the quantity to their various appetites, some of them would leave much to be wasted, while others would suffer for the want of it— which must be the case in those prisons where the convicts are required to take their meals in the cells.

The tables are narrow, and the convicts, sitting on one side only, are placed face to back, and never face to face, so as to avoid changing looks or signs. While the convicts are in the messroom, there is always a sufficient number of officers present to oversee the whole, and in positions the most advantageous for detecting any breach of the rules. Their places at the tables are so arranged, that if any one is absent, by accident or design, he is instantly missed.

When the steward perceives the convicts have done eating, or have had ample time for it, he rings the bell, when one company rises after another, in perfect order, and all march back to the shops; those going out first who came in last. All this occupies from twenty to thirty minutes.

Hospital Reports.

Either before or immediately after breakfast is the time for sick convicts to report themselves for the hospital. Any one has a right to report himself sick, and his keeper is required to send him as often as he so reports himself, unless he receives notice from the physician that the man is an impostor, and goes to the hospital for no good purpose. Each assistant keeper puts the names of the sick in his shop on a slip of paper, which he sends to the keepers" hall; and when the physician comes, (at nine o'clock in the morning,) an officer, whose duty it is, assembles all the sick, and conducts them together to the hospital, where they are examined by the physician. Such as are found unable to labor are retained, and the others sent back to their shops, after the necessary prescrip tions to such as need medicine, with written directions to their keepers for full or light labor, as their cases may require.

The physician is to repeat his visits through the day, whenever the condition of the sick requires it; and when sent for, is to come immediately to the prison, to the exclusion of all other professional business or engagements.

Clothes Time.

From ten o'clock till half past ten, in the morning, is called "clothes time." At this hour, each week day, about one-sixth part of the convicts are sent, in turn, to the clothes room, where a keeper attends and gives out clean and whole clothes, shoes, &c. as they need, except shirts, which are placed in their cells every Saturday afternoon, that they may change on Sunday morning, and leave their dirty ones to be gathered up on Monday.

Dinner.

The convicts always dine at 12 o'clock, and the proceedings are precisely as at breakfast, except that a blessing is implored at dinner by the chaplain, as soon as they are all seated at the tables.

Closing the Prison at night.

Just before the time arrives for quitting labor, the fires are secured; the convicts wash their faces and hands, and then, at the ringing of the yard bell, form in a line in their proper places, according to the numbers of their cells, march out of the shops to their rows of tubs, and at command take them up, step forward and empty the water into the drain, advance to the pumps, take a little fresh water again into their tubs, hang the bale on their left arm, and proceed in reversed order from that of coming out in the morning, (those going in first who came out last,) to the kitchen, where their mush and molasses in a kid, and water to drink in a can, have been placed together in rows by the cooks, and, without breaking their step, stoop and take up their supper and drink in their right hand, and march to their respective galleries, enter their own cells as they arrive at their numbers, and pull their doors partly to. Each gallery is occupied by one company, which is marched and locked up by one assistant keeper, with two keys differing from each other, and from all the rest.

The keys, having been taken from the key room by the guard on duty in the keepers' hall, and deposited in a convenient place in the kitchen, are taken by the assistant keepers as they pass through with their companies, who, as soon as they arrive at their galleries, commence locking their cells at No. 1, and as they enter the keys, the convicts suddenly shut the doors quite to, which shows that they are in their cells, without the delay of examining. When the assistant keeper has thus gone through his gallery, he returns directly back to No. 1, trying all the locks as he goes, to guard against mistakes. The officers then all repair to the keepers' hall; and, if the convicts are all in their cells, return the keys to the key room. But if not, which they ascertain by the hospital report, and the list of the convicts of each gallery kept by the assistant keepers, their keys are retained till the convict is found; but this rarely happens.

When the keys are found to be all returned to the key room, and the pins in the duty-roster are all in their proper places, the officer whose duty it is to see to this, calls "all right" to the guard at the front gate, who immediately rings the bell, when all the officers may leave the prison, except seven, whose duties may properly be described under the head of night duty.

Evening Devotions.

Soon after the officers retire the chaplain enters the wing, and taking a position favorable to be heard, in the area in front of the cells, reads select portions of scripture, and addresses the throne of grace in solemn prayer.

Night Duty.

After the closing of the prison, two of the officers remain in the north wing, to watch the convicts in their cells, and one in the

keepers' hall, to tend the front gate and inner doors, for about one hour, when they are relieved by four others, (two in the wing and two in the hall,) who take turns in watching and sleeping during the night. At the time of closing the prison also, four other officers, who are required to do but little other duty, enter the prison, two to watch and sleep by turns, during the night, in the south wing, and the other two to patrol the shops and yards during the night, to see that every thing is secure, particularly the fires. There are four to whom this latter duty is assigned, who take turns, two one night, and the other two the next, and so on. The two on duty, after going the rounds twice, also take turns in patrolling and sleeping.

Thus it will be seen that there are four officers on active duty at all times of the night; one in each of the wings, one in the keepers' hall, and one in the yard.

These officers are required to maintain the most wakeful vigilance, and to be constantly moving about in their respective departments; to insure which, the following expedient is adopted. Soon after they enter upon their night duty, the man stationed in the keepers' hall lodges a small ball in a box, prepared for the purpose, in the door leading from this hall into the south wing; the man in the south wing then takes the ball, and lodges it in a like box placed in a window on the south side of this wing; thence it is taken by the patrol guard, and carried round through the shops or yards quite to the opposite side of the prison, and lodged in a box on the north side of the north wing; whence it is taken by the man on duty in that wing, and returned to the keepers' hall, ready to be started again on the same round by the man on duty there. This ball must come round thus to the keepers' hall every thirty minutes during the whole night; and in case of failure, after ten minutes' grace, the man stationed here reports it to the principal keeper, or, in his absence, the deputy, who immediately traces out the delinquent, and, if he have no valid excuse, discharges him.

The diagram on the following page will perhaps make it plainer. The dotted line represents the track of the ball.

[Assem. No. 199.]

Shops.

South Wing.

Keep's Hall

YARD.

North Wing.

The convicts are required, at an early hour, by the ringing of the bell, to take off their clothes, and go to bed upon their canvass hammocks, with blankets enough for their comfort; but when in health are not permitted to lie down before that time, nor to get up again, except from necessity, till the bell rings in the morning. The area round the cells is well warmed by stoves when necessary, and (as well as the keepers' hall and the Agent's dwelling,) lighted by lamps through the night. After the signal for going to bed, all the locks are again tried by the officers on duty.

At four o'clock in the morning, the principal cook is let out of his cell, to build fires in the kitchen, and commence preparation for breakfast.

The several assistant keepers, who have no companies to lock and unlock, and all the guard who are not on other duty, place themselves, at the time of opening and closing the prison, in the angles and other places about the wings, to aid in preventing or detecting any talk or other irregularity among the convicts, as they march along the galleries, the officers who lock and unlock not being able, at that time, to keep their eyes upon them all.

The key of the key-room is always, night and day, in the hands of some one on duty in the keeper's hall.

Shops.

Shops.

Sunday Regulations.

On Sunday morning, the officers are all present, and the prison is opened at the same time and in the same manner, as on other days; and the convicts, after emptying and rinsing their night tubs, march back to their cells, and their doors are latched merely, the officers remaining on the galleries, till the bell rings again, when the convicts are marched to the mess-room for breakfast; and as they return to their cells, they take their cans of fresh drinking water, which have been filled by the cooks.

The convicts are then locked up in the usual manner, the keys returned to the key-room, and the officers disperse, except three assistant keepers, who (having been relieved by others an hour for breakfast) watch the cells and hospital through the day, two in the north wing and one in the south.

One guard also remains all day in the keepers' hall, to tend the front gate and inner doors, (he also having been relieved for breakfast,) but neither he, nor the assistant keepers on duty, are relieved to eat again until night.

Sunday School.-The Sunday school embraces about two hundred of the younger and more ignorant portion of the convicts. These remain in their seats at the breakfast table, on Sunday morning, until the rest of the convicts are marched out to their cells, and are taken by two assistant keepers to the chapel, where they are under the instruction, till ten o'clock, of about thirty-five of the students of the theological seminary, who generously volunteer their services. The two assistant keepers are constantly present while the school continues, to keep order, and enforce the prison rules. The resident chaplain has the general superintendence of the school, and it is also frequently visited by the Agent and deputy keeper.

The teachers hold no conversation with the convicts, except what relates strictly to their studies, avoid all remarks in their hearing upon any other subject whatever, and discountenance in them any thing that savors of levity or improper familiarity.

The assistant keepers are required to enforce these and all other salutary school regulations, and to report to the Agent any thing which may justly be considered a violation of them.

Divine service.-At precisely ten o'clock the officers are all assembled again, and the convicts in the cells are unlocked in the usual way, and marched to the chapel, when a sermon is delivered an the usual divine service performed by the chaplain.

The chapel is furnished with narrow seats with backs, so that the convicts sit comfortably, facing the minister, without a chance of looking in each other's faces. Small platforms are erected at the sides and ends of the chapel, upon which the assistant keepers are seated, so elevated as to have a full view of every convict.

During the chapel service, the guard, (except the sentinels upon the walls,) remain in the keepers' hall, and one assistant keeper in the kitchen with the cooks, to prepare and divide the rations of meat, bread and vegetables, which are to supply them until the next morning.