142 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1810. 



an honest livelihood after the ex- 

 piration of the term of their pu- 

 nishment. In the opinion of Mr. 

 Justice Blackstone, it wasasystem 

 that united in itself so many ad- 

 vantages, that he did not hesitate 

 to declare that, " if properly exe- 

 cuted, such a reformation might 

 be effected in the lower classes of 

 mankind, and such a gradual scale 

 of punishment affixed to all gra- 

 dations of guilt, as might in time 

 supersede the necessity of punish- 

 ments, except for very atrocious 

 crimes." Sir Samuel Romilly 

 proceeded to display the advan- 

 tages to be expected from the 

 penitentiary system, the evils at- 

 tending the want of it, the horrid 

 state of our prisons, the inefficacy 

 of the hulks, and transportation 

 to Botany Bay, whether for the 

 inspiration of terror or the refor- 

 mation of the individual punished, 

 and the justice due even to con- 

 victed criminals. 



Mr. Secretary Ryder concurred 

 so much in the general principles 

 laid down on the subject of peni- 

 tentiary Houses, that he could not 

 but agree in the motion of his 

 learned friend. At the same time, 

 he was sorry that he had brought 

 this subject before the House at a 

 time when some gentlemen did 

 entertain a hope that at so late a 

 period of the session it would not 

 have been agitated ; and particu- 

 larly, because the House was not 

 in possession of such satisfactory 

 information as could enable it to 

 form a competent opinion on this 

 subject. He illustrated the truth 

 of this last position, and expressed 

 a hope, that the honourable and 

 learned gentleman would be dis- 

 posed to withdraw his motion for 

 the preient, upon the positive un- 



derstanding, that at an early pe- 

 riod of next session of parliament 

 it would be entertained in a man- 

 ner more suitable to its import- 

 ance. Mr. Ryder declared him- 

 self so be so friendly to the mea- 

 sure of penitentiary Houses, that 

 his cordial support should not be 

 wanting to its attainment early in 

 the next session. 



Mr. Abercromby said, that if 

 the object of the present motion 

 had been to introduce any sudden 

 or violent change of the law, or 

 to introduce a new mode of pu- 

 nishment, there might have been 

 some foundation for the objections 

 which had been urged by Mr. Ry- 

 der. But, on the contrary, the 

 presentmotion proceeded on prin- 

 ciples which had been already 

 discussed and adopted; and called 

 upon the House to stimulate the 

 executive government to give ef- 

 fect to a law which had the sanc- 

 tion of both that and the other 

 House of parliament, and which 

 had too long lain dormant in the 

 statute book. 



Mr. Bathurst thought that the 

 system proposed must be attend- 

 ed with many important advanta- 

 ges. But he stated some consi- 

 derations which induced him to 

 think, that the House would do 

 well in not carrying this motion in 

 the present session of parliament. 

 Though he was, however, of opi- 

 nion that further delay was neces- 

 sary, he was not insensible to the 

 imprudent remissness of govern- 

 ment in suffering a plan like this 

 to lie dormant on the statute book 

 for upwards of thirty years. 



Mr. Wilberforce spoke very 

 warmly in recommendation of the 

 system of penitentiary Houses. 

 If, said he, we wanted argument in 



