New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1846-02-19
Extract from, letter received this morning. dated
WASHINGTON Cry Feb II
The New State Prison.

OF the most sangplne.
The New state Prison.
We have before US the Annual Report OF RAS
som Cook. ESQ. Agent for the Clinton Co. State
Prison. Il contains brief but very clear and intel
ligibe history of the origin. progress and present
condition Of the Prison, well very satisfactory
account of its internal discipline. The buildings are 60
far advanced &c furnish accommodations for Ic3 cor.
vcts the number confined there on the s. OF January
last OF these so removed from SingSing and a.
from Auburn The plan of the body OF the Prison con-
templates the erection of bulldog 500 feet long and 30
feet vide to contain 5C4 cells One half of the prison
proper will be completed the opening oE Spring The
whole sum expended ,hus far is $4,000 and farther
appropriation Of SIS asked of the present Legisa
ture The enterprise appears hare been prosecuted
with energy and skill and Il may judge from the
facts stated in the Report, with proper economy. The
prison when completed will no doubt be the beat build
of ia kind ever erected IN this country. and better
adapted than any other TO promote the health and com
fort Of the prisoners The plan inc!uces e. excellent
arrangement for ven,laug in tie most thorough manner
every part Of the building.
But we are chiefly interested In the Moral Discipline of
the Prison. and this subject are happy TO perceive
that the Agent erter.aas the most enlightened views
and chershes the ros elevated sims Eis o7va expe-
rence thus far goes show that Prison may be fur
better governed persuasion and kindness than by the
constant pressure and friction OF authority Let
those who are skepca this point read the following
paragraphs:
Their being furnished with full supply Of good pro
ysione the studied of their keepers to avoid the
exercise of passionate hardness or undue severity TO-
ward them the attention paid to their little wants with
frequent kind admonitions intended 10 cultivate ODE
dence to the laws TO awaken their dormant benevolent
upon them the truth that laws know not revenge,
but inct their punishment for the necessary protec-
ton Of society and in the hope OF their thorough refo
NATION all united 70 produce the most desirable effect
on the minds OF the convicts and greatly reduce the diff
fcutes OF keeping them in such exposed stuation
Their industry excellent often exceeding that Of
hired workmen; while their moral Improvement from
week to week go evident TO al, that il was soon
thought safe cut on the shackles and chains from
their ankles, leaving them unencumbered through the
day, but still securing them to the floor at night ny
means of n small chain and paddock. AS no bad conse-
quences followed this experiment and the moral sense
OF the convicts seemed be sti progressing,
finally deemed advisable dispense with the irons alto
gethcr, through the night This was also done;
and thus unclaimed, hundred and eighty.nne
vcts slept in rooms, on the floor OF board prison.
without locks its doors, and with only four guards on
duty ut a time.
After while however some hall dozen OF the
convc,s who were OF the abandoned robbers and
burglars commenced plotting escape By rising upon
the guard in the night But soon as they made pro-
posals TO others join them the whole project was i'm
m aud
ing constantly advised Of their progress they were
allowed 10 proceed from day to day nearly 10 their a.
tempt for the purpose OF detecting the really guilty and
exhibiting them their own weakness i'll such an en-
;crprise although surrounded by feons So indignant
were the great of the coDvicts at this ungraieu
return for the humanity with which they we're treated
that doubt was entertained by the ohcers but 'hnt
the attempt IL made world have been almost instantly
ssed by their associates IL confinement ana that
they would have punished the offenders far more Sc
vercy than would the officers ana guards Inc con
lBnYty sitIO pf chuln
thus tanned that serious danger 10 be apprc
hended by OF granting the indulgence
Mr. Cook recommends such alteration of the laws in
relation insane convics will tend 10 restore them TO
reason instead of leaving them TO inger on without those
peculiar attentions which enlightened humanity would
suggest, The prompt removal OF such prisoners 10 the
STATE Luns,ic Asylum at Utica would doubtless secure
this important object The Agent also suggests that the
average sum of So paid prisoners when discharg
ed is in mary cases insufficient. 20 procure conveyance
10 their friends and he recommends alteration Of the
law 30 furnish sum in proportion 10 the distance
10 bo travelled This less measure OF eSpediency
than Of humanity aud justice because ii is calculated 10
remove one ofihe strongest temptations 10 crime.
relation the moral and intellectual culture OF the
prisoners and the books best adapted to this end the
Agent speaks in the following terms
The law requires the Agents Of curl State Prisons, 10
furnish each with bible he has no authority
10 purchase any othebook and The convcts are depend
ent for all others entirely donations from benevc-
lent individuals Several volumes have been very thank
fully received from tina, the past year still the
supply thus obtained. is not only entirely Inadequate
often useless furnishing many duplicates of the
same work AID the only perhaps, TO which the Goa
vichss had access for several months These donations
TOO being mostly religious tracts and other theological
works generally secretarian and eften controversial
always calculated 10 produce the beneficial effect IL
tended BY the donors. Besides such works do fur
nish that variety OF reading in the vaysus branches Of
,I.l~ sol
valion Of the understanding Works l&$Azse Penny
Cycopedis and Pe emmy Magazine, sot e the con-
vic;s with great av;dity Goods Book OF ssture and
:s-cc O. four ohcr vocu,cs which hare been received
of kindred character eagerly resd, We have also
numbers OF the Quarterly Journal OF Agriculture
and Science and bound volume OF the Northern Light
which in constant demand. The great satisfaction
which many of the conyicts express for the interesting
facts they had Learned from these works is indicative OF
the good they doing and proves that their Tor
reading is always more vits'cd ihsH that Of some
who occupy mansions in stead CT prisons Many are in
Quine 70. spelling books IN order oean TO read others
tor arhmetcs Biographies, &c. IN the tulconviction
that suitable prison library cannot be Chained oy DO
nations. the attention Of he Legislature Is respectfully
called the proprety of furnishing fund for that
pose II L be thought unsafe TO ent-ust tho selection
the Books 70 tie Agents Of the Prisons Iay De Could
ed 70 tie Secretary of STATE, as the head c: our CooE
School System.
Why should Government based on public inteili-
sence, masking the most bouniiu provisions for the pro-
motion of education and the diffusion of knowledge. with
the wide spread conviction that ignorance IS the par
emit OF vice reverse its whole policy when lcgislat-
ing in regard 70 prison ccrvcts And have we not yea
son fes- ihe Il LATER times when the reformation Of
criminals shall be better understood, present prec
tice of shutting them up confirming them il their ;sao
rance. snd excluding them from the acquisition Of
knowledge, and when thus Supplied depraved and &C.
graded again returning them society several years
behind its progressive advance in the arts iceocss I'D
morals viii be referred conclusive proof Of our
ignorance and bar5srity.
n THOMAS q. HUBBARD IS the Loco Foco cau-
didate for Mayor OF Utica
4 STATE PRISONER AT LARGE.-Thomas Burns,
committed 10 cur S,s,e Prison last March for horse-tea
ing and forgery made his escape hercfEo !ss Ss;ur
day hight, He had attempted TO do it once before and
In consequence placed in irons On Saturday night
he succeeded in saving of his irons and theH Wrenca
ed or pried on one of his window bars which gave him
the opportunity to exercise MS legs favor Of largest