The National Register.
London, England, 1820-05-29 00:00:00

SOCIETY
FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF PRISONS I THE
REFORMATION OF JUVENILE OFFEND.ERS.

On Tuesday a most numerous and respectable meeting
took place at the Freemnsons' 'Desert', for the purpose of
entering into Resolutions for the improvement of prison dis-
cipline, and ref°. motion of the unfortunate children with
whom the metropolis abounds. The Duke of Gloucester in
hit Chair.
A great number of ladies attended, amongst whom we
observed Mrs. Fry and several of the Society of Friends.—
Amongst the Nolilemeti and Gentlemen, there were the Mar-
quis of Cansdown, Lord Auckland, Earl Grosvenor, the
Honorable Grey Bennet, Mr. Buxton, Sir Thomas Graham,
Dr. Costello iiiii tkr. &c.
At our o'clock the Duke of Gloucester entered the room
amidst the applause' of the company. Upon taking the
Chair he regretted that be should not he able to remain long
in that situation, as the state of his health etas by no means
to be envied. He then stated that Mr. Buxton would inform
them of the rise and pro;:yess of the Society, which was so
numerous, and had already been productive of such advan-
tages to society.
Mr. Buxton then addressed the Assembly. The Institu-
tion, I.e said, took its rise in consequence of the accidental
observation made by a benevolent individual, of the case
of a buy under nine years of age, alto had been sent to
prison four times fur detkrent robberies. Upon enquiry it
was found that there were 400 cases of a similar kind.—
When this representation was made, many humane prisons
contributed to rescue poor thiloren from the dreadful exam-
ple of experienced depredators. The state of the prisons
in the metropolis at that time was so horrible, that the mo-
tored a person was committed, all hopes of reforma-
tion were lose, there be.ng nothing of classitii anent, and all
sorts of ofesiders being huddled together a nitwit restraint
or discipline of any kind. The c 1111 l Itlittee nose, lied a
scene of iniquity which opened their eyes. The plan they
intended to adopt was, to give youthful delinquents protec-
tion, plain f I, and exact discipline, to render sheer tutu-
ations by no means enviable in poi.d of comforts. and to
keep them out of the reach of contamination. Formerly
Netegate was the scene of idleness, gambling, and polluting
language, and of course could be considered undoing less than
a place of encourtagement to those vices a hick caused its
imitates to be shut within iis walla. A differeed system
had been burl, acted upon, and the glut.ous conduct of
the ladies wear visited the pris .n had led to conseqnences
extensive anti admirable. Au instance 4.1 the influence such
example had upon the female pre earns occurred some time
ago, upon the occasion on which the kllllllrll were said to
have rebelled. A tumult had taken place, but out of nearly
a hundred females to inure that eight. en joined is the
disturbitoces, the rest having, without hesitate 1111 l refused to
act in opposition to the directions they had been in tie habit
of receiving. It was calculated that there were i.ow 5000
boys in the metropolis living by daily and nightly depreda
tines. Mr. Buxtuu theft, iii speaking of the foreign ope-
rations of the institutton, Bald that must of the contturutal
acidosis were pi eparens to adopt the system.
The Malmo' tit Causeloan ruse to move the first resolution,
which rel..led to the number of children who supported
ittellitoelVt s by robberies.
Lord Auckland secouded the resolutiou.
The Ouse of Gloucester retired alter the thanks of the
meeting had been given to him, ild the Patron of the Society
anti Chairman of the meeting B. fore he went, however,
he staled, that the expellees atteudant upon the too-fold
object of the Society had been unavoidably serious. A
heavy debt existed, for the liquidation of which, as well
as for the prosecution of future labours, the Committee
made this their first appeal, confidently relying on the
iberality of that public, whose welfare and happiness so
intimately depended upon the diminution of crime.
Several other resoliaiiihs were proposed, and Mr. Allen
of the Society af Friends, u benevolent moo, who has visited
all the prisons on the Commein as well as those its his own
country, stave All interesting account of the state of the dif-
ferent gaols. lie desceihed the honesty of the Swedes to be
so great, that a mail may tease his 11111 l iey to the public roads,
sad the people would pass it by. An old at/Wall was gaoler,
he said, tie a past of Nora ay.
The resolutions were 4Lreed to unanimously, and the
meetingeeparateil, after a soloseripell/li had been made.

COMMUN. COUATIL.
A Court of Continuo Council was on Friday convened
for the purpose of considering the prom% ay of petition-
mg the House of Commons to institute an immediate
inquiry into the state of the representation of the pen-
pie in that house ; and to take such measures as iniglll
lead to an tifeetual and constitutional reform of those
:Abuses which might be found to exist, as the best means
of allaying the present discontents, and securing the
rights of the people, the stability of the Governllloll,
and the prosperity of the country.
The LORD MAYOR having stated that he received a
requisition capitol upon huu to summon a special Court
to consider iris subject, the requisition was read.
Air. FAVEL then requested that the minutes of the
28111 Noe( oilier, 1816, 20th I)eceniber, 1816, and 23i1
Jauu•lry, 1817, relating to addresses to the throne aim
petitions 111P:1(11Rnlelll 011 the subject of reform, [bigot
he read, and commenced a long speech I.y assuring the
Court, that his object wa% not to raise any frivolous or
vexatious objections, but to discuss the important ques-
tion for %%limit they had assembled Stilly, fairly, and
candidly. It was was th, first time it had been disc•us.t ti
independrii ly 01 any tither subject, and he hoped dui
attention would hr paid to it. I)tiring a hung life In
had been the humble advocate of toe pit elides he tam
wished to mateitain, Slid he could state witi.oto the
slightest fear of contradiction, that be had meter wished
to urge reform upon auy 1)611(.11,1es inconsistent with
the cousin litioll, and had never Cl:sited the adoption on
hasty or violent measures. lie consideren the pies. n•
tittle 111 l has towable to the di•cussuao inn dos suture' ;
the countly 0-d, w a slate of pronounol peace, and 111,
Mil/V(1111R it would be thrown in tin way of a lain in
vestigation. piniciple winch he 5%55 pLculuari)
anxious to cuf,,ree nos, that the 0.14,-111.11.011111 111 -
VtOple was had, aim that .1 tirspil it• inner 'mg.,' tie
created, so as to crush lite i.o%Vt'r 01 lilt! pt.111):C
without any very material cliaiiBe Ili the entostitintion.
lie maintained that the represeintatioil of the people
Could not be tonsidciLd as being, at all ad. quatc, either