yond which individuals not to be expected to advance; where they may, without hesitation, trust entirely to the interposition of the public power. There are cases, undoubtedly, where the legislature ought to have the exclusive cognizance, and where the charge should fall upon the public purse. There are cases too, where the burthen must be borne by individuals. But there are cases where they may most beneficially co-operate, and in which it is impossible to determine the exact proportion which shall fall upon each. But let us not be too anxious on this point. Charity, like mercy, "is twice blessed; it blesseth him that gives, and him that takes;" and it is in the order of Providence that this blessing shall never be wanting to him that gives. "He hath dispersed," says the inspired psalmist: "he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour." In the very act of charity there is a process of purification in the heart of the giver, which elevates his feelings and improves his character. Besides, it is an individual duty, which individuals only can perform. It must be voluntary. The moment it becomes compulsory, it is no longer charity. It may benefit "him that takes," but its virtue "to him that gives" is gone. [DECEMBER riod referred to. ages and colours, and of both sexes, of every grade of offence, and of every variety of character, and even the Tried and untried prisoners, of all poor debtors, who had committed no offence at all, were thrown into one common herd, in an ill contrived building, which retained the abomination of a subterraneous dungeon for prisoners under sentence of death. "What a spectacle," exclaims Mr. Vaux, "must this abode of guilt and wretchedness have presented" Well might he ask the question. A den of wild beasts, desperate from confinement, and mad from hunger, abandoned to the work of mutual destruction, would be hut a faint type of such an assemblage. The brute obeys his instinct; but to condemn a human being to an existence where mere brutal ferocity will assume the dominion over him, is to be accessary to the crime of effacing the image of his Maker, and robbing him of the attributes of humanity. Many details will be found in the pamphlet, which time will not allow to be repeated. There is one, however, which is not less curious than important. A clergyman, who was a member of the acting committee, proposed to preach to the prisoners. His efforts were resisted by the keeper; and when For this particular object, as entitled to individual (on a Sunday) a loaded cannon, with a lighted match at last by perseverance he gained admission, he found care, we have the countenance of precept and example, beside it, prepared by the keeper, pointed at the priand the encouragement of the success which has follow-soners, and ready to do the work of destruction upon ed exertion in the same career. forty years ago, "the Philadelphia Society for alleviat- felt, or affected to feel, of his inmatesA little more than the least commotion. Such were the fears the keeper ing the Miseries of Public Prisons," was founded by a few of the citizens of Philadelphia; and that venerable man, whose long life has been devoted to the service of his Maker and his fellow creatures, with exemplary purity and faithfulness, was appointed to the station of president, which he has since occupied without interruption, and still continues to occupy. consider," they say in the preamble to their constitution, "When we "that the obligations of benevolence which are founded on the precepts and example of the author of Christianity, are not cancelled by the follies or crimes of our fellow creatures; and when we reflect upon the miseries which penury, hunger, cold, unnecessary severity, unwholesome apartments and guilt, (the usual attendants of prisons,) involve with them, it becomes us to extend our compassion to that part of mankind, who are the subjects of these miseries. By the aids of humanity their undue and illegal sufferings may be prevented; the links which should bind the whole family of mankind together, under all circumstances, be preserved unbroken; and such degrees and modes of punishment may be discovered and suggested, as may, instead of continuing habits of vice, become the means of restoring our fellow ereatures to virtue and happiness." They soon after addressed the public, asking for pecuniary aid, stating that the funds of the society were confined to an annual subscription from each of its members, and a ground rent of fourteen pounds, the donation of John Dickinson, Esq. This litttle band of philanthropists went resolutely to work, and in the forty years that have elapsed, have persevered unceasingly in their exertions to promote the humane objects of their association. Their history has lately been given to us by Mr. Vaux. It is not too much to say, that to their labours, under Providence, we are chiefly indebted for an entire revolution in the conduct and management of our prisons: to them, in a great measure, we owe the credit of having been the first to introduce the penitentiary system, as well as the amelioration of our penal code. If the penitentiary has failed of its purpose, from want of accommodation, or from other causes, it is to be hoped that the Legislature will afford the means of remedying its defects, and of giving it a fair and full experiment. Still, with all its imperfections, our present system of fers a striking contrast to that which existed at the pe * The Right Rev. Dr. White, Bishop of Pennsylvania society that the present plan was put forward, as a most It was with the sanction and the approbation of this material and humane improvement. fluence the charitable, that wherever a Refuge has been Is it necessary for me to add, as a further motive to inestablished, its support, in whole or in part, has been don Refuge was thus begun, and has thus been mainsupplied by the contribution of individuals? The Lontained. In our sister city, which gave us an example of a Refuge in full operation before we had yet moved, the subscriptions of individuals have not only been larger than here, but they have borne a larger proportion to charity? They laboured in an untried work; we have the aid afforded by the state. Shall we be outdone in the light of their experience. They persevered in the face of doubt, and their exertions have been crowned with success. and yet the work languishes in our hands. The Legislature has given us a liberal earnest of its intentions. We We have every ground of confidence, have no reason to fear that it will ever be less disposed to extend its aid. It is for ourselves, then, to do what is now wanting, in humble reliance that what we do will not be done in vain. are not the only ones which address themselves to us But, the motives which have now been adverted to, upon this interesting subject. Our interests, as well as juvenile delinquency has for a long time past occasioned our duties, are deeply concerned in it. The increase of quiry has been made into the state of crime and punishthe most serious apprehension and regret, wherever inment. From this calamity, we are by no means exempt, On the 13th of the present month, there were in prison, under conviction, thirty-nine white boys, and twentyboys, we have no account: nor have we any account of one black, making a total of sixty. Of the untried the girls, as they have not been separated from their setained, would by no means ascertain the extent of the niors in vice. The whole number, however, if ascerevil. The repugnance to prosecuting children, even when they are detected in offence, and the inclination of courts and juries to acquit them, out of compassion for their tender years, rather than consign them to the destruction of a prison, leave many at large to pursue jectured. It includes a great variety. Among the thirtytheir course of iniquity. The aggregate cannot be connine white boys named in the list from the prison, there from which we may understand that there is nothing in are eleven who are styled by the keeper "good boys," 1828.] HOUSE OF REFUGE. With their dispositions or habits decidedly vicious. care and instruction they would probably be reclaimed, and become useful members of society. But what is their condition now, and what are their prospects? Branded with the infamy of a jail-lost to the feeling of shame-turned loose upon the world-cut off from intercourse with the honest part of the communitywithout counsel, aid, or instruction, they are forced into the society of the vicious, and driven to crime for a subsistence. They are irretrievably lost, when they might have been saved. Rejected by society, excluded from honest occupation, with the world in hostility against them, they naturally become enemies of the world, and grow into the most desperate offenders. ter them in the fulness of their stature and strength.-- An intelligent magistrate of England, in a letter re- It imposes restraint, for restraint is necessary no less for the good of the subject, than for the security of society. But it inflicts no punishment; it affixes no badge of disgrace; it stamps no degradation; it regards its inmates as unfortunate children, exposed in their weakness, without support, and bowed down by the storms and temptations of life, but capable of being restored to uprightness by steady treatment and judicious care. Upon this simple and humane basis, all the regulations of the House are framed. The general object is, to impart to the inmates religious and moral instruction; to form them to useful and orderly habits; to furnish them with wholesome occupation; and at a suitable age, if they prove themselves worthy, to bind them as apprentices to some reputable employment, so that they may be enabled to earn an honest livelihood, and main In the sixth report of the committee of the Prison Society of London, it is remarked, that "Many hundreds of these lads (committed) have either no parents, or have been deserted by them. Thus abandoned, they have made fellowship with others alike friendless, contracted a desire for wandering, and an aversion to restraint; they live from day to day by preying on the property of others; at night they usually sleep in the open air. Their minds are in a state of the darkest ignorance, and the grossest vice. They are very frequently brought up before the magistrates for petty offences. They are committed for short periods; and when liberated, are very soon again in prison. They continue pilfering, increasing in guilt as they advance in years, until their career is terminated by transportation or death." And in a note it is stated, that "one boy, but nine years of age, who has been under the notice of the committee, had been eighteen times committed to the different prisons in the metropolis." It is needless to dwell upon the facts which have been It affords me sincere satisfaction to be able to say, and to the managers it affords the most confident hope, that the plan has proved eminently successful. So long ago as in the year 1819, Mr. Hoare, in his examination before a committee of the House of Commons, made this statement:-"In the different prisons I have visited, the reformation of the boys is generally considered as hopeless; in the Refuge we generally succeed. The classification is not so perfect as I think desirable, but the funds of the society are very low, and we are obliged to do the best we can. The Warwick county Asylum (an imperfect Refuge, it would seem, where boys were generally received only after conviction, and consequently after the contamination of a prison,) established in 1818, and supported Out of eighty-one boys, thirty-nine solely by voluntary contributions, is stated to have been of infinite benefit. have been ascertained to have been permanently reformed; twenty-one have been since tried at Warwick, and sixteen remain. Boys, says Sir Eardly Wilmot, have occasionally been received into the Asylum without being tried and convicted; and I have it on the best authority to say that the facility of reform is incalculably In the London Refuge, and in the Rofuge of New greater with such boys than with convicted felons, The cases York, a friend who has accurately examined the statements, informs me that a permanent reform has been effected in the proportion of nine out of ten. detailed are numerous and interesting, and it is desirable that they should be extensively known, as they present There is reason to believe that a solution has thus been a most powerful argument in favour of the plan. found for a difficult and afflicting problem. The public security may be reconciled with a just and humane attention to the circumstances of unfortunate youth. Our feelings may be spared the dreadful sacrifice of juvenile victims, which existing laws and institutions have demanded-prosecutors, magistrates, courts, and juries, may be relieved from the painful struggle between their duty and their strong inclination-the appalling increase of juvenile delinquency be checked-the quantity of crime be diminished-and the seeds of vice, which are vegetating under an unnatural and cruel culture, in a soil capable of producing good fruit, be supplanted by the development of that germ of virtue, which, if not destroyed, is sufficient under Providence, to restore in some degree the likeness in which man was made, and to lead to present and to future happiness. the exhaustion of fuel occasioned by the great increase of steam engines. The first squadron of boats, loaded with coal, arrived at tide water on the 5th instant. Fifty tons of this coal have been consigned to the Messrs. Townsends, which will afford our citizens an opportunity of testing its quality. From gentlemen who have recently been through on the whole line of the canal, we learn that the work has been executed in the most permanent manner, and that in its construction, durability and economy are judiciously combined. This canal is 32 to 36 feet wide, upon the water line, and has 4 feet depth of water. The locks are 76 feet in length between the gates, and 9 feet wide. The boats are estimated to carry 25 to 30 tons. From the mouth of the Rondout, where it connects with the Hudson, to Port Jervis, near the Delaware river, is a distance of 59 miles; on this section are 60 lift locks and one guard lock, of hammered stone, laid chiefly in hydraulic cement. There are also one aqueduct over the Neversink river 224 feet in length, upon stone piers and abutments; one over the Rondout entirely of stone upon two arches, one of 60 and the other of 50 feet chord; and ten others, of various dimensions, upon stone piers and abutments, over lateral streams; 15 culverts of stone, and 93 bridges having stone abutments and The philanthropist and the statesman may here concur. He who desires the welfare of all mankind, and he who only seeks to arrange the movement of a community so as to produce security and peace, will equally find his purpose promoted. And even the most rigid economist, looking only to the pecuniary cost, (if any such there be) will have nothing to object. The expense of maintaining a refuge, is not greater than the expense of maintaining a jail. The amount required to support its inmates, is less than the cost of an equal number in prison. And if, enlarging his view, he recollects, that those who begin their days in a jail, most commonly become a burthen for life, subsisted by the public while in, and by plunder when out; whereas the Refuge, working a reform, enables them to support themselves, and to contribute something to the general expenses of society; that the one enlarges the sources of crime, and swells the streams that flow from it, and the other seeks to diminish the fountain of iniquity, and dry up its noxious issues; he will be convinced that a just economy walks hand in hand with charity and poli-wing walls. cy. That considerations like these will eventually obtain for the Refuge a much larger support from the treasury of the state or the county, we have no doubt. But the present object is to put it into operation, upon a scale of usefulness that will be creditable to those with whom it originated. The state and the county have contributed twenty thousand dollars towards the building, and have provided a revenue for supporting the establishment of five thousand dollars a year for five years, making a total of forty-five thousand dollars. Individuals have given about twelve thousand dollars. Money is now wanted, and the managers, having exhausted their efforts to proceed as they would wish, with the means which have been placed at their disposal, are compelled again to appeal to your enlightened charity. If at this moment you should see a destitute and helpless child approaching the brink of a precipice, and know that its ignorant steps would in a few moments lead it to destruction, would you not reach forth your hand to save it? Many are on their way to that yawning monster, a jail, which devours all that is sound and healthful in their nature, and fills the vacant space with corruption. Will you not, from your abundance, give something to save them from imminent ruin, and yourselves from the infliction you must suffer from them, or will you allow the mischief to spread and grow till some other hand shall check it? It was said of an eminent heathen sage, that he brought philosophy from the clouds, and fixed her abode among men. The Christian's philosophy comes from heaven, brought by no mortal hands, but freely given to man for his own benefit and guidance. It teaches us that charity is like unto the duty enjoined by the "first and great commandment." From the Albany Argus. DELAWARE AND HUDSON CANAL. Port Jervis is less than a mile from Carpenter' point, formed by the junction of the Neversink and Delaware rivers, and at which point, the states of New York and New Jersey, corner upon Pennsylvania. Port Jervis affords a view of the territory of three states and also of the Delaware river and the fertile valley of the Neversink. From this point, the line of the canal is carried along on the east side of the Delaware, to a point opposite the mouth of the Lackawaxen river. At this place a dam has been erected across the Delaware, by means of which the canal is fed, and boats cross the river. From McCarty's point, which is formed by the junction of the Lackawaxen with the Delaware, the canal follows up the valley of the Lackawaxen, 25 miles, to the forks of the Dyberry, at which point the canal terminates, and where a thriving village is already established, called Honesdale. On the Delawar section of 22 miles, there are wooden locks, and on the Lackawaxen section of 25 miles, are 37 locks of the same description. These locks are secured by a substantial dry stone wall, and so constructed that the wooden lining can be taken out and replaced, without disturbing the rest of the lock. Honesdale, where the canal terminates, is 16 miles distant from the coal region. Over this 16 miles, the coal is to be transported upon a rail road, which is already in great fowardness. The structure of the rail road is of timber, with iron plates securely fastened to to weigh nearly 366 tons. The railway is to be furnishthe timber rails with screws. The plates are estimated ed with 5 stationary and 5 locomotive steam engines.— It is estimated that this rail road and its appendages will engines for the rail road were taken up as soon as the catransport 540 tons per day, in one direction. The steam nal waa navigable; and it is expected the rail road will be in operation as early as June next. The rail road terminates at Carbondale, on the Lackawana river, where several hundred tons of coal have already been quarried, and transported to the canal by The public seem scarcely aware that a canal, one hun-rail road. dred and six miles in length, commencing at the tide water near Kingston, and terminating at Honesdale, in Pennsylvania, has been completed since July, 1825; and that this great work has been accomplished principally by the enterprise and perseverance of an individual company. As the channel for conveying coal to the navigable waters of the Hudson, this canal must be regarded as an improvement of incalculable importance to the public; it not of indispensable necessity, in supplying The coal of the Lackawana has been tested, and proves to be of the first quality for working iron, as well as for the ordinary purposes of fuel. As to quantity, there can be no reasonable doukt on the subject. A visit to Carbondale, and the coal region in its vicinity, will satisfy any person that the supply is inevhaustible. And the canal being now completed, and the rail road nearly finished, our citizens in the cities and villages bordering upon the Hudson may cangratulate themselves upon the facilities offered by this great highway for ob- To all whom these presents shall come, certifies and makes taining an inexhaustible supply of fuel. ELECTORAL College of PENNSYLVANIA. known. That, at an election held in and for the state of Pennsylvania, on Friday, the thirty-first day of October, in the present year, the following named persons were duly elected, and returned to be Electors of President and Vice President of the United States, for the term of one thousand eight hundred and twenty-nine, agreeably to the laws and constitution of the United States, and of the state of Pennsylvania, that is to say: John B. Gibson, William Findlay, Edward King, John Lisle, Jacob Holgate, Samuel Humes, Sen. John W. Cunningham, Geo. G. Leiper, Henry Sheetz, Adam Ritscher, David Hottenstein, Peter Frailey, Francis Baird, Henry Winters, William Thompson, Leonard Rupert, Jacob Gearhart, George Barnitz, Jacob Heyser, John Harper, John M. Snowden, Robert Scott, John Scott, William Piper, Valentine Geisy, James Gordon, Henry Allshouse, and James Duncan. We have received, and take this opportunity of publishing, "The Minutes of the College of Electors of the State of Pennsylvania," for the purpose of exhibit-four years next ensuing the fourth of March in the year ing the mode of proceeding in that important business. Wednesday, December 3, 1828. This day, agreeably to the provisions of the constitution and laws of the United States, and of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Electoral College convened in the Senate Chamber of the State Capitol, in pursuance of a resolution of the Senate of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, of which the following is an extract from their journal: IN THE SENATE. December 2, 1828. Whereas the act of second February, 1802, provides that the electors of president and vice president of the United States, shall meet at the seat of government on the first Wednesdays in December, succeeding the election. Therefore, having understood, that they are now in attendance, Resolved by the Senate of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, that the Electors be, and they are hereby invited to convene in the Senate Chamber in the State Capitol, on to-morrow at ten o'clock. Extract from the Journal, JOHN DE PUI, C. S. On motion of Mr. John Scott and Mr. Leiper, William Findlay was unanimously appointed President. Whereupon, he returned his thanks to the Electoral College for the honour conferred on him, On motion of Mr. King and Mr. Cunningham, Mr. John De Pui was appointed Secretary to the Electoral College. On motion, Messrs. Scott, William Piper and George G. Leiper, were appointed a committee to wait upon the Governor, and inform him that the Electoral College is duly organized and ready to receive his communications. Mr. Scott from the committee appointed to wait upon the Governor, and inform that the Electoral College was duly organized, and ready to receive his communications, reported: Given under my hand and the great seal of the State, at Harrisburg, this third day of December, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and twenty-eight, and of the commonwealth the fifty-third. (By the Governor.) C. BLYTHE, Secretary of the Commonwealth. [The other two certificate which follow, are verbatim the same as the foregoing.] On motion, Ordered, that the names of the Electors be called over by the secretary, from the official lists furnished by the executive, to ascertain the absentees, if any. Which having been done, It appeared that all the electors were present. den, were appointed tellers to officiate at the election On motion of John B. Gibson, and John W. Cunningham, the certificates of the election of a President and Vice President of the United States, required to be signed by the electors, were read in the words following, to wit: [See hereafter.] forms of the foregoing lists were adopted. That they had performed that service, and that the Governor informed them he would make his communi-ed cation by message forthwith. Calvin Blythe, Esquire, the secretary of the commonwealth, being introduced, presented a message from the Governor, accompanied with three certified lists of the names of the Electors, duly elected by the people, on the 31st day of October last. And said message and lists were severally read as follow, to wit: To the Electors of a President and Vice President of the On motion of Mr. Frailey and Mr. King, order that their names appear in the official lists furnish- dao to perform the duties enjoined on them having arThe hour appointed by law for the electors on this rived, Mr. Cunningham and Mr. Snowden took their seats as tellers, and, on motion, Of Mr. Holgate and Mr. King, the electors proceeded to choose by ballot a President of the United States, and the votes of all the Electors being now taken, the votes for President were opened, and severally read by the president of the college, and the votes and the tally lists corresponding, it appeared that Andrew Jackson had twenty-eight votes. States. Fellow citizens,-The secretary of the commonwealth will deliver to you herewith, in pursuance of the act of congress, in such case made and provided, three lists of the names of the Electors of a President and Vice PresiThe President of the College then declared that Andent of the United States, chosen by the people on Fri-drew Jackson had 28 votes for President of the United day, the thirty-first day of October, in the present year, for this state, agreeably to the constitution and laws of the United States, and of Pennsylvania. J. ANDW. SHULZE. Harrisburg, December, 1828. Pennsylvania, ss. J. Andw. Shulze. The Electors then proceeded to choose by ballot a Vice President of the United States, and the votes of all the Electors being now taken, the votes for Vice President were opened and severally read by the president of the college, and the votes and tally papers corresponding, it appeared that John C. Calhoun had 28 votes. The President of the College then declared that John C. Calhoun, had twenty-eight votes. On motion of Mr. Gibson and Mr. King, the envelopes, containing the lists of votes for President and Vice President, required to be signed by the Electors, were read, and were in the following words: "We, the Electors, duly elected, on the part of the state of Pennsylvania, to vote for a President and Vice President of the United States, do certify that lists of all the votes given for President and Vice President, are contained herein. December 3d, 1828.", [Of which there are six copies ] Triplicate certificates of the election of President of the United States, as approved of by the Electoral College, were then signed by the Electors, of which the following is a copy: pointed to take charge and deliver to the President of the Senate of the United States, at Washington City, the seat of government of the United States, on or before the first Wednesday in January next, one of the packages containing the list of votes of this Electoral College, for a President and Vice President of the United States. Whereupon a certificate of the appointment of William Findlay was signed, and of which the following is a copy: STATE CAPITOL OF PENNSYLVANIA. We, the Electors of president and vice president of the United States, being duly elected and appointed on the part of Pennsylvania, for that purpose by the people thereof, having met at the state house, in the borough of Harrisburg, the seat of government of the said state, this third day of December, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and twenty-eight, and in conformity to the provisions contained in the constitn-lay, Esq. entrusted with the list of votes of the electotion and laws of the United States, and of the state of Pennsylvania, proceeded by ballot to vote for a president of the United States, on the part of the state of Pennsylvania. Whereupon, It appeared that Andrew Jackson had twenty-eight votes. In testimony whereof we, the said Electors, have John B., Gibson, Jacob Gearhart, John Lisle, (L. S.) George Barnitz, Jacob Holgate, (L. S.) Jacob Heyser, Samuel Humes, (L. S.) John Harper, John W. Cunning John M. Snowden, ham, (L. S.) Robert Scott, George G. Leiper, (L. S.) John Scott, Henry Sheetz, (L. S.) William Piper, Adam Ritscher, (L. S.) David Hottenstein, (L. S.) Peter Frailey, Electoral College, December 3d, 1828. William Thompson, (L.S.) (L. S.) (L. S.) (L- S.) Triplicate copies of the election of Vice President, as approved of by the Electoral College, were then signed by the Electors, of which the following is a copy: [Same as the preceding, excepting that the word 'Vice President' is inserted in the place of 'President.'] On motion of Mr. Gibson and Mr. Snowden, Mr. Cunningham and Mr. Snowden, were appointed a committee to examine the certificates of the election of president and vice-president of the United States, and the envelopes, and ascertain whether they were respective ly signed by each elector. After some time, Mr. Cunningham from the committee reported: That they had carefully examined the certificates and envelopes, and that they were all properly signed. On motion of Mr. Gibson and Mr. King, Orderod, that Mr. Cunningham and Mr. Snowden be a committee to cause the lists and certificates of the election for president and vice-president, to be enclosed with the proper envelopes, and each package sealed, and directed as required by law. WM. FINDLAY. On motion of Mr. Cunningham and Mr. King, One other of the packages, directed to the "Hon. Joseph Hopkinson, Judge of the Eastern District of the state of Pennsylvania," containing the list of votes for president and vice-president of the United States, was ordered to be delivered to John B. Gibson, to deliver the same accordingly, who receipted for the same in the words following: Harrisburg, Dec. 3, 1828. Received from the president of the electoral college of the state of Pennsylvania, certificates of the votes given by them this day, for president and vice-president of the United States, endorsed "The President of the Senate of the United Strtes, Washington city, D. C." and enclosed with this direction: "Hon Joseph Hopkinson, Judge of the Eastern District of the state of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia," to be by me delivered to the said judge Joseph Hopkinson, within ten days from this date. JOHN B. GIBSON. On motion of Mr. Giesey and Mr. King, Mr. James Gordon was appointed to deliver the remaining package directed to the president of the senate of the United States, Washington City, District of Columbia, to the postmaster at the seat of government of this state. The package was then delivered, and Mr. Gordon receipted therefor in the words following, to wit; Harrisburg, December 3, 1828. Received from the president of the electoral college, of the state of Pennsylvania, certificates of the votes by them given this day for president and vice-president of |