C mong If man be an active and free being, he acts of himself; none of his voluntary actions, therefore, enter into the general fyltem of providence, nor can be imputed to it: Providence doth not contrive the evil, which is the confequence of man's abufing the freedoin his creator gave him; it only limits and confines it within due bounds, that fuch abufe may not break in upon the general order of the univerfe. To complain, therefore, that God doth By the word fubftance, Rouffeau here means in general, a being potless'd of fome primitive quality abaracted from all particular or lecondary modifications. Qualities incompatible with and necell rily exclufive of each other, cannot exist in the fame fubfiance, D G H not prevent man from doing evil, is, Where every thing is good, nothing God, it is faid, owes nothing to his creatures. I believe the contrary. In giving them a defire after happiness, he has promifed them a blessing in the enjoyment of it, and he will most affuredly fulfil that promise to the righteous. The more I look into myself, the plainer I read thefe words impreffed on my foul: Be juft, and thou shalt be happy. But, from the murmurs of impatient mortals, one would think that God owed them the prize, before they had obtained the victory. If the 1 16 Savoyard Curate's Profeffion of Faith. ment. Human power acts by the ufe of means; the divine power, in and of itlelf. I know nothing of the creation of matter, bodies, fpirits, or the world: the idea of creation confounds me; but I know that God hath formA ed the universe, and all that exists, in the most confummate order. God is, doubtlefs, eternal; but I can form no idea of eternity; why then should I amufe myfelf with words? In fhort, the greater efforts I make to contemplate the divine effence, the more he furpaffes my conception, and the more I adore him. I humble myfelf before him, and say, “Being of Beings, I "6 am because thou art; to meditate "continually on thee, is to elevate my thoughts to the fountain of ex"iftence. The most meritorious use "of my reafon, is to be annihilated B before thee: It is the delight of my "foul to feel my weak faculties overcome by the fplendor of thy great"ness." the foul be immaterial, it may furvive When I am told that the foul of nan is a fpirit, and that God alfo is a fpirit, my indignation rifes at this debalement of the divine effence, as if God and my foul were of the fame nature. 'Man is intelligent by the act of reasoning, but the Supreme Intelligence lies under no neceffity to reafon. All truths are to him as one idea, as all places are but one point, and all times but one mo D F G H Having thus deduced, from the impreffions of perceptible obje&s, and that innate principle which leads me to judge of natural causes, the most important truths, it remains to enquire what maxims I ought to draw from them for my condu& in life; what rules I ought to prescribe to my. felf, in order to fulfil my deftination on earth, agreeable to the design of him who placed me here. [An Abftra&t of these Maxims and Rules fall be given in our next.] To the Citizens of LONDON. London, Jan. 13, 1764. · WIthout entering into the dilabetecounts inferted late ly in the daily papers, concerning the' health of the prifoners in Newgate, and previous to the public receiving the following hints on a fubject whereon their prefervation in common, and yours in particular, are fo much at itake, you will pleafe to reflect, whether in our improvements of this great metropolis, we have not begun, and are not procceeding at the wrong end, and whether the jail of Newgate,, which is the greatest nuisance in it, should not be the principal object of our attention, in order to render it fecure, spacious, ornamental, and healthy, initead of being fuffered any longer to continue insecure, ftraitned, abominably disfigured and filthy, even in its outward appearance, and woto-l rioully unhealthy. The The new bridge at Black Friars is a very noble undertaking, the having pulled down the gates has given air and elegance to the streets, and the other improvements begun, advance A the honour and fplendor of the city of Lendon; but no one can fay they are not much eclipsed, whilft fo deteítable a nuifance as the jail of Newgate still remains in the very center of it. I fhould be very forry to be thought to infinuate, that any of the useful B works, either begun or intended, fhould be laid afide, or even fufpended, to make room for this necessary amendment. The view of this addrefs being merely to infpire my fellow citizens with a refolution, for the fake of their own health, and of the poor wretches who are fo unhappy as to be confined there, and for the honour and dignity and of fo opulent a city, to have this infamous fink of mifery and deftruction torn up from its very foundation, and in its ftead another jail erected, which will anfwer the defirable purposes of fecurity, conveni- D ence, ornament, and health. E F Whoever remembers the fatality which happened at the Old Bailey, in May feffions, 1750, by the infectious diforder among the prisoners brought from Newgate to take their tryals, whereby 64 perfons then in court loft their lives; (among whom were Sir Samuel Pennant, Lord Mayor, Sir Thomas Abney, and Baron Clarke, judges, Sir Daniel Lambert, Alderman, several Counsellors, one of the under Sheriffs, and five of the Middlefex Jury) will readily agree no time should be loft, no trouble or expence fpared, till fo neceflary and falutary a work as the rebuilding and enlarging of Newgate is accomplished. The number of pri. foners tried that feffions being remar kably great, and fome of the trials being interesting to the public (particuJarly the trial of Capt Clarke for killing Capt. Innes in a duel in Hyde Park) the court was unusually crowded, and became fo hot, that it was neceflary to let G down the right hand fash facing the bench, through which the wind, then at North Eaft, blew directly upon them who fat on the South and South West parts of the court; and here indeed the great mortality fell: for it was observed, that on the oppofite parts of the court, not above two or three of H the above number died of the fatal malignity: the nature of which, was fo much enlarged upon in the news papers aud magazines of that time, and foon (Gent. Mag. JAN. 1764.) after by the ingenious John Pringle, M. D, F. R. S. in his Obfervations on the Difeafes of the Army, as not to need any further notice in this place. After this account, the public will not be surprised, that the Judges, Jury-men, and others, who were to attend at the enfuing feffions, fhould exprefs their fears at being again expofed to fuch imminent danger of lofing their lives. Alderman Jansen, one of the then Sheriffs, thought it therefore his indifpenfible duty, at all hazards, to remove their apprehenfions as far as the nature of the cafe would permit. He begun by confulting, that excellent pattern of humanity, the late Dr. S. Hales; in confequence of which, the following steps were fucceflively taken. Mr. Akerman, the keeper of Newgate, had directions to have the jail cleanted thoroughly three cart loads of the most abominable filth were carried away, but left the effluvia of fuch poifon fhould infect the air, the Sheriff had it carried a confiderable distance from town, and there buried ten feet under ground. After this, he went into this difmal jail himself, and ordered it to be washed with vinegar, and likewife that the prifoners, a day or two before their being brought down to the Old Bailey to take their trials, fhould undergo the fame operation; all which was done. He then went to the Gate House Prifon, Weftminster, which he found in a molt noifom state; this prifon he ordered alfo to be thoroughly cleanfed and wathed with vinegar, and the prifoners to be washed likewife, before they were removed to Newgate against the approaching feffions. He also went to New Prifon and Clerkenwell, Bridewell, where the fame orders were put in execution, although thefe jails were cleanlinels itself, whem compared with the two former.→→ Whilst thefe measures were carrying on, the court in the Old Bailey, and thẻ whole houfe from top to bottom (to which nothing had been done in 30 years before) were fcraped, cleanfed, and wafhep with vinegar, and the worthy Dr Hales had certain herbs burnt in the court for fome days before the feffions began, to obstruct any infection from taking place again. The leads facing the court, and nearly contigu ous to it, were next taken up, and a great quantity of filthiness carried away, which had been gathering there for many years before; and the two yards under the leads, one for the reception of the men, and the other for с th 18 Proceedings of the City of London for rebuilding Newgate. the women prifoners, (until called upon to take their trials) were perfect well cleanted and purified with vinegar and another very useful precaution was then taken. It had been before customary to arraign twenty prifoners at a time at the inward bar, A which is in the center of the court: fo that if there had been any jail diftemper among them, the court was in great peril of catching it. To obviate which, in fome measure, another bar, for only the arraignment of prisoners, was fixed within a yard of the door opening into the court from the leads, B and an order made, that the prisoners fhould for the future be arraigned at that bar only, and never above nine at a time, by which means the effluvia (except in a brisk north wind which blows directly in at the door) could not dilate itfelf fo far into the court as be- c fore, nor could the effluvia from ning prifoners be fo detrimental as from taventy. There being a space of ground belonging to the city, laying between the prison of Newgate and the Old. Bailey yard, which, by admeasurement, was found to be about 190 feet in D length, by about 90 in breadth, on which were. ftanding fome old tenements, the leafes of which, it had been determined fo long ago as in 1750, never to be renewed again; and the ab folute neceffity of rebuilding and enlarging the jail of Newgate being at that time apparent and fully intended, the Sheriff was defired to procure a plan of the jail of York, which he did by the means of William Thornton, Esq; one of the reprefentatives, who, in a moft obliging manner, gave directions for taking the plan, which was foon after tranfmitted to the public in four large fheets very curiously drawn. This defign, although of fo much importance to the fafety of the pub. lic, dropped however at this time, either from the difficulties the expence might occafion, or from the notion which prevailed that the precautions which had been fo lately taken by the Sheriff were fufficient at leaf for the prefent, and nothing more was done than the ordering the ventilators to be fixed over the jail, and the Rev. Dr Hales fhould be défired, from the court The jail of York (or York Cafile) is reckoned the finest in England, by far, it is ele. gant, fecure, fpacious, and built upon a bealthy Ipot, and is esteemed the best model, especially where there is fufficient room, for building a E G H of Aldermen, to take the fame under his directions, which he accordingly faw executed. From that period to this time, it does not appear that any thing material has been done to this jail. But in the year 1755, the design of rebuilding and enlarging it was again refumed, a committee of Aldermen and Commons was appointed, and an apparent progrefs was made towards undertaking this humane and fo much defied work, when thefe fair hopes vanished as it were all at once; and if the reafons affigned are to be relied upon, the gentlemen were divided in their opinions as to the fitnefs of the place for rebuilding it. Some of them recommending the waterfide near Fleet-Ditch as the beft adapted fpot, by reafon of its open free air and healthy fituation, whilft the reft were for abiding by the old fpot, and for taking in the space of ground before mentioned; but against that it was objected, that the great street leading from the intended new bridge, might probably cut through the Old Bailey, and render the rebuilding there impracticable, and this objection feemed to prevail so far, that the meetings afterwards grew thinner and thinner, till fummonfes availed but little, and thus these well meant endeavours proved a second time abortive. At the meetings however of this committee many lights were obtained, which may be of fingular ufe, whenever it fhall be determined in good earnest to carry this defign into execution. For example; more than one plan came under their confideration, for rebuilding and enlarging the jail, and after confulting with Mr Dance, the city furveyor, he had directions to draw one from them, calculated for the ground on which Newgate stands, with the addition of the space between that prifon wall and the Old Bailey yard, and which he performed to the fatisfaction of the committee, who ordered it to be. engraved, and a number of them to be printed off. The expence of this undertaking was the next point confidered of, but too difficult to be ascertained, as it was neceffary to be determined previously, whether it was to be built of ftone or brick, or with a mixture of both together, what were to be the heighth and thickness of the walls; and whether the building was to be ornamented or plain, and if the See a print from this drawing in our Magazine for September 1762, for former, to what degree? And it was C D And accordingly, the Lord Mayor, with fuch of the Aldermen who were of the committee, were defired to confer with the Lord Chancellor and the Judges, as also with the + Attorney and Solicitor Generals, upon the plan for their opinions, feveral of whom, not being at home, the plans were left at their houfes; but thofe E whom they faw, expreffed their approbation of it, wifhed fuccefs to a work fo much wanted, and which had been fo long in agitation, and promised to give it all the affiftance in their power. It is time now to confider (notwithtanding so many difficulties) whether all the neceffary steps have not been F taken, and whether it may not with reafon be expected, that an unanimous fpirit, fuitable to the emergency of the cafe, will display itself among the citizens of London, when the propofition is fair and unbiaffed, to exert themselves in order to accomplish what they conceive to be right, or for the good of the community. The Black Friars bridge now building, the improvements at London Bridge, and the removing the Southwark market from the high ftreets, are a few among many other inftances which could be given, in fupport of this affertion. P.S. It is proper you should be further informed, in cafe it fhould be. G H thought necessary in the building a new jail, to give it a greater extent than has been hitherto defcribed, that fome ground towards Smithfield, on the North fide of Newgate, might perhaps be purchased on reasonable terms; which I am told belongs to Stephen Skinner, Efq; of Walthamflow in Essex. Mr URBAN, Take the liberty to fend you the following obfervations relating to a paffage in the facred writings, which I have never feen explained in a fatsfactory manner. For this we fay unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, fhall not prevent them, which are afleep, Thell. iv. 15. The question is, why St Paul in this place reprefents himself as alive at the time of our Sa. viour's coming to judge the world. Some have imagined, the Apofties in general believed, and taught, that the day of Judgement would happen, while they and the men of that generation were living, aud that they were permitted to continue in this error, as it was not only innocent in itself, but would tend in fome measure to fupport the first Christians under thofe fevere trials and amictions, to which they were exposed. That this is not the true interpretation of this paffage will appear front confidering, that if the Apoftles were intpired, they could not, and, if their writings are genuine, they in fact did not entertain any fuch opinion concerning the day of judgement. That they could not be mistaken in this manner is evident from thofe predica tions of their bleffed mafter, in whicit he acquaints them, that after having endured a variety of perfecutions they fhould at length fuffer a violent death. Some of you, fays he, for, as it may be rendered, feveral or most of your fball they caufe to be put to death, Luke xxi. 16. Now though the Apostles, prepoffeffed as they were with the common notion of a temporal Meffiab. might not fully comprehend the im-, port of thefe predictions at the time! when they were delivered, yet that The original expreffion, Savarwoerv 18 upar, is elleiptical and indeterminate. The completion of this prophecy fhews, that it extended to the greater part of the Apostles, to all, I believe, except Judas the traitor, who put an end to his own life; and St John, who is generally thought to have died a satira death. |