The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1818-11-13 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE BRITISH PRESS.

read in your Paper of last week, a stitemeni
whiele purported to hr the presentment of site Crawl July ol
the City of Lund on, relative to the state of Nctvgate, ant!
the talon of the prisoners therein. 'fhe authenticity of
this dueoment 1 cannot dotila,, but I roafcss nu pablicati ssss
has ever sitrpristal IIII! more. The Gratis! Jury !octet'', "-that
having visited the gaol of Newgale, they sire mach gratified
by the order, elm I iness,and ea (thrived in erery part"
Nu dotilit the Grand Jury did, in 'aunt of fact, walk ever
this prison ; hut the notioas ell comfart alma mater oleic!' they
entei min most he peculiar to and were probably
framed to justify all they saw. 1, tem, visited Newcate
Tuesday hot, the 3d inst. and forma 40 persons m Ilse con-
e:rattiest. COIN eider sentence of 'lentil; two of them buys
shout 15 yests of age. These 40 permits were shut up its
15 cells (being sit arty three in cat II) a hid" 'of 111 41111111.11Plioa
• feet tun` by seven wide; anti the prisumrs tire shut up
in them nl least 12 hums in the 24. 1 wouhl then ask any
umnber of persons in the Itiugelione, excepting only the City
of 1.4110.111 Grand Jary, 1f ..thin Made of sss ss en! be
apt so much Wally :torture ?
.1101 even allovtiNg that, as the
lives of these pour wretches arc furfrilyd, It is lilting to fill
up the interval bet wrest their summite awl she earl mien, of
them, by the intlielion of a certaiss portion of buddy suf-
fering, there is yet a enure imp.iitcuu imestimi to be con-
sidereal-.-usentely, What are the motal yllects of thus mix-
ing together as ;classes', of prisimers ? Some ;If these
Miserable beings arc to lie exert:tett. Do the (Brand Jut y
Hlfall 10 approve of (hit spttan.,sts a mode of fuligioUs
preparation for the day lilies' the terrible sentence of the law
is to hi' carried luta (street ? Did any of the Gentletioci lake
the trouble even of what the victims themselves
thought of the comfort and ureter whirls are sitard to he so
mauifrat Mee and elsewhere in the prison? Did the Grand
Jury ask the I hdivary, 1)r, ('Otto,,, what ware his opinions
upein Ibis subject' Du they out know, that he spoke Iwtore
the Prison and Pollee Committees, with the horror that be-
came him as a Minister of the Gospel of Christ, of the 1111-
refalli and irreligious (street of slits part of the Netegate sr_
reingivictit• Li troth, the bodily pain endured is happiness
to their mental anguish. .
Ti, lilt VififlUa auJ ill*Pleigrlte—to those who trek to striVe
nut ot ilo ir minas all thought of the future, and all recol-
lections of the past—this made of bum is sssssss mit may inpire
feelingsof wrier and ronefore in this sort of society all re.
ligiaur conversatiun is banished as PI matter of cons se here
the pertain was 111 is alime theisitzlit uf; the ch.**.ces of tafalle
are disclosed; future robberies are planned; and, above
all, the maul is amused by the detail of former achieve-
ments, of hair-breadth escapes, and Meuse romances of real
life %Stich are the dedglit mid occupation of the idle and
desperate, Bud a Nell WWII the stings of conscience and
cheek the feelings of reniutse. 1 have no thiubt, many of
those aim are cootined in the coudenined cells would very
unwtlliugly exchaiove these amusements fur the solitude
aud rellectiou which become their unhappy condition; but
to the serious and repentant offender, this mixed sassocia.
tie ss of Humber, is the must distressing evil of this ill-toga.
nisei! prison.
It may he of no importance iii the eyes of some persons,
whether the individuals who are hanged die repentant or nut,
blaspheming Gull, and cursing their fellow-creatures ; Of is'
the Imitable but pious hope of forgiveuess, and in charity
with mankind. M lien these poor ignoraist creatures are ex-
ecuted, they are at least out of the way. But of the forty
a list nre e. lemma to death now in Nsa gate perhaps thirty.
five will he spored. Is it then of cumitamence to take ad.
ventav of their unhappy state, stud in this season ed.:lmpair
and doubt to make it also one of lepentanee and retLy-
motion ?
la bulb, I an not know where the wards comfort and or-
der tutu be applied, eNfeill sits Ilia female side, and in the in-
firmary. Do: the Grand Jury know that there is nn room
in Netrgate for pi isosters sit a better situation in life demi
common utrailleas ; and that in under to save Dr. liallorian
lions the siecitly of pickpockets awl shames, this individual
(Khasi. offiatce of fin gam a Gaol:, de.G:anelio2 the revenue of
10.1, the law of England, so just at all times iii pruportian.
Mg Ilse puilishinent to the mime, ham senteoced Su seven
years' transportation) tens, before trisl.runtiiiest in the con-
demned cells, &Humor 30 sir 10 vicious tool idle buys, sisal is
at present in the intirmaiy, living mat 31,1407pa1100r with the
sick felons! No part of this system is 140 be laid to the
flial:C of the keeper, Mr. Bruwu ; he, us' the contrary, does
all he eau to retina) she evils which arise from it. Many of
(tiers' have twee', indeed, 'caresses' of late; the prisouers uo
longer railer fawn famine and a ant of bedding.. All these
miseries, for gems unobserved awl mireprescuted by iospect-
iug Grated Juries, have Iseeu, by those who wt le not the iit-
t alai guardians of the friendless and imprisoned, exposed,
mull are now, I hope, for rails at ;ill
I observe., too, that while the (.and Jury take um notice of
the real erudition of the prisoners, they are very careful to
Moir slue expense abide the City incurs fur the maiuteisance
of She cony tem. This is a grievance which ought to cease ;
but it is as isathing to the state of the condensueil cells; to
the lateness, noise, and intermixture of all classes autl age.,
with the exception of hill uuder 15 ; mid, above all, to the
mural depravities of this school of vice. All these things
the (hand Jury du put seven to have observed ; or if they 11
have, may he lakes' to he altogether Codifies-mit about. 11
I have thus, Sir, ventured to mono:seat upon this strange
document, because it is calculated to mite a belief that all
the mils of ?Seagate have Levu amended; mud that, instead
of theise erievaiwes, moist mail physical, a loch are detailed
in the cricklife isken last year before the Prison Committee
(Mr. Alderman Wood Ist the ('hair), order, cleanliness, and
ecaaturl, air apparent in every' part.
Besides, I fear that this presentment is to be received as a ;
elemonstratiun that the City of Lusidon consider that they •
hove done enough its the way of amendment. nll.l that the
public !lave no right to expect from them a Letter regulated
meal con,11111•Ird
I, Sir. Is, g leave to protrst against coming to this
einwhi 1,1. 41111 aMI the blessing of God will never tease
soy teapots ell."' is to e &et that radical reform*.
lam of - t stahlislimeia, a bleb shall snake it, what it is
soil :a la • Aid, a 4111181 SO title Metruperlis, /mil aim example
to the Lit.;;;:iiia.
I eon; Sir, your obedient Servant.
li. GREY BENNETT.
Walton miaow l'hames, Nur. lb.

The ehimuey-sweepers of Leeds have carried the
process of mluttemiut, to its utmost ercterlt. These
black devils motive to *ix !Lei,. soot (which they
sell to the formers for 'Minnie) With a large por-
tion of dry dye..wsre thit4, t lir selo:.e of the woollen-
orsurtisetorirs in that neighbourhood.
On Friday John Ilurmet, shut Al'Llarnet, was
esevuttd art A het deo,. for venous acts of Irotv.e.
toroltiog mod iht-ft, pus molest In Ili* sentence, or the
lhi Ctr rot Cour!