honey-comb), being in five stories, with galleries, and the windows in an outer wall at the distance of five or six feet from them, so that no convict can attempt effecting his escape through their medium. It is, in fact, a house within a house. Each prisoner has a separate cell 7 feet in length, 7 in height, by 3 1-2 in width, with a small shelf for holding his bible, and a canvass cot, which, in the day time, is reared up against the wall, and, when lowered down at night, rests upon a small ledge, and covers the whole extent of the cell. A strong grated door admits a free circulation of air, and the works of the lock are so contrived as to be two feet from the door, and entirely-out of a convict's reach, if he even succeeded in breaking one of the iron bars so as to admit a passage for his arm. A keeper always patrolling the galleries during the night with cloth shoes acts as a check upon the prisoners holding any discourse. building was perfectly clean, and free from that tainted atmosphere which generally pervades a prison, the cells being white-washed once a fortnight, as a preventive against the cholera, though when there is no necessity for such a precaution they are thus cleansed only from five to six times during the warm season.

The

From the cells we proceeded into an open square, formed by the keeper's house, prisoner's apartments, and work. shops, where a part of the convicts were employed in stone-cutting, and making an addition to the building of another five-story row of cells, to be erected in the place of a wing constructed upon the old principle of confining a certain number of prisoners in one large room, by which means they had free intercourse with one another, a system found very injurious to their reformation. It was almost impossible to imagine ourselves in a prison amongst a set of hardened desperadoes, when walking through the shops where they were working with an alacrity and attention to their business which were truly surprising. Every trade has its own particular shop, with one keeper as a superintendent; and here the good effects of discipline are seen. In the blacksmith's shops, for instance, were forty or fifty athletic men wielding

old, and all armed with weapons which, in one minute, would shiver the strongest barrier to atoms; yet only one superintendent was with them, sitting at his ease upon a chair; and not any instance is upon record of an attempt at making a forcible escape. The prisoners are not allowed, upon any pretence, to speak to one another, and only on business to a turnkey, who can easily observe if any conversation takes place, as they are generally placed with their faces in the same direction. The weavers were the most numerous body, there being nearly one hundred sitting at their looms in a row, and forty tailors, whose occupation is considered the most unhealthy, from the position requisite for the performance of their work. They are not permitted to look at any stranger who enters the room; but I observed several squinting at us out of the corners of their eyes when the keeper's back was turned. The most superior specimens of workmanship, of every description, are turned out of these shops, and are contracted for by merchants and store-keepers residing in Auburn; a sys. tem most injurious to the industrious mechanic, who can. not make a livelihood in the vicinity of the prison, being underworked by the convicts, whose labour is contracted for at various sums from 25 to 50 cents. (one to two shil. lings) per diem, the tailors at the former sum; those trades which derive assistance from a saw-mill, turningmachine, &c., which are worked by water (introduced from a stream that washes the southern wall of the prison) at 30, tool-makers at 40, and blacksmiths at 50 cents a day. A few invalids and convalescent convicts are employed in winding at 15 cents. There were only two stocking makers, who were employed solely in working for the convicts.

The contractors are not even permitted to give any orders to the workmen, and any instructions they wish to give are through the mechanic turnkey who superintends each shop. In any instance where the latter may not be acquainted with the trade, the contractor may give the necessary directions in his presence. The looms, jennies, tools, &c., appeared throughout the prison in