Magdalenism : an inquiry into the extent, causes, and consequences of prostitution in Edinburgh / by William Tait.

  • Tait, William.
Date:
1840
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Magdalenism : an inquiry into the extent, causes, and consequences of prostitution in Edinburgh / by William Tait. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

    24/292 (page 4)
    grounded his ^pinioii )on a vague report, which has been in the mouths of many, (that Edinburgh lias more prostitutes in pro- portion to its population than either London or ParisVwhich will be shown by and by to be (without foundation) as Ediiiljurgh is in point of number far beneath both these citTes. The latter founded his opinion on what he had witnessed on the streets of the town, and calculated that more than two-thirds were to be i, seen there every good ^ night tbetwccn the hours of eight and f eleven o'clock^) It is not necessary to show the fallacy of this mode of reasoning, as it i^elf-evident that the number seen at a time is no certain indication of the number that actually exists^, ^Captain Stewart of the Police Establishment) who is the bes^' authority on all subjects relating to blackguards of every descrip- tion, confessed that he could give no opinion on this subject. One individual only out of twenty who were applied to, has been able to give an opinion near to the truth-—niz;' the Treasurer of the Magdalene Asylum p and ylic has, estimated them at about , 800. - .This, it will be' immediately shown, is very nearly the number of those jwho: depend solely, on the (wages of prostitution for a livelihood.; X>C^ The method which has been adopted in the present inquiry was to ascertain, first, the^' number of brothels, that were in the /cityj and then the(jiuraber of girls) that Avere, kept in each. ^ Be- sides these^ there are^.auy, in private lodgings^iand( living with friends,, who frequent houses of assignation.\; The names of most of this latter class have been procured, and consequently their number ascertained. ^The number of houses of bad fame, ^includ- ing i houses of assignation,^ licensed taverns, l and , eating-houses, 'where improper conduct is tolerated,;.'aniounts to about two hun- • dred. The average number of girls who board and lodge in these houses, independent of those who occasionally sleep there, or visit them with ib.e\r^cowlies,*fis about three to each,)[inaking the num- * The word coidy is a cant term, used by prostitutes to denote a lover of a particu- lar description,^ It is never applied to their s/Joow^ br/ti/icy man, but_to_!jl_ojhcrs who pay'flicir addresses to thciniti It is probable the term is derived from the substantive coivi, signifying a monks hood; and the •'expression is applicable to the lovers of tlii'sc girls, from the circunistance of manv of tlicm visiting their lodgings in disgiiiso. j