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be required, as witnesses of the mode and quantum of correction, and
of the alledged cause.
But besides preventing his starving them or using them ill, there is If that should not be thought enough perhaps
another thing I should be much inclined to do, in order I should be for doing another thing to make it his interest
to take care of them. It is, for aught I know, a new idea, in which, new
or old, my Brother was beforehand with me. I would make the Contractor him pay
so much for every one that died, without troubling myself whether any
care of his could have kept the man alive. To be sure he would make
me pay that in the contract: but as I should receive it form him
afterwards, what it cost me in the long run would be no great
matter. He would get underwriter's profit by me; but let him get that and
welcome. I Suppose three hundred prisoners, and that out of that numb
of persons people of their ages, ten, persons that is one out of thirty, ought to d
every year, were they taken at large. But persons of their character an
in their condition, it may be expected will die faster than honest
men. Say, therefore, one in twenty: though, I believe, as Jails stand
at present, if no more than one in ten die, or, for aught I know, out of
much smaller number, it may be thought very well. Give the Contract
then for every man that ought to die, for instance ten pound: that
sum, repeated for every man in twenty among the one in twenty, in three hundred, will amount
to an hundred and fifty pound. Upon these terms then, at the end
of the year, make him pay ten pounds for every man that has actua
died within that time: to which you may add, or escaped, and I do
say he will have no objection. If, by nursing them and making
much of them, he should find himself at the end of the year a few
pounds the richer by his tenderness, who could grudge it him? If
you have still any doubt of him, instead of the ten pound you ma
make put twenty, you will not be much the poorer for it. I don't kn
if upon recollection second thought, whether something of this sort has not been put
practice, or at least proposed, for Foundlings. Be that as it may,
make but my Contractor's allowance large enough, and you need no
doubt his fondness for these his adopted children: of whom whosever
may chance, while under his wings, to depart this vale of tears, will be
sure to leave one sincere mourner at least, without the parade of
-ning. Forgive me, dear Sir, if I compare my Contractor thus human
to a sole Director of an Amicable Society: and think how clever it would would it not be a rare thing if
upon finding a brother-member begin to live rather too freely, one could
get him into an inspection house to nurse. Some perhaps may be for
observing, that, upon my own principle, this contrivance would be of
use but to save the useless: since the Contractor, of himself, knows b
-ter things than not to take care of a Cow that will give milk. B
with their leave, I do not mean that even the useless should be sta
-ed: for, if the Judges had thought this proper, they would have
said so.
My Brother insists upon it, that the danger of his starving
them is not so trifling as I might imagine. "I don't mean," says
"that they would starve a man all out at once, and of malice
"aforethought, as you Lawyers say: the only danger is that finding no go
"was to be got out of him, they would care less and less what and
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Identifier: | JB/550/219/002 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 550.
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