ON PRISON DIET AND DISCIPLINE. 73 



The other north-country gaols, of Cumberland and Westmoreland, also 

 make large use of oatmeal and milk in their schemes of diet, and the scheme 

 is the same in both gaols. The quantity of bread is reduced, and to so re- 

 prehensible a degree that, for prisoners confined from seven to fourteen days, 

 four ounces of bread alone constitute the whole dinner, — a quantity of food 

 less than is supplied at any other prison. For seven days six ounces of bread 

 are given at each meal ; with hard labour for six weeks, and no labour for 

 three months, one pint of soup is added to the dinner thrice, one pound of 

 potatoes thrice, and three quarters of a pint of milk once per week ; and 

 when the terms are increased to three months, and beyond three months re- 

 spectively, three ounces of cooked meat and half a pound of potatoes are 

 given, instead of one pound of potatoes, twice per week. When the sentence 

 of hard labour is beyond three months, four ounces of uncooked meat, four 

 ounces of bread, and one pound of potatoes are given for dinner thrice per 

 week, whilst one pint of soup supplants the meat thrice per week, and three- 

 quarters of a pint of milk and six ounces of bread constitute the Sunday's 

 dinner. The use of oatmeal is restricted to the breakfast and supper, when 

 four or five ounces, with half a pint of milk, without bread, constitute the 

 meal. 



The Monmouth Gaol is also remarkable in the quantity of oatmeal sup- 

 plied to the prisoners, and for the introduction of Indian meal as an article 

 of diet. The two first classes are unchanged, except that the term of the 

 second is extended to four weeks. In the third and fourth classes, which 

 extend respectively to three months and beyond three months, the breakfast 

 consists of no less than eight ounces of oatmeal and half a pint of milk, and 

 the supper of six ounces of oatmeal with half a pint of milk and half a pound 

 of bread. Both of these are largely in excess of the Government allowances, 

 and approach much nearer to the wants of the system. The dinner in the 

 third class consists daily of eight ounces of Indian meal and half a pint of 

 milk, whilst in the fourth or highest class that food is administered on three 

 days per week ; four ounces of cooked meat, without bone, and twelve ounces 

 of potatoes twice, and one pint of broth (containing three ounces of cooked 

 meat without bone) twice in the week. We believe this to be a better diet- 

 ary than that recommended by the Government ; and a foot-note appended to 

 the return is satisfactory on this head. It states : " The general health of 

 the prisoners is good ; and, for the most part, they leave the prison in better 

 condition than when they came in. Prisoners of the third and fourth class 

 are weighed on receipt and discharge ; they are kept in association, and they 

 almost invariably increase in weight while in prison." It would be interest- 

 ing to know if they enter with an average weight. 



A large division of the gaols which offer peculiarities of detail are the 

 Welsh. We have already remarked that generally the dietary of the gaols 

 of the Principality is less nutritious than that of English gaols, and we may 

 further state that only three of the thirteen county gaols have accepted the 

 Government scheme. 



In the Carmarthen Gaol the prisoners condemned to hard labour for any 

 term receive meat but twice per week ; and that is in the form of soup, of 

 which a quart is given ; but the ingredients are not stated ; twelve ounces of 

 bread are given with it for terms exceeding two months. When the term 

 exceeds three months two ounces of cheese and one pound of potatoes, or 

 one pint of gruel, substitute the meat soup on three days per week ; but no 

 cheese is allowed for shorter periods ; and thus a prisoner may be kept at 

 hard labour for three months and receive twelve ounces of bread for dinner 



