By far the greatest number of the vagrants are men between the ages of 20 and 40, the average age being about 34. There is a small proportion of men above 40, and about an equal number of youths under 20—mostly runaway apprentices. About a fourth or a fifth are women, who are generally traveling with male vagrants; but the life seems to be too hard for women. The men often pretend to be going about in search of work, but seldom or never do work; and the majority of the vagrants are of the class who, from mental constitution, would almost die rather than work. They are, besides, it must be added, persons whom decent laborers would not allow to be associated with them. Many of them have been brought up in work-houses; others are deserters from the array, or discharged soldiers of bad character; not a few are dissipated broken-down workmen, who, while tramping about in search of work, have acquired the tramp's bad habits and love of idleness. Many of them have been brought up to crime, but want the skill and daring necessary to success in their profession. They often make some pretense of occupation, under cover of which they approach houses to beg, or steal, or bully unprotected women. They are venders of steel pens, paper, laces; tinkers, china menders, umbreller-repairers, ballad-singers. They are much given to small thefts; most of them are believed to be capable of any crime ; but in fact they attempt few serious crimes. They are poor timid creatures, and feel that society with its police is too strong for them. They never unite together to commit crimes; but occasionally 20 or 30 of them, operating in twos and threes, work a district in concert. There is a free masonry among them; and any new rule adopted at a work-house becomes known in two or three days over a wide district. They are usually known by slang names; their
language is horribly blasphemous and obscene; and neither men nor women have the smallest regard for decency, or any conception of sexual restraints. They give a great deal of trouble at the work-houses—swearing at and threatening the officials, occasionally stabbing them, refusing to do the allotted work, and not !infrequently tearing up their clothes, in the hope that the officials, out of regard to decency, will supply them with others. The officials can only threaten them with the magistrate and the jail; but some times—and it is lien they are most insolent and troublesome—they have a desire for rest and regular feeding, and are not unwilling; to go to jail. It is hard to understand what arc the enjoyments of their wandering and shifty life. Apparently, the freedom of it and the immunity from work are' its chief attractions. They have been well described as wandering about " ready for any crime, hut not planning crimes, quite ready to rob, but very much afraid of large dogs, very courageous against unprotected women, but skulkers when a broad-shouldered laborer turns his eyes their way, with no purpose except wandering, no restraint except hunger, no hope except of getting drunk upon some lucky haul, nomads hi the midst of civilization, simple savages without savage resources." The revival of the regulations prescribed by Mr. Buller, and the steaCly enforcement of the vagrancy laws—which should also he made more severe—are the measures most likely to put down vagrancy. There is no offense against society for which penal servitude would be a more appropriate penalty.