PENITENTIARY. 123 



the 30th, for showing me some of the sights 

 of Philadelphia, called accordingly, and we 

 drove first to the water-works, a stupendous 

 achievement of art and labour, by which a 

 great body of water from the Schuylkill river 

 is forced by the power of three immense wheels, 

 driven by the current, to the summit of a hill 

 overtopping the highest houses, and is there 

 received into three large reservoirs, out of 

 which, by means of pipes, it is plentifully dis 

 tributed over the city, at a moderate charge to 

 the inhabitants. The sight of this gigantic 

 work so indicative of great ingenuity and en- 

 terprize filled me with astonishment. 



We next drove to the Penitentiary or State- 

 prison, a great and admirable establishment, 

 containing separate cells and airing-yards for 

 500 prisoners, arranged so as to be all within 

 view from a hall in the centre, but so also that 

 one prisoner is not within sight of hearing of 

 another. 



The principle of this establishment is soli 

 tary confinement, and every prisoner is sup 

 plied with work such as he can perform, and if 



