Wishing to be satisfied on the point, I have walked round many of the squares in town, and in more than a solitary experiment, have found that _not one gate in ten_ had any brass-work over the key-hole; it had moreover been evidently wrenched off,--a small piece of the brass still remaining on many of the gates.

Having practised this branch of the profession a considerable time, and become adepts in its execution, the next step, I have been informed, is to steal the handles and brass knockers from doors, which is done by taking out the screw with a small screw-driver: these are disposed of in the same manner as the former things, till the young pilferers are progressively qualified for stealing brass weights, &c., and at length, become expert thieves.
The following fact will shew what extensive depredations young children are capable of committing.

I have inserted the whole as it appeared in the public papers:--"_Union Hall_; _Shop Lifting_ .-- Yesterday, two little girls, sisters, very neatly dressed, _one nine_, and the _other seven, years of age_, were put to the bar, charged by Mr.Cornell, linen-draper, of High Street, Newington; with having stolen a piece of printed calico, from the corner of his shop.
"Mr.Cornell stated, that the children came to his shop, yesterday morning; and while he was engaged with his customers at the further end of the shop, he happened to cast his eyes where the prisoners were, and observed the oldest roll up a large piece of printed calico, and put it into a basket, which her little sister carried: the witness immediately advanced to her, and asked if she had taken any thing from off the counter; but she positively asserted that she had not.
However, on searching her basket, the calico was found; together with a piece of muslin, which Mr.Cornell identified as belonging to him, and to have been taken in the above way.

Mr.Allen questioned the eldest girl about the robbery, but she positively denied any knowledge as to how, or in what manner, the calico and muslin had got into her basket, frequently appealing to her little sister to confirm the truth of what she declared.

When asked if she had ever been charged with any offence, she replied, 'O yes, sir, some time back I was accused of stealing a watch from a house, but I did not do it.' The magistrate observed, that the father should be made acquainted with the circumstance, and, in the mean time, gave the gaoler instructions that the two little delinquents should be taken care of.
"Hall, the officer, stated that he had information that there was a quantity of goods, which had been stolen by the prisoners, concealed in a certain desk in the house of the father; and that a great deal of stolen property would, in all probability, be found there, if a search warrant were granted, as the two unfortunate children were believed to be most extensive depredators.
"Mr.Allen immediately granted the warrant; and Hall, accompanied by Mr.Cornell, proceeded to the residence of the father of the children, who is an auctioneer and appraiser, at 12, Lyon Street, Newington.
"Hall returned in half an hour with the father in his custody, and produced a great quantity of black silk handkerchiefs, which he had found on the premises; but the desk, which had been spoken of by his informers as containing stolen property, he had found quite empty.
The father, when questioned by the witness as to whether he had any duplicates of property in his possession, positively denied that fact.
At the office he was searched, and about fifty duplicates were found in his pockets, most of which were for silk handkerchiefs and shawls.
There were also a few rings, for the possession of which the prisoner could not satisfactorily account.