The National Register.
London, England, 1819-03-08 00:00:00

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YU): NAT UNA L REGISTIM

Wine awl character, it should not be slow in exercising
Parsimony on such .1 subject would be ahato•t disgrace-
ful. Chaplains, it is trust as I before said, arc appoint-
ed to the primal., and under the 51st and .51. th of the
King, salaries are affixed to the otlice. I mention this
to chew you that the Legislature has not been unmind-
ful erett of these thilt.:;‘,-but still the alunvinms whith
the Clergy r;:eAve fur t eir attentinnce, i.. tn,ircly too
Lout;. Thcy onoclel h.• so etiumerste,l, 55 not only t
p,:rihrm the ord in ary offiees et' the Day (for this
gh). hot to itly alstn.:t ronsixit attention to

and bas anmiuTit-alyenrieavintreri-
to Mut; iro.isiOns Ak
these whttei latest arise It 1 may be allowed to apply
the term, I think that the relie•dy for suc.. evil has
Lees toe...a:died le; the Legislature There is one arise:,
however, 'whet in viewing the subject is of the last int.
romance. and wilicir in tire regula:ion
be duty we te.Ve to Malikitld—that
that caaccial car.: s'r.rulti be taken to me..amrate virtue
from vice and e.t.a those who are muff ring under the
lash of the law aboold not he miser! with those who
may Ixr pert"metly intrimeent, or at least whose t has
toot been prayed. Ido not mean to.iniply that those
who have heel prnnuaneetl etiminal should be visited
than whol.e.monie severite, or be made snore
weete!e..e...lian they are; (God for.':,:d !) hut it is the in-
disiters.rbie .'orty of tile Nlagistracy t t 5... e that the good
be separated f cum t e had. Th.it the Legislature con-
templated this, thette eau be u.s doithe At, long ;ego its
the II male...* -ve-e given to Grand Juries, to
mray* into the State of and particularly in the
'Wet, opolis and great cities. Persons confined 'for debt
were the perntlitr objoets of this .let. The great statute,
however, which embraced the Eampiir into the Sive
of :aunty Gaols was the 'Ll.thof the King, 1784. This
Act laid down in the clearest manner the principle of
classifrettion with respect to prisoners, ens:towering
Mqiat %des to see, and Grand Juges to enquire, whe-
ther a proper separation was inrule of the prisoners who
Lad been tried from those who were untried—of those
who were convicted of very bad crimes from others
guilty of tnirdemeanora only—and, above all, of the
indispensable separation of nude from female prisoners
I do not perceive that at this time there was any regard
to the c!assi.icati.in of prisoners as to age. Of the se-
paration if in fent mimes fatin matured delinquency. Es-
pecial rare, however, seems to have been taken with re-
gard to morals, iratticulatrly as to the prevention of tip..
Lag in prisons. But a later statute than this, and which
made a consit'erable noise in the country, was passed
by the Le,;islat ure, in order to the imp:vet/meat of gaols,
and the coed,. t and ameitorutim of prisoners. This
was the ;fist Gee. 111. where in chapter 46, it was
amerced that the state of gaols should be taken into con-
*Aeration at the Sessions or Assize, and that visiting
Magistrates should be appointed, who were particularly
rata el to examine into the classification of the pri-
soners to enforce ci.eanliaeas and temperance, and in
fact, to secure us much as possible the general cenuthre
of the prisons. You will no doubt be surprised, Gen.
tlemen, utter all those views and precautions of the Le-
gislature, that evils should still exist, and that the state
of prisons should at present engage so much of the pub-
lic attention. 'lla evils do exist there can be no nuubt
and you have a strong instance in your own County
Gael. I know t .at in many respects great blame is at
tacfluble to the keeper of prisons, but t do not mean by
this to make a reflection upon. the Gaoler of this Coun-
ty ; on the contrary, front all I know and learn, he is a
most respectable individual, and most lem.ane and dB-.
runt in his situation. If the classification, therefore,
which has bee() pointed ont by the Legislature, has not
been attended to in your prison, either front its con-
struction of want of room, from its crowded state, that
is not the fault of the keeper. But by attention to the
Act I have last cited, the evil might have been remedied,
fur in- the 11th section) the visiting. Magistrates are
Laund to point out, the state of the Gaols, and particu-
larly the non-elassilication of prisoners, from want of
means or other causes. This should be done frual one
Session or Anise to another, until the evil be retrieved
As to employing prisoners, that is u subject which at-
taches itself more to persons who are sent to the House
of Correction. It is not so much attended to in County
Gaols, but still Magistrates have the power, and there
is a provision for them, to cause prisoners to work if' they
please. There is a great evil itamediately flowing from
this non-attention to the employment and classification
of' the prisouers, aud that. is, that if a person, at the ex-
piration of his imprisonment, be turned adrift without
money, and perhaps without clothes, there is every pro-
bnbility that he will return to vice and his former bad
habits. By the 14th section of the Act mentioned, the
Magistrates are provided with power of inspecting the
prisons, in such a way us to amain a complete know-
ledge of the conduct of its inmates, and to report to the
Juries of Aesizas any itulivklnal, whose behaviour may
be deemed worthy of notice. A peisoura thus reprted,
may have his punishment commuted, and may go forth
from imprisonment. I have brawl of many instantea,
sad have known some myself,. where permers who had
conducted themselves properly, and have been employ-
ed in•prisons, thus going tiirth,. and who have after
wards conducted themselves well in society. On the
contrary, I have known persons who had b..en turned
adrift, as in the former instance, having soon returned
again tu.the very prison (ruin which they had been dis- On the 7th tilt, the King of Bavaria gave a dinner.
charged. The most important olject, however, of all, of 200 covers to the Members of time Senate and House
in the reg alai inn of prisons, in lay opinion is, the culti- of Iteprcsentatives of his new and popular Constitution
vation of n '.igiutt and morality. The latitude:we of the The Queen,, and all the Rapti Family, were present at
Clergy, tlcreforte.fur this purpose, is indispensable, and this too rare union of a King and his peoplo. His Ma-
although t aplaitimi ere appointed to the several gaols, jest' drank a golden cup fill of native wine of Franco-
they arc not sufficiently renumenned ett enable thou uis, to the toast " Prosperity to Bavaria and her States
perform the duty which is so essentially tertttired.— Greneraij" which was answered by Prince ‘Vrede, Pre-
T4is is a matter critic:, must depend almost entirely on .Bi4l.ent of the Chambers, by the tout, " Long lire the
ibv liberality of the country, and which, fir its own K;xb and the Reel

%V 11101

is not en.

the s;ttio.t ion of the prison, and to the aidosion of mora-
lity and re:i2ion lon will, I trust, see at once, Gentle-
' men, the object I have in view in addressing yon upon
these paints, not as Grand Jurors of the county of Hert-
ford merely, but bemuse 1 think they are ive!l,le.,:ere-
ini; your attention man inquest, whose collet.tie and
indivilnal labours may be productive of general good
throughout the country. If reformation and improve-
ment therefore can he effected, I em sere you will give
your het attention to the subject, an.i I beg you will
make such enquiries into the matt-r, before you wpa-
rate, as will lead to fiteilitate the desired object. You
will point out whatever evil you may pensive in the
gaol, and its management, and where th • prinepal ?auk
exists; whether us to want of room, proper chuisifitst-
thin or any o: her case. When you make these enqui-
ries, Gentlemen, and make known to tn.• the result sug-
gesting at the same time any thing which in your wisdom
you should think fit to be done, I will take care to re-
port the thing, and to obtain the assistance of my learn-
ed Brother (Bsyley), who will with me, I am sure,
join mat heartily in seconding your views for the aceom.
plishment of the great objects to which I have thus at
such length awakened your attention. With these ob-
servations, Gentlemen, I now dismiss you, in order to
the performance of your high and important duties."

Tug Law's DISPATCH.-0a Tuesday a young man
named Mitch-1, a notorious character, who had been
discharged only the precediug day from prison, was
brought up before the Surrey Magistrates, at Union-
hall, charged with having robb.xl, on the over night, a
Mrs. Davies, of a gown and some articles of wearing
apparel. The charge being proved. he was immedi-
ately hilly committed tbr trial at the Surrey Sessions;
a bill of indictment was preferred the same morning
befoft the Gsand Jury ; a true biil was found ; Mitchel
was put oil Ina trial by two o'clock, and before three he
was convietcl and sentenced to seven years transporta-
tion.

Tuesday. a Meeting was held at the City of London
Tavern„..-Lord Gambier in the t -hair, to take into eon-
sideration the very deep distress at present prevailing
among the itOabitants of the Stilly Islands. The Sleet-
ing was numerous and highly respectable. Certain re
lutions were adopted, a Committee formed, and sub-
scriptions cotered into for the sufferers.

The number of Electors oho voted on the recent
‘4.%tuduster Election were 8363, and the majority
obtainfsl over Mr. flobbouse by Mr. Lamb was 604.
The polling on the last flay wts nearly equal, Mr.
Hohhouse haring only a majority on the day's poll of
4. There were upwards of 6000 electors woo did not
vote.

La Fontaine, though celebrated fire the genuine wit
of his tales, was in appearance so stupid, that a Lady,
who protected him, used to say, that " whatever re-
forms she might make in. her household, she liould
never part with her three favourite brutes—her dog,
her cat, and her poet."

At the Opera on Saturday week just when the
overture was commenced, the whole of the gas-lights
went out, and the house was left in "darkness visible"
fur about fire minute,.

It is- it length determined, that a Commission. of
Oyer and Ter miner. and General Gaol I)eliyery, shall
issue iwo 'he four Norther' Counties; and Mr. Rainc,
the King's Council, is to preside nn the occasion.
The .113 ruing Herald says—" We understand. tint
Col. Huy has been honourably acquitted by the Court
Martial who tried him : and that the albeit 1 annuncia-
tion of the result will be made from the office of the
Commander-in-Chief in a few days."

Letters, have been received from• Cadiz to the
191 h, and from Madrid to the 2AI ult. The Spanish
Government, finding that the new system of raising
money, b.) increasing the Duties on Imports at Cadiz,
Carthagenia, and other places, lies been attended with
scarcely any success, a Decree bus jnst. been issued,
taking. off these duties, and placing the trade on the
Gating an- which it stood a short tine back

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711 E DRAMA.