The Statesman.
London, England, 1815-07-22 00:00:00

THE sTATEskASt.

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OF .1 NAVAL BREVET.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE STATESMAN.

STATE OF THE PRISONS.

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going on, would have left no doubt of that to* ni 'ha
cdse, even if he had lint Acknowledged it. Ak. eller
of a prison receiving from it a lit "f
35901. and not drily inspecting and ♦kiting the oria
soil, and hod being persottilly acquainted loth all
that is transekted therein, seems to liter Committed
to prove the existence of a state of things that ought
not to be suffered to continue.
[To be continacd.l

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Conceiving that Extracts from the Report of the
Commit* appointed to enquire into the state of the
King's Bench, Fleet, and Marshalsea • Prisons will
he extremely interesting to the public, • '
more particu-
Inrly a; Mr. Bennet, one of the Committee has
signified, that he shall brill the subject under the
consideration of Parliament in the next Session,
beg to observe, that we shall continue we
the santeom
time to time, as convenience may permit. ' from
Fiat, with respect to the Marshal • •
of the King's
Bench : • —ases--
The Report states, that the Marshal is, at the real Yesterday the buke of York held a Military Lia
commendation of the Chief Justice '
•• tee, at his Office in the Horse Guards,which
of the King's *as
Bench, appointed ty the King, either by sign ma-
• 'attended by-,
nual or by letters pair.nt, in virtue of the Act of the Lienr.•Orn. Sir John Murray. on hi. r•sarrt frmis Canada I
27th Geo. If . Win. Jones, Esq, 0:11. Sir John Crodd.ok ; Major-Oen. Croine; A 1.4.1 Oen.
the resent Mar Gralnyli &r. fie.
shot, Was nominated by Sign manual oar the 19th '
March, 1791, and he holds his office" for so of
airants hate been 'squad by the Lord lien
or so long a I tenant bf Ireland, for embodying 30 regiments of
time as he shall behave himself well, and shall be '
re- , Militia in the ensuing month, in !bele respectite eosin:
sident within the walls or rules of • the prison, and no ' ties.
longer." s •.).
he British army • • '
r in the immediate aicinity of
„, ss4
'l•ltere is no salary attached to the office .
of Mar- Paris, and composed exclusivelyr : . • .
o. wore troop., Is • • •ss
steal ; his income is derived from f on commit-
tto consist of 20,000 men, and other detachment* are
merits and discharges, and from other sources,be
such to stationed permanently in Wend of the fora ''..A
as the rent of rooms in the p • mon, profits on the sale tresses. The total number now Outlet pr N.-for a e '''`4l;
,c
of porter,. ale,
.and wine, the rent of the coffee- embarkation • in
house, &c.; but his principal emoluments arise from are 12
,000. the rules, or th he followinge liberty of living without T '
troops tailed on **(befit* Ali:. .--`7,
the malls of the prison., within a certain area. The Ostend, under convoy of the Clinker :—s-34ts
; 27th, 80, sth, 39th, 41st, end 88th tit liar
ir•-1
average gross mnunt of revenue derived from these 11 ff •r
...
uail:; - . '
eourres is estimated annually, for the last three years, mews. A".
at 50001. t5r..-Sid., according to an account delivered T C
Tile following regiments are ordered to etkett
. •-...
.r.:404011
in by the Marshal; the expences and outgoings, in- h 13t , '''' 2i th, 2d Batt. 49th, and 73d Foot:
chiding the payment of clerks, turnkeys, watchmen, - 'n-71 1
taxes, itsrc. are 17301. 9s. 6.1. leaving a net income to . .
the Marshal of 32701. Os. 2rl. To this must be added THE ATINETI=StCOND REGPMENT. --‘
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the fees taken on bails and judgments, which are --stosese
calculated at 3201. per annum ; making in the whole Theis-following facts respecting this gallaht tolls
a sum of not less than 35901. Among these emola- are worthy of notice r—
rnents, that on beer sold its the prison amounts to Lieut.-Col. Erskine, of Corarost, the first cob-
-8721.; and that on the rules to 28231. per annum. mantling officer of this corp., fell &ritual". at the
The outgoings consist priecipaily in salaries, taxes, head of his brave corps, on the 11th of March. ISM,
and law expences, and the small sum of 7514 for re- in PgYPt• . •
pairs ; though the Committee observe, that by the" Lieut. Colonel Napier, of Blackstone, his success+ ..t
17th clause of the 27th of George IL c. it., " the sor, fell in the same manner •at Coraando in Jan.
Marshal of the Marshalsea of the King's Bench shall 1800-
at his own cost, out of the fees of his office, well and ' Colonel Cameron, of Paitiforn, also seeeeeded- 1;- • '
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sufficiently repair, and keep in good repair, the said Col. Napier, fell at Waterloo, •ne the Mat alt. its
prison, and all the buildings thereunto belonging." the Thinner described Its .the.Dialstei‘Williegtoe* '.. •
The Officers of the prison are all in the appoint. dispatch. .
_f •!, ; - ilho 14, V..:..y.0ir1.
t
went of the Marshal, and consist as follows: •Lieetenaht-Colonel 7411elselis is b• *Wirfola
The Deruty-Marshal is Mr. Josiah Boyden- This cemeeeed .1 the tegimeets^ wai sew &Mira& .
gentleman has nothing to do with the management I wounded, and carried off the field, meigalng. Owl
of the prison, and has no salary, but his emoluments-. enmmied of the battalion to Captain Ile! es, the
arise from fees taken under the rules and ordenrof settler officer present, but Captain Milian had not
the Coot t, dated 1759, and Which amount from 3501." been long la command when be rek-also carried of
to 4001.. per annum, and would, it is stated, be con_ wounded. .•'
sitlerably increased, if the fees were not voluntarily ! Cwt. Dugald Campbell then teolLthe comma&
relinquished in all cases of poverty and distress.— and he was soon after wounded and retried of the
The duties of this Officer are to attend the Chief field, the command then devolved again oe Ski Neat
Justice in Court, and to acconipany him to the Royal senior officer present. 7- • . .
levees. ! In the afternoon of the 18th mit, thrlejlateete
The situation of the Clerk of the Papers was held which was then reduced to alsratt•ioo men, foetid ib
by a nephew of Mr. Jones, who is dead. No new ap.. actually necessary to charge a scheme of. the enemy
pointment has taken place, but the Marshal receives which came down on them, troop* to 40Q0 men.
the profits of the office, which, 'arising teens feee,•• —They broke into the centre of the column with the •
maybe estimates at from six to seven hundred per bayonet, and the instant they pierced it the Scots
annum. ; Greys dashed in to their support, when they and the
The office of Clerk of the Rules is held by the 92d cheered and huzzaed, " Scotland for ever I"aes
Marshal himself, who pays also three desks fixed —By the effort which followed, the enemy, to ts,
salaries. There are, in addition, three turnkeys and man were put to the sword, or taken prisoners, after
four watchmen, whose incomes are derived partly which the Greys charged through the enemy's wood.
from salaries and partly from fees and emoluments line.
arising out of the prison. I .
The Chaplain is the Rev. William Evans, who is : • TO Tll2 EDITOR OF THE SIATE234AW.
appointed by the Marshal :he has no salary, but he MR. EDlTOR,—Ohaerving an article in your Piper -
receives a fee on the commitment of each prisoner, of yesterday, stating, that on the preceding month,*
which is paid to the clerks of the Judges, at their "a dreadful fire broke out at Mr. Matthew's in Upper
Chambers. Thames-street, which destroyed his very extensive
The mode by which the Marshal is remunerated premises and several adjoining warehouses," I beg
appears to be most objectionable. The sum itself is you will immediately contradict that statement, the
great, amounting, on an average of the three last fact being that one of un, upper workshops in Swtn-
years, to a net income of 35901. per annum. A lane caught fire, but which was, by the prompt and
minute detail of the profits and disbursements is con- kind assistance of my neighbours and the timely at-
tained in the Appendix to the Report. It is the de- rival of the engines, extinguished without reaching
tided opinion of the Committee, that the mode of my warehouses or any adjoining premises.
remuneration arising out of fees paid by the Prisoner,l 1 am, Sir, your obedient servant,
and by the emoluments made at the expense of those ' JOHN MATTHEW.
who are confided to his charge, is the No. 10G, Upper Thamekstreet, July 21, ISM most objec..
—.es—
limitable Gleans by which a salary is given to the i
keeper of a prison. ills interests are thus set inva. I Tug GOLENOS OAK.—Description of the Golenere
viably against his duty ; and his profits are made at Oak, purchased by the late Thomas Harrison, many
the expence of those whom the law supposes to be years his Majesty's purveyor of Plymouth dock-yard
penny less, and whose property belongs not to them- and Dean Forest, and felled and converted by him in
selves, but to their creditors. The Marshal of the the year 1810 :—lt grew about four miles from the
King's Bench and his officers are public servants, town of Newport, in Monmouthshire—the malls
and as each they ought to be paid at the public ex- trunk at 10 feet long, produced 450 cubic feet ; one
I pence. The allowing a gaoler to make a profit from limb 355, one ditto 472, one ditto 235, one ditto,
In addition to the names of the Performers before coffee-houses and taverns, and on the sale of beer 156, one ditto 106, one ditto 113, and six other limbs
mentioned, as having been discharged by the Board end win.,, within the prison, is also most objection- of inferior size averaged 93 feet each, making the
of Management of Drury-lane Theatre, are those able. lie thus becomes interested in the promotion whole number 2126 cubic feet of sound and converti-
of Downs 's, AV %Mit:GRAVE, FLOKINGTON, CROOK, of drinking, and his emoluments increase in the de. ble timber. The bark wee estimated at six tons, but
G. SMITII, Mrs. Gt.ovee, Mrs. Ilcamn, Miss VALEN. gree that sobriety and good conduct cease to exist as some of the very heavy body bark was stolen out of
cEsr, Miss K BRISTOW, Mr. Manool. ' Dowzost, among those whom the law places under his care.— the barge at Newport, the exact weight is not known.
it is understood, retiresfrom the London boards, and An Act of Parliament (21 Gro. 111. c. 51. s. 22.) Five men were 20 days stripping and cutting dowel
takes the management of the Canterbury, Tonbritige declares, that no keeper of a prison shall be a pub- this tree; and a pair of sawyers were five months
Wells, and other Theatres, which belonged to Mrs. lican ; why, then is there to bean exception made in converting it, without losing a day (Sundays except-
Baker, his mother-in-law. favour of the Marshal of the King's Bench? The ed). The money paid for converting only, bole-
The statement that BELLAMY was discharged, is Committee observed, the during the last year 540 Pendent of the expence of carriage, was 821. ; anti
incorrect, his engagement having two years yet un- bolts of porter, and 65 barrels of ale, were consumed the whole produce of the tree when brought to market
expired. • ; within the prison; the profits on which gave the:Mar- was within a trifle of 6001. It was bought standing
An otter, which measured five feet from its nose shat a net emolument of 8721. . for 4051.; the main trunk was 9} feet in di.tmeter,
to the end of its tail, two feet in circumference, and The Committee are, however, awire, that the and in sawing it through, • stone was discovered six
weighed twenty-two pounds, was killed a few dada Marshal holds his office and these emoluments for feet from the ground, above a yard in the body of
ago near Allenheads, in Northumberland, by a la- life, as long as he shall behave well; they, therefore, ' the tree, through which the saw cut ; the stone was
!tourer and his dog. The remains of two or three recommend some arrangement should take place, by ,about six inches in diameter, and completely shut in,
cheep were found near the spot at which it was din. which a just compensation should be made to bim ; bat round which there was not the least symptom of
covered. that the fees exacted from the prisoners should be put decay. The Hogs in its butt were carefully reckon-
The improvements in Scotland have at length ex. under some regulation, or abolished altogether ; and ell, and amounted to above 400 in number, a con-
tended to the Hebrides. In the Isle of Skye roads that the mode by which the gaol is supplied with
voicing proof that this tree was in an improving state
and piers are forming, some pretty villages are build. malt liquor should no longer continue. The Marshal . for upwards of 400 years • and as the ends of some
ikg, and several plantations have been laid out. An shOuld have a controul over every thing, a personal lof its branches were decayed and had drops off, it is
immense quarry of beautiful white freestone which profit on.nothing. upresumed it had stood a great number of years after
hears a polish almost equal to marble, has recently The Marshal, Mr. Jones, from all that appearedlit had attained maturity.
been discovered in the Island of Rasa'', of which to your Committee, is not disposed to press upon the I SINGULAR FUNERAL at Cacnrwer.—On Thurs.
Mr. M`Lgoo, the proprietor, is new building him. poverty of the class ni persons whom he has under ;day aa'nstight the remains of Mr. R. Wapshott, a
the evidence before them
char
self an elegant mansion. his , however, war. : respectable Wider in this parish, was drawn to hi,
",'Tis an ill wind 'blows nobody good."—A Gen- ';
your Committee instating it to be t
I rants heir opinion 1
horses, each led by two servants ; his two sons and last home in MI waggon, drawn by his favourite
demon when sought shelter from the rain at a Lottery., that he is little acquainted with what occurs in his c
office on Wednesday. was induced, after remaining prison ;.he avows himself, that he seldom or ever I executors rode in the waggon with the body, eight
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in the Office some lime, to purchase a Sixteenth of • enters within its walls : and the numerous contrad. friends followed on horseback. The waggon was,
No. 11,172, drawn in a few hours after, a Prize of lions given to his evidence by others, who are in the' painted black for the purpose, and the waggoner's
Twenty Thousand Pounds! i constant habit of seeing and hearing what is really whip was covered with black crape.

SIR,-( respectfully solicit, through your interest-
ing columns, to put it to the good sense of the na-
tion, whether the voice of patriotism and loyalty is
misapplied when it calls the attention of Government
to en ndnption of those measures and precautions
which can alone preserve England's last and best hope
inviolate.

It would he no more, Sir, than an act orcommon
justice to make some atonement to those men who
have grown grey in the service of their country;
they bare but a feu; Nears to remain amongst los;
let the generosity of a li:gh.minded nation gratify
their fast days by an act that would obliterate the,
P
recollection of basing languished In ciiimp,a7i
retire obscui ity for so long a pnrind of their
Ignorant of the nature and wept of those ob.
jectiols which may be opposed to the idea of a
l' avert brevet, I cannot of ennise pretend to con•
trovert them here. 1 may, !letterer, be permitted tw;
stale a few of the probable advantages which would.
instantly accrue to the public service from it,
Thai discontent which has now become so very pre.
relent would imnndiately vanish— the general cha.
raster of the naval Service must be greatly exalted ia-
' the estimation of the whole country—a degree if
emulation, hitherto unfelt, would naturally spring
op ;is the minds of men, when they had a prospeet
(no matter how distant) of rising iii their prof's.
sion ; in fact, such a measure ss ould not 0n1..j
dignify the conduct and character of those to whom
it held out a reward, but lead to a systematic exer-
tion of heroism and boldness, at which the service
has never arrived. Such, indeed, is the force of self.
love in the human breast, that the idea of returning
to the bosom of one's family, after fifteen or twenty
.years' absence, without something more than the
situation of a Lieutenant, that nine out of ten who
Gel a consciousness of basing despised promotion,
folly as much as many who had obtained it, would
gladly sacrifice almost the whole of their pay to be con-
sidered on an equality with them. It would be quiteri.
diculous to attempt a justification of the measure on
account of any expellee it might occasion. This
matter. is very easily explained. Let us for a me.
meat suppose that 300 of the oldest Lieutenants oe
the- tist were allowed the rank of Commanders,
without any additional pay (for I feel persuaded
there is not one amongst them who would not be
most happy to accept the step—it is human nature.—
without any further increase of emolument), in what
respect would the public suffer ? Many of those
Officers are above GO years of age, few under 40!
so that by mere natural events the whole mass of
Lieutenants, providod vacancies were regularly filled
up from the top of the List, would enjoy the anti. •
cipated hope of being on the List of Commanders
and this is often equal to reality itself ; such is the
pliability of our feelings when excited in favour of
any personal advantage!--f can hardly sup-
pose it possible that there is a man in the country
who would start an objection to the above plan,
which, though not proposed upon a scale of sufficient
liberality for this great empire, would, trifling as it
may appear, in a very great degree obviate existing
inconveniences.

I am, with e.teens,
Sir, y our very humble servant,
R. S. J.

Croydon, July 11.

P. S. If ever there was a time when this subject
should be thought of, it is surely when a very gene-
ral idea has gone thread throughout the Navy, that it
is regarded with a degree of indifference approaching
to dislike, in a certain high quarter. It has not been
unusual to see Officers at Signal Posts of 40 years
standing, who were almost blind! others so muti-
lated that they could scarcely walk without the aid
of crutches; awl, in some instances, Lieutenants of
35 years standing, with the additional comfort of
six children, have been appointed to those situations ;
a fact so disgraceful to our national character would
not be credited, if told to a Frenchman or a Spaniard
who had seen the battles of the Nile and Trafalgar.

THE JAME

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