object of keeping the convicts in suspense, that is, the striking with terror the criminal classes of London, - is not attained. 'The Recorder's Report having reached Newgate, the Ordinary visits every convict under sentence of death, and informs him of his fate. The scenes of passionate joy, wild despair, jealousy, envy, hatred, malice, and brutal rage, which follow this proceeding of the Ordinary, should be witnessed, in order to be thoroughly conceived. But there would be no advantage in describing them correctly, were that possible. I therefore pass them by, proceeding to the fact promised above.

'Generally, the Recorder's Report reaches the prison late at night. If there be any convicts in the School under sentence of death, all the boys in the ward are made to sit up during the night when the Report is expected. About midnight the Ordinary, attended by some officers of the Sheriff, enters the School, dressed in his canonicals, and calls over the names of those under sentence of death. They step forth from the crowd, three of them, let us suppose, of the respective ages of fourteen, twelve, and ten. The Ordinary, in his most solemn tone, says "I am happy to inform you, A. B., and you, C. D, and you, E. F., that your cases have been taken into consideration by the King in Council, and that his Majesty has been mercifully pleased to spare your lives." Instantly, the boys fall on their knees, and recite a thanksgiving to God and the King for the mercy graciously vouchsafed to them.

'To an uninstructed observer this sight might be very edifying; but to those engaged in the scene it is, in truth, only a mockery. The whole scene is got up betwixt the Ordinary, the Schoolmaster, and the boys, the Ordinary instructing the Schoolmaster, and the Schoolmaster instructing the boys, as to the part which these last are to play in the farce. The boys, amongst themselves, will recite the whole scene before hand; sometimes giving it a different turn, by causing one of themselves, who plays the Ordinary, to say, that the King has ordered the law to take its course; when those who play the convicts will act the most violent distress. Of course, the idea of what they are always made to profess, viz. gratitude to God and the King, never enters their heads; since every one is convinced, that, as to these children, there never has been a question of danger. It is curious, however, to observe the satisfaction of the boys who are distinguished by taking a part in this ceremony. Their pride appears to be gratified by the distinction; and they have just the same air of agreeable excitement and self-importance, for days before the scene takes place, as marks a Westminster boy when he is about to be distinguished

by acting in public. The other boys, waiting for trial or sentenced to transportation, envy those who are to kneel and give thanks to God and the King; whilst the whole party look forward to the midnight mockery as likely to be very amusing, "to make," in their own language, "a good bit of fun." That they should be so easily amused is not surprising, when one considers the monotony of a prison life.

'The fact goes to prove, that the realities of the Recorder's Report are not calculated to strike terror into the criminals of the metropolis.'-pp. 138-143.

The next chapter introduces us to a yet sadder scene, which, in some of its terrible features, we would gladly spare ourselves and our readers, but for the purpose for which the writer introduces it. His object is to show the 'effect of the religious observances attendant on the punishment of death.' In this view, the awful scenes which he details from his personal observation are worthy the most serious consideration; though, as to some of the inferences and reflections, with which they are accompanied, we freely confess we want more evidence of a serious temper, and of that true interest in the subject which a Christian compassion would inspire, than Mr. Wakefield discovers in any part of his book, or has authorized us to infer from any thing we know of his history. We therefore take for granted his facts, believing him to be an honest witness; and judge for ourselves of his reflections. This chapter, in which he treats of the reli

*

* If any of our readers should be distrustful of the conclusions of Mr. Wakefield upon such subjects, it may not be useless to offer some additional testimony from unexceptionable sources; which testimony, be it said in justice to that gentleman, and for the credit of his work, entirely accords with the result of his own personal observation, while he was an inmate of Newgate.

Among others, we have before us a letter of the Rev. Dr. Ford, the late exemplary Ordinary of Newgate, whose long continued and faithful service in that office, gives to his opinions authority. In replying to the inquiries of a friend, he writes, Jan. 22, 1808;

'As to the reformation of convicts in Newgate, I must close the prospect all at once, by informing you, that I have never yet seen one of that class. In such a prison as ours, reformation is not thought of, nor expected.'

And having stated his reasons at some length, and shown from the want of suitable arrangements of the prison itself, forbidding the proper separation of the criminals, from the want of labor, from the exposure of the younger to the corrupt examples of the old, the insurmountable difficulties attending all attempts at reforming them, he adds ;

gious instruction in Newgate, and of the preparation of the condemned for death, is written with a total disregard to method. But we select from different parts of it what may best suit our purpose.

'From the moment that a prisoner enters the cells of Newgate, no pains are spared to excite in him a strong sentiment of religion; and this course is pursued towards all, without distinction, who are considered to be in danger. I doubt very much whether the attempt ever succeed until after a prisoner is ordered for execution. The Reverend Mr. Cotton, the ordinary of Newgate, who has been chaplain of the jail for more than a dozen years, has often acknowledged to me, that he does not remember an instance of what he considered sincere conversion to religious sentiments, except in prisoners who were executed. A very great show of religious fervor is often made by prisoners even from the moment of their entrance into Newgate, still more after they enter the cells. But in such cases, when the punishment is finally settled at something less than death, the prisoner invariably behaves as if all his religion had been hypocrisy. Still there can be no doubt that a considerable number of those who are executed, die with a firm expectation of happiness in another world. I cannot explain the contradiction let the reader judge for himself.'- pp. 152, 153.

Woe be to that man who would dare to show symptoms of reformation before his brother-felons. Nor indeed would their reformation avail them any thing; for after the expiration of their temporary imprisonment, who would be hardy enough to employ them?'

Again, on the subject of the efficacy of public executions, to which we shall shortly advert, Dr. Ford writes:

'From every thing I have witnessed on these melancholy occasions,' and he had been called officially to a great number, — 'I am decidedly clear, that executions, managed as they are at present, answer no end whatever, either for punishment or example.'

And Gilbert Wakefield, the celebrated critic, and translator of the New Testament, thus records his own convictions, after much observation;

During my abode at Nottingham, I never failed to attend all the capital punishments, that took place there, courting every circumstance that might read me a wholesome lecture on mortality, or suggest an additional motive of gratitude of God for the comforts of my own condition.

'I am cordially persuaded upon a most serious, most frequent, and most mature contemplation of this subject, that if a general reformation of the penal code cannot be effected in our nation, this is one of the enormous sins, for which the Governor of the Universe will surely visit us. Reformation must begin in a moral education, in the scrupulous correction of small offences,' &c.

Again ;

It is not often that much religious fervor is displayed by convicts until after they are ordered for execution; nor are the same pains taken to imbue them with religious feelings previously to the decision of the Council. As soon as a man is ordered for execution, the great increase of his danger produces extraordinary exertion on the part of those who administer the offices of religion to the inmates of Newgate. These are the Ordinary, a Catholic priest, and one or two Dissenters, who volunteer their services, but who do not confine their offers of service to persons of their own sect. The Catholic priest attends the cells only when a Catholic is in danger. As soon, then, as the council has selected from a body of Old Bailey convicts those who are to be executed, the Ordinary and his assistants visit the press-yard frequently every day, and indeed almost live with the condemned men, exhorting them to repentance, prayer, and faith.

'In about half such cases the exertions of religious teachers are most successful, and are attended, undoubtedly, with the happiest effects on the prisoners, the effects described above, as produced by religious sentiments. In about one case out of four no religious impression is produced; but the prisoner goes through all the ceremonies of his situation with an air of indifference, being occupied to the very last moment with a hope of a reprieve. In the fourth case, not only do the teachers fail in their endeavours to produce a religious feeling, but those very exertions have an effect directly opposite to the one intended, causing the prisoners to rail, I may say to rave, against religion, in terms of ridicule, scorn, and violent hatred. I should but shock the feelings of many, and without any countervailing advantage, by repeating the language, or particularly describing the conduct, of those prisoners, who take offence at the anxiety of the chaplain and others to imbue them with religious sentiments. But I may add that, on almost every execution day, on which several are hanged, the chaplain is subjected to the most outrageous insults from one or more of the doomed men. will readily confirm this statement. And it may be further proper to say, for the information of religious persons amongst those who make our laws, that, every year, several of their fellow-creatures are cut off in front of Newgate, in the very act of scoffing at God, and Christ, and the Holy Sacrament.' - pp. 155-157.

He

For an exemplification or illustration of all this, the writer conducts us to the chapel of Newgate, where all the prisoners, as we have said, except the sick, attend once a day dur

ing the week, for half an hour, and twice on Sunday, when the usual service of the Church of England is performed, and a sermon is preached by the Chaplain. In the midst of this chapel is a large pew, painted black, which is called 'the condemned pew'; and is the place for prisoners under sentence of death.

8 This pew,' we are told, 'is more or less filled by the results of every Old Bailey Session; and is emptied by each decision of the Council, which consigns some of those who had occupied it to the hulks,' or to transportation, and the rest to the gallows.

'Let it be supposed that the condemned pew has been lately emptied, and that a new batch of convicts has just been sentenced to death. On the following morning all the inhabitants of the cells attend the service, and sit in the condemned pew. Their demeanour on the occasion, as well as that of the other prisoners, is highly instructive. In that of the mass of prisoners one observes an expression of pity and respect towards the conyicts; but that of the convicts shows many differences of feeling. Some tremble, and sigh or weep, -some swagger to their places, tossing their heads, smiling, nodding to their friends, and pretending to glory in the distinction of their danger; others appear stupefied, creeping into the pew, looking around them vacantly, as if unconscious of their state; and some again behave with the most perfect, I mean with real composure, appearing, as they really are at the time, proud of the distinction of being amongst the condemned, but without any admixture of fear, - since these last are either boys whose youth they know protects them, or men convicted of offences, such as returning from transportation, which are never punished with death, or criminals so hardened by constant contemplation of death by the hangman, that they can look forward to it as their own fate with comparative indifference.

'The entrance of a new batch of convicts into the condemned pew creates some sensation amongst the other prisoners, and produces a display of various feelings amongst the condemned themselves. But after the day when the condemned pew is refilled, a stranger visiting the chapel would be at a loss to distinguish the capital convicts from the great mass of prisoners for trial. If, however, he were to attend the chapel after an interval of some weeks, he would observe a striking change in the physical condition of most of the capital convicts. In several instances I have seen brown hair turned gray, and gray white, by a month of suspense such as most London capital convicts undergo. In the same short period the smooth face of a man oftwenty-five becomes often marked with decided wrinkles on the