The Sun.
London, England, 1842-11-28 00:00:00

Zo/
"7.7.„2 •
OF THE ARCHDUKE OF
AUSTRIA TO' THE MODEL PRISON AT
PENTONVILLYI
The Archduke of Austria, attended by Captain
Fitzroy, Baion Lehzeltern, and others of his suite,
visited this prison oil Friday last. The visit is of
some public interest, as it elicited many facts relative
to the prison arrangements that have not yet tran-
spired.
His Royal Highness was received by the governor,
Mr. Hoskins, and attended by him and the secretary,
Mr. Weare, during his inspection of the prison.
His Royal Highness having Veen shown the model
of the prison, and had it minutely explained to him,
visited the cells, about which he was very minute in
his inquiries. He particularly questioned the go-
vernor as to the ventilation, the bedding, and the
clothing of the prisoners, the questions very probably
being suggested by the brick roof and walls and the
stone flooring of the cells. He was answered that
the cells would be so ventilated in the winter that the
thermometer would never be lower than from 50 to
55 ; that each prisoner would have three blankets as
well as sheets, and that he would sleep on a horse-
hair mattress (in a hammock, as described in the pre-
ceding article) of 34-lbs. weight. The dress, he was
told, is to be plain grey, having a small badge on the
breast, marked P. P. One of the mattresses was un-
rolled, and a hammock slung while his Royal High-
ness was in the cell. His Royal Highness was par-
ticularly struck with the peculiarity of what is termed
the " tell-tale " attached to the cell—viz., the
number of the cell which flies out from the ex-
ternal wall upon the prisoner turning an iron handle
and striking a bell, to apprise the warder that his at-
tendance is required. It was shown to him that the
number when it has sprung out from the wall cannot
be returned to its former position by the prisoner,
who is thus prevented from annoying the warders by
false alarms. The Artesian well of the prison was
next visited, and his Royal Highness paid much atten-
tion and expressed his admiration of the manner in
which the water is pumped up to a cistern at the top
of the prison, and then supplied to a number of minor
cisterns, each cell in fact }laving a separate one. The
excellence of the contrivance is that the prisoner can-
not draw more than his six gallons of water, so that it
will be impossible for one to rob another of his due
allowance of this necessary article. The kitchen,
with its steam-boilers, was then visited, and the mode
in which the food is to be conveyed to the prisoners
explained. His Royal highness was afterwards con-
ducted to the chapel, and a row of pews or boxes
being filled by the subordinate officers, the manner
in which the prisoners are to be shut and bolted in
was shown.

It was explained to the Archduke that the prisoners
would go to chapel, receive secular instruction, and
be exercised in the yards daily ; that they would be
taught trades, and that a prisoners' library was being
formed under the direction of the Rev. Mr. Ralph,
the chaplain of the prison. His Royal Highness in-
quired what trades would be taught? Ile was told
mat-making from the cocoa nut, carpentering, tailor-
ing, weaving, and also coopering, the latter being
deemed likely to be highly beneficial to the prisoner,
when removed from the prison to a colony. It was
mentioned to his Royal Highness, as the understood
intention of Government, that the well-behaved pri-
soner will, after three or four years' imprisonment,
be sent to a colony for the remainder of his sentence,
and that he will be paid half his wages during the
Completion of his term of punishment.
It is stated that the French Ambassador, on his visit
to the Model Prison about a fortnight slice, with the
Countess and his suite, was so much interested in
the system, as to say that he should, by his next
dispatch, communicate with his Government, and re-
commend that a Commission be sent over to examine
into it, and do all in his power to get it universally
adopted in France.