The Express.
London, England, 1846-10-14 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, WEDNESDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 14, 1840.

To it the Female Penitentiary in the same city forms j
a useful contrast, being, in the words of the rep:id, I
" without exception, the best conducted penal esta- I
bliehment in this country." The gross amour.t earned,
in the latter, by the prisoners (the daily average
number being 281), for laundry, kni,ting, awl needle-work,
in ISIS, washseg., cledu alma from which 171/ for ex-
lnses therm:, and 72/. paid to prisoners when discharged,
eft a net profit to the credit of the public of 2431.
So far lots return would appear satisfactory, were it
not chat the governor, in speaking of the laundry work,
which had inereastd from the previous year, and which
produced 343/. of the above grass amount', gives it as his
opinion "that the principle of congregating so many pri-
soners together of different characters and crimes under only
one officer, who cannot possibly keep a proper inspection
over their moral conduct, forms a sonata of many evils highly
iujurious to the discipline of a prison and to the moral
reformation of the prisoners, while it interferes with
the industry of the poor outside, and of many charita-
ble institutaons which are supported chiefly by laundry
work." Upon this paint, however, the report offeta
no remark, further than the general one contained in
the recommendation of separate confinement. On
the day of insrsectien there were on the books of the Mar-
'liaises or Debtors' Prison in Dublin, 110 persons, of whom
54 had been enlarged on baie to abide the judgment of the
Insolvent Court: a mitigation in the insolvent law, than
which, in the estimation of Mr. J. D. Mullen, the int 1-
ligent marshal, none had pried more beneficial. That
gentleman likewise thinks that the Bth section of 6 Vic.,
cap. 95, humanely abridging the period of imprisonment
in the case of pauper debtors, and thereby le.erong the
public expense, might be beneficially applied to the poor
debtors in county gaols.
The report speaks in terms of the strongest approbation of
the cleanliness, regularity, and good manegement of most of
the gaols ; oceasiunally pointing out imperfections, which it
attribute; rather to a want of sufficient accommodatiou than
to any neglect on the part of the local authorities. Every-
thing tending to impede the adoption, or at least the trial,
of the separate system, is regarded es a great drawback upon
sound discipline and the moral reformation of the prisoners;
and to this ronelusion the inspectors have come from the
experience they have had of that system in the Limerick,
Carlow, end other gaols where it has been tried, in some
instances on a small scale only, but in every instance
with success. The gaols of the town of Drogheda,
and of Leitrim and Roscommon counties, form ex-
ceptions to the general tale of Vie report—being described
as badly managed and irregular, and as showing mush in-
discriminate mixiag together of the prisoner the most
wretched and abandoned women being allowed to associate
' with those whom it is possible to reclaim, but In whose con-
dition the Inspectors General think it i fruitless to expect
any amelioration so long as this defect exits. Even where
the arrangement of the cells does not adre,it of the separation
of prisoners, as in the case of Waterford City, and the
counties of Louth and Antrim, the inspectors, nevertheless,
strongly urge the necessity of erecting sheds, and fitting up
workshops for their separate employment. The Antrim
gall does not, they observe, possess one do gle requisite, owing
to its structural arrangement, which would enable the officers
to carry into effect any proper system of penal discipline;
the number of cells being only 50, while the daily average
number of prisoners is double that amount, and the yards
being so narrow as to render it impnwible to keep the priso-
ners from communicating with each other. The gentlemen
of the county Down are earnestly entreated to effect such
alterations in tke interior of their extensive prison, as will
render it available far carrying into effect the separate sys-
stem ; white the suggestion for erecting sheds, B:e., is pressed
upon their attention with this additional res-on : "In the
northern gaols a greater proportion of the criminals are found'
to belong to trade, whereas the reverse is the case in
the seuthera parts, and, therefore, every encourage-
ment should be held out for employing the prisoners
at the business which they 'have been brought up to."
Here, as in nearly ell the county prisons, tke inspectors
fouud several lunatics, who, they say, ;neatly interfere with
proper discipline, order, and regularity ; sometimes being
attended to by other prisoners, a thing they strongly depre-
cate, and in many instances deprived of necessary comforts
he the sumo ratio as they arc deprived of their reason ; a fact
which the inspectors comment upon as remarkable, when
noticing the wretched appearance of twenty-two lunatics
(fourteen males and eight females) in the gaol of the county
Tyrone ; some of them being allowed to go barefooted in the
yard on a cold wet day, and all to breakfast in a small day-
room, without form or table to lay their food on. The
inspectors express their gratification at finding a manu-
factory established in the county of Longford gaol
for making starch from diseases! potatoes, adding
that the article produced is of rho best quality. Great
improvements have been made in the county Dublin grub at
Kilmainham ; and a system of employment for the male pri-
soners has been adopted by the governor, which yielded to
the county in the year a clear profit of 541., after paying for
materials and giving to each prisoner his legal share of one-
third. The inspectors suggest the propriety of appropriating
the net amount of these profits to the use of prisoners on
their discharge from prison. They amounted on the year.
after deducting the cost of work, to 4,217/. The total expense
of gaols for the year was 75,6571., and the total number of
prisoners confined in them on the 31st Dee., 184.5, was 4,129,
of whom 412 were lunatics (263 males, and 149 female) mid
391 debtors, (340 males and 41 females).

IRELAND.

DUBLIN, Ocr. 12.
INSTRUCTIONS RELATIVE TO REPRODUCTIVE WOKILS.-

" Board of Public Works, Oct. 10.—Instructions relative to
Reproductive Works, which may be undertaken by limited
Proprietors, as authorised by Mr. Labouchere's Letter of
Oct. 6.
" Landed proprietors, In the *nano( the Act 5 and 6 Victoria,
cap. $9, applying for permission to expend the amount, err a portion
of the amount, to be levied on any electoral district, in draining or
submiling connected with drainage, must state the precise nature of
the work proposal to be executed ; and It is to be observed that no
works can be admitted which are not dimity connected with the per-
manent improvement of the soil. The lan& lowing been viewed and
reported on by the officer of the Board of Worke, and sabaequently
sanctioned by the Lords Commissioner* of Her Makara Teel.
noisy, the works may be commenced, under the superin-
tendence of an overseer either appointed sr approved of by the
Board of Works. Labourers employed will be paid at the cud of
each week by the tarn-clerk of the lkiard of Work., in proportion to
the extent of the work executed, the price for mei item of expendi-
ture having been previously determined ou and approved of by the
Board. No contracts can be enteral into by the Board of Works with
proprietors or other, for the execution of works of any kind; the
wbok must be done by tank at fixed prices, It being expo:only under-
stood that the labourers to be employed shall not be limited to those
who reside within the particular electoral district in which the work
mar be situated, but may be selected from among the destitute poor
residing within the limits of the districts allotted to the local relief
committee; the particular labourers to be employed being fur.
tingled with tickets by the inspecting officer of the Board of
Works. When a pinall stream or drain forme a boundary
between two electoral districts, which stream or drain is the
natural outlet for the waters of both, the expenditure re-
quired for sinking or embanking (as the case may he), such stream
or drain, shall be borne by the proprietors of both electoral divisions,
In proportion to the benefit con issd, and the works shall be effected
under the same arrangementis as those prescribed for ordiaary drains,
Sec. When the coin to be expended can reproductive work is equal to
the entire amount to be levied off the electoral district, such district
will not be liable to pay any additional proportion of the general
' assessment for the barony in which it is situated. But when only a
portion—say one moiety of the sum presented on the electoral district
%hall be expended on drainage, Ac-, the entire of such electoral district
shall be assessable for the remaining moiety, which may be expended
on ordinary nods or other useful public works within the electoral
district, or barony, as the ease may be, within the meaning et the ,
enactments of the 10th Victoria, cap. 107.—8 y order,
"J. C. WALKER, Secretary." I

DEPUTATION TO TILE COMMISSAUIAT OPFICE.-A demi-
tation on behalf of the population of Achill, had an inter-
view on Saturday with Sir Randolph Routh, commissariat-
general, at his office in the Castle. Mr. M'Donnell, on
behalf of the deputation, stated the peculiar circumstances
of Achill—the total destruction of the potato crop there' and
the ab,ence of grain crops in any quantity, owing to the
exposed position of the island. The principal object of the
deputation was to procure a supply of bed from the govern-
ment stores, for which the principal inhabitants were ready
to pay. Owing to distance, and the want of commercial inter-
course with any other more favoured districts, the deputation
stated that they were unable to procure supplies. Sir Ran-
dolph Routh replied that no supply of food of any PAW-
queue could be expected before the latter end of Novem-
ber, or the first week in December • and in answer to
a question from the Rev. Mr. Monahan, said, that even
then it was his intention to rs commend to the government
not to sell the food at a price lower than that demanded by
the merchants, as it was essential to the success of commerce
that the mercantile interests should not be interfered with.
The Rev. Mr. Monahan replied that last year the govern-
ment adopted a ditferent course, and sold at a cheaper rate
than the merchants sold, fur the express purpose of bringing
down the markets. Sir Randolph Routh admitted that
such had been the policy adopted by the govern-
ment; but he regretted that such had been the
case, as it gave bad habits to tho people. It
had led them to expect the adoption of a similar
course now, whereas the government was determined
not to interfere with the merchants, but to act more
in accordance with the enlightened principles of political
economy. Mr. Monahan said he could net understand why
the government was to be fettered by no Miens of political eco-
nomy at such a crisis as this. Political economy might
bevery well in its way, but the people of Achill know nothiag
about It. Sir R. Routh remarked that nothing was more
owential to the welfare of a country than strict adherence to
the principle of free trade, and begged to assure the reverend
gentleman that had he read carefully and studied Burke, his
illustrious countryman, he would agree with him, that it
was essential to the success of any measure of relief that the
strict rules of political economy should be steadily at•
tended to. After some further conversation the deputation
retired.
CONCILIATION HALL.—Tits DAT.

The usual weekly meeting of the repeal association was
held at one o'clock, when Mr. E. D. Costello was caUed on
to preside over a fuller atiemblage than usual, and briefly
addressed them, thanking them for the honour conferred on
him. Mr. J. O'Connell then read the following letter from
his father :

" Dcrrynane Abbey, feherciveen, 9th Oct., 1846.
" My dear Ray : The objections made, though I think In many
instances unwisely and natuundodly made, againit the labour rate
act seemed to render rweeffmry the meeting of parliament, to give
additional power to the Irish government. Rut the lord Lieutenant
has wisely, and I would add bravely, determined not to wait for the
tedious process assembling parliament, and debating anew bill, but
to take upon himself the risk and reapoindbility of making use of
powers sufficient to obviate every objection, and conciliate every
interest, so as to be able to pmesed with increased and increas-
ing rapidity 1 t procuring wages and food for the people. It
is quite true that an indednity bill may be refused when
parliament assemble; but he is ready to incur the hazard, and to
meet the danger in his anxiety to obviate the imminent 'writ In
which the country is involved. Having taken this ra,NnsibiL4 +Ton
himself, aryl assuming evert- species ef zwecavary clicutambip, there's
no leer that he will ate !Omit in iii good work, or al.mt any hilt
measure whdawvcr, fully committed ns he is; his course lies
straight before him. It would be a confession of error to hesitate
or delay in taking that crrre. We have, etterrPre, every riiiit