select party, is what few can attain to. Wan
decayed faces, sickly with over drink and
over smoke, attest what suffering is undergone
in this pursuit. To be able to take a
friend past one of the glorious giants in
scarlet and blue and receive a gracious
nod, that is another goal. A word from
a singer, is quite a crown, for it betokens
freedom of the stage. Such is the picture
of this "well-conducted place of amusement,"
which is praised in the leading
journal, which is open every night, which
has firm root in this great metropolis, and
which has been so successful, that by and
by, we shall have copies multiplied all over
the city. Yet for all its admirable conducting,
a more deadly or pernicious school
of vice cannot be imagined.

There are certain immoral windmills
which it would be sheer folly to fight with,
and which it would be impossible to
control; but it is not too much to say
that the Royal Pandemonium Palace,
Foreigneering-square, has worked the ruin of
thousands of foolish boys; has shown them
a smooth and expeditious road to destruction,
and is doing its work steadily every
night, and adding to the many problems
by which London is embarrassed. The
whole system, in every detail, is conducted
on the most demoralising principles. The
squandering of money invited at every turn;
the bravos dressed up in stage uniform,
and who are merely the hired bullies of the
place; the affectation of strict decency and
order, the very magnificence, are all so
many disguises, and add to the fatal character
of the show. The Royal Pandemonium
Palace is, indeed, no more than a vast
public-house, "admirably conducted;" but
really no more in principle than the humble
ale-house, where the fiddler or Ethiopian
is introduced to play for the company.

But mark the precious inconsistency of
our police and magisterial regulations. If
it was known that to such a place Moll
Flanders and her companions resorted to
meet old friends and make new ones, the
licence would be lost for ever. Some of
the Haymarket refreshment houses which
Moll is fond of patronising, are pursued
with merciless rigour, and the owners
properly dragged to the magistrate and
fined. But with the Royal Pandemonium
it is a different story. It is so well conducted
that not a dozen or so, but hundreds
of Moll Flanderses are invited to assemble,
and assemble with exceeding profit
to themselves. The police would not for
the world bring the excellent proprietor
before the magistrate; for he is unwearied
in co-operating with them. Punctually at
twelve the house is cleared, it is not kept
open a second beyond the time. The gaudy
bullies hustle every one out. When the
dancing licence is renewed each year, the
inspector has not a fault to find with this
well-conducted house. To it, unless something
be done, and done speedily, we shall
owe the public recognition of vast undesirable
French habits and morals; and it is
to the shame of legislation, that such an
institution should te protected by the law,
which affects to reprove its principle. At
this moment, under ordinary magistrates'
law, this plague-spot, which is training up
so many dozen per night of George Barnwells
and Brummagem Lovelaces, might
be stamped out. There is a law against
the business or pastime that goes on, and
even against the "harbouring" or assembling
of certain special classes of the community.
In other cases this is strictly, and even
harshly enforced. But these parties do not
keep vast cathedrals blazing with lights
and colour, they have not capital, nor do
they give large employment, nor do they
keep hired bullies—and above all they
have not influential patrons, of wealth and
rank. A few intelligent policemen, well
acquainted with London faces and London
figures, would see enough in ten minutes
to justify a summons, and a heavy fine;
which, repeated persistently, would soon
reduce the attractions of the place to good
music, fine dancing, exquisite scenery, and
of course shut up the place. How the
intelligent Frenchman will smile and shrug,
when he learns that my Lord Chamberlain
cannot lay his finger on places like this—that
really require his supervision. Royal Pandemonium
Palace, indeed. It is a scandal that
anything "Royal" should prefix what is
merely a factory, busy every night in working
up material for bankruptcy, divorce,
and police courts, for the hospital, for the
grave, and certainly not for heaven.

HERRINGTOWN-BY-THE-SEA.

IF you like your sea-side place "au gratin,"
if you enjoy walking all day on fried bread-
crumbs, Herringtown is exactly the sort of
place for you; for the small gravel, of which
its sea-side terraces are composed, is for
all the world like those breadcrumbs on which
roasted larks usually recline, and is as aggravating
to the mind as it is distressing to the
feet.

Fishermen, riding-masters, small men with