CHAP, IV. INTERVIEWS WITH JOHN HOWARD. 317 



Howard, who devoted himself with such zeal to gaol im- 

 provement, on hearing of the intentions of the magis- 

 trates, made a visit to Shrewshury for the purpose of 

 examining the plans ; and the circumstance is thus ad- 

 verted to by Telford in one of his letters to his Eskdale 

 correspondent : " About ten days ago I had a visit 

 from the celebrated John Howard, Esq. I say /, for he 

 was on his tour of gaols and infirmaries ; and those of 

 Shrewsbury being both under my direction, this was, of 

 course, the cause of my being thus distinguished. I 

 accompanied him through the infirmary and the gaol. 

 I showed him the plans of the proposed new buildings, 

 and had much conversation with him on both subjects. 

 In consequence of his suggestions as to the former, I 

 have revised and amended the plans, so as to carry out 

 a thorough reformation ; and my alterations having been 

 approved by a general board, they have been referred 

 to a committee to carry out. Mr. Howard also took ob- 

 jection to the plan of the proposed gaol, and requested 

 me to inform the magistrates that, in his opinion, the 

 interior courts were too small, and not sufficiently venti- 

 lated ; and the magistrates, having approved his sugges- 

 tions, ordered the plans to be amended accordingly. You 

 may easily conceive how I enjoyed the conversation of 

 this truly good man, and how much I would strive to 

 possess his good opinion. I regard him as the guardian 

 angel of the miserable. He travels into all parts of 

 Europe with the sole object of doing good, merely for 

 its own sake, and not for the sake of men's praise. To 

 give an instance of his delicacy, and his desire to avoid 

 public notice, I may mention that, being a Presbyterian, 

 he attended the meeting-house of that denomination in 

 Shrewsbury on Sunday morning, on which occasion I 

 accompanied him ; but in the afternoon he expressed a 

 wish to attend another place of worship, his presence in 

 the town having excited considerable curiosity, though 

 his wish was to avoid public recognition. Nay, more, 



