Others, who are diftreffed, let their right to half a room, at five fhillings per week, and fleep in the tap-room on the benches, in hammocks or on mattreffes. The clerk of the papers has the entire management and difpofition of the ooms. He is affifted by the eldeft turnkey, who goes round every Monday morning, and receives the weekly rent of one fhilling. The poor fide of the prifon confifts of fixteen rooms, at the back of the building. The number of inhabitants feldom exceeds thirty. They are governed by a fet of rules of court, made in 1729, and are entitled to their share of all charities, bequefts, gifts, and donations; a lift of which ought to be put up in fome confpicuous part of the prifon. Every perfon, as foon as he is admitted on this charity, muft alfo take his turn to hold the begging box at the door; which prevents many, who have lived in refpectable fituations, from applying for relief in this way. In this prifon are confined, not debtors alone, but perfons convicted of offences on profecutions in the court of King's Bench. Its regulations at this day, are upon the most correct principles of justice and humanity. Formerly, there existed within the walls a most corrupt and tyrannical felf-constituted court, which exercised a defpotic jurifdiction over the perfons and property of the prifoners; but on a complaint to the court at Westminster in 1779, this mock tribunal was fuppreffed, and the pfeudo-chief-juftice, one Phillips, was removed to the new prifon in the Borough. FLEET PRISON. The Fleet prison fituated on the eaft fide of Fleet-market, is a place of confinement of great antiquity, it having been mentioned in the reign of Richard I., which was from 1189 to 1199. The name was then Prifona de la Fleet. It is now a prifon for debtors, and for perfons charged with contempt of the courts of Chancery, Exchequer, and Common Pleas. In 1728, many abufes practifed by the warden were the fubject of parliamentary enquiry; and Mr. Oglethorpe, from the committee appointed to enquire into the ftate of the gaols, made feveral reports of many grievous abufes practifed in the Fleet, Mashalfea, and King's Bench; in confequence of which many useful regulations were enacted. In the front is a narrow court-yard. At each end of the building is a small projection or wing. There are four floors, called galleries; befide the cellar-floor, called Bartholomew fair. Each gallery confifts of a paffage in the middle, the whole length of the prison, fixty-fix yards; and of rooms on ach fide of it, about fourteen feet and a half by twelve and a Vol. III. M m half half, and nine feet and a half high. Each room has chimney and window, except three called flip rooms, which are without a chimney. The paffages are narrow (not seven feet wide) and dark, having only one window at each end. On the first floor, the hall gallery, to which the ascent is by eight fteps, are a tap-room, a room called the cellar head, another for one of the turnkeys, and nineteen rooms for the prifoners; at the north end of which is the cha pel. The cellar-floor is fixteen fleps below the hall-gallery. It confifts of the public kitchen, four large beer and wine cel lars, fixteen rooms for prifoners, and one for another of the turnkeys. In the coffee-room gallery (the next above the hall) are the coffee-room, made out of two; the ftrong-room, for refractory prifoners, and twenty-two more for thofe of other descriptions. In the third gallery, above the coffee-room, are twentyfix others, and a room at the north end. Over the chapel is an infirmary. In the top-gallery are twenty-feven rooms; fome of which, being over the chapel, are larger than the reft. All the rooms already mentioned are for mafter's-fide debtors, at the weekly rent of one fhilling and threepence, unfurnished. They fall to the prifoners in fucceffion, (except thofe called Bartholomew fair, which are in the entire difpofal of the warden,) that is, when a room becomes vacant, the first prifoner upon the lift of fuch as have paid their commitment fees fucceeds to it. When the prison was built, the warden gave each prisoner his choice of a room, according to his feniority. If all the rooms are occupied, a new comer, on payment of his commitment fees, is chummed (as they term it) on the next room in rotation, beginning at No. 1. in the hallgallery. The apartments for common fide debtors are only part of the right-wing of the prifon. Befide the cellar, (which was intended for the kitchen, but is now occupied with lumber, and shut up,) there are four floors. On each floor is a room near twenty feet square, with a fire-place; and on the fides feven closets, or cabins, to fleep in. Such of the prisoners as fwear in court, or before a commiffioner, that they are not worth five pounds, and cannot fubfift without charity, partake of the cafual donations which are fent to the prifon and the begging box placed at the grate. Here Here is plenty of water, both from the river and pumps s and a fpacious yard behind the prifon, where the prifoners play at fives, and other games. MARSHALSEA. Of the court of Marfhalfea an account has already been given (Vol. II. p. 450.) To this prifon of the court of the marfhalfea, and of the King's Palace-court of Westminster, are brought debtors, fued within twelve miles of the palace, except in the city of London. The prifon is held, under leafe, by Mr. Cracklow, a furveyor. One-half of it is already fallen down in ruins; and of the remainder it may be almost said, with our poet, that "The castle topples o'er the Warder's head." The court-yard is fpacious, and contains nearly fifty rooms, fix of which only are for common-fide debtors. There are two or three rooms for women; but as there is only one court-yard, men and women mix together in the day-time. No infirmary. There is a tap in the prifon which was let at forty fhillings per week. The court is well fupplied with water. The prifoners fometimes employ themselves in cutting pegs for the brewers, and are paid two fhillings the thoufand. If more debtors are on the common fide than fix rooms will contain, at three in a room, other rooms are allowed on the master's fide. No pirates have been committed to this prifon fince the year 1789; but feveral perfons have been, and ftill are, committed in execution, under fentence of courts-martial, to fuffer imprisonment for a limited time: they are committed by the Lords of the Admiralty, pursuant to the fentence. Of this defcription have been found from four to eight within the laft feven years. The whole building is in a moft ruinous and infecure ftate; and the habitations of the debtors are wretched in the extreme. WHITE CHAPEL. This is a prifon of the baron court, for the liberties and manors of Stepney and Hackney, and is private property. It confifts of four rooms fronting the high road, two on each story, of about fifteen feet by thirteen, and eight feet high. Every debtor who fleeps in any of thefe rooms, pays to the keeper for the ufe of a bed, one fhilling the first night, and fixpence per night afterwards. The court-yard is forty feet by twenty, in which is the men's day-room, of twelve feet by ten. From the court is an afcent by a wooden stair-cafe to a gallery; in which are two M m 2 Leeping 1 fleeping rooms, and the women's day-room, of equal fize with that below. Thefe latter are free wards. In this prison are confined those whofe debts are above two pounds, and not exceeding five pounds; and by the ftatute 21 Geo. III. the term of imprisonment is fixed for a time, not exceeding one week for every pound of the total debt and cofts. The court is held every Thursday; and a regular general court once in fix weeks. SURRY COUNTY GAOL. This noble building does honour to the county of Surry. It is fituate in an open and airy part of Horfemonger-lane, in the borough of Southwark. The boundary wall inclofes about three, acres of ground. The feffion's-house djoins it, to which there is a communication from the prifon, and a housekeeper appointed to keep it clean, with a falary, and apartments for her use. The gaol, which is likewife the county Bridewell, was firft inhabited the 3d of Auguft, 1798, and has in front the turnkey's lodge; on the ground-floot of which is a dayroom; another room with a cold bath; and a third is a wafh-house, with an oven, &c. Over these are four rooms, eighteen feet by fifteen, for the turnkeys to fleep in; and at the top of all is a fpacious lead-flat, where criminals are executed. After paffing through the lodge, an avenue paved with Yorkshire ftone, leads on to the keeper's house, which is in the centre of the prifon, and from which the feveral court yards are inspected. For mafter's-fide debtors there is a court-yard, payed with flag-ftones, 75 feet by 30, inclofed by handfome iron-palifades, fo that a thorough air is admitted: and arcades, paved in the fame manner, 31 feet by 26, under which to walk in wet weather. Clofe to these is a day-room, 27 feet by 20, with a fire-place; and they have likewife fixteen fleeping rooms, each fourteen feet fix inches by nine feet three, with an iron-grated and glazed window. Common fide debtors have alfo a court-yard with arcades, a day-room, and twelve fleeping-rooms, the fame as those on the master's fide: but they fleep in hammocks, and find their own bedding. Women debtors have a court, about twenty feet square; a day-room, eighteen feet fquare, and four fleeping rooms, of the fame fize as the men's; to which they also find their own bedding, and pay nothing. Pumps are fixed in all the courts: Thames water is laid on; and at the top of the four corners of the gaol is a refervoir, each containing about eight hundred gallons of water, fupplied from a well by a forcing pump. There are four fpacious airy rooms, each twenty-five feet by fixteen, fet apart as infirmaries, fitted up with flock-beds, blankets, pillows, and rugs; and adjoining to them are court-yards, thirty feet fquare, for convalefcents to walk in. Alfo two rooms for the nurfes; another for the furgeon; and a fourth with a warm bath. The chapel is a very neat building, where prifoners are feated in their different claffes; and all are required to attend divine fervice who receive the county allowance. The lobbies are well ventilated, fix feet three inches wide. Rules and orders excellent. The magiftrates vifit in rotation, and enter their remarks in a book. The act for prefervation of health, and the clauses against spirituous liquors, are conspicuously hung up. The whole prifon is remarkably clean. Another matter connected with the police of the metropolis is the mode of preventing the extent of conflagration; and in the fame view may be confidered the various establishments for fupply of water, both for extinguishing fire, and for domeftic fupply. BUILDING ACT. From the time of the great fire which made fuch dreadful ravages in London in 1666, the attention of the legislature was directed to the establishment of fuch regulations in the erection of dwelling-houses and other buildings, as might prevent the recurrence of fo dreadful acalamity. An act for this purpose was paffed in the 19th Charles II.; and fubfequent ftatutes were enacted under fucceeding monarchs, until their general regulations, with fuch additions as experience fuggefted, were comprised in one of the 14th Geo. III. c. 78. This act divides buildings into feven diftinct claffes or rates, and directs that to each building shall be appropriated party-walls, of proper thickness; and that the timbers fhall be fo placed as to prevent the extent of conflagration. The provifions are exceedingly judicious, but too minute and technical to be copied or abridged in this work; the act ought, however, to be attentively confidered by all inhabitants of the metropolis, as it contains many regulations of great importance to their convenience and well being, and extends to many other objects befides fire. ENGINES. Of the offices already established for the indemnity of those who fuffer by fire, fome account has been given in this volume, p. 371. By the fpirited emulation of the perfons directing thefe undertakings, a nightly patrole is provided, which goes through the streets of the metropolis during the night; and on the appearance of fire, immediate M m 3 alarm |