ABSTRACT
It is thought desirable that this volume should include some notes on the moral and social condition of Birmingham. Space, however, requires that the subjects treated of should be few, and the treatment brief. Assigning the first place to the crime of the town, I proceed at once to show the number and character of the offences committed. Those who desire fuller information may consult the official returns, published annually by the Home Office, under the title of “Judicial Statistics.” For the year ending September, 1865 (the latest date to which the returns are made up), the number of the criminal class is estimated by the police at a total of 3,068—rather less than in the previous year. The total is divided as follows:—Males under 16 years of age, 291; above 16 years, 1,573. Females under 16 years, 164; above 16 years, 1,040. The division into classes is as follows :—Known thieves, 912; receivers of stolen goods, 129; prostitutes, 376; suspected persons, 591; tramps and vagrants, 1,060.
