The Tread-Mill.
The Times, 1824-01-20T00:00:00

(From the Counnp (t yronirle.'t The srstemn of discipline on the Tread-wheel, in theSurrey Houses 'of Correction, having, in consequenrce of the violent attacks made upon it from various quarters, excited great attelition, and no defailei statement of facts having as yet appeared ta contro- vert the chargeq madc against that system, -we have obtained the foLowing correct copy of the Report of the Guildford Visiting 13la- vistrates :_ The Report of the Visiting Mfagistrates of the [louse of Correction at Guiltford, to the Court of General Quarter Sessioms, held at Newinmrton, on Tuesday. January 13, 1824, Sets forth the uniform state of cleanliness of the prison , the high state of cultiyation ef the garden for 2he.use of the prisoners, the good condtidt of the Goverior and Officers in enforcinz the regulations for the liscipline and management or the establish- ment ; the orderiv conduct of the prisoneN at chlapel-avproves the conduct of the temsporary matron, and recomimends the Court to appoint her permaitentli i states, that they have exa- amined the bills for bread, meat, coals, and incidental charges incurred in the quarter, together with the Governor's and Secre- tarY's bills for salaries, and approved and certified the same, and adds as follnws :-It cannot have escaped the attention of the mem- bers of the Court, that incessant e2lbrts have been made, andi are still making. to prejudice the public mind against the modern system of punishing criminals bv labour on the tread-wheel, that, in addition to and in support of the general cLamour exciteAl against the applica- tion of that system of punishment to females, a strona and pathietic appeal has been made lately to the sympathies of the British public, against the practice ot subjecting women with infants at thleir breasts to this discipline: and two cases of alleged cruelty have been deld up to public execration, in whicih the conduct of the magistrates of the bench at Guildford, and of the visiting magistrates of this house,lhac been reprobated, and the bigher nuthorities caulled upon to in. terpose and liberate the sufferers fromr torture, and( dismiss the committing magistratLs from the future exercise of their functions and a strong call has been made upon the surgeon attached to this establishment to give, throughl the medium of the public press, explanatory particulars relative to the cases alluded to. Your committee have not felt themselves amenable to calls made upon them throtigh such channels: and having disapproved of former comnmunications made by Air. Jacksen to the editor of a public print, have felt it their duty peremptorily to restrict him in this, and all "Luture cases, fromn making any repuly to ealls of this nature, except from the Secretary of State, the Houses of Parliament, or this Court, unless by the special authority of the visiting Mtagistrates for theti ne being. Theynevertheless have frelt it their luty to infonn themselves of the facts of thecases alluded to; and, for theguidance of their own future conduct in this respect, to examine AlMr. Jack. son, nut onIv as to these larticular cases, but to require his opi- nion as to the effects likely to result from the inflictior of labour on the wheel upon women similarly circumstanced; and list the minds of any members of the Court shoui liave been in- fluence(d bv the highi-coloured inflammatory misrepresentations thius exhibiied to the public, or that the Court should think it right to correct the false impressions the statements made in th", p rints nre catcula ed wo 1and as it appears hiave fbr their ob- ject to) make upon the pubic mlind, to the prejudice of this most eFcient system of correctivepunishment, they have prepared and are ready to elhibit *t, if it shalt be the pleasure of the Court to call forit, a Supplementary Report on the tivo cases, together with the opinion of the surgeon specially as to them, and generally as to trie application of work on the wYheel to womimen suckiinginfant. On their o-v, behalf, hoyever, they feel it due to themseves, and eo not he- sitate to dccl ire, that the result of their inquiry has perfectly satis- fied. their own lminds, that what has been done in te comllitment and panishment of these women, has not only been in strict contbr- mity to the directions of the statute, btut has violated no feeling of Ilsianitv, by wyhich they are sensible it is their dutv, as it is their inchiation, so egulate their conduct in the execution of that statute; and so fully are they satisfied in this point, that, until an alteration thall be made in the law to reattict th,emn 1rom so doing, they will con- tinue to rxecute its provisions in all cnses where (as the; think of the present cases) nothing in the actual state of health or strength of the offenders would warrant the exercise of tiheir discretion in miti- gation oftthe severity they' enjoin. (Signed) GEORGE 'WA tTON ONSLOWY, I Visiting I1. DRUJMMOND, j Alagistrates. TIlE TREA DM,ILL.