should never in any degree take place. This, too, is expressly declared by Howard to be his opinion. "Clerks of assize, and of the peace," he says very properly, "ought most certainly to have a consideration for their service to the public: the thing I complain of is what I am led to by my subject, that is, the demand that is made directly or indirectly upon acquitted prisoners." The general rule holds in this as in other cases: no class of public functionaries ought to be maintained, in whole or in part, by a revenue screwed out of the calamity of prisoners. 6 In that part of his work in which Howard treats of the pri sons of France, he says, "A prisoner of rank, a very sensible man, to whom I was speaking concerning gaolers in 1778, said, They pay nothing to the crown, and their revenue is not small at the Conciergerie, it is about 15,000 livres; at Fort-l'Eveque, twenty thousand; at the Petit-Chatelot, twelve thousand; at L'Abbaye, ten thousand. And all things considered,' he added,- prisoners have no just reason to complain of this class of men in France." "This is a striking proof of what we advanced above; that if the interest of gaolers is not, by the defect of the law, set in opposition to their duty, kind rather than oppressive treatment is what it would be na tural to expect from them towards their prisoners. Howard significantly adds; "The nomination of a gaoler belongs to the magistrates. When he has been nominated, he is proposed to the Procureur Général; and if, after a careful inquiry into his character, it appears that he has the reputation of a man of probity, he is fixed in the office, and takes an oath of fidelity. The office is freely given him, without any expense whatever; sO THAT KEEPERS ARE NOT TEMPTED, BY PAYING FOR THEIR PLACES, TO OPPRESS THEIR PRISONERS. To remove all pretext for so doing, rents which they formerly paid to the crown are remitted, and the leases given up +." We did hope to have been able to have brought these remarks upon the labours and discoveries of Howard to a close in the present article. But the importance of the matter which has presented itself, has carried us to a greater length than we originally foresaw. Several miscellaneous observations, which we are still anxious to present, remain; and these, together with an account of the operations of Mr. Nield, the only real follower whom Howard can yet be said to have raised up, we *Howard on Prisons, p. 169. † Ibid. shall probably present to our readers in the next number. It is not from want of a due sense of the importance of Mr. Nield's publications, that we have hitherto abstained from the mention of them. But our desire was to render more common, than we fear is the case, a knowledge of what Howard saw and did, distinct by itself. The recent work of Nield will now afford us materials of comparison between the period of Howard and the present period: will, in some degree, at least, enable us to see what improvements have taken place; and will impose upon us the more agreeable task, of praising where praise may be found to be due. [To be continued.] On the Means for increasing Food. To the EDITOR of The PHILANTHROPIST. At a time like the present, when we are necessarily called upon to œconomize the fruits of the earth, every plan which has a tendency to diminish the consumption and augment the quantity of provisions deserves to be thrown before all classes of the community; especially when by its accomplishment" an addition is made to the comforts and happiness of society."I am therefore induced, through the medium of this useful work, to offer some extracts from the 5th vol. of Communications to the Board of Agriculture, which, if carried into practice by individuals, would be likely, in my apprehension, to produce salutary effects. "As a country will support a much greater population upon a vegetable diet than upon animal food, that regimen should be promoted; but as little can be done by authority in this way generally, I think it ought to be a regulation in all congregated bodies maintained by charity or the public, that they live two days in every week principally on soups, puddings, or preparations of milk, potatoes, and ve getables, or with but a small allowance of animal food. With the same view, fisheries should have all due encouragement.If the quantity of beverage from fruit could be increased, so as to lessen the consumption of malt liquor, it would increase the resources for human sustenance. To show the extravagant tendency of barley for beverage, I shall just state, that I know individuals who would easily consume annually the malt liquor made from two acres of barley; and that many individuals do actually consume between one and two acres. The annual consumption of barley ground in beverage, has been before stated at about a million and a half of acres: if this could be considerably lessened by the introduction of beverage from fruit, though it might lessen the revenue, it would certainly increase the means of human subsistence. The production of fruit interferes but little with that of either corn or grass. I therefore consider the extension of the growth of this article, so as to lessen that of barley, as a national object." He then goes on to remark respecting cottagers having land. "That every labourer who marries, keeps house, and has a family, should have a garden, sufficient to supply potatoes and other vegetables for such family, every one I suppose will admit; but many friends to humanity, and the comforts of the poor, have supposed that the addition of potatoe ground, to keep a hog, and grow some wheat, would greatly improve their si tuation; and that the addition of cow ground would further ameliorate their circumstances, and improve the condition of the labourer; but the utility and expediency of this have been controverted by others. "Respecting this question, I am of opinion, that if a small portion of land in the hands of a labourer can be made equally or more productive than in the hands of a farmer, and that without depriving society of any part of the industry of such labourer, his possessing it must add to the comfort and happiness of his family, without injury to any one; and consequently is an addition to the comfort and happiness of society. An objection has been made, that, by having small concerns of his own, he will be apt to loiter his time, and neglect the employment of others, to his own loss, and that of the community. But if extra encouragement of this kind were given, in emulation, only to the more steady and industrious labourer, this would not happen, and his family might be benefited, without the community receiving any injury. "In the Annals of Agriculture, No. 256, is an account, by the late Sir Wm. Pulteney, of an occupation by a Shropshire cottager, Richard Milward, who, with a wife and six children, occupied one acre ten perches of land, upon which, principally by the labour of his wife, the man being employed elsewhere, were raised annually 15 statute bushels of wheat, and 140 bushels of potatoes, of 80lb. to the bushel, over and above the se, and from which was supported and fatted a hog of 500lbs. weight. In this case, the odd ten perches were cnitivated for garden vegetables, and the acre in two divisions, wheat and potatoes alternately, half an acre cach; the manure raised from the hog, by means of the wheat straw, and potatoe haulm, being sufficient to support the crops. The wheat was sown by the woman upon the following plan: in autumn, when the potatoes were fit to take up, she daily in the morning marked out the work of one day upon the potatoe ground; from which she first cleared off the potatoe tops and hauhm: this served to litter the pig and make manure: she then sowed that spot with wheat, and proceeded to take up the potatoes: the seed wheat was properly covered by that operation, and the wheat crop succeeded equally well or better thus than in any other way. They had formerly had it sown by the neighbouring farmers, but, being frequently disappointed, had adopted this method, which had completely succeeded; and as the proper time of sowing wheat agrees exactly with that of getting up potatoes, namely the month of October, or any time then about, the two operations are well combined in one. In this system an acre of land produces annually 15 bushels of wheat of 60lbs. each, consequently of bread 900s.; and potatoes 140 bushels, besides seed for next year, at 80lbs to the bushel, 11,200bs. This produce of wheat is more than the average, but may be obtained upon land weil managed and kept clean from weeds, which in this case might be done by the wife and children. A clean crop of potatoes is one of the best preparations for wheat. A hog at one year old may grow to the weight of 300s. and be supported to that weight from the above produce, and to spare. Suppose his average allowance the first three quarters of a year to be one peck of potatoes per day, besides refuse of wash and garden vegetables : Suppose 270 days at 20lbs. per day of potatoes, 5400lbs. 3000 9000 During the time of fatting, the potatoes should be boiled and mashed with the bran of the wheat reserve for that purpose, and 2200lbs. weight of the potatoes remain for the family use; and from this instance some data may be collected for estimating the quantity of land necessary for supporting mankind by the cultivation of wheat, potatoes, and hogs. If 9,000lbs. weight of potatoes give 300lbs. weight of pork or bacon, then 30s. of potatoes will give 1b. of pork or bacon; and an acre of potatoes of 280 bushels, more than the seed, 80lbs. to the bushel, which is about the usual crop under good manage ment, would produce, if wholly applied to that purpose, 746tbs. of pork or bacon, which is more than 2tbs. per day for a whole year, and a good supply for four persons. Also, if 30lbs. of potatoes give 1tb. of pork, worth upon the average 6d., then a bushel of 80lbs. is worth 1s. 4d. applied to this purpose. Also, further, an acre of potatoes will supply 7301bs. of pork or bacon, which is half a pound each per day for four persons for a year, and leave 500lbs. weight of potatoes to spare; which, with vegetables from the garden, would be sufficient vegetable food for four persons through the year. The principal and heaviest labour in the above culture would be the digging for and setting the potatoes. If done by handwork, this upon the half acre would take a man a fortnight. All the other labour might be done by the man at odd times, or by his wife and children. On Cruelty towards Animals, To the EDITOR of The PHILANTHROPIST. IH I would not enter on my list of friends Who needlessly sets foot upon a worm. COWPER. HAVE been often impressed with sorrow, on observing the pleasure which is derived by the English populace from cruel sports and diversions; such are the baiting of bulls, bears, and badgers, the throwing at cocks, and the causing them to fight with each other; and may we not add, as by no means the least unfeeling, the matching of horses against time? But my attention has been especially excited by the following paragraph which appeared in Aris's Birmingham Gazette of September 2d, 1811: BULL-BAITING.-We trust the advocates for this brutal pastime will relinquish their favourite sport, when they hear of the dreadful catastrophe which lately took place at Chapelwake in this town. A fine animal, having been tormented for some time, broke from his confinement, and in this irritated state arrived in Coleshill-street, where he tossed and trampled upon every person within his reach. One child was killed upon the spot, and several persons were so dreadfully maimed |
