The Pauper Population.—Pauper Children.—Opinions concerning their proper Treatment.—A Hundred Thousand Children loose in London Streets.—Neglected Babies.—Juvenile “Market Prowlers”

page 1

Who are the Mothers?—The Infant Labour-Market.—Watch London and Blackfriars Bridges.—The Melancholy Types.—The Flashy, Flaunting “Infant.”—Keeping Company.—Marriage.—The Upshot

p. 13

“Baby-Farmers” and Advertising “Child-Adopters.”—“F. X.” of Stepney.—The Author’s Interview with Farmer Oxleek.—The Case of Baby Frederick Wood

p. 29

The London Errand-Boy.—His Drudgery and Privations.—His Temptations.—The London Boy after Dark.—The Amusements provided for him

p. 58

Curious Problem.—The best Method of Treatment.—The “Child of the Gutter” not to be entirely abolished.—The genuine Alley-bred Arab.—The Poor Lambs of the Ragged Flock.—The Tree of Evil in our midst.—The Breeding Places of Disease and Vice

p. 76

Twenty Thousand Thieves in London.—What it means.—The Language of “Weeds.”—Cleverness of the Pilfering Fraternity.—A Protest against a barbarous Suggestion.—The Prisoner’s great Difficulty.—The Moment of Leaving Prison.—Bad Friends.—What becomes of Good Resolutions and the Chaplain’s Counsel?—The Criminal’s Scepticism of Human Goodness.—Life in “Little Hell.”—The Cow-Cross Mission.

p. 85

The Three Classes of Thieving Society.—Popular Misapprehensions.—A True Picture of the London Thief.—A Fancy Sketch of the “Under-ground Cellar.”—In Disguise at a Thieves’ Raffle.—The Puzzle of “Black Maria.”—Mr. Mullins’s Speech and his Song

p. 108

The Beginning of the Downhill Journey.—Candidates for Newgate Honours.—Black Spots of London.—Life from the Young Robber’s Point of View.—The Seedling Recruits the most difficult to reform.—A doleful Summing-up.—A Phase of the Criminal Question left unnoticed.—Budding Burglars.—Streams which keep at full flood the Black Sea of Crime.—The Promoters of “Gallows Literature.”—Another Shot at a Fortress of the Devil.—“Poison-Literature.”—“Starlight Sall.”—“Panther Bill”

p. 124

The Registered and the Unregistered Thieves of the London Hunting-ground.—The Certainty of the Crop of Vice.—Omnibus Drivers and Conductors.—The “Watchers.”—The London General Omnibus Company.—The Scandal of their System.—The Shopkeeper Thief.—False Weights and Measures.—Adulteration of Food and Drink.—Our Old Law, “I am as honest as I can afford to be!”—Rudimentary Exercises in the Art of Pillage

p. 144

Lord Romilly’s Suggestion concerning the Education of the Children of Criminals.—Desperate Criminals.—The Alleys of the Borough.—The worst Quarters not, as a rule, the most noisy.—The Evil Example of “Gallows Heroes,” “Dick Turpin,” “Blueskin,” &c.—The Talent for “Gammoning Lady Green.”—A worthy Governor’s Opinion as to the best way of “Breaking” a Bad Boy.—Affection for “Mother.”—The Dark Cell and its Inmate.—An Affecting Interview

p. 173

Recent Legislation.—Statistics.—Lord Kimberley’s “Habitual Criminals” Bill.—The Present System of License-Holders.—Colonel Henderson’s Report.—Social Enemies of Suspected Men.—The Wrong-headed Policeman and the Mischief he may cause.—Looking out for a Chance.—The last Resource of desperate Honesty.—A Brotherly Appeal.—“Ginger will settle her.”—Ruffians who should be shut up

p. 183

“Only a Beggar.”—The Fraternity 333 Years ago.—A savage Law.—Origin of the Poor-Laws.—Irish Distinction in the Ranks of Beggary.—King Charles’s Proclamation.—Cumberland Discipline

p. 211

The Effect of “The Society for the Suppression of Mendicity.”—State Business earned out by Individual Enterprise.—“The Discharged Prisoners’ Aid Society.”—The quiet Work of these Societies.—Their Mode of Work.—Curious Statistics.—Singular Oscillations.—Diabolical Swindling

p. 221

The Variety and Quality of the Imposture.—Superior Accomplishments of the Modern Practitioner.—The Recipe for Success.—The Power of “Cheek.”—“Chanting” and the “Shallow Lay.”—Estimates of their Paying Value.—The Art of touching Women’s Hearts.—The Half-resentful Trick.—The Loudon “Cadger.”—The Height of the “Famine Season.”

p. 242

The Newspaper Plan and the delicate Process.—Forms of Petition.—Novel Applications of Photography.—Personal Attractions of the Distressed.—Help, or I perish!

259

The Difficulty in handling it.—The Question of its Recognition.—The Argyll Rooms.—Mr. Acton’s Visit there.—The Women and their Patrons.—The Floating Population of Windmill-street.—Cremorne Gardens in the Season

p. 271

Statistics of Westminster, Brompton, and Pimlico.—Methods of conducting the nefarious Business.—Aristocratic Dens.—The High Tariff.—The Horrors of the Social Evil.—The Broken Bridge behind the Sinner.—“Dress Lodgers.”—There’s always a “Watcher.”—Soldiers and Sailors.—The “Wrens of the Curragh”

p. 281

The Laws applying to Street-walkers.—The Keepers of the Haymarket Night-houses.—Present Position of the Police-magistrates.—Music-hall Frequenters.—Refreshment-bars.—Midnight Profligacy—“Snuggeries.”—Over-zealous Blockheads.

p. 304

Ignoring the Evil.—Punishment fit for the “Deserter” and the Seducer.—The “Know-nothing” and “Do-nothing” Principle.—The Emigration of Women of Bad Character

p. 324

The crowning Curse.—No form of sin or sorrow in which it does not play a part.—The “Slippery Stone” of Life.—Statistics.—Matters not growing worse.—The Army Returns.—The System of Adulteration

p. 332

The Permissive Liquors Bill.—Its Advocates and their Arguments.—The Drunkenness of the Nation.—Temperance Facts and Anecdotes.—Why the Advocates of Total Abstinence do not make more headway.—Moderate Drinking.—Hard Drinking.—The Mistake about childish Petitioners

p. 351

The Vice of Gambling on the increase among the Working-classes.—Sporting “Specs.”—A “Modus.”—Turf Discoveries.—Welshers.—The Vermin of the Betting-field.—Their Tactics.—The Road to Ruin

p. 377

Parochial Statistics.—The Public hold the Purse-strings.—Cannot the Agencies actually at work be made to yield greater Results?—The need of fair Rating.—The Heart and Core of the Poor-law Difficulty.—My foremost thought when I was a “Casual.”—Who are most liable to slip?—“Crank-work.”—The Utility of Labour-yards.—Scales of Relief.—What comes of breaking-up a Home

p. 421

Emigration.—The various Fields.—Distinguish the Industrious Worker in need of temporary Relief.—Last Words

p. 455