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building. "It is the opinion of Dr. Arbuthnot," says Howard," that renewing and cooling the air in a patient's room is of the utmost importance; and that, in general, the right management of the air in the bed-chamber, is among the chief branches of regimen in inflammatory diseases, provided the intention of keeping up a due quantity of perspiration be not frustrated." Dr. Fordyce also remarks, "that by the officious and mistaken care of silly nurses in this respect, fevers are often increased, and sometimes are so much increased as to become fatal. Numberless are the evils which arise from depriving the patient of a frequent change of cool air." In the south infirmary, a due regard was paid to these things, but there was here a great deficiency of bedding. The foundling hospital was much improved, all the children looked clean and healthy. "I had the pleasure, while here," says Howard, "to learn that the worthy mayor and corporation had abolished the annual public dinners which they had long been accustomed to have, on the election and swearing-in days of the chief magistrate; and had agreed to appropriate the money so uselessly expended, amounting to £.200 a year, to the relief of indigent freemen and their families." The gaol for the county, and that for the city of Cork, Howard visited on the 14th. The former was humanely managed. The latter too was greatly improved, being now under the care of a better keeper.

During the time Howard was in Ireland on this occasion, the Irish House of Commons delivered their report on the state of schools, which was founded chiefly on Howard's evidence. It had been one of the principal objects of his frequent visits to this country, to inquire minutely into the character and condition of these institutions, and, if possible, to correct their abuses, and promote their revisal. To effect this he had accompanied his evidence with some

most important hints for their improvement. But it is deeply to be regretted, that neither these hints, nor the Parliamentary report, produced any immediate salutary effects. For many years afterwards the same system of misrule was persisted in; and notwithstanding Howard's exposure of the wretched clothes provided for the children, and the disgraceful manner in which they were made, clothes of the same description continued to be furnished, and the schools subsequently were much more disgracefully conducted; nor did they improve in any degree till the introduction of Sunday-schools in Ireland; a measure which has been, and still is, productive of incalculable good.

Howard finally quitted Ireland on the 18th May. The serious state of his mind at this period, will be seen by the following brief extract from his memorandum-book. "I herewith renew my vows to serve God, and trust I am sincere. Help me, O God of my salvation!" He returned to England by Wales, and on the 20th inspected the county-gaol at Haverfordwest, where he had the pleasure to find a new prison erected on the castle-hill instead of the ancient loathsome place of confinement. This prison was clean and quiet; but he regretted much to learn that no divine service had been performed in the chapel for a considerable time. The town-gaol, inspected the same day, was close and dirty. The county and towngaols at Carmarthen both passed under his notice on the 21st. Little improvement had been made in either; but it was in contemplation to build a new gaol for the county. Howard examined the countybridewell at Cowbridge, and the town-gaol at Swansea, on the 22d. No improvement had taken place in either of these close, damp prisons. Our persevering traveller records here the following particulars respecting the treatment he had met with in the prosecution of his labours, both from keepers and

prisoners. "I would here just mention, that in all my visits to the prisons in this and other kingdoms, I never received any insults either from keepers or prisoners; nor have I lost any thing, except that in one of our prisons I once lost a large new handkerchief out of my pocket, which I did not miss for some hours; but on a subsequent visit to the same prison, about ten months afterwards, it was immediately presented to me by a prisoner, who said he believed I had dropped it when I was last there."

Proceeding to Cardiff on the 23rd, Howard visited the county and town-gaols there. They were unimproved. "It is impossible," "It is impossible," as he well remarks, "that a prison can be well-regulated, if the keeper do not reside in it, and have a constant eye over his prisoners." Passing on to Bristol, he revisited on the 27th the gaol and bridewell for that city. They were much cleaner than on any former visit. The new bridewell at Devizes came under his notice on the 29th, which he regretted to find a most illconstructed prison, built on a close confined spot, and unprovided with a chaplain. No fuel was granted; and so scanty was the allowance of bread, that a prisoner in one of the solitary cells, had recently died suddenly, on whom a coroner's jury was summoned, whose verdict was, that he died of hunger and cold. The next day he visited the countybridewell at Marlborough, which, much to his satisfaction was greatly enlarged and improved. It had formerly been close and ill-managed; it was now airy and well-governed. One excellent rule was "that the prisoners be compelled to sweep out and clean their rooms every day, and that they should also wash their faces and hands at least twice a-day, for which purpose towels, water, and other conveniences were provided. Turning to the poor-houses for the parishes of St. Peter's and St. Mary's in this town; he was grieved to find them in a

disgraceful condition. The houses were out of repair; the rooms were filthy: no linen was provided for the poor, nor any means afforded them of keeping themselves clean. They had scarcely any bedding, and the children were nearly naked. "It is no wonder," says Howard, "that a putrid fever lately ran through this house. Parish officers so inattentive to what humanity, and even decency require, expose the inhabitants of whole towns to the danger of contagion. I have elsewhere mentioned an instance of a foreign gaoler being hanged for starving his prisoners. Is not a breach of trust in overseers equally culpable and injurious?" The labours of this long journey terminated on the 30th, and Howard spent the next three weeks at Bristol Hot-wells.

CHAPTER XVIII.

Continued inspection of English prisons-Particulars respecting them-Advantages of entire abstinence from ardent spirits-Remarks on solitary confinement-On mortality among different classes of convicts-Distressing state of many prisons in the metropolis-Tour into Norfolk-Remarks on amputation-Publication of his work on lazarettoesEmployment of his time at Warrington-Humbling views of himself—Elevated tone of his piety—Preparation for his last journey-Reasons for undertaking it-Views of the Christian system-Obligations of Christians-Value of religion.

THE information Howard continued to receive respecting his son, was still of the most distressing character, and preyed much on his mind, but he bore it with Christian resignation, and was never once heard to complain. He recommenced his labours about the 25th June, and on the following day we find him inspecting the county-gaol at Bodmin ; which he regretted to find less clean and orderly than on his former visits. Lostwithiel gaol, in which no alteration had taken place, came under his notice on the 27th. On the 28th he again inspected the hulk at Plymouth, which was excessively crowded. In one room, about seventy feet by eighteen, and six feet high, were near seventy convicts. The rooms could not fail to be most offensive. All the prisoners were in total idleness, except six or seven, who were building a boat for the captain. One ingenious,

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