perfon. The cells are airy, having only wooden fhutters to the windows; and by a flip or wicket in the doors, a thorough air is admitted, whereby they are always free from any ill fcent. This is how ever with an exception to one cell on the upper floor in each wing, and to the infirmaries; for the windows of these are glazed, and have cafements to open occafionally; being moftly kept for the ufe of women having infant children with them, and for the weak and convalefcent prisoners. But as the conftruction of this building would little answer the purpofe of its erection, without a correfpondent management and conduct in the interior government of it, good care has been taken to enforce the rules, orders, and regulations established; and returns are regularly made by, the governor to the juftices at every quarter feffions. The manufactory established here at prefent, is that of cutting logwood for the dyers at Norwich, and beating, heckling, and fpinning hemp. In the labour of heckling, a tolerable workman will earn from eight fhillings to ten fhillings per week. The women and girls fpin it by a wheel fo contrived as to draw a thread with each hand; by which means, two of them can earn at least equal wages with three women fpinning with one hand only. If the building fhould be enlarged, and the number of prifoners increase, fome of them will then be inftructed in the art of weaving the yarn made in the houfe. At prefent, both the tow and the yarn is fold to the different houses of industry established in this county, and at Norwich. In the last return of the governor to the quarter feffions, we had the fatisfaction to find, that the money arifing from the earnings of the prifoners, was one pound eight fhillings and ten-pence more than double the fum expended for their maintenance. This, though it cannot be deemed more than a fecondary confideration, is furely no trifling one to derive a profit from the labour of fuch perfons as were heretofore loft to, or become a burden upon the public; and it ftrongly marks the impolicy of fending thefe unhappy objects out of the kingdom. This fum indeed was further increased about five guineas, by adding to it the profit from the trade account; but as to have this become the general refult, muft depend greatly, perhaps chiefly, upon the choice of the governor, and fomewhat on the activity of the magiftrates, too much care cannot be taken in the firft, efpecially as it will be the probable means of exciting the latter. We have been fo fortunate as to meet with a governor who relieves us from a great part of our attention to, and direction of him. The filence and peaceable demeanour, the cleanliness and industry, of those unhappy perfons who are the inhabitants of this house, are really admirable; and fuch as greatly encourages the pleafing expectation, that their punishment will have that effect upon their future lives and conduct, which every humane benevolent mind muft fincerely wish for. And they leave me without a doubt, that bridewells, with proper attention paid to them, may in future be made feminaries of industry and reformation, inftead of receptacles of idleness and corruption. To effect these purposes, it will be neceffary to provide the prifoners prifoners with fuitable and conftant work. This in most counties will neceffarily vary, but may be eafily obtained, especially if, by an allowance to the governor out of their earnings, it be made his intereft as well as his duty to look carefully to the performance of it, The allow ance given at this houfe, is threepence in every fhilling of the nett earnings, and this is confidered as a part of his falary. I must not omit to inform you, that in this folitary confinement, and thus employed, it has not yet been found neceffary to punish any of the prifoners with irons; and that, fince the new erection and regulation of this prison, the magiftrates in the vicinity; as well as the keeper of it, have obferved, that in no one equal period of time has there been fo few commitments to it. This preventive juftice, fo preferable to punitive juftice, moft fully evinces the propriety and humanity of the undertaking, and muft naturally excite a hope, that fimilar plans will be adopted in every county. This indeed I am strongly induced to believe will foon be the cafe, as I have already received letters from different gentlemen in Glocestershire, Oxfordshire, Wilts, Hertfordshire, Hampshire, Yorkfhire, Lancashire, Suffolk, Wales, and Scotland, requefting the plan, rules, orders, table of diet, and returns; informing me, that in their refpective counties they had determined upon building, and putting their houfes of correction under fimilar regulations. The gentlemen of the city of Norwich have alfo fent a deputation of their magiftrates to view the prifon; upon whofe report, they mean inftantly to If in this letter I may appear to have been either prolix, or frivolous, but should notwithstanding have been able to convey any ufeful hints to the public, I fhall be fatisfied in having facrificed the reputation of ability at the fhrine of duty, and with pleasure subscribe myself, &c. THOMAS BEEVOR. [N. B. In another letter, dated Feb. 18th, Sir Thomas Beevor has added the following remarks: "In proof of the cleanliness, and healthiness of this prifon, no perfon who entered it in health has hitherto fallen fick in it. I have never had any complaint against any one for immorality or prophanenefs. The effect of the folitarinefs and mechanical regularity of the place is fuch, as to render them fo contrite and fubdued, that it not only promifes fair for a lafting reformation in these poor unfortunate wretches, but, what is a ftill better and more pleafing confideration, that it may prove a preventive of crimes in others. For, from an examination of the commitments to this houfe, before and fince the prefent regulation took place, it appears, that one-third fewer have been confined in it fince the latter period; and it is fomewhat remarkable, that, except in one inftance, no prifoner has been a fecond time committed to it."] On the ufe of Beeping Seed-Barley in a dry feafon. By Mr. James Chapple; addreed to the Secretary of the Bath Society. From the fame work. Sir, enter upon a reformation of their M own prisons. Y great fuccefs in making the following experiment, occafions my communicating an account of of it to you, for the benefit of the public, if thought worthy a place in the third volume of the Bath Society's experimental papers. The laft fpring being remarkably dry, I foaked my feed-barley in the black water taken from a refervoir which conftantly receives the draining of my dung heap and ftables. As the light corn floated on the top I kimmed it off, and let the reft ftand twenty-four hours. On taking it from the water, I mixed the feed grain with a fufficient quantity of fifted wood afhes to make it fpread regularly, and fowed three fields with it. I began fowing the 16th, and finished the 23d of April. The produce was fixty bushels per acre, of good clean barley, without any small or green corn, or weeds at harveft. No perfon in this country had better grain. I fowed alfo feveral other fields with the fame feed dry, and without any preparation; but the crop, like thofe of my neighbours, was very poor; not more than twenty buthels per acre, and much mixed with green corn and weeds when harvested. I also fowed fome of the feed dry on one ridge in each of my former fields, but the produce was very poor in comparison of the other parts of the field. I am, &c. JAMES CHAPPLE. Bodmin, March 12, 1784. [We confider this experiment as a very interefting one, and recommend general trials to be made, both in wet and dry fpring feasons.] An Account of a new kind of Cement, peculiarly hard and lafting, made from jame Red Earth or Puzzo lana, found in Jamaica. Extracted from Tranfactions of the Society inftituted at London for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce. IN 'N the year 1774, the fociety received from one of their correfponding members in Jamaica a cask of red earth, a proper quantity of which was fent to feveral arehitects, for trial. The gentleman from whom it came thought it a kind of Puzzolana, and described his method of ufing it as follows: "To one meafure of the red earth, add two of the fame measure of well flackt lime, and one of fand, and then let them be well mixed and wrought like common mortar, with fair water, and fo made up in a heap, but in about eight hours it will begin to acquire a hardness, and the heap must be cut down, and well wet with water, and fmartly worked and mixed over again, and fo fmartly worked and wet morning and evening, for a whole week, before it is fit for ufe; and after it is laid on, it must be strictly attended while it dries and hardens, to clofe any crack that may appear in the drying, for about forty-eight hours, and then it is generally out of danger. But if any cracks, &c. fhould appear after it is quite dry, as fuppofe the covering of a building, ciftern, &c. a labourer, with a little fand or brick-duft, and a little common white-wash, thrown over the crack and fmartly rubbed in with a brickbat, or fandy ftone, the crack will foon difappear, and the work will be as good as ever. Cifterns, refervoirs, canals, and all manner of conveniencies to collect rain-water and retain it, of any reafonable By means of this compofition, a mortar may be made (far exceeding any other) wherewith to lay the foundation, and raise the fuperftructure of any dam, bridge, or guttering; and in fhort, any kind of building where water, or any kind of liquid, is to be concerned, because the foft new-made mortar will harden, and foon become like a ftone totally immersed in water. Of this compofition may be made the best coverings for all manner of buildings, witness my own houfe, that has been covered with this compofition (though not at that time brought to its prefent perfection) thefe twenty years, and is not a pin the worse. In regard to matters of pleafure, terrace-walks, canals, flowerpots, urns, obelisks, ftatues, and even colloffal ftatues, and other ornaments for gardens, may be made of or with this compofition, as it refifts rain, and every fort of moifture, and nothing but violence will make the leaft impreffion, fo that the five orders of architecture, with their various ornaments, may be most elegantly expreffed on the outfide or infide of buildings, in the plaifterers way, and laft for ages, if no violence is used to them. In covering a building, I would choose to lay it on fix inches thick, upon a flat ftrong-framed well-lathed roof, as it will fhrink in drying, and is the best and cheapest coverI know of, as I have experienced ever fince 1747," The following are two letters from Mr. Mylne, addreffed to the fecretary of the above-mentioned jociety, relative to his experiments on the Red Earth. Sir, "I have made a fair trial of the Puzzolana earth, received fome years fince from the fociety for encouragement of arts, manufactures, lain long by me, it turns out a and commerce, and although it has very good fubftitute to Dutch terras, or Italian Puzzolana, for works immerfed in water. As you have informed me, there ftill remains a quantity of it in the fociety's poffeffion, I fhall be glad of fome to make further trials in other fituations, and fhall be glad to know from whence it came, and the the particular place in Jamaica chriftian name of Mr. Brown, by whom it was fent. It was tried against fome British materials, and proved far better than any of them. I am, Sir, Your very humble fervant, New River Head, means of a friend, a quantity from Jamaica, which on comparative trials proved the fame as that you fent me, it is found in vaft quantities on the eftate of Mr. Brown, in the parish of St. Elizabeth, in Jamaica. There are many acres of it, for it lies on the furface of the ground; in this it is different from Puzzolana, which lies in ftrata under ground, like coal. Dutch terras is a tufa ftone, found on the rocky banks of the Rhine, and reduced' to powder by mills in Holland. "Mr. Brown, who sent this Jamaica terras to the fociety, is now dead, and the eftate on which it is found is called Dettingen, and is now the property of his fon, a very intelligent gentleman. "On enquiry into the means of bringing it into this country, I find the expence of carriage to the water fide there, and freight to this country, will prevent the use of it here. I wish it however to be made as public as poffible. It may be of ufe to the inhabitants of the Weft India islands and fome other of our colonies. I am, Sir, Your very humble fervant, New River Head, ANTIQUITIES. 1 |