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touching the cause of their commitment, and be either dif charged, bailed, or re-committed, to answer for their respec tive offences, according to due course of law.

The prifoners are divided into four claffes, viz. thofe for debt, felony, mifdemeanors and affaults, and vagrants; and the prifon into nine feparate and diftinct yards, with various degrees of accommodation. There are alfo very convenient cold and hot baths, to which all prifoners have free accefs as neceflity requires, and at convenient seasons.

The allowance to prifoners of all defcriptions, is at prefent ten ounces of wheaten bread, daily; one pound of rice, and about five pounds of potatoes each, weekly; coals, and other gifts by the lord mayor and fheriffs; and broken victuals from the Old and New London Taverns frequently.

Paupers brought to this compter, as fuch, in order to be removed to their parishes, or otherwife relieved, are especially fubfifted, and frequently cloathed.

On New-year's day, at Easter, and fome uncertain day after, one pound of beef, one pint of porter, and one loaf, value three-halfpence, or potatoes in lieu thereof, are given by the lord mayor and fheriffs, who alfo occafionally give coals, according to their difcretion. There are alfo fome permanent donations of bread and meat at ftated periods, which, together with the fheriff's seven stone of meat weekly, belongs to the charity wards only, and are distributed among fuch prifoners in the faid wards, as have attended and properly demeaned themselves in the chapel during divine fervice on the preceding funday. The chapel clerk, by order of the court of aldermen, receives half a crown every Sunday for affifting the chaplain, and fetting the pfalm.

Money is paid by feveral of the city companies, by the common council of Farringdon Within, by the trustees of Mrs. Afhton's charity, and others, toward the release of debtors in this and other prifons, and is moft frequently applied toward the discharge of prifoners who cannot obtain their liberty without undertaking to pay fome further fum in addition to the money raised by fuch donations, and who are thereby prevented from availing themfelves of the bounty of the fociety for relief of debtors held in Craven-ftreet in the Strand. All the donations belonging to the charity wards are delivered to one of the prifoners, who acts as steward; in whose name, witneffed by the keeper, all the receipts are figned, and given under the common feal of the prison: this fteward re-. ceives alfo the fubfcriptions before mentioned; and himself pays a rent to the general flock for the use of two closets,

which he again lets to his own advantage; he advances money upon the credit of the donations, out of which he reimburfes himself, as they become due; pays five per cent to a collector, furnishes the charity wards with a conftant fupply of coals, wood, falt, candles, &c. befides paying a weekly allowance to a basket woman to collect broken victuals at the taverns, and for other meffages, on account of the said wards; alfo contributes toward the fupport of such common fide debtors, as may, by the furgeon's order, be placed in the fick ward; pays alfo a weekly allowance to the scavenger, and his affiftant, called the twelver; and is of real ufe to the prison at large. This plan of the application of the donations was firft adopted by Mr. Kirby, when keeper of Wood-Street Compter, and appears to be the most beneficial to the unfortunate, as every comfort to be procured by the donations, is thereby equally and impartially afforded; no difputes can arife from the quarterly divifion of money, nor can the prifon be defrauded, as the fteward is obliged to fubmit his accounts to be audited by four of the fenior prifoners; and though elected by the general fuffrages of the charity-wards, cannot be difpoffeffed fo long as he thall act foberly, honeftly, and for the general advantage, and shall not be guilty of breach of the truft repofed in him by the keeper.

No expence attends the commitment of prifoners to this Compter, either upon civil or criminal procefs; nor does any expence attend any perfon's confinement, unless at their own requeft, they are admitted on the mafter's fide. Upon civil actions brought in the fheriff's court, there are fees of moderate amount, and an expence is incurred by prifoners of all defcriptions, upon their discharge.

The rules and orders for the government of this prifon, were figned, 27th November, 1792, by Lords Kenyon and Loughborough, and by aldermen Crofby, Anderfon, and Combe; they relate principally to debtors; the execution is vefted in the keeper and his turnkeys.

POULTRY COMPTER. In this prifon there were formerly for master's fide debtors, fifteen rooms betwixt the inner and the outer gates; for the ufe of which, each prisoner paid two fhillings snd fixpence per week. For common fide debtors, fix wards within the inner gate; two of them on the ground floor called the King's ward, and the Prince's ward; in the former of which, November 12, 1803, were seven debtors, and in the latter the fame number.

On the first floor, or story, were the women's ward, with two debtors, the middle ward (fo called probably from its being between the women's and Jews' ward,) containing fix debtors;

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and the Jews ward, with a separate staircase leading to it, in which were two Jew debtors. These debtors had ten wives and fifteen children living with them in the prifon, and were allowed one rug each by the city, but were expected to provide their own beds.

To each ward there is a fire-place. In one of the rooms on the second floor, called the Pump-room, the debtors had the convenience of water. The, court yard here is very fmall, paved with flag ftones, and had water continually running through it. In the paffage court was a day-room for felons, and a fmall one adjoining to it for debtors. They have iron-grated windows, oppofite the public-house, kept within the gates of the prifon, and from which they were conftantly fupplied with liquor.

Men felons flept in two ftrong rooms, planked with oak, and ftudded with large broad-headed nails, on boards raised about three feet from the ground, having each a rug allowed them and up ftairs was another large room for men, and ne for women.

The chapel, which was below, had a gallery for mafter's fide debtors; and the felons, and other criminals, were feated on forms or benches in the area beneath.

At the top of the whole building are spacious leads, where the master's fide debtors were occasionally allowed to take the air. The keeper, however, or turnkey, was always with them, because the adjacent houfes were thought capable of furnishing the ready means for escape.

Such was this prifon in the year 1803, but the building being in a very dilapidated ftate, and in many parts fhoared up with props; it became at length fo dangerous, not only to the lives of the prifoners, but of other perfons reforting thither, that in July, 1804, an act paffed, (with an expedition fuited to the fuppofed preffure of the occafion,) for the removal of "all the debtors and prifoners here in custody, to "the Gilt-Spur-ftreet Compter, or to fuch other safe, secure, "and convenient place within the city, as fhould be approved "of by the lord mayor, aldermen, and commons thereof, "in common council aflembled." It was also ordained to "be lawful for the fheriffs, from time to time, and until the

Poultry Compter fhall have been rebuilt, or made fecure, "and fit and commodious for the reception of prisoners, "or another compter fhall be provided, to receive, keep, and "detain them in fuch place of intended removal." This took place in confequence without delay, and prifoners continued to be received in the Giltfpur-street Compter, till the 20th of May, 1805; when the very crowded state of that tempo

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rary receptacle, occafioned a neceffity of fending all the night charges to their old place of destination, in the Poultry.

Nor was this step fufficient; for in August, 1806, the Giltfpur-ftreet Compter, not being found large enough to contain the criminal prifoners of both gaols, they were likewife re-configned to the Poultry. This ruinous and tottering pile, therefore, (fo long before deemed hardly tenable,) has thus been made the only place of confinement for the criminals of the two compters; and the chapel of the prefent, being turned into a fleeping room, for want of space, no divine fervice is performed there.

The refult is, that Giltfpur-ftreet Compter is now wholly appropriated to the confinement of the debtors only belonging to both prifons, until a new Poultry Compter fhall be provided, or the old one rendered "Jafe," for it can hardly be "fit," and commodious for the reception of prisoners,

The two rooms already mentioned, as fronting the public house, the one fet apart for debtors, the other for felons, are fhut up; and the Queen's ward, with nearly the whole east end of the prifon, have been taken down to prevent their falling. Mafter's-fide felons, or those who can pay for beds, deep in strong rooms above stairs, to which the accefs is from the keeper's houfe. Common fide felons have, within the wooden gate, a small court, paved with flag ftones, and a miferable room called the Rat-hole, with an iron grated, unglazed window; and two difmal cells to fleep in, upon boards, raised about a yard from the floor, with a rug or two each, according to their number, but no ftraw. One of thefe cells is for four prisoners, and the other for two; above are two other rooms, of a fimilar defcription. The chapel, fince its converfion into a dormitory, has barrack bedsteads laid on the floor.

The women felons are fhut up in a dreary place below, called the Moufe-hole; this will hold fixteen prifoners, and is fitted up in the fame manner, as the above are for the men. Over it is that which was formerly called the Jews' ward for debtors, but now fet apart for the fick.

LUDGATE. This prifon was formerly one of the gates of the city of London, and fituated on Ludgate-Hill, near the fpot where the London Coffee-house now ftands. It is at prefent appropriated for the reception of debtors, being freemen of London, clergymen, proctors, attorneys, or fuch other perfous as the court of lord mayor and aldermen shall from time to time think fit to be removed thither. It is believed to have formerly had the privilege of permitting prifon.

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ers to go out (with a keeper) for the purpose of calling upon their feveral creditors, to compromise their debts, or otherwife obtain their discharge; but that cuftom, whatever might have caufed its origin, has many years been discontinued, and cannot now be traced.

About forty-fix yearsago, when Old Ludgate, (to which the table of fees, and rules and orders for its government, was adapted,) was pulled down, the prifoners were removed to the London Work-house, in Bifhopfgate-street, a part whereof was fitted up for that purpose, and where Ludgate prisoners continued to be received until the year 1794, when they were removed to the prefent prifon of Ludgate, adjoining to, and partly encircled by the Compter in Giltspur-street.

Ludgate has one fmall yard, 25 feet by 10, containing a pump, which fupplies fpring-water from a well in the Compter; another affording foft water from the river Thames, and a fhed, under which is a bathing tub.

The yard leads to eight rooms: the hall fitted up with benches and tables, for the general accommodation of all the prifoners, as a fitting room in the day time, and until they usually retire to reft. It is the custom of this gaol for the prifoners to have access to the yard at all times, either by day or night. The hall has one fire-place, which is fupplied by a fubfcription from the prisoners of fix fhillings at their entrance, and fevenpence weekly afterwards; and the fubfiftence of the prifoners is aided by charitable donations; the furplus of which, after payment of certain falaries, is divided quarterly among fuch prifoners as have been in cuftody for the space of one month, before the fame became due.

All the prifoners find their own beds and bedding, except one rug yearly, which the city allows to fuch as need it.

BOROUGH COMPTER. The Borough Compter, (vulgarly called the Clink,) is under the jurifdiction of the bailiff of Southwark, but controulable by the city of London; and extends its influence over five parishes.

Debtors have one fmall court-yard, about 19 feet square. On the ground floor, on the right hand, is the women's day and fleeping room, 24 feet, by nine feet fix inches. On the left hand is another, intended for inen, forty one feet by ten; but the floor of this room, being only of earth or mud, and unfit to fleep on, no ufe has been made of it for many years, fo that the men and women affociate promifcuously together in the women's apartments, during the day time.

Above stairs are two rooms of the fame fize as the former, and thefe, in 1801, were in good repair. All these rooms have fire-places, but no coals are allowed, no kettles or fauce

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