of New York

, limiting the period for the payment
of an annuity therein expressed.

The crowded situation of our state prison makes
it necessary, either to enlarge the present building
or to erect a new one at Albany

, Utica, or some other
place.

The plan of the present prison was entirely my
own, and, although I visited Philadelphia

, and ex-
amined many of Howard's plans, and was furnished
with several by my friend William M. Pitt, a member
of Parliament for Dorchester, of prisons in England,
yet a most striking error was committed in our
plan;—it should have contained 500 rooms, 7 feet by
9 feet, in order to keep the prisoners separate at
night—in the day they are at work, and have keep-
ers constantly with them, so that they have no oppor-
tunity to corrupt each other;—this entirely destroys
the designs of a penitentiary establishment, intended
to amend and improve the habits of the convicts.
A few years since, one of the commissioners appoint-
ed to build a penitentiary at Boston, came to New-
York, with a view to get information as to the plan
for them to adopt; I urged them to have a separate
room for each prisoner, and had such a plan drawn
under my direction; this was adopted, and it is the
only prison in this country calculated to answer the
design of forming such establishments. Having so
many rooms, does not increase the expense, as the
prison need not be built so strong, because there is
less danger of escape. If another prison should be
erected, I sincerely hope it may be on the plan of
having a separate room for each convict.

The number of convicts are considerably increased
(at least in this city) on account of the sum which
makes grand larceny—this is twelve dollars and
a half; it was fixed at fifty dollars, it would con-
siderably lessen the number of prisoners in the state
prison. I respectfully offer these hints, as some sub-
ject relating to the state prison, or the existing penal