One convict is constantly engaged in making soap; and it is another's business, among other things, to take care of the horse and harness him.

Sorge one of the guard constantly keeps the key, and tends the entrance gate to this yard, but does not open it when convicts are near, which he disceras through a hole in the gate, and must admit none but contractors, or teamsters, and but one man to each team.

THE GUARD.

There are eight of the guard, including the Serjeant who commands them, who are all required, during Prison hours, to be in the guardhouse, except those on duty, and to aid in watching in the north yard. Besides the duty performed by them, as before mentioned, one must be constantly walking as a sentinel on the south wall, by the cooper's lumber yard and lumber kiln, considered as an exposed point, and to overlook the convicts in that yard, when no Turnkey is there, and is relieved every hour.

They also go to the stores in the village and other places, on errands, and with the Prison horse and cart, go after Hospital stores, shop materials, and whatever else may be necessary, and must always keep their arms in order. They are to allow no citizen to go on the wall or into the guard-house without special permission.

KITCHEN AND WASH-ROOM DEPARTMENTS.

There are about twelve convicts employed in the kitchen and wash room, one third of them at washing convicts clothes and bedding.

The various kitchen employments of setting and cleaning tables, washing dishes and other articles, (more than 5000 daily,) baking, cooking, cutting and dividing rations, are allotted to particular convicts by the Turnkey, and superintended by him in the most regular and systematic manner, and very special care is observed in keeping the mess room and kitchen as clean as possible, and having them frequently white-washed.

The rations consist 14 oz. of beef or 10 oz. of pork, 10 oz. of wheat flour (ground without bolting,) 10 oz. of indian meal and one half gill of molasses per man, and 2 1-2 bushels of potatoes, or 5-8 bushels of beans, 4 qts. salt, 1-2 oz. of pepper and a sufficient quantity of rye for coffee in the morning, sweetened with molasses, to every hundred rations. This is all weighed or measured by the Turnkey of this department, and he is responsible and liable to censure or removal if he receives any provisions not good and wholesome. Great pains are taken by him in varying and managing their food to the best advantage, and especially, in making bean and meal soups from the meat liquor.

From eight to ten Turnkeys are always present at breakfast and dinner, and lest their attention may possibly be diverted from a strict watch of the convicts, while eating, the Turnkeys are allowed to have no conversation with each other while in the mess-room. The same rule is observed, as far as practicable, at all times and places, while the

Turnkeys are on duty, and for the same reasons, never allowed to read any book or newspaper.

while on duty, they are

SOME PARTICULAR REGULATIONS.

There are, in the corners of the shops, one or more small necessaries, prepared with suitable tubs, which are taken by a convict, selected for that business, emptied into a vault and cleansed, so often as not to become in the least offensive.

But one convict enters the necessary at a time, and he must take with him a stick, which, at other times, hangs in a conspicuous place, that it can be known by looking there, whether any one is in the necessary. There is the same regulation in the north yard, and also a necessary outside, for those in the kitchen and wash-room, and under the same management.

The large vault is kept locked, except in the morning, and the key hung up at the door of the cooper's shop, near by, and one only can take it at a time to empty tubs, so as to prevent conversation, unseen, in the vault.

CARRYING WATER TO DRINK TO THE SHOPS.

A convict is selected for this purpose, who carries water in pails, from the Pent-stock, in the wash-room, and places them on benches at the doors of the shops, which are taken in by the shop-waiters, and when the empty pails are again set on the benches, the water-carrier re-fills and returns them as before. This is to prevent any intercourse that might take place by all the shop-waiters passing to or meeting at the pent-stock. No convict can leave his work or go out of the shop a moment, unless he is sent by a Keeper.

OTHER SHOP REGULATIONS.

There must be at least one Turnkey in each mechanic department, who is master of the business pursued in it, who instructs new convicts, and sees that the old make first rate work. He also sometimes places a faithful and experienced convict by the side of a raw hand, to show him, and places them where he can keep his eye on them, to prevent communication, except barely what is necessary for instruction; and though the convicts may thus occasionally exchange a word they ought not, yet can carry on no connected discourse; the instruction being chiefly, given by showing, and that under the jealous and watchful eye of the Keeper. This Turnkey has the superintendance of all the work in the shop, but has no more power than the other Turkneys, not mechanicks, who assist in governing the shops.

He keeps a list of all the convicts in his shop, on his desk, puts down opposite the name of each, the kind and amount of work done by him, and requires him to do all that he can reasonably perform, according to his ability, without stint work. But the Turnkey will soon discover what the convict ought to perform, and will compel him to do it; and when well, he is not suffered to be idle a single moment, or have any partic ular favor or allowance for any thing that might be called over-work.

This Turnkey examines and directs the management of all raw, materials, and prevents their waste, critically inspects all the work, and sends it to the proper places of deposit, with a bill thereof, for the contractors, every day; and also keeps account of all articles, with the prices, and enters them in a book, which are afterwards posted by the Clerk into the regular Prison Books of the Agent in the office.

In all the shops, the convicts are arranged, as far as possible, in such a way as not to face each other, and have their work entirely sep

arate.

There are convicts selected for each shop as waiters or tenders, to distribute materials, remove rubbish, hand about or grind tools, take out ware, sweep the shops, hand drink, &c. under the eye and direction of the Turnkeys, chiefly by signs, so that the laborers need not leave their work.

In this way, a shop and business of an hundred men are so managed, that hours together will frequently pass, without a word being spoken. The shops are often scrubbed, and occasionally white-washed.

There is more or less work done, in each shop, for the State, and raw hands are generally first taught on this work, before they begin for contractors, but not so much in the coopers' shop, where there are many hands, and but little State's work done.

FEMALE DAPARTMENT.

The females are all put together in the attic story of the south wing, from which there is a passage, by unlocking doors, to a back stairway at one end of the Chapel, where they can sit behind wooden grates, during divine service, without being observed by the male convicts, and on no other occasion do they ever leave their room.

The other passage to their room is guarded by two doors, having different patent locks, the keys of which, when not in use, are kept locked in the Deputy Keeper's desk.

The Turnkey of the kitchen department has the charge of this also, ånd weighs and measures out their rations, which they cook themselves. They are employed mainly in picking wool, knitting and spooling, although to very little advantage, as no means of coercion can well be adopted nor any restraint upon conversation with each other, they being left alone, except once a day, when the said Turnkey goes with his kitchen convicts, and takes their rations and other supplies, and orders out the work they may have done, and other things that become daily requisite. They are visited by the Physician, when sick, and sometimes by the Chaplain, with the Keeper, or Deputy, and not by any other persons.

DISCHARGING CONVICTS.

When a member of the board of Inspectors, the present Agent Handed to the Deputy Keeper, he having a more general intercourse with convicts than any other officer, a series of interrogatories to be put to convicts, entitled to the most confidence, with a view to learn their early history, habits, and course of life, and thereby collect facts

which might be of service in discovering the causes and tracing the progress of crime; but that officer found so little time, and so few favorable opportunities to talk with those, in whose veracity any confidence could be placed, while confined, and tempted by the influence of hope or fear, to give untrue statements. that the measure was not pursued.

Immediately after the appointment of the present Agent however, he adopted the following practice-Every convict who is discharged, after he is shaved, dressed in citizen's clothes, receives his money, realizes that he is entirely free from restraint, and his feelings and af Lections warmed by the joys of freedom, he is asked into the Agent's Office, where the Agent. or Chaplain, or both, enter into free and friendly conversation with him, and endeavor, by a desultory course of enquiry, to search into his former history, how he was bred up, what means of literary, moral, or religious instruction he has enjoyed; what early temptations to crime, by being exposed to bad company or otherwise, he has encountered; his general habits, predominant passions, and prevailing vices.

This course has been strictly and carefully pursued with about seventy convicts, since this practice was adopted, and it is believed, with. entire confidence, that after making all due allowances, a body of facts can be thus collected, which may be interesting to the philanthropist and statesman, and valuable to the publick. So far our examinations powerfully confirm the belief, that ignorance and intemperance are the two great causes of crime The crimes of the young convicts cau mostly be traced to ignorance, as will appear hereafter, in the account given of our Sunday School; while intemperance rarely fails to have had a great agency in the crimes of the older convicts, among whom, there is a certain class, of good talents and education, who have been in cespectable life, but fallen into habits of intemperance, and thence to crime, by reason of loss of property, and various other domestic misfortunes.

After the above inquiries are finished, the convict is interrogated in relation to his confinement, in what respect he endures the most suf-; fering, and what influence it has had upon his feelings, and views of amendment, how he has been treated, where he means to go, and what business or course of life to pursue.

They uniformly agree, that being deprived of all intelligence of their friends, and the affairs of the world, and the means of conversation with each other, occasions them more suffering, and tends more to humble and reform them, than every thing else without it; that they are forced to reflection and communion with their own hearts at their meals, in their shops, their solitary cells, and through all the unvarying routine of their labor and rest.

That they suffer the keenest pangs of conscience, in reviewing their Past Lives, and in reflecting upon the disgrace, suffering and ruin that They have brought, not only upon themselves, but upon those to whom they are allied by kindred and affection, and of whose condition and fate their ignorance keeps them in a constant agony of suspense and

that they firmly resolve to live a virtuous life, if they survive their im prisonment,

By the information of these convicts, who are frequently going out, the Agent is enabled to ascertain important facts and practices in relation to other convicts, which he might not otherwise discover.

They admit that convicts have so great temptation to talk, that they will run the hazard of speaking to others, whenever they think they can possibly escape detection-but that such is the vigilance of the Turnkeys, generally, that scarcely any thing can be said, and never so as to carry on a connected discourse, or to concert conspiracies or rebellion.

The last convict discharged, did not know the names of two con victs who had worked each side of him for three months, marched and eat by him, and lodged in adjoining cells. They generally agree that they are as kindly treated, as their circumstances, as convicts, admit, and feel grateful to their particular officers, to whom they of ten wish to express their thanks, personally, before leaving the Prison. Neither the Chaplain nor Agent neglects this interesesting occasion of affording such admonition and advice, as they are capable of giv ing; and the convicts generally leave, deeply affected in their feelings.

These officers also request these individuals to write to them, after they are again settled, and from some, have received very gratifying letters.

Discharged convicts are allowed, in no case, more than three dollars, which is often entirely insufficient to enable them to reach their friends without embarrassment.

RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION.

To supply the convicts with regular religious instruction, on the Sabbath, $200 per annum is allowed by the Legislature. This sum is divided, by the board of Inspectors, between three Clergymen of different denominations, whose duty it is to officiate in the Chapel, alternately, on the Sabbath. The duties devolving on them, have been regularly and faithfully performed; and no doubt is entertained, that effects, salutary to the convicts and to the institution, have resulted from moral and religious instruction thus given. Still it is believed, that the above provision for the moral and religious instruction and improvement of the convicts, is far short of what it ought to be. One object in the confinement of convicts is, to secure society from their depredations: and, so long as this confinement continues, this object is, of course, secured. But it is well known that a very great proportion of these men are confined for a limited time.

Another, and grand object, then, is, to make their confinement, as far. as possible, the means of their reformation; that, when retsored to, their liberty, they may prove honest, industrious, and wholesome members of society. Whatever, then, will contribute to this object should be most industriously sought for and applied.

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