New-York daily tribune., 1843-02-01
In,pr:soutns witnesses.

IL mus. have struck every person ~LiS A"'
reflected on the Prison system of our city, that
there are soma grossly objectionable features IN IL
We have time al presen, TO allude 70 tho Hitaess
system only. or the means taken By the authorities
to secure the attendance CT witnesses WeapPse-
bend i: is net generally known that persons VINO
haze, or may be supposed TO have, some Sao's'.
edge of the facts in any given case, and wo ca'i'
not give bail for their appearances at the iFiai, are
liable to be arrested and thrown into prison, where
thev fare like the common felen, and are, wn'ie
perfectly innocent OF any offence, punished "ila
a, nuch severity as the worst class OF convicss
who stop short of the Penitcntiary. Numbers OF
persons so situated may be found at any tine IN
the Tombs, and some OF these cases wear pecn-
liarly aggravated aspect
Young females are frequently detained here tor
weeks, and Sometimes months, whose only crime
is that they know, or are supposed to know, some
thing which they may be required to state IN Court
and TO secure this they are crowded into this esii-
scrsus place, huddled with the most degraded and
Infamous creatures of the town amid drunkenness,
blasphemy, profanity and every species OF wicked
moss When called out, it not unfrequentiy hap
pens tina, they are found perfectly ignorant OF the
matter on account of which they nave been inearce-
rated, and in numerous instances the discharge
comes oaly when the miad, polluted and poisoned
by these influences, is ready to bow down in will
ing degradation and infamy. The law does not,
we believe, even offer restitution in these cases;
and if it did, what honorable or pure-mnded per-
son would receive compensation for such treat
ment! II these persons afterward return as fel-
ons, vagrants or disorderly nlambers of the COM
munity, what good right have we to punish them
for crimes into which we have frs; plunged them I
Many career of infamy has been opened in this
way, and it is time the public attention was turned
to correcting these horrible abuses in some way
We shall have more to say aoon.
A FACT FOR WINE DRlNKERs.-A large dealer
in wine having considerable stock on hand, and
finding but little demand for it, offered the whole
to friend of total abstinence at reduced price
with promise to give up the trade if he would
purchase it. The friend of temperance agreed to
take it at cost and offer tup sacrifice to the tenn
peraace cause on condition that the wine should
be carraatea pure, i. free from all foreign sub
stances The dealer at once admitted that the
sale could not take place with this restriction, as
his wine contained more alcohol than was ever
produced by natural fermentation-thas it was
mixed ts greater or less extent with brandy. j.
SOUTHERN SETTLEMENrs.-Messrs. Hutchin-
son, Loring & Russell, party of gentlemen who
left Savannah some four FIVE weeks since for
the southern part of Florida, for the purpose Of
selecting lands for the settlements returned few
days since perfectly satisfied with their trip They
represent the superiority of that portion of coun,
try, as regards climate and soil, surprising their
most sanguine expectations. They are making
arrangements to take possession of their selected
lands, and will go south shortly.
COMMERCE OF NEw-YoRK.-The following Ia
bic exhibits the amount of Commerce of this Port
for January 1S43, and compared with that OF
January 1842.
Total number OF Foreign Arrivals in January 1913 " IA
or which there were-Sbips Barks Brigs Schrs Sallio
American. ............6 lS IL o
British 10 ~ o