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Hond Sir
I observed, t'other day, in the St. James Chronicle, an
Advertisement of a Pamphlet on the subject of a County Workhouse, therein
spoken of as projected for the County of Middlesex. It occurred to me that
the Plan of a Building, lately contrived by my Brother, for purposes in
some respects simmilar and which, under the name of the Inspection
house, or the Elaboratory, he is about has thought of erecting here, might afford
some hints for the above establishment. I have accordingly obtained a
Drawing, which I here inclose. Indeed I look upon it as capable of
applications of the most extensive nature; and that for reasons which you
will presently perceive.
To say all in one word it will be found applicable, I think,
without exception, to all establishments whatsoever, in which, within a space
not too large to be covered or commanded by Buildings any number of the many are
persons are meant to be kept under inspection. committed to the inspection and management of the few. No matter how
different or even opposite the purpose: whether it be that of punishing the
incorrigible, guarding the insane, reforming the vitious, confining the
suspected, employing the idle, maintaining the helpless, curing the sick,
instructing the willing in any branch of industry, or training the rising race
in the path of Education: in a word, whether it be applied to the purposes
of perpetual Prisons in the room of Death, or Prisons for confinement before
trial, or Penitentiary-houses, or Houses of Correction, or Madhouses, or Workhouses, or Manufactories, or Madhouses or Manufactories
or Hospitals or Schools.
It is obvious that, in all these instances, the more constantly
the persons to be inspected are under the eye of the persons who should inspect them to inspect, the
more perfectly will the purpose of the establishment have been attained.
Ideal perfection, if that were the object, would require that each person
should actually be in that predicament, during every instant of time.
This being impossible, the next thing to be asked for is, that, at every
instant, seeing reason to believe as much, and not being able to satisfy
himself to the contrary, he should conceive himself to be so. This point,
you will immediately see, is most compleatly secured by my Brother's
plan: and I think it will appear equally manifest that it cannot be
compassed by any other, or to speak more properly, that if it be it can only be
compassed by any other, it can only be in proportion as such other may approach to this.
Another great point to be attended to is in the number of
Inspector's requisite. If this plan required more than another or the additional
number would face an objection, which, were the difference to a certain
degree considerable, would ( so high as to) be conclusive. So far from it
that a greater multitude than were ever yet contained in one house
might be inspected by a single person. For the trouble of inspection isdiminished
in no less proportion than the strictness of inspection is increased.
To cut the matter as short as possible, I will consider it at once
To cut the matter as short as possible, I will consider it at
in its application to such purposes as, being most complicated will serve to
once in the application to such purposes as being most complicated will serve
exemplify the greatest force and variety of precautionary
exemplify the greatest fore and variety of precautionary expedient
contrivance.
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Identifier: | JB/550/208/001 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 550.
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