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London, England, 1819-02-26 00:00:00

who exerliaell melt • discretion had des* tooegret
the extension of lenity. The system of imprison-
ment no general be Isinvalid to state. from the
rrporis made to him from varioas ports of the coon-
tty, by no means presented an sotisfectory a subject
for reflection. He relived that places of confine-
ment. instead of correcting the offender, too fre-
quently sent him hack upon *timely more corrnrt
than lw had b-en presimirly. But desirous though
the reform of criminals undoubtedly was, still It
should ever he nssiwi-sted with the idea of punish-
ment. an that offenders rent hack to society might
associate with his irle:oi of good the painful recoil,
lion of severity, hard labour and ponsishtrent. It
would tint be advisable to strip a prison of its ler.
bora, and enahle those liberated from it to convey
to their friends abroad ideas of its comforts and
plenty, which nitglit almost create in the listeelerr an
ettaehronsi to, it. The secondary ponislimerits should
be rendered as effective as porril&, that being tile
only means of mooring the painful necessity of hays
iog recourse to those of a higher and more terrific
character. lie feared the greatest difficulty would he
found in correcting the abuser of prison'', under
local jurisdiction. But the House, on hearing the
Report of its Co iiiiii ittee, could then determilie
what steps it might be proper to pursue. With
these impressions, he 'Mould move, as a preliminaly
step—

That a Selcrt Committee he appointed to tyke into
their consideration the Papers kid on the table, by order of
the Piioce sums's, on the 19th and 23.1 instant, relative in
the state of lire Gauls and Penitentiary House' throughout
the United Kingdom, and report thereon to the House."
The motion being read—
The Maiquis of Isostioerw rose and said,
that it afforded him very considerable satisfaction
to fiiiil that this subject had heels undertaken by
his Majesty's Government, and hrought forward by
the Noble Lord, recommended by all the weight
of his influence. He feared, however, that a much
more extensive task was assigned to the Committee
than it was possible for them to accomplish. It
was sufficient for them to inquire into the state of
gaols, and to suggest the mean fur ameliorating
the prison discipline, without thinking of an inquiry
into the cause of crime, or into the effects and
operation of She seven hundred sod fifty laws of
a hick the penal code of this country consisted.
The Committee might be usefully employed in
devising the mean of effecting an equal and impar-
tial infloo ion of jounishinent. He did net, in using
these words, thick of implying, that in the admi-
nistrant 4444 of jostler there was any partiality Of
im-
prope► favour skew,. to intlivi.luals, hut he was de-
' s that in the p • !mews iiiflt•trd, as great
an equality sl Id be observed iu the distribution
as possible. The Committee might propose rules
for the regulation of prison., and also that a dia..
tinction sl Id he marked between persons h. fore
conviction and persons after conviction—(Hear,
Hear, 'ions Lord Sidmouth)—aad also among per-
sons after couvicti 11l , a distioction should be made
Isetw,en the several gradations of offences., and
offend. rs be properly classed, to prevent the con-
tamination that ninst ler existing circutustances
destroy the moral distitietton between hardened
ctiniivals and more youthful delinquents. The
Committee might also propose that all prisons
under local jurisdirtion should either be com-
pelled to adopt the regulations enforced in all
other prism's. or transfer their prisoners to the ad-
joining gaols under certain circumstances; and,
lastly, they might devise the means of bringing the
whole stale of the prisons occasionally before the
Iltoue in such a manlier as to 'thew the state of crime,
the condition of the prisons, and the moral advance-
ment or retrogression of the offenders. After dwelling
nn the ad money of establishing a regular system of
labour within gaols, by which the prisons and the
prisoners might he supported, lie noticed a recent
journey of Mr. Gurney to various prisons in the
country, and an observation made by that Gentle-
man, that compistiog the prisons of Glasgow sod
Maticlwster, it was found in the former, where a
system of labour was established, not more thou
one-third of the offenders were found to return—
while in the latter, where no such system was adopt-
ed, not less than two-thirds were found to return.
Nut meshing to offer any opposition to the motion,
he should no longer trouble their Lordships, but
he could not look for any satisfactory result from
the Committee if they went into an inquiry beyond
the strict and defined object of the state of the
gaols, and the best means fur ameliorating it.
The Motion was then carried.
On the motion of Lord Stomount, the following
Lords were nominated of the Committee :

The Lad Chancellor The Marquis of Lowdown
Tlw Earl of LiVerpool The Earl of Litnesick
The Earl of Carnarvon Lord Sidesouth
The Earl of Illolgrarre The Bishop of Chester
The Earl of Luusdate The Bishop of Liao&lT
Lord Melville Evil Verolam
The Earl of Clue (Lord Lord Holland
Fitsod,hon) j Lid Grenville
Lord Atirklaud 49 Lord Whitworth.
There were three other names which we could nut rateli, from
the indistinct and rapid mousier in which Lord Sithouotb
read the list.