In

' of ancient grandeur, not to form a scale of the curiosities of 'modern art, not to collect medals, or collate manuscripts, but 'to dive into the depths of dungeons, to plunge into the in'fection of hospitals, to survey the mansions of sorrow and pain, to take the gauge and dimensions of misery, depression and contempt, to remember the forgotten, to attend to the 'neglected, to visit the forsaken, and compare and collate the 'distresses of all men in all countries." The weaker sex soon pressed forward for a share in the glory of humanity. spite of cruel and bitter mockery, in spite of Turkey-carpet' sarcasms from fat-witted and close-fisted aldermen, in spite of more direct discouragement, the subject of prisons was brought prominently before the public. The public reflected, and was horrified. Frymania, as it was called, daily gained ground. The interior of prisons underwent a total change. Now, order, cleanliness and health reigned within their walls: now, prisoners grew fat and lusty on prison fare: now, they were employed in tailoring, white-washing, flagging, slating, painting, carpentering :"+ now "notorious poachers, as well as bad men, in consequence of extreme contrition and good conduct, were, at the intercession of the clergymen of their parishes, released before the expiration of their terms of punishment:" and now, as was remarked at the time, poor men might see clergymen and ladies busy with larcenous pupils, whilst lads who had respected the eighth commandment, were consigned, in some dark alley, to the frowns and blows of a ragged pedagogue.

Mrs. Fry, the female Howard, (as she was styled) and his successor as leader of the crusade, soon became a public character, and was apostrophized as such by the popular poet of the day

Oh! Mrs. Fry! Why go to Newgate? Why
Preach to poor rogues? and wherefore not begin
With Carlton, or with other houses? Try
Your hand at harden'd and imperial sin.

To mend a people's an absurdity,

A jargon, a mere philanthropic din,
Unless you make their betters better-Fy!

I thought you had more religion, Mrs. Fry.§

*In an interesting collection of tales called "Experiences of a Gaol Chaplain," a Magistrate, during a discussion respecting the election of a chaplain, is represented as saying," Mrs. Fry again! now mark me. The principles of that woman will eventually undermine the framework of Society." We do not think this unnatural: and the "no Innovation" cry was in those days far more powerful than now.

†Third Report of the Society for the improvement of Prison Discipline, p. 22. Ibid, p. 29.

§ Don Juan, Canto xi. 85. We are very far from questioning Mrs. Fry's religion, though in some points we do question her discretion.

When the tide had fairly set in, there was no stopping it. The opposition, that in the first instance withstood humanity, had quickened the pursuit of it into a species of religious excitement, which could not easily be checked, though the opposition itself was gone. Ladies and gentlemen, good and worthy as ever breathed, went racing on, at killing pace, striving apparently with might and main, who should pet prisoners most. The cruel wrongs done to common-sense in the struggle, and the desperate dislocation of cause and effect in the statistical arguments, which they published in defence of their views, need not be dwelt on here: But the results were equally distressing and ludicrous; incarceration became not only healthy but elegant, and it was scarcely exaggeration to say that "a jail had become precisely the place to which any pauper might 'wish to retire, to gratify his taste for magnificence, as well as ' comfort." The instruction offered in some cases, was so excellent, and so much appreciated by the lower classes, that it actually came to pass that parents accused their own children of crime, to procure it gratis; and the governors of a Juvenile penitentiary, called the "Philanthropic Charity,"* were even obliged to make it a rule never to receive a child upon the accusation of the parents alone. In those days, a novice, who had not been initiated by "family-men"t in jail mysteries, might indeed have trembled, whilst he heard the Judge, in solemn and severe accents, passing sentence upon him; but he must soon have learnt to laugh at his former fears, and if required again to face the judgment-seat, he most probably made up his mind that "that 'ere old gemman in red and rabbit skins" was rather a pleasant old gemman than otherwise. If our readers will look over the published Records of the Government of Bengal, they will perceive, that towards the end of the last century, this second stage, in the history of Prison Discipline, the progress of which in England we have traced, commenced here. As we shall speak of this more particularly below, we need only at present say, that then exaggerated philanthropy got her foot inside our jails, and we have never yet been able to get her fairly out again. Assailed in vain by official, and unofficial pens, she still stood her ground, backed by the powerful advocacy of the Medical Board. There she was, and there till lately she seemed likely

* This excellent institution is still in existence at Red Hill, near Reigate. This was the name given to a set of prisoners, who were constantly returning to jail, and might be said to spend the greater part of their lives there, up to the time when they were hanged.

Thus did an irreverent prisoner once allude in open Court to the learned judge who was trying him.

to remain, mingled, however, with some of the elements of the earlier practice, which contrasted strangely with the humane system upon which they were grafted. The bills of fare, and the bills of mortality, were both about equally well filled. Stinking drains, and a profusion of food; light and easy work, and pestiferous wards; dirt and plenty ; idleness and diseasethese seemed to be considered the fitting attributes of a Bengal jail.

In England, however, where the re-action was more violent and more complete, the over-indulgent system has now received a check. Prisons there are no longer the pleasant places they once were. The present state of things is, indeed, as different from the old severe system, as light from darkness; but it has, nevertheless, been able to excite the reality or the feint of a second re-action. We refer such of our readers as are curious on this point, to an article in the Westminster Review, for April last. We must henceforth devote ourselves to Bengal.

A natural enquiry suggested by the two last paragraphs is, why has the improvement of Prison Discipline in Bengal been so lamentably slow? We answer this enquiry by suggesting that a want of system has been the cause; and we now proceed to demonstrate how. The Sudder Nizamut Adawlut had the first handling of the subject. In 1811, they promulgated a set of rules, and in 1828, Mr. A. Dick talks officially of "perusing 'the jail rules, and remarking the numerous tracts (?) of humane 'care and watchfulness, which characterized the instructions ' and orders of the Nizamut Adawlut."* Mr. Dick's perusal, however, only led him to a partially right conclusion. Of a species of humanity, he found, doubtless, plenty; but we question the existence of care or watchfulness. The Sudder, in truth, had no time to give either. If such a homely expression can be used with propriety respecting so august a body, we would say that they had other and more urgent fish to fry than prisonrules. We can fancy (with no presumption we hope) a learned Judge, deepina Feisala,' just glancing over them, and satisfying himself that they were humane, in conformity with the Shibboleth of the day, and then returning with easy conscience to the more pressing claims of replication and rejoinder. Humanity was then the fashion and the common cant; so the rules or "tracts" were humane after a kind; but they were little else.

Sudder Court, Zillah Judges and Magistrates thus lightly tossed the subject of Prison Discipline about, complimenting themselves and one another, until in 1836, a notable plan was adopted, and Government, awaking from its slumbers, deter

*Circular Order of the Sudder Nizamut Adawlut, dated January 16, 1829.

England

mined to appoint a Prison Discipline Committee. was just then Committee-mad. Sydney Smith declared that "the whole world was in commission, and that the human race, 'saved from the flood, was delivered over to Committees of barristers of six years' standing." "The onus probandi," he continued, "now lies upon any man, who says, he is not a Commissioner; the only doubt on seeing a new man among the Whigs is not whether he is a Commissioner or not, but whether it is tithes, poor laws, boundaries of boroughs, church leases, 'charities, or any of the thousand human concerns, which are now worked by Commissioners to the infinite comfort and 'satisfaction of mankind, who seem in these days to have found out the real secret of life, the one thing wanting to sublunary happiness, the great principle of Commission, and six years' 'barristration." So the Indian Prison Discipline Committee was ushered in, of course, with acclamation, especially as it had five of the rampant profession among its Members. Mr. H. Shakespear, a Member of the Council of India, was appointed its President; and the names of its Members were the following-Sir E. Ryan, Mr. Macaulay, Sir J. P. Grant, Sir B. H. Malkin, Mr. Cameron, Mr. Macleod, Mr. (now Sir G.) Anderson, Mr. Millett, Mr. C. Barwell, Mr. (afterwards Sir W.) Macnaughten, Mr. Macfarlane, Mr. (now Sir C. E.) Trevelyan, and Mr. John Peter Grant, (its "intelligent Secretary,*") whose enviable career of power, patronage and profit, has lately been crowned with a seat in the Supreme Council. These are all high and distinguished names; and their owners did, what they could do, well. Their report was able, interesting, and judicious; but unfortunately they were invested with only the powers of advice, without any of the functions of action. When the Committee therefore had presented its Report, it had nothing more to do, but broke up, and straightway vanished into thin air. Its several Members betook themselves to other employments, some of them went home, some had died before its completion, others died soon after. His Honor in Council recorded a Minute in the true orthodox style. The Florentine Ambassador, who wrote to Oliver Cromwell, "Some say the 'Protector is dead; others say that he is not; for my part I believe neither one nor t'other," could not have surpassed it in delightful uncertainty. It required more information and much consideration, it remarked that a suggestion here was very judicious, but apprehended that a proposal there was rather unsound, it partially concurred with this, and partially

This expression is not our own, although we cordially agree with its purport. We quote from the Minute of the President in Council on the Committee's Report.

114

disagreed with that, and so on-and thus, after a little stir about the messing system, which narrowly escaped defeat,* the whole subject seemed to be postponed sine die; and the Report took its place among the records-where we found it.

We hope that we shall not be understood to depreciate individual efforts in general, when we give it as our mournful opinion, that the individual efforts of Magistrates, did, and in fact could do, very little to improve the system of Prison Discipline. Local and temporary reforms were indeed sometimes achieved, and circulars, clothed in the enthusiastic language of the reformers themselves, were distributed, with the stamp of Governmental applause, among officials, to incite to similar exertions. Forthwith ambitious Magistrates, with or without sufficient knowledge of Grammar, seized their pens, and indited, with laudable industry, marvellous experiences, and strange proposals. Many of these must have overflowed the Secretary's waste basket, but the best among them were duly embalmed in lithograph or print, and are still to be found in Circular Orders and elsewhere. Thus Mr. Woodcock invented, and explained in a somewhat complicated manner, a system for ticketing and numbering prisoners and their clothes, and to his authorship is due a long letter on the subject of grinding corn. Thus Mr. Loch, as a Magistrate, spared neither pen nor paper on the very important subject of diet. Thus Mr. Leycester set paper-making a-going (to meet Mr. Loch's consumption, we suppose), primarily at Hoogly, and ultimately through Bengal: Thus Mr. Hodgson told the Government that,

by means of threats and promises, he had worked up the 'convicts to the greatest pitch of industry they were capable of yielding, and as the days were then getting shorter, he felt it 'would require much firmness and surveillance, to keep the men to their present quota of work; however, that the Government might rely on his not relaxing in his endeavours to make the manufactory as profitable as possible," (and we doubt not he was as good as his word): And thus, last, though not least, Mr. Samuels, late Superintendent of Alipore jail, as a finale to

*Its defeat, if so it had chanced, would have been principally owing to the medical faculty. The arguments against it were of this fashion "One prisoner dislikes or has vowed not to eat meat, another fish, some both." "It will sometimes happen that the meat has been prepared long before the party returns from work, when it must be eaten cold." "The habits of the natives indispose them to eat in messes or with strangers." "Dissensions are apt to occur from the partial distribution by the cooks of portions of the mess; all the fish, for instance, or the best parts, being given to a few, and little or none to another of the party." One alarmist doctor went so far as to think it possible, that a heap of food, if kept too long, might be seriously affected," and reported that on a certain day he was at the jail, when the prisoners were eating their food, and that it did look rather stale. See Circular Order, dated January 13th, 1843.