The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1820-05-24 00:00:00

beginning to discover that it was by acting on the
principles of the holy religion, which we all be.
tiered and professed, that we were to accom.
plish an important purpose for matikind ? Was
it only now we were discovering the means
which, if properly pursued, %mold take away froth
renew-creatures the fetters that were only adapted
to the spirit and character of a darker age—for he
wait' that they were a disgrace to an enlightened
age ?—(flear.).-Wus it nor, for the first time,
we saw that man could act on man for the
meat beneficial purposes ; that nothing like
vengeance was to be pursued in the treatment of
tato:eters ? We should recollect that numbers of
-iersons were trained to vice from their cradles, and
should these be punished for whet they had never
been taught to avoid ? He anticipated that the
amelioration of the mass of mankind would be the
consequence of that day's meeting, for the eyes of
the whole world were fixed optin them. An excelo
lent friend, resident (as we understood) at New York,
and himself had lately taken an extensive tour, hot
their first, with views similar to those which had led
to the formation of the Society. lie should not ft.
tempt to represent the distressing spectacles which
met them in different prisons ; he should not at-
tempt to describe their f•elings when they sine
scenes of deep woe and misery, which a little or.
rangement would have prevented. When they
saw a human being loaded with a hundred weight
of irons—with fetters, en his Legs as large as the roll
of paper in his hand, so that it was necessary to
stisiiend them by a rope missing over a
order that the wretched being might occasionally
enjoy the ease arising from a change of situation pod
posture—when they found wretches immured in
dungeons, from which the light of heaven was ex-
cluded, greeting them with looks which penetrated
into the pool. He wished he could introduce them,
%loon he addressed. to these scenes; but to the
render sensibility of their hearts, lie knew that no
great stimulus was necessary to prompt to deeds of
believolence. Front this day forward they would
be an example in the eye of the world, and would
:hew that the scheme which they had assembled to
primate, was founder! on reason aud good sense.
Ile shoalil abstain from going into particular in.
stances of mismanagement which had been pee.
vented in them on the Continent, because when
they applied to the higher • powers, they found
tltisin *ninnies to discover the means of alleviating
the mieery, the existence of which they deplored
notch as themselves.—(Near.)—ho many in=
st were they had been the humble instruments
iii having chains and manacles knocked off the
Oufortuttsto.—(,Near.)—ln travelling through Nor•
e..y and Sweden they had found the number of
• compared with the populatina, small.
1;ot in Norway and , Sweden, it should be re-
membered, that great pains were taken in the
id:gimes relocation of youth.—(Hear, hear.)—•
one place the gaol continued but five or alit in.
mates. nod the gaoler was an old woman. lit one
district of Sweden. which contained a population
sof ,200,000, there were but 80 individuals in its
proem). In these two countries persons could not
exercise the rights of citizens ; they could not even
be married without knowing how to write.—
(Hcar.)— It had been a great satisfaction to ahserve
the balmy results of this eduiraiimt. la Sweden it
was nn toncommon sight to find peasants reading a
pennon of the Scriptures to their families in 'the
• Truing. Property might he left on the road
there without any fear of depredation.—(Heor.)—
Ile had heard of a large runt of paper money
Weir!. hewn transmitted from one part of :hat
eon otry to another, having to pass through the
hands of various individuals aware of the contents
or the eased. sod not only that, hut eueli having
to ply himself nut of it for his own Ivbour. fie
had the happineea to know that the King of Sweden
oco.rded entirely with the views of this Society,
nod wja desirous of promoting every object pro.
p•Thol by it..-(Dear.)-00 proceeding to Itussia,asid
mumcating with the Emperor, he assured them
that lie felt the importance and value of the same
.plijects most deeply, and that they might depend
011 his exertions for promoting them. lo Italy
nitwit public attention had been bestowed on the
"bier'. and they hat received communications
from the highest quarters in that country. The
Ministers of the King of Naples expressed their
concurrence in the sentiments felt by them-
eelses. The Grand Duke of Tuscany acted is the
earn.' manner. The Kings of Bavaria end Wirtem-
her4 ',Meetly understood the subject, and looked
with et eat interest to the proceedings at home. In
the States of Switzerland, which contained so
minty enlightened and philanthropic characters,
similar feelings were in operation, col at this
momeot they were desirous, in Geneva, to
build a prison on the plan which should be
recommended to them by this Society. In many
parts of Germany their progress was viewed with
a very lively interest.—/Hear, hear.)—He was
hound to state, that on many ports of the Conn-
oted England had something to learn. Mr. Allen
then described the appearance which the Maison de
FORS, at Gent, hail !presented to some late visitors.
Were it not for the nature of the structure it might
have been supposed to he twine well.regulated
manufactory—the ctankinz of a single chain was
not to be heard—no conversation was allowed at
work but what was absolutely necessary. For one
thousand prisoners twelve turnkeys were found suf.
tmeicnt. At Munich the regulations for the employ-
'Dent of the prisoners were so excellent that their
support cost the state absolutely nothing, and on a
late settlement of accounts at one prison, there
leas actually a surplus of the produce of labour
"hove expenditure. lii considering this lostitutioo,
and the important objects it had in view, it was
pleasure to reflect that in the projects fur its ad-
vancement it was almost impossible to mingle any
thing like smarty spirit. Tory had there men of all
parties enlisted on their side ; they knew that they
should receive the support not only of our own
Goverment, but of every Government in Europe,
for statesmen were not to be told that the public
safety and tranquillity mainly depended on the
moral and religious dispositions, the honest and iii-
illietrions habits of the great mass of the people.
This Society had taken on itself to solve one of the
moat important problems ever suggested to the
human mind..." What are the hest memos to re-
claim vicious and deprived men ?"—The first step
in the process certainly was to prevent them from
becoMing worse—to guard against their contami-
nating one soother...to teach them to " erase to