be very glad to obtain information of the kind of
work carried on; if the product is sufficient to pay
for their support, clothing, &c. I expect there are
printed accounts of them; and also some late books,
or pamphlets, on crimes and punishments, and on
prisons. I therefore take the liberty to request of
thee, to be so obliging as to give my good friend,
Charles Wilkes

, a memorandum of such as in thy
opinion may be worth my procuring. I should be
very glad to obtain the report of the Committee of
the House of Commons, on Bentley's plan; also, any
or all of his writings. I have Howard, and the first
edition of Police of London and Thames. If thou
hast published any thing lately, be pleased to insert
it in the list. My friend Wilkes will take the trou-
ble of procuring from the booksellers, and forward-
ing to me, such books as thou wilt be so obliging as
to recommend.

I enclose the last report of the inspectors of the
state prison to the legislature; they passed a law to
build a prison, for solitary confinement, on the plan
recommended in the Report. I have often thought
that this would be an excellent plan in the city of
London

, for the punishment of petty offences, and
for preventing greater ones.

I am clearly of opinion, that all prisons intended
for the confinement of convicts for a term of years
should be so constructed as that they should lodge in
separate rooms; by being kept thus solitary and sepa-
rate from each other, it would be more likely to
produce reformation, and prevent escapes.

There are in the prison 145 of the convicts employ-
ed at shoemaking, and that business has hitherto
been carried on, by purchasing leather, &c., and dis-
posing of the shoes and boots when manufactured.
As this required a considerable capital, and was
always attended with inconvenience, we have lately
dropped conducting the business in this mode, and
have agreed with shoemakers in the city, to take in