Chap. VIII.

BRITAIN.

601

retorts, and the manufacture of gas was rendered so perfect, that its general adoption wasthe consequent result.

In 1817, this gas company had three stations, which consumed daily 25 chaldrons of coals,producing 300,000 cubic feet of gas, which was equal to the supply of 75,000 Argandlamps, each yielding the light of six candles. At the City gas works in Dorset Street,Blackfriars, 3 chaldrons of coals were daily carbonised, which was equal to the supply of1500 Argand lamps, so that the two companies supplied 76,500 lights. During the lastfew years many new companies have been established, and there is scarcely a town in thekingdom without this invaluable addition to its comfort.

In the year 1834, in the city of London and its suburbs alone there were 168,000 gaslamps, which consumed nightly 4,200,000 cubic feet of gas ; requiring for its manufacture10,800,000 cubic feet of coal. And by a document laid before parliament three years after-wards, it appears that there were eighteen establishments, besides twelve chartered com-panies, employing a capital of 2,800,000/., whose yearly revenue was 450,000/. ; that theyannually consumed 180,000 tons of coals, and made 1,460,000,000 cubic feet of gas, whichwas supplied to 134,300 private burners, used by 40,000 consumers, and 30,400 street lights :176 gas-holders, which contained 5,500,000 cubic feet of gas, were employed ; 89C tons ofcoals were consumed in the retorts during the longest night, or 7,120,000 cubic feet of gas.In the five years between 1822 and 1827, the quantity of gas made was doubled; and fromthat time to the year 1837, it had again doubled itself.

Prisons , according'to Palladio, “ should consist of three descriptions: one for those whoarc kept confined until a reformation of manners can be effected; another for criminals whoare to be tried, as well as those already condemned, and a third for debtors ; these ought to bewell secured and guarded against internal and external violence, healthy and commodious,because they are for the safe keeping, not for the torment and pain of criminals, or of othermen; their walls therefore in the middle should be formed of massive stone, bound togetherwith cramps, with bolts of iron or other metal, and then lined on both sides with brick, toprevent any humidity, and to make them healthy. Passages should be made all roundthem, and the rooms for the keepers should be near at hand.”

At Milan and other towns of Italy , there are such prisons, but in England little attentionwas paid to the subject until taken up by the philanthropic John Howard, towards thelatter end of the last century. This illustrious individual, after visiting most of the placesof confinement in Europe , induced the government to establish penitentiary houses, uponthe principle of some already founded in Holland, where it was considered, that if offendersconvicted of crimes, for which transportation had been usually inflicted, were ordered tosolitary imprisonment, accompanied by well-regulated labour and religious instruction, itmight be the means, not only of deterring others from the commission of the like crimes,but also of reforming the individuals, and inuring them to habits of industry. The reform-ation and amendment of the prisoners was here for the first time made the chi^'f endof imprisonment; and to carry out this excellent idea, Dr. Fothergill was associatedwith Howard to devise a plan and provide a site for a structure in which it could befullv developed. The cloth-hall at Halifax was the model for the building, whilst theregulations were to be those of the Rasp and Spin houses in Holland. The plans andelevations are given by Howard in his account of prisons, and consist of six courts, eachsurrounded by three stories or tiers of open galleries, around which are distributed the cellsfor the prisoners ; a portion of ground near Islington was selected for its erection, theneighbourhood being considered healthy, and a supply of water could be easily obtained ;it was also sufficiently removed from any habitation.

Regulations were laid down for security, health, diet, clothing, lodging, firing, re-ligious instruction, employment, rewards, punishments, sickness, and general government.These works were, however, not carried out during the life-time of Howard, and afterhis death were abandoned for some time. In the year 1770, the mortality among theprisoners at Newgate was so great from the gaol distemper, that Mr. Akerman, the thenkeeper, stated, that independently of the prisoners, nearly two sets of servants had diedsince he had been in office; and that in the year 1750, two of the judges at the Old Bailey,the Lord Mayor, several of the jury, and others, to the number of sixty persons, died of thesame disease ; after this had occurred, a large ventilator, with sails like a windmill, wasplaced on the top of Newgate to produce a circulation of fresh air.

Parliament subsequently granted 50,000/. to construct a new gaol; this was completedunder, the superintendence of Mr. George Dance , a little before the riots of 1780. Thisprison, which has a frontage of nearly 300 feet, is admired for its appropriate and massivecharacter. 'The centre is occupied by the keeper’s house, with the entrances on each side ;the walls are of Portland stone, rusticated and continued up to a height of 50 feet, thewhole producing by its magnitude and boldness of detail a very characteristic facade. Theinterior distribution is defective, in consequence of the want of space, the site on which itis erected being far too small to allow of a proper ventilation or a requisite supply of air.