The National Register.
London, England, 1819-03-01 00:00:00

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ea c eat, we must enter neon the task- with 71 full con- •
viction of its importance, and a cincere resolution to •
bend oursely.ts down to our labour. Wu must inquire ,
into the ceaeteter, temper, and moral constitution, of
the individual, and &orient ourselves with his natural
acquired talents, his habits, and his views,.ia order that
we may be enabled to adopt such measures for his im-
provement, as may be best adapted to the ease. If he
b:ignorant, we anuA instruct him ; if he be obstinate,
i:3 arrogant, we must humliste him ; if he be indo-
lent, we must rouse him : if he be desponding, we must
et courage him: and this, it is evident, cannot be ac-
complished without resorting to different modes of
treatment, and the full exercise of those moral and
sympathetic endowments, which subsist in a greater or
Jess degree between all human beings as incident to our
tontmon nature.
In the mean time, this sapp eel practicability of
the adaptation of punishments to crimes, is unfitvour-
able to the progress of real improvement ; as one of
its c%pected consequences is, that punishments should
be invariably afflicted, without any relation whatever.
That !his is the op:nion of Mr. Bentham is apparent,
front several passages in his works, and particularly
from the fidlowing, where, under the head of remis-
sibility, he thus explains the term :—" This is where,
although the offender has been punished. yet on ac-
count of some good behaviour of his, diplayed at a
time subsequent to that of the commencement of the
punishment, it may seem expedient to remit a part of it.
But this can scarcely be, if the proportion of the
punishment is in other respects what it ought to be.
'I be purpose of example is the more important object
in comparison with that of reformation. Whatever
then is required ter the purpose of example, must
abide at all events. It is not any ref eination on the
part of the offender, that can warrant the remitting
any part of it. If it could, a man would have no-
thing to do but to reform immediately, and so free
himself from the greatest part of • the punishment
which was deemed necesary."
To this reasoning, which, if adniitted, would destroy
tl!e very principle of the penitentiary system, and es-
a.)lish an inflexible, unillmm, and indiseriminating mode
efpunishment it. may, Jim the present, be sufficient to
reply, that until a regular and efficient scale of crimes
and punishments has been formed, it would be prema-
ture to avail ourselves of our boasted inf llibility ; and
upon an idea that the judgment given was perfectly
just and applicable to the offence to punish a criminal
to the full extent of his sentence. Even Mr. Bentham
his himself admitted, that " under the continuant of the
present imperfect system, the property of remissibility
may be deemed a n.eful one. but,would not in any con-
e meted system, in which the rules of proportion befitre
Led down should he observal." That in the opinion
of Mr. Bentham himself, such period has not yet ar-
rived, is apparent ffilla his constant and auccessful
efforts, for the advancement of levery plait that may
tend to reform the unhappy offender, and shorten the
period of his captivity ; end till it does arrive, let us
cmtinue to avail ourselves of the most measures
so our power, to call the guilty to repentance. and to
i'.en the calamities of human nature.

IMPERIAL P,UtLIA3IENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS.

fin the days not noticed, no balloon of p.!lic ioterest
was trill/Mtt a.

THURSDAY.
S FATE OF THE PRISONS, &e.
. .

VisconntStomotrza, addressing the House, said, he bad
then to lay upon the table the trims made by command of
the Prince Regent, in conscanence of an addre+s moved by a
Noble blargois fur an account of the various Prisons, Peni-
tentiary Houses, and lion-es of Correction throughout the
kingdom ; and he had the satisfaction to state fur the infot-
=alio., of Btu House, that the returns had bten made
to meet the wish of the Noble Marqnia, who expressed
a doubt on a former day whether all the retorts might
be made out to procure full information. The course
pursued was this :—Letters were vent to all the She-
ll& in Great Britain requiring re:tarots of the state of oil
Prisons, Penitentiaries, and Houses of Correctian under
their management. le•tters were written to the Clucks of the
Peace in evt ry County, fur similar returns, and to the Ma.
gistrates of every town in the kitt.lolo in which it was known
these aas a Gaol or Prison. fl lying so dune, niany eitiras
Lad been nma+le , and if any Noble Lord wool.] mention a
p;ace or Pi isoli where returns had sot been made, he would
confer a lisOur. The rettirns from Scotland were not clothe
complete. lie might say that .s•Eiths of the information ex.
pee tad was on the table. They bad a mass of holm !maims
respecting Gaols, sufficient to inshore the House to lute no
Lomita referring the same to a select committee of lnynly.
They had also a variety of idioms respecting the uttrai user of
pi isonets sentenced it punishment in Great Britain, flout the
year 1805, the period at a Itich the register was first nl4de,tu
the clu,e of last year. The House would find a separate ac-
count of the number of persons convicted ite London wad
Middlesex, I rum 1740 to the close of 1800. The Noble Vs..
coons added, that he was enahlrd to stale, that the minaret of
COnioninients daring the last year ads less than that of the
yea' prone big. The don Motion wee not considerable, hat
the knowls dge that Conitnenneols had decreased could nut
fail to aflerd ►atisfaction. It wall also sent tat) of Onser%4lloll,
that the increase of crimes in the City of London anti Carrot'.
tf idiolktieses us, less in issuportion than in tasty other par,
r f Great Botem, c‘reptilig Rutland and Glamorgan. it had
btu., geuctitity auppwell slut crimes had incremoctlisi ceubc-

44.
IhiItitNATIONAL UEGISTE7t

quenee of the had state of the Prisons. That iew was cor-
rect to a degree; Om those %Oh, lucid alio' opinion, should
look olso to the mane salutary Statutes poised during the pet-
ition reign for the I egulation of prisons. It Was toillOsSible
nail to admit t lir re hail been a lamentable increase of crises
within the lat,t two or three years ; yet they cu . d nut 'hot
theit eyes to the late distresses of the kingdonn, occasioned
by the high pr ye of pros isnot, the great demerit' for
and the simultaneous discharge of the Arany Anil Navy., All
those causes c. old nut foil tu produce an increase of crimes.
hid. pendent, huwevet, of ilium cancel, Parliament ought
to cot reel tile stole of the Gauls, and consider one.
(lies the adoption of salutary eirallatirms would not pro-
duce a remedy fur the evil at present arising firm the
crowded state of the prismis. It was advisable to look
well to the etttisc of the iiirrease of crimes, mid see what
wall best I.) be attune to cheek the mass of iniquity, the crimes
swelied the catalii.tue year alter year. bottle bail al_
ttinuted 110 s increase to a sang try Cri sss i s ;al code, Kalil
vtiaeney of pntilshinent. A reference to the returns front
1741 to the present dny, of coos ietions
o unld prove 11141 lite Conviction, and eseeritiont had out
been exeessir V. There was no centilitre to prose 116..1 the
laws were sanguinary. On the contrary, the had beer' oil-
•ititiistere:l petit:sits svlth taus much Minty. With respect to
srutaportaliuu to New Smith Wales, till nasal admit the dread
of that ittlirianneilt was ; anal as toe minaret* of
transports had so lunch ilierea.cal, it Wit 6.t ettnictitplattJal to
enquire whether another et.tablisliatent might not be lorisied
for the most alionaloried convicts. 16. Isar a rival re-
gulation had been entitle, 'lke Convicts bast on interest in be-
having well. Iliwancei had OCCIIe val its which testimonials
of good behaviour sad gained the individuals their hitt' IV
when their term of imprisonment hail had half expired. The
NohleViseount theta drew the attention of the House to the
advantages erisiug from the introdoction of trades jail IlliesA
try into prisons. Hard labour should be required from of-
fenders ; but they sheikhl have the benefit of morning in the
course of their confinement, some useful occupation, by
which they might honestly maintain themselves and shell
famalics when released Mum pimishinent. At the same time
the prisoner, treated with hernabity, should feel that lie had
been punished, and go out with an idea which would deter
him from the commission of crime in future. Prison regu-
lations were to be att.maled to upon the l'imetentiary plan ;
and although some iticollyellit•llee might arise wait suspect
to expense in the erection of buildings to carry into effect
proper arrangeonoits. the Co. iiiiii tire would not abandon
their plans on slight e,rostails. "[he Noble Viscount cwt
chided by moving, that it Select Co.nuititee he apputined to
take into consitimation the several papers laid on the table,
by command of his Royal Highness the Prince Regent, 1.111
the 19th, tad, and 23th of Feba nary inst. relative to lite state
of gaols in Foreland and Wales, and several other matters
therein contained ; and to report ilsrfrust.
The Matquis of LANSDOWNE considered the motion only
objectionable ilinsintich as it slial not give sufficient direction
to the ummtittee. would hove to consider 750
Acts of Parliument, connected with the criminal laws, betel e
they could furnisit the House with information as to what
were the regulations to be atop ed. On that ground he ob-
jected to guilts into a Committee without they were fin-
seislied with additional direction. They might, under the
direr lion then proposed to be given, report a better but wore
equal innate Of pititi.dvnient ; also a proper distinction to be
nude between pi isoners befure and after piiiir.lieuent. Pri-
sons wets defective if they did nut afford one .mode
of treatment befere ermvictiou and another after,
it they did not prevent that contautioating site. t
which had increased crimes, it would be desirable
that the 'Committee slion:d devise means to bring such
repo' ts or the slate of prisons before the public us Might
tend to correct anti dimitiisla crimes. Lastly they should
establish th it species of labour which should be observed by
prisoners. The Noble Marquis did not propose any athletic!.
went.

The motion ;vas then carried ; and Lnrd Sidmonth moved
that the Comunttee du con)ist of the fu110,% iug Lui ds

The Lord Chula:llor, I Lord Waitworth,
lite Lord Vrvsident, I Lord Beauchamp,
The Marquis of Lansdowne, The liishop of Chester,
The Earl of Carnarvon, The Ili hop of Landatf,
The Earl of Livapool Lord Holland,
The Karl of Lauderdale, Lord Kenyon,
Earl Alulgrave, Lard Aueland,
lord Louadale, and other,.

The above Lord* will, of course, form the Committee.
After some discussion on the employment of clititheis in
the cotton factories, during tuo many hours in the do, this
House adjourned.
•