14 
Foundling Hofpital. were, appoint- 
ed by his majefty fupervifors of 
them. -The doétor and Mr. How- 
ard fixed ona fpot for the erection 
of them, near to that whereon Pen- 
tonville chapel has fince been erec- 
ted. Mr. Whatley, on the other 
hand, infifted that they fhould be 
built on or near the Ifle ef Dogs: 
but being fixed in his own opinion, 
having loft his friend and co-adjutor 
Dr. Fothergill, and feeing no prof- 
peét of accomplifhing the butinefs 
m any way that would be agreeable 
tohim, in January 1781, Mr. How- 
ard fent a letter to earl Bathurit, 
lord prefident of the council, re- 
quciting his thajefly to accept his 
refignation of the office. His fifter 
died unmarried, and left him her 
houfe in Great Ormond Street, to- 
gether with-a confiderable fortune 
qn the funds, which he conftrued into 
an approbation; on the part of Pro- 
vidence, of his fchemes for the re- 
lief of prifoners, and made we of the 
money accordingly. In i773, he 
ferved the office of fheriff of the 
' county of Bedford. This office, as 
he obferves, brought “ the diftre/s 
of prifoners mere immediately un- 
der his notice;’”? and with a view 
to its alleviation, he began his la- 
bours by «. vifiting moft of the 
county gaols in England,” and af- 
terwards, “the bridewells, houfes 
of correction, city and town gaols,” 
where he found “ multitudes both 
of felons and debtors” “ dying of 
the gaol fever and the {mall-pox.”” 
Upon this fubject he was examined 
in the houfe of commons, in March 
1774, when “ he had the honour of 
their thanks.” This encouraged 
him to proceed in his defign: he 
travelled again and again through 
Great Britain and Ireland, and alfo 
into France, Flanders, Holland, 
ANNUAL) REGISTER, (1790. 
Germany, and Switzerland; and 
publifhed « The State of the Pri- 
fons in England and Wales, with 
Preliminary Obfervations, and an 
Account of fome Foreign Prifons, 
1777,” 4to. with a dedication to the 
houfe of commons, dated April 5, 
1777- In 1780, he publifhed an ap- 
pendix to this account, in which he 
extended the narrative of his travels 
to Italy, and gave fome obferva- 
tions concerning the management 
of prifoners of war, and the hulks 
on the Thames. This appendix he 
re-publifhed in 1784; which pabli- 
cation included alfo an account of his 
vifit to Denmark, Sweden, Rufiia, 
Poland, Portugal, and Spain. By 
this time his character for aétive 
benevolence had engaged the public 
attention. It was propofed that a 
fub{cription fhould be fet on foot to 
erect a ftatue to his honour, and 
15331]. 13s. 6d. was fub{cribed for 
that purpofe; but fome of thofe 
who knew Mr. Howard beft, never 
concurred in the fcheme, being well 
aflured that he would never coun- 
tenance nor accede to it: and the 
event juftified their conduct; for 
the language that he held upon the 
fubjeét, when firft advifed of it, was, 
« Have not I one friend in Eng- 
land, that would put a ftop to fuch 
a proceeding?” In confequence of 
two letters from Mr. Howard him- 
felf to the fubfcribers, the defign 
was laid afide; and the contribu 
tors were publicly invited, either to 
recall their money, or to leave it to 
the difpofition of the committee. 
In 1789, Mr. Howard publifhed 
« An Account of the principal La- 
zarettos in Europe, with various 
Papers relative to the Plague, to- 
gether with further Obfervations 
on fome Foreign Prifons and Hof- 
pitals, and additional Remarks on 
the 
