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so low as scarcely to be discernible, admitts of the Soil's filth's being carried
away. No one, who has been at all attentive to the history of prisons, but
must have observed, how often escapes have been effected, or attempted through this
channel.
A slight screen, which the Prisoner might occasionally interpose, may
perhaps, not be thought superflous. This, while it answers the purpose of decency
might be so adjusted, as to prevent his concealing, from the eye of the Inspector
any forbidden enterprize.
For each cell, the whole apparatus would not come to many
shillings: a small consideration for a great degree of security. In this manner, —
without any relaxation of the discipline, the advantages of cleanliness, and its
concomitant health, may be attained to as great a degree as in most private
houses.
It would be regarded, perhaps, as a luxury too great for an
establishment of this kind, were I to venture to propose the addition of a water-pipe
all round, with a to it in each cell. The clear expence would, however, not be
quite so great as it might seem: since, by this means, a considerable quantity of
attendance would be saved to each prisoner. Some allowance of water must
necessarily be afforded, if it were only for drink, without regard to cleanliness. To
forward that allowance by hand to two or three hundred prisoners, in some
different apartments, might perhaps be as much as one man could do, if
constantly employed. For the raising the water, by pumps, to the necessary
elevation, the labour of the prisoners might suffice.
As to the materials, Bricks as every body knows, would be
the cheapest, in London; and either Brick or stone in every other part of
England. But in a building calculated for duration, as this would be, the
expence of allowing the same materials to the floors, and laying them upon
would, I imagine, not be deemed an unsuitable one: especially when the
advantage of a perfect security from fire is taken into the account.
Letter 3d.
So far as to the characteristic points of the principle of construction.
You may now, perhaps, be curious to know to what extent a building upon
this principle is capable of being carried, consistently with the various purposes to which
it may come to be applied. Upon this subject, to speak with confidence, belongs only
Architects by profession. (As to your two sons, the younger of whom has got only
a few grains of that kind of knowledge by a side wind, and the older none at
all, if they venture upon figures, it must be with the utmost diffidence, and
merely for the purpose of illustration. Had they your their fathers experience to prompt th
they might be able to speak, perhaps with a little more decision: but, as that leading
-string is rather too long to pull by at this distance, they must be content to go alone).] As to the cells
they will of course be more or less spacious, according to the employments which it is
designed should be carried on in them.
As to the whole Building, if it be too small, the circumference w
not be large enough to afford a sufficient number of Cells: if too large, the depth from the exterior windows will be too great; and there will not be light enough
the Lodge.
As to this individual building of my Brother's, the dimensions
of it were determined by the consideration of the most convenient scantlings
for the timbers, (that being in his situation the cheapest material) and by other
local considerations. It has two stories, and the diameter of the whole building
100 feet out and out. [Merely to help conception I will take this size for an
example of such a building as he would propose for England. Taking the diameter 100 foot, this admitts of 48 Cells, 6 foot wide each
at the outside, walls included: with a passage through the building of 8 or 9 foot.]
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Identifier: | JB/550/209/002 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 550.
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