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one creditor should lose an advantage through forbearance, which is gained by another from an act of severity. It is very common to find in the hands of the Sheriff several writs against the same man, at the same time, for trifling debts of 10l. to 12.; so that by the expence of the remedy upon this class of debtors, their means of payment are reduced in proportion. If, therefore, only for small sums the speculation were destroyed, which from experience is shewn to serve no other purpose than to encourage desperate games of chance; the debtor left at his liberty, even for a time before he could be reached by an execution, and freed from the expence of such arrest, might be enabled to compromise the action, from which he is now totally prevented, by incurring costs which he cannot avoid, and which eat up all his funds.

A TABLE,

A TABLE, shewing the number of Process in Middlesex sued out in One Year, distinguishing the number of bailable from those not bailable, number of Arrests, Debtors sent to Prison, Bail Bonds, Executions, and Actions compromised or abandoned on account of poverty, divided into FOUR CLASSES *.

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* For the Middlesex calculation and observations I beg leave to express my acknowledgements to Joseph Burchall, Esq.

To which may be added the Number of Debtors committed on Writs of Habeas Corpus, or on a Render in Discharge of Bail.

count of Poverty

+ In the various

THE

9 Debtors having 1 Child.

THE Number of Middlesex Debtors discharged from NEWGATE, by the Authority of Parliament, in and since the Year 1794; the Number of Prisoners, at one Time, within four Months after the Discharge; the Number on the 13th of November 1801, in Newgate, on Mesne Process for want of Bail for Debts under 40%. and the Number of their Children, divided into three Classes.

The Time when Number of PriActs of Insolvency oners at the time. passed.

Number Dis

charged.

[Number of Prisoners Number of Ditto for Number of Ditto for on Mesne Process for Debts above 20. and Debts above 30. and Number confined rant of Bail in New-under 30. at the under 40. at the at one Time, four gate, on 13 Nov. 1801.same Time, and the same Time, and the months after the for Debts under 20 Number of their Chil Number of their chiland the Number of dren. their children.

Discharge.

dren.

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REPORT

ON THE

STATE OF THE CONVICTS

IN PORTSMOUTH HARBOUR,

MARCH 16, 1802.

BY SIR HENRY ST. JOHN MILDMAY, BART. M. P. AND JAMES NEILD. Esa.

IN consequence of an order from his Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for the Home Department, directed to us, containing an authority to inspect and report on the state and management of the convicts in Portsmouth Harbour and at Langston Harbour; we repaired to Portsmouth on the 15th of March, and the next morning proceeded in the execution of our commission. We have however generally to lament, that our Report cannot, in some respects, be considered so conclusive and satisfactory as we could wish, in consequence of the manifest disadvantage under which any inquiry must be instituted, when a previous intimation has been communicated to the parties themselves, whose conduct and discretion is the subject of investigation.

The first object to which we directed our enquiries, was to examine into the state of the convicts on

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board the Captivity, in Portsmouth Harbour, which we understood to be a vessel newly fitted up for their reception, and under regulations recently adopted, for better promoting the health, increasing the accommodations, and establishing good order and discipline among the prisoners. On a general inspection of every part of the ship, we found that all possible precautions were taken, to ensure cleanliness and proper ventilation, and to afford every convenience to the men that could be expected where so large a number are confined in so small a space. We perceived that a new chapel had been lately constructed in the middle of the ship, sufficient in size to admit the whole complement of prisoners at once; but we do not understand that any regular Chaplain has been hitherto appointed to perform divine service in it. We next proceeded to examine into the usual allowance of diet, and the quality of the provisions on board. On this head we are satisfied that on board the Captivity no reasonable grounds of complaint can be said to subsist; the quantity appeared to us sufficient, and the quality of the provisions good. We could not, however, avoid remarking that the convicts generally (those alone excepted who are on the sick list) are supplied with no vegetables whatever, but such as they purchase themselves: we think it would greatly contribute to the health of the prisoners, if they were furnished by Government with small proportion of garden-stuff, at least on

certain

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