The National Register. — London, England, 1815-12-31 00:00:00

-,-4 liquors within the prison is prohibited by Act of. Parliament , There is is a penalty on their admission. The Cook and the Racket master being Officers of the prisoners, are elected by them; they are elected twice a-year. 'lke priority of Chummage (or admission to rooms in the prison), is by rotation ; seniority among such pri soners as have paid their entrance fees. A few among the very oldest prisoners are exempted from elnimmage, i. c. from having any others put into their rooms. When a prisoner cannot pay his clearance out of prison, the fees are always paid by some of the charitable societies. Prisoners who are superscdable have their rooms taken from them. The distinction between the Master's side and the Common side is, that for the former the entraaeo fee is paid, for the latter no fee at. all. Prisoners who swear they are not worth 51. in the weed, are allowed the benefit of the begging grate : there are but few of these. In some years this source of aubsistenee has produced nearly 3001. The entitled prisoners take in rotation, each man 24 hours. Besides this, there are sometimes tataritable donations, which are distributed among the very poorest prisoners. The 503!. per annum granted by the Act, is distributed aistoug the poor prisoners indiscriminately. Some of the poor pri soners wait upon the wealthy ones, and gain some relief that way. The room rents on the Master's side are 15d. each ; they are in ge neral paid for weekly; but a prisoner cannot he turned out of a seam for non-payment, unless a quarter's rent be accumulated.— The Racket-masters, who are paid so much per game, make about a guinea a-week each, by their situations. The pastime has been approved by the Court as healthful pastime. At eleven, oil, candles, and fires, are ordered to he pot ont in the can Tee-house and tap ; but riots and irregularities are frequently complained of. Every thing practicable is done to repress those. Since the passing of what is called the " Three Months Act," the prisoners are less moral than they were before, for prisoners in ge neral contrive to procure money 4o maintain them during the three months, and they are less careful of their behaviour. St; angers are obliged to quit the prison some time between ten and italGpaA ten o'clock. Loose women f •equently remain with men in the pri. son all night. The separation betwen male and female prisoners is only as to rooms, and not as to position. Two clubs are established in the prison; one on Monday nights, in the tap-room; the other on. Thursday nights, in the collie-room. Strangers are admissible to both. The prison is nearly secured against fire, all the rooms but those On top gallery being arched with brick. The Chapel is very badly attended ;•there are no means of enforcing the rule for the attend &Mee of the prisoners. The prison gates are locked during Divine Service; at other times, upon an average, the key turns about oace in a minuta. The number of prisoners within the walls, and in the rules for the last three years, averaged about three hundred. Theft is common among the prisonerse the stolen articles. :lie always tried ; but there was once a crier who was detected in stealing things for the purpose of crying them for the reward. There is no official medical attendance allowed : he (Mr. N.) has often as 4isted poor prisoners in that way at his own expense. Very few deaths take place within the prison. The Court of Commou Pleas sends an Officer of their own four times a year to visit. the prison, immediately before each Term. The,prison is white-washed as often as it appears. necessary. The prison is repaired generally every three years. The circumference of the Rules is about three-fourths of a mile. Prisoners are entitled, on giving sufficient security, to eke Warden : this is done by an inStrument npon alas. s:anip addition, is the inquiry fee, and the per tentage upon the alumna of the debt. There are Day Rules iu Term time, every day the Court sits. The ordinary expellee of a day's Rule to a Prisoner is 21. 7s. for the whole, if the charge be under soul. in addition to this, 4s. lid. is paid for each day. No fresh security is required for a Day Yule from one already in the Rules. Several of the Prisoners live inost luxuriously within the walls, as well as in the Roles, and this they allseem inclined to do, as far as their means will admit. IMPROVED REGULATION IN THE PRHIONs.--It has long Teen a subject of regret, that the unfortunate and t he atrocious sliOul4, to the injury of public morals, associate in the same • 'risoas The multitude crowded into our London jails has also s s en matter Of concern, as exposing the capital to perstilential disorders. As all prisoners are removed for trial to Newgate Who are within the jurisdiction of the Sessions hctl.icn at the Oid Bailey, sometimes nearly a thousand persons are immured Within that receptacle of delinquents. We are happy to an pounce, that within the last week these evils have been remedied It new Prison in Whitceross-street is now devoted to the ex eltc•ive accommodation of debtor., and 130 persons of this des ipVnt, as already stated ) wctc temoved thither flow Newptc Inn ~-; -x ~:: DEC. :341. on Friday last; others, in the like cirettenstances, were transfer red from Giltspur-street •with those debtors, being freemen of the city of London, who were confined.in Ludgate; an i these last, in respect to their iintnunities, have a separate wing.tssign ecl thew, where they will be allowed some exclusive adywi rages.. Thus Newgate will be appropriated to felons; Giltspur stteet Comptor will be converted into a Howie of Correctibm ; and LudFate, we understand, will be principally devoted' to the-re ception of nocturnal disturbers, and the disorderly, prior to their full and permanent commitment by the Magistracy of the Police The City is much indebted to the exertions of those who have effected these salutary regulations; and we, perhaps. cannot give a more striking view of the mischievous. collision in Newgate, than by stating the single fact, that there are at this moment moo convicts, male and female, under sentence of portation, within that establishment ,wafflw.k.ommommoNWOMlNM TIM NATIONAL TIEMSTER' SPINII'C S LIQUORS. We have often adverted to the number of places for retailing spirituous liquors in the metropolis, as " a giant evil." And are happy to learn, that the means of remedying that evil have been taken up by the Magistracy of Surrey as a county question, and that a Committee of Magistrates was appointed at the last Quarter Sessions, " to consider the great increase in tile number of shops for the sale of gin and other spirituous liquors, and to report their opinion of the consequences of such increase, and the most efficient means of suppressing or regulating the same." We will venture to say, now that our national existence is secured from external attack, that a moil important subject can hardly be submitted to the consideration of a body of enlightened Magistrates ; and we trust they will pursue it with the ardor and perseverance which it demands, from them as Christians, and as men. We hope, too, that they will not be allowed to stand alone in this enterprise . ; but that t!,:e neighbouring Magistrates will take it up with equal zeal and with equal effect. In fact, lit, le comparatively can be done in a matter of such magnitude, but by united and simultaneous effort, by prompt and 'cordial co.aperation• We do not say this to discourage the Surrey Magistrates, but to incite those of the adjoining counties to follow their laudable example- We have been favoured with a copy of the Report of the Committee above.mentioned: of which we shall take an early opportunity to lay some extracts before our readers. Meanwhile, we hai e to observe, that it enters at considerable length. and in a very satisfactory manner, into the historical view of the subject, and traces the steps which at various periods have been taken by the Legislatur2, Magistrates, and other public bodies, for the prevention or cure of this perni cious evil. So early as the l'2th of Cu ARL ES 11. the Legislature had endeavoured to promote the consumption - of home-made in pi etereoee to forei.:n spirits, Unfortunately these attempts were nut only successful in the attainment of their direct ob., ject ; but they created in the lower classes of people such at habit of drinking spirits as produced evils'of alarming magni tude. Very mi.ch to their honour, the College of Physicians, as conservators of the puidic health, first called the attention of the Legislature to these evil consequences. In the year 17251 they represented to the House of Commons, the fatal effects which they had observed to be produced by the freqneut use of spirituous liquors, in rendering people of both sexes diseased, unfit for business, a hurthen to themselves sod neighbours, and . a charge upon the public. The Gland Juries of London, Micd= dlesex, and the Tower hamlets, next took up this important topic. They observed with the deepest coucern the strong inclination of the inferior sorts of peor.le to these destructive liquors, and how su. prisinely the infection had even then spread, not only among the vicious and moral, bat even among. whole families, in other respects reganae. The evil had grown to a great-height before the Legislature, attempted to ore with it. The first decided measure of that kind was the Statute of the 9th GEORGE ii. commonly, called the• Gin Act ; the pre amble to which states, that the drinking of spirituous liquors had become very common, especially among people ~t the lower ranks, tending greatly t o the de s truction of their health, euderinei them until to usclul lAbouLand damochinii