The Sun.
London, England, 1849-09-27 00:00:00

THE LAYING OF THE FIRS'!'
STONE OF THE NEW CITY PRISON.
Yesterday the first stone of the great City Prison
at Holloway was laid by the Right lion. the Lord
Mayor.
His Lordship left the Guildhall soon after two
o'clock, in his private carriage, for the ground,
accompanied by the Rev. Mr. (Utley, his Lordship's
chaplain, 1)r. David Williams Wire, the chairman of
Prisons Committee of the corporation, and Alderman
Challis, chairman of the committee of the Court of
Aldermen. Several carriages, conveying the sheriffs
and the sheriffs elect, members of the Court of
Aldermen, and members of the Prison Committee
and officers of the corporation followed, and the
cortege arrived at the tent erected on the area ap-
pointed for the ceremony soon after three, and were
received by Mr. Bunning, the city architect, under
whose superintendence the stupendous building is to
be erected. Many of the visitors were surprised
uppn approaching the twelve acres and a half which
constitute the area of the building, to see the gover-
nor's and the chaplin's houses and the wall by which
the whole building is to be surrounded already
raised. The governors and principal officers of the
great criminal prisons of the metropolis were present
during the ceremony.
Upon approaching the stone, the Lord Mayor re-
ceived the various coins of the present reign which
were to be deposited in the stone, and the trowel, from
the hands of Mr. Bunning, who at the same time pre-
sented Mr. D. W. Wire with the mallet, and Mr.
Alderman Challis with the level.
Mr. HENRY WaLTON, who officiated for the town-
clerk, then said : The following is the inscrip-
tion engraved upon the plate to be deposited in the

stone :
" The first stone of this building, erected by and at
the exper4e of the city of London, intended for the
reception of convicted prisoners, was laid on the 26th
day of September, 1849, and in the thirteenth year of
the reign of her Majesty Queen Victoria, by the
Right Hon. Sir James Duke, M.P., Lord Mayor,
assisted by David Williams Wire, Esq., chairman of
the committee of the Court of Common Council, and
Thomas Challis, Esq., alderman, chairman of the
committee of the Court of Aldermen, appointed to
superintend the work, and the members of the Court
of Aldermen and of the Court of Common Council
upon the Prisons Committee. May God preserve the
city of London, and make this place a terror to
evil doers.'"
The stone, which weighed four tons and a half, was
then slowly lowered, and his Lordship having used
the trowel in a singularly skilful manner, it was ac-
curately fitted to its destined position by the architect.
Mr. Wire then struck the stone with his mallet, and
Mr. Alderman Challis ascertained with his level that
the operation was perfect.
The LORD MAYOR, standing over the stone, ad-
dressed the meeting in the following manner :—I hope
I may be excused for making a few observations upon
this remarkable occasion. I have been honoured, as
the first magistrate of the city of London, by an invi-
tation from the Prisons Committee of the Corporation
to lay the foundation-stone of perhaps the largest and
most expensive building ever undertaken by them.
The corporation of London have been always desirous
to do all in their power to promote the public welfare,
by adding to the security of life and property, as well
as by co. operating ;in other ways for the accomplish-
ment of great national objects. They therefore
yielded to the wishes of the Government in under-
taking to erect the building which I have just com-
menced. It is no source of congratulation that there
exists a necessity for a prison of more than ordinary
dimensions. It is far otherwise. But it is a source
of gratification to be assured that the moment the
melancholy necessity had arrived, the city of London
entertained too deep a sense of its duty to hesitate as
to the adoption of measures calculated to meet the
exigency. I cannot, however, help saying that as
this is to be a place for the reception of other cri-
minals besides those who must be punished as
offenders in the city of London, .1 expected that
the Government would have made no trivial contri-
bution towards the payment of the heavy cost
it entails upon the corporation.—(Hear, hear.)
This prison is to be the substitute for one which was
built as a model prison by the City under the
superintendence of a great philanthropist who tra-
velled into distant countries with the noble object of
ascertaining the means of alleviating the sufferings
of his fellow-creatures. Giltspur- street Compter was
considered by Howard to be admirably adapted to
the intentions and wishes of the benevolent towards
their unfortunate fellow creatures. A day, however,
has arrived in which defects appear of such a cha-
racter as to call for extensive and permanent altera-
tion, and I hope and trust that the structure we are
now engaged in raising will afford us facilities of im-
proving the prison system, by enabling us to classify,
so that the reformation as well as the punishment of
criminals may be more satisfactorily carried into
effect.—(hear, hear.) It may he supposed that as
we have been called upon to build a spacious prison,
crime must have greatly increased; but if we look to
the increase of the population we cannot arrive at
such a conclusion. If, too, we look at the compara-
tively easy and prompt detection of crime by au ex
perienced and well-regulated pike, who catch hold
of and expose the very smallest offences, we cannot
assert that those of greater magnitude have become
more numerous ; on the contrary, we may congratu-
late ourselves on the fact that though a heinous de-
pravity now and then starts up to shock and afflict
us, the crimes of the present day are not of the fero-
cious character of those of former periods. This
softening down of the practice of iniquity is chiefly
attributable to the diffusion of education, mare parti-
cularly of religious education, impressed and incul-
cated as it is by the zealous teaching of our clergy,
who are incessantly pointing out to men the essential
points of their duty to their Maker.—(Hear, hear.)
I have said thus much to show that though here is
occasion for more accommodation, the necessity does
not arise from the increase of crime. I do not see
that there is any necessity for detaining you longer
by any remarks of mine. I hope the Almighty will
look down with a blessing upon the object we have
in view, and I hope that this structure will be pointed
at as a memorial of the philanthropy of the corpora-
tion of London, and that it will not only be, as the
inscription indicates, " a terror to evil doers," but a
means of accomplishing the blessed work of reforma-
tion.—(Cheers.) I now give way to my chaplain,
Mr. Ca'ley, who will read to you a prayer which he
composed for this occasion, and with which this
ceremony will terminate.
The Rev. Mr. CATLEY then emphatically read the
following prayer, which was listened to with the most
solemn attention
" Almighty Lord God, the preserver of all men,
the Saviour and sanctifier of the world, look down in
mercy upon this solemn ceremony, at which tby
bumble creatures unite in prayer.
" We confess that, in proportion as we have multi-
plied as a nation, we have also multiplied in crime.
But, conscious of thy righteous indignation against
sin, we would endeavour to restrain its power and to
avert its terrible consequences.
" We deplore the necessity of the institution which
will be raised upon this foundation-stone. In this
solemnity we are reminded how we all deserve thy
displeasure, and how earnest should be our personal
endeavours to strive to enter in at the straight gate of
thy gospel kingdom.
" But we heartily join in a prayer of faith, that
through the increase of knowledge, through the
preaching of thy word, by the efforts of individual
philanthropists, through the union of all believers, and
through the meditations and prayers of thine ancient
people Israel, the time may come when our beloved
country may turn heartily unto thee 0 Lord, when
crime shall be abhorred, when the sorrows of the
prison-house shall be known no more, when moral
misery shall cease and godliness and virtue abound.
" And while we pray that this our labour may be
abundantly rewarded, grant that the day may come
when these abodes of misery and these cells of woe
may be deserted and untenanted, and be viewed only
as memorials of a state of society long passed away.
" Accept our earnest prayer for our most gracious
Queen, for her Majesty's Royal Consort, and for all
the branches of the Royal house ; for all assembled
here, the Lord Mayor, the Aldermen, the Sheriffs,
and for all that bear office in that body ; and may our
voices ascend, oh, heavenly Comforter, to the footstool
of thy throne, for Jesus Christ's sake our Lord."
The moment the prayer was concluded the Lord
Mayor, aldermen, committee, and officials entered
their carriages and drove to town.
The proceedings gave great satisfaction to all pre-
sent.
The prison is intended for the separate confine-
ment of 400 convicted prisoners, and has large work-
rooms attached. It can also be made available for
the confinement of prisoners on the congregated
system. The building is to be in the castellated style
of architecture, and the main fronts are to be faced
with Kentish ragstone.
A. tower of considerable height will form a pro-
minent feature, and by it the whole of the prison is to
be ventilated. On each side of the main approach to
the prison, and fronting the Camden road, a hand-
some dwelling-house, faced with red brick and
Caen stone, will be erected as residences for the
governor and the chaplain. The entrance gateway
and the porter's lodge will also be in the cat•tel-
lated style of architecture, faced with Kentish rag-
stone. The front portion of the main building, which
will stand at a considerable distance from the road,
will consist of a centre building, containing in the
basement reception cells, bath rooms, examining
rooms, fumigating rooms, furnace rooms, and the
principal staircase to the ground floor, which will
contain offices for the governor, the magistrates' room,
and rooms for the medical officer and chaplain, and
also separate visiting places, in which the prisoners
ma ibe allowed to see their relations.. On this floor
will boa spacious corridor leading to the portion of