LETTER XXXVII. ON PRISONS. Sambrook Court, Feb. 3. EV VERY reader who has perufed the preceding Prifon Hiftories mult have noticed the difgraceful ftate of many of the Poor, or Parish Workhoufes, and mufi have anticipated the neceflity of a thorough reform in them, as well as in the general fyllem of the Poor Laws; without which the induftry and wealth of the country muft ultimately be confumed in the fupport of idlenes and profligacy. The indufirious, or labouring poor, are a bleffing to every country they inhabit; and the more numerous they are, in proportion to the other individuals of the community, the more will the wealth and comforts of the people abound; for every labourer, whether he exercise his industry by fea or by * "Prevent the beginning or growing evil."I have not thought it requifite to make any remarks on the prifons of Southwell and Birmingham; the reader must contemplate their miferable ftate with pain, and the conduct of Neild in exploring them, with a view to their improvement, with admiration and gratitude. GENT. MAG. February, 1807. land, who earns more than the expences requifite to fupport him, adds wealth in the ratio of this furplus; the labouring poor, therefore, chiefly conftitute the wealth of the country in which their induftry is exercifed...? In this Metropolis, to which I fhall principally confine my remarks, three hundred thousand of this clafs of la bourers daily rife from their beds with out any furplus fupport, who, with induftry and health, are enabled to enjoy many comforts of life. As they are, however, expofed to the incle mency of weather, and to other inconveniences, one in every three is annu ally afflicted with illness, or one hun's dred thoufund in the total. In Lon don there are fifteen hofpitals and as many difpenfaries, each clafs of which charities relieves fifty thoufand fick poor annually, and thus the fuccour is adequate to the mifery; or is rendered for by the liberality of neighbours poffeffing a furplus. But if from extreme indigence and want of timely affiltst ance, or from idlenefs, or from whatever caufe the poor may be induced to enter into a Poor, or Parish Workhouse, energy, and the fpirit of indul try, are extinguished, the morals are corrupted, and idleness and depravity' are generated. Inftead of being a bleffing to the country, they become the contrary; and to fupport them int thefe miferable habits there is a heavy tax on indufiry. About twenty years ago the poor rates of this kingdom might amount to half a million fierling annually; they now amount to nearly five millions; which enormous tax on industry, isc chiefly expended in fupporting idleness and depravity. This rapid increafe of the poor-rates is truly alarming; and if it continue in the fame progrellion, it will be about ten millions fierling per annum, in the fpace of twenty years only; which muft eventually abforb the whole furplus of wealth produced by the labour of the whole nation! Confiderations of this nature have,! probably, occurred to many diftinguifhed members of the community. Eden, Rofe, and others, have turned their attention to this alarming fiate of the poor-rates, but in vain. Whitbread, for fome years paft, has exercifed his diftinguished talents on the fame fubject, but without being able to leffen the the evil. Pitt, the late premier, for two years likewife employed his efforts to fathom and leffen them, but they eluded his grafp; and, in the midft of other important objects, he relinquished this most important one as too complicated and Herculean for even his gigantic powers to remedy. And the plan of Malthus, of monachifm and munnery of the poor, is fo little connected with the nature of the human paffions and propenfities, as to render it either impracticable, or fubverfive of morals. The length of this Effay induces me to poftpone any farther remarks on thefe fubjects, after premiling that the firft ftep towards effecting a diminution of the poor-rates, and the promotion of morality with the poor, is the demolition of Poor, or Parish Workhoufes; or the appropriation of them to any other purpofes than thofe of the prefent impolitic and ruinous fyftem. In a future Effay the fubject will be farther confidered by J. C. LETTSOM. County Bridewell, SOUTHWELL, Notts Gaoler, William Adams, faláry 1101. Fees abolished. For the conveyance of prifoners to Notting ham 7.s. 6d. each, and to Redford 11. s. and 10 Newark 4 s. 6 d. and the fame fum each if brought back to the refpective places. Chaplain, none, or any religions attentions whatever. Surgeon, Mr. Hutchinson, falary none, makes a bill. Allowance one pound of bread and one penny in money per day. Remarks This Bridewell is ufed as a prifon for thofe manors in this County which belong to the Archbishop of York. The fituation, a little way out of the town, was advantageonfly chofen, upon a gradual eminence commanding a free circulation of air. The entrance is in the centre of the front wall, and faces Burgage Green: a pallage, nine feet wide, leads to the Keeper's houfe. On the left of the entrance is his coal houfe and kitchen, the window of which looks through the iron grating of a door on the oppofite fide of the paffage, and opens into the male felons' court, which is 30 feet 6 inches by 23 feet 8 inches; it has a flagged floor, a pump, and a fewer; at the upper end is the felons day-room, 17 feet 9 by 16 feet 6 inches, with a fire-place, and iron-grated window. In the floor of this room is a trap door, on opening which you defcend, by ten steps, into a loathfome hole, or dungeon, 13 feet by 10 and 7 feet 3 inches high, with three wooden bedfieads, on which lay fome fhort dirty flraw, and pieces, or bits, of dirty ragged rugs. The only ventilation or glimmering light this miferable place receives is through an iron-grating, 2 feet 10 inches by only eight inches, and level with the court in this damp and loathfome dungeon feven of the prifoners, heavily ironed, fleep every night; one of them told me that when the trap door-was lifted up, in a cold morning, the fieam which ifled out was like the fmoke of a chimney. What must the miferable wretches confined every night in fuch a putrid hot-bed of difeafe fuffer! I reprefented to the Keeper, (I wish I could add with effect), that it was unfit for any human being, during the hours of fleep; and, as there was plenty of room in the prifon, he was not juftified in the ufe of it, but exprefily forbid by the ftatute 14 Geo. III. Behind the Gaoler's kitchen is the court-yard, for males committed for petty offences, 31 feet by 28, with a room, 18 feet 6 by 16 feet 6; it contains three wooden bedfieads, two of them for four perfons each, and the other for two; this is, likewife, their day-room, in which they eat and drink, and fleep, and, in bad weather, must be in the whole day; the Keeper's parlour commands this court. Vagrants have a court yard, 23 feet by 18, with a day and fleeping-room, 24 feet by 20, for male vagrants; and another, of the fame dimenfions, above it for females. A door in the wall of the vagrants' court opens into that for female felons, which is 28 feet 3 inches by 18 feet 6. By a flight of stone fieps you afcend into the fleeping-room belonging to the prifoners of this clafs; it is 18 feet 6 inches by 16 feet 6, and contains two wooden bedsteads for three perfons each; the floor of this room is plafter, and immediately over one which is appropriated to petty offenders. There is a paffage which leads to the cell-yard, which has in it a pump, and lead ciftern; and, very improperly, three folitary cells for the refractory, each about 10 feet by 8, and 9 feet high, with a wood bedftead, and fmall iron-grating over each door, through which thofe in folitary confinement are enabled to fee and con verfe with the female felons, in their chambers, or on the fieps. At the farther ́ end of the vagrants' court a door opens into that for faulty fervants, or apprentices, which is 24 feet by 20, with two apartments, one above the other, the lower for males with two beds for three perfons each, the upper. for females with one beuftead for three perfons, and each of them 20 feet by 18. The iron-grated window looks into the court-vard which is common to all. In this court are two folitary cells, fimilar to thofe near the female felons yard, and at the extremity is a door into a finall garden, containing about a rood of land. A court for the women night be made out of this garden. No infirmary, bath, or oven. No rules and orders. Neither the Act for prefervation of health or Claufes againft fpirituous liquors hung up. Some of the prifoners were employed by the Keeper in cutting pegs at two pence a thoufand, which he fells at four pence a thousand. On a one tablet over the door is this infeription: 1805, twelve Southwell, My dear friend, Oct. 4th. 1806. This prifon is fo remarkably bad in its conftruction, that it is with difficulty I can deferibe it, fo as to be underflood, It is in a very dilapidated and infecure fiate, and inflead of promoting morals, or health, is the very bane of both. Nothing can exceed the fqualid wretch ednefs, filth, and feverity, which are every where prefented. I have juft been conferring with a very fenfible Magiftrate of this place on the fubject, and who is deeply impreffed-with its importance. Adieu, yours truly, * JAMES NEILD. To Doctor Lettfom, London. Poftfcript, Nov. 1806. I have juft received a report of this prifon, drawn up by the excellent Magiftra e alluded to above, by which it appears that the humane and confiderate Juftices of this refpectable County, affembled at the General Quarter Seffions, have deter mined upon building a new Houfe of Correction. That a new Keeper is appointed, rules and orders made, a vifiting committee formed, and a system of * Rev. J. T. Becher, labour and falutary regulations already, adopted, which promife to vie with the very best in the Kingdom. BIRMINGHAM. The Gaol for this large and populous town is called The, Dungeon. Gaoler, John Sumner, falary 181. 10 s. but he pays a rent of 251. to the widow of the late keeper, Martha Wooldridge. Fees 2 s. No table. Licence for beer. No Chaplain, or any religious attentions. Surgeon from the town, if wanted. Allowance, 4 d. a day, in bread and cheefe, which the Keeper fells in the prifon. The court, which is paved with broad ftones, is about 25 feet fquare. The Keeper's house in front; and under it two dungeons, down eight steps each, have a wood bedfiead, with firaw and one blanket. At fome particular times the Gaol has been fo crowded that fix prifoners have flept a night or two in each of thefe dungeons. On the right hand fide the court are two night-rooms for women, 8 feet by s feet 9 inches, and four rooms over them. On the other fide of the court is one finall day-room for men and women, and two night-rooms, formerly the Gaoler's fubles; the doors have each an iron-grated aperture of 12 inches fquare, the only light or ventilation they receive. Over thefe are four other rooms, but being very infècure are not ufed. In the Gaoler's houfe are fix rooms for those who can pay, onelis partitioned off for a drinking room, another with lumber in it, and four have iron bedsteads, and bedding for thofe who can pay 2s. 6d. per week. On each fide the bedstead is a chain and handcuff, by which the prifoner is fecured, flat on his back, every night: and there is an iron neck collar, with a feven pound weight fufpended by a chain, which, I was told, hadbeen frequently ufed. Neither the Act for prefervation of health, nor the Claufes againft fpirituous liquors hung up, The lower parts of the prifon intolerably filthy, Prifoners, 5th. Nov. 1802, four men, three women; who, with four of their acquaintances from the town, were drinking, and fome of them in a flate of intoxication. My remarks to the Keeper were not totally thrown away, however; for at my vifit, September, 1803, I found the drinking-room, up-ftairs, converted into a bed-room, and the lower parts clean. The riners, men and women, fix in number, |