un, there then is your leffon! When it shall please your father that pure felicity he your portion, without any mixture of fatigue and trouble, he will take you to himfelf. Till then, know that life is a toilfome journey, and that your business is to make it an ufeful one; ufeful I mean not to yourfelves, but to this world through which you travel. The recreant flumbers by the way; it is an act of pity for death to come and eafe him. of his toil, The man of refolution fupports his burden, and with a free and affured ftep travels on to that period of his labours, at which death awaits him, the mother of repofe.

"O thou, my fon!" turning to the prince," thou seeft that luminary who is about to finish his career: what bleffings, fince his rifing, has he not poured down upon the earth!The object that moft refembles him here below is a good king."

At these words he arofe, and fet forward, he and his family, and all the people, to attend the pontiff upon the veftibule of the temple, while he observed what aspect the fun exhibited at his fetting, and minuted down the prognostics that luminary afforded.'

In the course of the recital, the rights of humanity and of nature are pleaded with great force of argument, against the ufurpations of power, and the violent fuggeftions of intolerance. A pleafing fenfibility, founded on just and refined conceptions,' is every where confpicuous; but perhaps the author is not free from cenfure, in giving fo much fcope to his imagination, on a fubject interwoven with facts, which are fupported by historical evidence.

The State of the Prifons in England and Wales. With Prelimi minary Obfervations, and an Account of fome foreign Prifons. By John Howard, F. R. S. 410. 12s. boards. Cadell.

IN order to form an idea of the measure of praife and thanks which this truly patriotic gentleman deferves from this country, from all countries; let us fee how the fcales will appear in the impartial hands of Comparison.

The navigator may furround the world; the farmer and the botanist may examine the plants and the cultivation of dif ferent countries may collect the most accurate, useful obfervations-without once thinking of any thing but their own particular purfuits and studies. Such men may be machines in the direction of Providence for the good of its creatures; but cannot, with more juftice, be ftyled benefactors to mankind,

than the tool of the carpenter, or the inftrument of the furgeon.

Into that method of ferving mankind which Mr. Howard has felected (we had almoft said invented), no fatisfaction can poffibly enter but the pure, unmixed fatisfaction of rendering that fervice. Amusement has made men mechanics, gardeners, mathematicians, farmers, botanifts, failors-but Amusement was never able to prevail upon a gentleman of character, of fortune, to vifit all the holes of all the prifons of almoft all the countries in Europe; and to repeat many of these perilous vifits. Amusement may, if he pleafe, exclaim much good may it do Mr. Howard!' and call for his gun, or his fishing-rod but we will tell this jeerer that the merit of Mr. Howard arifes from the very circumftance of his faying, much good may it do him!' from the perseverance of Mr. Howard's patriotifm, in accomplishing a fcheme, literally at the hazard of life, which no other man, we believe, had ever the courage to attempt.

What if the prisons of Roman catholic countries be vifited, in fome inftances, even by women? They are only the members of religious orders, inftituted for that particular purpose. If their's be a dangerous task; it is a task performed because enjoined.

Thofe who deny Mr. Howard that praife, in this world, which he deferves fo richly, which he buys fo dearly let them form an idea of the difficulties, the dangers, with which he had to ftruggle. Before he fet a foot into a prifon;

Vestibulum ante ipfum, primifque in faucibus;

he was to fubdue that monfter Ridicule, whom we conftantly balloo and hearten to attack every man, who takes a new method to prove himself our friend-then, the fcorns of jailors, the fpurns of turnkeys, the infolence of office-fmells, difeafes, peftilences, death! And that very fenfibility (you may add) which led him into the prifon, would be the likelieft paffion perhaps to hurry him out again.

Even in this fruitful age of patriotism, a gentleman who fpends his time, his fortune, in dungeons, ftudying how to render thefe dungeons more comfortable, and the inhabitants of them lefs miferable, is, undoubtedly, fomething of a pha

nomenon.

Does any reader complain that this is rather a panegy. ric on the author, than a criticism of his book?-We profess ourfelves unable to criticife the one, without beftowing our warmeft praifes on the other. Thefe too, like the praifes

con

conferred by Junius on the earl of Chatham, will wear well, for they have been hardly earned :' and, at the fame time that they, in fome measure, reward Mr. Howard; they may perhaps alfo ferve to convince the reft of the world that,. mankind are not yet fufficiently degenerate to be altogether un, grateful to their greatest benefactors.

Mr. Howard's book confifts of a plain, honeft introduction; of a fenfible conclufion, and five intermediate fections:

1. General View of Diftrefs in Prifons.-2. Bad Customs in Prifons. 3. Propofed Improvements.-4. Foreign Prifons.-5. English Prifons- and fome ufeful Tables of Fees, Criminals, &c.

The conclufion fhall fpeak for itself. The author's apology in the fecond paragraph is unnecefiary, to us at leaft; for we would on no account fit down to criticife the ftyle of a performance, the materials for which were collected at the peril of the author's life.

It was once my intention to have published the preceding account of English Prifons, without any of the introductory matter which compofes the former part of this volume. But thinking, from a close attention to the fubject, that it was in my power in fome inftances to fuggeft remedies to the evils which I had been witnefs of; and aware of the common proverbial objection "that it is eafier to find faults than to mend them;" I imagined I fhould be culpable in fuppreffing any thing which might conduce to improvement in a matter I had fo much at heart.

• A perfon of more ability, with my knowledge of facts, would have written better: but my ambition was not the fame of an author. Hearing the cries of the miferable, I devoted my time to their relief. In order to procure it, I made it my bufinefs to collect materials, the authenticity of which could not be difputed. For the warmth of fome expreffions where my fubject obliges me to complain, and for my eagerness to remove the feveral grievances, my only apology must be drawn from the deep diftrefs of the fufferers, and the impreffions the view of it excited in me-impreffions too ftrong to be effaced by any length of time!

What I have propofed throughout my work is liable, I am fenfible, to fome objections; and thefe will, doubtless, be heightened by the cavils of those whose interest it is to prevent the reformation of abuses on which their eafe or emolument may depend. Yet I hope not to be entirely deserted in the conflict and, if this publication fhall have any effect in alleviating the diftreffes of poor debtors and other prisoners-in procuring for them cleanly and wholefome abodes; and thereby

:

exterminating the gaol-fever, which has fo often spread abroad its dreadful contagion-in abolishing, or at least reducing, the oppreflive fees of clerks of affize, and of the peace; and checking the impofitions of gaolers, and the extortion of bailiffsin introducing a habit of industry in our bridewells; and reftraining the shocking debauchery and immorality which prevail in our gaols and other prifons-if any of these beneficial confequences fhall accrue, the writer will be ready to indulge himself with the pleasing thought of not having lived without doing some good to his fellow-creatures; and will think himfelf abundantly repaid for all the pains he has taken, the time he has spent, and the hazards he has undergone.

⚫ Nothing effectual will, however, I am perfuaded, be done in reforming the, ftate of our prifons, till a thorough parliamentary inquiry concerning them be fet on foot, on which may be grounded one comprehenfive fiatute for their general regulation. Should this be undertaken, I would cheerfully (relying still on the protection of that KIND MAND which has hitherto preserved me, and to which I defire to offer my most thankful acknowledgments!) devote my time to one more extensive foreign journey, in which the Pruffian and Austrian territories, and the moft confiderable free cities of Germany would probably afford fome new and useful lights on this important national concern,'

We shall now notice fome paffages which ftruck us in turning over the book; one, in particular, accounts for the miferis fuccurrere of Mr. Howard in the fame manner as Dido ac

counted for her's.

In 1756, fays the author, a Lisbon packet (the Hanover) in which I went paffenger, in order to make the tour of Portugal, was taken by a French privateer. Before we reached Breft, I fuffered the extremity of thirft, not having for above forty hours one drop of water; nor hardly a morfel of food. In the castle at Breft, I lay fix nights upon straw; and observing how cruelly my countrymen were used there, and at Morlaix, whither I was carried next; during the two months I was at Carhaix upon parole, I correfponded with the English prifoners at Breft, Morlaix, and Dinnan: at the laft of those towns were several of our fhip's crew, and my fervant. I had fufficient evidence of their being treated with fuch barbarity, that many hundreds had perished; and that thirty-fix were buried in a hole at Dinnan in one day. When I came to EngJand, ftill on parole, I made known to the commiffioners of fick and wounded feamen, the fundry particulars; which gained their attention, and thanks. Remonftrance was made to the French court: our failors had redress: and thofe that were

were in the three prifons mentioned above, were brought home in the firft cartel-hips.-A lady from Ireland, who married in France, had bequeathed in truft with the magiftrates of St. Malo's, fundry charities; one of which was a penny a day to every English prifoner of war in Dinnan. This was duly paid; and faved the lives of many brave and useful men. Perhaps what I fuffered on this occafion, increafed my fympathy with the unhappy people, whofe cafe is the fubject of this book.'

This is defeating Misfortune effectually, to turn her own weapons against herself.

That gaol delivery is in many towns and counties only annual, at Hull triennial, merits furely the attention of the legislature !

Clerks of affize, and clerks of the peace, are perhaps not juftified in all their claims upon acquitted prifoners. See 14th Geo. III.

Of an additional hazard to thofe which we have already enumerated, the following note affords a ftriking account.

When I went into Horsham gaol with the keeper, we saw a heap of ftones and rubbish. The felons had been two or three days undermining the foundation of their room, and a general escape was intended that night. We were but just in time to prevent it; for it was almost night when we went in. Our lives were at their mercy; but (thank God) they did not attempt to murder us, and rush out.'

A fhort paragraph, with which we fhall prefent our readers, written at Hamburgh, will raise their respect for the author, and not much perhaps of their pity for the ingenious mechanic whofe fate it records.

-Nec lex eft juftior ulla,

Quam necis artifices arte perire fuâ.

Among the various engines of torture, or the question, which I have seen in France and other places, the most excruciating is kept and used in a deep cellar of this prifon. It ought to be buried ten thousand fathom deeper. It is faid the inventor was the first who fuffered by it: the last was a woman, not two years ago.'

Every Englishman does not know the pleasing method taken by the keeper of Ely gaol to fecure his prifoners within these ten years.

This was by chaining them down on their backs upon a floor, across which were feveral iron bars; with an iron collar with fpikes, about their necks, and a heavy iron bar over their

P 4

legs.