The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1822-01-11 00:00:00

_.. subject, .
advantage of experimental pro& A.
them. Half of the pages are einkillplien ti..,
the effects of Ids own Inspect Illeisnoith..
chief prison. end penitentiary egedbillumbowirmiliit
country. In the narrative itself there seems to
be nothing very remarkable, except one inference
which may he drawn from the combined instances.
which is peculiarly worthy of consideratior. It
would appear that the accession of offenders in
these receptacle. is rather greater thee the increase,
continued and progressive as it has been, and ma-
continues to he, of the means for receiving them.
Mr. Western has not seemingly noticed then 1
lute and continuing increase of ill-doers, t ..
he make.* variety of remarks in regard to the e .
frets of prison di.cipline, in reducing their swan*,
Perhaps the due coorse of the argument would req
quire a reason and a remedy for so unnatural an
accumohnion of miodenseening candidates, be-
fore the admission of any discussion as to their
manner of prison treatment. It might then be
necessary to inquire of other classes of pc-
laicism,. especially the advocates for ametioin•
ling the penal code, as to the causes and pro-
bable remedy of the evil in its incipient state ;
for if any goad were practicable there, the affairs of
prison discipline would become of little cense-
(pence. If nhe manifest as is contended by the
latter, that the ti.atute Book since the Revolution
has been encumbered with a tedious enumeration

of unjustifiable irrnalties for crimes of little or rqui.
west impropriety, to the perversion of the old and
more liberal law, and to the clogging sod frustrat-
ing the designs of pure justice—of their assertions
that there lire more felonies created by three or CM,
times the tionsher since the accession of George IR.
which augment from erosion to session, than wen
known altogether to the old law—if this or any yotiO
tion of it, be true, surely this ought to be the nits
rod for commencing refortnat'on. Prison discipline,
in such a case. must be more thaw useless; it must
become mischievous from very improvement, by
hold,hg oat a temptation to refer all new jetting
veniences of * petty or doubtful nature in the oda:
Manilla', of criminal law to the prison ins'itati•swd
a remedy. litany ease Mr. Western seems to Wright
as to the deficient discipline of prisons, and above .9,
that defect which lie so ably and strongly exposes,
the want of a speedier and more frequent gaol de-
livery, as a crying and heinous vice in the orminal
jorisprndericr of the country. To mate it the
snore disgraceful, too, it is a remnant of ill•sdjust.
ed custom which is derived to us from the muse.
emamodating simplicity of the institutions as they
were at first settled by the ba►barians, accidents of
the early church, sod state policy. They have tie
reference wheteser to the reasons which guided thjk
coarse of law and the administration of justice its
times of greater civilisation. The crude and Ups.
perfect condition of gaols, and all their
.:
which prevailed until of late year., may
perhaps. to the jealousy of any restraints ow
htewafreedom inherent iii the common law, re •
ed soy hot the most indispensable int:efferent*
with that freedom. Winding the meddling spirit
of later legislation in the minor concerns of
person and property. there was, by consequence,
much less necessity for taking into lief
count the treatment of the few convicts who wens
to be shut up. The extension of commerce and
iti coocoinitant luxury, as Mr. Western well ob.
serves.' has led to a very extensive adoption of ions
prisosimelit, to correct the offences arising out of
them. The building of gook and the complexity
of their reenlatiiisa have increased correspondingly.
Mr. Western's practical review of those regulations,
and his suggestions lor their further improvemost,
will be ►end with that iut►rest which an tamest and
sensible mind is calculated to excite on an affair of
great public import. He seems to consider the
adoption of mute rigour of exercise. and spirit of
indulgence, both as to food and society (to be cum.
promoted by a propottionate curtailment of the
period of imprisonmeot) as the chief desideratum in
rendering tosifinetneot useful to the putpose• of
moral regeneration. As to the want of ■ due and
speedy delivery. which is touched on above, his Sr.
guments are so forcible, and are backed by such an
alarming statement of facts, that they must surely
be attended to, and that speedily, by the State, to
save the country any further disgrace, arising from
so reproachful a defect. We shall conclude these
cursory observations by a reference to the contents
of the pamphlet on this subject, which form the
most important portion of the work :

a In the supposition of every practicable improve-
ment in prison management being accomplished,
there can still be no possible excuse for the long
coufiliement of those who, till they are proved to
b.'guilty, are entitled to the consideration of
norence. If the period was as short as it ought to
be, not only 'would corrupt intercourse lose more
than half its power, but in many cases solitary
confinement itself might be sufficiently stripped of
its gloom to be resorted to perhaps even with the
choice of the prisoner, and thus wholly obviate
every chance of contamination.
" The present plan of gaol delivery twice only
in the year, and the consequent length of confine-
ment before trial, is certainly dreadful in its con-
s•quetires, and highly disgraceful to the jurispru-
dence of the country; it is at variance with the
spirit of the Consinunon. as well as the dictates of
humanity and justice; and it is not conformable to
ruciritt or existing law.
" From Magna Charta downwards. we see
abundant proof of the anxious desire to protect the
subject, not only horn tiojipt imprisonment by in.
compeieut authority, but from long imprisonment
before trial, which was alwiqs considered as unjust
imprisonment.
a From documents upon the table of the House
of Commons in 1819. I drew out an account, which
I have already adverted to in port. but which I will
restate here, as it places in a strong point of view
the extent of injustice, and inconsistency too,
ing out of the present system. It appeared. that
at the blsidatoise Lent Assizes of that year there
were one hundred and seventy-seven prisoners for
trial; of these, seventeen were to prison before the

=

prisensent,
coofineinent

~~

if'Oder;
thei id of
January, the 'bodes. tite!Dewheernent before
I been ix months , three month.
the halter: nothing eon site, as more plainly
Injustice of such confinement than the known
of six months' imprisonment being Con..
,ed a stelicient punishment for half the felo-
that are committed; bet the case is stronger,
, we consider the number acquitted ; seventeen
e twenty-seven irst-mentioned were acquitted,
of the seventeen were discharged, not being
prosecuted, or having no hill found against them.
On the other side it appeared. that twenty-live con-
victed felons acre sentenced to six months' im-
, Or under, the longest period of whose
—.Talent did not therefore exceed the shortest of
,ne seventeen acquitted, or that of the nine, against
whom on charge was adduced ; there were three, who
after being about seven months in prison, were then
discharged, whilst various convicted felons suffered
siaitevenths only of the punishment, including the
time before trial as well as after condemnation. By
the returns from the Lent Assizes at Chelmsford,
thf same year, the cases were not less striking
thin those of Maidstone; the total number was
one hundred and sixty-six, of these twenty-five
were in prison before the Ist of October, of whom
eleven were acquitted, and of these eleven. six
were discharged without any indictment preferred;
two were in prison eight months; three. seven
months and fifteen days ; three, six months and
fifteen days. On the other hand sixteen, convicted
of felony, were considered to be sufficiently pu-
nished by imprisonment ander six months. Upon
the whole it appeared, that four hundred and five
persons had been in gaol before the Ist of October,
whilst eight hundred convicted felons were sen-
tenced to • lighter punishment, to a shorter du-
ration of imprisonment. than these four hundred
and five had lousily undergone.
" It is a curious fact, that upon an average more
than one-third of the total number committed for
trial are acquitted. In the seven year., ending
1819, severity-two thousand two hundred and six-
ariro persons were committed ; of these, fourteen
Illissand two hundred and ninety-one were ac-
quitted on trial, eleven thousand two hundred and
seventy-four were discharged, there heist; its pro•
inestions, or no bills found against them."
•
iron Nita DISTURBED DISTRICTS
4t t •,4451. . IN IRELAND.

.0d .1s COUNTY TIPPERARY.
II I ' [Pram theChmmt Advertiser.]
cLoNNIII.. JANUARY S.
A night or two before Christmas, the gammon.
MWeld in search of arms to the house of J.
img. at Kashchirieh, on the borders of the
panty Kilkestoy, bat got none, he having given
tbusimp die day before—but they took hut hone,
OMII WIN SUM twenty others in the same vicinity,
Welt; lessee found nest day lame and fatigued.
NOM Newtown, they heat it lad of the name of
William Maher, hating searched his house for
arena. and found none. On Chrietmes morning a
settee was found on the chapel of Grange Mockler.
tirmatersireg•-with death, any person who took lands
aiiiiia **Art eve years, who should not surrender
thollriso Pork* dep. or any person who should pay
Mop le, NMI! Sutton ; and any person tearing
lielnillika settee WWI threatened with the same fate.
it was, Waiver, torn down by Captain Elliott, of
Seuthlodge.
On Christmas night the house of Edw. Dono-
wan, of Grope, • very respectable farmer, was et-
tacked for arms, and threatened to be burnt: on
Donovan's handing out bus goo, they went off with-
out doing him further injury ; same night, they
took washout swot her individual near Kilcash. Tile
Night following the windows of a poor publican, of
the name of Peehan, were broken its the same neigh-
boorhood—possibly, however, front some enmity or
revenge entertained against him.
Oa Friday night last an armed party traversed
the neighbourhood of Kilcash, Moylerelown, mid
Ardboy, where they took away • Humber of the
fanners' hones ; from thence they went to the
house of James Dunn. of Cheesemount, in search
of arms, where, not finding any. nor at several
other houses, they took sway their horses. They
beat went to the house of Maurice Shea, driver to
Captain Elliott, where they were equally disap-
pointed; but were more successful on going to the
house of John Going, at Curnighasollough, wt o
was formerly a constable. At Nine-mile-house
they took • pistol from William Burke, who keeps
the turnpike. and a bluoderburs front a man named
Campion, who resides in the house formerly held as
a barrack there, and searched every house in the
village they suspected of having arms.
Oa Saturday night last a large party passed
through Ballypairick and Kileash, on the way to
Ballyitest chapel, where. they posted a paper,
threatening any person with death who should pay
tithes or rent, or who took ground Within the last
five years, if they did not give it up—alleging it
to be by the express command of General Rock ;
any person taking. saint Minn to he punished se
above. The tame party went to the chapel of
Kilcash, and entering the ',wise of John Mul-
loony. filmier, put him on his knees, and swore
him to post ou the chapel gate a paper of the saute
nature as that posted at Ballyneal.
Ou Monday Hight a party of deluded beings
went to the house of a fanner named Butler, at
Clashuasmulk, county Kilkenny. who had recently
taken a farm there, hat had got so illegal notice to
quit. Into ibis house they forced their way, and
best him severely, threatening to make an end of
him if he obliged them to pay him another visit.
1 They 'rioted the house of Pat. Hanrahati, of Glow-
riaskeogh, in search of powder, knowing that be
had given up his arms, but obtained none. They
then went to the house of his brother, in the same
vicinity. in search of arms ; but lie living its a
slated house. and 'hewing a determination to re-
pel them. they went off in the direction of Brenor
to the house of Thomas Hogan, where they also
failed of obtaining arms, be having given up his
fur safety to Captain Elliott.
The respectable correspondents who have pot
us in possession of the shove facts, seem to COll.
eider the gun mongers of the above neighbourhood
a most contemptible body of creature., formidable
'dime by night, slid to defenceless or isolated ludo..
voluele; that they consist of strolling vagabonds,
labouring servants, and libertine,. alio bare lost or

Masai e; ~if ,Dmmiu— pica fel
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ai
sewer .• • pr. 4aw on. soars jinni
rthea :171.:isw.
ectilitiood tk Lori Lioiloomeet IMof ti
ra' Ears; by C. C. W . : a the
Panykot published by Illidgooy, fact
a • alder
Mr. Western has suld eat sit the OA* said idlest
upon this beaten subject, and his rein** have Oak Noes