the recommitments were in a smaller ratio than at Philadelphia; but in the jails in those cities, the punishment is severer than in the latter. These particulars may be of some use, as the example of America respecting prisons has been often urged in England, more especially when it is considered, that the system adopted at Philadelphia, which has been represented as conspicuously efficacious in reforming criminals, is shortly to be superseded by one of a totally different nature, owing to the complete failure of the one hitherto used. It is needful to guard against the errors into which benevolent and humane persons fall, as well as into those of foolish and hard-hearted ones. The former class have done mischief on the subject of prison discipline, and are now desirous of repairing it. I wish that their new system may be so judiciously regulated, as to avoid errors of an opposite kind, but which may be no less fatal. I have however my fears concerning it, fears which I expressed to some of its promoters, and can therefore have no objection to repeat.

Before closing this chapter, it is proper to add that the administration of law is in general impartial, at least as impartial as in most other countries. I heard I confess some very strong

complaints of the contrary, but I paid little regard to them, as they were from persons evidently prejudiced. From this general character, I regret to state that exceptions must be made as it respects the coloured people, who are not always sure of receiving even that limited measure of justice to which they are entitled. Prejudice often leads the person under its influence into partiality, while at the same he is unconscious of its bias.

Though the bench has never been disgraced in America by such men as Tresillian and Jef feries, numbers have been raised to it little qualified for the station. One reason and probably the chief reason is, that the salaries attached to the office of judge are in most cases inadequate to tempt men of the first talents to accept it; a fatal mistake which the Americans have made, owing to that niggardly feeling in regard to needful expenses so remarkable in the different States. In New York, a judge on attaining the age of sixty years, must vacate his seat. This appears a foolish and unwise regulation, the mental faculties being seldom impaired at that age. Lord Mansfield, when on the bench at upwards of eighty years of age, was sufficiently clear-headed; and in fact it is impossible to fix on the average

time when decay commences.

But what ren

ders this regulation particularly objectionable is, that these discarded judges have no pension allowed them. Hence, if they have not secured a competency for their future subsistence, which can seldom be the case, they must return to the practice of the profession, perhaps even as attorneys, owing to the small division of labour, the same man in many cases being attorney, notary, conveyancer, proctor and barrister. Can it then be matter of surprise, that persons the most capable of fulfilling the judicial functions, are often amongst those who are the least willing to undertake them? I consider that the low salaries in the United States, are discreditable to the American people. Montesquieu speaks of the virtue of republics: a more conspicuous trait is their parsimony.

CHAPTER XXIX.

MANUFACTURES AND COMMERCE.

AMERICA is, and necessarily must be, chiefly an agricultural country, the population not being sufficiently dense to enable her to compete with the manufacturing countries of Europe, except in goods of coarse fabric. Of these, cotton is the staple, the greatest manufactory of which is I believe established at Waltham near Boston. I regret much that I did not visit it, but some untoward circumstance operated to prevent me. It is said by persons who have visited the cotton mills in Manchester, to be equal to any of them in every respect; a fact, to which I can give full credit from the state of those on the Brandywine in Delaware, several of which I inspected, and found in a fine state as to the machinery employed. On the same river, there are gunpowder and flour mills. The latter are vastly superior to any I ever saw in England, not even excepting the much praised steam mills in the outskirts of London. The saving of manual labour in these mills was quite surprising to me, the whole process from the hopper being effected

by machinery, with the exception of filling the barrels, for which hands are in requisition. The meal is conveyed into a long trough in which a cylinder works. This cylinder being surrounded by diagonal flyers, the meal is moved to one end of the trough where it is transferred into small revolving buckets, which elevate it to an upper floor, emptying it there as they descend. By means of an instrument like a harrow, which is placed in a circular box or tub, the mealis then kept in motion till it is sufficiently cool for the last operation of dressing or bolting. This is done with silk cloths of Dutch manufacture, which are preferred by the millers to English worsted cloths or wires, and certainly answer their purpose remarkably well. The flour is pressed into the barrel by means of a board nearly the size of the rim, fixed in a frame attached to a lever, the power of moving which is obtained from the water wheel.

A chemical laboratory at Baltimore which I inspected is on a tolerably large scale. Its success may be in degree determined, by the fact that the proprietors have made exports to England, Holland and Germany of several of their articles. Calomel, blue vitriol, alum, and yellow chrome are manufactured by them in large quan

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