199

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.