The Northern star, and constitutionalist. [volume] (Warren, R.I.) 1834-1837, 1835-06-13

PRrsoN Dr.cIpLIyE SOCIETY," This So
ccty held it's meeting in Boston on Tues
day forenoon. The Secretary's Annual
Report was divided into several parts VIZ (:
Poor Lunatics, Imprisonment for Debt,
Pente entiaries, Houses of Refuge, Coun-
ty Prisons and the subject Of capital Pun-
ishments,- following notices Of which
We take from the Boston Courier
Poor LuNATIcs.- Maine Legsla-
ture have voted SEQ, 700, conditionally,
that the same amount should be raised by
private subscription. Two individuals il
Maine have subscribed $4,000 each.-
| We do not reocollect then names, or we
would place them here in capitals. In
| Vermont, n lady has bequealhed $4,000
tor a Luna,ic Asylum, to be located IN
Windbam. The Asylum in Worcester
was the only one now on this continent Tor
poor lunat;cs. Onl of siyty-six admitted,
since the first transfer from the pOorheuses
and prisons, fiiy-lour have been cured
and six improved, 80 IA per cent were
cured ofrecent cases, and 30 per cent out
of the whole number placed there. In
Great Britain, there had been 80 per cent
An appropriation Of $40, 600, for an ad.
|dilional building, has reccn'ly been voted
by the Massachusetts, Legislature. An
ASYLUM was now erecting On BIackwells
island, EAR the city of New ork. 1t
was estimated that there were 5000 iuna-
tics IN that state, of which probably one
third were in the prisons aud poor-houses
The estimate Of the whole country was
No. 900, Of whi5h, perhaps, 5000, are s''''-
ably provided for in private aud public a
svlum--4 to 5000 are probably in poor
houses and prisons.
IMPRISONMENT FOR DrBT The Chief
Justice of the state OF Tennessee has com
municated the Information to the Secre'a-
ry, that 10 consequence OF The reports "'
the Prison Discipline Society, circulated
in that state, attention had been awaken
ed and imprisonment for debt abolished
In New Hampshire recently, out ot SIX
prisons, one individual only was confined
for debt. There had been two hundred
less commitments in the Leverelt-street
Jail, Boston, in consequence OF the law a.
polishing Imprisonment for debt. In
Cambridge Jail, there has been great re-
ducton. The bill abolishing imprlson-
ment for debt in New York, passed in
1884, remains unaltered, notwithstanding
strenuous efforts have been made to re-
peal it. In Connecticut New Jersey,
PENNSYLVANIA, and Maryland, the laws al
low Imprisonment. In Pennsylvania, n
nan can be incarcerated for one dollar
and there are instances Of confinement tor
twenty or thirty days, for the large sum OF
TWO CENTS in Philadelphia F! In Kentucky
the law has long been abolished to the
satisfaction Of all parties. Distinguished
lawyers in that state, who opposed the re-
peal ten years ago, now declare them
selves pleased with the present sy stem
There is not the slightest disposition to
alter the law as it now stauds.
PENirsaTIARIEs. The Report states
that the profits Of the Massachusetts, State
Prison for the last year, are 81, ,998-con-
yicts 277-deaths II. The State havo
refunded $1,000, expended by the Society
in past years for a Chaplain, having be-
come satisfied of the value his service.
In Auburn, New York prison, out o!
449 convicts, 229 have decidedly reform
ed. The extract on the capital punish
ments, went TO show the utility OF oflimlting
il to few crimes. In England and Wales
during seven years ending in the year
1929 there were 8349 persons convicted
Of capital crimes, but only 433 were exc
cuted.
Rev. Mr.. Coggswell moved the accept
ance of the report, and the Rev. Messrs.
n. Adams of Boston, and Rev. Sylvester
Holmes of New Bedford, delivered elo-
auent speeches in its favor. We came
out ofthe meeting with the impression that
the Prison Discipline Society was an hon
or to the country, and worthy OF the coun-
tenance Of every lover OF his fellow-men
and of God. -
MUTUAL LIFE Insurance. A writer
in n Philadelphia paper gives an account
of two Mutual Insurance Offices in Eng
land for lives, which have been long estab-
lished, and have accumulated large funds
AT first sight, this mutual plan fer nsur-
ling lives, does not seem so practicable, as
the mutual insurance of houses, because
call men must die" so that there must C.
ventually be loss on every policy
whereas every house does not nccc"ssa
riy burn. The plan, as adopted in Eng
: land, is this A man, say ~ years of age
pays 8 l-2 dollars per annum, and at hl:
death a hundred dollars is paid to hi'
legal representatives, aud so for any largeI
amount at the same rate of l-2 per cent
A yearly dividend is made OF perhaps q
per cent on the premium. Thus maj