Having collected the foregoing instances of juvenile delinquency, and presented them to the public, I cannot refrain from adducing a few other cases which came under my own observation.

Whilst conducting the Spitalfields’ Infant School, several instances of dishonesty in the children occurred.  On one occasion the mother herself came to complain of a little boy, not more than four years old, on the following grounds.  She stated, that being obliged to be out at work all day, as well as her husband, she was under the necessity of leaving the children by themselves.  She had three besides the little boy of whom she was complaining.  Having to pay her rent, she put eighteen-pence for that purpose in a cup at the top of a cupboard.  On stepping home to give the children their dinners, she found the boy at the cupboard, mounted on a chair, which again was placed on the top of a table.  On looking for the money, she found four-pence already gone; one penny of this she found in his pocket, the rest he had divided amongst the other children, that they might not tell of him.  After this relation I kept a strict watch on the child, and three or four days afterwards the children detected him opening my desk, and taking half-pence out of it.  They informed me of this, and while they were bringing him up to me the half-pence dropped out of his hand.  I detected him in many other very bad actions, but have reason to hope, that, by suitable discipline and instruction, he was effectually cured of his sad propensities.

About the same time, I observed two little children very near the school-house in close conversation, and from their frequently looking at a fruit-stall that was near, I felt inclined to watch them; having previously heard from some of the pupils, that they had frequently seen children in the neighbourhood steal oysters and other things.  I accordingly placed myself in a convenient situation, and had not long to wait, for the moment they saw there was no one passing, they went up to the stall, the eldest walking alongside the other, apparently to prevent his being seen, whilst the little one snatched an orange, and conveyed it under his pinafore, with all the dexterity of an experienced thief.  The youngest of these children was not four years old, and the eldest, apparently, not above five.  There was reason to believe this was not the first time they had been guilty of stealing, though, perhaps, unknown to their parents, as I have found to be the case in other instances.

Another little boy in the school, whose mother kept a little shop, frequently brought money with him,—­as much as three-pence at a time.  On questioning the child how he came by it, he always said that his mother gave it to him, and I thought there was no reason to doubt his word, for there was something so prepossessing in his appearance, that, at the time, I could not doubt the truth of his story.  But finding that the child spent a great deal of money in fruit, cakes,