Kingston records (regionally related)

44.

They state that the lands on its border and banks are good. Altho this Lake lies between the Lat of 45 and 47 it freezes over in the winter so as to afford a passage on the ice for three months in the year. It is united to Lake Erie by a cove.

Lake Champlain.

This Lake was the theatre of important operations during the last war with the United States. In 1814 a strong reinforcement arrived from one Army of the Peninsula from the South of France, which enabled Sir George Provost to place himself at the head of 11,000 men with whom he undertook to carry the war into the enemys country, he proceeded to the attack of Plattsburg on the Western borders of the Lake and which was defeuded by 2,000 Americans, Malcolm the American General on being pressed by a superior force fell back on this town which was his main position and which he had strongly fortified - Sir George on the 11th September arrived in front of it, but the naval forces under Captain Donnie destined to co'operate with them was attacked defeated and captured under the eye of the General and the whole British Army. Provost sounded the retreat, conceiving after this disaster that any success in storming the Enemys Position would be fruitless as to utter objects and a useless sacrifice of men. He immediately withdrew his Army. This course was highly disapproved of by all, and most justly so. The American Army was not more

191.

themselves in a fair way to recommence life anew in an honest and useful career!! In a natural point of view perhaps there is no object of greater importance than this and I was therefore anxious to examine the Prisons and investigate their system in detail

The system here is after the State-prison at Auburn in New York and is called the silent system in contradistinction to that observed in the Penitentiary at Philadelphia where each prisoner is confined in a separate cell and furnished with labour to perform alone out of the sight and hearing of any of his criminal companions

Commissioners have been appointed both by France, England and Germany to visit America - examine and report upon these two systems - and their reports have all been in favour of the solitary system - instead of the silent such as is observed in the Kingston Penitentiary.

The silent system secures the effectual punishment of the cirminal and yet preserves his health improves his habits, corrects his morals and sends him back a reformed character, is as superior to the general state of our Prisons conducted on the old plan in England as twilight is to utter darkness; but notwithstanding this admission, I am also thoroughly convinced that the silent system is as inferior to the solitary system as the twilight is to the meridian blaze of the perfect day.