skittles; mississippi and portobello tables; billiards, fives, tennis; and says that "in the country the three first are most common, and especially cards; there is scarce a county gaol but is furnished with them; and one can seldom go in without seeing prisoners at play." 1 At the Fleet "on Monday night there was a wine club; on Thursday night a beer club; each lasting usually till one or two in the morning. I need not say," adds Howard, "how much riot these occasion, and how the sober prisoners, and those that are sick, are annoyed by them." 2 The same thing was found at the King's Bench, and "one could scarcely even enter the walls without seeing parties at skittles, mississippi, portobello, tennis, fives, etc." 3

At both these places Howard found certain printed rules, made by the prisoners themselves, "to be obeyed and observed by every member of this College" (as they were pleased to term it). Many of them were arbitrary and improper; but" -he adds in his third edition in 1784-" they are abolished." 4 At the Marshalsea, one Sunday in the summer 1775, almost six hundred pots of beer were brought in from a public-house in the neighbourhood, the prisoners not then liking the tapster's beer.” 5 At Newgate some of the debtors had in their apartments casks of beer for sale; and on the felons' side a person stood with cans of beer." 1

Almost universal was the custom of demanding "garnish." This was a tax levied by the prisoners on all new-comers, whereby they were made to pay their footing; "pay or strip," or "pay or run the gauntlet," being the formula with which they were welcomed; and should the unfortunate persons be unable or unwilling to meet the charge, some article of clothing would be forcibly taken from them as an equivalent. "In many gaols," adds Howard, "to the garnish paid by the newcomer, those who were there before make an addition; and a great part of the following night is often spent in riot and drunkenness. The gaoler or tapster, finding his account in this practice, generally answers questions concerning it with reluctance. Of the garnish which I have set down to sundry prisons, I had my information from prisoners who paid it. But I am aware that the sum is sometimes varied by sets of succeeding prisoners, and the different circumstances of a newcomer. In some gaols, if a felon can pay the debtors' garnish (which is commonly more than that of the felons) he is entitled to the garnish paid afterwards by the new-come debtors." 2

Again, there was often an entire absence of 1 Lazarettos, p. 125.

classification of prisoners. Even the separation of the sexes was not always properly carried out. Howard records a most disgraceful state of things in this way at various gaols.1 Few prisons separated men and women in the daytime. All sorts of prisoners were confined together-"Debtors and felons, men and women, the young beginner and the old offender; and with all these, in some counties, such as are guilty of misdemeanours only." "In some gaols you see boys of twelve or fourteen eagerly listening to the stories told by practised and experienced criminals, of their adventures, successes, stratagems, and escapes." 2 There were even cases where the unfortunate prisoners were disturbed and terrified by having idiots and lunatics confined with them.

Almost more extraordinary perhaps may appear to us the lack of any proper provision for the sustenance of prisoners. By immuring them the law precluded them from ordinary means of obtaining subsistence, but did not seem to regard itself as responsible for maintaining them. Sometimes a meagre provision of bread-a pennyworth, or three farthings worth a day - was allowed. Sometimes there was literally no allowance whatever. By an Act passed in the thirty-second year of George 11., debtors were enabled to secure fourpence a day from their creditors, but this was practically a dead letter; and thus the unfortunate debtor was worse off than the highwayman, the housebreaker, and the murderer. The prisoners were left to subsist upon the voluntary contributions of the charitable, or on the proceeds of such industries as they might be able to carry on in the prison. Cases of actual starvation are more than once noted by Howard.1 And not infrequently we find such entries as these “The prisoners, felons as well as debtors, sell at the grates of their separate day-rooms, laces, garters, purses, etc., of their own making."2 At the windows of York City and County Gaol they were selling "nets, purses, laces, etc.; over it is an inscription on a stone tablet, "He that giveth to the poor, lendeth to the Lord." 3 At Lincoln "the debtors make considerable quantity of garters, purses, etc., of a very good sort; most of which they weave in a cheap but convenient hand frame." 4 At Northampton "debtors, felons, and petty offenders were at work, spinning and making pegs for shoemakers. etc." 5 In Leicestershire "they make an annual collection by a kind of voluntary brief. The gentlemen of the grand jury recommend it to the clergy, most of whom