He and his niece called upon us yesterday evening, and,
although he is an elderly gentleman, he was here by appointment this
morning at half-past 8, and took papa to call on Mr. Dennison, when they
arranged together the programme for the day.
At 11 o'clock Mr. Dennison called, and took us to the Penitentiary,
where nearly 700 prisoners are confined. I think he said 695, although
it will hold the full number of 700 if need be. For the credit of the
sex, I must say that only ten out of the whole are females. These ten
are lodged each in a small room, for it can scarcely be called a cell,
very well furnished, and opening into a large sitting-room, of which
they all have the unrestrained use, although the presence of a matron
puts a restraint on their tongues. They were employed in needlework. The
cells of the men are arranged in tiers, and are certainly very
different looking habitations to those of the women, and greatly
inferior in size and airiness to the cells at Philadelphia, where, in
addition to the grating in front of the cell, there was a door behind
leading into a small enclosure or court. Here the only opening in the
cell is by a door into a long gallery, and the cells were much smaller
than either at Philadelphia or at Kingston; but the prisoners only
inhabit these cells at night, the solitary system not being adopted or
approved of here.
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