consequence of his past life, to give him a good probation; and 
 after remaining in the House better than a year, an opportunity 
 offered to bind him to a pious man, which was embraced. During 
 the 20 months that he has been absent from us, we have occasion- 
 ally heard verbally that G. H. was doing well, but had heard no- 
 thing particularly as to his religious state of feeling, before we 
 saw the above letter. 
 
 April 23, 1829. — M. N. from the Commissioners of the Alms* 
 House, aged 12 years the 4th of July last. Born of American pa- 
 rents, at , Long Island. His father, , moved to this 
 
 city about five years ago, and drives a cart. Resides in — 
 street, No. . 
 
 This boy has been sent to different schools, but would stay at 
 none. Was a notorious truant ; running about, he said, every 
 where ; would sleep out at night, in stables, &c. to avoid his father 
 and others. Would watch the opportunity, when his father would 
 be gone to work, to go home and get something to eat, as his 
 mother never punished him, and then would clear out again ; has 
 picked old copper on shares for three days together, would some- 
 times take his pockets full of copper nails, has often stolen old 
 iron and rope from about the docks; he once stole two dollars from 
 his sister, that she had earned at sewing, spent it for toys, going 
 to the Theatre and Circus, where he often went. Entered 5th 
 Class. 
 
 For a year or more, this boy evinced a most unyielding stubborn 
 temper, was naturally smart, but would get in his ugly turns occa- 
 sionally, and we became almost, discouraged with him, but during 
 the second year of his stay with us, I can compare his change to 
 nothing so striking, as that witnessed when the sun breaks through 
 
268 
 
 a motley flying cloud; he became kind, industrious, pleasant and 
 contented, and while we write, we can bring before us the cheerful 
 smile often discovered by him. 
 
 April 26, 1331. After remaining in the House three days over 
 
 two years, he was indentured to , of , farmer, leaving 
 
 us with a Bible under his arm, and capable of writing a letter to his 
 friends, who in a few months became very anxious to hear from 
 M. We wrote to his master, desiring that his apprentice might 
 write to his family, &c. 
 
 The following was copied from his own hand writing, and child- 
 like composition. 
 
 Town, Sept. 24, 1831. 
 
 Dear sister Armenia, — I send my respects to you, I am well, and 
 hope that you are enjoying the same health, I should be glad to see 
 you all, I have neglected writing, I have been pretty busy in work- 
 ing in the fields this summer, picking fruit, and busying myself 
 with some oats, &c. M., the man I live with, has six girls, and no 
 boys, but myself, and a little boy of his brother's ; I feel quite con- 
 tented, I live about two miles from T. B. and frequently see him ; 
 give my respects to father, mother, and the rest of my friends, give 
 my love to Mr. Hart, and Mr. Roe. M. N. 
 
 The following was written by his master, at the bottom of the 
 game letter. 
 
 This may certify, that M. is a good boy, and merits the love and 
 good will of his employer, and all that are acquainted w r ith him; 
 he has been very steady at his work, I have not had occasion to 
 speak a short word to him since he has lived with me, he appears 
 to be well suited, and we are all much pleased with him. 
 
 Yours with respect, 
 
 J. S. 
 
 GIRLS. 
 
 March 18, 1829. 
 
 N. 0., from the Commissioners, aged 12 years the 3d of May 
 last, born in Ireland, her father and family moved to America seven 
 years ago. He took to drink in Eastport about five years since — 
 brought his family to disgrace and poverty : went to dig on the 
 canal about twenty months or two years ago, when a bank of earth 
 caved on him, and he lost his life. 
 
 This child, I should judge a fair subject for reformation ; she is 
 very candid and frank, says she was a good girl until she became 
 acquainted with W. X., about sixteen months ago. She then was 
 led to run about the streets and market places, until a late hour at 
 night, use profane language, &c. Would leave her places of ser- 
 vice, and be impudent to her poor mother, who has to labor for her 
 support. Enters 8th class. 
 
 REMARKS. 
 
 January 11,1 830.— N. is a stout, able-bodied girl, with a strong 
 temper, inclined to be impudent, but on the whole is governable. 
 
 Perhaps we never had a child in the House possessing such a 
 Herculean mind as this girl. After she became somewhat settled 
 in the course of her duties, there being opportunities for every 
 child to read and study the scriptures, she gave her attention to it, 
 and recited regularly to the Ladies' Committee every w r eek, from 
 
269 
 
 150 to 190 verses of the New-Testament. Here we would remark 
 that some would be ready to judge, that it might be in certain parts 
 where she had previously studied ; but this was not the case, she 
 would go on with one gospel or epistle after another in regular ro- 
 tation. 
 
 After remaining nearly 17 months, she was indentured to Mr. 
 
 — — , of , a farmer. 
 
 The following is a copy of a letter from N. to the Matron. 
 
 U. Co., Oct. 20, 1831. 
 
 Mrs. Rebecca Oram, 
 
 Dear Madam, — I take this favorable opportunity to inform 
 you that I am well, and hope you enjoy the same blessing. I am 
 
 much pleased with my situation. Mr. and Mrs. are very 
 
 kind to me, and I am very well satisfied. When I first came, I felt 
 very lonesome, but however, I soon got over that. It is a very 
 handsome country, and to use my own language, it is a charming 
 place. 
 
 I saw the gentleman on board the boat, to whom W. was inden- 
 tured ; he says that they have no fault to find with her, only she 
 has no pride about herself, and has not ambition enough to make 
 her own linen ; otherwise she does very well. He says she has 
 no inclination whatever to come back. 
 
 I should like to hear from you and Miss Oram, also Miss 
 Nichols. 
 
 I go across the creek every Sunday to school, and like it very 
 well. I have learned how to milk since I have been here, — Suckey 
 is the name of the cow that I sometimes milk, and Flora is her 
 calf's name. I have now seven geese to make as fat as butter. 
 We have a sow with eight pretty little pigs. 
 
 Please give my love to Eliza Thompson, and tell her I wish she 
 would write, and let me know how she is. Please give my love 
 to Miss Nichols and all the girls. 
 
 I remain your Refuge Girl, 
 
 N. O. 
 
 Please favor me with an answer. 
 
 April 26, 1826. 
 
 W. X., from the Police, aged 14 years the 5th of February last, 
 born in Philadelphia, of Irish parents ; about 9 years ago the family 
 move.d to New-York. Her mother died about three years ago, 
 since which her father married a woman who proved to be in the 
 daily practice of drinking to intoxication, since which the family 
 appeared to go to destruction with rapid strides: her father became 
 intemperate, and substituted habits .of industry, for drinking and 
 stealing, and when under such influence led his poor children to 
 the same practices, the step-mother not being backward to do her 
 part in these vile practices. The father and eldest son were taken 
 up for stealing, and put in Bridewell to await their trial. The fa- 
 ther found guilty of grand larceny, and the son sent to the House 
 of Refuge, (N. Y.) During this time the mother was in the con- 
 tinual practice of drinking, and took her poor child to market and 
 required her to steal two heads of cabbage, they were directly ta- 
 ken up and sent to Bridewell. The subject of my story was sent 
 to the House of Refuge, which proved a home to her, and a happy 
 escape from wretchedness and bad example ; she would no doubt 
 
270 
 
 from constant example, if she had been permitted to remain with 
 her parents, have become fixed in habits of intemperance and dis- 
 honesty ; she however showed that she only wanted good precept 
 and example to make her a good and pious girl. 
 
 In consequence of a feeble state of health, she was not inden- 
 tured when she was considered in a suitable state of mind to part 
 with, in 1828. While in the House she professed to meet with a 
 happy change of mind, and indeed her deportment while she re- 
 mained with us, spake loudly of the religion she professed ; she 
 was very trusty, and acted more like a matron as to womanly de- 
 portment, and the discharge of the trust committed to her, than 
 like a Refuge Girl ; an opportunity offered to put her in a situa- 
 tion suitable to her state of health at the south. Such has been 
 her correct deportment since she left, that increased confidence is 
 placed in her as to unvarying integrity, and she now receives a 
 salary for certain duties in a Public Institution of much respecta- 
 bility. 
 
 Extract from the Weekly Report of the Superintendent, to the Act- 
 ing Committee, showing the number of children in the House in 
 each week. 
 
 1831. 
 
 
 No. of Children 
 in the House. 
 
 1831. 
 
 
 No. ofChildre 
 in the House 
 
 January, 
 
 4 
 
 180 
 
 July, 
 
 5 
 
 184 
 
 IC 
 
 11 
 
 179 
 
 44 
 
 12 
 
 185 
 
 H 
 
 18 
 
 179 
 
 II 
 
 18 
 
 189 
 
 44 
 
 25 
 
 181 
 
 44 
 
 26 
 
 189 
 
 February, 
 
 1 
 
 188 
 
 August, 
 
 2 
 
 187 
 
 u 
 
 8 
 
 185 
 
 44 
 
 9 
 
 189 
 
 M 
 
 15 
 
 189 
 
 44* 
 
 16 
 
 193 
 
 II 
 
 22 
 
 191 
 
 44 
 
 23 
 
 196 
 
 March, 
 
 1 
 
 193 
 
 44 
 
 30 
 
 200 
 
 u 
 
 8 
 
 194 
 
 September, 
 
 6 
 
 200 
 
 II 
 
 15 
 
 195 
 
 44 
 
 13 
 
 205 
 
 44 
 
 22 
 
 191 
 
 44 
 
 20 
 
 205 
 
 44 
 
 29 
 
 189 
 
 44 
 
 27 
 
 208 
 
 April, 
 
 5 
 
 189 
 
 October, 
 
 4 
 
 208 
 
 t< 
 
 12 
 
 184 
 
 44 
 
 11 
 
 202 
 
 II 
 
 19 
 
 182 
 
 44 
 
 18 
 
 203 
 
 44 
 
 26 
 
 178 
 
 44 
 
 25 
 
 198 
 
 May, 
 
 3 
 
 174 
 
 November, 
 
 1 
 
 197 
 
 II 
 
 10 
 
 176 
 
 44 
 
 8 
 
 100 
 
 u 
 
 17 
 
 177 
 
 4. 
 
 15 
 
 191 
 
 (1 
 
 24 
 
 178 
 
 44 
 
 22 
 
 191 
 
 u 
 
 31 
 
 177 
 
 44 
 
 29 
 
 195 
 
 June, 
 
 7 
 
 178 
 
 December, 
 
 6 
 
 193 
 
 ii 
 
 14 
 
 179 
 
 44 
 
 13 
 
 194 
 
 ii 
 
 21 
 
 183 
 
 44 
 
 20 
 
 197 
 
 44 
 
 28 
 
 184 
 
 44 
 
 January, 
 
 27 
 2 
 
 198 
 182 
 
271 
 
 WORK DONE BY THE BOYS. 
 
 BRUSH MANUFACTORY. 
 
 600 dozen Shoe Brushes. 
 120 dozen Scrubbing Brushes. 
 400 dozen Hair Brushes. 
 300 dozen Cloth Brushes. 
 
 70 dozen Horse Brushes. 
 
 30 dozen Hat Brushes. 
 
 30 dozen Flesh Brushes. 
 6 dozen Nail Brushes. 
 
 5 dozen Table Brushes. 
 
 1200 pound Bristles, assorted and combed. 
 900 pound Bristles picked. 
 800 pound Bristles washed and bleached. 
 600 dozen Shoe Brushes finished. 
 120 dozen Scrubbing Brushes finished. 
 400 dozen Hair Brushes finished. 
 300 dozen Cloth Brushes finished. 
 
 70 dozen Horse Brushes finished. 
 
 30 dozen Hat Brushes finished. 
 
 30 dozen Flesh Brushes finished. 
 
 6 dozen Nail Brushes finished. 
 5 dozen Table Brushes finished. 
 
 CABINET SHOP. 
 
 675 Bedsteads made, 
 75 Pine Tables made, 
 25 Cherry Tables made, 
 50 Wash Stands made. 
 
 jeweller's shop. 
 1680 dozen pairs of Black Bead Ear Rings or drops, 
 20 dozen Safety Chains. 
 
 CANE CHAIR BOTTOM MANUFACTORY. 
 
 Cane Chair Bottoms or Seats made as follows : 
 
 67 dozen plain or thin Maple Seats, 
 536 dozen plain solid front do. 
 
 165 dozen curled maple, do. do. 
 18 dozen sewing chair do. 
 
 3J dozen curled maple raised back do. 
 48i dozen curled maple box seats, 
 
 1 dozen seats and backs caned for large arm chairs, 
 22 dozen small seats for children, 
 
 5 dozen old chairs re-bottomed, 
 53 dozen stools for steam boats, 
 
 1 dozen counter stools, 
 14 oval stools for Piano Forte seats, 
 32 dozen frames for thin seats, made for shipping, 
 
 9 dozen birds eye solid front seats, 
 
 68 settee bottoms, 
 
 Making 916 doz. seats made complete, besides the settees, old 
 chairs, &c. 
 
 18000 pounds rattan knotted and scoured, 
 1800 pounds of cane dressed fit for seats, 
 
272 
 
 The frames of the seats are cut from rough plank and boards — 
 made and polished complete by the children. Also, the rattan as 
 imported, cleansed, split and dressed by do. 
 
 SHOE SHOP. 
 
 About 400 pairs new shoes, for both houses. A large number of 
 do. mended. 
 
 Boys do all their own cooking. 
 
 SCHOOL REPORT. 
 
 [From the Superintendent^ 
 
 In consequence of sickness, &c. it has been necessary to make 
 a change in our Teachers during the past year, which has prevented 
 my receiving a correct account of the promotions from the school 
 department for the whole year ; therefore, that you may judge of 
 the present rapid improvement of our well organized school, I shall 
 only give you an exhibit of the advances of the children for the 
 last three months in their various departments. 
 
 In Spelling and Reading there have been promoted 
 From 1st to 2d class, Boys' department, 2 
 
 " 2d to 3d class, " " 9 
 
 " 3d to 4th class, " «• 20 
 
 " 4th to 5 th class, " " 31 
 
 " 5th to 6th class, " " 38 
 
 " 6th to 7th class, " « 30 
 
 " 7th to 8th class, " " 32 
 
 " 8th to 9th class, " " 22 
 
 It will be understood that those who enter the 1st class do not 
 know their letters, &c. ; the 9th class are understood to be those 
 who read with much ease, and a good degree of elegance. 
 
 PROMOTIONS IN ARITHMETIC. 
 
 From Addition to Subtraction, * 53 
 
 " Subtraction to Multiplication, - 43 
 
 " Multiplication to short and long division, 39 
 
 " Division to the Compound Rules, - 25 
 
 " The Compound Rules to Reduction, 3 
 
 " Reduction to the Rule of Three, - 2 
 
 " The Rule of Three to Interest, - 2 
 
 There are now 139 boys in the School. All write on Slates, 45 
 on Paper, 
 
 In looking over the Girls' School, I find seven now in the House 
 that have been received during the last year, who could not read 
 when they came here, but who can now read the Scriptures, and 
 write a fair hand. 
 
 There are 43 Girls in the House ; 18 of that number write on pa- 
 per. The girls have been taught by the Assistant Matron for about 
 nine months past. 
 
273 
 
 ARTICLES MADE BY GIRLS IN 1831. 
 
 [Furnished by the Matron."] 
 
 Chemises, - - 75 Spreads made and quilted, 18 
 
 Shirts - - - 439 Stockings run, (pair) •> 311 
 
 Pantaloons, - - 511 Stockings knit, " - 10 
 
 Roundabouts Jackets, 307 Stockings footed, " - 16 
 
 Petticoats, - 29 Carpeting made, (yards) 243^ 
 Frocks, 116 Silk Shades for Eye Infirmary, 60 
 
 Bed Ticks, - - . 68 Waistcoats for girls,- - 30 
 
 Brown Rollers, - 56 White Vandikes, - 7 
 
 Brown Aprons, - 54 Bed Gowns for Hospital, 2 
 
 Sheets for cells, - - 117 Nightcaps, 50 
 
 ARTICLES MENDED. 
 
 Shirts, - - - 2350 Blankets ... 98 
 
 Pantaloons, - - 1359 Bed Ticks, 58 
 Chemises, - - 57 Pieces Washed, - 52,000 
 Stockings, (pair) - 1222 
 
 35 
 
274 
 
 Officers of the Society* 
 
 STEPHEN ALLEN, President. 
 CORNELIUS DUBOIS, 
 JOHN GRISCOM, 
 HENRY L WYCKOFF, . 
 JAMES LOVETT, 
 PETER SHARPE, 
 HUGH MAXWELL, 
 CORNELIUS DUBOIS, Treasurer. 
 FREDERICK SHELDON, Secretary. 
 JOHN STEARNS, M. D. 
 GALEN CARTER, M. D. 
 
 Physicians and Surgeons. 
 
 Indenturing' Committee. 
 
 ROBERT C, CORNELL, 
 WILLIAM F, MOTT, 
 HEMAN AVERILL. 
 
 Acting Committee. 
 
 JAMES LOVETT, 
 WILLIAM KENT, 
 FREDERICK A. TRACY, 
 JACOB DRAKE, 
 JOHN HUNTER, 
 WILLIAM W. FOX, 
 P. R. STARR. 
 
 Managers. 
 
 Stephen Allen, James Lovett, 
 Heman Averill, Rufus L. Lord, 
 Robert C. Cornell,William F. Mott, 
 Cornelius Dubois, Hugh Maxwell, 
 
 Jacob Drake, 
 William W. Fox, 
 John Griscom, 
 John Hunter, 
 Jacob Harvey, 
 William Kent, 
 
 Dennis M'Carthy, 
 Russel H. Nevins, 
 Ralph Olmsted, 
 Nath'l Richards, 
 Fred'k Sheldon, 
 Peter Sharpe, 
 
 John Stearns, 
 P. R. Starr, 
 William L. Stonf* 
 Frederick A. Tracy, 
 M. Van Schaick, 
 Henry I. Wyckoff, 
 John W. Wyman, 
 Robert D. Weeks, 
 Silas Brown, 
 B. L. Woolley. 
 
 Ladies' Committee. 
 
 Ann L. Mott, 
 Rebecca M'Comb, 
 Esther Seymour, 
 Martha Willis, 
 Ann Warner, 
 Eliza Tomlinson, 
 Sarah Lavender. 
 
 Isabella Buloid, 
 Margaret Beers, 
 Almy Cornell, 
 Deborah L. Embree, 
 Charlotte L. Fox, 
 Maria L. Hyde, 
 Sarah C. Hawxhurst, 
 Phebe Mott, 
 
 House of Refuge. 
 
 NATHANIEL C. HART, Superintendent 
 W. SAMPSON, Assistant Superintendent. 
 REBECCA ORAM, Matron. 
 CLARISSA NICHOLS, Assistant Matron. 
 MONMOUTH B. HART, Teacher. 
 
RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR THE GOVERNMENT 
 OF THE HOUSE OF REFUGE, 
 
 Requisites which the House of Refuge possesses for the Reforma- 
 tion of Juvenile Delinquents. 
 
 1. The Means of Security. 6. Allowance of Food and 
 
 2. Inspection. Clothing, 
 
 3. Classification. 7. Space for Exercise con- 
 
 4. Constant Employment. ducive to Health. 
 
 5. Religious and Moral In- 8. Separation of the Sexes. 
 
 struction. 9. Attendance upon the Sick. 
 
 The introduction oflaborinto the House of Refuge 
 will be regarded principally with reference to the 
 moral benefits, and not merely to the profits, to be 
 derived from it. 
 
 Preference will be given to those trades, the knowl- 
 edge of which may enable the delinquents to earn their 
 subsistence, on their discharge from the House. 
 
 LABOR. 
 
 The Children shall be employed every day in the 
 year, except Sundays, at such labor, business, or em- 
 ployment, as may from time to time be designated by 
 the Acting Committee ; and, in order that the chil- 
 dren may be properly instructed in the Arts or Trades 
 at which they may be employed, the Superintendent 
 shall, with the approbation of the Acting Committee, 
 engage as Assistant Keepers, persons who are prop- 
 erly qualified to give such instruction. 
 
 A LIST OF EMPLOYMENTS AT PRESENT CARRIED ON IN THB 
 HOUSE OF REFUGE. 
 BOYS. GIRLS. 
 
 Cutting out and Making Wear- 
 ing Apparel for Boys and Girls. 
 
 Washing, Ironing, and Mend- 
 ing for Boys and Girls. 
 
 Plain Cooking, and House Work 
 generally. 
 
 Tailoring. 
 Shoe Making. 
 Brush Making. 
 Basket Work on Bottles, S$c. 
 Brass Nail Making and Plait 
 
 ing. 
 Box Making. 
 Chair Making. 
 Turning. 
 
 These may be increased or changed for other em- 
 ployments, as circumstances may require and the 
 Committee direct. 
 
276 
 
 FOOD. 
 
 The Children shall be fed with a sufficient quantity 
 of coarse, but wholesome Food, and in conformity 
 with a Dietary to be established by the Acting Com- 
 mittee. 
 
 The greatest economy and plainness shall be used 
 in furnishing food for the children. The Superinten- 
 dent shall inspect every article, and take care that 
 nothing unsound be admitted into the House, and that 
 the contracts made for its supply are fairly executed. 
 
 CLOTHING. 
 
 The Children shall be clothed in coarse, but com- 
 fortable apparel, of the cheapest and most durable 
 kind. The cloth to be of a uniform color, and the 
 clothes of the same cut or fashion. All the clothes, 
 garments, shoes, &c. must, if practicable, be made on 
 the premises, and by the children. 
 
 FEMALES AND MATRON. 
 
 The Females shall eat their meals and lodge in sep- 
 arate apartments from the males, with whom they shall 
 have no intercourse or communication. 
 
 The Females shall be placed under the immediate 
 care and superintendence of a Matron or Female 
 Keeper, who shall reside in the House, and shall at 
 no time absent herself from the premises, without the 
 permission of the Acting or Visiting Committee. 
 
 None but the Matron shall search or examine the 
 Female Delinquents. She shall superintend their 
 work, and take charge of their clothes and bedding. 
 She shall accompany the Superintendent or Physician, 
 whenever it may be necessary for either of them to 
 visit the apartments of the Females. She shall en- 
 deavor to unfold to those under her charge, the ad- 
 vantages of a moral and religious life, and to impress 
 them with a conviction of the evils and miseries that 
 attend the wicked and profligate. She shall, at the 
 season set apart for the purpose, teach them the rudi- 
 ments of education, and instruct them in the business 
 of Housewifery, &c. She shall be authorized to pun- 
 ish them for offences against the rules of the House, 
 or for indecorum in their behavior towards herself or 
 
277 
 
 one another, and she shall regularly report to the Su- 
 perintendent such matters relative to their deport- 
 ment and conduct, and the punishment she has inflict- 
 ed, with the nature of the offence committed, as will 
 be proper for him to lay before the Acting Committee. 
 
 No female subject shall pass out of the female yard 
 or house, into the public yard or any of the adjoin- 
 ing tenements, upon any pretext whatever. And no 
 boy, except the messenger, specially approved of by 
 the Visiting Committee, shall go into the female house 
 or yard, except to attend Divine Service on Sunday, 
 or unless he is accompanied by an officer of the Insti- 
 tution. 
 
 PUNISHMENTS. 
 
 If any child shall refuse or wilfully neglect to per- 
 form the work required of him or her, or to obey the 
 orders of the Superintendent or Assistant Keeper or 
 Keepers, or shall use profane or indecent language, 
 or shall assault or quarrel with a fellow delinquent, 
 or shall make a noise or talk after having retired to 
 the sleeping room, he or she shall be punished at a 
 suitable time; and if, after this, such child persist in 
 disobedience, he or she shall be confined in solitude 
 for such time as the Superintendent may direct. 
 
 If any child shall strike or resist the Keeper, or at- 
 tempt to escape from the House, or shall wilfully injure 
 any article belonging to the Society, he or she shall 
 be punished. 
 
 The Superintendent shall possess a discretionary 
 power in awarding the punishment to offenders; but 
 this must be exercised with great caution and judg- 
 ment, and never under the influence of passion. He 
 shall in all cases enter on the daily Journal, and re- 
 port to the Acting Committee, a brief detail of the of- 
 fence, and the punishment inflicted for the same. 
 
 If it should ever be necessary to inflict corporal 
 punishment upon females, it shall only be done by or 
 in the presence of the Matron. 
 
 KINDS OF PUNISHMENTS THAT MAY BE USED IN THE HOUSE 
 
 OF REFUGE. 
 
 1. Privation of play and exercise. 
 
 2. Sent to bed supperless at sunset. 
 
278 
 
 3. Bread and water, for breakfast, dinner, and sup- 
 per. 
 
 4. Gruel without salt, for breakfast, dinner and sup- 
 per. 
 
 5. Camomile, boneset, or bitter herb tea, for break- 
 fast, dinner, and supper. 
 
 6. Confinement in solitary cells. 
 
 7. Corporal punishment, if absolutely necessary. 
 
 8. Fetters and handcuffs, only in extreme cases, 
 
 WARDSMEN OR MONITORS. 
 
 The Superintendent may, whenever in his opinion 
 it shall be useful, appoint for each ten or more chil- 
 dren, one of the delinquents as Wardsman or Monitor, 
 who shall be selected from the most orderly, well be- 
 haved, and best qualified for the purpose. 
 
 The general duty of the Wardsmen shall be, to ob- 
 serve the behavior and conduct of their respective 
 classes ; to see that they daily wash their persons : 
 that their sleeping and work rooms are regularly 
 swept every morning, and washed or scrubbed once 
 in each week; that the rooms and bedding be venti- 
 lated and aired, and the night utensils removed and 
 cleansed; and that decency and good order prevail 
 throughout the class. 
 
 The Wardsman shall be authorised to select from 
 his class, in rotation, one of the number to perform 
 the duty of sweeping, scrubbing, &c. and it shall be 
 an offence against the rules, for any of the class to 
 disobey the reasonable commands of the Wardsman. 
 He shall report to the Superintendent any improper 
 act committed by a member of his class immediately 
 after its occurrence, in order that it may be corrected 
 forthwith. 
 
 ARRANGEMENT OF TIME. 
 
 A bell shall be rung every morning one quarter of 
 an hour before the unlocking of the lodging rooms, 
 and also at the hour of unlocking, when every child 
 shall be prepared to leave his room, in order to wash 
 &c. previous to going to work. 
 
 The time of beginning and leaving off work, of eat- 
 ing breakfast, dinner, and supper, of attending school, 
 and of retiring to sleep, shall be in conformity with 
 
279 
 
 a table prepared by the Acting Committee, and each 
 time shall be designated by the ringing of the bell/as 
 the Superintendent may direct. 
 
 CLASSIFICATION. 
 
 The Boys and Girls shall be classed according to 
 their moral conduct, and as soon as practicable there 
 shall be four grades of classes formed, viz: Nos. 
 1, 2, 3, 4. 
 
 Class No. 1, shall include the best behaved and 
 most orderly Boys and Girls: those who do not swear, 
 lie, or use profane, obscene, or indecent language or 
 conversation, who attend to their work and studies, 
 are not quarrelsome, and have not attempted to es- 
 cape. 
 
 Class No. 2. Those who are next best, but who 
 are not quite free from all the foregoing vices and 
 practices. 
 
 Class No. 3. Those who are more immoral in con- 
 duct than Class No. 2. 
 
 Class No. 4. Those who are vicious, bad, and 
 wicked. 
 
 Badges bearing the number of each class, shall be 
 worn on the arm, at all times in the day. 
 
 In case of improper and bad conduct, the children 
 in Classes, Nos. 1, 2, or 3, shall be transferred or de- 
 graded by the Superintendent to the lower or lowest 
 Class. And for improvement, or good conduct, in 
 Classes 4, 3, or 2, they may be transferred or promo- 
 ted to a higher class. 
 
 The children in Class No. 1, who behave well, and 
 are orderly and correct in their conduct, may be re- 
 warded by the Superintendent, in the presence of all 
 the children, and of the Acting Committee. 
 
 Those children who have behaved well for three 
 months in succession, shall be allowed to wear a 
 badge of distinction and approbation. 
 
 SUPERINTENDENT AND KEEPER. 
 
 The Superintendent and Keeper shall have the 
 general superintendence of the House of Refuge, and 
 shall carry into effect all the rules and regulations 
 adopted by the Acting Committee for its management 
 and government. 
 
280 
 
 He shall keep a register of every child committed 
 to his custody, the name, age, and description of per- 
 son ; when received, by whom committed, on what 
 charge, in what part of the House confined, when 
 discharged, and such other remarks as may be prop- 
 er and useful, including a brief historical sketch. 
 
 He shall keep a regular aud separate account of 
 the expense incurred for the keeping of the children 
 placed under his charge, with every item properly 
 designated; also, an inventory of the whole personal 
 property within the House belonging to the Society, 
 and the manner in which the same may have been 
 disposed of, to be submitted to the Acting Committee, 
 every half year, or oftener if required. 
 
 He shall keep a record of the events worthy of 
 note, that may occur daily during the recess of the 
 Committee, and submit the same for inspection at 
 every meeting. 
 
 He shall daily inspect every part of the House and 
 premises in person, and shall not absent himself from 
 the establishment for a night without permission from 
 the Acting or Visiting Committee. 
 
 He shall exercise the authority delegated to him 
 with firmness, moderation and discretion : but in or- 
 der that the certainty of punishment may deter from 
 a repetition of offence, he shall permit no offence 
 against the rules to pass without some punishment. 
 
 He shall, under the instruction of the Acting Com- 
 mittee, procure the necessary supplies for the House, 
 and purchase such materials as may be necessary and 
 indispensable for the employment of the children; 
 and he shall dispose of such manufactured articles, 
 as the Committee, may direct, and credit the Society 
 for all receipts from such sales. 
 
 By the direction and sanction of the Committee, he 
 may contract with mechanics or others for the ser- 
 vices of the children under his charge, or any number 
 of them, to be employed within the walls of the es- 
 tablishment, at such business as may be mutually ap- 
 proved by the parties. 
 
 He shall allow none of the children to be absent 
 from the premises, without special permission in wri- 
 ting first obtained from the Committee for that pur- 
 pose 
 
281 
 
 He shall have the uncontrolled direction of the 
 Matron and Assistant Keeper or Keepers, in all mat- 
 ters relative to carrying into effect the rules, regula- 
 tions, and discipline of the House; and he shall be 
 responsible for their acts and conduct while on the 
 premises, and in the employ of the Society. 
 
 The Superintendent shall render quarterly to the 
 Acting Committee, a detailed account of receipts and 
 expenditures on account of the House of Refuge. 
 
 TEACHER AND ASSISTANT KEEPERS. 
 
 The Matron and Assistant Keeper or Keepers 
 shall conduct themselves in strict conformity with the 
 rules of the Establishment; they are to receive their 
 orders from the Superintendent, and to obey his di- 
 rections. They shall not absent themselves from the 
 House, without the leave of their principal. 
 
 ACTING COMMITTEE. 
 
 The Board of Managers, shall choose, from their 
 own number, an Acting Committee consisting of seven 
 members ; one of whom shall go out of office monthly, 
 and a new member be chosen to supply his place. 
 
 The Acting Committee shall meet four times a 
 month, for the transaction of business, once at the 
 House and three times in town. 
 
 The Acting Committee shall appoint a sub-commit- 
 tee of two, to visit the House of Refuge weekly, one 
 of whom shall retire each month, and a new one be 
 appointed. The visiting committee shall record in a 
 book, to be submitted to the Acting Committee, such 
 observations on the cleanliness of the House, and the 
 conduct of the officers and children, as may seem to 
 them proper. From these records, summary minutes 
 shall be made by the Acting Committee, and laid be- 
 fore the stated meetings of the Managers. 
 
 The Acting Committee shall be empowered to ap- 
 point a temporary Assistant or Assistants, for the pur- 
 pose of instructing the children in the House of Ref- 
 uge in any work, manufacture, or useful employment, 
 which they may deem expedient to introduce into 
 the House. 
 
 The Acting Committee shall be authorised to en- 
 
 36 
 
282 
 
 ier into such contracts, as they may think proper, 
 with any person, for the employment of the children 
 in any work, manufacture or trade. 
 
 The Acting Committee shall appoint in rotation, 
 one of its number, to attend at religious service in 
 the chapel of the House of Refuge, on Sundays. The 
 person appointed, shall furnish a substitute from the 
 Board of Managers in case of unavoidable absence. 
 
 Whenever any work above the value of five dol- 
 lars is authorised to be done at the House of Refuge, 
 when any of the boys or girls are put to labour at a 
 stipulated price, or when a Superintendent, matron 
 or other officer or servant of the House is hired, or a 
 collector employed, contracts in writing shall be 
 made by the Visiting Committee, with the party or 
 parties respectively, which contracts shall be copied 
 by the Superintendent into the contract book, kept 
 at the House for that purpose, and delivered by him 
 to the Acting Committee at their next meeting. 
 
 ladies' committee. 
 
 The Managers will annually appoint a Committee 
 of thirteen Ladies, to visit the Female Delinquents. 
 It shall be the duty of the Matron to attend upon the 
 Ladies' Committee, to afford them every facility in 
 their investigations, and give them all the informa- 
 tion she possesses respecting the conduct of the fe- 
 male house, the clothing and property belonging to it, 
 the character and conduct of the girls, their profi- 
 ciency in learning and good manners, and generally 
 to advise and confer with the Ladies, relative to the 
 affairs and management of this Department. 
 
 The Committee of Ladies will visit the House of 
 Refuge monthly, and they will appoint in rotation a 
 sub-committee of two of their number to visit it once 
 in each week, to inspect the Female Department, to 
 excite in the girls a sense of virtue and piety, to in- 
 culcate habits of industry, cleanliness, and strict at- 
 tention to the directions of the Matron and the rules 
 of the House, and to reward those who shall distin- 
 guish themselves for industry and good conduct. 
 
 Minutes will be kept by the general and visiting 
 committee, in a book, provided for that purpose, in 
 
283 
 
 which they will note the order, cleanliness, and im- 
 provement of the girls, and make such suggestions 
 and remarks as they may deem proper and useful. 
 These minutes will be read at the meetings of the 
 Acting Committee, and a summary of them also at the 
 stated meetings of the Managers. 
 
 Should vacancies occur in this Committee by death 
 or resignation, the Committee may appoint such La- 
 dies as they shall have previously ascertained will, 
 if elected, attend to the important duties devolving 
 on them. 
 
 The Committee of Ladies, will recommend to the 
 Superintendent, the most suitable materials of cloth- 
 ing for the male delinquents, and he will confer with 
 them on the subject, when new clothing is required 
 for the use of the male Refuge. 
 
 They shall be empowered to purchase or procure, 
 or may recommend to the Acting Committee, the 
 most suitable clothing for the female Delinquents. 
 
 The Committee of Ladies will report to the Super- 
 intendent, for the use of the Indenturing Committee, 
 such girls as may be tit to be bound out. In any other 
 emergency, the Ladies will report to the Acting Com- 
 mittee. 
 
 INDENTURING COMMITTEE. 
 
 The Board of Managers shall annually choose from 
 their own body an Indenturing Committee, to consist 
 of three persons, who shall be (ex-officio) members of 
 the Acting Committee. 
 
 The Indenturing Committee shall meet weekly at 
 the House of Refuge, they shall keep regular minutes 
 of the business transacted by them, and shall monthly 
 report to the Board of Managers a detailed state- 
 ment of the number of children indentured, to whom 
 indentured, place of residence, and references, and 
 such other information, connected with their duty, as 
 they may consider expedient and proper. 
 
 The Indenturing Committee shall examine into the 
 character and qualifications of the children, and at 
 proper times endeavor to procure for them suitable 
 places, as apprentices, to mechanics, manufacturers, 
 and farmers, and as domestics, and in some cases as 
 mariners. 
 
284 
 
 The Committee shall obtain the best information 
 practicable of the fitness of applicants to have chil- 
 dren indentured to them, and when satisfied on this 
 important head, they shall give permission in writing 
 to the Superintendent to have the indentures execu- 
 ted, and deliver the child. 
 
 No child shall be indentured-in the city, or delive- 
 red up to its parents or guardians, without the consent 
 of the Acting Committee. 
 
 When any boy is to be indentured as a mariner or 
 for the sea service, the consent of his parent or guar- 
 dian, if he has any, shall first be obtained, if practica- 
 ble, by the Indenturing Committee. 
 
 The Superintendent shall present all written appli- 
 cations for apprentices and servants to the Indentur- 
 ing Committee, by whom they shall be approved be- 
 fore they are granted ; and no child shall be put to 
 service out of the House, unless under regular inden- 
 tures from the Society. 
 
 A Bible and printed paper of advice relative to his 
 or her future conduct, shall be given to each delin- 
 quent when so apprenticed. 
 
 The term of the apprenticeship of the Girls shall 
 not extend beyond the age of 18 years ; they shall not 
 be apprenticed to unmarried men, nor placed in board- 
 ing-houses, or academies for boys. 
 
 It shall be the duty of the Superintendent, under 
 the direction of the Indenturing Committee, to corres- 
 pond, as. often as they may think necessary, with those 
 to whom children have been indentured, to ascertain 
 the general character and conduct of the child. 
 
 DIVINE SERVICE. 
 
 Divine Service shall commence in the Chapel, on 
 the Sabbath at half past ten in the morning, and from 
 the 1st of March to the 1st of November, at three 
 o'clock in the afternoon, and from the 1st of Novem- 
 ber to the 1st of March, at half past two o'clock in the 
 afternoon; and may be continued for one hour and a 
 half each. 
 
 There shall be no meetings held at any other time 
 or place, experience having shewn that many of the 
 children are unfit to attend, after their daily schooling 
 and labor are finished. 
 
285 
 
 Respectable visitors and the neighboring families, 
 may be admitted to attend religious service in the 
 Chapel, at the discretion of the Superintendent and 
 upon his responsibility, but they are not to be suffered 
 to remain on the premises, or to talk to the children, 
 or have any intercourse with them. It is made the 
 duty of the Superintendent to publish this rule to the 
 audience, as often as may be necessary. 
 
 No person shall be allowed to address the children 
 at the meetings for worship, without the permission of 
 the Superintendent or the Committee in Attendance. 
 
 GENERAL REGULATIONS. 
 
 No spirituous liquors shall, upon any pretence what- 
 ever, (excepting by order of the Physicians,) be 
 brought into any part of the premises of the House of 
 Refuge. 
 
 No species of gambling, nor of plays or games hav- 
 ing a tendency thereto, shall be permitted at the House 
 of Refuge. 
 
 The wall, and ceilings of the wards, cells, rooms, 
 and passages, used by the delinquents throughout the 
 House of Refuge, shall be white-washed and thor- 
 oughly cleaned at least twice in each year; which 
 work shall be done by the delinquents, except on par- 
 ticular emergencies. 
 
 Every morning the day-rooms, work-rooms, passa- 
 ges and cells shall be swept; the pans emptied, the 
 dirt and ashes, and all filth and rubbish collected in 
 the yard, removed to the place appropriated for the 
 same. The day-rooms, working-rooms and sleeping 
 cells, shall be washed once a week, or oftener if re- 
 quisite. The doors of all the sleeping cells, and also 
 the windows, when the weather will permit, shall be 
 kept open during the day. 
 
 The bedding of the House shall be hung up to air, 
 whenever the Superintendent shall require it. The 
 straw in the Mattresses shall be changed, and the 
 corn-husk Mattresses scalded and washed as often as 
 * the Physicians may think proper. The blankets and 
 coverlets shall be washed, at least once in three 
 months, and in all cases clean bedding shall be pro- 
 vided for every new delinquent. 
 
286 
 
 No delinquent of any description shall, on any ac- 
 count whatever, be confined in any apartment under 
 ground, or where there is not sufficient light and ven- 
 tilation. 
 
 Every delinquent, seized with any disorder, shall 
 be forthwith removed to the Infirmary ; and in case 
 of any putrid or infectious disorder, to the Fever Ward 
 therein. The cell, from which he or she was taken, 
 shall immediately after such removal, be cleansed, 
 fumigated, and white-washed. 
 
 Bibles and Testaments, and such elementary books 
 as may be thought necessary, shall be provided for 
 the use of the children, to be distributed among them, 
 at the discretion of the Acting Committee. 
 
 The admission of visitors during the week, shall be 
 restricted to Wednesdays and Fridays, excepting 
 strangers, not residing in the city, and persons accom- 
 panied by or having a written permission from a man- 
 ager. 
 
 Parents and guardians shall be permitted into the 
 Refuge, to see their children, once in three months, 
 upon the days appointed, under the inspection of the 
 Superintendent and Teacher, and their visits shall be 
 confined to the hours between 12 and 4 o'clock. 
 
 The Superintendent shall make weekly reports of 
 the sums he receives from the contractors for the la- 
 bor of the boys, together with the balances due, and 
 the names of those contractors who do not pay every 
 Saturday. 
 
 The Superintendent shall pay over to the Treasurer, 
 at least once a month, all the monies he receives be- 
 longing to the House. 
 
 It shall be the duty of the Visiting Committee to call 
 upon the contractors, whenever it may be necessary, 
 and to see that they pay with punctuality. 
 
 Not less than from three to four hours shall be de- 
 voted to the literary instruction of the subjects of the 
 Refuge. The Superintendent shall report the hours 
 of employ, every month, so that new arrangements may 
 be made by the Acting Committee to suit the chang- 
 ing seasons. 
 
 No boy or girl shall be permitted to receive money 
 or presents of any kind, while a subject of the Refuge. 
 
287 
 
 The Superintendent shall keep a notice of this regula- 
 tion, on the boj s' house and the gate, for the govern- 
 ment of parents and visitors. 
 
 As no person can be received into the premises 
 who is not engaged under contract, or committed ac- 
 cording to law, it is made the duty of the Superinten- 
 dent to report the name of any person or persons, 
 male or female, who shall have staid in the Refuge du- 
 ring the week, or any day or night of the week prece- 
 ding his report. And the Acting Committee shall take 
 cognizance of the case without delay. 
 
 The gate-keeper shall not admit any person, with- 
 out permission of the Superintendent, or by his ex- 
 press orders, unless he bears a permit from, or is in- 
 troduced by, a manager. Any violation of this rule 
 shall be reported to the Acting Committee, and will 
 subject the gate-keeper to immediate dismission. 
 
 The person who may be appointed collector to the 
 House, shall once a month furnish the Treasurer with 
 a list of the subscribers and donors, from whom collec- 
 tions may have been made; and at the same time 
 shall pay the moneys collected, into the hands of the 
 Treasurer. 
 
 It shall be the duty of the Treasurer, to examine 
 the collector's books and accounts, at the period above 
 named, and if any omission or defalcation is discove- 
 red, he shall immediately report the same to the Act- 
 ing Committee. 
 
 The Treasurer shall, once a year, publish a list of 
 subscribers and donors, in any two or more of the 
 public papers. 
 
 At their meeting next after the annual election, the 
 Board of Managers will appoint a Finance Committee, 
 to consist of two members to serve for one year. Any 
 vacancies in this committee will be filled up at the 
 discretion of the Board. 
 
 The securities and vouchers taken by the Finance 
 Committee, shall, as soon as received, be delivered by 
 them to the Acting Committee, who shall cause them 
 to be copied into their book of minutes, and then to 
 be transferred to the Treasurer for safe keeping and 
 collection when due. 
 
•1 DISCOURSE 
 
 ON OPENING THE NEW BUILDING IN THE HOUSE OF REFUGE, NEW- 
 YORK ; ESTABLISHED FOR THE REFORMATION OF JUVENILE DE- 
 LINQUENTS. DELIVERED DECEMBER 25tH, 1825, IN PRESENCE 
 OF THE MANAGERS OF THE INSTITUTION, THE HONORABLE THE 
 MAYOR AND COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY, SOME OF THE MEM- 
 BERS OF THE LEGISLATURE, AND MANY OF ITS PATRONS AND 
 FRIENDS. 
 
 BY JOHN STANFORD, A. M. 
 
 Once rude and ignorant we were, 
 ; With natures prone to stray ! 
 
 Blest now by Pity's kindest care, 
 We hear of Wisdom's way. 
 
 The soul untaught is dark as night, 
 
 Where every evil dwells ; 
 All hail Instruction's sacred light, 
 Which all this night dispels ! S3. 
 
 — ©Q^- 
 
 New-York, Jan. 10, 182G. 
 At a meeting of the Board of Managers of the Society for the 
 Reformation of Juvenile Delinquents, the following Resolutions 
 were passed : — 
 
 Resolved — That the thanks of this Board be presented to the 
 Rev. John Stanford, for his very able and appropriate Discourse, 
 on the opening of the House of Refuge, on the 25th of December 
 last. 
 
 Resolved — That the Rev. Mr. Stanford be requested occasionally, 
 and when his other public engagements will allow, to visit the 
 House of Refuge. 
 
 Resolved — That the Rev. Mr. Stanford be requested to furnish 
 a copy of his late Discourse, delivered at the opening of the New 
 Building, for the use of the Delinquents at the House of Refuge. 
 
 Copied from the Minutes, 
 
 ROBERT F. MOTT, Secretary. 
 
 To the Honorable Cadwallader D. Colden, President, and the 
 Gentlemen composing- the Board of Directors of the 
 HOUSE Or. HErUCrE, for the Reformation 
 of Juvenile Delinquents, 3TfttJ3 HtSCOtttSfc is Most 
 Respectfully DEDICATED, by 
 
 JOHN STANFORD. 
 
289 
 
 ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 The House of Refuge owes its origin to the Society for the 
 Prevention of Pauperism in the City of New-York : — a voluntary 
 association, formed by a number of citizens for the purpose of tra- 
 cing the evils of poverty to their actual sources, and of suggesting 
 and urging such remedies as might be deemed practicable, for a 
 certain portion of those evils. 
 
 The results of the investigations and deliberations of this Soci- 
 ety, were given to the public in several successive annual and spe- 
 cial reports, which excited among the benevolent citizens of the 
 metropolis, no inconsiderable share of solicitude that the city might 
 avail itself of those suggestions ; inasmuch as it was plainly per- 
 ceived, that without some energetic efforts to arrest the progress 
 of vice and its attendant poverty, the burthen of the city for the 
 maintenance of its poor would increase to an alarming degree. 
 Among those evils, the subject of juvenile delinquency presented 
 itself to the Society in a formidable shape. The report on that 
 subject, detailing the nature and amount of the evil, and proposing 
 an establishment, separate from the City and State Prisons, for the 
 confinement and reformation of juvenile criminals and vagrant 
 youth, elicited so much cordiality of feeling, that the sum of $15,000 
 was promptly subscribed by the citizens, and a special Society 
 formed, for carrying the plan into operation. These objects have 
 been so fully approved by the Governor and Legislature, that the 
 Society has been incorporated, and a legislative provision made 
 for its support, which, with the liberality of the citizens, will, it is 
 presumed, prove sufficient to secure its continuance and prosperity. 
 The Institution was opened on the first of January, 1825, with 
 nine subjects, sentenced by the police to the control of the Soci- 
 ety. The number at the present time, (July, 1826,) is, &4 boys 
 and 24 girls. When the buildings which are now in progress shall 
 have been completed, the Institution will accommodate 140 boys* 
 and 70 girls. 
 
 Four hours of each working day are devoted to literary instruc- 
 tion ; and the remainder, with the exception of meals, and a mod- 
 erate portion of time for relaxation, to the work shops. 
 
 The Managers are abundantly encouraged, from the success al- 
 ready obtained, to hope for extensive usefulness in the reformatory 
 influence of the Institution, over the minds and characters of its 
 subjects: most of whom, without such a timely agency, would in 
 all probability be led, by the force of corrupt associations, into 
 habits of deep and irretrievable criminality. 
 
 3? 
 
299 
 
 DISCOURSE, 
 
 Exodus II. 9. 
 
 Take this child away and nurse it for me, and I will give 
 thee thy wages. 
 
 It has frequently been asserted, that when a child 
 is destined tor some eminent station and usefulness 
 in life, its birth is usually accompanied with some 
 strong marks of distinction. This certainly was the 
 case with Moses, who was designated by the Al- 
 mighty to be the deliverer of the Israelites from theiF 
 bondage in Egypt ; and afterwards to become their 
 Lawgiver, Prophet, and General through the wilder- 
 ness to inherit the land of Canaan. About the 320th 
 year of the Hebrew captivity, it is said, There arose up 
 a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. W hich 
 I presume, is not to be understood, that he was igno- 
 rant such a person had lived in Egypt, was raised 
 from obscurity to dignity, and preserved multitudes 
 alive amidst the ravages of famine: but, that he had 
 no .esteem for him, because he was an Hebrew ; and 
 therefore cultivated an implacable enmity to Joseph's 
 brethren, who had so exceedingly increased that it 
 alarmed his fears for the safety of his kingdom. This 
 excited his cruelty to lay unjustifiable burdens upon 
 this people ; but the more he afflicted them, the more they 
 multiplied and grew. Disappointed in this measure, he 
 commanded, that when the Hebrew women should 
 bring forth their male children, the midwives should 
 destroy them in their birth. In this also the king 
 was disappointed j for, to the humanity and honour 
 of those females it is said, the midwives feared God, and 
 did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved 
 the men children alive-, and then made an excuse for 
 their conduct. This so exasperated the king, that, 
 he charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye 
 shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save a- 
 live. — Cruel wretch, in the character of a king! his 
 edicts are here recorded as perpetual brands of hi& 
 infamy. 
 
 At this time lived Amram and Jochebed, two pious 
 
291 
 
 Israelites of the tribe of Levi. God had already 
 blessed them with a son whose name was Aaron, and 
 a daughter called Miriam. Now, a third child is 
 added to the number; it was a son of a beautiful coun- 
 tenance, and excited the most ardent affections of 
 his parents. But, the edict ! the cruel mandate of 
 Pharaoh, which sentenced the lovely child to death 
 in the waters of the Nile, overwhelmed them with 
 sorrow. The fond parents determined to conceal 
 the infant as long as possible, and retained it within 
 their arms for three months, but could do so no 
 longer. God, who foresees all events, to accomplish 
 his own purposes, no doubt dictated to the mother the 
 expedient of making an Ark, or close basket of bul- 
 rushes ; and it is said, she daubed it with slime and with 
 pitch, to keep out the water. Into this ark, she laid 
 her tender infant, closed the lid, and in fkith on the 
 God of Israel, laid it in the flags by the river's brink, 
 whether for life, or death.* Say, ye tender mothers! 
 w r hat were your feelings, when on the loss of an infant 
 by death, it was laid in the coffin, and before the lid 
 was closed, you gave with your lips, the last token of 
 affection ! Ye best can tell the feeling of the mother 
 of Moses, when in tears she closed the lid of the ark, 
 and left him in the waters of danger. 
 
 On this very day, the providence of God directed 
 the feet of Pharaoh's daughter, in company with her 
 maidens, to go down to the river and wash. Whether 
 this was for the purpose of pleasure, for health, or as 
 an act of idolatrous worship, is not so material for us 
 to determine. As she walked by the river, she saw a 
 something among the flags; curiosity prompted an 
 order to her maidens to fetch it; the lid was opened; 
 she saw the child; and behold! the babe wept. Had 
 we been present, we should have perceived her sur- 
 prize; the tears of Moses in distress awakened her 
 sympathy; her generous bosom glowed; she had 
 compassion on him, and instantly exclaimed, This is 
 one of the Hebrews' 9 children! A nurse was immediately 
 provided, and the princess honoured her own feelings 
 by thus addressing her : Take this child away, and nurse 
 it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. This was ac- 
 cepted, And the woman took the child and nursed it. 
 
 * Hebrews xi. 23. 
 
292 
 
 Those who have read the sequel of this history, need 
 not be told, that from this most striking occurrence, 
 Pharaoh's daughter adopted this rescued child as her 
 own son; she caused him to be instructed in all the 
 learning of Egypt; and, that he afterwards became 
 one of the most distinguished and honoured charac- 
 ters that adorn the pages of the Old Testament, 
 
 As we are this morning assembled in this new 
 building, to offer our prayer to the Almighty for hi9 
 gracious benediction upon this benevolent Institution : 
 perhaps I may not better perform the duty assigned 
 me, than by drawing a few lines of comparison be- 
 tween the forlorn exposure, and the relief of little 
 Moses, and those young unfortunates whom this So- 
 ciety rescues from misery, granting them protection 
 in this House of Refuge. 
 
 I. Let us recollect the danger to which the infant 
 Moses was exposed. — He was laid among the flags 
 which grew on the brink of the Nile, and in danger of 
 being carried away by the stream, and seen no more. 
 And who does not know, that iniquity has too long 
 run down our streets like water; and that the floods 
 of the ungodly, like the rising of the waters of the 
 Nile, have frequently overflowed the safety and peace 
 of our city ? The rising generation, for successive 
 years, have been exposed to this polluting current, 
 and many of them have been carried away and de- 
 stroyed. Often have we seen the children of the 
 lower orders of society, for the want of education 
 and restraint, plunging into this iniquitous stream; 
 and such are the force of example and the fascina- 
 tions of vice, that we are not without some instances 
 of other young persons, of respectable connections 
 being unhappily carried away from the paths of virtue, 
 lodged in houses of criminal confinement, lost to all 
 expectation by their parents of retrieving their char- 
 acters, and becoming useful members of society. 
 But now, the pitying eye, like that of Pharaoh's daugh- 
 ter, is directed to such young offenders; and, the 
 hand of kindness is extended, at once to rescue them 
 from destruction, and safely conduct them to this 
 House of Refuge. 
 
 Let us not forget that little Moses was also in dan- 
 
293 
 
 ger of being devoured by the crocodile. This am- 
 phibious animal is a native inhabitant of the Nile, 
 living both on land and water; it frequently grows to 
 an enormous size, is of great strength, and extremely 
 voracious. It has the largest mouth of all monsters, 
 opens both his jaws at once, which, being furnished 
 with a great number of sharp teeth, can snap a man 
 asunder in a moment, and gorge the body. To this 
 dreadful monster the infant Moses was exposed ; and 
 we cannot but shudder at the apprehension of his ex- 
 posure. Perhaps you may inquire, Have we any 
 such dangerous animals in our city, or in its rivers? 
 We have only seen them exhibited in show, and so 
 confined, as to admit of no danger to the visiters. 
 Where then can be the correctness of this compari- 
 son between little Moses, and the miserable young 
 beings who wander in pur streets ? I venture to affirm, 
 that among us, we have crocodiles in human shape; 
 persons whose conduct is as dangerous to the interest 
 of civil society, as are the ravages of the monsters in 
 the Nile. They may well be denominated amphibi- 
 ous, for they are capable of committing their ravages 
 upon the land, or on the water. Indeed, it is well 
 known that by various methods, such unhappy char- 
 acters form their criminal practices into a system. 
 They first learn the rudiments of their art in secret; 
 perhaps in some obscure cellar, and there form com- 
 binations. Occasionly, a party sally forth to try their 
 skill in less crimes; till eventually, some of them are 
 detected, and sentenced to the penitentiary. There, 
 for the want of room to make the necessary classifica- 
 tion, they horde too much in mass, and soon find those 
 who are more proficient in criminal practices than 
 themselves ; from whom they receive greater aid to 
 carry on the course of bad instruction. So true is it, 
 that evil communications, not only corrupt good manners, 
 but certainly make bad manners much worse. Here 
 too, they formerly met with the juvenile offender; 
 perhaps sentenced for his first offence. As with the 
 false tears of the crocodile, they pretended to com- 
 miserate his misfortunes, ingratiate themselves into 
 his tender feelings, and by such insinuations, he gra- 
 dually listens to the story of their own vicious conduct ; 
 
294 
 
 and, finally imbibes those depraved principles, which 
 soon make him to resemble their own likeness. Thus 
 advanced in their vicious education, no wonder they 
 should resolve to form a new gang on their liberation ; 
 so that, on the expiration, it may be said of some of 
 them, they are competent to take their first degree of 
 Bachelor in the Art of crime. 
 
 Now, a new scene appears. Instead of cultivating 
 repentance for past offences, such is the strength of 
 sinful habits, they improve their criminal system, and 
 form stronger combinations to execute their purposes. 
 Their rapacity, like that of the crocodile, increases; 
 and, with extended jaws they lay in wait to catch the 
 young offender that he may aid in their dark designs. 
 This becomes indispensably necessary, in order to 
 perform those operations of which a grown person is 
 incompetent. The little boy must watch the opening 
 door; climb the fence; or, urge his way through the 
 cellar bars. Having gained admission, the urchin 
 conceals himself, perhaps beneath the bed; within the 
 vacant closet; or, in the garret's corner, until all is 
 hushed in silent sleep; when, behold! he descends 
 the stairs, unlocks the door, and admits the gang to 
 accomplish their plunder. This is no false represen- 
 tation; facts like these have too frequently occurred ; 
 and I personally know a youth, of about fifteen years 
 of age, now in one of our prisons, who, by such early 
 instruction and practices, has been pronounced com- 
 petent to take the lead of a gang. What generous soul 
 but shudders on beholding scenes like these, and ar- 
 dently wishes to rescue such young delinquents from 
 the jaws of total destruction! Such public depreda- 
 tions, however, seldom go long without detection; 
 and, the perpetrators are deservedly conveyed to the 
 State Prison. Here,likewise,for the want of adequate 
 means to classify the criminals, their intercourse with 
 each other, especially in the shades of night, is favor- 
 able for that conversation, which, can only produce 
 a stronger growth of vicious principles, and which out- 
 braves the watch of their keepers, and the moral les- 
 sons which they constantly receive. And here too, 
 the old offenders seldom fail to ensnare the young, and 
 instil stronger principles of mischief into their minds, 
 
295 
 
 and thus stimulate them to the perpetration of more 
 flagrant offences. From such a mass of criminals, so 
 long in the cultivation of vice, no wonder that some 
 of them should become so proficient, as at the expira- 
 tion of their sentence, they may be said to take their 
 second degree, of Master in the Art of criminality. 
 
 Let us look again at the infant Moses, and we shall 
 perceive him exposed to danger from the Officers of 
 Pharaoh's court. Had they passed along by the river 
 side, and perceived something in the shape of a bas- 
 ket, they would have been excited to ascertain its 
 contents. Opening the lid, they would have found 
 the Hebrew child j and although they might have 
 been affected by perceiving its tears, the inexorable 
 edict of their king would have compelled them to take 
 away its life by drowning him in the river. This is 
 similar to the case of our delinquent children; for, 
 the civil law of our country knows no distinction in 
 the detection of crime, whether committed by old or 
 young. When therefore our officers of justice per- 
 ceive the unwary youth, wading in the stream of ini- 
 quity, notwithstanding they may have compassion for 
 his tender years, they are bound to arrest. And, al- 
 though the natural life of the offender be not in dan- 
 ger, like that of Moses, still, the condemnation, and 
 criminal confinement of a young person, generally pro- 
 duces the moral death of his character, and destroys 
 the hope of society in his favor. How generous then 
 is that hand, which can rescue a fallen youth from 
 such extreme danger! 
 
 What adds a final grade to the distressing exposure 
 of poor little Moses, is, that he was unconscious of his 
 danger. Is not this the case with our unwary youth? 
 Ignorant of the criminality of their conduct; their of- 
 fences against God; and their accountability to the 
 laws of society, they go astray, regardless of its fatal 
 consequences. Like as Moses knew not his danger 
 of being carried aw ay by the stream, or devoured by 
 the monster of the Nile: so our unfortunate children 
 are insensible of the current of vice, or of those older, 
 abandoned characters, whether male or female, who 
 lay in wait to destroy them! Nor is it uncommon for 
 such old offenders, having succeeded in decoying the 
 
296 
 
 young under a promise of gain, on their detection, to 
 turn evidence against them, and thus seal their con- 
 demnation. 
 
 Let this general statement of our dissipated youth, 
 and the dangers to which they are exposed, produce 
 the necessary impression upon our mind, and we shall 
 instantly perceive the importance of the laudable ef- 
 forts of this Society in rescuing them from the paths 
 of the destroyer, and giving them a place in this House 
 of Refuge. As the means which the Almighty em- 
 ployed to extricate the infant Moses from his danger 
 are so remarkably interesting; and, as the circum- 
 stances attending it are so admirably calculated to 
 afford us a few lessons of instruction on the design of 
 the present assembly, we will make them the subject 
 of the second par t of this discourse. 
 
 II. By the intervening providence of God, the feet 
 of Pharaoh's daughter were directed to the waters of 
 the Nile. How minutely does the Almighty perform 
 his operations! Had the Princess, with her maidens, 
 come down on the morning before, Moses had not 
 been there ; had she been confined to her chamber, 
 and visited the river on the following day, the child 
 might have been drowned, or devoured by the mon- 
 ster. This therefore was the very set time for God to 
 favor Moses ; and all circumstances combine to pro- 
 duce the event. — Permit me to say, that many years 
 ago, I cultivated a commiseration for the vagrant chil- 
 dren in our streets ; and especially for those misera- 
 ble little creatures who were confined in our prisons. 
 In the year 1813, I presented to the Honorable the 
 Common Council, the outlines of a plan for the estab- 
 lishment of an Asylum for their relief; but, it was 
 like the morning, too soon! The set time for such an 
 operation had not arrived; now, the providence of 
 God appears in their favor, and the public mind is 
 generously excited to rescue them from the pulluted 
 waters of destruction, and employ every possible 
 means for their restoration to usefulness and happi- 
 ness. 
 
 The address of the Princess of Egypt to the nurse, 
 is as expressive as it is kind and benevolent ; and af- 
 fords us a charming impression of the strong interest 
 
297 
 
 which she took in the future welfare of the infant. 
 
 Take this child aivay, said she, from its present clanger, 
 though it be an Hebrew. Carry it to your home, and 
 nurse it for me, as though it were my own. I require 
 not this care at your own expense ; for T am able, and 
 promise to give thee thy wages. Excellent Princess! 
 what more could she have said! How justly may all 
 these items be applied to the good intention of the 
 Society now assembled. Let us examine them? — 
 Take this child away ; remove the miserable little ob- 
 jects from the paths of idleness, beggary, vanity, and 
 inducement to crime, by the crafty and the wicked who 
 lay in wait to allure and destroy them. But whither 
 shall these juvenile delinquents be conveyed ? Where 
 is the hospitable door that will open to receive them? 
 Here it is! The House of Refuge is now open: its 
 door unfolds to receive and protect them, as the arms 
 of the nurse were extended to embrace the rescued 
 Moses. — What attention are they here to receive? 
 They are to be nursed. What this means, is easy to 
 be understood. They come to you in rags, and you 
 must clothe them ; they are hungry, and you will feed 
 them; destitute of virtuous friends, you clasp them 
 to your bosom; mentally diseased by idleness and 
 sin, you afford them the religious means for restora- 
 tion. Nursing is indeed anxious labor; and those 
 who have the government of this Institution, will fre- 
 quently find a sufficiency of care to fill both their hands 
 and their hearts. — Still, who is to supply? From 
 whence are the necessaries to be obtained to feed, 
 and to clothe so large a family ? Remember, Pharaoh's 
 daughter said unto the nurse, I will give thee thy wa- 
 ges ; and if the nurse could trust the Princess of Egypt, 
 surely we may confide in the providence of the Al- 
 mighty, for the silver and the gold are his to bestow. 
 Besides, the public mind has already been so benev- 
 olently interested in its favor, that, methinks I hear 
 their voice to you this morning, "We will give thee 
 thy wages." For^ indeed, you nurse these poor mis- 
 erable creatures for the public peace and safety; and 
 therefore they will not fail to give you the most ample 
 supply. 
 
 The reflections I have already made, lead me to in- 
 
 38 
 
298 
 
 etitute an inquiry: — What may be the public expec- 
 tation of benefits arising from this new establishment? 
 The first I will name, is, the extraction of the Core 
 of Pauperism. It is well known, that we seldom see 
 men and women, with baskets on their arms, going 
 from house to house, soliciting charity ; for the trade 
 of mendicity has been carried on, principally by the 
 children of the indolent and worthless. While this 
 practice was pursued, Societies for the cure, or pre- 
 vention of Pauperism, may hold their meetings, and 
 publish their annual reports, without any other bene- 
 fit than what would accrue to the paper mill, and the 
 printing press. Remove such child ren from the streets, 
 and nurse them well; then, though the strings of the 
 core of pauperism may draw hard in its extraction, it 
 is the best, if not the only method of cure. — The pub- 
 lic will likewise expect these children will be instruc- 
 ted in the rudiments of plain education ; the impor- 
 tance of cultivating habits of industry; and some of 
 the more useful mechanic arts; by which, hereafter, 
 they may obtain an honest livelihood, whether on the 
 land, or on the seas. — To which must be added, their 
 reformation, and improvement in morals; without 
 which, very little good will be obtained. No man 
 will expect that you can change their vicious little 
 hearts; for this is alone the prerogative of God, by the 
 operation of the Holy Spirit of his grace. But, as this 
 is frequently produced by the use of means, you can 
 teach these ignorant children to read their once neg- 
 lected Bible; show them the nature and danger of sin 
 and transgression in the sight of God and man; you 
 can point them to a compassionate Saviour, who not 
 only died for our sins, but in the days of his flesh, took 
 children in his arms and blessed them. And, it will 
 be easy for you to contrast their former state of igno- 
 rance and degradation, with the privileges of instruc- 
 tion and good examples which they now receive, in 
 the cheering hope of their interest and happiness in 
 the world. These are some of those duties which 
 you owe to them, and to the public; and if faithfully 
 performed, I hope God will succeed your endeavors, 
 and the expectation of our citizens will be happily 
 realized. 
 
299 
 
 ADDRESSES. 
 
 The Ladies who have so generously engaged their 
 services to visit and to watch over the female depart- 
 ment of this House of Refuge, will accept my congrat- 
 ulation upon this occasion. You have no need for me 
 to intimate the duties you have to perform. You pos- 
 sess a parental feeling; and nothing but motives of 
 tenderness and kindness could have prompted your 
 exertions to aid in this noble design of restoring the 
 fallen children of your own sex, to the paths of virtue 
 and happiness. Permit me to remind you of Pha- 
 raoh's daughter, as your noble example. True, she 
 was an Egyptian; an Idolatress; no matter for the 
 color of her complexion ; she came to the brink of 
 the river; she saw the helpless infant; she had com- 
 passion, and she saved him! Had that distinguished 
 woman lived in a Christian land; and had her heart 
 been enriched with the Gospel of Christ, I would ex- 
 hibit her in the attitude of relieving the distressed, and 
 then say to you, behold the loveliest picture of 
 Christian Charity! — Go, worthy Ladies, and do like- 
 wise. 
 
 The Honorable the Mayor, and the Members of 
 the Common Council of the City; and the Gentle- 
 men of the New-York Delegation to the State Leg- 
 islature, who have honored this Society with their 
 presence, cannot but feel a lively interest in behold- 
 ing this rising Institution. You must be convinced, 
 Gentlemen, that this is not an object of simple charity. 
 It is strongly combined with the safety, honor, and 
 happiness of the whole community. If such little of- 
 fenders were permitted to range at large, their crimi- 
 nal habits would grow with their years; their number 
 by example would increase; and, by these means, 
 town and country would be overrun, and our public 
 prisons be crowded, not failing to produce an enor- 
 mous expense to the state ! To prevent these calami- 
 tous consequences, the House of Refuge is erected, 
 and makes a strong appeal for public support. But, 
 my humane friends, the prevention of the growth of 
 crime is not all that is intended by this Society; it is 
 their moral design, by every method possible, to re- 
 
300 
 
 claim these juvenile delinquents, that they may be- 
 come useful and honorable members of society. This 
 enhances the value of the Institution so highly, that 1 
 have no language sufficiently to express its impor- 
 tance ! While therefore we cherish the hope that our 
 own Corporation will look with a benign aspect on 
 the House of Refuge: our City Delegation also will 
 make such a favorable representation of it, that our 
 State Legislature will forma sort of echo, "We 
 also will aid, and pay thee thy wages." 
 
 The Managers of this Establishment. I cannot 
 but congratulate you, Gentlemen, on the completion 
 of this new building. The smiles of heaven have thus 
 far succeeded your efforts, in favor of the young un- 
 fortunates committed to your care. The duties re- 
 quisite in every new institution, must generally be 
 known as the result of observation and experience; of 
 course you will have much to learn, as well as much 
 to perform. Begin your services in the fear of your 
 God ; duly reflect on the magnitude of the object for 
 which you are engaged; while you combine tender- 
 ness and faithfulness in all your operations; it is my 
 sincere wish, that the whole may be crowned with the 
 most abundant success. 
 
 THE CHILDREN. 
 
 Children ! I must not omit claiming your attention, 
 and soliciting you to indulge the most serious reflec- 
 tions on the privileges you now enjoy. The erection 
 of this building, together with your support, must give 
 you strong conviction, how much a benevolent public 
 are interested in your present and future welfare. 
 Had you been left alone to yourselves, in poverty, 
 idleness and sin, instead of ensuring you peace and 
 pleasure, iniquity would have proved your final ruin. 
 You are to look at the walls which surround this build- 
 ing, not so much as those of a prison, as an hospitable 
 dwelling, in which you enjoy comfort, and safety from 
 those who once led you astray. And, I may venture 
 to say, that in all probability, this is the best home 
 many of you ever enjoyed ! You have no need for me 
 to tell you, that the consideration of all these favors 
 should stimulate you to submission, industry, and grat- 
 
301 
 
 itude. You are not placed here so much for punish- 
 ment, as to produce your moral improvement. By 
 the^e indulgent means, we hope, that instead of your 
 spending your days in idleness, disgrace, and misery, 
 you may become useful to yourselves, honorable in 
 society, and share in the true happiness of your fellow 
 creatures. Although you are now young in years, 
 you must have some consciousness that the errors of 
 life, and the evils of your heart, expose you to the dis- 
 pleasure of the Almighty; that you need the tender 
 mercy of the Saviour to pardon your iniquities ; to 
 renew your depraved minds by the virtue of His grace, 
 and thus save you from the desert of your transgres- 
 sions. We hope, therefore, that while you are within 
 these walls, the Lord may command his merciful kind- 
 ness upon you, and enable you to devote yourselves 
 to his adored Name, and his most delightful service ! 
 Moses could never forget the humanity and kindness 
 of Pharaoh's daughter, in delivering him from ihe 
 danger to which he was exposed; and I would indulge 
 the charming impression, that, there is no youth in 
 this House of Refuge, but what will bear in devout re- 
 membrance the deliverance and the favors which you 
 have here received, and evince the sincerity of your 
 gratitude by the amiableness of your temper, and the 
 virtue of your future conduct. 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 The time on which we have now assembled, is usu- 
 ally called "Christmas Day." Whether this recogni- 
 zes the very day on which Jesus was born in Bethle- 
 hem, is not now my business to examine. If any man 
 prefers keeping this, or any other day to the Lord, I 
 am not disposed to interrupt him in the enjoyment of 
 his privilege. The text on which 1 have this morning 
 addressed you, combined with the narrative of Moses 
 laid among the flags on the brink of the river, remind 
 me of the Angel's address to the Shepherds in the field 
 while watching their flock by night. Fear not : for, 
 behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall 
 be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city 
 of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this 
 shall be a sign unto you ; ye shall find the babe wrapped in 
 
302 
 
 swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. Immediately the 
 Shepherds left their flocks; and they came with haste, 
 and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in the man- 
 ger.* This is that true Moses, the Prophet, which 
 the Lord our God promised to raise up, like unto him in 
 all things, whom his people shoidd hear."\ How singularly 
 striking were the circumstances which attended their 
 infancy! Yes, the babe of Bethlehem, found in a man- 
 ger, was Christ the Lord ; and, his name was called Je- 
 sus, for he was to save his people from their sins. If Mo- 
 ses that was found in the ark of bulrushes, was born 
 to deliver the Israelites from their bondage in Egypt, 
 and conduct them through the wilderness on their 
 way to Canaan : we are certain, that our blessed Sa- 
 viour was born to deliver from the more dreadful 
 bondage of sin and misery, and safely conduct his re- 
 deemed to the rest of immortality and glory. Yes, 
 Jesus was born to live, to suffer, and to die upon the 
 cross for our sins; and after he was laid in the grave, 
 he burst the bands of death, ascended up to heaven, 
 and sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high, 
 from thence to shower down the multiplicity of his 
 mercies upon mankind. And who, on this occasion, 
 but what will most devoutly pray — Lord, reserve a 
 blessing for this House of Refuge ! Amen. 
 
 The service was concluded by the children, alone, singing an 
 hymn. The recollection that those sixty-three unfortunates, had 
 just been rescued from vice, and the paths of the destroyer ; and 
 now employed in singing the praises of the Lord ; together with 
 the melody of their voices, produced a most impressive effect upon 
 the whole assembly ! 
 
 "Luke ii. 
 
 tDeut. xviii. 15. Acts rii. 37, 
 
303 
 
 Acts of the legislature of the State of N. York, 
 
 RELATING TO THE HOUSE OF REFUGE. 
 
 AN ACT to Incorporate the Society for the Reformation of Juve- 
 nile Delinquents in the City of New- York. 
 
 Passed March 29, 1824. 
 
 Whereas, by the petition of several inhabitants of the city of 
 New-York, it is represented, that they are desirous of establishing 
 a Society, and House of Refuge, for the Reformation of Juvenile 
 Delinquents in the said city, and have prayed to be incorporated ; 
 
 Therefore, Be it enacted by the people of the State of New- 
 York, represented in Senate and Assembly : that all such persons 
 as now are or hereafter shall become Subscribers to the said asso- 
 ciation pursuant to the bye-laws thereof, shall be and hereby are 
 constituted a body corporate and politic, by the name of " the 
 Managers of the Society for the Reformation of Juvenile Delin- 
 quents in the city of New-York ; and by that name they shall have 
 perpetual succession, and being in law capable of suing and being 
 sued, defending and being defended in all courts and places, and 
 in all manner of actions and causes whatsoever, and may have a 
 common seal and change the same at their pleasure, and shall be 
 capable in law by that name and style, of purchasing, holding, and 
 conveying any estate real or personal for the use of the said cor- 
 poration. Provided, that such real estate shall never exceed the 
 yearly value of ten thousand dollars, nor be applied to any other 
 purposes than those for which this incorporation is formed. 
 
 And be it further enacted, That the estate and concerns of the 
 said corporation, shall be conducted by a board of thirty Managers 
 to be elected by a plurality of ballots of the members resident in 
 the City of New-York, being Subscribers as aforesaid, and present 
 at such election yearly on the third Monday in November, at such 
 place in the said City and at such time of the day as the Board of 
 Managers may from time to time appoint, and of which public no- 
 tice shall be given, and if any vacancy shall occur by the resigna- 
 tion, removal, or otherwise, of any one of the said Board, the same 
 shall be filled for the remainder of the year by such person or per- 
 sons being subscribers as aforesaid, as the Board for the time being 
 or a major part of them shall appoint ; and until the election on 
 the third Monday in November in the year one thousand eight hun- 
 dred and twenty-five, the following persons shall compose the said 
 Board of Managers, to wit : — Cadwallader D. Colden, John Gris- 
 com, John Duer, Jonathan M. Wainwright, Isaac Collins, Thomas 
 Eddy, Ansel W. Ives, John T. Irving, John E. Hyde, Cornelius 
 Du Bois, James W. Gerard, Joseph Curtis, John Stearns, Ralph 
 Olmsted, Robert F. Mott, Stephen Allen, Henry I. WyckofF, Sam- 
 uel Cowdrey, John Targee, Arthur Burtis, Joseph Grinnell, Hugh 
 Maxwell, Henry Mead, Peter A. Jay, Gilbert Coutant, Cornelius 
 R. Duffie, and James Lovett; and it is hereby further enacted, that 
 no Manager of the said Society shall receive any compensation for 
 his services. 
 
304 
 
 And be it further enacted, That if the annual election shall not 
 take place on the stated days for that purpose, the said Corporation 
 shall not thereby be dissolved, but the Members of the said Board 
 shall co itinue in office until a new election, which shall be had at 
 such time and place and after such notice as the said Board shall 
 prescribe, and in case of an equality of votes for any one or more 
 persons as a Member or Members of the said Board of Managers, 
 the said Board shall determine which of such persons shall be con- 
 sidered as elected, and such person or persons shall take his or 
 their seats, and act accordingly. 
 
 And be it further enacted, That the said Managers shall have 
 power in their discretion to receive and take into the House of 
 Refuge, to be established by them, all such children who shall be 
 taken up or committed as vagrants, or convicted of criminal offen- 
 ces in the said City, as may in the judgment of the Court of Gene- 
 ral Sessions of the peace, or of the Court of Oyer and Terminer in 
 and for the said City, or of the Jury before whom any such offender 
 shall be tried, or the Police Magistrates, or of the Commissioners 
 of the Aims-House and Bridewell of the said City, be proper ob- 
 jects, and the said Managers shall have power to place the said 
 children committed to their care, during the minority of such chil- 
 dren, at such employments, and to cause them to be instructed in 
 such branches of useful knowledge, as shall be suitable to their 
 years and capacities ; and they shall have power in their discretion 
 to bind out the said children with their consent as apprentices or 
 servants during their minority, to such persons, and at such places, 
 to learn such proper trades and employments as in their judgment 
 will be most for the reformation and amendment, and the future 
 benefit and advantage of such children : Provided, that the charge 
 and power of the said Managers upon and over the said children, 
 shall not extend in the case of females beyond the age of eighteen 
 years. 
 
 And be it further enacted, That all and singular the clauses and 
 provisions in the act entitled an act concerning apprentices and 
 servants, relating to the covenants to be inserted in the Indentures 
 of apprentices and servants, made by the overseers of the poor, and 
 the provisions of the Sixth, Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh, Twelfth, and 
 Thirteenth Sections of the last mentioned act, shall apply to the 
 apprentices and servants, and the persons to whom they may be 
 bound, under, and by virtue of this act. 
 
 And be it further enacted, That the said Managers under this 
 act, may, from time to time, make bye-laws, ordinances, and regu- 
 lations relative to the management and disposition of the Estate 
 and Concerns of the said Corporation, and the management, gov- 
 ernment, instruction, discipline, employment, and disposition of 
 the said children, while in the said House of Refuge, or under their 
 care not contrary to law, as they may deem proper, and may ap- 
 point such officers, agents, and servants as they may deem neces- 
 sary to transact the business of the said Corporation, and may 
 designate their duties ; and further, that the said Managers shall 
 make an annual report to the Legislature, and to the Corporation 
 of the City of New- York, of the number of children received by 
 them into the said House of Refuge, the disposition which shall be 
 made of the said children by instructing or employing them in the 
 
305 
 
 said House of Refuge, or by binding them out as apprentices of 
 servants; the receipts and expenditures of the said Managers, and 
 generally all such facts and particulars as may tend to exhibit ef- 
 fects, whether advantageous or otherwise of the said Association* 
 
 And be it further enacted, That this act shall be and is hereby 
 declared a public act, and that the same shall be construed in all 
 courts and places benignly and favorably for every humane and 
 laudable purpose therein contained. 
 
 And be it further enacted, That the Legislature may at any time 
 hereafter, alter, modify, or repeal this act. 
 
 State of New- York, Secretary's Office, 
 I certify the preceding to be a true copy of an original act of the 
 Legislature of this State on file in this Office. 
 
 Archabald Campbell, 
 
 Dep. Secretary. 
 
 Albany, April 1, 1824. 
 
 AN ACT in aid of the Managers of the Society for the Reforma- 
 tion of Juvenile Delinquents in the City of New-York. 
 
 Passed April 9, 1825. 
 
 BE it enacted by the People of the State of New- York, represented 
 in Senate and Assembly, That the Treasurer shall, on the warrant 
 of the Comptroller, pay to the Treasurer or the Managers of the 
 Society for the Reformation of Juvenile Delinquents in the city of 
 New-York, out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appro- 
 priated, the sum of two thousand dollars annually, for the term of 
 five years : that the first payment of two thousand dollars shall be 
 made on the first day of May next, and the like sum on every first 
 day of May thereafter. 
 
 AN ACT to amend the act, entitled " An act to incorporate the So* 
 ciety for the Reformation of Juvenile Delinquents in the city of 
 New-York,'''' passed March 29, 1824, and for other purposes. 
 
 Passed January 28th, 1826. 
 
 BE it enacted by the People of the State of New-York, repre- 
 senied in Senate and Assembly, That the Managers of the Society- 
 mentioned in the act hereby amended, shall receive and take in the 
 House of Refuge, established by them in the City of New- York, 
 all such children as shall be convicted of criminal offences, in any 
 city or county of this state, and as may in the judgment of the 
 court before whom any such offender shall be tried, be deemed 
 proper objects ; and the powers and duties of the said Managers in 
 relation to the children which they shall receive in virtue of this 
 act, shall be the same in all things, as are prescribed and provided 
 by the act entitled, "An act to incorporate the Society for the re- 
 formation of Juvenile Delinquents in the city of New-York," 
 passed March the 29 th, 1824, in respect to children which the said 
 Managers have received, or may receive in virtue of that act. 
 
 And be it further enacted, That the commissioners mentioned in 
 the thirty-eighth section of the act entitled " An act to provide 
 
 39 
 
306 
 
 against infectious and pestilential diseases," passed March the 21st, 
 1823, shall account annually to the comptroller of the state, for all 
 monies received by them, for the use of the Marine Hospital, and 
 if the same shall, in any one year, be more than sufficient to defray 
 the expense of executing the trust committed to them, exclusive of 
 such expenses as arc to be borne and paid as part of the contingent 
 charges of the city of New-York, and including the annual com- 
 pensations granted to the said commissioners by the said act, then, 
 and in such case, the said health commissioners shall pay such sur- 
 plus over to the treasurer of the Managers of the Society for the 
 Reformation of Juvenile Delinquents in the city of New-York, for 
 the use of the said Society; and the said commissioners shall also 
 pay to the said treasurer, for the use of, and to be expended by the 
 said Society, in the erection of a House of Refuge, for female Ju- 
 venile Delinquents, so much of the balance, or surplus, now in their 
 hands, or which may be invested, pursuant to the said thirty-eighth 
 section, to meet any deficit of the receipts of the said commission- 
 ers for the purposes of the said marine hospital, or for the building 
 of such other stone or brick hospitals in the place of the present 
 wooden ones, as the person administering the government of this 
 state may from time to time think necessary, and that the said 
 thirty-eighth section, so far as the same is inconsistent with the 
 provisions of this act, and no further, be, and the same is hereby 
 repealed. 
 
 And be it further enacted, That the sheriffs of the several coun- 
 ties of this state, shall be allowed for the transportation of any Ju- 
 venile Delinquents according to the provisions of this act, the same 
 compensation as is now given by law for the transportation of con- 
 victs to the state prisons, to be audited and paid by the supervi- 
 sors of the respective counties, as part of the contingent expenses 
 of the said counties : Provided, That after notice shall be given by 
 the Managers of the said Society, that there is not room for the re- 
 ception of any further delinquents, it shall not be lawful to trans- 
 port any other delinquents, until notice shall be given that they 
 can be received. 
 
 And be it further enacted, That the legislature may at any time, 
 repeal, amend, or modify this act. 
 
 Chapter 1st, Title 7, Sections 17 and 18 of the Revised Statutes, 
 Page 701, Vol. 2. 
 
 Whenever any person under the age of sixteen years, shall be 
 convicted of any felony, the court, instead of sentencing such per- 
 son to imprisonment in a state prison, may order that he be re- 
 moved to and confined in the House of Refuge, established by the 
 Society for the Reformation of Juvenile Delinquents in the city of 
 New-York ; unless notice shall have been received from such So- 
 ciety, that there is not room in such House for the reception of 
 further delinquents. 
 
 Such convicts shall be removed by the sheriff of the county, pur- 
 suant to such order, and he shall be allowed the same compensa- 
 tion therefor as is provided by law for the transportation of con- 
 victs to the state prison, to be audited and paid as part of the con- 
 tingent expenses of the county. 
 
307 
 
 AN ACT to create a Fund in aid of the Society for the Reforma- 
 tion of Juvenile Delinquents, in the city of New-York, and for 
 other purposes. 
 
 Passed April 29, 1829. 
 
 The People of the state of New-York, represented in Senate and 
 Assembly, do enact as follows : 
 
 § 1. The commissioners of health mentioned in the eleventh and 
 twelfth sections of Title fourth of Chapter fourteenth of the first 
 part of the Revised Statutes, shall pay out of the monies received 
 by them for the use of the marine hospital, eight thousand dollars 
 annually, in quarterly payments of two thousand dollars each, com- 
 mencing on the first day of May next, to the treasurer of the soci- 
 ety for the reformation of juvenile delinquents in the city of New- 
 York for the use of said society, which sum of eight thousand dol- 
 lars, shall be part of the surplus, and not in addition thereto, 
 directed to be paid said treasurer by the above mentioned eleventh 
 section, and the said commissioners of health shall pay over annu- 
 ally to the comptroller of the state, on or before the first of April, 
 the balance that may remain of the said surplus fund, after paying 
 the eight thousand dollars as aforesaid ; and the balance of the said 
 surplus, so paid to the comptroller, shall be invested by him in 
 some secure manner at interest, and the said fund shall be kept dis- 
 tinct and separate, and shall be denominated the " Mariner's Fund." 
 
 § 2 So much of the said twelfth section of Title fourth of Chap- 
 ter fourteenth of the First Part of the Revised Statutes as applies 
 to the balance of hospital monies in the hands of the commissioners 
 of health, is declared to apply only to such balances as were in 
 their hands at the time said chapter took effect as a law; and any 
 part of said section inconsistent with this declared construction, is 
 hereby repealed. 
 
 §3. The commissioners for collecting the duty of excise in the 
 city of New-York, designated by the act entitled "An act to lay a 
 duty on strong liquors, and for regulating inns and taverns, so far 
 as relates to the city of New-York, and for other purposes," passed 
 April 10th, 1824, shall demand and receive one dollar and fifty 
 cents, in addition to the sum now required by law, upon every li- 
 cence granted by them after the passing of this act, to any tavern 
 keeper, grocer or keeper of an ordinary or victualling house or 
 public garden, in pursuance of the act above mentioned, and the 
 acts amendatory of the same, which additional sums the said com- 
 missioners shall pay over to the treasurer of the society for the 
 reformation of juvenile delinquents in the city of New-York, for 
 the use of said society. 
 
 § 4. No theatre or circus, or building for exhibiting theatrical or 
 equestrian performances in the city of New-York, shall be opened 
 for such exhibitions after the first day of May next, unless the man- 
 ager or proprietor thereof shall annually obtain from the Mayor of 
 the said city, a license therefor; which license the said Mayor is 
 authorised to grant, to continue until the first day of May ensuing 
 the grant thereof; and every manager or proprietor offending in 
 the premises, or consenting or allowing the same to be done, 
 whether there be one or more managers or proprietors of such the- 
 atre or circus, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and shall be sub_ 
 
303 
 
 ject to a fine of one hundred dollars for each day it shall be so 
 opened, or imprisonment not exceeding three months. 
 
 § 5. Upon granting every license authorised by the preceding 
 section, the mayor shall receive from the person to whom the same 
 shall be granted, the sum of five hundred dollars for each theatre, 
 and the sum of two hundred and fifty dollars for each circus : which 
 sums when so received, shall be paid over to the treasurer of the 
 society for the reformation of juvenile delinquents in the city of 
 New-York, for the use of said society. 
 
 § 6. The said commissioners of health shall render to the 
 comptroller annually, a minute and detailed account of all monies 
 denominated " Hospital monies," which shall be received, and also 
 of all such monies disbursed by them or either of them, for the 
 marine hospital; for the expenses of their trust, so far as the same 
 are payable out of this fund for their own salaries, and the com- 
 mission allowed by law to the health commissioner for collection, 
 and also of the surplus, if any, of such monies paid over to the 
 treasurer of the society for the reformation of juvenile delinquents 
 in the city of New-York. 
 
 § 7. The comptroller is hereby authorised to allow to the health 
 commissioner for the collection of " Hospital Money" from coast- 
 ing vessels, a commission at his discretion, of not less than two 
 and a half, nor exceeding ten per cent., which allowance he is au- 
 thorised to make, as well upon the collections made from such ves- 
 sels during the past year, as upon those hereafter to be made. 
 
 AN ACT concerning' convicts under the age of seventeen years, 
 and other purposes. 
 
 Passed April 16, 1830. 
 
 The People of the State of New -York, represented in Senate and 
 Assembly, do enact as follows : 
 
 § 1. The person administering the government of this state, is 
 hereby empowered to direct the agent of either of the state prisons 
 of this state, whenever the inspectors thereof shall recommend the 
 same, to convey any convicts who shall be under the age of seven- 
 teen years, to the house of refuge in the city of New-York; and 
 they shall there be confined according to the rules and regulations 
 of said house of refuge : The expenses of such removal shall be 
 the same as allowed to sheriffs for like services, and a charge upon 
 cuch prison, as part of its ordinary expenses to be certified by the 
 inspectors. 
 
 AN ACT to am,end 11 An act to create a fund in aid of the Society 
 for the Reformation of Juvenile Delinquents in the city of New- 
 York, and for other purposes ," passed April 29, 1829. 
 
 Passed April 21, 1831. 
 
 The People of the State of New-York, represented in Senate and 
 Assembly, do enact as follows : 
 
 § 1. There shall be paid annually by the treasurer of the city of 
 New-York, on the first Monday of July, to the treasurer of the So- 
 ciety for the Reformation of Juvenile Delinquents, in the city of 
 
309 
 
 New-York, the sum of four thousand dollars, for the use of said 
 society, out of the moneys appropriated for the support and main- 
 tenance of the poor of the said city, by the act, entitled " An act to 
 amend an act, entitled "An act to lay a duty on strong liquors, 
 and for regulating inns and taverns, so far as it relates to the city 
 of New-York, and for other purposes," passed April 10th, 1824. 
 
 § 2. The third section of the act, entitled " An act to create a 
 fund in aid of the Society for the Reformation of Juvenile Delin- 
 quents in the city of New-York, and for other purposes, passed 
 April 29, 1829, and which directs the commissioners for collecting 
 the duty of excise in the city of New-York, to demand and receive 
 one dollar and fifty cents in addition to the sum then required by 
 law for a license to any tavern keeper, grocer, or keeper of an or- 
 dinary or victualling house, or public garden, shall be, and the 
 6ame is hereby repealed. 
 
 PART OF AN ACT passed April 22, 1331. 
 
 The People of the State of New-York, represented in Senate and 
 Assembly, do enact as follows : 
 
 § 13. The eight thousand dollars appropriated by the act entitled 
 " An act to create a fund in aid of the Society for the Reformation 
 of Juvenile Delinquents in the city of New-York, and for other 
 purposes," passed April 29, 1829, shall continue to be paid to said 
 society in the manner and at the time therein specified, out of the 
 moneys collected from passengers by the provisions of Title four, 
 Chapter fourteenth, Part first of the Revised Statutes : but if the 
 amount collected from passengers should be insufficient (after pay- 
 ing all the expense of the quarantine establishment at Staten 
 Island,) to meet the eight thousand dollars now appropriated from 
 the "Hospital Funds" for the support of the Society for the 
 Reformation of Juvenile Delinquents in the city of New- York, 
 then the balance to make up said eight thousand dollars shall be 
 appropriated annually from the state treasury. 
 
Ztist of Liife Subscribers and Donors 
 
 TO THE 
 
 NOT PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED. 
 
 B. Auchincloss, & Co. $10 
 Charles Anthon, - 20 
 Heman Averill, - 50 
 Benjamin Bailey, - 20 
 Simeon Benjamin, - 6 
 Win. Blakcley, - - 6 
 Silas Brown, - 5 
 John M. Bruce, - 6 
 J. Boyd, jun. - 5 
 H. Beekman, - 5 
 Wra. Banks, - 5 
 D. I. Boyd, - - 5 
 R. S. Brown, - - 6 
 J. Benedict, - - 10 
 James Brown, - 50 
 James Brewster, - 50 
 John Bolton, - - 10 
 
 C. Beers, - - 15 
 Wm. & T. C. Chardovoyne, 6 
 Joseph Corlies, - 6 
 John Crumby, - 20 
 Thos. G. Cary, - - 5 
 Benjamin Corlies, - 5 
 
 D. M'Coimick, - - 10 
 Nathaniel Coggeswell, 5 
 
 F. Depeyster, - 50 
 J. S. Dolan, - - 6 
 James W. Dominick, * 10 
 John A. Davenport, - 6 
 
 E. Dayton, - - 6 
 Ogden Edwards, - 10 
 James Fellows, - 10 
 Ferris Finch, - G 
 
 D. A. Frost, - - 6 
 Chas. Pregure & Frassire, 5 
 
 E. T. Franklin, - - 5 
 
 G. Froute, - - 5 
 Henry Grinnell, - 6 
 Fred k. Gebhard, - 10 
 John Greenfield, - 5 
 
 F. G. 59 Wall-st. - 50 
 
 Geo. Griswold, 50 
 
 J. W. Gerard, - - 10 
 Geo. Gardiner, (on account of 
 
 life subscription,) SO 
 
 George Griffin, - 50 
 
 J. Houseman, - 10 
 
 John Hunter, - 9 
 
 Hugh Holmes, - 6 
 
 Willet Hicks, - - 15 
 
 H. Hinsdale, - 6 
 
 J. S. Hyer, - - 5 
 
 O. Holmes, - 5 
 
 J. K. Hamilton, - 5 
 
 Jeromus Johnson, - 50 
 
 W. S. Johnson, - 6 
 
 H. P, Jones, - - 6 
 
 Jackson & McJimsey, 5 
 
 John D. Keese, - 6 
 
 J. & W. Kelly, - 6 
 
 J. D. King, - - 6 
 
 R. Lockwood, - 6 
 
 C.W.Lawrence, - 10 
 
 E. W. Laight, - - 6 
 
 Henry Laverty, - 10 
 
 Allen C. Lee, - - 10 
 
 James W. Lent, - 10 
 
 Thomas F. Livingston, 9 
 
 P. Lorillard, - - 20 
 
 Valentine Mott, - - 20 
 
 Morland Mecholl, - 6 
 
 B. P, Melick, - - 6 
 
 Robert I. Murray, - 10 
 
 Thos. W. Moore, - 9 
 
 Wm. W. Mott, - - 5 
 
 Petersen and Mensch, - 5 
 
 Samuel Marsh, - 6 
 
 H. Maxwell, - - 12 
 
 David Marsh, jun. - 20 
 
 N. Norris, - 6 
 
311 
 
 C. Oakley, 
 Wm. Prior, 
 
 F. Place, 
 J. Post, 
 
 G. C. Peterson, - 
 
 E. Prince, 
 
 P. 169 Front-st., 
 R. L. P., 101 Front-st., 
 Henry Rogers, - 
 Bailey & Remsen, 
 P. H. Rhinelander, 
 R. Ray, 
 
 A. C. Rossire, 
 N. Richards, 
 Rev. — Robinson, 
 Peter Sharpe, 
 
 B. Sterrill & Co. 
 Benjamin Strong, 
 Mrs. G. Smith, - 
 Wm. Stevens, 
 Fred'k Sheldon, - 
 
 H. H. Scheiffelin 
 W. Stewart, 
 
 F. S. & P. Schlesinger, 
 Thos. L. Servoss, 
 Ruel Smith, 
 
 S. P. Staples, - 
 
 5 
 
 A. Seton, - 
 
 6 
 
 10 
 
 G. P. Shipman, - 
 
 6 
 
 6 
 
 C. Swan, - 
 
 10 
 
 JO 
 
 T.R.Smith, 
 
 20 
 
 10 
 
 Seabury Tredwell, 
 Gecrrge Tredwell, 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 5 
 
 50 
 
 Wm. Thomson, 
 
 6 
 
 10 
 
 W r m. W. Todd, 
 
 6 
 
 10 
 
 A. Tredwell, 
 
 5 
 
 5 
 
 E. Townsend, 
 
 5 
 
 5 
 
 S. A. Talcot, 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 Martin E. Thompson, - 
 
 50 
 
 6 
 
 Joshua S. Underhill, - 
 
 6 
 
 10 
 
 H. Vanwagenen, 
 
 6 
 
 10 
 
 W. Vandewater, 
 
 6 
 
 50 
 
 Wm. Waring, 
 
 6 
 
 5 
 
 Wm. Wright, - 
 
 10 
 
 10 
 
 Elizabeth Walsh, 
 
 7 
 
 10 
 
 Henry S. WyckofF, 
 
 10 
 
 6 
 
 Salem Wines, 
 
 6 
 
 10 
 
 John Wheelwright, 
 
 5 
 
 5 
 
 C. P. White, 
 
 5 
 
 5 
 
 Stephen Whitney, 
 
 50 
 
 50 
 
 Mead Wheeler, - 
 
 6 
 
 5 
 
 E. White, 
 
 5 
 
 10 
 
 R. D. Weeks, - 
 
 20 
 
 6 
 
 John Ward, jun. 
 
 10 
 
 THE END.