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yards where the workshops of the prisoners are situated, they 
are clothed in a dress part grey and part white, and sleep 
two together, in airy but narrow cells, on straw mattresses; dur¬ 
ing the day they are employed in the workshops, or in the work 
of the house. They have a large refectory, where their meals, 
consisting 6f meat and vegetables are served up in wooden plates; 
each prisoner is obliged to work at the trade which he under¬ 
stands, and he who is acquainted with none is obliged to learn 
one, being permitted to choose which he prefers. All the 
clothing used in the house, as well as the cotton cloth, are made 
by the prisoners, who receive no payment; there is also a wheel¬ 
wright shop in operation, as well as blacksmiths, coopers, cabinet¬ 
makers, comb-makers, saddlers, and gunsmiths, who make very 
good rifles: the articles manufactured by the coopers consist 
chiefly of buckets and barrels, made of white and red cedar wood; 
there is a store attached to the prison, where all these articles 
are exposed for sale. I understand that the prison maintains 
itself, and causes but a trifling expense to the state. The favourite 
solitary confinement in dark and subterraneous cells is used as a 
capital punishment. A couple of prisoners who had tried to 
escape and were retaken, wore an iron collar with a horn attached 
to it; the prison has been in use ten years, during which time, ten 
men only had escaped, nearly all of whom had been retaken: 
the prisoners are so well treated, that I was assured that several 
of them stole again, after having served their time out, in order 
to return to their prison. It is worthy of notice that during 
ten years, two white females only, were committed to this prison; 
the yards are surrounded by a large and high wall, where sen¬ 
tries keep watch day and night with loaded muskets. We left 
Columbus on the 9th of May, at eight o’clock in the morning, 
and rode to Circleville, a distance of twenty-six miles. The 
road passes along the left shore of the Sciota, through a woody 
and rather uncultivated country, two days of rain had softened 
the ground considerably; fortunately we met with very few log 
causeways; we forded two small rivers which flow into the 
Sciota, called Big-Belly creek, and Lower Walnut creek. We 
passed a small place, Bloomfield, consisting of small frame houses, 
and reached Circleville towards two o’clock, P. M. Circleville 
is built in one of the old Indian forts, whose origin, as well as 
that of the nation which erected it, is buried in utter darkness. 
The circular part immediately joins the square, and communi¬ 
cates with it by means of a single outlet. The square fort has 
eight outlets, and in the rear of each of them there is a little 
mound, which appears to have served as traverses for the defence 
of the entries; the round fort has two parallel ramparts separated 
by a ditch." The quadrangular fort has but a single one, where 
