THE DEBTORS' PRISON. 255 



CHAPTER XXXVILE. 



A Hit The Debtor's Prison Utter Cleanliness " City and " Town " 

 " Down " and " Up " Hereford Cathedral Church and State The 

 Public Promenade. 



T MUST not forget two incidents of our visit to the jail. Pun- 

 * ishment is inflicted by withholding food ; also, I imagine, for 

 slight offenses, in other ways. An officer with us noticed some 

 untidiness of dress upon one of the prisoners, and pointing to it, 

 said "You are an Englishman : I don't want to treat you as an 

 Irishman" As we entered a certain apartment, our conductor 

 said, "This is the debtors' prison." 



One of us remarked, " We have generally abolished imprison- 

 ment for debt in the United States." 



The officer, quietly, "It's a pity that you have." 

 The quarters of the debtors were not cells, but decent rooms, 

 and there was a large hall common to them. Every thing here, 

 though, as every where else, was awfully clean, dreary and math- 

 ematical ; a housekeeper gone mad, such as I know of, would 

 have thought it heaven. I should suppose that the prisoners 

 would long, more than for anything else, to have one good roll in 

 the gutter, and an unmeasured mouthful of some perfectly indi- 

 gestible luxury. It was a relief, after being but an hour within 



