The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1866-11-21

The Dublin Ffeenada's Journal gives
the following description ola convict
farm at Lusk, Ireland.
The farm is situ ted about one mile
from the Rush and Eusk station on the
Droghead railway, and commands
fine prospect OF the surrounding coun-
try, with the sea and Lambay Island In
the distance to the southeast. Enter
ing by a green lane from the high road
the visitor finds himself in kind OF
camp square, on which are erected two
o5long buildings of corrugated iron,
one serving as dormitory and dining
hall and the other as workshop. At
the opposite side of the square is the
cook-house, superintendent's office, and
officers quarters, and at the rear stables
and cow-Louse. Along the boundary
wall on the western side are long she Is
in which the conricts break stone on
wet days. All the buildings have been
erected by the prisoners. The arrange
ments in the dorlnitory are quite man
of:war fashion. Hammocks were never
slowed away in "the MEETINGS" more
economically than the beds, bedsteads,
and bedding are arranged along the
sides of the apartment. which is lined
with timber and furnished with an
American stove in the centre OF the
floor. The arrangements for ventila-
ton and lighting are excellent.
In the workshop provision has been
made for reforming the necessary car
penter's work. required on the farm,
which, taken all in all, would remind
person of what he had read OF a we'll
arranged and circumstanced settlement
in the colonies. The persons who are
admissible 10 become occupiers of the
farm as workers are the convicts who
have passed through trying probation
airy course in Smithfield, Mountjoy, or
Spike Island penitentiaries, and the
book in which the biography of each is
kept tells how strict and severe is the
exatitude of his decipline they are SUBJ
jected to. In one column is the name
of the offender and the offence of which
he was convicted, and in a number of
others it is the record of his rising from
class to class by good conduct, and also
the petty transgressions which threw
him back again.
The Doomsday Book" tells many a
weary story of the erring man toiling
up to goodness, and his occasional falls
in the steep ascent which he seeks to
climb; and, perhaps, that book tells us
of his not getting help enough, or Of
minor obstacles being put on the road
of his progress. Occasionally he is
tripped up by red tape drawn across
his path back to goodness, and often
retarded in his progress to good by
what is called discipline. The average
number of convicts at Lusk farm is gen
orally ffty-tive; but at present there
are torty-seven. They are principally
engaged in farm operations, and some
notion will be formed OF the good which
has been accomplished when glance
is given at the following facts:
There are at present contained in
the farm 10 acres, divided as follows !;
Wheat, SO acres; oats, % acres pota-
toes, "A acres; mangolds, 4 acres; tur-
nips, acres; carrots, acre vetches,
l acre vegetables, l acre meadow, SO
acres grazing land, 81 acres rape, 2
acres. Fourteen well-bred young pigs
are being reared, and fifteen head of
cattle are on the land. This is all good
and in right direction, but it is not
enough now that great plan has been
tried and found to work wonderfully.
Persons should not suppose that the
convicts are pampered or overfed in no
prison is the work half so severe, and
out of the sixpence week allowed to
each they generally invest it in the pur-
chase of bread.
1.-THE day of the convict is divided as
follows: At O'Clock the bell rings for
all to Use, fold beds, and dress $50,
officers parade and uni ocking of dormi-
tories; 5.S5, prayer; 6 O'Clock, break
fist of stirabout and milk 6 80, parade,
and proceed in classes to work; II
O'Clock, dinner-on four days beet,
bread, and potatoes, on three days po-
tatoes, milk, and bread; l o'clock, re-
sumo work o'clock, supper of bread
and coffee; $50, school and lecture by
Mr.. Daily, discipline officer and regis
ter; 1870 p NJ, make beds ;7.45, prayer;
s, lock up, and 9 bed. We walked
through the farm as the convicts were
engaged reaping, under the direction of
Mr.. Gallagher, agricultural superinten-
dent. They were honest workers, trying
to make amends for wrongs done, and all
our sympathies and best wishes were
with the reapers, with whom all good
men should be to help encourage and
aid them in their strivings to get back
to the positions they had lost