; and
so it will be seen now that the bow has been superseded by the rifle,
when our young lads of public spirit respond to Tennyson's patriotic
appeal, "Form, Riflemen, form!"

CHAPTER XVII.
CRIMINAL LONDON.

A _brochure_ of fifty pages, full of figures and tables, just issued,
contains the criminal statistics of the metropolis, as shown by the
police returns. It is not very pleasant reading, in any sense, but it no
doubt has its value. We learn from it that last year the police took
into custody 64,281 persons, of whom 29,863 were discharged by the
magistrates, 31,565 summarily disposed of, and 2,853 committed for trial;
of the latter number 2,312 were convicted, the rest being either
acquitted or not prosecuted, or in their cases true bills were not found.
About twenty years ago, in 1839, the number taken into custody rather
exceeded that of last year, being 65,965; although since that period 135
parishes, hamlets, and liberties, with, in 1850, a population of 267,267,
have been added to the metropolitan district, and although the entire
population must have greatly increased in the interval. These returns
exhibits strange variations in the activity of the police; while last
year the apprehensions were, as stated, 64,281, in 1857 they amounted to
as much as 79,364. The difference is 15,000, and of that number in
excess, not one-half were convicted, either summarily or after trial, the
rest forming an excess in the whole of those discharged by the
magistrates. It is a striking fact that nearly half the number of all
whom the police take into custody are discharged, so that the
discrimination of the police is far from being on a par with its
activity.

Criminal London spends some considerable part of its time at Newgate,
Clerkenwell, Wandsworth, Hollowway, and other establishments well-known
to fame, and descriptions of which are familiar to the reader, but a
favourite resort, also, is Portland Goal, which, by the kindness of
Captain Clay, we were permitted, recently, to inspect. Portland Goal is
situated on a neck of land near Weymouth.

To reach it, the better way is to take a passage in one of the numerous
steamers which ply between Weymouth and Portland. In half an hour you
will find yourself at the bottom of the chalk hill on which the prison is
built. If you are sound in limb, and not deficient in wind, in another
half hour you will find yourself at the principal entrance of the goal.
But to