The Sun.
London, England, 1865-10-24 00:00:00

A VISIT TO PORTLAND

(Pram a Correspondent of the Morning Post)

Portland, besides being a strongly-fortified place,
has also a large convict establishment, of which we
now proceed to give a brief description. Trans-
portation to our colonies furnished us at one time
with an easy, but rather expensive, mode of getting
rid of our convicted criminals. Previous to the
gnat struggle which ended in the independence of
the United States, felons were sent to the " planta-
tioxis," and subsequently to Botany Bay, and several
other settlements in Australia, where their labour
proved useful to the colonists, and who found them-
selves in the possession of a country abounding in
undeveloped resources. Their presence, however,
carried with it mortal contamination to the families
of the settlers ; and of late years, with the excep-
tion of one colony—Western Australia—all the
others protested against the continuance of the sys-
tem, and they have further objected even to compa-
ratively well-conducted criminals being landed in
any part of that continent. Their labour was use-
ful to the inhabitants so long as emigration from
Europe was conducted on a small scale ; but when
combinations of circumstances of late years caused
thousands of persons from Great Britain, Ireland,
and Germany to push their fortunes in a land pos-
sessing a virgin soil, genial climate, gold, copper,
and other mines, besides boundless pastures, public
opinion at the Antipodes underwent a decided
change, and the Government and people of this
country saw clearly that neither sound policy nor a
reasonable regard to the wishes of our countrymen
in their new homes could justify us in forcing upon
them a class of persons whom they abhorred. It
was contemplated at one time to send some of our
reformed criminals to the Cape of Good Hope, but
they proved to be as unwelcome there as they had
been in other places. It then 'became evident that
we must deal with our ccnvicts at home, with the
exception of such as could be received at the Ber-
mudas and Gibraltar. So many " Government men"
in Australia, after having served their time,
subsequently acquired wealth, that transpor-
tation ceased to have those terrors for evil-
doers which the stern discipline of Botany Bay at
one time inspired. The popular agitation which
was got up some 16 years ago against capital
punishments, and the facilities granted to convicts
of obtaining their liberty long before the expiration
of their sentences, all conspired to increase the
number of murderers, garroters, and burglars. Par-
liament, however, recently passed an act which
lays down in a very strict manner the conditions
under which convicts shall obtain tickets-of-leave.
When at large they are still under the surveillance
of the police, and flogging, after conviction, has
been found to act as a salutary check on ruffians
who attempt to strangle and rob unsuspecting way-
farers when passing along deserted streets or unfre-
quented roads by night. Dartmoor and the esta-
blishment at Portland have been designed to pro-
vide safe custody and employment to prisoners. The
construction of the breakwater and of the "verne
fort" required an amount of labour which convicts
could easily supply, and to this task they were set
under vigilant and intelligent supervision. The
great ditch which isolates the " verne" from the rest
of the island was cut out of the rock by those whose
crimes against society had deprived them of their
liberty. Paid workers afterwards conveyed the
materials so obtained along a tramway in trucks
drawn by locomotives to the bed, where, combined
with the debris of the quarries, they now form the
present breakwater. As this national undertaking
may be said to be complete so far as the formation
of a harbour of refuge is concerned, the
inmates of the prison are at present chiefly en-
gaged in the quarries in " making stone" (as it is
called in the island)—i. e., quarrying and dressing
it so as to prepare it for Government
use. Warders, thoroughly armed, are stationed by
night as well as by day on every eminence, who
are always within hail of one another ;
and sentinels both within and without the prison
walls exercise a vigilance which Jack Sheppard him-
self could not evade. The establishment is managed
by a governor, two deputy-governors, two chaplains,
and two medical men ; and these, together with the
warders and other officials, constitute a staff of
about 200 persons. There are always several com-
panies of soldiers stationed at the "verne fort," who
could at a minute's notice turn out to quell a mutiny.
The ferry bridge, which spans a small arm of the
sea that extends behind a portion of Chesil Beach
in the direction of Abbotsbury, is guarded by a few
soldiers, and, as the convict-dress is well-known,
there is little chance of escape in that direction.
During a stormy night, some years since, a Belgian
contrived to elude the vigilance of the warders on
Portland and succeeded in getting away—having, it
is supposed, crept on all fours over the bridge, and
passed the sentry-box while its occupant was asleep.
He was never heard of from that day to this. A
telegraphic wire connects Weymouth with Portland,
and as the barracks of the former place are always
occupied by soldiers, in addition to the Royal Engi-
neers now engaged on the fortifications at the Nothe,

it is evident that any attempt at an outbreak would
be suppressed almost as soon as made. Some time
ago a false alarm caused the Engineers employed
on this fort to throw down their tools and hurry off,
armed, to suppress a mutiny ; but before they
reached their destination (we believe on board a
steamer) they found out that their services were not
required. A railroad now connects Portland with
Weymouth. The prison now contains 1,507 inmates,
none of whom were described to us as coming under
the designation of notorious offenders, unless Roupell
may be so regarded; but he is now looked upon as
an old convict, and works in a gang like any of the
others.

On making our way, by Fortune's Well, up a
steep ascent, where you encounter horses drawing,
along a tramway, low waggons, strongly con-
structed, and laden with dressed blocks of the
famous Portland stone, some of which weigh several
tons, we at length reached elevated ground, com-
manding views of the mainland, the Roads, and
Weymouth Bay; and here the white cliffs visible on
the northern shore present a very striking appear-
ance, especially in the vicinity of Lulworth, where
the strata have been evidently tilted up by some
great convulsion of nature, while the English Chan-
nel and West Bay complete a most extensive pano-
ramic view, which has only to be seen in order to be
appreciated. As soon as we reached the grounds
belonging to the Government, we were at once made
aware, by the presence of warders in uniform and
armed with a sword, that our presence was noticed,
and we were asked in a civil manner what our
business was. After passing a number of neat-
looking cottages, mostly built of wood, where the
warders live, and the governor's house, which is a
plain but comfortable-looking residence, with a con-
siderable extent of garden ground, we found our-
selves at the principal entrance to the prison. Here
we entered our name, residence, and by whom in-
troduced, in a book kept for that purpose. A gang
of convicts, some dressed in yellow clothes, others
in blue—the latter indicating that the wearer has
served a portion of his time, and in some instances
stamped with peculiar marks—passed us with heavy
tread, closely followed by several warders. These
had been out in the quarries, and were returning to
their dinner. In the office at the gate we found a
decent-looking middle-aged woman, who had come
to see her son previous to his embarkation for
Western Australia, whither a vessel was shortly to
convey a batch of men. She looked sad ; but the
officials spoke to her very kindly, and at the regular
hour for such interviews her request would be
granted. The criminal classes not only war against
society, but in numberless cases also cause terrible
anguish to relatives and friends,
The chief warder, a most intelligent man, con-
ducted us over the place, and explained the various
details of prison life, which he was most competent
to do, having been einployed on the establishment
since its formation.
The cells, which are six and a half or seven feet
long, and four and a half in width, arc well venti-
lated and kept scrupulously clean. Every man is
furnished with a hammock, a hair mattress, two
sheets, a blanket, and a rug. He is also provided
with a broom, two sorts of combs, a pint basin,
spoon, plate, towel, pair of stockings, candlestick,
and " save-all"—this last contrivance has proved to