The Portland gazette. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1818-1824, 1821-12-11

yious distinction before and after trial ,shoulc 'u
stantly be attended to. TO violate II A. gross Tyr
amy and cruelty"
. The tails for men and women should De sepa-
rate, 50 Glat nothing could be seen or hearu pc
tween them, and the prisoners should be DIVIDED
into two classes, those who have been tired ana
those who have not" The reviewer also thinks
il important that the prisoners should be ciassed,
according To the nature and degree of their OF
fences, SO that those less corrupt should avoid
the contagious example Of those hardened In vice.
Another neglected object, he says, IN prisons,
is diet There should be in every jail aud house
of correction four sorts Of diet; lstY bread and
water; "a, common prison diet, to be settled by
the magistrates; Cd, best prison diet, 10 DC SET
tied BY ditto; 4th free diet, from which splrltu-
Gus liquors are wholly excluded"
All prisoners, before trial, should be upon best
prison diet, and free diet if they could afford it
and every sentence should express the species
of diet. Now, ne says, " mIsdemeananSS VINO
have money in their pockets, may be seen, III
many Of our prisons, with fish, buttered veal,
rump steaks, and every kind ofluxury." "A jail
should be place Of punishment, from which men
recoil with horror-a place Of real suffering,
painful 10 the memory, terrible TO the inagina-
ton But if men can live Iuxuriously in 4 clean,
we'll aired, well warmed, spacious habitatlon, IS It
any Wondcr that they set tie laws at defiance n
The most vulnerable part Of a thief is his bel
ly; aud there is nothing he feels more bitterly
IN confinement, than long course OF water gro
ell and flour buildings. IL is mere mockery of
punishment 10 say, that such a man snail spend
his money in luxurious viands, and sit down TO
dinner with letters on his ltet, and fried pork ia
his stomach
Another alteration proposed by this writer IS
e IA
would" says he, give as much solitary confnc
mcnt as would not injure mems minds, and as
much bread and water diet as would not injure
their bodies" In such case he thinks return
to Jail would be regarded by more horror than it
is as present. : Prisoners dislike solitary con-
tnement and therefore il should be imposed it
would render their residence in iais more disa-
grceable and render them unwilling to return
there. A prison is place where men, after
trial and sentence, should be made unhappy"
In the States Prison in Massachusetts, there
have been many instances where prisoners have
been unwilling TO leave it after the expiration Of
their sentence, because there they found better
accommodations than they had at home, and are
always sure Of pretty good living; and there
have undoubtedly been instances where men
have committed larcenies and telonies that they
might procure these accommodations. They
think that comfortable quarters and regular oc-
cupation, though in prison, is better than real
life OF the other side Of the walls.
The Reviewer sums up his system in the fol-
lowing words " our general system then is
that prison should be place OF real punishment;
but OF known, enacted measurable and measur-
ed punishment. bad ielonious prisoner should
pass part Of his three months in complete dark
ness; the rest in complete solitude, perhaps in
COmnlcfp IdlpupcC n ~ pnIa I'm
repentance idieness in company, TO vice. He
should be exempted from cold, be kept perfectly
clean, have sufficient food to prevent hunger or
illness, wear the prison dress and moderate
irons, have no communication but with the OIL
GERS OF the prison and magistrates, and remain
Otherwise ~ the most perfect solitude. We
strongly suspect this IS the way III which bad
mail is to be made afraid Of prisons If this sys-
TEN y not resOrtcd to, the next best system is
severe work, ordinary diet, no indulgences, and
as much scclusion and solitude as are c0mpati-
be with work"
= chronological Society has been established
in this town, whose plan and design are express
e1 IA the following circular, which it has issued.
Ska SOCIETY is established in this place |
to promote knowledge OF .uineraioey and Ma 4
turdt History. One Gifts objects is, TO secure a
place CT deposit, where minerals and specimens
IN oNdt~rdt History may be collected from diff I
ferent parts Of the world, and so arranged and /
exhibited, as at the same time TO advance the !
cause OF science and crafty the taste and curl
osity ofthc public.
We therefore take the liberty to request, that /
"a on your voyages or travels. YOU should meet
with any thing IN foreign countries or il remote
parts Of eur own, which may contribute to the
purposes OF our institution, such ores OF miner
as, cordts, Shells Fossils coins ornaturai c,79osi
tteS, you, would bear this society ia mind and Is
lar As II may be convenient 10 you, contribute to
us resources. And thus you NAV enable us to
form collection, useful to the community, aud .
we may hope, by and by, honorable to tic State. .
We are happy to find that an institution ofthis \
KIND has been established here, as there are nu-
merous specimens, scattered through the state ,
OF little value ia their detached situation either
10 their posscsSors or the public, which this So
clety may be the means Of COLLECTING and ar
ranging 50 as TO give them their greatest posi- /
bic advantage TO the sciences, which they illus
trate. Besides, it may be added, that our terri
tory IS rich IN minerals, which this society NAV
lncIte zeal to discover, furnish instruments to
expose, and combine knowledge to explain.
The great work ofProfessor Cieaveland. = scc-
ond and improved edition of which will soon issue K
from the press in two volumes, has contributed
much TO form taste for the study of mineralorv