The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1858-12-14 00:00:00

PORTLAND PRISON.

TO THE NDITON UM TIIN "TIMIE."

Nir,—The graphic account given in the nue some
weeks since by " An Eye Witness" of the serious out-
break among the large body of convict" employed at
Portland in the construction of the breakweter and for.
tiltutions liu led to. to make particular inquiries 1 and,
as the infuretatiun I have gained may intermit some of
your ruder", I plasm it at yuur disposal.
Though it lies taken wine time to muter the subject,
and le difficult without very close attention and research
to understand the machinery by which a *stem of
laanagatillat an well adapted for the (Mute of punish.
MUM Will reformation le carried on, yet the tale of the
outbreak may won be told.
The ()salvias, an a body, Repeat to be se well satisfied
with their condition Ai oast reaeonably be expected,
when it is 14/11111111bartat that a great proportion of them
hue been autielemed to live in the most milieu
manner, indulging in every kind of license and luxury.
These Ithill are here Waged under moral reetralnt of no
ordinary character, in which, however, coercion only
reaches a few exceptional cases, They have new
motives and objects to learn and appreciate s industry,
oleanllnese, sobriety, civility, and no end of moral vies
tune arc required, and new Onions of getting an honest
livelihood on disoliarge arc presented to them in the dlio
Wm. To produce oven submission to discipline would
&plow no easy matter under suoh unpromising midi-
Nuns, and to obtain contentment and willing induatry
would appear hopeless ; but this and much inote has,
doubtlues, been wouniplielied. It would lead Mc WO far
to nay how, but the preparations for the Derby•day end
iti results are no inapt illuotration of the task to be kW
unniplished, Early in the month of May we see Piocia-
dilly full uf break", each with • wild-looking team, put
together for the Net time I wen inclined to back, others
to bolt or to kick, a patient, strong, but light-handed
man behind them. With • little giving and taking at
test, and IMMO kindneu' it is marvellous how won they
step together, and with how clear a coneolenue the
portly jubutaster' in tightish trouiers, can swear to the
young swell that they will go quiet in harmed, and take
him and hie friends, and all Forteuin's I/i ad and chain.
pagne, safe to Epeoni, if he only knows how to get
dear round time ginehop at the sterner, and minder other
little Wale on the rood. A very little thing, however,
will eat this well-appointed but ticklish team wrong ; a
link too touch one way or the other in a curb-chain—an
injudicious touch of the whip—a drunken oostermonger
running his donkeroart among them—or a thousand
little &evident' may happen, any one of which will be
enough to derange the harmony of the turnout. The
aiiiiired of the lookers on in the morning may thus be
brought to grief and nigh to annuli in the afternoon.
What is true of a four•horse teem is equally en of
large or oven small bodies of men when brought under
control. The very beet arrangements will be upset,
and their object debated, either fur the moment by an
occident, or permanently by any loose screw which
deranges the action of the machinery. In applying this
illustration to Portland it may he seen by any one who
obtain* the privilege, and will take the trouble of judg-
ing for himself, Nutt, however, little the men may like
their !tunes* at first, they do learn in time to value the
coneletent treatment they reoeive, and to profit by the
inetrution and training afforded in the schools,
quarriee, and workohope. There may be here and there
an old hand, who, having a lively recollection of the
low, debasing oompenionihip and licenses on board the
holks, my eonsider he was better off when left to
indulge liiiimelf in the real old Newgitte etyle, where he
could fight end blaspheme, and amuse bimetal in his
own fashion I but eel general rule all entertain a very
proper feeling towardit the Government and their
onions. They are not slow to pereeive that, Oriel as
ie the discipline, there I. every enauuragement to do
well, anti it is their own Null if they are futile enough
not to profit by it i there ie not, wham one in a
hundred who will not aelinowledge it,
As I cannot properly explain the oleo edjustinents of
represeion and eneourageinent, the elassilleetion and
badges, the different slave of dleelpline, the rewrite of
conduct and industry, the gratuities and their dliitrii
button, kilo or the great eininint of OM bestowed on
mil individual, I well let it alone' end merely minuend
Portland not to the usual inspeetion, but 141 the at'
Willie.) study of any who are intereeted in the greet
Illefill and Milli question with whieli Wit 0011111Wie ,d
If line be as, how Pelt that so litany a. MO cot of PAM
eppeered all at owe) in open niutiny and reellitesioe to
authority?
Your eorrespondent, " An Nye Witness," inform
lie that for three days the men, eitinellines In mall
parties and eolnellines in IMP MIN, Orli& work, laid
down their erowbers anti plikenee, and, with simile
hod other eyniploins of violonee, endeavoured to gel
together mid snake a formidable deinonstration of
Opined tom i that Will all that was Intended. Tlis
quiet end no 1111111110 r in wit elm Nile array wee reprossom
Is already Known,
II
Not a ow wee Omsk nor wee reelelanes 11114
though hit. 14111413r11 Were sewed end shinned in the
midst of the working parties, Preview' to this Com 1
with one eseeption, wiling from the Nellie 11111110, it ill
Oiled 01111 Willibilleilt hiul been unheard a;, and ill
SOU lif vlolenee were n rare neettreliwe Atli eeliglie
to individual eases. Thu. wee of this interruption o
the ordinary ODIUM of salisfitelory eonduel Is, I sin lin
iliforined, an iniiinued Overton', to whisk eireuinsianee
have given indoor, if not very enhelsollel weight,
It would appear that the outbreak WM winked to
the obviate who lied received seolenee under an Act
lowed in the year litall, by whish penal servitude for
a innialn.insinber of years was Nbetlluted for traninort•
won, Prolong to that hate, as a sentenee of tratuiportai
thin Was a Very different hlog from one°, Imprisonment, '
It had been the invariable Ualltl/111 to imprison the
114111011111 cheat halt the tan{ only of the aeilienee when
limy were to he released at 11(11110, and a still shorter
I nie when sent to Veil Dielliell'e Lela
Tile 011ie At of PIM eitabliehed the plan of pant.
lug Whole of leave In Nile Gauntry for the men who
lisupened to be under sentenee of transportellun when
the entente' refused to evolve eny owe oonviotm, these
sentenan being commuted into confinement for Wee
years end four yam in lieu of seven or 10 year.' trans.
portatiun,
Itemiselons for gond amirluot had, therefore, been the
ride auted upon with enitylota from the pithily due of
!totally Bey to the passing (if the Act i and the prinaiple
wane, firmly rooted in the mind of the population hat.
Mg 1111 eye to such mature, end WON as fully honeyed to
he the ludefeaelble right of a convict, as a trial by
Jury.
, No Act of Perliemsnt, excepting ono which empowers
the illimitable texletherer to rap at the door, ever be.
0011111 a eminently known, It imp' even take yearn for
those who adininiiter the law to divine the oracle whieh
golden their limpirations, How could it, therefore, be
imputed that John tenooki end Thomas Myles, who
might have made free with • neighbour's sheep or ;iota-
time, should know the nice distinction of the law by
whieli they were hereafter to forfeit the privilege widish
they hal so long enjoyed, iif getting out of trouble all
the sooner if they believed theinielves f
The public are apt to fancy !het the longer • convict
he ineereerated the eater they will be from him future
depredations, but tide is only true to • limited extent.
His eentenee will expire, end the reel question is not so
much whether the field will Immune open to 111111 a few
month" "seller or later, as whether lie can be induced by
any mune not to roguing hie depredations.
Hence the importanou of so regulating the treatment
of the groat body of the oonvied as to enlist their own
errotte in their own reforination. The public will be
the gainers by it in the end.
The inducement which hi said to operate moat widely,
end to reach the furthest prowectively, is connected
with the hope of liberty. It is represented that, however
foir the treatment, and to whatever extent a long aunt'
hence may be mitigated by neousive stages, which are
granted for good minded, it is the " time, ' as the con-
victs term it, which presses heavily on their hearts, and
to gain a randeeion they would for years give up any
homy that could he offered in lien of it, •
This feeling has been wisely taken advantage of in the
cane of prisoners wntenoed since 1857, who are permitted
to look forward to gaining • remission of aix months out
of • sentence of three years, and no on, &wording to a
seals by weld' the judge can see et a glance the mini-
mum term widish may be enforced of the maximum term
which he awards.

As in the cue of • tailor's bill, therefore, It is assumed
that the said remiasions have been previously added to
the sentence. So much per cent, off for conduct, repro.
cents, therefore, only so much per sent. put on. A fins
gentleman, with 25 per cent, off his MU, thinks he has
got a cheap coat, and the tailor, who has put It on,
knows he lies got the full value of it, so by this very
simple process both partite are pleased.
The privilege granted to the men of 1557, as they are
called, had its full share in igniting the train which
caused so great an explosion of feeling among their fel-
low.priaoners of 1853 at Portland. Claims for relate.
'ion exiated on all aides, but not for them The 111114011
why had been explained over and over again, and was
plainly set forth in the (Motel notice.
It is oilier they have no legal claim, but a convict eon.
vinoed spinet his will retains the sante opinion still, and,
until all the men of the transition period between IBM
and 1167 are disposed of, a dogged anduranse of Masi.
One will to some extent lake the place of eontented
subinimeion end a real endeavour to do well. Good cow
duet end industry prevail, but it le said that the old
opirit hem tied.
This diaturbing cause is much to be deplored, as it
adds greatly to the difikulties resulting from recent
change., and fella with a prejudice' @Get on a eyelets
which had apperently been thought out and provided for
In a 1111111110 r that would satiety not only reasonable and
practical men, but the judge, interteUd alone in the
ediulnietration of the law, and the philentbroptel, Mind
only on the future welfare of the individual.
I tut, lit,
Your oltedleal serval,

INVINTIOATOL