The Sun.
London, England, 1810-07-13 00:00:00

STATE giotkralsoNs.

Mayor.

A COMMON. COUN et L, holden in the Chamber of the
the Guildhall ot the City. ot Londuti. un Wednesday, the
sth day of tune, 1813.
The Committee for General Purposes dici this day deliver
into this Court, d iteport in writing ,1.111(1c1 their hands. on
Sir Kiehard publication, in relation to the Prisons
within this City; which Was read, and the consideration
thereof 'adjourned ; and it is Ordered thy the, said Report be
printed, And d COpt:thgreot; sent to every Member. ot-this
Court.

wooDT tio PE.
To the Right Honourable the LORD MA YO R. ALDE K-
M N and COM i 1,19 NS, of the e Icy of London, in Cum-

mon Council aqxmoied.

.
We, whose names are hereunto subscribed of your Corn.
mince tor general purposes, to whom it was referred on the
21st day of tune last,. to examine into the allegations con-
iii a publication by Sir t(ichard Phillips,' Kitt. late one
of the Sherith of this City and County of Middlekx, ad.
dressed to the Livery of London, relative to the State of the
dill:fLin Gaols of this City, and the lees talon by the re-
spective Keepers, and to rep,art •ut' opinion thereon, do cer-
tify, 1 hat we referred the same to a Sub- Committee, ,woo
have accordingly made a Report to us, which we have 6su3-
ed to-be hereunto annexed , and as far as the inquiries ut that
Sub-Committee have gone, t hey found the said pablicat ion of
Sir Richard Phillips to nave., been correct ; and we unani-
mously agreeing with the Sub- Coniurt tee in their said Re.,
port, subhut the same to the judgment ut this Honourable •
Court. Dated this 16th day of May, iSro. •

Ino. Pullen Wit. Child
I. lacks J. R. Niander
Iciciiii I.)aw • Win. Rawlins
ltobt. IVattlinlan Jonathan Delver
Char. A bridge Sainuei 1 hutilas
tames Brooks win. Om. Recves
botnaa bell Edw. W I.tii
I no. Ord Jacob BOA.
1110. riamman _

TO THE WORSHIPFUL. COMMITTEE FORCE.

NERAL PURPOSES.

We, w hose tiatimes,are heteuuto subscribed of year
Sub-Conaanttee, to whom it was refe.red to Like
into consideration the Order of Re ere-nee Iron, -tile
Court of Common Council of Lie 21 s. of J one lasi,
to examine into the allegation, contaitteo in 'f,.c:fon-
licci:ion by Sir Rici,aru iaie one of the
Sheriffs of this city. and county ot
dressed to the Lively o. LWIO,II, relative to ,he
state of the diffeic,,t.Gaols ot (ins City, cud the .1( e,
.taken by the respactive Ikeepers, at.o mu report our
opinion.thereon ; do certay, Tom mu oiet.r tome
cau.,iiy to carry into (A,vm,Altmoo the of Lie
Court, .reapplied to NlatL,cw Woucl, E,q. and John
Atkins, E,q. Sheriff's, for ih(it perwissioo to view
the Prisons, and to make such toquiries a- olio be
dee tied necess try; with Which• request ilia Geo-
tlemen immediately complied, and imoriwa us by
tter, that they had given uirections t i the he.
of the several Goals to ibis City, cotinoed to i.io it
care, to attend us whenever tve mie,bt think proper
to view the same for the purpose* 01 our ,try.
cioailied with this. authority, We proceeded to' the
gaol. of NeWgate (without any prevtouS notice
whatever to the Keep, rs) conceivin4 tica Prison
caned for our earliest andittoost serious iSite4ll.io4l. WC
fon:id Mr. Sohn Addison Newman, the Keeper, at'
hone, and %Vete attended t.y ban and firs Cork,
when we inspeded the said la pion; and made sucu
inquiries relating to the a, eianniodai ion, fixed re-
gulations, and the acct ot ot fees of the prism), to-
gether with the use ot irons, as appeared to Its best
adaiited to obtain the object of our iuvestia., ion, and
A& Lich visit we afiewards repealed at several times.
From ow examination it appeared to us that the
gaol of Newgarey upon its pitheni conSirilcri,n, is
by no means equal to the ac‘ommodation ikplfed'
for the ayes .igr number of prisoners confined there-
in, particularly in that part approriated' for fanale
criminals : and in September Sessions List, there
were 515 prisoners, 182 of w nom were demors-;
tut' Mr. Newman has known (white Mr. Alterman
was keeper) 1000 prisoners to hive been confined
at one time in that gaol ; .aird.in the years f XB9, and-
-1790, there were from 8 to 900. lu trines of peace
taere is a far greater number of prisoners than in
periods of war; but the average ,number during the
war, is horn 4 to 500 ; and at particular limes, such
as the commencement of the different bessi,ins, they
considetauly exceed •that propot Lion. Nevvgate will
conveniently accommodate oaiy 490 prisoners, viz.
300 male and 80 tcnsale criminals, wish 94 male and
ferryile debtors; but the great space of ground
upon which than prison stands, may be rendered
capable of containing a gre-aier noinner by alloy+ ing
a more &qua' pr,.,roortion of .room: fur each prisoner
indiscriminately.
That during the time of war; it frequently hapa
pens there ate as many female criminals as male;
and in September Sessions Darr, there were out of
333. cr.rnwals, 160 females, alio tiro accommodation
in the p:•ison being only calculated for 80 females,
the Keeper had no oilier resource than that ()lap.
propriating a part of the male bide for the females,
after the men were locked up, and removing theta
back again to their own side, preVious to the cloths
of the men's Wards being uul.lcked for the day,
which was attended with wed i.wonvenience acid
difficulty, and great distress was fievertheleis ex-
perlenced during the day, from so wini females
being necessarily compelled to be together in the
confined space allotted for them.
That from the present appropriation, of the'several
yards and wards .of the Gaol, although at, present
and between the times of holding the 44.:0M0n5,
con-
sidutrable accommodation is afforded toe male cri-
minals as to space, Mr. Newman stated, he could
not separate the ur convicied from the conyiaed, •
however, trifling the cause of the confinement of
the former, or however great the crime. for which
the latter is sawing puntshment,with the exception .
of thoie who have received sentence of tietch, • and'
Who are confined by. themselves; in a part of the
'prison dendminated the Press-yard; and notwith-
standing the great space allotted to the Male ciiini-
nals, yet for wshort. tune previous to and during the
Sessions their number is frequently greaser that, can
possibly be accommodated in that prison.
That having examined Mr. Newman with re-
sped to' the Debtors confined in Newgate, he.stat.'
ed, the number at presentcotifirred there was far
too great for the space allotted to them, and he ex-
pressed' considerable doubt of any pradical benefit
resulting to that description of Prisoner, from any
possible altekation or regulation of the presenLGaol,
on account of many preferring Newgate, even in
its present state, to any c ther Prison, who therefore
do .not tale those steps which would remove them
to more connortable places of confinement'; -arid-,

that if any eillargement was to take place in that
of the Prisons he conceives more Prisoners wokild be
induced to temain there.'

Mr. Newman further represented to us,• that in the
necessarily confined stale of. the Prison, levers and
other contagious disorders were always to be ap-
prehended; ,but eery possible precaution is taken
for their prevention, by frequently washing the
several yards by the means of leathern hose;
.and
by lime-washing the diilerent_ wards and walls, and
by, frequent fumigations' of Vitriolic acid and nitre,
with tar-water or vinegar. Notwithstanding, when.
the numbers exceed six hundred, fevers and other
disorders make their appearance, which, without
great care and attention, would be attended with
serious and dangerous consequences to the health of
the Prisoners, and ultimately to the health of the
Metropolis.
On the subjea of irons, we find they are put on
every person when delivered as a Felon into the
custody of the Keeper of- Newgate ; and Mr. New-
man- stated, that the use of irons is absolutely ne-
cessary for safe custody, -inasmuch as • it would be
iinpossible for the Keepers to know the Prisoners
without them, particularly when newly committed
to their care, especially_ whilst
.strangers are indis-
Criminately admitted to visit the Prisoners during
their confinement : but that if strangers were pro,
hibited from mixing with-the criminals,. Mr. New-
man 'conceives. irons would not be so necessary.
Under the present regulations he has not the, power
of excluding strangers, except in cases of carer-
gencv, and when any escape is apprehended, he is
under tie necessity of locking bp all Velsons
wneiher visitors or otherwise, ntril a strict examina-
tion has taken place, and the apprehension is re-
niove,l. That in the present mode of taking the
Prisoners t wh..,a so many are ordered by the
Court ,o be bro ,glif up at one time, irons are also
abs-lutelv necessary, it being otherwise difficult for
the Keepers to (11,4 ingukh and take-care of their
'Prisoners, innoiig so many persons AR are usually as-
•sembled. in a:.d 'bout the passmg,s ai,d ,the Court
during the Sessions. many of whom are friends and
• aerplai sauce of. the Pri-onets, Who, would doubt-
, heir escape if a favourable opportunity
offered. nut that t, five or six „only were brought
up at one :ime. h ckineetves irons not be n -
ces;.ry,‘. wodlit then be not at all used, for the
Prisoner the time of his Trial. Th..t no
muney u hat, e th. r in tee,or other wise is taken
to his kno‘k ledge fir not putting.trons.on the.Pri-
soiers, or tOr rerno,ing them when -in the Prison ;
and l;.• concei, es it it were so, .and the Prisoner
le6.va:ds make his escape, it wouldbe given
in rvi,fence. against him (the Keeper) for a
and he should sillier, accordingly.; but that
,he has Ito knowledge, of, money behig
taken- for this indulgence, he belle es _the Under,
kee'Pers do receive some gratuities fur what are de
nominated indulgences.

• That no , one however presumes to remove the
Irons from any prisoner Without having his permis-
sion, and that he Usually grants thisindu;geoce to pri-
soners who have been some time in the Trisoni and"
are well known to the Keeper;: and who during-
the time of their confinement, have behaved them-
selves quietly and orderly, •in such a manner as to •
warrant the risk he runs by so-doing, and that one..
of the conditions 'ot this indulgence is, that they'
shenld assist eYery:'tnorniegiu cleaning out the
Pd scouritie the floors. •_ '
That no alteration has taken place in the fees re-
ceived by the Keeper since the year) 72g.
• And we find, that a number of-the fees are not
paid by the prisoners themselves, particularly the
tees of all criminals pardoned to go for soldiers,
WhiCh are paid by Government ; and that it .some-
times happens a prisoner may, be detained after a
• free pardon haw-been received, fcr not having paid
the fees, (but never more than- two or three days)
and whenever the Keeper \cani ascertain that the
non-payment of fees arises- frohr the poverty of
the party, he instantly remits them' and they
are
'discharged; but. some convids, as soon as
the pardon- is known to have ,been obtaitiN,
notwithstanding the previous great: anxiety they
have fell,
_and the quiet and decent deportrhent
with which they have conducted themselves, to in-
duce the Keeper when called upon to speak.well of
'their characters, and after the great troobie which is
necessarily given to the Keepter in the commeniCa-
lions with the office of his Majesty's Secretary-of.l
Sate fur the Home. Department; instantly set the
Keeper at defiance, and/refuse to pay the tees; how.
eVer capable' they or their immediate friends and
connexions may be of .discharging them. And al-.
though the tees are one of the, principal, sources -of
the etnoluments of his office, Mn'. Newtnau
ceives the remitting them to many of the prisonero
at his discretion, enables him to execute, the, 01106'
of his office in a lunch better manner and at a iesS-1
expence than he could f.otherA ise.• possibly do,' as"j
many of the prisoners knowing that the Keeper C--. 1
cisionally'reuita the-- tees, are induced, hush their I
inability to •pay,thetn,. to behave -themselges in such[
a decent and orderly ananner,.toward,:;. the oilier
.sowers and the keepers, -as may gain his fayour
the hope of•his remitting them.; and by these moos
he is enabled to make watchmen and gate-keepers
in the internal parts 'of the pri,on of those :whose,
behave themselves, without employing other persons.
for that purpose. And, in point of profit, therKeeper
would most assuredly prefer a fixed salary in lieu of .
all fees whatever; but he conceives it would be:im-
possible to regulate and govern the gaol of .I\,Tetegate
.as it is at presenrconstituted without taking fees, and
having that-power and discretion in respeet to them
that he now enjoys.
That we,'your Sub-committee, are folly convinc-
ed of the. necessity Of enlarging the gaul,of
gate, or‘of tnaking some ,very material alterations-
therein, particularly in that part appropriated to the
female critnieals ; and We conceive that the itleon-'
venience may. be partially 'amended during the day,,
by admitting the women to make use of the passage
leading from the gaol to the bail docks, to which
there is already a communication from 'the female
side of the prison ; 'and no fear of an escape can'ex-,
ist, if proper:fenceiare placed at the top of the ex-
terstal wail but during the night We see no means
of remedying the inconvenience and danger, other
than by removing them to other parts of the prison,
or of greatly enlarging the space new allotted to
'theft; and having - observed that. the windows •of