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HARVARD LAW SCHOOL

LIBRARY

I R. CAM3RAY ft CO., LTD

|Law & Oriental Rookaellnrs
and Publishers
CALCUTTA

V. ; n

In

REPORTS
A

ON JAILS
VISITED AN DIN S P E C T E D

BENGAL, BEHAR, AND ARRAGAN.

BY

FRED. J. MOUAT,
Inspector of |ails, JTofotr 1Qtobiutt.

CALCUTTA:
F. CAREER Y, MILITARY ORPHAN TRESS,

18 56.

1
\

PREFACE.

The notes contained in these reports, comprise the most

prominent points which appeared to me to be deserving of
mention in my visits to the Jails referred to. I have not
introduced into them detailed remarks upon the important
subjects of jail regulations, the moral management of convicts,
and similar matters, which it is my intention to consider here
after. At present there is in Bengal no general code of rules,
and the attempts made to render imprisonment reformatory
are not as regular and systematic as they will become, when
the organization necessai'y to work out efficiently a denned
system of punishment is completed. To accomplish these
desirable ends will be my aim, as soon as a personal acquain
tance with the localities, and means and appliances available
in the jails under my superintendence, enable me to do so,
with a reasonable hope of success.
The task is one of infinite difficulty, and the results of all
reforms in such matters are necessarily so slow of develop
ment, and liable to be influenced by so many causes of
disturbance, as to render it well nigh impossible that any
labourer can hope to live to see the full maturity of his plans.
may not be deemed out of place to record here my deep
nd grateful sense of the frank and cordial manner in which
every facility has been afforded to me in the discharge of my
duties, by the various Officers with whom I have come in contact.
>X
. U\
j\ Fort William,
April 18, 1856.

F. J. MOUAT,
Inspector of Jails, L. P,
\
J

'X

A L I P O R E.
I visited and inspected the Alipore Jail, on the 9th November, 1855,
accompanied by the Superintendent.
2. The excellent arrangements
of this well-conducted
General arrange6
ments.
Institution, left me little to remark.
3. The original construction of the Jail seems to me to be radicallydefective, inasmuch as, although it secures the safe cusConstruction.
^j ^ separation 0f the different gangs of prisoners,
it does not admit of immediate general supervision of all its parts, a point
deemed of essential importance in all English, French, and American
prisons, built of late years.
4. The cleanliness of the Prison, in all its parts,
Cleanliness.
,
". .
, , , . .
leaves nothing to be desired.
5. The solitary cells, recently built, appear to be almost too small,
New Solitary Cells. and I should
, . , fear their proving
r,
f unhealthy
.
_,to prisoners

connned in them lor any length ot time. 1 he excellent

arrangements made for their ventilation may possibly obviate this ; yet, as
prevention is, in all circumstances, better than cure, it would, I think, in
future, be desirable to allow sufficient space for healthy respiration in the
first instance. In this climate also such cells should not be built too
close to dead walls. Those to which reference is made above, are cer
tainly so.
6. An Armenian prisoner, named Arratoon, confined for dacoity, seem. Dacoit.
.
ed to be in bad health, and complained
of suffering
Armenian
L

from fever. He should be visited by the medical officer,

and a special report furnished regarding his present state of health.
7. So far as I was able to ascertain, the medical, officer never visits
Visits of Medical tne ^a^ unless required to do so, to superintend the
officer'
infliction of corporal punishment.

8.

The regulations require that Civil Surgeons, in addition to their

daily attendance at the Hospital, are "to inspect the
Beaufort's Digest
of the Criminal Law, " Jails once a week, and make a report to the Magis'
p trates at each visit on the general health of the prison" ers, the quality .of the food supplied to them, the state of the Jails with
" regard to cleanliness, and generally any circumstances relative to the
" care and condition of the prisoners which may come to their know" ledge."
9. This important duty should not be overlooked ; and I shall feel
obliged by your bringing these remarks to the notice of the Civil Sur
geon of the 24-Pergunnahs.
10. I quite concur in the remarks of the Special Committee appoint
ed to report upon the construction of a Model Jail, as to
the advisability of the Hospital being immediately at
tached to the Prison. Some of the patients at Alipore did not appear to
be fit inmates of the Hospital, but as the Civil Surgeon was not aware of
my visit, and was not present at the time, I did not make particular
inquiries regarding them.
1 1. The Privies are all good. It would, I think, be an improvement
to try the effects of charcoal strewed loosely round
Privies.
. .
them, as a deodorizing agent. I should be glad to be
favored, at the end of a month, with a report upon the result of its
experimental trial.
12. The new work-sheds are roomy, and strongly
Work-sheds.
, .. ,
. " , ,
built by convict labour.
13. I should be glad to be favored with a plan of them, and a memo
randum of the cost of materials and construction.
14. I also want a plan and section of the day pri
vies in the labour yards, with the cost of their con
struction.

I visited the Jail Hospital on Thursday, the 3rd of

January 1856, accompanied by the Civil Surgeon.
Two sepoys came in as a guard, dressed in regimental coats with dhootees, a mountebank and unmilitary proceeding, which
Guards.
,
.
'
they told me was the practice of the place.
I directed them immediately to dress themselves properly, and to con
tinue to do so for the future whenever they are on duty.

While I was examining the books in the office, the sepoys were noisy
and disorderly, and I was obliged to send for the Havildar of the guard
tc keep them quiet.
The buildings were clean and in good condition, with the exception of
one of the cookrooms, in which a quantity of clay was
piled up for mending and making chulahs, and a cor
ner of the female ward, in which there appeared to be more dirt and
dirty clothes, than were desirable.
The Hospital is an excellent one, were it not so entirely isolated from
the jail, as it is.
The wards were very clean, and there was no perceptible bad smell in
them, or in the privies ; yet when much crowded in the hot weather and
rains, I think that roof ventilation, upon Mr. Loch's simple and inexpen
sive plan, would be desirable.
The plan of privies, with pontifex tubes, appears to answer well, and
the air in their vicinity to be perfectly free from taint and impurity. I
cannot help thinking, however, that the saturation of the soil with foecal
matters, so immediately in contact with the building, will, in the long run,
prove injurious, unless the noxious gases disengaged from it are absorbed
and decomposed by charcoal, and the wells are dug of sufficient depth to
ensure a perpetual supply of water to dilute and disentegrate the effete
matters collected in them.
Moreover, unless some such precautions be taken, the wells and tanks
into which these cesspools must drain by percolation, will, in time, be
come tainted, and if the water be used for drinking and cooking, affect
the health of the sick in hospital.
The percentage of sick in hospital is small as compared with other Jail
Hospitals which I have recently visited ; and many of
the cases vv ere not of a very serious nature.
1 find in almost all Jail Hospitals, that I have visited, a considerable
proportion of Chronic Rheumatisms and Neuralgic affections, which
ought, in my belief, to be treated as out-patients. They are easily feigned,
and when they are so slight as not to exhibit any obvious pathological
indications of their presence, such labor as will cause free action of the
skin, will be rather beneficial than otherwise.
One old life prisoner, named Sheik Meerash, aged 69, whose sight is
imperfect, and who complains of burning in the hands, is evidently
suffering, from little more than the natural decay incidental to his age,
and would be better in Jail than in Hospital, if some light work be found
suitable to his increasing infirmities.

v (

It would be well, I think, if all Jails could be weeded from the aged,
blind, and paralytic.
They are an expensive incumbrance, incapable of committing fresh
crimes, or of teaching others to become criminal, and every object that
can be secured by their incarceration, has been accomplished.
The mercy extended to such criminals could not operate injuriously
upon the classes who people the Jails ; and in the way of example, would
probably operate in the beneficial direction ; for I can imagine no more
melancholy sight than that of an old man, cut off for years from all
sympathy with his kith and kin, re-appearing, a spectacle of misery and
suffering, merely to end his days among them.
The Hospital records required by the regulations are well and care
fully kept, but in my
they
Becords.
" opinion,
;
J are not sufficiently
J
complete to be ot any but the most moderate statis
tical value. As I am making notes upon this subject in all Jajls, as well
as Dispensaries, I refrain from further remark at present.
There is here, as elsewhere, no real check upon the expenditure of
medicines.
The Instruments were in good order.
The sick complained much of the insu fficient quan
tity of food allowed to them, and a - few of them
objected to its quality.
The rice which I saw was, however, excellent.
I should be glad to be favored with the detailed dietary of the
prisoners in hospital, to enable me to judge if their complaints are well
founded.
A few days since, I visited the Jail itself, to see the food in its cooked
state, prior to being issued to the prisoners. It was
all clean, fresh, and wholesome, and those prisoners
to whom I spoke, declared it to be sufficient in quantity.
The Hoodie's store was also in a creditable state. Asa general rule,
I hold it to be objectionable to have any trafficking within the walls of a
Jail, yet there are circumstances connected with some of the prisoners
at Alipore, which would probably render it inexpedient to change the
existing system, until all those, to whom a special exemption from the
messing rules has been granted, have passed away.
The Sonthal Prisoners appeared healthy and very tractable. I approve
much of the excellent arrangements made in regard
Sonthal Prisoners.
to the nature of work on which they are employed,
and the manner in which they haye been dieted, so as not to make them

oC"

too suddenly feel the extreme change in then- habits and food, to which
imprisonment has subjected them.
The Armenian, Aratoon, is in better health than
Christian Prisoners.
when 1 last saw him, and I was glad to see him
employed.
Another Christian prisoner asked me tp find him some occupation, that
would enable him to earn an honest livelihood, when he leaves the Jail.
His request is, I think, deserving of attention ; I beg to recommend
it to the favorable consideration of the Magistrate.
I requested Mr. Floyd, with the sanction of the Magistrate, to send
Request for jail di- me a note o^ tne exact dietary of the Jail, and I
etaryshall feel much obliged by this being done as soon
as possible, as I require it to refer to.

HOOGHLYI visited this Jail on the 13th November 1855, in the morning,
accompanied, by the Civil Surgeon, and Mr. W. Lane, C. S., attached to
the N. W. Provinces. Mr. Dobson, the Jailor, was in attendance.
2. The Magistrate was occupied in the Cutcherry, and unable to be
present at the time. I again visited the Jail, accompanied by him, in the
evening.
3. The new wards, now building, appear to be excellent, and to be
sufficiently high to secure complete ventilation. They
Construction.
.
, , ,
, , ,
...
...
,
should be completed as rapidly as possible, as they are
not only urgently required, but, from the bricks, mortar and rubbish lying
about, keep the enclosure in an untidy, disorderly state.
4. In a plan of changes recommended by my predecessor, I find that
labour yards divided by palisades upon the Allipore pattern, are attached
to each of the wards,that the long range of cook-sheds running between
the hospital wall and the ward to the north-west, are to be removed and
placed in the south-east angle, and palisades are to be placed in various
positions.
5. The Officiating Magistrate suggests, as an improvement, in his
Magistrate's letter No. 504, dated 11 th September 1855, a different
amended proposal.
arrangement of the yards, so as to secure a better sepa

ration and classification of the prisoners, with, at the same time, a consi
derable saving in the extent of palisading required. He also recommends
that the cook-sheds, instead of being aggregated' together in a distant cor
ner, should be placed in the labour yards themselves, and be five in num
ber, including one specially for the Dacoity Commissioner's yard, to be
placed in the angle of a portion of the Hospital compound now occupied
by out-door privies. The reasons stated for this recommendation are,
that the efficiency of Jail discipline will be increased by giving, " to each
class and division of prisoners, their separate cook-sheds, and permitting
them to eat their food on the spot where it is cooked and dished, as has
been the custom hitherto." Mr. Cockerell believes that Mr. Loch's pro
posal will cause ill-feeling and discontent, and loss of time and labour in
carrying the separate dishes of food from the cook-sheds to the distant
work-yards.
6. I concur in the advisability and propriety of the changes suggested
\>y Mr. Cockerell, and, as they involve no additional expense beyond that
already sanctioned, shall address the Executive Officer to have them car
ried into effect without delay. The cook-sheds in the labour yards should
be separated from the labour sheds by a light railing, as I think it would
be objectionable for the prisoners to have access to them, at any other
than meal times.
7. The Magistrate can apply to the Superintendent of Alipore for
plans and estimates of the work-sheds recently built there. They should
be made, as they have been in the 24-Pergunnahs, by convict labour
and, as a general rule, I prefer all works, executed in the Jail, being done
by the prisoners themselves, both on the ground of discipline and economy.
8. The new cook-sheds and palisades must be constructed in strict
accordance with the plans drawn up by Mr. Loch, and which are about
to be cireulated.
9. The old wards are certainly too low, and are badly ventilated.
They were
oppressive
even
at .the time of my
visit,
Old Wards.
.
.
.
J
when there were few prisoners in them. The white
washing" of these wards has not been neatly executed : the beams are, in
many places, marked by unsightly patches of white, which does not im
prove their appearance. This should be rectified. I quite concur with
the remarks of my predecessor upon the moral, as well as physical, ad
vantages of all works requiring to be done, being executed with as much
neatness as it is susceptible of, without an undue employment of the time
of the prisoners and the attention of the Jailor.

s
forrpvs-rf

-4

10.

In these, and indeed in all the wards, as well as in the hospitals,

I found little oil cheraughs in use. This has already
been prohibited by Mr. Loch, and is liable to serious
objections. I shall feel obliged by the Officiating Magistrate at once pro
curing proper lanterns, and having them suspended from the beams, so as
to be beyond the reach of the prisoners.
11. The privies in all the wards, except the hajut of the Dacoity
Commissioner, are constructed on a most objectionable
plan. Some of them were offensive at the time of my
visit, and the floors saturated with urine, with the . usual disengagement
of ammoniacal salts.
I believe that night privies on the Alipore plan have already been
ordered, and I should be glad to know why they have not been procured.
I shall feel obliged by the Officiating Magistrate's taking this point into
his immediate consideration, as the existing privies cannot but be prejudi
cial to the health of the inmates of the wards.
12. In some of the wards, the bedding was neatly arranged in the
places occupied by the prisoners, in others, it was placed
in small heaps without any order. There should be
uniformity.
13. In one or two of the rolls which I opened, there were some dirty
rags. I consider this to be very objectionable, and am
Dirty Clothes.

. .
,
,,
. ,

, . .
..
or opinion that all articles or clothing not actually
required by the prisoners, should be taken away from them. I shall feel
obliged by the Magistrate's seeing that this is done immediately. Any
extra clothes that may be found must be disposed of, in accordance with
the orders already issued on the subject.
14. In some of the wards paper was drying, and in one of them wool
Drying Paper in was Demg cleaned. The former caused large patches of
the Wards.
damp on the floor where the prisoners sleep, the latter is
not a suitable operation to be carried on in such a place. If any means
can be found of their being carried on in work-sheds, it should imme
diately be adopted.
15. I cannot concur in the eulogy of my predecessor upon the excel
lence of the drains in the Jail. The levels cannot be
correct, and those near the ward privies exhaled a suffi
ciently unpleasant ammoniacal odour. Now that the reservoir has been
filled up, they are flushed with water brought from the river in earthen
vessels, but the result apparently is not satisfactory. It strikes me that

a large well, sunk in a suitable part of the enclosure,would supply a better

means of flushing the drains, with a smaller expenditure of labour of a
kind which I regard as very objectionable, viz., labour outside the Jail.
16. I should be glad to be favored with the views of the Officiating
Magistrate upon this point, and upon the best means of improving the
drainage of the Jail generally.
17. The work-sheds at present in the Jail are most unsuitable, but
as they are mere temporary sheds, to be removed when
Work sheds.
the new yards are palisaded off, there is no need to say
more about them.
18. The sheds in the new yards should be constructed on the same
pattern as those at Alipore, as mentioned above.
1 9. No pits should be dug in the ground for the feet of the weavers
to rest in. This renders it necessary for the workmen to sit for many
hours on the damp ground, a manifestly unhealthy proceeding, although
it is adopted by the native weavers in their own huts.
20. The actual number .of prisoners in custody on
Prisoners.
the day of my visit, was as follows, according to the
return furnished to me :
Whole number in Jail,

456
Males. Females.

In-door Labor,
"
119
Out-door Labor,
127
Jail Servants,
..
37
Non-laboring,
18
Hajut,
17
Deputy Commissioner's Prisoners,... 39
In Hospital,
'.
52
Civil Prisoners,
30

11
0
2
1
1 .
0
2
0

439
There were sleeping in Ward No. 1,
Ditto,No.2
!>
3,

? 4,

i.
i) 5,
>
o,
Deputy Commissioner's Ward,
In Hospital,
Female Wards,
Civil Prisoners

17
48 men.
54
57
55

,,

49
55
39
52
17
30

456

(
21.

The following -is the manner in which they were employed:

12
03 03 fCooks,
Water-bearers,
8
Sweepers,
11
2,fl { Washerman,
3
Barbers,
2
Blacksmiths
3
O tc L Hospital attendants,
10
49
f Working on the Roads,
78
Carpenters repairing Rails, on ditto, ...... 5
Baskets for Roads, &c
6
os a_.s Building Rooms, &c. for Jailor's residence, 5
Breaking Reservoirs in Civil Jail,
29
=> .S Repairing the Conservancy Bullock Shed, 4
127

t
aat)
3 S
&oC3 oa1)
OO
a

f Making Paper, of sizes,

Prison Cloth,
,
1st quality fine cloth,
, 2nd ditto ditto,
,<
, 3rd ditto ditto,
,
Gunny Bags,
, Blankets,
LTailors sewing cloth,

Non-labouring including Hajut, &c.

40
19
0
0
0
54
14
3
130
306
150

Total in Jail,
456
I
fear
that
the
employment
of
the
prisoners
in
out-door
labour,
22.
in addition to being destructive of all discipline, and
Out-door labor.
involving greater expense in the custody of the pri
soners, is also questionable in an economical point of view.
23. As there is much weeding to be done in the Jail by convict labour
and as many of the new looms are unoccupied, whereas they might be
profitably worked at once, I think it would be better to remand all the
prisoners "to the Jail, and to employ free labour in the construction of the
Roads, &c.
24. I shall feel obliged therefore, by this being clone without delay,
or, in the event of the Officiating Magistrate seeing any objection to it,
n

io )

by his stating his reasons for believing that such -a course is inexpedient
or unadvisable.
25. There is no need, in my belief, to wait for the construction of
the new working-sheds, to effect the very desirable object of dispensing
with all out-door labour.
26. The guard struck me as particularly inefficient looking. They
were armed with unweildy lattees, which not only would
Guard.
.
.
,
be of very little use in the event of any disturbance,
but would certainly become weapons of offence in the hands of resolute
ruffians among the prisoners, of whom there appeared to be no lack, if
there be any truth in physiognomy.
27. A very objectionable practice in regard to the guard is the free
dom with which they mix with the prisoners, and the access which they
have to them at night.
28. Sentry boxes should, I think, be built out-side, as at Alipore, at
a sufficient height to enable the sentinel to overlook several wards and
labour yards at once. The sentries should be armed with percussion
muskets, or probably light carbines, and furnished at least with blank
cartridges so as to be able to give immediate notice of any riot, or attempt
at escape. They ought, of course, to be regularly instructed in the use
of fire-arms. Half the present number would then be sufficient for the
safe custody of the prisoners.
29. I shall feel obliged by the Officiating Magistrate submitting to
me at his early convenience, plans and estimates of raised external sentry
boxes, and also by his favoring me with his views regarding the advisa
bility of arming the Burkundazes differently. I am convinced that the
existing arrangement respecting the guard, is productive of many irre
gularities, subversive of the strict discipline that should exist in a prison.
The Magistrate and Jailor were of the same opinion.
30. The Hospital is an excellent building, and was in good order.
The Dispensary was extremely dirty and untidy, and the
Hospital.
.
i . i
i
.
i
box in winch the instruments are kept, in a disgraceful
state. I shall feel obliged by the Officiating Magistrate's requesting the
Civil Assistant Surgeon to communicate to the Native Doctors, my
extreme displeasure at- the state in which I found their Dispensary.
Should I ever again see it in such a neglected condition, it will be my
unpleasant duty to recommend the dismissal of the Native Doctors.
31. One of the Native Doctors was absent or invisible. Dr. Baillie
mentioned that lie was worn out and inefficient.

11

32. As there is too much sickness in the Jail to permit the retention
of any inefficient member of the hospital establishment, I shall be glad to
be favoured with a special report upon the individual referred to.
33. The Hospital day privies are too far removed ; so much so,
that both the Officiating Magistrate and Civil Surgeon mentioned, that
prisoners were in the habit of defecating on the edges of the drain lead
ing to them.
34. I shall feel obliged by the Officiating Magistrate, in consultation
with the Civil Assistant Surgeon, constructing a new Hospital privy in
the most suitable corner of the Hospital compound, upon the Alipore
plan, before building the proposed wall to enclose the existing privies,
within a portion of the enclosure in which they are placed. An estimate
drawn up in the usual manner will be sanctioned at once. The work is
to be executed by convict labour.
35. Dr. Baillie, in answer to my inquiry on the subject, mentioned
his having authorized a certain allowance of opium to
Opium.
i'i-i.
t
be issued to twelve prisoners, and the Jailor stated, that
he had detected some of them selling it to other prisoners. Any prisoner
so offending, should be punished immediately, in addition to the stoppage
of his opium. If it can be done with safety, the issue of opium should
be stopped as speedily as possible, by diminishing the amount given
every day.
36. The hut outside the Hospital wall, assigned to the reception of
leper and Small- lepers and cases of small-pox, is most unsuitable for its
pox hut.
purpose. Lepers are unfit subjects to be placed among
prisoners generally. It would be desirable for the Officiating Magistrate
to call upon Dr. Baillie, to report in what manner he thinks the present
defect can be remedied, with least expense and most efficiency.
37.

The female prison seemed in good order, and the prisoners

healthy. Lamps, instead of cheraughs, are required for
it. Some of the prisoners petitioned for diminution of
the amount of work they were required to perform, and one declared
that she had not enough to eat. The physical condition of the latter did
not bear out her statement, and I saw no ground to recommend a com
pliance with the wish of the former. They are well-fed and treated, and
have only light tasks to execute.
38. The compound was untidy and uneven. As
soon as the destruction of the reservoir is completed,
this should be remedied.

12

39. The prisoners complain of having no warm clothing. Their

health does not seem to have suffered in consequence.
40. Two prisoners, who were insane at the time of conviction, and
are now believed to be of sound mind, were brought
Insane Prisoners.
...
.
.,
.

specially to my notice. The Civil Assistant Surgeon

should furnish a certificate of their present mental state, which I shall
feel obliged by the Magistrate's forwarding to me with any remarks that
he may wish to offer regarding them.
41. The circumstances brought to my notice by the Officiating
Magistrate regarding the Jailor's house and his salary,
Miscellaneous.
.,
, .
,.,,,.
,
as well as the improvements which he has introduced in
Jail manufacture, with the great profit resulting therefrom, had better
form the subject of special representation.
42. Dr. Baillie mentioned his wish to have a vegetable garden attach
ed to the Jail. This should also be specially reported on. Every Jail
should be, as much as possible, independent of external supplies. A
cheap and plentiful supply of anti-scorbutic vegetables is essential to the
health of prisoners. If these objects can be combined without impairing
the efficiency of the discipline of the Jail, or increasing its cost, they are
deserving of, and will meet with, every attention.
43. The Hooghly Jail is badly situated, and is too closely surround
ed by dirty tanks and buildings to be susceptible of any
Conclusion.
. .
,
T
.
,
very great improvement, and can never, I tear, be made
a really good prison.

SERAMPORE.
I visited this Jail on Wednesday, the 14th November 1855. It is an
old Danish structure, and quite unsuited for its purpose.
2. The Deputy Magistrate was out on circuit. I was received and
conducted round the place by the Jemadar, who was in charge of it.
3. I first went into the Hospital, in which the sick men were supposed
to be. The place was damp and very dirty, the bedding
of the sick men was filthy, and I was not surprized at
finding them basking in the sun, in preference to remaining in such a den.
The Native Doctor was absent. There were no tickets over the beds of
the sick. Near the door of the Hospital was an unremoved vessel of
filth.

13

4.

The Wards are damp, unventilated, and unfit to confine human

beings in. They were all empty. The prisoners remainWards.
ing at the time of my visit, sleep in what is termed in
the plan, the Jail House, which was also damp, without roof ventilation,
and very dirty. In one of the corners was a puddle of urine; hanging
against the wall were some dirty rags ; the bedding had a musty appearance,
and the ward is lighted by cheraghs.
5. The Cooking Sheds were as dirty as the rest of this place, and
near them was a pile of refuse matter, which the Jemadar
Cooking Sheds.

told me was the collection of the morning, but which my

nose informed me, must have been there for three or four days at least.
6. The Privies were dirty and fouled upon the seats. At the bottom
of the stair leading up to them was a collection of broken
earthen pots, which seemed to have been used to carry
filth.
7. The compound was dirty and untidy throughout, that of the
Hajut particularly so. In this latter" was a large heap
of rubbish, the date of the deposit of which the Jemadar
stated to be too ancient for him to remember.
8. The Hajut Wards are also without roof ventilaHajut Wards.
.
,
,.
tion, and were dirty.
9. There was no Moodie's store* or if there be one, the Jemadar
would not exhibit it. The Moodie was said to be absent,
and the Jemadar either could, or would not, give any
information regarding the contract for food. I strongly suspect that he
is himself the contractor, and if my surmise be correct, I need scarcely
gay, that it is a most objectionable arrangement.
10. The number of prisoners on the day of inspecPrisoners.

tion was stated to be 41, disposed of as fol^ws.

Absent with the
Hajut prisoners,
19<
Magistrate.
Convicts,
22

Deputy

41
In Hospital of Hajut,
Ditto of Convicts,

1
2
3

-.

14

The 22 labouring prisoners were thus employed :

As Hospital Servant,
'.
1
Road Sweepers,
2
Working the Filth Carts,
4
Working at Government House,
5
Cleaning China Bazar Road,
5
Jail Servants,
2
Bringing Water for Prisoners to drink, 1
and general purposes,
/

Sick,

20
2

Hajut Prisoners,

22
19
41

11.

The Establishment consists of a Jemadar on,

Rs. 8
4 Burkundauzes for Hajut Prisoners, at
Establishment.
4 each,
16
4 Ditto for Convicts, at 4,
16
1 Mehtur,

3
1 Native Doctor,
15
Ticca Peons are employed to guard pri
soners at work, at 1 Peon to 5 Prisoners,
average monthly cost,
25
12. The average monthly cost of the Jail is said to be about Rs. 175,'
and the nominal value of the labour of the prisoners to be Rs. 75.
13. I strongly disapprove of the out-door employment of the prison
ers, and the entertainment of the ticca peons.
14. I shall be glad to receive an explanation of the nature of the
work done at the so-called Government House, and for whom it is done,
and shall feel obliged by its being furnished as early as possible.
15. The five prisoners employed on the road can be of no earthly use
there, and should be at once remanded to the Jail, where their services
may be profitably exercised, in cleaning and putting it into as wholesome
and habitable a state as the place admits of.
16. In walking from the railway station to Serampore, I fell in with
this gang of prisoners and their chuprassee. The latter had no badge of

15

office, was armed with a stick, and was hail-fellow well-met with his
charge. Jail discipline and punishment from imprisonment there can be
none in such a case.
17. The store-room, in which fetters, blankets, and similar matters
were kept, was in a worse state than any other departStore Room.
, .
,.,
T ..
ment. A mass ot papers, looking like Jail accounts,
was lying, nearly destroyed by white ants, in a'basket.
18. As this Jail is under the orders of the Magistrate of Hooghly, I
shall feel obliged by his furnishing a copy of this memorandum to the
Deputy Magistrate of Serampore, and calling upon him to offer suclyexplanation as he may wish to furnish upon the statements contained in it.
19. If there be no objection to the measure, it would be better, I
think, for only such a number of convicts as are absolutely required for
the purpose of the Jail within its walls, to be retained at Serampore.
The rest should be transferred to Hooghly, and the establishment now
entertained reduced in proportion.
20. I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's favouring me, at his early
convenience, with his views upon this proposal.
21. I also am desirous of being furnished with the contract prices of
all articles issued at Serampore, and to know with whom the contract has
been made.
22. I am unwilling to suggest any alterations in the present buildings,
as I do not consider them worth any expenditure. The convicts might
be made to open two circular holes in the wall of each ward, to allow of
some circulation of air. They should be so pierced as to admit of the
free egress of air, without allowing the rain to beat in.

C U T T A C KI visited this Jail on Friday, the 23rd November 1855, accompanied

by Mr. Harrison.
2. The buildings generally were in good order, and most of the sug
gestions made by Mr. Loch, had been carried into
Buildings.

effect

3. Additional gumlah ventilators are needed for the female ward,

which has been walled off the civil prison, as recommended by Mr.

16

Ricketts. The ward is large, clean, and airy, but from the impossibility,
in the case of female prisoners, of making openings in the walls looking
upon the portions of the Jail, additional means of carrying away effete
air and effluvia through the roof are necessary.
It will bear four more of Mr. Loch's ventilators, which the Magistrate
is accordingly authorized to construct.
Hospital for Fe* ^he new Hospital for females is at present much
male^
exposed to the direct rays of the sun. It is also imper
fectly ventilated. Two circular openings in the walls, about a foot in
diameter, and so pierced as not to allow the rain to beat in, would be
an improvement.
5., A well is absolutely
Well for above.
J necessary
J . in the hospital
r
enclosure.
6. The enclosure itself requires to be smoothed, and a drain to be
Drainage of the constructed at the end of the slope, to carry off the
samewaters in the rains. A shallow surface drain near the
wall will be sufficient. It should carry off the water to the general
drain of the Jail in that direction.
7. Jhamps for the exposed verandah, to keep out the sun, are abso
lutely necessary.
8. The same provisions are required for the adjoining yard, and the
four newly-constructed solitary cells for insane prisoners.
The cells are very small, and not otherwise well adapted for their
purpose.
9. In the compound of the male hospital is an empty place, formed
" from the old solitary cells. This properly fitted up,
Old Solitary Cells.
n
..
L ,
.,
,
would serve well as a receptacle tor moribund cases,
severe dysenteries, and such other examples of disease as are better sepa
rated from the general patients. This can easily be done at a very small
cost, upon the plans agreed upon .by the Magistrate and myself.
10. I shall feel obliged by being favoured with estimates as early as
convenient, of all the additions above suggested for sanction. In the
meantime, as they are all works of necessity; they may be proceeded
with at once.
1 1 . The Hospital was clean and orderly, and the dis
pensary department in a creditable state.
12. Some of the cases were trifling abrasions from irons, which were
not sufficiently severe to detain the patients from light work. I fear that

17

many of these superficial ulcers are purposely produced, to escape from

work. They should be simply dressed at the morning visit, or earlier, by
the Native Doctor, and sent to such labour as will not irritate the sores.
13. Great care should be taken by the Medical Officer to prevent
malingering, which, in the few Jails that I have at present visited, would
seem to be somewhat prevalent.
14. No person qualified to treat the sick, remains in the hospital at
night. As the most severe and fatal attacks of the ordinary endemics of
Bengal usually begin during the night, and as severe cases of dysentery
and fever require attention during the same period, it is very advisable
that some qualified hospital attendant should be present at that time. There
is plenty of room to accommodate him, and where hours are of so much
importance in the successful treatment of disease, as every experienced
practitioner knows, immediate aid should always be at han,d.
15. General rules for the management of Jail Hospitals are much
needed, and I shall take an early opportuity of drawing them up when I
have completed my first tour of visitation.
16. There was a very loathsome Leper in the yard, who had recently
been imprisoned for theft. He is a fitter subject for a
Leper Asylum than for a prison.
17. There were too many Sepoys' cots and boxes in the hospital ve
randah, which is not a fit place for them. The guard-room opening into
the compound in the rear of the Hospital, was not as clean and tidy as it
ought to be.
18. Some of the prisoners complained of the insufficiency of their
clothing to protect them from the cold, particularly those
working in a part of the paper manufactory, Mid at the
looms, who are unable to keep on their blankets while at work. For them,
warm jackets made from common blanketing on the plan adopted by Mr.
Samuells at Alipore, might be made up at a very small cost, and they
should be supplied as soon as possible. In regard to the other prisoners
the complaint was not well-founded, as they are able to cover themselves
with their blankets while at work, without interfering materially with
their occupation.
19. The chief and most profitable manufacture at present pursued is
that
paper. The only
improvements
Manufactures.
,, of rr
,,.
.
I . am
. at
present

able to suggest, are the substitution or white for yellow

arsenic, as more soluble and producing a better coloured paper. It is
little dearer than Hurtal, but a smaller quantity boiled with the size will

18

be sufficient. The arsenication of the size should be accomplished on a

small special choolah, which may be constructed in the work yard, where
the paper is at present prepared. It is manifestly dangerous to boil it
on any of the fire-places where food is cooked, as obtains at present.
20. The women are at present employed in spinning thread which does
not pay or sell. I think some more profitable employ
ment, suitable for their sex, might be devised. They
might be taught weaving or paper-making, under proper and efficient
supervision, without much fear of the occurrence of irregularities.
21. Some of the prisoners are at present employed on the roads, and
it appears to be impossible to dispense with their labour.
Out-door labour.
This is much to be regretted, as, in addition to being
completely destructive of all effective prison discipline, it is an expensive
process. As few as possible should be sent out, and those so disposed of,
should be near the end of their term of imprisonment : life prisoners should
never see the world without the walls, for obvious reasons.
22. Most of the wells require the removal of the vegetation grow
ing on their sides. That in the life prisoners' yard,
of which the water is impure and unfit for use, should
be cleaned out as soon as it dries up. Two feet at least of the existing
soil at its bottom should be removed, and there should be placed in its
stead a foot of dry sand, then a foot of wood charcoal broken in pieces
about an inch in length, and over all a layer of broken stones, about half
a foot in depth. This will effectually purify the water by a process of
artificial filtration, unless the impurities percolate through the surrounding
soil from drains or privies, which does not seem to be the case.
23. Much more of the health of human beings depends upon the
purity of the water used by them, than is generally supposed. I shall
feel obliged by the Surgeon in charge of the Jail furnishing, through the
Magistrate, when the wells are at the lowest ebb in the next ensuing hot
season, a memorandum on the state of the water at that time, particularly
in regard to the amount of soiled matter contained in a given quantity
of it. Simple evaporation will determine this, and one or two very
easy tests, known to every Medical Officer, will show the nature of the
ingredients held in solution, as they are generally chlorides or sulphates,
with the occasional presence of nitrates, with a little organic matter.
24. If considered necessary, I will issue a brief circular, pointing out
how, with the expenditure of an hour's labour, and the use of such re
agents as are to be found in every dispensary in the country, the important

19

object above mentioned can be accomplished, without expense or

trouble.
25. Judging from the appearance of the prisoners
the diet is good, wholesome, and sufficient in quantity.
26. The rations should however be carefully re-weighed, and their
quality attested at least once a fortnight, in the presence of the Medical
Officer, or the Joint Magistrate, and a record of the result of the same
be entered in the visiting book.
27. This is clearly a detail of duty, that should not devolve upon the
Magistrate, whose time is so much more fully occupied than that of his
assistant.
28. It forms an essential part of the proper duty of a Medical Officer,
and should not be neglected. I need scarcely point out its important
bearing upon the sanitary condition of the prisoners.
29. The Jail Darogah appears to be a careful steady man. He does
not live at the Jail, but at a short distance from it. It is
Darogah.
very advisable if it can be accomplished that the Ex
ecutive Officer of every prison should be lodged in the prison, as at
Alipore and Hooghly, over the gateway. I shall feel obliged -by the
Magistrate's kindly reporting if this could, without difficulty, and at small
cost, be accomplished at Cuttack.
30. The records of the Jail are well and carefully
Records.
i

kept.

31.

The above embodies all that struck me as requiring remark

during my visit. I consider the Jail to be in a state
highly creditable to all concerned in its management,
and more particularly to the Magistrate, the proofs of whose vigilance
and efficient superintendence are every where visible.

POOREE.
I visited this Jail, accompanied by Mr. Annand on the 25th Novem
ber 1855.
2. The additions and changes recommended by Messrs. Loch and
Ricketts have been carried into effect so recently, and
General State.
, . .
the Jail generally is in so clean and creditable a state, as
to leave little room for remark, except on some minor points.

(
3.

20

The coping of the new wall should be removed, if it can be done

by prison labour, without disfiguring the walls : at pre
sent it might afford facilities for escape.
4. The two old sentry huts and an old tiled godown, represented by
Mr. Annand to be useless, may be removed as they are at present a
great disfigurement to the Jail compound.
5. With the bricks, if they are of puckah work, a new surface drain
may be constructed, to carry off the water from the large well near
the Hospital.
6. This well requires to be protected by a wooden frame of the
usual pattern, and the vegetation to be removed from its interior.
7. The tiles can be used in repairing such portions of the roof of
the cook-shed, as have been injured by the wind.
8. The jhilmils of the cell occupied by a lunatic who died recently,
should be repaired.
9. The Hospital is not in any way separated from the general enclosure
of the Jail. This is objectionable, but cannot be remedied
Hospital.
....
without incurring an amount of expense incommensurate
with the advantage to be gained by its isolation.
10. The Hospital privy was in an offensive state, from the patients
urinating on the floor. A urinal should be placed in the corner, and
emptied in the morning. Any patient urinating on the floor should be
punished.
11. Patients with small abrasions from their irons are not fit inmates
for the Hospital. In many cases these abrasions are purposely produced
to escape work. They should be simply dressed, and the prisoners sent
to perform such work as will not injure the sores.
12. The privies are all badly constructed, but it is not worth while to
alter them now. A layer of wood charcoal broken into
privies.
small pieces and placed on the floor of the privies in the
wards and in the Hospital, would remove all foetor. The charcoal should
occasionally be placed in the sun, when its original purity will rapidly
be restored, and the same may be used for an indefinite length of time
as a deodorizing agent.
13. In the day privy, I found that several of the prisoners had fouled
the drain, instead of the places prepared for them. This should be pro
hibited at once, and the prisoners and Jail guards punished should it recur.
14. As all such matters are of importance as regards the sanitary
state of the prisoners, the Civil Assistant Surgeon should frequently

21

examine into the state of the drains, privies, cook-sheds, and wards,
recording in the visiting book minutes which should be made known to .
the Magistrate.
15. The only manufacture attempted
in the Jail is
Manufacture,
L
that of paper, and the result is very creditable, especially
to the instructors sent from Cuttack.
16. It would improve the colour of the paper, as well as its quality,
if it were arsenicated with white (Sunkhya) instead of yellow arsenic
(Hurtal.) The latter is almost entirely insoluble in water, and is only
mechanically suspended in the pulp from which the paper is made.
The former is only sparingly soluble, but may be rendered much more
so by the addition of a little potash. Less than half the quantity of
yellow arsenic now used, would be sufficient if the white arsenic were
substituted for it.
17. There is no attempt at classification of prisoners in the general
Classification of ^au Wards, except in locking them up at night, when
Prisoners.
a partial separation is effected.
18. There was only one salt prisoner in the Hajut, and there were
none in the Civil Jail.
1 9. The whole number of prisoners is too small to admit of any
systematic classification. They only amounted to one hundred, of whom
two are women.
20. The two women have nothing to do : some light occupation, such
as spinning thread, might be found for them.
21. A glance at their privy showed that they were in the habit of
urinating on the floor. This should be prohibited and punished.
22. The Jail guard seems to me to be unnecessarily strong for the
number of prisoners. Three or four of them are old
Jail Guard.
.
men, who would certainly be of no use in the event of
any outbreak among the prisoners. Any vacancies that occur among
them, should be filled up by men physically fit for the duties of the
office.
23. The Darogah and Jail Guards all complained of the inadequacy
of their pay. I informed them that any representation they had to make
on the subject, should be addressed to the Magistrate, who would make
it known to me, if he deemed it necessary so to do.
24. There was no complaint of the quantity and quality of the food,
and the prisoners appeared generally to be contented and
in good case. It is, however, still supplied by the Jail,

22

Darogah, a practice so obviously liable to abuse, as to need the strictest

supervision on the part of the Officers superintending the Jail. The
Darogah's salary is only rupees 15 a month, and the temptation to pecu
lation must be great in his case. I concur, therefore, in the recommen
dation of my predecessor, that the scales and weights should occasionally
be proved, and that the food should at uncertain times be re-weighed and
examined after issue to the cooks, in the presence of the Civil Assistant
Surgeon, or of either of the young Civil Officers at the Station, to whom
the Magistrate may be pleased to demit the duty.
25. The Jail throughout is lighted by means of small cheraghs.
This is an objectionable practice on many accounts.
Small, cheap lanterns, suspended beyond the reach of the
prisoners, should be used, and, if procurable at Pooree, I shall feel obliged
by their being introduced at once, a bill for their cost being submitted for
sanction in the usual form and manner.

BHUDDRUCK.
I visited the building intended for a Hajut at this station, on the 28th
of November, accompanied by Mr. Browa, the Deputy Magistrate of the
Sub-Division.
2. The building is placed near the high road, on the borders of a fine
mangoe grove, beyond the ordinary reach of inundation
and at a sufficient distance from the station.
3. It is a mud enclosure, 91 feet in length and 64 in breadth, with
walls 10 feet in height and 2 in breadth. The main building is divided
into two unequal portions, the one 34 x 14 feet for male prisoners, the
other 12 x 14 feet for female prisoners. They are not otherwise sepa
rated, and have a verandah 14 feet in width on two sides. There are
two open cook-sheds in the corners, 28 x 8 and 11x7 feet respectively,
To the left of the entrance is a Sentry-room 10 feet square, leading to a
Guard-room 20 x 10 feet. To the right is a Dispensary 10 feet square,
adjoining a Hospital 16 x 10 feet. The passage between these rooms is 2
feet wide, and there is a puckah well in the enclosure.
4. The whole of the buildings are thatched, with clay floors, and are
utterly destitute of any means of ventilation, light and air being admit

23

ted, when the door is closed, by a small window in each. The place is
occupied as a Post office, no prisoners having ever been placed in it.
5. It is so manifestly unsuited for a Lock-up, or prison of any kind,
that its deviation from its original purposes is not to be regretted.
6. It cost 150 Rupees. The objections to it are its utter insecurity;
want of ventilation ; the chance of its taking fire, and roasting such of its
inmates as may have escaped suffocation ; and the non-separation of
male and female prisoners. The prisoners are now secured in the Thannah. The cause of this seems rather to have been the absence of a
guard, than the inappropriateness of the buildings.
Eeoommendation.
7. To construct a proper Hajut, requires
1st. A boundary wall of brick, at least 12 feet in height, without any
coping, 2 feet in thickness, and armed with broken glass, or some similar
prevention of escape at the top.
2nd. The buildings for male and female prisoners should be in sepa
rate enclosures, divided by a wall 10 feet in height, and constructed as
mentioned above.
3rd. The ward for male prisoners should be about 40 feet by 16, and
14 feet in height, with a pent tile roof. In addition to roof ventilation it
should, in this space, have at least six properly secured windows besides
the door. The floor should be puckah as well as the walls. The cookshed, and a well for the male prisoners, should be in the same enclosure
with a day privy on the Alipore plan, and portable pans for the night on
the principle adopted in the same jail. The whole area to be laid with
khoa and properly drained.
4th. The ward for female prisoners may be half the dimensions of
the above, with all other conveniences in the same proportion.
5 th. The Hospital and Dispensary should be in a separate enclosure
with a well and cook-shed. A building 30 feet by 16, with a partition 10
feet in breadth, constructed on the same principle as the Jail ward, would
probably be ample.
6th. The Guard-house should be at, the entrance to the Jail, opening
into it, and capable of accommodating a Duffadar and eight men, from
whom a guard might be furnished for the local Treasury. The question
of the guard is, I believe, at the present moment before the Government,
and has been delayed in consequence of the consideration of the proposal
to enlarge the Paik Corps.
:,**
8. I have ascertained from Mr. Brown, the Deputy Magistrate at
Bhuddruck, that bricks and tiles can be burnt at the station, and he will

24

probably be able to furnish an estimate of the cost of a Hajut of the

dimensions suggested.

BALASORE.
I VISITED the Balasore Jail accompanied by the Magistrate and Civil
Surgeon, on Friday the 30th November 1855.
1. The general state of the Jail was clean and
General state,
, ,
orderly.
2. The lower range of wards is tolerably well suited for the prison
ers, and for the numbers at present confined in them is
sufficiently ventilated.
3. The cook-sheds in the yard attached to No. 8 the Magistrate pro
poses to remove, to secure uniformity and cleanliness. They are at pre
sent used for Mahomedan prisoners.
4. I concur in the views of the Magistrate regarding them, and the
advisability also of removing the cooking-sheds of the Dewanny prison
ers from their present very unsuitable position, in open arches under the
external stair leading to their ward.
5. The most economical plan of constructing new cook-rooms for both,
would be to build an additional room to the north-east
Cook-sheds.
. .
of the existing cook-sheds for labouring prisoners, sepa
rating the two by a wall carried up to the roof transversely, and dividing
the new shed in a similar manner longitudinally, as shown in the ac
companying rough sketch.
6. There would be no communication between them, and I can
imagine no prejudice of caste that ought to be offended in the proposed
arrangement. The Darogah seemed to be of opinion that it would be
objected to ; so I dare say would any arrangement proposed, if every
unreasonable prejudice were attended to.
7. I shall feel obliged, however, by the Magistrate's preparing a
double estimate, the one for a new cook-sbed upon the plan suggested
above, the other for a separate shed in the immediate vicinity of that
now existing.
8. I should entertain a better opinion of the Darogah if he were not
quite so ready to suggest objections to the prisoners. The Native Doctor,
when appealed to, at once replied that there could be no objection of
caste to the cook-rooms separated as proposed.

25

9. The wooden frame-work of the large well requires repair, and a wheel should, I think, be used to
draw up the water.
10. As this water is used for cooking and drinking, I shall feel oblig
ed by the Civil Surgeon making a rough quantitative examination of it
at the season when it contains least water, and reporting the result to me
through the Magistrate.
11. The Hospital is badly placed, and should be removed, as recom
mended by Mr. Ricketts. At present it seems to be ex
ceedingly difficult to prevent matters escaping from the
bathing-room, which pollutes the air in the vicinity of the wards imme
diately beneath. Either a new Hospital should be constructed in a sepa
rate yard, or some of the present buildings devoted to that purpose, as I
shall mention hereafter.
12. The Compounding Shop is well kept, and the
Dispensary.
.
instruments were in good order.
13. There seemed to be a number of bottles of medicines that are
never used, and never likely to be administered. I am afraid that
there is a considerable waste ot the public funds in the .destruction
of drugs that are seldom or never employed. As the Native Doctor
attached to the jail has been many years in his present office, I shall
feel obliged by the Civil Surgeon, with the assistance of his Subordinate,
favouring me with a list of the drugs in store that have never been
used.
14. No one capable of attending to the wants of the sick, remains in
the Hospital at night. The Native Doctor has at present no assistance of
any kind, so that, in the event of anything being required at night, he
must be summoned from his house without the walls. Every one acquaint
ed with the habitual disregard of life and suffering exhibited by natives of
India in general, knows that no attention would be paid to any requisition
for attendance and care from a sick man, which rendered it necessary
to leave the Jail to procure such assistance. Severe cases of tropical dis
ease require as much watching, and as regular administration of reme
dies at night, as between sun-rise and sun-set. Cholera generally attacks
an hour or two before day-break, and most endemic fevers are aggravat
ed at that time,the period of lowest electrical tension and temperature
in the twenty-four hours. It is most necessary, therefore, that some per
son competent to attend to the sick should remain in the ante-room of the
hospital at night.
Well.

26

15. I shall be prepared to recommend the entertainment of a com

pounder for this hospital, if the Civil Surgeon coricurs with me in deem
ing an addition to "his establishment to be essential. Otherwise, the
Native Doctor must be a ccommodated with quarters within the jail
precincts, so as to render it unnecessary to open the gates at night.
16. The Sentry-box near the large work-shed, requires to be re
moved to the vicinity of the tank for bathing. As
Sentry-boxes.
.
.
,
placed at present, it is useless. Ihe new may be con
structed from the materials of the old one, by convict labour, if it be
made circular, instead of retaining its present form.
17. Most of the drains require their floors to be repaired. That re
commended to be constructed by Mr. Loch, does not
seem to have fulfilled its purpose, and I scarcely know
how to suggest any change in its direction without incurring considerable
expense.
18. The tramway for removing filth should be continued along the
back of the wards, so as to receive the filth of the night
privies directly. It should be placed at a sufficient dis
tance from the doors to admit of their opening freely. An estimate of
the cost of this may be submitted at once.
19. The following is a list of the prisoners in the Jail at the time
Prisoners. .
0f my visit, and the mode of their disposal :
Cooking,
Cleaning Jail,
Heaping Gravel,
..,
Repairing Road,
Washing Clothes,
Pounding Soorkee,
Doing less work on account of weakness,
Salt prisoners doing less work,
Making the Vat,
,
Hospital attendants,
Sick,
Work remitted on account of weak health,
Without labour,

6
8
50
8
2
6
2
8
2
2
8
7
10
Total,

119

(
20.
1
1
11
1

27

The establishment required for these prisoners, is as follows :

Permanent.
Darogah
Rs. 15
Native Doctor,
20
Burkundauzes, at Rs. 4 each,
44
Sweeper,

4
Total, Rupees,

83

Temporary.
1 Duffadar,
17 Extra Burkundauzes, at Rs. 4 each,

Rs. 6
68
Total, Rupees,

74

21. I find that Mr. Ricketts in his special visitation report, recom
mended as a measure of economy and expendiency that all prisoners for
lengthened periods should be transferred to the Jail at Cuttack.
22. If there be nothing in their respective sentences to prevent such
a measure, I concur in that suggestion, particularly as regards the
female prisoners. Six of these are life prisoners, and two are in for
fourteen (14) years each, of which 11 are unexpired.
23. * The yard occupied by them might then be made over for the
hospital, by which a saving of between 2 and 3,000 Rs. would be effected.
24. I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's being so good as to favor *
me with his views upon this subject, with an account of the amount of
saving that would be effected by the general removal advised by Mr.
Ricketts.
25. The greatest objection to the measure would probably be in
regard to the repair of the station roads, in which convict labour is now
employed.
26. Such employment of prisoners is, however, so destructive of all
discipline, and so opposed to the real objects of imprisonment, that I am
most anxious to reduce it within the narrowest limits, and, if possible, to
procure its entire cessation.
27. I shall be glad to be favored with any suggestions that Mr. Schalch
may wish to offer on the subject.
28. No manufactures are at present carried on. I shall feel obliged
by Mr. Schalch's reporting when he will be able to set
Manufactures.
"
. ,
,
.
.
.
to work, how he proposes to employ his prisoners in ma
nufacture, and what general regulations he considers it advisable to intro^
.

28

duce in this important branch of Jail economy. I am not yet sufficiently

acquainted with the general working of the system in Bengal, to be able
to express any opinion on the subject myself.
29. The Jail guards are furnished from the Paik Corps. They
require a proper guard-house, hospital, cook-sheds and
out-offices. Not knowing how far it is within the
province of my duties to express any opinion regarding them, I refrain
from doing so.
30. The food is good, sufficient in quantity, and is
Food.
well looked after by the Magistrate and Civil Surgeon.
The rice, I think, ought to be cleaner, before it is issued.
31. The contract for 1856 has just been concluded by the Magistrate.
The following are the rates for the past three years, and that for the next
year :
Contracted Contracted Contracted Contracted
rate for
rate for
rate for rate for
1853.
1854.
1855.
1856.
Rico, per Rupee
Urhur DaN, per ditto, ...
Moong ditto, per ditto,
Fish, per ditto
Mutton, per ditto,
Vegetables, per ditto, ...
Oil, per ditto,
Mussalah, per ditto,
Salt, per ditto,
Attah, per ditto,
Fuel, per ditto,
.Leaves, per 100,

...

'

M. S. C. M. S. C. m. s. a
1 8 0 0 30 0- 1 1 0
0 16 0 0 16 0 0 16 0
0 16 0 0 16 0 0 16 0
0 16 0 0 16 0 0 17 8
0 10 8 0 10 8 0 11 0
0 26 0 0 26 0 0 27 0
0 4 8 0 3 8 0 3 12
0 4 0 0 4 0 0 4 4
0 17 0 0 17 0 0 17 0
0 18 0 0 12 0 0 12 8
7 0 0 7 0 0 7 20 0
6 Pie.
1 Anna.
9 Pie.

M.S. C.
1 5 0
0 12 0
0 12 0
0 17 0
0 41 0
0 27 0
0 3 8
0 3 8
0 17 0
0 12 0
8 0 0
6 Pie.

M I D N A P 0 R E.
I visited this Jail accompanied by Mr. Bright the Magistrate, on
Monday, the 3rd of December 1855.
I visited the hospital portion of it with Dr. Bogle on Tuesday, the 4th
of December.
2. The general state of the Jail is clean and creditable, the prisoners
appear healthy and comfortable, and most of the changes
General state.
, , ,,
_
.
suggested by Messrs. Loch and Kicketts, have been sorecently carried into effect, as to leave little room for remark.
The means of classifying prisoners are now tolerably complete, and if

29

they could all be retained within the walls, more stringent discipline
could, with facility, be introduced and enforced.
3. The new ward for female prisoners will, I believe, require roof
ventilation, and I shall be happy to sanction it, if the
experience of the next hot and rainy seasons shows it to
be necessary.
A supplementary estimate may be submitted at once for the iron
gratings omitted in the former estimate.
The privies in the wards are all badly constructed, and would, in
sickly seasons, prove detrimental to the health of the prisoners.
The night pans on the Alipore plan, should be introduced, and I shall
be happy to sanction two for each ward. They can be procured at the,
Iron Yard in Calcutta.
Charcoal, broken in small pieces, should be placed in shallow pans in
the privies, and the small places for urinating. Two inches in depth will
be sufficient, and if occasionally exposed to the sun, it will recover its
purity and fitness for use. Lime is of no use, and when charcoal is
employed, may be dispensed with.
4. The bedding should, during the dry season, be
opened out and placed in the sun, at least once a week.
It should occasionally be washed, if such means of purification be
possible.
5. The food of the prisoners seem to be good and sufficient, yet the
Civil Surgeon
informed
me that the prisoners
occasionDiet
b
.
r
ally complained of its inadequacy in quantity.
This must result from fraud, either in or after issue, and under a native
Darogah upon a small salary, is not unlikely to occur in both ways.
The rations should occasionally, at uncertain intervals, be re-weighed
in the presence of the Magistrate, his Assistant, or the Civil Surgeon,
after being issued to the cooks.
It would be well that in all instances of complaint, it should be re-ex
amined by the Civil Surgeon, after being cooked and served out to the
prisoners.
This duty, occasionally performed, would not be heavy, and would
prevent fraud, as well as fanciful complaints, on the part of prisoners.
6. The messing of different gangs at present takes place at different
.
hours, and is another of the objectionable results of
Hours of messing.
....
,
'
employing prisoners out or doors.
So long as the health of the men does not suffer, it is not a matter of

'

30

primary importance, but, in the event of any outbreak of sickness, the

hours of feeding will require to be most carefully regulated.
The first indications of illness in natives of India, are connected with
the function of digestion, according to evidence collected with great care
by the late Fever Hospital Committee of Calcutta. There is no more
prolific source of indigestion than irregularity in the intervals of intro
ducing food into the stomach.
Pundit Modusuden Goopta, whose experience and learning in such
matters are greater than those of any other of his countrymen, has placed
on record a statement to the effect, that healthy digestion is scarcely
known in any class in Bengal !
If this be so, and the habits of the people render it probable that the
statement is correct, it can easily be accounted for, and should be avoid
ed in the case of those whose habits are under control.
I beg, therefore, to request the attention of the Magistrate to the
subject.
7. The Hospital is an excellent building, but its separation from the
Jail, and its unrestricted access to communication from
Hospital.
without, are very objectionable.
The latter will shortly be remedied by building an external wall at a
distance of 30 feet. It would have been better if more space could have
been allowed.
When I entered the ward in the morning, it was extremely offensive.
This I found to arise from the patients urinating on the floor, and in the
privy to their defecating on the floor also.
Gumlahs or pans for those purposes should be provided, and any
patients polluting the floors, should be severely punished, as soon as they
are able to bear punishment. Charcoal should be used in the Hospital
as in the Jail.
There were two lepers with open sores in the ward with the other
patients. They should, if possible, be separated from them, especially
at night.
8. Among the patients was a man named Ramdoyal, who was impri
soned for dacoity for fourteen years ; of this time he has
Remission of pun*
*
ishment recommend- spent thirteen and half in the hospital, and has now
only six months' imprisonment remaining, which he is
likely to spend in the same place.
He is paralyzed, and if it be possible, the remainder of his imprison
ment might be remitted.

31

He is now an old man, incapable of committing any more crimes, and

as his further retention can be of no use in the way of punishment to
himself, or example to others, his retention is now an unnecessary
expense to the State.
There is another aged man, named Komul Jaunee, who is also paralyz
ed, and in a miserable state. He is imprisoned for fourteen years, of
which two remain. He cannot live long now, and as every object that
can be accomplished by his imprisonment has been effected, more good
would, I think, result from his removal than from his retention. At
present he is an expensive incumbrance.
I am not acquainted with the law which regulates the remission of pu
nishment ; but if the power of reprieving such cases exists, it would be an
act of mercy to exercise it in all cases, where no further object can be
gained from the continuance of imprisonment.
9. There are no less than sixteen prisoners employed in duties conHospital Establish- nected with the Hospital. As there are only 29 sick,
Inent
this is an unnecessary number of prisoners to detach for
such a purpose, inasmuch as it is evident from the position of the Hos
pital, that every species of irregularity may, and probably does, occur
in it.
The following is, in my opinion, a liberal establishmentand if the
Magistrate and Civil Surgeon concur with me, the remainder may be at
once remanded to Jail and employed more profitably in manufacture.
One Hindu Cook.
Two Dressers.
One Mahomedan Cook.
Two Meyhters.
One Hindu Water Carrier.
One Grass Cleaner.
Two Bhistees.
The Native Doctor should apply all bandages and dressings himself.
10. The monthly contingent expenditure of the Jail Hospital is consiHospitai Contin- derably in excess of what it should be. On an average
senciesof 25 sick, it should not exceed from 12 to 16 Rupees a
month. It now averages 27 Rupees 8 Annas, and no control is exercised
over its expenditure.
No extras should be allowed without the order of the Civil Surgeon,
and the Native Doctor should keep a regular account of the expenditure
of every article entrusted to him.
The amount of saving effected will probably be small in each item, yet
it is of importance, for, when multiplied over all ethe jails in Bengal, it
amounts to a large sum.

32

I shall feel much obliged by the Magistrate's drawing the special atten
tion of the Civil Surgeon to these matters.
11. There is no proper system of recording and registering cases
admitted ; but, as this is the case in all the Jails that I
Rflflorflfl of Cusps
have yet visited, and is probably general throughout
Bengal, I defer any further remark regarding it, until I shall have com
pleted my first tour of visitation.
12. The present Dead House is a most unsuitable building, in addition to being improperly exposed to the public gaze.
The Civil Surgeon may submit to the Magistrate an
estimate for a new one, with an indication of the position in which he
recommends it to be placed.
Employment of
^. Out of 510 prisoners, of whom 25 are nonPrisoners,
labouring, 29 sick, and 14 in Dewanny Jail, only 179
are employed in manufactures.
The large number of 263 are employed in out-door occupation, to the
entire destruction of discipline, and of the essentials of imprisonment.
When the new arrangements for manufactures are in full operation, I
trust that the Magistrate will find full occupation for all his prisoners
within the walls ; aud the profits resulting from their more legitimate em
ployment, will more than indemnify him for the loss of their notoriously
inefficient services on the roads. '
There is not a Civil Officer in the country who is not fully aware of
the irregularities that occur from the out-door employment of prisoners,
and of the inferior nature of the work performed by them.
14. The following is the distribution of those emManufactures,
li.
ployed in manufactures :
Making Cloth,
'.
31

Blankets,
7

Gunny Bags,
27

Paper,
38
Expressing Oil,..
3
Ebony Khulean Nychas,
5
Wooden Handles for Kodalees, Pick Axes, &c.,... 6
Iron Utensils and Instruments,
3
Tattees, Jhamps, &c.,
,
10
Earthen Pots,
4
Chunam,
3
Brick-dust and gathering Lime-stones,
20

33

Cutting and Gauging Stones,

Women, Spinning,

)
8
14
179

The most profitable of these manufactures is that of Gunny bags.

15. The arsenication of the paper in the Jail is improperly perform
ed, and I believe that Hurtal is not the best preparation
that could be employed.
If it should continue to be used, it would be better to boil it with the
sizing, and thus cause its more equable distribution through the pulp
from which the paper is made.
But it would be better, on every account, to use Sunkhya, the white
Arsenic of commerce, or Arsenious Acid, if it can be bought at a rea
sonable rate in the' Midnapore bazar. It is white, and partially soluble in
boiling water, and one-half the quantity would cause more perfect ar
senication than any amount of Hurtal (the yellow Sulphuret of Arsenic),
which is perfectly insoluble in water, and only capable of mechanical
mixture in the pulp.
16. The Magistrate at present possesses no means of gauging the
amount of work done by the prisoners, as he must, of necessity, accept
the statement of the Darogah.
17. The means of extending profitably the manufactures in this Jail
are so great, and the result as respects prison discipline might be so
much increased, that I venture most strongly and earnestly to recom
mend the immediate entertainment of an European Jailor upon a salary
of Rs. 75 per mensem, and the same per centage of profits as is allowed
in other Jails. To enable me to submit this question to Government, I
shall be obliged by the Magistrate's favouring me, at his early conveni
ence, with a statement of the profits at present realized upon jail manu
factures ; the extent to which they are capable of being increased under
proper superintendence ; and the saving to Government that would result
from the in-door employment of prisoners.
18. The present Darogah is quite unfit for so responsible a charge,
and might be transferred to Howrah.
19. Mr. Dobson, the Howrah Jailor, who bears an excellent character,
and has considerable experience in Jail manufactures and discipline,
is available for immediate transfer to Midnapore. The Magistrate is
anxious to have him, and I am equally desirous that he should be
appointed.
E

34

20.

With his assistance, the Midnapore Jail could at once be converted

into a Central Penitentiary, to which all life prisoners,
and those sentenced to long terms of imprisonment, could
be transferred from Cuttack, Balasore, and Pooree, and if no sanitary
objection exists, those also pf Burdwan, Bancoorah, and the Jails on the
south-west frontier.
This would, I beli eve, be attended with a considerable saving to
Government, and with a manifest increase of the efficacy and terrors of
imprisonment.
At present I am convinced that, with the exception of the Jail at Alipore, imprisonment is little, if at all, dreaded in those prisons which I
have recently visited ; that nothing deserving of the name of strict dis
cipline is, or can be, enforced ; and that punishment is ineffective, either
as regards the reformation of the individual, or the deterring of othera
from the commission of crime.
I shall address the Magistrate of the Jails referred to, upon the
subject, and submit the result for the information and orders of Govern
ment, as soon as I have collected the statistical and other details neces
sary.

BURDWANI visited the Jail at this station, accompanied by the Civil Surgeon,
on Thursday, the 13th of December 1855.
. The Magistrate was absent on circuit.
2. The buildings are in tolerably good repair, and some of the pri
soners were employed in levelling and cleaning the comBmidings.
.
,
pound exterior to the wards.
The yards of some of the wards had a very untidy appearance, from
the large pieces of brick lying about. These should at once be rendered
level and smooth ; and the first shoots of the peepul should be carefully
removed from the walls and all the places in which it is found. It grows
with such rapidity as to be eradicated with difficulty if once allowed to,
take root. Its destructive propensities are familiar to every one.
The drains were, in some places, not quite so clean as they ought to be.
3. In the compound I found an ox, and a small flock of goats grazing.

35

The former belonged to the Jailor, the latter to the Burkundauzes. This
irregularity should not be permitted.
Mr. Loch's propos4- None of tne work-yards recommended by Mr.
ed Work-yard*
Loch} have been begun. I should be glad to know the
reason of this.
The prisoners at present, when out of their wards, are too much at
large, and, if bent on mischief, could easily overpower the guard and
escape.
They might also, if ill-disposed, attack the Magistrate, or any other
persons visiting the Jail.
They followed me about, and mobbed me once or twice, but dispersed
quietly when told to do so, and were not otherwise disorderly.
The discipline that can, in such circumstances, be maintained, must
however necessarily be lax, and unsuited to fulfil one of the most im
portant objects of imprisonment.
5. The solitary cells, six in number, intended to be constructed in
the north-east angle of the compound, are too small,
and in the hot season will cause the suffocation of any
prisoner confined in them.
The sun beats directly upon them, they are not susceptible of com
plete ventilation, and are altogether unsuitable.
In similar cells in the Delhi Jail, which I saw three years ago, Dr.
Paton informed me, that every prisoner had lost his health.
6. It is difficult to imagine any Privies more indes
cribably bad, and calculated to cause disease than those
of this Jail.
This has already been pointed out by Mr. Loch, and should be reme
died without further delay, as the health of the prisoners must suffer
from them.
All the Privies, day and night, cause the filth to drop into drains
whence they are daily swept to three outlets at the western wall of the
compound. Here it accumulates in pools of extreme foetor, until dissi
pated in the surrounding atmosphere.
Whenever a westerly wind bio ws, the Hospital and Jail wards are said
to be unbearable.
I know of nothing more likely to cause Cholera at certain seasons of
the year, than the inhalation of an atmosphere charged with the com
pounds of ammonia, sulphur, and other deleterious substances disengaged
from these filthy receptacles of human ordure.

'

36

The deep drain of the day privies, near the tank of water used for
drinking and cooking, in the south-west angle of the compound, was
polluted by the prisoners to an extent suggestive of great neglect of duty
on the part of the guard stationed near this corner.
For the outlet of the filth generally, one of two plans must forthwith
be adopted.
The best in my opinion would be, to construct a tramway with a small
wooden rail, upon the plan adopted by Mr. Schalch, at Balasore, and in
use, I anj informed, at the Hazareebaugh Penitentiary.
Upon this the filth-carts should be placed, and the whole should be
rolled away a sufficient distance to the westward, and there buried in
trenches dug by the prisoners, and covered over with earth once a day.
If this is impracticable, two large cesspools should be dug, to the
greatest practicable depth, and the filth should be washed into them
through a moveable trap, by means of appropriate drains.
This plan is liable to objections, some of which might, however, be
avoided by making them of adequate size and depth, and covering them
with flat roofs.
Upon these an open iron, or perhaps wicker-work grating, should be
placed, 4 or 5 feet in diameter, and loosely filled with -pieces of charcoal,
a foot in depth.
All foetor would thus be effectively absorbed, the remaining salts would
be dissolved in the rains, and dissipated through the surrounding soil ,
forming new and less noxious compounds, and the cesspools would not
need cleaning for twenty years, or until they are actually filled up.
The charcoal would require to be replaced probably twice a month,
and its purity restored by exposing it to an elevated temperature in an
oven.
For night privies, the Allpore plan should at once be introduced.
The Magistrate can obtain the requisite information regarding this
point, from the Magistrate of the 24-Pergunnahs.
I shall feel much obliged by the Magistrate's kindly directing his most
serious attention to this subject, and calling upon the Executive Officer
to furnish the required plans and estimates, so as, if possible, to have the
work completed before the next hot weather.
Any further information that the Executive Officer may require, I
shall be happy to furnish upon his direct application to me.
I am anxious that something should be done before another outbreak
of Cholera can take place.

37

7. In addition to the sources of pollution of the Jail to the westward

Other sources of already detailed, are paddy fields and dirty tanks at the
unhealthiness
. south-west angle, and a very unwholesome jheel to the
eastward, running along the whole length of that face of the Jail.
Three-fourths of all the winds that blow during the year, instead of
removing effete and introducing healthy air, bring an atmosphere laden
with new elements of disease, so that instead of wondering that epidemics
occasionally visit the Jail, I am surprized that they are ever absent
from it.
Of all these, the worst is undoubtedly the jheelfrom its extent, the
quantity of rank vegetation contained in it, and the abundant supply of
malaria that it must furnish when drying up. I could not ascertain
whose property it is, but it ought either to be drained, or a portion to be
filled up, and the remainder to be dug of a sufficient depth, to form a
pure, wholesome tank .
I shall feel greatly obliged by the Magistrate's furnishing me with a
special report upon this important matter, as connected with the sanitary
state of the Jail.
jail Establishment
8. The Jail Establishment consists of :
Fixed Establishment.
1 Darogah,
Rs. 25
1 Jemadar,

15
2 Duffadars, at 6 Rupees each,

12
54 Burkundauzes, at 4 Rupees each,... 216
Total, Rupees...
Extra Establishment.
1 Duffadar.
34 Burkundauzes, at 4 Rupees each,...

268

Rs.
6
136

Total, Rupees,...

142

9. The prisoners, 433 in number on the date of the

.
0
inspection, were distributed as iollows :
In Ward No. 1. 65 All Fouzdary prisoners for burglary, high
way-robbery," theft of cattle or property,
Classification.
,
,
,
&c., under three years sentence.
In Ward No. 2. 103 All Sessions prisoners under and above three
years, for homicide, &c., whose labour is
not remissible by fine.
Prisoners.

38

In Ward No. 3. 26 The same as in No. 1 Ward.

4. 241

5. 111Jy Dacoity
J Prisoners.
eq

6. 49 Non-labouring Prisoners.
7.
2 Sessions Hajut.

8.
0 Deputy Magistrate's Hajut absent on circuit.
9. 16 Female Prisoners.
10. 10 Lepers.
406
27 In Hospital.
433
I have elsewhere remarked upon the inexpediency of confining such
large numbers in Wards 2 and 5.
This classification only refers to the separation of prisoners for the
night.
During the day, all classes have, very nearly, unrestricted intercourse
with each other.
This is very destructive of proper Jail discipline; but, in the existing
state of the Jail, cannot well be avoided.
10. The manner of their employment is detailed
soners on 13th De- below, from a memorandum furnished by the Jail
cember.1855.

Darogah:_

Jhurjhurry Bridge,
Race Course,
Library,
Cricket Ground,
Kaney Sagur Road,
Bore Haut Road,
Cutting Wood,

10
20
10
10
10
10
5

75
Making Bricks,
Civil Jail,
Paper Making,
Weavers,
Blacksmiths,
,
Koomars,
...........1.....

50
12
35
38
3
2

39

Carpenters,
Dome Khanal,
Spinning Pat,
Making Chul,
Making Soorkee,
Rajmistries,

2
13 .
10
3
15
24

Repairing Roads,
Cleaning
6 Jail,

>

Barbers,
Dhobies,
Cooks,
Harees,
Lepers,*
Writers, Sweepers, &c.,
Convalescents,
>Females,
Hospital,
Non-Labouring
Huzoor ka Hookum,

17
13 30
3
*
12
12
10
7
5

35
16
1
-

Total,...
For Life,
Sudder Meady,

DO
1**

433
1
I4

-.

Dowrah ditto,
Fouzdary ditto,
File Jamin,
From other districts,
Huzoor ka Hookum,

164
94
28
122
1
433

Male labouring prisoners,

Male labouring in lieu of fines,
Female labouring prisoners,

367
32

399
16

Total,...

415

* This is not an occupation. I am unwilling to detain the report, by having it corrected.

40

Non-labouring,

Non-labouring by payment of a fine,

15
2
17
1

Huzoor ka Hookum,
Total,...

433

11. Although the number engaged in manufactures

,
.
..
"
is great, the out-turn is not proportionate.
The present Jail Darogah deserves much credit for the proficiency ex
hibited by many of the prisoners in several branches of manufacture ;
but, it seems to me, that too many things are attemptedsome do not pay
well, and the employment of prisoners in others is no punishment. As a
general rule, in task-work, from every prisoner the amount exacted
should be at least equal to that which a free labourer of the same trade
performs- for his maintenance, provided the prisoner has acquired an
average amount of skill in the particular craft. Until he has done so,
the Jailor, who is in this case also task-master, must apportion the quan
tity to be done, never losing sight of the important fact that the chief
object of the labour is punishment.
Refractory prisoners, those confined for murder and the graver crimes,
and all of whom examples require to be made, should be put upon the
severest labour their health will bear.
I saw in one jail, but unfortunately neglected to make a note of it at
the time, an athletic prisoner, who had been convicted of murder of an
atrocious description, occupied in an employment which would have been
easy work for a delicate lad of fourteen.
This is wrong in principle, and the question of, cateris paribus, adapt
ing the labour to the crime and the criminal, deserves the attention of
every Magistrate in the disposal of the prisoners under his charge.
As one great object of the introduction of manufactures is to cause
the prisoners to repay a part, and, if possible, the whole of their cost to
the State, bearing in mind the remarks contained in the preceding sec
tions of this paragraph, those manufactures should be introduced which
pay best, and come least injuriously into competition with free labour
without.
This can readily be ascertained by watching the local market, and
should be a part of the duty of the Jailor to whom the purchase of the
raw materials is entrusted.
Manufactures.

41

The average value of a day's labour from a prisoner in the Burdwan

Jail, is at present 1 anna and 6 pie. This is too low, and by a little judi
cious care and attention, might, I think, be raised without much difficulty.
In instituting a comparison between free and prison labour, it should
not be forgotten, that the free man has to provide for his own maintenance
and that of his family, and that a portion of his time must be giveu to
household cares.
In the case of the compulsory labourer, the stimuli of liberty, and of
benefit to himself from his own exertions, are undoubtedly absent ; but,
as all his reasonable wants are supplied, his raw materials and tools are
found for him, and he has no real physical care for the morrow, the
amount of labour exacted from him should, in no circumstances, be less
than that spontaneously performed by the free labourer.
I beg the serious attention of the Magistrate to these remarks, because
I believe that the majority of, if not all, the prisoners in the Burdwan
Jail are under worked.
The only limit to each task should be the physical endurance and
health of the prisoners: to regulate these, the advice of the medical
officer in charge of the jail is always available.
All changes must, however, be gradually and cautiously introduced,
for obvious reasons.
The female prisoners spin four chittacks of cotton into thread daily, and
some of them complained of the extreme hardship of this amount of work.
I am told that a woman of ordinary skill, in her own house, can spin,
in her day's work, six chittacks, and that this is a fair average.
Should the Magistrate, upon inquiry, find this to be true,my
informant is Mr. Turl, the Jail Darogah,the work required from the
female prisoners, should be gradually raised to the same standard.
order, of
CiyUJail.
, 12.
. , This
, is an,. excellent
,
. building,
in capital
L
which much too little use is made.
The place can easily contain at least 150 prisoners : there are now con
fined in it four persons.
According to a return furnished to me by the Jemadar in charge, the
greatest number ever confined in it at one time, was the following :
In 1850,
31
In 1852,
20 1
In 1854,
14

51,
33

53,
22 I

55,
13
This gives an annual average of a fraction less than 24 prisoners.
The longest period for'which any such prisoners are ever incarcerated,
is said to be six months.

42

The amount of liberty allowed to these prisoners, the nature of the

offences for which they are committed, and all circumstances connected
with them, tend to prove, that their health is less likely to suffer from
confinement than that of criminal prisoners, and that they do not need so
prodigal an excess of space as that which they now enjoy.
' For the safe custody of these prisoners, there are/ now entertained a
Jemadar, 4 Paiks, and 8 Burkundauzes, or three guardians and a quar
ter for each prisoner.
, Should the full average ever be present again, a Duffadar and six
Burkundauzes is the limit of guards that can be required for them.
At present the prisoners seem to have unrestricted intercourse with the
outer world, and a part of the guard was absent at the time of my visitI shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's kindly reporting to me, at his
early convenience, what objections, if any, exist to placing these prisoners
in one of the small wards of the Criminal Jail, of reducing the excessive
establishment now entertained, and of making over the present Civil Jail
for the dacoity prisoners, who are now so much crowded.
I shall be glad also to know why the Civil Jail is not under the charge
of the Jail Darogah, rendering the entertainment of a Jemadar unne
cessary.
Dr. Hastings informs me that, in all outbreaks of Cholera, some of the
criminal prisoners are always removed to the Civil Jail. Here, again,
if there be no major reason, prevention would be better than cure.
13. I perceive in this book, a note by Mr. James, the Sessions Judge,
written nearly fifteen months since, (September 30th
Visiting Book.
...
.
..
p .
18o4) pointing out the untidy state of the yards, from
the size of the pieces of bricks lying about.
I find the same objectionable state of the yards, which seems to show
that the remark of the Judge had not been attended to.
I do not find that the Magistrate's visits to the Jail are recorded, and
shall feel obliged by this omission being supplied in future.
The Civil Surgeon confines his remarks to the quality of the food of
the prisoners.
This is not enough. That officer should periodically inspect all parts
of the Jail, occasionally have the rations re-weighed in his presence after
they are. served out to the prisoners, from time to time examine them when
cooked, investigate on the spot all complaints of the prisoners respect
ing the quantity and quality of their rations, and record in the book the
result of his inspection generally, for the information of the Magistrate.

43

All these matters are of importance in a sanitary point of view, and

as such, are strictly within the province of the Civil Surgeon. Such
inspections should be minutely and carefully conducted at those seasons
of the year when epidemics are prevalent, or there are severe outbreaks
of disease in the town or district.
A few timely precautions would frequently prevent the occurrence of
epidemics, which, when once they gain admission, are difficult to eradi
cate, and destructive. In no cases are preventive and prophylactic mea
sures so efficacious as among bodies of men so completely under control,
as are prisoners in Jails.
To subject them to risks of the curtailment of life, beyond the average
rate of mortality of the class to which they belong, is in excess of the
sentence awarded to them ; and ought, therefore, to be avoided by all
reasonable care and attention.
These objects are not to be accomplished by pampering and indulgence,
or by rendering the lot of the prisoners better than that of honest men of
the same class without, but, by a careful removal of all causes of disease,
of which a medical man is the most competent judge.
Chief among these is the over-crowding of prisoners, and whenever
the numbers confined in a particular ward are such as, in the belief of
the Surgeon, are likely to affect their health, it is his duty immediately to
bring the same to the notice of the Magistrate, in order that such mea
sures may be taken as are likely to prevent the deterioration of the
health of the prisoners.
There is no single fact in science better established than that a certain
quantity of pure air is necessary for healthy respiration, and that this
amount requires to be constantly renewed by ventilation. In India, the
amount of oxygen in a given quantity of air, is less than in countries where
the temperature is lower, and the density of the atmosphere greater.
It would be easy to show how the deterioration of the blood from the
inspiration of impure air operates, both as a predisposing and an exciting
cause of disease, were it necessary to do so.
My object in making these remarks, is to direct the earnest attention
of the medical officer to the prevention of disease, and the timely removal
of the causes likely to injure health.
In Ward No. 2, there slept last night 103 prisoners, and in Ward No.
5, 111,-by far too great a number of human beings to crowd into arch
ed rooms of the dimensions of those referred to, and imperfectly venti
lated, as from their construction they are and necessarily must be. .

44

I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's ascertaining' and reporting to

me, at his early convenience, the exact cubical amount of air contained
in each of the wards referred to, and the proportion which each of the
103 and 111 prisoners respectively had to breathe.
The Executive Officer will make the required calculation, as the arch
ed form of the roof renders it a little difficult to ascertain exactly by
non-professional persons.
The closing of the wooden shutters at night, to keep out the cold,
increases the stagnation of the air, which must, in my belief, be very
foul on first throwing open the wards in the morning.
14. Several prisoners complained of the weight of their fetters, but
Complaints and as tuey were au m g00(^ condition, had no appearance of
Petitions.
having suffered the slightest inconvenience from them,
and as the fetters themselves were of the regulated form and weight, I
told the petitioners. that I considered their complaint ungrounded.
An up-country prisoner complained that the quantity of flour allowed
(7 chittacks per day) was insufficient to satisfy his hunger. He seemed
in good health notwithstanding.
One prisoner has two cataracts, and is stone-blind. He seems to me to
be a fit subject for remission of punishment, as he can commit no more
crimes, and now requires another prisoner to lead him about, and take
care of him. His case should be represented through the proper channel.
An old Deputy Collector, much reduced by dysentery in the Hospital,
begged hard for a softer bed to lie on than the hard earth. He may be
allowed a charpoy as a special case.
The remainder of the petitions are in writing, and shall be disposed of
hereafter.

BANCOORAH.
I visited the Bancoorah Jail on Saturday, the 15th of December,
1855. The Magistrate was absent on circuit. The Darogah accompa
nied me.
2. The Jail generally was in an extremely clean and creditable state,
and I have not yet visited any wards so perfectly free
from smell of any kind. The prisoners had not long
left them at the time of my visit, so that had there been any want of
ventilation, it could not have failed to have been perceptible.

45

These wards are all provided with an upper set of square ventilating
windows, reaching to the spring of the arched roof, similar to those which
I caused to be constructed for the same object in the upper wards of the
Medical College Hospital. I do not think, therefore, that gumla ventila
tors are wanted, and as this is also the opinion of all the Civil Officers at
the station, the roofs need not be pierced for the purpose ; the more espe
cially as the former Magistrate believed, that it would be dangerous to
try the experiment.
Drains.
3. The drains were all good and clean.
4. The night privies were perfectly free from smell, yet I am dispos
ed to doubt the prudence at all seasons of the year, of
allowing the ordure of the prisoners to fall into open
drains, and be swept through the prison in the morning. This converts
the whole drainage of the prison, once in every twenty-four hours, into
a cloaca, from which deleterious gases must be disengaged.
In existing circumstances, I am inclined to prefer the Alipore plan of
gumlahs, and removing the filth daily.
The day privy was polluted by the prisoners to an extent that shows
great carelessness on the part of the guards. Both guards and prisoners
should be punished, if the practice be persevered in.
5. The food of the prisoners is good in quality, and
all concurred in representing it to be ample in quantity.
I examined it in both the raw and cooked condition.
Cook-rooms.
6. The cook-sheds were clean and sweet.
7. With the exception of the blacksmith's shop, all the places in
which manufactures are carried on, were in a credit
able state. In the corners of the smithy were a collec
tion of cobwebs and dirt, which I directed to be removed.
8. The manufactures carried on are too numerous, and I concur
with Mr. Loch in thinking, that such very light work
as making and stringing small wooden beads, should be
resorted to as little as possible, unless it pays well, which I did not ascer
tain to be the case.
The paper manufacture is chiefly carried on in a large mud
enclosure without the Jail, on account of the scarcity of water within.
This is very objectionable, and must certainly be the cause of every
species of irregularity under a native establishment. I have remark
ed, elsewhere, upon the means of obtaining an adequate supply of
water.

46

The arsenication of the paper is altogether wrongly performed. If

procurable at a reasonable rate, white arsenic (Sunkhya) should be boiled
with the sizing, before this is mixed with the pulp, by means of which
the equable distribution of the poison through the paper would be
secured.
If Sunkhya is not to be had, and the Hurtal continues to be employed,
after being reduced to a fine powder, it should be carefully mixed and
boiled with the sizing, and then with the pulp. It is perfectly insoluble
in both hot and cold water, and unless kept constantly well stirred,
would form a precipitate at the bottom of the vessel.
Half the amount of Sunkhya would be a more efficient protective than
the quantity of Hurt&l now coarsely rubbed over the surface, and
polished into the paper.
The blankets of the prisoners are purchased at a distant marketThey should, in future, be obtained from Hazareebaugh or Alipore, a
timely indent for the supply being sent in.
9. All the wells, but one, in the Jail enclosure, are nearly dry at
present. This might, I think, be remedied by digging
Wells
them a little deeper as soon as they are perfectly dry.
For this purpose, convict labour should be used, but cautiously and with
every precaution against accidents, as the wells are already tolerably
deep.
Mr. Lock, I see, noticed the absence of a sufficient supply o water
within the Jail for bathing, and asked the Magistrate to suggest some
means of remedying this want. No suggestions have ever been made, so
far as I can ascertain.
The Darogab informed me that many prisoners were employed in
paper-making outside, because there was not enough water within.
This being so, the steps necessary to correct this double evil, should
not be delayed.
There are two modes of accomplishing it, and the most economical
should be adopted.
The one is to throw out an extension of the Jail wall, so as to enclose
the sepoy tank, or a sufficient space to dig a new tank. This, I fear,
would be a somewhat costly proceeding.
The other would be to dig a well of the largest possible span, say 16
or 20 feet in diameter. The mode of proceeding is simple. After mark
ing the ground where the well is to be sunk, a ring of solid masonry of
the diameter mentioned, should be constructed, and the earth excavated

( 47

within and beneath this, until it inks to the level of the ground, and
the same process should be continued until the whole has attained a suffi
cient depth to secure a permanent supply of water, at least 8 or 10. feet
in deepness, from the springs in the soil.
Adjoining this, and connected with it by a masonry channel, should be
built a pucka bath, 20 feet square, raised slightly above the level of the
ground, with a strong floor of masonry.
The filling of this bath daily by the prisoners, would afford three
hours of severe labour to refractory subjects.
When the prisoners have bathed, the water would be available for
thoroughly flushing all the drains of the Jail and Hospital.
The same well would, in all probability, furnish sufficient water for the
paper manufacture, now carried on without the Jail enclosure.
Mr. Schalch, the able and energetic Magistrate of Balasore, has con
structed such a bath in his jail, and would, I am sure, if applied to, send
a plan and section of it, with a detail of its cost. It was built entirely
by convict labour, under his personal superintendence.
The same officer constructed wheels at Midnapore, for raising water
from a depth. They did not succeed, but a slight modification would, in
my belief, answer well.
I shall feel obliged, therefore, by the Magistrate's consulting Mr.
Schalch and the Executive Officer in this matter, so as to furnish me with
an early report regarding it.
10. The records of the Jail are creditably kept, and were brought
up0 to date. There is here,
however, as in everv
Records.
.
J other
Jail under a native Darogah, an absence of efficient
check upon the purchase of raw materials, their consumption in manu
facture, and the sale and store of the articles made.
As the Magistrate has ample occupation of greater importance, the
most efficient practicable check would probably be for the Assistant to
take the stock of some particular article at uncertain times, and this
would be a fair guage of the general accuracy or otherwise of the Daro
gah. This would occupy little time on each occasion, and would always
keep the Darogah on the alert.
The purchase of raw material requires to be regulated upon some
fixed general principles, and I shall be prepared, when my first tour
of inspection has concluded, to submit proposals on the subject for
the consideration of the different Officers in Bengal in charge of
Jails.

(
11.

48

The Hospital and its Dispensary were clean and creditable, and
the patients evidently well cared for. There were no
cases of serious sickness among them at the time of my

visit.
12.

The Moodie's shop is well placed, and ample for its purpose.
Mr. Loch objected to the issue of the supplies within
the Jail, and suggested the Sudder entrance as a more
eligible arrangement.
The inmates of Indian Jails in general, see far too much of the out
side. Every possible means of confining the prisoners strictly within the
walls should be resorted to. It would, therefore, be better to make a
small opening in the wall of the Moodie's shop bordering the Jail enclo
sure, sufficiently large to hand in all supplies, and carefully closed after
each day's issue, so as to prevent its being used as a means of escape.
The outer door should be carefully barred and locked, and the key
left with the Darogah, so as to enable him to enter the room at all times,
in the event of its ever being tried as a means of escape. This is the
plan adopted at Midnapore, and with success.
13. The Civil Jail was clean and healthy, and conCivil Jail.
,!/
tamed iew prisoners.
The gate was left wide open, and I found the sepoys of the detach
ment at Bancoorah, resorting freely to the well within the walls, for water
to drink and cook with.
This is an irregularity, and should not be permitted, particularly as
there is a tank close by, from which, I was informed, good and whole
some water is procurable.
14. The changes suggested by Mr. Loch in the female prison, have
been carried into effect, and with advantage. The
quantity of thread spun by them seemed to be less than
the average of free labour in the bazar. This can easily be ascertained
by the Magistrate, and if it should prove to be so, the amount of task
work exacted should be increased in a corresponding proportion, so as to
raise it to at least the average out-door standard.
Suitable means of punishing refractory females seem to be much want
ed in all Jails. They would be found, I believe, in some harder labour,
such as grinding corn, &c.
15. A few prisoners begged to be allowed to submit a petition, and I
Complaints.

directed the Darogah to furnish them with paper for the

purpose.

49

There were very few complaints, and most of them so trivial, as to be

disposed of at once.

, ,

MUNGLEPORE.
I visited this Hajut at daybreak on Monday, the 17th of December,
1855.
2. The prisoners were all outside in the compound,
Op tig i*iil sts,tc
warming themselves round a small fire of sticks. In a
shed, a few paces removed, were one or two guards occupied in affairs of
their own.
The Jemadar and the remainder of the guard were fast asleep, and -on
turning them out, I found a Sepoy sentenced to three months' labour for
theft, occupying one of their charpoys, and in every way acknowledged
as one of themselves. He was sick, and the cause of his being among
the guard was in consequence of there being no other suitable place in
the Hajut for him.
All this, however, is wrong, and might easily be remedied at little cost.
3. The Hajut is a cutcha building placed within cutcha walls, and
is. little better than an ordinary
Buildings.
J native hut of large
b
dimensions. It has a light thatched roof, composed of
very inflammable material, and were it worth the while of the prisoners
to escape, I believe that a very small amount of battering would rapidly
effect a practicable breach in the walls.
4. Mr. Tayler, the Joint Magistrate, in charge of the Sub-division,
informed me that his Head Quarters were likely to be
Recommendation.
,
,
. .
_
.
romoved, at an early period, nearer to Kaneegunge, the
rapid growth of which, from its railway connexions, will render it here
after a place of some importance, with a turbulent and fluctuating popu
lation.
If this be so, a new Hajut will be required, and as Europeans, as well
as people connected with the railway, and the miners, will most likely
become occasional inmates, it should be a more secure and appropriate
building, than the one now existing at Munglepore.
It should have an external wall of masonry, with separate compart
ments in distinct yards for men, women, a hospital, and quarters for the
guards. In each of these yards should be a cook-shed, a privy, and a
well, with suitable surface drains.
G

50

The inner buildings might be cutcha-pucka, with tiled roofs, but all
boundaries should be of burnt bricks.
The quarters for the guards should be at the entrance, and at a suffi
cient distance from the outer wall should be a palisaded ditch, to prevent
communication with the Hajut, and to aid in its effective drainage. This,
and the intervening ground, should be kept scrupulously free from accu
mulations of dirt and rank vegetation. Upon some such plan as that
above mentioned, a design for a model Hajut might be prepared by the
Executive Engineering department, and if convict labour were employed
in building, burning the bricks, digging the foundations, &c., the cost
ought not to be great.
All prisoners sentenced to more than three months' labour at Munglepore or Raneegunge, should be sent by rail to Burdwan to be incarce
rated there.
So should all women, as with native establishments, I hold it to be
next to impossible to prevent irregularities in regard to them.

BEERBHOOM.
I visited this Jail at day-break on Tuesday the 18th of December
1855, immediately on entering the station.
2. The buildings are in good repair, and the whole
BuildiDgs.
_ .,
.
,
.
,. , ,
Jail was in a clean and creditable state.
It is to be regretted that it was originally made with arched roofs,
without any means of ventilating through the ceilings. I do not con
sider the apertures made for Mr. Loch's gumlah ventilators to be
sufficiently large to carry off the effete air of the wards when crowded ;
and it would probably not be safe to attempt to enlarge them.
In the plan filed in my office, the Jail is noted to have been constructed
in 1819, at a cost of rupees 63,385, to possess 13,401 superficial feet
of accommodation, and to be capable of containing 375 prisoners.
From the peculiar conformation of the wards, and the" difficulty of
improving their ventilation, I am of opinion, that it will never be altogether
safe or prudent to exceed that number in the hot season.
3. The greatest defect of the wards at present is the privy accom
modation, which is extremely bad and defective, and
PrjyiftS
cannot fail to be detrimental to the health of the
inmates.

51

The filth of every ward, and that of the Hospital, when patients
suffer from Diarrhoea and Dysentery, is at present washed right through
the Jail ; and however carefully this is done, it must, and does, contami
nate the air in its immediate vicinity.
The supply of water for flushing these drains is not sufficient to do so
effectually, so long as they serve as cloacae.
The cheapest and most readily applicable remedy will be the intro
duction of the Alipore plan, viz., placing suitable vessels in a corner of
the Ward, and removing the accumulated filth the moment the wards
are opened-in the morning, so that none of it shall, at any time, pollute
the prison drains.
The opening of the drain of the Hospital privy into the Jail, must
be closed as soon as gumlahs to catch the filth, and admit of its being
carried off at once, are procured.
'
The whole accumulation should be removed to a sufficient distance
from the Jail, and buried in a trench to be dug by the prisoners daily.
The present night privies must be closed, and no longer used as such,
as soon as the gumlahs referred to are procured.
To aid in the purification of the air, small pans of charcoal, about a
foot in diameter, and containing an inch and a half in depth of charcoal
should be placed in each corner of every ward.
I shall be happy to sanction the cost of the above arrangements upon
the Magistrate's submitting to me an estimate prepared iu the usual
manner.
If there be any difficulty hi the matter of carting away and burying
the filth at a sufficient distance from the Jail, I shall feel obliged by the
Magistrate, in communication with the Civil Surgeon, selecting a suitable
site, outside the Jail walls, and not in the direction of the prevailing
winds, for sinking a couple of cesspools. They should be dug sufficiently
deep to command a perpetual supply of water, the filth should be
introduced by a valvular trap, shutting spontaneously, and air tight
when closed.
At the top of the cesspool should be placed a frame capable of holding
a large basket of charcoal, at least a foot in depth, and covering an area
nearly equal to that of the cesspool.
By this means all deleterious gases will be absorbed as rapidly as they
are disengaged ; and the occasional heating of the charcoal in an oven
will restore its power of absorption and purification, so that the cesspools
will be no annoyance to the neighbourhood.

52

The remaining matter will be diluted, and percolate through the

adjacent soil.
In this manner, I have reason to believe, that the health of the inmates
of the Jail will be materially improved at a comparatively trifling cost,
and that one of the greatest difficulties in tropical Jail economy, will be
satisfactorily solved.
4. The Civil Jail has already been condemned, and a new one sanc
tioned. For this, Mr. Moncrieff, the Executive Officer,
Civil Jail.

.
has submittted an excellent and carefully prepared
design, but, as I am unable, while on circuit, to consult the records and
correspondence on the subject, it may remain in abeyance for the present,
especially as the number of Civil prisoners is very small, and rarely
exceeds its present average.
They can be confined in the Criminal Jail, and their present
quarters can then be immediately made useful for a purpose mentioned
hereafter.
5. The Commissariat Stores now lodged in the Criminal Jail should
be removed as soon as the Collector is able to find
Commissariat Stores.
.
suitable accommodation for them elsewhere.
If he wishes for them, he may use the golahs recently erected by order
of Mr. Loch, should the Magistrate entertain no objection to his doing so.
I am not prepared Jo authorize their being employed in the manner
designed by Mr. Loch, until I have carefully gone through the records
on the subject.
6. The Visitor's Book is carefully kept, and shows that the state of
the Jail occupies much of the attention of the Judge,
Visitor's Book.
Magistrate and Civil Surgeon. The latter Officer has
also a special record of the cases in which he recommends the fetters
of the prisoners to be removed. As a general rule it is not expedient
to multiply records unnecessarily, and all such cases, may appropriately
be introduced into the Visiting Book.
The removal of fetters and similar indulgences must be resorted to
with great care and discrimination, and only in cases of absolute and
urgent necessity.
It must always be borne in mind, that a prison is a place of punish
ment, in which its penal character should never be lost sight of.
I have never entered a Jail yet, in which I have not received urgent
appeals for the removal of fetters ; the diminution of labour ; the increase
of food and clothing ; the privilege of receiving the visits of friends and

53 ")

relatives, and similar requests, which show that the prisoners generally
entertain a very erroneous notion of the objects of imprisonment, and
evidently consider themselves the victims of society.
In the ten Jails which I have up to this time been able to visit, and
among the large body of prisoners contained in them, probably exceeding
4,000, 1 have not seen more than four individuals whose appeals were
such as I deemed to be really worthy of serious attention.
*?. The manufactures in the Jail have been almost entirely stopped
by the state of confusion into which it has been thrown
Manufactures.
by the Sonthal insurrection, converting it into a fortress,
a magazine, and a granary.
There are at present no proper means of occupying prisoners within
the walls, and the only manufacture carried on outside is that of paper,
which is very badly done.
8. The great object in the first instance will be to find simple labour,
Plan for labour in pre- wmch with hard work and profit, will need no skill
sent circumstances.

qj. train ill it.

This desirable object may, in my belief, be attained at once, by causing

the husking of rice and grinding of flour for the troops, to be done within
the Jail, in the shed now occupied as a Commissariat godown, and with
as much extension of similar accommodation as may be necessary, should
it not be deemed advisable to use the Civil Jail for the purpose.
The grinding is at present carried on outside the Jail, and in a most
objectionable manner, by the means of prison and free labour in juxta
position. In the long temporary shed, I saw a number of male prisoners
grinding corn in the immediate vicinity of a large number of women
hired from the neighbouring villages. The sudden influx of troops, with
no local means of providing for their immediate wants, was doubtless the
cause of this, and in the circumstances it was unavoidable. But there
is no reason why it should continue, especially if Sooree is, for the pre
sent, to become a cantonment.
The Collector informed me, that the cost at which he was compelled
to issue Attah to the troops was most ruinous, and that he was
extremely desirous of effecting it at a cheaper rate by means of prison
labour.
Should the Magistrate concur in my views, I beg to suggest the fol
lowing plan for adoption :
The cutcha buildings, forming the Civil Jail, are to be removed.
There is no immediate urgent necessity for this. The civil prisoners

54

may be at once removed to the ward in the Criminal Jail, recently occu
pied as a godown.
In the Civil Jail buildings, and in cheap temporary sheds around
the walls, may be placed as many chuckees as there are prisoners to
work.
The grinding must be done by task-work, and the prisoners marched
into the Civil Jail in squads to work them.
I am unwilling to fix the amount that should be ground for each task,
as this can be better and more judiciously done by the local authorities.
It should be, at least, as much as the women grind for their six pice,
and may be increased in the discretion of the Magistrate, to such amount
as can be accomplished without injury to the health of the prisoners.
The prisoners should be informed that they will be released from work
each day, the moment the allotted task is done, and not until then.
The Sonthals especially should be put to this work, as their misconduct
has caused its necessity.
The Collector may then, I think, store his grain, either in a portion of
the Civil Jail buildings, or in the golahs constructed by the orders of my
predecessor.
The paper manufactory may, for the present, remain in abeyance, and
if the Magistrate needs any. of the prisoners removed to Burdwan to be
returned, to assist in the preparation of the food of the Sepoys, he had
better apply directly to Government for the necessary sanction, as I shall
be absent in Behar, and unnecessary delay would occur in referring
to me.
The health of the prisoners in the Criminal Jail will be less likely to
suffer from the arrangement above suggested, than if it were carried on
within their own walls.
9. The point of greatest present interest connected with this Jail, is the
disposal of the Sontlial prisoners. The grievous inhuSonthal Prisoners.
.

manity of these misguided criminals towards the victims

of their ruthless raids, is almost sufficient to place them beyond the pale
of commisseration ; and no severity of punishment and jail discipline
can be too stringent as the just punishment of their crimes.
But, unfortunately, like the Coles and all similar tribes of savages,
who are more mountaineers than people of the plains, it is impossible to
subject them to imprisonmeut without great risk to their own lives, and
incurring the hazard of their bringing pestilence and contagion into all
places in which they are confined.

55

The weekly sanitary reports of the Jail, which the Magistrate kindly
sent for my perusal, show that the Sonthals are no exception to the rule
referred to, and that if they are accumulated in large numbers in Jails, a
very considerable mortality will be the inevitable result, whatever plan
of treating them be adopted.
In their own jungles they are reported to be gross animal feeders, liv
ing even upon the flesh of what most nations regard as vermin They
are scantily clothed, always more or les3 exposed to the vicissitudes of
the seasons, and would seem to indulge largely in potations of ardent
spirits.
Like the Negro race, they do not appear to be much affected by mala
ria, which is not to them a poison of the same character as it is to the
white races, and even to the inhabitants of the plains of Bengal ; hence
they dwell with impunity in jungles, which are as pernicious to the
sepoy and his officers, as the great poison valley of Java would
be.
To these physical circumstances must be added the moral considera
tion which ethnology shows to be common to all inhabitants of hill
countries, viz: the peculiar despondency which overtakes them when
placed in confinement, and causes them to fall rapid victims to all
depressing agencies, the most prolific and intractable sources of
disease.
The same exactly is seen in all wild beasts, and particularly in the
monkey tribes, who rapidly become scrofulous and die, in spite of the
most abundant supply of wholesome food and air, and the most careful
regulation of the temperature of their places of imprisonment.
After the Cole campaign, the prisoners in the Bancoprah Jail, under
the experienced and able management of Dr. Cheek, suffered severely
from hospital gangrene, and the mortality among them was frightful.
Like causes in all circumstances produce like effects, and it would be
wise, if possible, and the state policy which demands the punishment of
rebellion admits of it, so to dispose of the Sonthals as to profit by the
experience of the past, without encouraging other savages to repeat the
same experiment.
In the first place, I think that a small quantity of coarse animal food
daily should be allowed to them.
The propriety of granting them a dram is a graver question, for while
the laws of physiology teach us that it is always dangerous suddenly to
change habits, even which are vices, and in themselves injurious to the

56

human constitution, every consideration of morality and policy shows

that such inhuman wretches as the Sonthals have proved themselves to
be, are utterly undeserving of any indulgence. The least objectionable
plan would probably be to grant a dram for some time to all Sonthal pri
soners from whom a hard day's work had been exacted, and to deny it to
all who will not work. As soon as the prisoners become accustomed to
their new mode of life, the dram should be diminished, until it is alto
gether stopped. The whole process ought not to take more than six
months to accomplish.
With reference to the place of their confinement, if accommodation
can be found for them, and the means of guarding them are at hand, it
would be far more expedient to send them to the Hazareebaugh Peniten
tiary than to bring them down to the plains.
Should they be too numerous to be thus disposed of, I would counsel
their being sent to work in large gangs upon the railroad, or the Dacca
and Arracan road, or to construct a new road, should one be contemplat
ed, between Jessore and Dacca, suitable means of feeding and guarding
them being provided.
In any case, I fear the mortality among them will, of necessity, be
great, from causes beyond human control, if they, who so righteously
deserve it, are to be punished at all. It will, I believe, be less in the
plan proposed above, than if they are distributed through the Jails in
the plains. It possesses also a recommendation which I deem to be
deserving of every consideration, viz. that if pestilence occurs, it will be
confined to those whose wickedness has compelled the Government to
punish them, and will not extend to the other inmates of the Jails,
who, whatever .their own crimes have been, have not participated in the
cruel murders and spoliation of the Sonthal insurrection.

In continuation of my Memorandum on the Beerbhoom Jail,

and more particularly with reference to that portion of
Sonthal Prisoners.
it which related to the treatment of Sonthal prisoners, I
have the honor to submit for the information of the Honorable the Lieute
nant Governor, the following further particulars which I have since
gleaned.
The great importance of the subject must be my apology for again
referring to it.

57

2. From Dr. Cheek, of Bancoorah, who has had great experience in

the management of prisoners generally, and of the hill tribes in particu
lar, I ascertained that the Sonthals in his employ, live upon animal food,
with an admixture of such vegetable substances as they are able to
afford, and that they drink a strong fermented liquor, prepared from rice,
probably resembling the Shamshoo of the Chinese. Dr. Cheek, in an-'
swer to my inquiry on the subject, attributed the frightful mortality
among the Coles and Boomishes, in 1833, after the Cole campaign; partly
to the known depression which causes all such savages to sink and die
when incarcerated, " like old birds when -caught and confined in cages,"
and partly to their having been injudiciously over-fed, after suffering
severe privations previous to their capture.
Dr. Cheek is of opinion, that an allowance of animal food should be
granted to the Sonthals twice a week, and vegetables daily with their
rice ; that great care should be taken, on their first imprisonment, not to
over-feed them, and to avoid the production of sores on their limbs from
irons.
Likewise, that they should not be sent to any lower jails, than those of
Bancoorah, Beerbhoom, or Midnapore, that not more than 100 should
be sent to any of those Jails, and that they should be employed in small
gangs, and in task-work on the roads, in preference to any more seden
tary labour.
3. From Mr. Rivers Thompson, the active and zealous Magistrate of
Beerbhoom, I obtained the following particulars, elicited at my request,
from the Sonthals now in his Jail. He says, that the men who gave it'
came from both the Bhaugulpore and Beerbhoom districts, and generally
coincided in their statements.

They said, that in the way of vegetables, they eat chiefly the " kudoo,"
"maun," and "bugra" produce, and d&l of the "komta urhur" and
" burbutee" descriptions.
" They liked the meat of all animals, and mentioned bullock, pig, buf
falo, sheep, goat, fowl, tiger, deer and bear. They would eat the flesh
even if they found the animal dead. They would eat any kind of bird,
and two descriptions of snakes, which they called the Dhewira and Bora."
" They told me, that the usual time of their meals was at noon, and in
the evening ; and about their spirits, though they said they only drink it
once or twice in the month ; I rather think it was as often as their money
would allow them the luxury. The kind they generally consumed was
that made from the Mehwah fruit.
H

58

" I asked them about their mode of dress, &c. they informed me that
the common Sonthals wore merely a waist cloth, which they called ' kuporee,' and sometimes one over the shoulder.
" But the richer Sonthals, and those who were chiefs, wore not only the
'kuporee,' but a 'dhotee' over it, besides the long cloth across the
shoulder and round the body.
" They seldom had extra clothing for the winter ; but during that
season, in the night, they always slept round large fires. I think in this
Jail, they miss their fires more than any thing else. A blanket seems to
them but little compensation for the loss of their comforts."
This accords very much with what I learnt regarding those who had
been employed on the Railroad.
4. Of the hundred prisoners sent down to Alipore, whom I saw yes.terday, one arrived in a sickly state, and is believed to be dying of con
sumption, the rest appeared tolerably healthy. This I attribute very much
to the excellent management of that Institution, and to the very judicious
plan adopted by Mr. Floyd, of not placing them upon full rations, until
they were accustomed to the extreme change in their diet and habits.
They were all employed in making strings to weave into gunny cloth,
and seemed very quiet and tractable.
5. From the above, I am inclined to suggest that these particulars
should be made known to every Magistrate in whose custody Sonthal pri
soners are placed, for their information and guidance ; and that in their
management, the very judicious recommendation of Dr. Cheek should be
adopted.
6. I am still of opinion, that great mortality will occur among them
hereafter, and that it will not be safe or prudent to collect them in large
numbers in any Jail.

HAZAREEBAUGH.
This Jail is about two miles from the Penitentiary, is
placed in a large enclosure surrounded by a mud em
bankment and ditch.
I visited it on Monday the 7th, and Tuesday the 8th of January, 1856,
accompanied by the Civil Sufge'on, the. Magistrate being out in the
district.
x

59

It was not seen by Mr. Loch.

2. The wards are long, roomy, tiled sheds, with common uneven clay
floors. They are badly-ventilated, without drainage,
and unsuited for the confinement of large bodies of men.
The Privies abut upon the wards, and the ordure is received in carts
lined with zinc, which are wheeled away every morning.
So far the arrangement is good and healthy ; but the prisoners foul
the floor of the privy, instead of mounting the steps, and thus pollute
the air of the wards to an extent that was very perceptible, notwithstand
ing their having been thoroughly cleansed just previous to my second
visit.
There are two gates to the Jail ; one, the Sudder entrance, opening on
the main road, the other in the rear of the enclosure, leading by a small
bridge over the moat to the maidan, where the prisoners are marched out
every morning.
At the former gate is a guard of burkundauzes, but the palisades at
the side of the gate are broken, and I passed in and out through them
without let or hindrance.
The other gate was absent, and I was told by the Darogah that it had
been taken away to be mended.
On a raised parapet, alongside of it, was a sentry with a loaded musket,
who had orders to shoot any prisoner leaving the compound, upon the
requisition of any burkundauz on duty.
Upon the parapet are tiled bamboo sentry boxes, so constructed that a
man standing inside them can see nothing but the interior of the building.
They are constantly requiring repairs, and are liable to be blown away in
a gale of wind.
The work-sheds are close, ill-constructed buildings, of the same charac
ter as the wards. The quarters occupied by the burkundauz are still
worse and more unsuitable.
The women's ward, in which there were two females, is in the same
enclosure with that of the men.
The cook-sheds are tolerably good, with the exception of those attach
ed to the Hospital, which are open and exposed.
The Jail compound and wards are without any thing deserving of the
name of drains, so that water spilt is absorbed by the ground on which it
falls.
To remedy all these defects thoroughly and properly would require a
large outlay, which I am not prepared to recommend, as I am of opinion

60

that this Jail should be abolished as a separate institution, and amalga

mated with the Penitentiary.
By this a considerable saving would be effected in guards and
establishment, the discipline of the prisoners could be materially
improved, and their labour rendered profitable, which it is not at
present.
As it is, the greater number of labouring prisoners are at present
marched to the old European barracks, nearly two miles away, to work
with those of the Penitentiary. The time lost, and cost of guards are
considerable in this very undesirable arrangement, and yet I consider it
to be much preferable to employing them in their own Jail.
3. There is no attempt at classification of prisoners,
Classification.
,
.
. _ , .
.
nor does the construction or the Jail admit or it.
4. The manufactures consisting of weaving, settringee-making, basketmaking, and similar amusements, for, as conducted by
Manufactures.
the Darogah, they cannot be considered as labour,
scarcely yield any profit worthy of the name, and are useless as measures
of prison discipline.
The transfer of the Fouzdary prisoners to the Penitentiary has al-
ready I believe been recommended; but as there are no records in
my office on the subject, I know not what steps have been taken
in the matter.
Be that as it may, I am so clearly convinced of the necessity of abo
lishing this Jail entirely, as an expensive and useless establishment, that I
do not deem it necessary to enter into any further details here, as they
are contained in my memorandum on the Penitentiary.
5. The prisoners complained generally of the insufficiency of the food
Diet and hours of Siven to them' In the Justice of this complaint I do
Feeding.
not concur, if the whole amount allowed is fairly meted
out to them.
The officers in charge of the Jail should occasionally have the rations
re-weighed after issue to the cooks. There does not seem at present to
be a sufficient check upon the Darogah or the Moodie.
If this duty were occasionally performed by the Assistant and the
Civil Surgeon, unexpectedly, it would not occupy much time, and would
tend to check fraud.
The Magistrate ha3 too much to do to attend properly to such details
of management, and yet they are absolutely essential to the proper regu
lation of the establishment.

61

The hours of feeding the prisoners have not been judiciously selected,
and I entirely disapprove of their cooking and eating their morning meal
directly they get out of bed.
The human stomach is not fitted at that time to assimilate a full
meal, and the interval which it causes between the two meals is too
great.
If there be no local objection, I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's
causing the prisoners' meals to be served out to them at 11a. m. and 5
p. m. in the cold weather, and at 11 A. M. and 6 P. m. at all other
seasons.
The Civil Surgeon is of opinion that some of the sickness is caused by
the withholding of tobacco. I am afraid that I cannot concur in this.
The use of tobacco is a vicious luxury, and its abuse is invariably attend
ed with injurious consequences. It is not necessary for the healthy per
formance of any function in the human economy that I am acquainted
with, and I believe that those who have indulged in it for years, even
from the earliest age, can abandon it with impunity and advantage.
In the course of my professional experience, now of nearly twenty
years, I have, on several occasions, been compelled to prohibit .the conti
nuance of its use by most inveterate smokers, and have never known its
disuse to have been followed by any permanent ill.
In the cases of those prisoners who become scorbutic, a greater variety
of vegetable food is necessary, and will hereafter, I hope, be supplied by
attaching kitchen gardens to jails where this is feasible.
The greatest causes of sickness are, in my belief, the result of over
crowding and of endemic influences, most of which are removable by
careful drainage, ventilation, cleanliness, and judicious employment.
6. Two day and four night sentries, with loaded arms, are furnished
from the detachment of the troops at the station. Their
Guards.
.
.
, ,. .
.
T
...
instructions should be written, as 1 consider it exceed
ingly dangerous and improper that a prisoner should be liable to be shot,
as he is at present, upon the simple verbal requisition of an ignorant burkundauz. The prisoners are evidently in such wholesome terror of load
ed fire-arms, that a resort to extreme measures would not appear to have
been necessary.
By the judicious employment of steady men, properly armed and with
clear instructions, I believe that more than one-half of the present mons
trously overgrown and useless guards might be most beneficially dispens
ed with.

62

7.

The fetters of the prisoners are of different weights and patterns.

Those of the bar description are particularly bad, and
must be discarded as soon as they can be replaced by
link fetters, not exceeding a seer and a half in weight. They can be
made at the forge in the Penitentiary : care should be taken that they
are smooth when finished, as the smallest asperities on the surface of iron,
cause abrasions and sores on the limbs of the prisoners.
The fetters of all kinds were clean and in good order.
" 8. Some of the burkundauzes are too old for active duty, and none
of them are properly armed. The tulwars should be
slung to the wrist by a leather thong, to prevent their
being wrested from the hands of the guards by resolute prisoners.
9. The Hospital is in good order, but the building is
not a suitable one, having the same defects as the wards.
The sick sepoys occupy one portion of it. I am told that a special
hospital has been sanctioned for them.
Serious cases of sickness from the town are admitted to and treated in
the Jail Hospital, there being no Dispensary in Hazareebaugh for the
reception of such cases. There were in the Jail compound, at the time
of my visit, a lunatic from the district, and a boy who had been gored by
a buffaloe. I have remarked in a separate Memorandum upon the advi
sability of establishing a Civil Dispensary at Hazareebaugh.
The Jail Hospital establishment is insufficient for times of great sickness.
The Civil Surgeon may be called upon to report on the subject, and I
shall feel obliged by the Magistrate transmitting his statement with any
remarks that he may wish to offer upon the subject himself. As a gene
ral rule, all correspondence regarding the Jail and prisoners should be
submitted to my office.

HAZAREEBAUGH PENITENTIARY.
I visited this institution on the 7th and 8th of January, 1856, accom
panied by Dr. Kelly, the Civil Surgeon, the Magistrate being absent from
the station on Circuit.
2. The Penitentiary is only a Penitentiary in name. In nature it is
nothing more than an ill-contrived prison of the ordi
nary description, with an European Jailor. The

63

prisoners are collected in large bodies in two over-grown bungalows, one

or both of which were formerly the hospital of the European Corps
quartered in the cantonment, when it was occupied by Her Majesty's
Troops. There is a third place similar in character, but considerably
smaller. In three barracks slept, on the night of my inspection, 214, 190
and 112 prisoners, respectively. The floors are of clay and flush with the
ground, and there is no roof ventilation.
3. The ward for women is not only in the same compound with those
of the male prisoners, but is otherwise so accessible,
Female Prisoners.
,,. T
, .. . .,

that 1 am convinced it is the scene or every species

of irregularity, whenever the back of the European Jailor is turned.
One example brought to my notice by Sergeant Rix, is so flagrant, that
I can scarcely suppose it to have escaped the notice of the Magistrate.
A woman confined for life for the murder of her husband, is employed
as the cook of the women's ward. The paramour for whom the crime
was committed is also an inmate of the Penitentiary, and Mr. Rix says he
cannot prevent their " getting together."
There is certainly not a solitary cell in the place in which to isolate
any bad character, whom it may be desirable to separate from the others,
yet I cannot help thinking that a scandal of this kind ought to be pre
vented, by any means that can be resorted to.
Until the new Penitentiary is built, the women should, I think, be
removed. I beg to recommend that, if the local officers know of no
objection to it, the murdress be removed to Alipore, and the other women
to Bancoorah.
This measure will release a ward that may be appropriated to male
prisoners, and get rid of irregularities, some of which cannot be prevented
in the Penitentiary as now constructed.
4. The Cook-sheds are improperly constructed, and there are cooking
places scattered about the Jail in most unsuitable
places, such as abutting on the carpenter's work
shops, &c. . .
There are too many people employed in cooking, and too great a sub
division of castes allowed, in consequence of which the. messing system
is not fairly introduced here, as it ought to be.
5. The present accommodation is so inadequate for the full employ
ment of prisoners, that a considerable number are
daily at work in the old barracks across the Paradeground.

A4

New Work-sheds have been sanctioned, and great care should be taken
that they are properly constructed, with the materials of the old bar
racks, which are falling to pieces.
Before the sheds themselves are commenced, the boundary wall of the
extension of the Jail compound should be raised, and the ditch dug, so
as to prevent the necessity of the employment of any more ticca burkun
dauzes in watching the prisoners. The prisoners from the zillah Jail
might also be employed in this work, and if a couple of sentries with
loaded arms were placed over them during the day, few of the idle and
useless burkundauzes would be necessary at all.
6. The works performed are numerous and miscellaneous, and some
of them are fairly executed ; but there appears to be
no fixed plan or system pursued, so as to render the
employment of the prisoners as suitable and profitable as possible.
The facilities for working in iron are so great, that they should be
extended as much as possible, as the whole of the Jails in Bengal and
Behar night easily be supplied with fetters, bars, bolts and all their iron
work from Hazareebaugh at a cheaper rate than they can be made
elsewhere.
I have requested the Civil Surgeon to favor me with all the informa
tion he can gather respecting the sources and extent, as well as cost of
supply of iron ore, lime and coal ;and when I am in possession of his
report, and of the annual statement of the works executed in this Peni
tentiary, I will issue more special instructions upon the subject of the
labour of the prisoners.
There are no means at present of controlling the labour of the prisoners,
and an undue proportion of the Jailor's time is occupied in measuring
their work.
All this must be remedied when the new work-shops are built, and the
dismissal of a large number of the extra burkundauzes now employed,
will admit of the entertainment of craftsmen in their stead, to teach, and
at the same time superintend the work of the prisoners.
7. - The same objections apply to the time of feeding the prisoners,
that I have noted in connection with the zillah Jail,
Hours of Feeding.
. T,
,.
,
.
. , .,
and 1 beg to direct the serious attention ot the Magis
trate to the necessity of altering the existing practice. Again, all prisoners
from the plains and from Behar require acclimating when first sent to
Hazareebaugh, and in their disposal, until they are well accustomed to the
place, the Civil Surgeon should in all cases be consulted, and his injunctions

65

implicitly obeyed. By this means, much sickness would be prevented,

and probably some lives be saved.
In the Agra Jail, and in all European corps an excellent practice pre
vails, viz., that of a complete sanitary inspection of the prisoners and
soldiery by the Surgeon, to detect all concealed disease, and to ascertain
the state of health generally of the men.
The introduction of the same practice at Hazareebaguh, and indeed in
all Jails, would undoubtedly be beneficial. The regulations of the Govern
ment require that the Surgeon should visit, and inspect the Jail generally,
once a week, and this inspection might be made at the same time as the
sanitary examination to which I have referred above.
The results of the Surgeon's inspection should be carefully noted in the
visiting book, and his suggestions be received with every attention by the
Magistrate.
8. The Hospital is very ill-adapted for its purpose, and a particularly
objectionable practice prevails of allowing the sick to
mess and cook with the prisoners in health.
In a new distribution of the buildings, the Hospital should be in a
separate enclosure, with a distinct establishment, as obtains in all other
Jails, whether well or ill-regulated.
Among the prisoners is one from Maunbhoom, aged 48 years, who has
a double cataract, and is stone blind. He was sentenced to seven years'
imprisonment in irons, of which four remain unexpired.
He engages the whole time and attention of another prisoner to take
care of him. If a fit subject, he should be operated on, and restored to
sight by the Surgeon.
If unfit, his case should be represented, through the proper chan
nel, for a remission of the remainder of the sentence, as he is not
only an expensive incumbrance, but is incapable of committing further
crime.
9. The Visiting Book contained merely the record of the Surgeon's
visits. As in all other Jails that are properly con
ducted, the visits and remarks of all authorities in
charge of the Jail should be recorded.
The Assistant to the Magistrate should frequently visit and make him
self thoroughly acquainted with the internal economy, discipline and ma
nagement of the Jail and prisoners, so that when, in the course of promo
tion, he is advanced to the higher grade, he should not then, with his time
fully occupied in other matters, have his work to learn. He has so much

66

more time at his disposal than the Magistrate, that he might, in my belief^
in this manner, be most usefully and profitably employed.
At the time of my visit there was no officer at the station with powers
to act in the event of an outbreak of the prisoners. This is a serious
matter, and ought to be brought to the- notice of the Government, that
means may be devised of making some provision in the absence, on
circuit, of the Magistrate.
10. The person immediately in charge of the Penitentiary was for
merly, and may be still, a non-commissioned officer,
European Jailor.
named Rix. He is an intelligent man, and before enter
ing the army, was the foreman of an extensive manufacturing concern
in or near London. He is apparently well able to superintend workmen,
but I doubt much whether, from education, habits, and the other qualications necessary, he is fitted to have the control of a large body of prison
ers. There are questions connected with prison discipline that need an
amount of temper, self-control, firmness and knowledge to solve, such as
are not likely ever to be found in the class to which Sergeant Rix belongs,
and which can only be expected from a well-educated professional man.
The eminent success of the Jails at Agra and Lahore, in the hands of
Drs. Walker and Hathaway, may be adduced as proofs of the accuracy
of my opinion, while the absolute failure of the Penitentiary at Deegah
. may," in my belief, be in some degree (independent of local causes) traced
to the unfitness of the officers placed in immediate charge of it.
It would not be difficult to show, in minute detail, the ground of my
opinion one example must suffice for the present. Sergeant Rix inform
ed me that the only punishment for refractory prisoners, and for those
who do not perform the tasks assigned to them, is cutting or stopping
their rations. He could scarcely resort to a more injudicious and impro
per mode of punishment, or one more likely to injure the health, without
improving the conduct, of the defaulting convicts.
No professional man would ever think of employing so objectionable a
means of coercion, as he would know perfectly well how difficult it is
ever to restore the health of a prisoner who has become sickly in confine
ment.
Again, Sergeant Rix says that there are half a dozen refractory prison
ers in the Jail who are the plague of his life, whom he has no means of
controlling or punishing, and who are. a bad example to the rest. One of
them, whom he pointed out to me, he declared to have attempted his life
a short time since.

67

An officer armed with higher powers than could safely be entrusted to

Sergeant Rix, would not experience the same difficulties in the discharge
of his duties.
upon a proper footing
Conclusion.
.11. To
. place the Penitentiary
. ,e
,
will require to re-cast it altogether.
To enable me to submit a report to Government on the subject, as soon
as I return to Calcutta, I shall feel much obliged by the Magistrate's
ascertaining and reporting to me, at his earliest convenience, with the aid
of the Executive Officer if he requires it, what number of solitary cells,
raised two feet from the ground, well ventilated, and of the capacity of
500 cubic feet each, can be constructed from the materials of the old
barracks and public buildings now rapidly falling to ruins.
Also whether good bricks can be made at the station by the prisoners,
and at what cost?
The most suitable place for the cells would, I believe, be the old paradeground.

BURHEE LOCK-UP.
I visited the Hajut at this subdivision, in company with Mr. Tweedie,
the Deputy Magistrate, on Wednesday the 9th of January, immediately
on reaching the station.
2. The Hajut is a small mud building, consisting of low, dark, unventilated compartments, into which air and light were
admitted by small holes through the walls. The floors
are of clay, and there are neither cook-rooms, nor any conveniences
attached to it. Even water must be brought from a distance.
3. It has no permanent guard, the Deputy Magis
trate being compelled to borrow people from the Thannah for the safe custody of the prisoners.
4. There were two prisoners awaiting trial, and both
Prisoners
were fettered, which the Deputy Magistrate declared to
be absolutely necessary to prevent escape.
I believe the practice to be illegal, and that other measures for safe
custody should be resorted to, even in non-regulation provinces.
5. There is a Native Doctor attached to the Hajut, named Shaikh

68

Rahim Udin, who, if I remember rightly, was a rejected student of the

Hindustani class of the Medical College some years since.
I examined him, and find him to be quite unfit for an independent
charge, while I believe he would do very well in a Corps or Dispensary,
under the charge of a superior officer.
His medicine chest contained a great array of physic from the Hazareebaugh store, the greater part of which could never be of any use to
him.
The instruments consisted of a cotiple of dissecting cases and lancets.
There was also another old Native Doctor at the place in charge of the
road coolies, who seems to have a very small quantity of some simple
drugs, and not to know the use of them, as I ascertained by examining
him. _
The salaries of the two, amounting to 35 Rupees monthly, should be
united to procure the services of a competent person, and the present
incumbents can be remanded to positions where they may be useful,
without the risk of being mischievous.
The station 'should be furnished with instruments, and the means of
reducing dislocations and putting up fractures.
Accidents frequently occur on the Grand Trunk Road requiring assist
ance, which cannot at present be obtained.
Mr. Tweedie told me that a few days ago an officer was thrown from a
dawk carriage in the Dunwa Pass, and fractured his arm, for which the
Native Doctor was not able to do any thing.
6. A new Hajut, with an external wall and proper internal accommoNew Hajut requir- dation, is absolutely necessary. There is an abundance
ei
of stone and wood in the immediate neighbourhood, and
lime is extremely cheap, so that when the materials are collected, it could
be built at small cost by the temporary transfer of fifty labouring prison
ers from Hazareebaugh.
I have requested the Deputy Magistrate to send me an estimate of the
probable cost of a suitable building, and will duly transmit the same as
soon as it reaches me, with such remarks as may be required.
The question of guards is one on which I am not at present possessed
of sufficient knowledge to express an opinion.

BEHAR.
I visited this Jail, on the morning of Thursday, the 10th of January
1856, accompanied by the Civil Surgeon of the Station, the Magistrate
being absent in the District. My visit was quite unexpected, as I walked
into the station, and my inspection was made before my arrival was
known.
I again visited the Jail, on the 11th of January, chiefly for the purpose
of inspecting the guards, and I examined it a third time, on the 12th
of the same month.
2. Mr. Loch mentions in his memorandum, of the 5th of May 1854*
that as the Gya Jail has been condemned, it is not necesBuildings.
sary to do more than suggest such temporary changes
in its arrangements, as will improve its condition, until a more suitable
building is erected. Of Mr. Loch's suggestions, few have been attended
to, chiefly because the former Magistrate deemed them undesirable or
impracticable.
It is difficult to imagine a place more entirely unsuited for its purpose.
Built in the midst of a large and populous town, inhabited by a bigotted,
unruly and impracticable race, surrounded by wood-yards and combustible
buildings, undrained and unventilated, with no possible means of
classifying the prisoners, and of making imprisonment serve its ends,
I do not think it right to continue to use it as a place of imprisonment
even until a new Jail can be built, if the prisoners can be otherwise
disposed of. There are also, in my belief, many reasons against having a Jail at
Gya at all, except for the imprisonment of Civil offenders, and all sentenced
to terms of imprisonment less than a year in duration.
A new Jail will cost a large sum of money, and need a considerable
establishment to work it, and unless it be so constructed as to secure
separation of the prisoners, strict classification, and a judicious system of
profitable labour, it will neither be penal, nor reformatory, and, therefore,
be a burthen, without any corresponding benefit, to the State.
So far as my present limited experience of Indian Jails extends, the
greatest mistake in regard to them, I believe, to be their unnecessary

70

multiplication, as it is now well known that, to render any system of

imprisonment thoroughly efficient, without incurring an amount of cost
utterly incommensurate with the end to be attained, requires the absolute
separation of offenders of different classes, and their congregation in such
numbers as to render their labour profitable and their discipline severe,
without being harsh or inhuman. I hope, hereafter, when I have collected
the necessary information, to be able to prove that central penitentiaries
will effect a considerable saving in the now costly expense incurred by
the State in maintaining a notoriously inefficient system of imprisonment,
which cannot, by any means, be made to subserve the great ends of
incarceration, viz., the punishment and reformation of offenders, and the
prevention of crime, the protection of Society being therein included.
But, even the existing buildings, bad as they are, may be rendered
more habitable, and less unhealthy, by a little judicious care.
The wards at present are used as receptacles and repositories for old
rags, unconsumed and uncooked food, and pots and pans of all sorts and
sizes, which interfere seriously with cleanliness, and assist in the ad
ditional pollution of an atmosphere which is at present, from the utter
absence of ventilation, sufficiently unwholesome. I shall feel obliged,
therefore, by the Magistrate's causing all filthy rags, such as I found in
abundance, broken chillums and vessels, and dirt of every description
to be removed at once from the wards, leaving to the prisoners only
their clothes, bedding and drinking vessels. It should be carefully
explained to them that this is a measure absolutely necessary for the
preservation of their health, and not intended to interfere with any
legitimate indulgence, which may be properly extended even to criminals.
For the cooking vessels, suitable shelter may be formed by hanging
jhamps against the outer wall, so as to protect the men when cooking from
the sun and rain. They should be so fixed as to render it impossible
for them to bear the weight of a man, and thus be used as a means of
escape. They should also be placed at such a distance from each other,
as that, in the event of any of them catching fire, it may at once be
isolated and removed, and thus prevent a general conflagration.
There is a large quantity of dirty rubbish, in the shape of broken bits
of vessels, lying about all the corners of the various yards. I have
already directed the immediate removal of all such things in my recent
Circular on the subject of getting rid of all avoidable sources of disease
in Jails, and I shall feel obliged by the strictest attention being paid to
my instructions in this important matter.

71

With some hundreds of labouring prisoners at his entire disposal, the

Magistrate can experience no possible difficulty in keeping the Jail clean,
and free from such obvious impurities as I have referred to.
3. The proper drainage of the Jail is past redemption without incur
ring considerable expense, but I think that, with the
advice and assistance of Mr. Sandys, the Judge, who has
paid much attention to such matters, it might be considerably improved
at a trifling cost. A small surface drain, of the excellent concrete
invented by Mr. Sandys, should be connected with the wells' and cooksheds, to carry off all superfluous moisture, which is now absorbed by the
ground. I am sure that Mr. Sandys will kindly afford his aid in this
matter.
4. In the roof of every one of the wards, three apertures for ventila
tion could, at small cost, and with no difficulty, be open
ed ; and large tiles, made of Mr. Sandys' concrete,
could be placed so as to permit the passing out of the effete air of the
wards, without admitting rain. They should be about two feet in length,
and formed like a saddle to ride upon the ridge of the tiled roof.
They could easily be attached so as not to be liable to be blown down
or washed away by wind or rain.
I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's consulting the learned and
ingenious Judge in this matter also.
5. I find three different kinds of fetters in use at this Jail, and two
of the prisoners were manacled hand, foot, neck and
Fetters.
body, more like wild beasts than human beings.
They are doubtless desperate characters, and it is necessary to deal
more stringently with them than with the bulk of the prisoners ; but as
the present Darogah is evidently afraid of the prisoners, and there is no
means of separating the worst characters, it would be better to have such
desperadoes removed to Alipore, when they could be tamed by more
legitimate measures, than a resort to means of coercion which were con
sidered barbarous even in a by-gone age.
The Darogah told me that more than one of these men had threatened
his life, and that it would not be safe to unchain them.
The Magistrate should, I am of opinion, represent especially to the
Government, the cases of all those whose influence and presence in the
prison are prejudicial, in order that they may be removed at once, should
there be nothing in their sentences to forbid their banishment.
The hand-chains of all the Sonthal prisoners should be removed, as
'

72

well as those of some other prisoners, unless the Magistrate has anyspecial grounds for retaining them.
They appear to have been manacled for safe custody in transit; and,
as they are now securely lodged in Jail, it does not appear to me to be
necessary to retain these extra ligatures.
The old bar fetters are objectionable, as they afford no additional
security, while they are extremely apt to injure the limbs. Indeed, I
saw evidence enough in the Jail of the mischief produced by them,
to lead me to request that the Magistrate will, as soon as he can,
change them for link fetters, not exceeding one seer and a half in weight.
The fetters themselves are roughly and badly made. They should be
smooth, even when new, otherwise they injure the skin with which theycome in contact,
Link fetters, after a time, wear away at the points of contact ; and I
saw some so thin that a moderate blow with a stone would probably
break them. All such should be replaced by new ones, as they are
temptations to escape when worn. .
6. These are at the lowest state of efficiency, and the Darogah admitLabour and Mann- te^ ^at tnere was no means of compelling any prisoner
factures.
to perform the task allotted to him.
The work-sheds are all outside the Jail, and were in a very dirty,
untidy state, as pointed out more than a year since by Mr. Loch.
I hold it to be useless and impracticable to attempt any reform in the
manufactures, with the means at the disposal of the Magistrate; but
there is no reason why the work-shops and their alentours should not be
kept clean.
7. In addition to the guard, there are enterEstablishment.
, . ,
tained :
A Darogah,
Rs. 25 0 per month.
A Naib Darogah,
15 15

A Jemadar,
10 0

3Duffadars,
18 P

77 Burkundauzes,
308 0

3 Mehtirs,

9 0

1 Lohar Mistree,

6 0

In all, Rupees 396 15 per month.

This is a heavy cost to incur for so inefficient and useless an establish
ment, as this evidently is.

(
8.

73

The guard is furnished from the Behar Station Guards. I inspect

ed tlvem minutely, and found them clean, well-dressed,
and tolerably well set up.
Their ammunition pouches are badly made, and they are armed with
old bright-barrelled flint muskets. They never mount with loaded arm?,
nor even with blank ammunition, so that in the event of the escape of a
prisoner, or a riot requiring immediate action, they could only depend
upon a clumsy weapon, which a resolute desperado would not experience
much difficulty in wresting for them.
They should, I think, be armed with percussion rifles, having a sword
bayonet attached, similar to those used by the Chasseurs de Vincennes,
and the Austrian Yagers.
In the day time, two of the sentries should mount with loaded arms,
and at night four should be so armed.
The Guard accompanying the Magistrate, Judge, Inspector, or any
other Officer visiting the Jail, on duty, should have loaded fire-arms, so as
to be able to act at once in the event of an outbreak. The mere fact of the
arms being loaded would probably always prevent any attempt at outbreak,
as the boldest ruffian would quail before the certain fate that would
await any attempt upon the life of a Magistrate or Superintending Officer.
At present, I am convinced that little confidence can be placed in any
Jail Guards, and that the prisoners, if resolute and determined, could
kill any officer, whose acts were unpleasing to them.
The Guard are very badly lodged, both at the Jail and Hospital, but
I am unwilling at present to recommend any change regarding them,
that would involve expense.
The Soubadar is most attentive to his duties, and I was much pleased
with the state of efficiency in which I found his guard.
9. The Hospital was in as good order as the building will admit of.
It wants roof ventilation, and some means of separating
lepers from other patients. In fact, I think that a
special Leper Asylum for all prisoners afflicted with that loathsome disease
should be formed; as they are manifestly unfit inmates of Jails, or of
ordinary Hospitals.
New surface drains are wanted in the Hospital, and the guard should
certainly be removed from the back verandah. They disturb the inmates
of the Hospital, and the place is low, damp and unhealthy for themselves.
I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's kindly informing me, whether
he can find any other suitable place for this portion of the guard.

74

10. The Female Prisoners are few in number, and

are better housed than the other inmates of the Jail.
1 1 . There is a special ward for prisoners of a better class, where
they appear to enjoy an amount of luxury and conZemindars' Ward.
......
sideration, quite unsuited to a place of punishment.
All practices at variance with the discipline of a Jail, should be strictly
and carefully prohibited by the Magistrate.
Many of the criminal
prisoners stated openly, in the presence of the Darogah, that the wealthy
prisoners purchased every forbidden indulgence, while they were subjected
to every species of oppression. I am afraid there was too much foundation
for the statement. It was uttered in an undisguised bitterness of spirit,
that savoured of the truth.
12. The prisoners complained much of the newness and bad quality
of the rice served out to them, and also of the substituDiet.

'
tion of mustard oil for ghee.
The rice I found to be new, and not of good quality. The Contractor
says, however, that it is eaten by the inhabitants of the city and district,
and that none other is procurable. The Magistrate should inquire into
this, as new rice is undoubtedly unwholesome, causing disorders of the
digestive organs.
Oil is now so dear, that ghee can be procured for the same price, as I
was informed by the Contractor. If this be the case, I shall feel obliged
by the Magistrate substituting the latter for the former, as I entertain no
doubt that ghee is much more wholesome as an article of diet than mus
tard oil.
There is no fish or flesh occasionally issued in this, as obtains in other
Jails ; the same unvarying diet is given every day in the year. This is
one of the results of the improper contract entered into, and should be
remedied, if possible.
The prisoners also complained that the price of leaves, mats, leather to
protect their limbs from the irons, and all such matters was deducted
from their rations, and that it was not the practice in other Jails. The
complaint seems to me to be well-founded, and should be remedied if
possible.
I find that a contract has been made for three years, of which two still
remain, and that the Contractor has to feed and furnish each prisoner
with the materials of eating and cooking, at 4| pice per head.
I concur with Mr. Loch in deeming this a most objectionable proceed
ingFemale Prisoners.

75

Mr. Loch, in the 14 th and 15 th

paragraphs of his Memorandum dat
ed 5th May, 1854, quoted in the
margin for readier reference, sug
gested a change in the system of
contract adopted.
Mr. Fowle, in his reply, stated
that
Para. 12. " What you recom" mend in the 14th para., as regards
-" the contract for feeding the prisoners, could not, I think, be carried out
" to any advantage. There is no water carriage within sixty miles of
" Gya, and consequently no importation of grain. The inhabitants there" fore are entirely dependant on the produce of the district, and when the
" rice crops fail, which they do to a certainty three years out of every
"five, and almost entirely one year out of three, grain is as low as 17 or
"18 seers for the rupee. The feeding the prisoners at such times, would
" be very expensive and precarious. The Contractor, on the present sys" tem, is enabled at periods to purchase a store in advance, so as to meet
" contingencies of such a nature. I do not think that the prisoners could
" be fed at a less charge than they are at present, considering the great
t' disadvantages under which this locality labours. What you recom" mend was tried at this Jail by Mr. Drummond, I believe, but with no
, " advantage, and the existing system was again had recourse to. I shall
" feel obliged if you would let me know whether, under the circumstan" ces, you would wish it experimented on again, as the present contract
"will expire at the end of the year."
Absent from my office records, I know not what rejoinder, if any, niy
predecessor made ; but I cannot admit the soundness or validity of Mr.
Fowle's reasoning.
The great objection to the system in force is, that it is now the
interest of the Contractor to cheat the prisoners in every way that he
can, both by giving short weight, and the worst food that he can
supply.
The rations, so far as I can ascertain, are never examined or re-weigh
ed after issue to the prisoners ; and it is not reasonable to expect that a
Magistrate, with his time fully occupied in other more urgent work, can
possibly be responsible for such details of management.
it is much to be regretted that a contract for three years was made. I
Para. 14. " Tour contract, for feeding
"prisoners, is so much per head. This
"plan is objectionable, and I would feel
"obliged by your contracting in future
"for each article separately, so that only
" the exact quantity of each article con" sumed may be paid for ; it enables you
" to check all extravagance, and on mak" ing a fresh contract to see in what you
" may have paid too much."
15. "Before concluding a contract of
"this kind, you ought to make minute
"inquiries as to the real average bazar
" rates, throughout the previous years."

76

shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's furnishing me with a copy of the

document authenticated from his records.
I have much reason to fear that the Contractor is a wealthy man, who
has the entire command of the market, and uses the power with which
this arms him, as might be anticipated.
I have very little doubt that the complaint of the prisoners in this
instance is well /ounded, and I shall feel much obliged by the Magis
trate's giving his best attention to the subject, upon his return from
circuit.
I directed the Contractor to bring to me samples of the food supplied
by him. It is not to be supposed that he selected the worst in his store,"
and yet I found the rice supplied in the Jail to be dirty, and of inferior
quality, as well as new.
The mussalahs were reduced to powder, and are issued by him in this
state. A better method of securing adulteration could not be adopted.
The quality and quantity of the food of the prisoners is essentially
connected with the maintenance of their health, and as the Magistrate,
without an Assistant, cannot attend as constantly to it as is necessary to
prevent fraud and falsification, it would be better, I think, to place it, as
well as the conservancy of the Jail, in the charge of the Civil Surgeon.
That officer, in the regular course of his duty, visits the Jail Hospital
every morning, and, I am sure, would not grudge the little extra time
that it would take to see that the Contractor and Darogah acted fairly in
their respective capacities.
13. The prisoners take their first meal as soon as it can be prepared,
after they leave their beds in the morning, and the
Houl-s of Meals.
.
, .

,
.
,
second on their return from work at 4 or 5 m the after
noon.
This is an unhealthy practice, and quite opposed to the habits of the
people in Behar, as well as in Bengal.
Perhaps the Magistrate will kindly inform me what objection, if any,
exists to feeding the prisoners at 1 1 A. M. and 6 p. M., in the hot weather
and rains, and at 10 a. m. and 5 p. M. in the cold weather.
14. The messing system has never been fairly introduced into this
Jail, probably because an injudicious method of attempt
ing it terminated in an outbreak with loss of life, some
ten years since.
There are now 53 cooks employed for 504 labouring prisoners, or in
round numbers 1 to "9$.

77

;.. It is true that the prejudices of caste in Behar are very strong, as
might be expected from the general ignorance and bigotry of the popu
lation, yet it seems preposterous that men of the same caste cannot take
food from the hands of each other, and that every petty sub-division of
the same fraternity, should have rules and practices of its own.
With the agency now at the disposal of the Magistrate, I fancy that it
will be difficult to remedy the abuses that exist ; yet I think that a little
judicious inquiry and cautious introduction of more stringent regulations
would be attended with benefit, without any fear of raising the angry
passions of the tenants of the Jail.
15. This record shows that the officers in charge of the Jail, visit it
frequently ; but I do not find that the remarks made in
it receive sufficient attention. The medical officer, on
several occasions, has pointed out improprieties committed by the Con
tractor in regard to the prison rations, but it does not appear that he was
ever fined or punished for the non-fulfilment of his agreement.
The Contractor has excellent certificates from many of the officers
under whom he has served, and doubtless is a good man enough, if well
looked after. I am of opinion that he should be punished in every
instance in which a breach of contract is substantiated, and I am convin
ced that if this be done, there will be fewer complaints regarding their
food from the prisoners.
16. A suitable place should be built for the Darogah to live in. He
Darogah's Quart- at Present occupies an open shed near the main entrance.
tsAs the Jail must be removed, a single room over the
sudder entrance, by convict labour, will be sufficient for the present, and
cost little.
Eubbish in tie
^- The remains of a wall and old room removed
wad.
from the Hospital, obstruct the road near the principal
entrance.
This should be removed at pnce by the labouring prisoners. It is
unsightly, and obstructs the sentry box, which is nearly covered by it.
18. When returning from inspecting the quarters of the guard, and
Detection of im- the outskirts of the Jail, on the morning of Saturday
proprieties.
the 1 2th of January, in the main street of the town,
close to the gate, I perceived three men bartering at the shop of Jesumut
Singh. Dr. Allan who was with me^ immediately stopped his buggy,
and I arrested the men, and with the aid of a Chowkeedar, took them
back to the Jail ; one of them had a lotah in his -hand filled with rice,

78

and in a piece of cloth, was the dholl for the dinner of his mess appa
rently. This he attempted to conceal, and then to throw away, but I
picked it up, and on being examined, in one of the corners was found
enough dried Gunjah to render a dozen chillums intoxicating. A portion
of the rice and dholl had disappeared, but the man declared that he had
bartered none of it, and that it was as he had received it from the cook.
If so, but there was no proof of it, short weight must have been issued.
The names of the three prisoners are Dilwar (Ruj war), Milwar (Rujwar),
Juggooah Mussur, and the one on wliich the Gunjah was found is Milwar
All the while we were walking through the town, there was no
Burkundauz with the prisoners. The man shortly afterwards appeared
at the Jail, and gave an account of himself which was manifestly untrue.
The name of the Burkundauz is Jaffir Khan.
I directed the Darogah to detain the whole of them, and to report the
circumstances to the Native Officer in charge of the Magistracy, the
Principal Sudder Ameen.
,
Immediately afterwards, on driving towards the Station, we fell in with
another Burkundauz, named Tankah, in charge of five prisoners. These
were straggling over a space of about forty yards, and one of them was
in familiar conservation with a well-dressed townsman, from whom he
doubtless received every forbidden luxury, to solace the pains of his
imprisonment.
I beg to bring these cases to the particular notice of the Magistrate,
as they prove that, in his absence, the most obvious irregularities are
practised, without any attempt at concealment, in the open day, and in
the public streets.
Had I been armed with the powers of a Magistrate to try and punish
such cases on the spot, the result would have more effect than can possibly
follow the investigation which the Magistrate will doubtless direct to be
made by the Sudder Ameen.
19. I walked through the Jail on the evening of the 11th. The
Fires in the Wards Wards resembled a gipsey's encampment from the
at night.
number of fires burning in them. These fires are ap
parently made from the charcoal saved from the firewood allowed for
cooking. Some of it doubtless found its way in from sympathizing
friends without, or is openly purchased by the prisoners, in the daily
excursions which they make through the town.
The whole proceeding is an irregularity which should cease, and, in
fact, could not have existed, if the Darogah had been fit for his office.

79

20. , I regret exceedingly

to
& J to have been compelled
r
find so much fault with the state of this Jail.
I do not attach the smallest blame in regard to it, to the present
Officiating Magistrate, who has been on circuit since his appointment,
and the evils themselves are evidently the consequence of long continued
neglect.
Many of them are undoubtedly caused by the imperfect construction
of the Jail, beyond the power of any Magistrate to remedy.
Much may, however, I think be done, by judicious care and manage
ment, to remedy existing abuses either until a new Jail is built, if such
be the determination of the Government, or until the prisoners are other
wise disposed of.
I shall feel obliged by the Officiating Magistrate's sending me, at his
earliest convenience after returning to the Station, a special report in
detail as to the measures which he proposes to adopt, in consequence of
the statements contained in this memorandum.
Conclusion.

PATNA (MEETAPORE).
I visited the Meetapore Jail on the morning of Tuesday, the 16th of
January 1856, accompanied by the Magistrate. I again visited it on the
17th of the same month with Dr. Dicken, Civil Surgeon of Patna.
2. The buildings are in good order, and the whole Jail is clean and
creditable ; I should have been disposed, a priori to con
sider the clay-floors unhealthy, but defer to the expe
rience of the local officers, who consider it preferable to pucca flooring,
in consequence of the large amount of Saltpetre in the soil.
The three wards without roof ventilators may be furnished with them
at once ; and the day privy and well for the female ward, already sanc
tioned, may also be supplied immediately. The portion of the passage
wall that is collapsing, may also be rebuilt. The whole should be done
by prison labour, and I shall be happy to sanction the expense, upon the
Magistrate's submitting an estimate in the usual form and manner.
3. The Work-sheds in the yards attached to each ward, are, as pointed
out by Mr. Loch, too small and crowded, and interfere
Work-sheds,
with the tidiness and cleanliness of the wards themselves,
'

80

As almost all the prisoners now labour within the walls of the Jail, and
their labour is profitable, the means of extending manufactures and of con
structing proper working-sheds are deserving of every consideration.
New Work- sheds, suitable for different branches of manufacture may
be constructed in the space between the outer wall and the wards, without
interfering with the ventilation of the latter. They should be constructed
gradually, and entirely by convict labour, the bricks, tiles, and all the ma
terials used, except wood, being made in the Jail, for which the requisite
means exist. The wood may be procured cheaply, if sent for from other
districts, where it is abundant. The season for bringing it should be
selected when carriage is cheapest.
By this means, in the course of two or three years, the manufacturing
arrangements of the Jail may be rendered complete, at a comparatively
trifling cost. In order to reduce the number of guards superintending
the labour of the prisoners, the external work-yards should be separated
from each other by the cheapest palisading that can be constructed.
Wood is now so dear in Patna, in consequence of the great demand for
the Railway, that I do not deem it advisable to adopt Mr. Loch's palisad
ing, as it would be extremely costly.
A small ditch, with a low earthen wall, surmounted by a cactus or
aloe hedge, would be cheap and efficient, and might be made to contri
bute to the drainage of the compound.
Perhaps, if he sees no objection, the Magistrate will be so good as to
construct one before the setting in of the next# rains, by which its utility
or unsuitability will be fairly tested.
At present, as mentioned to me by the Judge, the Magistrate and all
officials connected with the Jail are exposed to very unnecessary risk in
visiting the wards and yards in which the prisoners work.
The strict and excellent discipline of this Jail, is very unpalatable to
prisoners accustomed to lax management and little labour in other Jails,
in consequence of which they are anxious to exchange their present quar
ters, and, if disposed to violence, are able to gratify it with little risk to
themselves, as occurred a short time since in the attack upon the Darogah
By placing the Work-sheds outside, separating them, and over-looking
them, as now obtains at Alipore, the number of Burkundauzes may, I
think, be diminished, without any risk of inefficient supervision.
4. The Privies, although carefully cleaned, are not of the right sort,
and pollute the air of the Jail enclosure to an extent
that must be injurious. The filth now falls into a deep

81

pucca drain, through which it is washed the whole length of the building.
This drain has been carried to a distance from the Jail at some expense.
A slight change in the present plan, at small cost, would obviate the
objections that I entertain regarding it.
In place of falling into the drain it should be collected beneath in
earthen vessels, or in boxes lined with zinc, on which, as at Hazareebaugh.
by placing a small ridge an inch or so in height at the bottom of the
drain, it could be converted into a tram-way, (as Mr. Schalch has done
at Balasore,) and the whole could be carted or carried away, early in the
morning, without leaving any unpleasant trace of its passage through the
drain. Should this plan be adopted, a door will have to be opened in
the external wall of the Jail. It should be low, and made of bar iron
securely fastened, when it could not be used as a means of escape. I
shall feel much obliged by the Magistrate's submitting to me a plan and
estimate of the cost of carrying this suggestion into effect. The health of
the Jail will be materially improved by it, and the cost should be. defray
ed from the surplus profits of manufacture.
The lime now used in the drains might then be dispensed with entirely.
As a chemical disinfectant its supposed virtues are very doubtful, while
its use is somewhat costly.
5. The diet of the prisoners is ample and wholesome, and secures
an amount of variety which I have found absent in
Diet.
some Jails. I quite approve of the substitution at the
recommendation of the Civil Surgeon, of an equivalent in value of ghee,
in the place of mustard oil supplied in most Jails, and almost invariably
objected to, by both prisoners and Medical Officers.
The morning meal is, I am of opinion, taken at too early an hour to be
wholesome, but so long as the health of the prisoners is not affected by . it,
I do not deem it absolutely necessary to recommend any change in the
existing practice.
The articles of diet are constantly inspected by the Medical Officer, so
that their quality is well ascertained ; but there is no equal certainty that
the prisoners get the full quantity sanctioned.
I concur with my predecessor, therefore, in deeming it of importance
that the rations should occasionally be re-weighed after issue, in the pre
sence of some competent authority. The Magistrate and Civil Surgeon
of Patna have both an abundance of work, without adding to it ; yet, if
some arrangement can be made by which this important end could be
secured, it would certainly be of great advantage.

82

6.

The fetters were all bright and clean, but there is no necessity for
their being rubbed with such destructive benevolence as
Fetters.
f
.
to cause them rapidly to wear out.
They are at present of various weights and patterns. They should be
gradually assimilated in form and weight, as opportunities offer, to the
pattern sanctioned by Government upon the representation of the Sudder
Dewanny Adawlut.
There was one prisoner in confinement, a portly-looking individual, who
was not only manacled, hand, foot, neck, and body, with a weight of iron
not easy to carry, but in addition, chained at night to the bars of a
window.
The whole proceeding is barbarous and inhuman ; but, the culprit has
so often broken out of Jail, and exhibited so much ingenity and resolu
tion in effecting his escapes, as, in the belief of the Magistrate, to render
it impossible to retain him in safe custody by any other means at his
disposal.
If this be so, and I have no reason whatever to doubt it, I beg strongly
to recommend his removal to Alipore, where he can undergo the sentence
awarded to him without being subjected to restraints, of which the spirit
of the age in which we live, has recorded its entire and emphatic dis
approval. The cause alleged by the prisoner for his manifest evasions is,
that he does not get enough to eat, and that the desire to procure more
food is uncontrollable. He is a large, strongly-built man, and I doubt
not that there is some truth in his statement.
7. The manufactures of the Patna Jail have acquired
Manufactures.
considerable and deserved celebrity, and yield a fair
amount of profit.
They seem to me, however, to be almost too numerous, and with the
exception of the Dheynkee used in macerating the pulp from which the
paper is made, not to be in any way penal in character.
In a perfect system of Jail discipline, some work should always exist,
which, without being an absolute loss of power, as in the case of the
treadmill, would be a real punishment to those condemned to it. Such
means of curing refractory prisoners should be found in all Jails, and as
no other mode of compelling the execution of assigned tasks, or of punish
ing infractions of discipline, are in use at Meetapore, I deem the matter
deserving the attention of the Magistrate. At Alipore and Midnapore,
the oil mill is the bSte noire. Mr. Schalch again raises water for the use of
his Jail, in a manner that tasks severely those who are put upon the water

83

wheel, and thus serves as a useful penance. I merely mention these as

examples of what may be done, in the direction to which I am referring.
As I am about to institute a general inquiry in all Jails regarding
labour and discipline, I refrain from noticing the subject more in detail at
present.
8. The solitary cells, built in the Hospital compound close to a
particularly offensive drain, are quite unfit to be used for
Solitary Cells.
,
,
.
.
, ,
even the most temporary location ot prisoners ; and they
are consequently, and most properly, left untenanted by the Magistrate.
The Darogah informed me, that, since his life had been attempted a
short time since, he was afraid to recommend any prisoner for punish
ment, and that, with the exception of the occasional cutting of the rations
of the refractory, no coercive measures were adopted.
The best and least objectionable, as well most efficient of all punish
ments, is probably solitary confinement. It breaks the spirit of the most
depraved, and daunts the resolution of the most desperate. Few can long
resist its influence, or will again voluntarily incur its pains.
The cutting of the rations of prisoners, for any offence, however grave,
is a measure of which I cannot approve. It is objectionable in a sanitary
point of view, and is of very questionable efficacy as a means of refor
mation.
I shall feel obliged, therefore, by the Magistrate, in consultation with
Dr. Dicken, endeavouring to find a suitable spot in the Jail enclosure
on which to construct six new solitary cells, well ventilated and contain
ing at least 500 cubic feet of air in each. By means of convict labour
and prison material, they can be built, I think, for a very trifling sum.
9. Now that I have seen more of them, I am not so favorably impressed
with the Behar Station guards, as I was before being perJail Guards.
.
.
.
.
sonally acquainted with them. Those in the Gya Jail,
were, I fancy, good specimens, because their Subadhar is an excellent
Officer, but when traversing the wards of the Jail, I should have relied
more on him, in the event of an out-break, than on his men.
The arms of the guard heret are not such as I should wish to see in
the hands of a really serviceable police corps, such as I understand is
about to be raised for Lower Bengal.
The sentry boxes are well placed, but they shut down with a singular
trap-door in the event of rain, and must then half suffocate the men
below.
The rooms occupied by the guard, were extremely dirty and disor

84

derly; I do not know the exact extent of authority possessed by the

Magistrate over these men, but if he has not, he ought to have the
power, to exact the same attention to cleanliness, as he does from the
Burkundazes.
The Burkundazes gave me a petition, asking for an increase of pay,
in consequence of a smaller number of them guarding a larger number
of prisoners, then they were in the habit of doing formerly.
I do not think that they have shown any grounds for a compliance
with their request; but as Mr. Loch contemplated an entire change in
the whole organization of the Jail guards, should the changes recom
mended by him be adopted, the best men now in the force will benefit
by the measure.
I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's communicating this to them,
in reply to their petition.
10. These were few in number, and chiefly referred to the prohibi
tion of tobacco. I think it should be explained to all
Complaints.
.
_ .. , v. .
,
.
prisoners when they enter a Jan, that it is a place ot
punishment, in which luxuries and indulgences cannot be granted. From
the strange requests made by many prisoners, they evidently labour
under some strong delusion on the subject, and regard themselves as the
victims of Society, more deserving of pity, than of blame.
Even among criminals, however, there are differences of demeanor
and conduct, and there should be some means of rewarding the wellbehaved, as well as of punishing the ill-conducted. With this is con
nected the reformation of offenders, to effect which no attempt seems
any where to have be made in Bengal and Behar, so far as I have yet
seen. The subject is one of extreme difficulty in every country, and is
peculiarly unpromising with the natives of India; yet its difficulties
should not deter us from attempting to accomplish even the very mode
rate amount of good and success that will attend the first introduction
of measures calculated to convert rogues into honest men, and return
them to society wiser, if not less wicked, than they were when removed
from it.
The subject has occupied much of my thoughts and attention since I
joined my present appointment. As soon as my plans are matured, and
I am, from personal observation, acquainted with the means at the dis
posal of Magistrates to carry any regulated system into effect, I shall
take the sense of all officers charged with the custody of prisoners, upon
the question of the reward and punishment of criminals.

85

1 1.

The Hospital is a good building, well suited for its purpose and
in excellent order. Should it ever be much crowded,
however, it will need roof ventilation, and this may be
effected at a very trifling expense by convict labour, on Mr. Loch's plan.
The sickness in the Jail is very small at present, and this is, I am of
opinion, in a great measure to be attributed to the excellent arrangements
of the Civil Surgeon.
The manner in which the dieting of the prisoners is managed by Dr.
Dicken is also deserving of every commendation, and worthy of imita
tion in other Jails.
12. I cannot conclude this memorandum without an expression of the
gratification which I have experienced in witnessing the
successful exertions of the Magistrate in the manage
ment of his charge. The strictness of the discipline and constancy of
the labour in this Jail are, as I have already mentioned, such as to render
prisoners anxious to be transferred elsewhere; and yet, they are not
accompanied by any deterioration of the health of the prisoners. It
increases, however, the risk and responsibilities of the officers in charge
of the prison, and in the same proportion entitles them to commendation.

S H A H A B A D.
I visited the Shahabad Jail early on the morning of Tuesday, the
22nd of January 1856, shortly after my arrival at the station. During
my visit the Civil Surgeon came to see his patients, and accompanied me
in the remainder of my inspection.
I visited it again on the evening of the same day, accompanied by Mr.
Littledale, the Officiating Judge.
2. The Jail generally is in excellent order and very clean. The
main wards are apparently well ventilated, but that
Buildings.
.
,
11
, ,

.....
assigned to the women, and the small one adjoining it,
are not so.
My visit was sufficiently early to witness the operation of cleansing
the drains, and to perceive how well calculated it is to pollute the air of
the whole Jail. The yard of the non-labouring prisoners was scarcely
bearable while the accumulated filth of the day and night privies was
being swept through it.

86

This Jail has for some months past been much visited by severe sick
ness, to which I shall refer more particularly in a succeeding paragraph.
I have already, in a recent Circular, directed the attention of all
Magistrates to the absolute necessary of putting a stop to the extremely
objectionable practice of using the open drains of the Jail for purposes
of sewage.
In this Jail, which is otherwise not very ill-adapted for its purpose,
both day and night privies are so constructed as to cause the ordure to
pass through the drains on both sides of the -wards.
The filth must, as at Alipore, be collected in moveable vessels, and be
carried or carted to a distance, otherwise the sickness will increase as the
weather becomes warmer, until it will end in a general Jail delivery by
pestilence.
The drains themselves at present end in open sloughs so near to the
walls, that whenever the wind blows in that direction, the prison must
again be infected with these noxious exhalations, until the heavy rains
wash them away.
I shall feel extremely obliged by the Magistrate's paying the strictest
attention to this matter ; as, if the Jail were a palace, placed in a paradise,
it would be unhealthy with such imperfect conservancy arrangements.
The prison is not well placed, being too closely surrounded on two sides
by buildings, and near one of the walls the cloaca of the neighbourhood
seems to be situated.
This, I need scarcely say, should be removed at once, as an intolerable
nuisance.
3. Few of the prisoners seem to be provided with the Tat bedding
directed by Mr. Loch to be supplied in his Circular No.
Bedding.

26^ dated the 27th J)ine lg55^

This should be remedied if possible, although it is rather late to do so,

before the cold weather ceases. The tendency to bowel affections is at
present so great, that the least additional exposure, such as sleeping on
the cold ground with imperfect protection, must increase it.
The fetters generally are clean, but there is a deficient supply of the
leather stockings to protect the .limbs of the prisoners,
in consequence of which a good many of the convicts
seem to suffer from sores on the extremities.
Some of the fetters are still of the bar pattern^ and above the regulated
weight. They should be changed as soon as possible.
There was a boy in the Hospital heavily manacled, for striking another

87

prisoner with the intention of inflicting some grievous bodily harm. He

was being prepared, by the cure of a carbuncle on the thigh, to undergo
corporal punishment.
Could not some less barbarous means of co-ercing him be found, than
a weight of iron enough to chain a tiger?
The corporal punishment in the present state of health of the Jail, and
the evident constitutional tendency of the lad, will have to be inflicted with
the greatest care, or the sacrifice of the convict's life may be the result.
The Civil Surgeon will be so good as to withhold his assent entirely, if
he has the least fear that a sloughing sore will result. It might cause
the appearance of Hospital Gangrene, a most undesirable addition to the
unheal thiness of the Jail.
5. I find that the feeding of the prisoners is entrusted to the Darogah,
an arrangement to which I should object, even if it were
possible perpetually to watch him ; but, as this is imprac
ticable, I hold the plan to be most undesirable.
The quantity of food allowed by the Government is ample, if it be
sound, wholesome, and of proper quality.
I find on looking Over the Jail Correspondence that the Civil Surgeon
has more than once brought to the notice of the Magistrate the extremely
bad quality of the rations. He had preserved some of the rice and attah.
The former was disgustingly dirty, and upon examination under the
microscope proved to be diseased, and totally unfit for human consump
tion. The latter contained a large proportion of finely divided bran,
such as would cause irritation of the mucous membranes, and diarrhoea
in even Horace's " dura messorum ilia," and I doubt not was the chief
agent in the very great amount of diarrhoea and dysentery which has pre
vailed so long and so pertinaciously in this Jail.
It may be quite possible under such a system, to reduce the cost of
dieting each prisoner to 5 or 6 pie daily, but it will be analogous to
reducing the ration of a horse to a straw a day.
That the mere flame of life can be sustained by a very moderate
amount of nutriment, is well known to every medical manbut it is
equally well known, that in such circumstances the flame is permanently
extinguished by the smallest disturbing cause.
I am very far from wishing to advocate the pampering of prisoners, or
that they should receive the smallest indulgence incompatible with the
rigorous punishment necessary to prevent the commission of crime but
I hold that to injure permanently the health of those who have offended

88

against the laws, and to cut off some of them prematurely, forms no part
of their sentence, and is alike opposed to the intentions of the Govern
ment, and the common dictates of humanity.
I shall feel much obliged, therefore, by the Magistrate's making
some other arrangements for feeding the prisoners ; the more especially as
I am aware that he himself objects to the existing arrangement, as much
as I do.
Food of all descriptions, is, I know, very dear, and it is difficult to
get a contract taken up. If, then, it is 'impossible at present to change
the existing system, the regulating of the dieting should be made over to
the Civil Surgeon, and whenever he condemns the food issued, it should at
once be rejected, and a fresh supply purchased in the market at the
expense of the darogah, who should lodge security sufficient to cover the
cost of so doing.
The rice and attah shown to me were excellent, and if rations of equal
quality were always issued, the sickness in the Jail would rapidly
diminish.
Some of the prisoners had a scorbutic appearance. In all such cases,
preventive are better than curative measures ; and a certain amount, to be "
fixed by the Surgeon, of potatoes and other antiscorbutic vegetables,
should be occasionally issued.
6. The accommodation for the sick is good of its kind, and would
probably be sufficient, if outside patients were not
received into the Jail Hospital. The practice was very
properly condemned by Mr. Loch, and if a Dispensary is not speedily
built outside, all such cases should be placed in tents.
A curious fact connected with these outside patients, and with the
inmates of the civil Jail, is, that while cholera, fever, and dysentery were
decimating the criminal prisoners, they were exempt from those plagues,
The civil prisoners purchase their food from a moodie : had they been fed
by the Darogah, they would have, in all human probability, suffered as
as much as the others. The fact is- significant, and suggests the remedy.
There were two, or three miserable, moribund wretches, dying by
inches,who are very proper subjects for the clemency of the Government.
The Civil Surgeon told me that he had sent in a list of such cases, but,
that no orders had been received for their disposal, and that several of
them were since dead.
I beg very earnestly to recommend the matter to the consideration of
. the Honorable the Lieutenant Governor as some rapid means of action in

89

such cases are urgently required. I have scarcely visited a single Jail in
which I have not found instances wherein mercy might most properly be
extended to those, whose crimes are nearly expiated.
7. The books of the Jail are all well and carefully
Books.
iii,
i .
kept, and brought up to date.
The visiting book seems to have been zealously used when first intro
duced, but to have fallen since into desuetude.
The former Magistrate I perceive, merely, on most occasions, recorded
the fact of his visit. This is not the intention of such a record. Its pur
pose is to note on the spot, when the matter is fresh, all circumstances
requiring remark ; and this, which is a really useful object, should not be
lost sight of.
Mr. Tayler's minute of the 15 th August 1854, is the kind of
thing required, and if similar attention were at all times paid to this
important duty, the establishment, knowing that every visiting officer
would place their laches ou record, would be careful not to be found
napping.
8. Some arrangements are urgently needed for washing the clothes of
the prisoners. Are there no men of the Dhobie caste
undergoing imprisonment, to whom it might be assigned
as a regular task in the same manner as obtains with regard to the
cooks ?
And, if not, are there no men who might be so employed without
breach of caste ? I am not sufficiently acquainted yet with the delicate
subject of caste prejudices in Behar to be able to solve the difficulty, and
shall be glad to be favoured by the Magistrate with his views and recom
mendation on the subject.
9. The prisoners in the Hajut and non-labouring wards have no places
for cooking, except small choolas in the open air, by
jut and non-labour- which, in the rains and hot weather, they must be sub
jected to considerable inconvenience. Indeed, the latter
complained to me that they were so. Expensive sheds are not required,
but some suitable shelter should be provided.
The general cook-sheds of the criminal prisoners were clean and in
excellent order.
10. The state of the wells was noticed by Mr. Loch, and requires to
be carefully watched, as I am afraid that the sickness has been aggrava
ted by the saline matters contained in all the well water of the district.
The prisoners in the non-labouring ward complained much of it. .
M

(
11.

90

The Guards were clean and orderly, but their quarters and the
cook-sheds adjoining them, were in a very dirty state.
This should not be permitted.
There seems to be some doubt as to the authority of the Magistrate
over these Jail guards. In all such matters, they should, I am of opinion,
be as much under his immediate control as any other persons attached
to the Jail.
The sentries are too numerous. If some of them mounted with loaded
arms, half the number would, I think, be enough. As it is, in the event
of a sudden outbreak, the time lost in getting any arms loaded, might
be fatal to any official attacked by the prisoners. All guards attending
inspecting Officers at least, should be loaded. The old flint musket now
used, is a clumsy weapon, and would be of little service unloaded, against
a large body of irritated and determined men.
12. The Manufactures are numerous, and before the outbreak must
have been very profitable, but they are conducted on no
Manufactures.
fixed principle. Not one of them is really final in
character ; there is not, and cannot be, any efficient check upon the Darogah
in the purchase of raw material, the distribution and allotment of the
work, and the sale of the manufactured article ; and T cannot expect
that the Magistrate should take cognizance of all these details. Yet they
form a very essential feature of efficient Jail discipline.
I saw many strong, able-bodied prisoners spinning thread : fit occupa
tion for young boys and women, but not for male adult criminals.
As brick-making is very profitable, and the amount of work done may
be easily gauged in it, perhaps it would be better to employ the spinners
in it, if there be no special objection.
13. The chief complaint was of the absence of tobacco. I explained
to the prisoners
that this
was a luxury and an indulgence.
Complaints.
r
...
.
and that by becoming criminal, they had forfeited all
claim to such things.
Several of the prisoners complained of sore feet, and begged for shoes.
In all cases where the Medical Officer considers them absolutely necessary
for the health of the prisoners, they may be allowed, but in none others ;
and in general, when prisoners suffer from cracks in the heel and soles
of the feet they should be put in Hospital.
14. I saw nothing further calling for special remark. In all those mat
ters, of which the Magistrate
is able to take cognizance,
Conclusion.
b
.
'
I consider the state of the Jail to be very creditable.

91

SARUN.
I visited this Jail on the morning of Thursday, the 24th of January
1856, accompanied by the Judge, the Magistrate, the Assistant Magis
trate and the Civil Surgeon.
I again visited it alone in the evening of the same day, when the
prisoners had returned from their work, and took their evening meal,
when I carefully examined every prisoner, and listened to all their com
plaints, as mentioned hereafter.
I inspected it a third time on Saturday, the 26th January.
2. This Jail is particularly ill-contrived, and is so situated as to render
effective drainage impossible, when the surrounding
country i3 flooded. The floors of most of the wards
are of clay, which is frequently fresh leeped for purposes of cleanliness,
but which must be more or less damp at all seasons of the year. The
soil is likewise so saturated with saltpetre, as rapidly to destroy the walls
and plastering. The roof ventilation is tolerably good, but the yards are
so closely surrounded by walls as effectually to prevent any free circulation
of air. In spite of all these defects, which it would be impossible now
to remedy, without rebuilding the Jail, the whole was in a clean, creditable,
and healthy state, a result due entirely to the very careful and successful
manner in which the Magistrate and Civil Surgeon have watched over it.
3. The worst part of it was that in which the female prisoners were
confined, and this is so bad, that I shall feel obliged byFemale Prisoners.
.
....
.
V
the Magistrate s submitting to me an estimate ot the cost
of partitioning off one half of the Civil Jail as a Female ward.
This portion of the prison is well raised, has a puckah floor, is separated
sufficiently from the rest of the Jail, and the number of Civil prisoners
is never likely to be such as to be over-crowded in one half of it.
If the partition wall, cook-room and privy are made by convict labour,
with Jail-made bricks, the cost of the change will be trifling.
4. The new cook-sheds for the criminal labouring prisoners are excellent,
and were in a clean and creditable state. The nonCook-sheds,
labouring prisoners, have, however, no covered places for
cook-rooms, and in the rains are sometimes compelled to live on dry,

92

uncooked food. " At other seasons, they are exposed to the sun. I think
that all this might be avoided at small cost, but as I have not a plan of
the Jail with me, I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's favoring me
with a report of the most economical arrangement which he can propose
for the purpose.
5. The Privies are better than in most Jails, and yet
Privies
they are not altogether what they should be.
For the day Privies the Magistrate may purchase three more moveable
iron pans, to remove the filth.
The night Privies are still somewhat offensive, and the prisoners should
be strictly prohibited from urinating on their floor. I doubt if, in their
present form, they are susceptible of any improvement, except at undue
cost.
6. The solitary cells, six in number, are not bad of their kind, but
they require roof ventilation. Two of Mr. Loch's
Solitary Cells.
. ,
.,
.
,
.
, .
gumlan ventilators in each will be quite sufficient.
7. The Manufactures carried on are not numerous, nor has much .
' Manufactures.
, ,
skill been attained by
J the 0prisoners in those which
are introduced.
1 quite concur with the Magistrate in thinking that all the labouring
prisoners cannot be employed within the Jail, as there are neither worksheds nor proper labour yards for more than 150. I do not, however,
approve of the proposal to build a new work-shed at a distance from the
Jail, as it would be attended with most of the objections to out-door
labour, in addition to a considerable outlay for work-sheds, enclosing
walls, &c.
It is much to be regretted that buildings and bazars have been allowed
to encroach so much upon the Jail, as to render it impossible to extend it
in any direction.
Of out-door occupations, I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's adopt
ing those which, in addition to their being most penal in their character,
are at the same time most profitable, such as brick-making.
I entirely disapprove of stalwart vagabonds being occupied in spinning
thread, and such like apologies for work, which are fit only for women
and children. If absolutely necessary to supply the looms with thread
at a cheaper cost than it can be purchased for, such work should Be
made over to the weak, sickly, and convalescent.
There is a want in the Jail of skilled prisoners to teach different
branches of manufacture. If the Magistrate will be so good as to apply

93

to the neighbouring Jails for the temporary transfer of men capable of

instructing his convicts, I shall be happy to recommend their transfer to
the Government.
The paper made seems to me to be coarse, and it is not an occupation
that ought to be pursued, unless it is profitable.
The arsenication should be accomplished by arsenious acid instead of
the yellow sulphuret (the sunkhya). It should be carefully ground under
water, and every precaution taken against its being used by accident or
design, as a poison by the prisoners. The powdered hurtal is at present
left lying loose, in a manner that might be dangerous. The arsenic
should be boiled with the sizing.
The large work-shed, which was reported to be out of repair more
than a year ago, will come down by the run, if not speedily set to rights.
As the matter is urgent, and as the fall of the shed by accident from
wind or rain would not only be very costly, but might endanger the lives
of the hundred prisoners working in it, I shall feel much obliged by the
Magistrate's taking immediate steps to remove and replace the broken
beams, and to rebuild such of the masonry pillars as are cracked and
likely to give way.
The whole should be done by convict labour, and the Magistrate can
send an estimate for sanction in the usual manner.
The supports are now too far apart to sustain the weight of so
very heavy a roof. Perhaps the Magistrate can remedy this evil by
placing two cross beams, instead of one, upon the longitudinal supports,
strengthening the pillars, if necessary, to bear the small additional
weight.
8. The military guard was clean and orderly, the
Subadar in charge being evidently a smart, careful
officer.
Upon questioning the men, I found that some of them were natives of
the place and district. This must create a sympathy with the prisoners,
which might be prejudicial should an outbreak ever occur.
The sentries are too numerous from the bad construction and worse
position of the sentry boxes, but as I have called for information on this
head in a special Circular it is not necessary to notice it further at present.
* The Jemadar of the Guard appeared an aged, and somewhat infirm
man, who does not seem to be fitted for active duty.
Here, as elsewhere, some of the arms should always be loaded for
cases of emergency.

(
9.

94

The Burkundauzes are not a very efficient looking body, and some
of them were only armed with sticks. The tulwars of those
Burkundauzes.
who had them, I should class with Hodge's razors, made
to sell and not to cut. They are wretched unserviceable things ; if the
men are to be armed at all, their weapons should at least be serviceable.
10. The fetters were better and more uniform than in almost any
Jail that I have seen, but many of them were not clean,
Fetters.
.
and the rivets of some of the ankle-rings are nearly
undone. This should be rectified.
11. The food is supplied by the Darogah, in consequence of the very
high price of provisions, rendering it unadvisable to
Food*
,
enter into a contract. The plan is an objectionable one,
although I believe it to be unavoidable in existing circumstances to
change it ; but the moment the state of the market admits of it, the
Magistrate should, I think, again endeavour to obtain a contract.
The prisoners complained much, and very generally of the insufficient
amount of the food supplied. As fraud in this particular is very easy,
and not unlikely to be practised occasionally by the Darogah and Cooks,
the rations should occasionally, after issue to the cooks, be re-weighed in
the presence either of the Assistant Magistrate, or of the Civil Surgeon.
It would occupy very little time and would here, as it has done else
where, tend to check fraud. The allowance is ample if fairly given, and
it is the duty of those in charge of the Jail to see that it is so.
The rice supplied, appeared good and clean, but was all new. This, in
other parts of the country, is regarded as unwholesome, and is deserving
of attention.
The attah contains a great deal of bran, which irritates the intestines,
and lays the foundation of some of the severe visceral affections which
are so rife and destructive among prisoners.
This also needs careful looking after.
As ghee is now nearly the same in cost as mustard oil, 1 shall feel
obliged by the Magistrate's causing an equivalent amount of the former
to be substituted for the latter. It is much more wholesome, and does
not come within the category of indulgences.
The water from the wells used in cooking and drinking, holds in solu
tion an amount of salts that must prove injurious, and when concentrat
ed in the dry season, act both as predisposing and exciting causes of dis
ease. Care should be taken at such times to adopt such means of puri
fication as will render it wholesome.

95

12.

This record shows that all the officers in charge of the Jail are
careful and" attentive to their duties, and that all remarks
Visiting Book.
...
..
meet with immediate attention.
To this may fairly be attributed the healthy state of one of the worst
constructed, and most unpromising looking Jails that I have yet visited.
13. The Hospital was clean and in good order, and
the patients evidently well cared for.
I do not, however, approve of the open railing compartment for women,
as this is a worse than Pyramus and Thisbe arrangement, which might,
and probably would, become the source of undesirable irregularities. I
must, therefore, beg that no women be placed in the male hospital at all.
The new place for the women, in half the Civil Jail, will obviate
the necessity of the arrangement above objected to; and as there are
scarcely ever more than one or two women sick at a time, it is hardly
necessary to have a separate hospital for them.
14. The Magistrate can send in estimates for the cooking vessels
needed for the Hospital, and one or two other minor
Conclusion.
.
matters which were pointed out to me.
As the floors of the Jail are irremediably damp, and as I fear, that
even the tat bedding will scarcely be a sufficient protection for the pri
soners, I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's making tuckta poshtes
from the planking intended to cover the surface drain, and placing them
in the dampest ward, as an experimental measure. They should be made
on Mr. Atherton's plan, raised upon a brick ridge ; and I shall feel oblig
ed by the Magistrate's favouring me, at the end of the next rains, with a
special report from the Civil Surgeon and himself, upon the result as
regards the health of the prisoners.

CHUMPARUN.
I VISITED the Mooteharee Jail on the 27th and28th of January 1856,
accompanied by the Sub-assistant Surgeon, in medical charge of the
station. The Magistrate was ill ; I did not, therefore, ask him to attend.
2. Although better placed in regard to its distance from the town,
than either the Arrah or Chuprah Jails, this is a badly
designed and worse constructed prison.

96

The palisading of the partition between the different yards is much

superior to brick walls, as respects ventilation, but as constructed in this
Jail, they would not prevent a general combination of the prisoners in
the event of a riot, Some of them could, with facility, have been shaken
down by half a dozen resolute men.
The wards are low, and most of them are cutcha, with the walls so
friable from the amount of nitre in them, that to pierce through them
would be an easy task.
There is an attempt made to classify prisoners, but as they have
free intercourse outside, its only result is to over-crowd some of
the wards, without producing any compensating benefit in the discipline
of the Jail.
3. Most of the drains are cutcha, and in bad order, and the filth of
the Jail is accumulated in a small jheel much too near
to the walls.
As the work-sheds all tumbled down in the last rains, there is literally
litle or no labour now exacted, and that little is performed outside the Jail.
I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's at once employing as many
labouring prisoners as possible in making and burning as many bricks and
tiles as are required to put the whole of the drains of the Jail and Hospi
tal in thorough repair.
m
These drains should be taken up, one by one, and re-constructed in the
angular form, termed I believe V shaped. If care be taken to regulate
the levels properly, they will last longer, be more easily cleaned, cost less,
and be much more efficient than the double rectangular form now used.
This work should be done entirely by convict labour, with the hire, if
necessary, of one raj-mistry, to instruct the prisoners.
There are too many men confined in some of the wards, and the Jail is
altogether too crowded, as the average allowance of air for each prisoner
locked up, when the Jail is full, is, according to the Civil Surgeon's estimate,
less than 200 cubic feet.
The Jail was never intended and ought never to have been used for
the incarceration of prisoners sentenced to long terms of imprisonment, as
its means of securing and working them, are altogether inadequate. Still
less should any of the rioters from Mozufferpore have been sent here.
4. It appears that lotahs had been disused in this Jail for several
years prior to the issue of Mr. Loch's order, in conLotahs.
sequence of the constant thefts and quarrels among
the prisoners regarding them. Earthern kuttorahs and gourds, had been

97

issued in their stead, and accepted by the prisoners, probably not without
murmuring, but without any violent expression of opinion.
Ever since the introduction of the Mozufferpore rioters, many of the
prisoners, particularly of that most troublesome of all classes, the Gwallas,
have clamoured for them, and they were very earnest in their petition
to me for lotahs, and brass eating dishes.
I told them that those who could afford them, when they entered the
prison, or whose friends could supply them, might have them, and I
shall feel obliged by the Magistrates seeing that this is done at once.
To the others, I said, that as many of them had been for years without
them, without any infringement of caste, it was idle for them to urge
that as an excuse now ; that if their friends would provide them, they
might have them, as in other Jails, but that I could not recommend
the Government to go to the great expense of purchasing them for men,
who must be well aware, that the misconduct which caused them to be
confined, at considerable cost, in Jail, deprived them of every claim to
indulgences.
It is much to be regretted that any of the people connected with the
lotah riot, should have been sent to this Jail.
It is also very necessary that uniformity of practice in all matters
relating to caste, food and work should prevail in all Jails, and more
especially in all those placed in the same district or province.
In Behar, where, from the general ignorance and bigotry of the popula
tion, the prejudices and sub-divisions of caste, are stronger and greater
than in Lower Bengal, the utmost care should have been exercised in
this matter.
I scarcely enter a Jail in which an appeal, or an argument by a
prisoner, is not clinched by a reference to the practice of other Jails, in
which some of them have been.
This is not only wrong in itself, but is very unjust towards such
Magistrates as Mr. Ainslie, at Patna, whose stringent discipline is so
unpalatable to the prisoners, (as ought to be the case in all Jails,) as to
induce them to resort to acts of violence, for the express object, as they
hope, of being transferred to some more easy-going Jail.
It is curious to observe the accurate knowledge of the internal economy
of all neighbouring Jails, possessed by the prisoners ; for I have in only
one instance been requested to transfer a prisoner to Patna, and I found
that he was a native of the place, and possibly had friends or relations
among the burkundauzes or nujeebs.
N

(
5.

98

The day privies are constructed on Mr. Woodcock's plan, and

appear to answer tolerably well. The night privies are
not used, as it was found impossible to keep the wards
pure with them.
Many of the prisoners complained to me of the hardship of being
obliged to turn out in the night, to obey any call of nature. I asked
all of those who grumbled, what was the practice of their own homes,
and they were obliged to admit that, for all such wants, they went
outside.
The real hardship appears to be that the doors are only opened twice,
at stated intervals, and that they are unable to educate those functions
to such regularity of performance.
The practice is not adopted in any other Jail that I am aware of, and
should, I think, be discontinued in this, unless the doors can be safely
kept open all night, which I doubt.
The Alipore plan of placing a moveable covered pan in one corner
of the ward, answers well there, and I know of no reason why it should
not be equally effective here.
6. Many of the prisoners complained of no Dhobies being allowed
to wash their clothes, and some of them, of low caste,
Washing.
had the effrontery to tell me, that washing their own
clothes was a breach of caste.
There is, it appears to me, a well-defined limit to these questions of
caste, and the greatest care should to taken to observe that limit strictly,
so that no practices, on the plea of caste, may gradually steal in, which
it may be afterwards troublesome to get rid of.
The highest castes can wash their own dhoties, but not the remainder
of their garments,all castes in Behar below the Chuttries, if I am
rightly informed, can wash all their clothes. If this is really the case,
and the local knowledge of the Magistrate will enable him to decide it, or
if not, there are doubtless trust-worthy Hindus in the district who can
furnish him with the necessary informationI shall feel obliged by the
Magistrate's ascertaining if a certain number of labouring prisoners of fit
castes cannot be selected to act as dhobies, just as others do the duty of
cooks, with no other work to perform. If this can be done without
objection, it will be preferable to the present arrangement, as the clothes
of some of the prisoners are not clean at present, and clean clothing
is necessary for the healthy action of the skin.
7. The blankets, recently issued to the prisoners, are small and so

99

thin as to afford insufficient protection against the cold.

The abolition of the Deegah Penitentiary has apparent
ly caused this result in most of the Behar Jails. In all cases, however,
when Magistrates find the local markets insufficient, from whatever cause,
to supply their wants, timely steps should be taken to remedy the evil.
The Jail at Agra, the Jubbulpore establishments, Alipore, and probably
other places could supply proper blankets, the cost and carriage of which
together would not be more than is paid locally for an inferior and un
suitable article.
I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's making the requisite arrange
ments in time this year, to admit of proper clothing being ready for issue
on the date appointed in the next cold season.
8. The Food is supplied by a contract for 12 pie per diem for each
labouring prisoner, and 1 1 pie for each non-labouring
prisoner, except on Sundays, when the contract for the
latter is also 12 pie. This is a small matter, yet I see no reason why the
non-labouring prisoners should cost an extra pie 'every seventh day,
which, I have no doubt, finds its way into the pocket of the contractor,
and not into the stomach of the supposed recipient. In future the rate
should be uniform.
This is a bad system of contract, for reasons too obvious to need detail.
The contract should be for each article separately, care being taken that
the average cost of the maintenance of each prisoner is not thereby
exceeded.
Ghee is now as cheap as mustard oil, and may, as long as it remains so,
be substituted for it. When the price of the oil again falls, an equivalent
in value of ghee may be allowed at the option of the prisoners. Dysen
tery is the prevalent affection in the Jail, and will be diminished by the
use of ghee instead of mustard oil.
In general, when great sickness prevails, I wish the practice adopted
with eminent success at Patna, to be introduced here, viz. that the Medi
cal Officer be allowed to vary the food within the limits of the contract.
The cost to the State in this case does not vary, whilet he benefit to the
prisoner is great, without coming within the limits of improper or
unsuitable indulgences.
The hours of feeding the prisoners are good in this Jail, and since the
first meal has been given at 10 a. m. instead of at day-break, sickness is
said to have diminished considerably.
No attah is allowed in this Jail, and many of the prisoners complain

( ioo )
much of its being with-held. I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's
furnishing me with a special report on this point.
9. There are 167 male labouring prisoners, and 3
Manufactures.
,
. , .
.
,. ,i
women condemned to imprisonment with labour.
The profit on the labour of each of the prisoners in this Jail does not
appear to be a rupee a month.
The falling down of the work-sheds has necessarily stopped most of
the manufactures, and as they are of little profit when in full work, I am
of opinion that most of the labouring prisoners should be employed in
remedying the defects of the Jail, until it is rendered as fit as it can ever
be, to fulfil the purpose for which it is maintained.
As soon as the Tat necessary to supply each prisoner with Mr. Loch's
pattern bed is furnished, the mat-menders, hemp-cutters, and tat-weavers
may be employed in brick and tile-making and masonry.
The chair-makers are useless. They are only three in number, but
they also will be better employed in the manner mentioned above.
The new enclosure for work-sheds seems to me to be too small and
confined. Is it possible to mend this defect now ?
All the prisoners work outside the Jail. This is destructive of disci
pline. The work-yard might be connected with the main enclosure by a
small double brick wall, protected by a strong door. This would dis
pense with some of the ticca burkundauzes now unprofitably employed
in assisting the prisoners to do nothing.
10. The guard is badly distributed. There are four sentry boxes
outside and four inside. The guards themselves are
very badly lodged, and so are the burkundauzes.
If the sentry boxes were placed on the angles of the walls, as at Meetapore, half the number of sentries would be ample.
I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's preparing and submitting to
me an estimate for carrying this into effect with convict labour.
All the objections noted regarding the Behar Guards in other jails, are
equally applicable to this one.
11. The Hospital is in a separate compound, and is
the best part of the Jail. It was in a clean and credit
able state.
The drains require to be repaired.
12. The Visiting Book is not much used, and its object appears to be
misunderstood. There are besides no remarks of the
i" 'Wk '
Medical Officer in it. Its intention is not only to record

ioi )

the visits of all officers connected with it, but to register their remaka
upon any matters which call for observation, at the time when the matter
is fresh.
The weekly visit and general inspection of the Medical Officer in parti
cular should be very carefully recorded, for the information, and, if neces
sary, the orders of the Magistrate.
I shall feel obliged by this being attended to.
There is another book kept in which the orders and remarks of the In
spector are entered and translated for the benefit of the Darogah. This
record must be kept with care and discretion, as many remarks of the
Inspector are for the information of the Magistrate alone, and not for
promulgation in the Jail.
All written orders to the Darogah should be entered in it, and signed
by that functionary, in proof of his having read and understood them.
The other records of the Jail are fairly kept.
13. The Darogah seems a careful, steady officer, but, as remarked by
two of the Magistrates under whom he has served,
aroga .
needs, as they all do indeed, to be well looked after.
14. I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's furnishing me with a
special report upon the eight prisoners transferred, 3 from Mozufferpore,
3 from Meetapore, and 2 from Arrah. The Darogah represents them all
to be bad and dangerous characters, and to be at the bottom of all the
mischief that occurs in the- Jail.
The Jail is not calculated to hold more than 250 prisoners with safety,
although I believe it is supposed to be capable of containing 350.
When the number of prisoners exceeds the former amount, I shall feel"
obliged by the Magistrate's at once bringing it specially to my notice.

T I R H O O T.
I visited this Jail on Tuesday, the 29th of January 1856, accompani
ed by the Magistrate, and the Civil Surgeon.
2. The Wards are well raised and dry, but the
masonry seems to be of the worst description, and the
ventilation is very imperfect.
All require roof ventilation, and I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's
submitting to me an estimate of the cost of the same, upon the plan

102

adopted in the sepoy guard-room. Care should be taken in the con

struction, that the ventilators do not afford increased facilities for escape.
To improve the ventilation, the wooden panels by which the windows
are closed, should be pierced with circular apertures from half an inch
to an inch in diameter, in rows six inches apart for a distance of at least
a foot and a half.
3. The day and night privies both need alteration, for they are at
present not only a source of nuisance, but most probably
have had a considerable share in the general deteriora
tion of the health of the prisoners which is evident in this Jail. The day
privies should either be constructed on Mr. Woodcock's plan, or on that
adopted at Alipore. The latter is the least expensive, and in some
respects to be preferred. The ordure in either case should be collected
in two or more moveable pans, surrounded by masonry to prevent its
escaping and infiltrating the surrounding ground. These should be re
moved daily, and their contents thrown into the river at a distance from
habitations if possible.
For night purposes, the present very inefficient plan should be aban
doned as quickly as possible, and that of Alipore substituted for it, I
shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's indenting upon Alipore for one of
the night privies used there, and having others made up resembling it,
which can, I imagine, be easily done in Mozufferpore.
The ordure from these should likewise be carried away every morning,
and not a particle of it be permitted to pollute the surface drains of the
prison. This improper and unwise use of drains which were never in
tended to be used as sewers is, I am convinced, the source of very much
of the sickness prevailing in all the Jails in which it is practised.
4. The general drainage of the Jail, irrespective of the unsuitable
employment of the drains as cloaca, is bad. It may be
remedied at small cost, by gradually converting them all
into V shaped drains,tiles of the requisite form and dimensions being
made and burnt by some of the labouring prisoners. Great care should
be taken with the levels, that all moisture may readily and rapidly run
off the surface. As soon as the new plan of day and night privies is in
full operation, the external drains should be filled up, to prevent their
being used by the burkundauzes and others for purposes of nuisance.
The existing unsightly and utterly unsuitable night privies may also
be removed, and regular windows placed in the positions which they
occupy.

103

To prevent the soiling of the wards at night, the Alipore plan of ap

pointing a well-behaved prisoner Naib of the ward, to prevent irregulari
ties and to report all breaches of discipline, should be adopted. His irons
should be removed, and he may be made a superintendent of manufac
tures during the day as a reward for his good conduct, and his affording
assistance at all times to the authorities of the prison in the maintenance
of discipline.
The plan has produced good results at Alipore, and will do so else
where, if worked with the care and discrimination necessary.
5. The yards of some of the Wards are very close and confined, and
at present prevent a free circulation of air. Three of
Walls.
them should be removed, (those agreed upon with the
Magistrate) and open palisades placed in their stead, as already recom
mended by my predecessor, more than a year ago.
I shall feel obliged by being furnished with an estimate of the cost
of effecting this very necessary change.
All work should, if possible, be done by the Magistrate, with convict
labour, instead of being made over to the Department of Public Works,
the delays of which are a subject of general complaint wherever I go.
6. The Hospital is a well-raised, two-storied building,
Hospital.
,..,,!
and is in excellent order.
The sickness of the Jail is, however, and has been, very great, and
after a careful examination of most of the prisoners in confinement, I
concur with Dr. Simpson in considering that much of it is susceptible of
mitigation, or removal by proper hygienic measures. Great amendment
.will, I believe, be effected by the improved ventilation, drainage, and
conservancy of the Jail, above referred to.
Contrary to what is found in most other Jails, the Dewanny prisoners
are here, by very far, the most unhealthy. They have an allowance of
eight pice a day, and purchase their own provisions. Instead of expend
ing that sum for this purpose, it has been ascertained that many, if not
most of them, half starve themselves, either to accumulate a surplus to
send home to their families, or to purchase tobacco, and unwholesome
luxuries. This is not only wrong itself, but evidently the source of
numerous secondary irregularities in the Jail, and should at once be put
a stop to.
The money should never find its way into the hands of the prisoners,
and care should be taken that it is expended in the bond fide purchase
of wholesome food. The Moodie should be prohibited, under suitable
'

104

pains and penalties, from selling forbidden luxuries to any class of pri
soners, as by this mean3 they obtain admission to all classes in the Jail,
whose friends are able to pay for them. I shall feel obliged by the
Magistrate's taking immediate steps to carry this order into effect.
Among the Fouzdary prisoners Dr. Simpson attributes the general
prevalence of scurvy, to imperfect drainage, ventilation and conservancy,
to innutritious diet, and to too much sedentary occupation. The former
matters I have already considered.
With regard to diet, I believe the quantity of food to be ample if fairly
served out, but there is probably a deficiency in its variety, and it is
eaten at unsuitable hours.
Mozufferpore is placed in an extremely malarious district, where the
general health of the population is not good, whence many enter the
prison in a state which renders them peculiarly obnoxious to all depress
ing agencies, calculated to cause disease.
The existing evils may, to a great extent, be remediedalthough from
local causes it is not reasonable to expect that they can be entirely
eradicatedby two measures.
The one is by the establishment of a kitchen garden, by means of
which, light, out-door occupation can be found for convalescent and sickly
prisoners, while the supply of anti-scorbutic vegetables which ought by
this means to be furnished, will remove the existing objection to the
dietary, without increasing the cost of the maintenance of the prisoners.
Upon this, I have asked for special information from all Jails.
The other is by the adoption of the plan followed with eminent success
by Dr. Dicken at Patna, viz. the occasional change, when the epidemic
character of the season or other circumstances need it, of the dietary,
within the limits of the average cost of feeding the prisoners.
For example, in the hot weather, when cholera is epidemic in Patna, an
equivalent of dhye is substituted for meat. At other times, and general
ly, an equivalent of ghee is substituted for mustard oil, which is every
where objected to as unwholesome.
By these means, and constant vigilant examination of the food, the
health of the prisoners at Meetapore has risen far above the average of
that of the population without the Jail ; epidemics have raged in Patna
without finding their way into the Jail ; and yet the discipline of the pri
son is more rigid, and the labour of the prisoners more profitable, than in
any other Jail in Behar.
This too is accomplished without additional cost to the State, and with

105

out any pampering of the prisoners, or the introduction of any forbidden

indulgence.
I see no reason why, particularly with so efficient and conscientious a
medical officer as Dr. Simpson, the same plan should not succeed equally
well at Tirhoot. I shall feel much obliged, therefore, by the Magistrate,
in his next contract, introducing all the ordinary articles of food used by
the people of the district, so as to enable the Civil Surgeon to select from
them equivalent values of such as he may find necessary to maintain the
health of the prisoners under his charge, as is done by Dr. Dicken at
Patna. All such cases should be entered in the Visiting Book of the
Jail, and no change of any kind be introduced without the written autho
rity of the Medical Officer. In no case must the cost of feeding any
single prisoner out of Hospital, be allowed to exceed the average cost of
their maintenance for the time being, viz: twelve pie for labouring, and
nine pie for non-labouring prisoners.
Ghee may at once be substituted for mustard oil,* and those prisoners
who have been used to attah, should be allowed the amount sanctioned in
Mr. Loch's diet table.

* The Magistrate objected to the substitution of Ghee, in the following terms :

" With regard to the proposition for giving ghee to the prisoners in lieu of oil, I beg to
submit that ghee is considered a luxury, and that it is well known that the allowance of
ghee formerly given to the prisoners was considered as a luxury, and was much ridiculed
all over the country by both Natives and Europeans. I think that to give ghee again
to all the prisoners will increase the present feeling amongst the worthless and dissolute
characters in the District that the Jail is a place of refuge in hard times, and of better
accommodation that they can get elsewhere. I will answer for it that out of the labouring
prisoners in Jail not one in 10 has ever tested ghee when at his own home. I would
certainly recommend that ghee may be given to every person for whose health the Civil
Assistant Surgeon may consider it necessary to subtitute this article for oil, but would
beg to submit my disapproval of introducing ghee again as a part of the regular Jail
diet."
To this I rejoined
" With reference to the remarks contained in the preceding paragraph, while I fully
agree with you as to the folly, absurdity, and inexpediency of introducing luxuries
of any description into Jails, I cannot concur with you in regarding an article of diet,
which is absolutely necessary for the maintenance of the health of prisoners, in
that light.

" It would be idle for me to discuss with you the physiological grounds which render it
essential for the health of human beings that various principles necessary for the repair of
the wear and tear of the tissues, should be introduced into .. their systems. I could
not explain them so as to be intelligible to a person unacquainted with Chemistry,

106

The hours of the morning meal should be changed to 10 or 11 A. M.,

and as the days get longer, the wards need not be closed quite so early at
night.

Anatomy, and Physiology, and, if I could, no good purpose would be answered by my

doing so.
" The ridicule of Natives and Europeans whom I know to be quite incompetent to form
a correct judgment upon such a subject, I cannot accept as an argument of any value, or
as deserving of the smallest consideration. Nor do I think the analogy between what the
prisoner gets in his own home, and what is given to him in the Jail, of any force, as the
condition of the individual in the two states is so widely different, as to render it impossible
and unsound to establish any exact parallel between them.
" The point at issue, then, I take to be this :
" The Civil Surgeon, an officer of great ability and much experience, has reported the
general deterioration of the health of the prisoners in the Mozufferpore Jail. Among other
causes he attributes no inconsiderable portion of the prevalent sickness to the use of mustard
oil as an article of diet.
" The Medical Board, the highest professional tribunal in the country, coincides in Dr.
Simpson's view.
" Every Civil Surgeon of experience entertains the same opinion.
" Dr. Simpson proposes the substitution of an animal fat (ghee) to correct the injurious
tendency of a vegetable oil holding in solution an acrid principle.
" This vegetable oil I understand to have been introduced chiefly as a measure of economy,
founded upon an erroneous estimate of its value as au article of diet.
" The real question then is a purely professional question, and the whole weight of
medical authority is on the side of ghee, and against the use of mustard oil.
" The Magistrate, who is responsible for the moral control of the prisoners, and who cannot
and does not pretend to be the guardian of their health, interposes his opinion that ghee is
a luxury, that it has always been regarded as such, and on that account ridiculed by both
Europeans and Natives j and that its re-introduction will increase the present feeling
amongst the worthless and dissolute characters in the district, that the Jail is a place of
refuge in hard times ; with other arguments of a similar kind.
" If these arguments were pushed to their legitimate extent, the prisoner should not get a
blanket to protect him from cold and damp, because not one in ten of them may have been
able to afford a blanket in his own home ; or when shaking with fever he should not be
treated with Quinine to arrest it, because it is a most expensive substance, and utterly
beyond the reach of those far above him in means and station, in his own village or town.
Hard times are fruitful parents of crime in all countries, and it is certainly not deemed
necessary to starve prisoners who have become criminal under the presence of want and
gaunt famine, on the plea that bread is a luxury which they could not procure in their own
homes.
" If the poor peasant could procure ghee in his village, much of the frightful sickness and
mortality that occasionally sweep across the country and decimate its population, might be
prevented.
" The grinding poverty and necessities' of the poor, cannot bo safely token as guides for
their management in captivity.

107

By the adoption of these measures I hope very shortly to see a

marked and decided improvement in the health of the inmates of
the Jail.
7. The Manufactures in this Jail are few, and do not seem to yield
much profit, probably in consequence of there being no
local market. The work-sheds are too low and small,
and there is no penal labour for refractory prisoners. As I am about to
institute inquiry upon the subject of organizing a more systematic plan of
labour in all Jails, I refrain from further remark on the subject at
present.
8. Two prisoners, one from Gya, are heavily chained in the manner
which I have objected to in my reports on the Gya and
Meetapore Jails. The Magistrate has kindly promised
to alter their irons.
If it be necessary to punish severely a prisoner who is incorrigibly
vicious, it is better to do so by extra labour, with occasional solitary con

" The real reason of the popularity of the Bengal prisons rests on a much broader
basist han the question of ghee versus mustard oil.
'* It is in the laxness of supervision j the utter absence of any really efficient system of
prison discipline ; the idle apology for work exhibited in able-bodied vagabonds spinning
thread and doing as much as a thrifty native woman accomplishes before she takes her
morning meal, as a fair day's work ; the corruption of native subordinates, rendering the
purchase of what are really esteemed luxuries, (tobacco, opium and gunjah) tolerably easy ;
and the herding together of criminals in large bodies, that the striking defects of our
Indian prison system are found, and not in any fancied love for a single article of food,
which the majority are stated never to have tasted before they became inmates of a Jail.
" While, therefore, I cannot but applaud the motive which has induced you to appeal
against my order, I must, for reasons which you will gather from these remarks, adhere to
its being carried out in its integrity, so long as Dr. Simpson considers it to be absolutely
necessary for the health of the prisoners.
" If you can find me any substitute for ghee, which is not deemed a luxury, which does
not possess the deleterious properties of mustard oil ; and which will be to the prisoners of
Mozufferpore, what olive oil is to the maccaroni-feeding Lazzaroni of Naples, I shall be
most happy to introduce it.
" It is a bland, animal or vegetable fat that is required, without an acrid principle.
" The health of prisoners is a matter of very grave and serious importance j and I think
you will agree with me that no practice regarding convicts is justifiable, which would
render an imprisonment of three or five years equivalent to a sentence of death, upon a
large proportion of those convicted of crimes not deserving of so severe a punishment.
That such is unhappily the case at present, is abundantly evident from the large amount
of preventible mortality that prevails in many Jails within my jurisdiction. Hence my
great anxiety on the subject."

108

finement ; and in cases of positive and flagrant breaches of Jail regula

tions, by such amount of corporal punishment as is sanctioned by the
laws, than by resorting to chains and bonds, which neither humanity nor
civilization can sanction.
9. The cells for solitary confinement are badly constructed, and worse
placed. One prisoner was in solitary confinement and
was lying close to the threshold, probably to breathe
purer air. At present they are stifling dens, and in the hot weather and
rains must be uninhabitable.
If it be impossible to remove and re-build them, in some better part of
the Jail enclosure, they should be furnished, on the north side, with open
iron grating doors, and with a circular aperture for ventilation in the
opposite wall.
10. The Dewanny and Hajut Wards, are both badly placed, and I do
Dewanny and Hajut not see w'1^ ^e presen* construction of the Jail, how
Wards,
this is to be remedied without incurring considerable
cost.
All non-labouring and Dewanny prisoners should be taken, at different
hours, when the Fouzdary prisoners are absent in the work-sheds, into the
great enclosure of the Jail for air and exercise.
The latter is quite foreign to the habits of natives, but, if judiciously
introduced, would be attended with benefit to their health while in con
finement.
1 1. The women are few in number, but here, as elsewhere, they are
a source of much trouble and annoyance to the
authorities, while their labour is perfectly unprofitable.
This is also a matter regarding which I will communicate specially with
all Magistrates hereafter.
Visiting Book and 12- The Visiting Book is not kept as I could wish.
Jail Correspondence.
although it is used by the Magistrate and the
Judge.
Its object is not only to record the fact of the authorities visiting the
Jail, but to register such remarks as they may deem called for, at the time
of their visit.
It should contain all inspection and other remarks of the Civil Surgeon
as well as of the Judicial officers in charge.
If written on half margin, the orders of the Magistrate could be entered
opposite all suggestions requiring his notice and sanction, and be signed
by the Darogah in token of their having been read and explained to him.

109

In this manner it would be easy for me on my periodical visitations, to

know how the Jail duties were generally carried on.
The Jail correspondence in the Magistrate's office, should, for facility
of reference, be kept separately, if this can be done without additional
expense or inconvenience.
13. The washing of the prisoners' clothes is at
present done by men of low caste, apparently without
objection.
The prisoners should, in addition, on Sundays, be marched down in
gangs to the river to bathe, and to wash their dhoties and body clothes.
This would be better and more conducive to health, than keeping them
idle and dirty in their wards. Arrangements may be made hereafter,
for bathing within the precints of the Jail, upon the plan adopted by
Mr. Schalch at Balasore, but as there are more urgent matters demand
ing attention, there is no need to refer more particularly to it at
present.
14. The guard is from the Behar Corps, regarding which I have
remarked elsewhere. The practice of enlisting men in
Guards.
,
. , , ,
the country with local ties and sympathies, was eminent
ly injudicious, as the recent disturbance in this Jail proved in the hour
of need.
The Guard-room, even with the ventilating roof, is not sufficient for
the accommodation of the men. The sentry boxes are well placed, and
beneath them should have been built, as at Meetapore, small guard-rooms,
capable of holding all the men required for each relief, with their non
commissioned officers. There are obvious advantages in this plan. In
addition to relieving the over-crowded guard-room, the men would
be better distributed for preventing escapes and riots among the
prisoners.
15. The Darogah seems a steady, trust-worthy officer, who is well
spoken of by all the authorities of the Jail. He is not
paid at a sufficient rate to retain the services of a really
good man, but I hope, in the re-casting of the Jail Establishments pro
jected by my predecessor, that the position of this valuable class of
public officers may be considerably bettered. The office is at present so
undesirable that few good men will take it.

"0 )

MONGHYR.
I visited the Jail of Monghyr on Sunday, the 3rd of February 1856,
immediately after Divine Service, accompanied by Lord Ulick Browne,
and Mr Tucker, the present and former Magistrates.
I selected this day, because the whole of the prisoners are collected
together, and I was anxious to see them all, as there has recently been
very great sickness and mortality in this Jail. *I again went over the
wards and hospital with Dr. Duka, the present Civil Surgeon of the station,
on the afternoon of the same day.
I visited it a third time, accompanied by Lord Ulick Browne, and Mr.
Tucker, on Monday the 4th of February, to inspect the manufactures and
work-sheds.
2. This Jail is admirably situated in the old Fort of Mon
ghyr, well-raised, facing the river, and suscep
tible of the most perfect drainage, and yet it
has recently been the scene of a lamentable amount of sickness and
death.
The Hajut wards are excellent, but need additional roof and
antero-posterior ventilators.
The Fouzdary wards, five in number, are placed in a single enclosure,
and the rooms intercommunicate with each other by large, open, iron
gratings, to an extent that must be destructive of discipline. As a means
of ventilation they are singularly ill-contrived, evidently the result of an
erroneous knowledge of the true .principles of accomplishing that most
desirable end.
Except when the wind blows from the north or south, the prisoners
in four of the wards have the effete air of their neighbours blown
over them, which is anything but desirable in a sanitary point of
view.
When the wind blows from the south, it passes the privies, and,
laden with the sweets derived from this source, contaminates the air in
every one of the wards.
The remedy for this is easy to point out, but difficult to execute, on
account of the arched form of the roofs, and the bad quality of the

111

masonry, rendering it dangerous for any but a professional architect to

meddle with them.
By the present unwise arrangement several hundred of the worst cha
racters in the Jail are brought together, and on Sundays are collected
in a common yard, where, if bent on mischief, they might assault or
murder the Jail officers, Inspector, and every object of their animo
sity or dislike, before any effectual measures could be taken to stop
them.
If these arched wards were furnished with roof ventilation in the
whole of their length, the great lateral apertures could be safely and
perfectly bricked up. I consider the measure to he absolutely necessary
both for health and security, and I shall feel obliged, therefore, by the
Magistrate's applying to the Executive Officer for an estimate of the cost
of complete roof ventilation on the plan mentioned.
The Dewanny Prisoners' Ward, formerly occupied by the female pri
soners, ' is extremely badly ventilated, and must, in the hot weather, be
pestilential. For this also, estimates for proper ventilators may be
submitted.
The present female ward is utterly unfit for habitation, and is only
temporarily assigned to that purpose. A new ward has been sanctioned
for the women, but as it will be expensive, and interfere seriously with
the proper ventilation of the large work-shed now in course of erection,
I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's suspending its building until I
can obtain the orders of the Government, regarding the disposal of the
female prisoners, who ought, I think, to be removed to some other
Jail. They are few in number, cannot be profitably employed, and
here, as elsewhere, are quite misplaced in a male prison. One of
them is a life prisoner, for murder, and should certainly be sent to
Alipore.
3. The privies are all constructed on wrong principles, and by causing
the whole of the ordure, liquid and solid, of the Jail to
be swept daily through tho open surface drains, are, I
am convinced, the cause of much aggravation of the great sickness still
prevailing in the Jail. I have already, in my notes on other prisons,
remarked so often on the utter impropriety of using open drains for
purposes of sewage, that I shall not dwell upon it here.
The error can be repaired at once, and no time should be lost in taking
the necessary steps; for to the Diarrhoea and Dysentery which have
recently decimated the prisoners, Cholera will be superadded in

'
~

112

another six weeks or less, if preventive measures be not taken in

time.
For the present, I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate placing earthen
nands in all the day and night privies, and having the filth removed
morning and evening, through the sally port in the outer court yard.
It should be thrown into the river at such a distance as to be car
ried away by the stream, and not allowed to accumulate on the bank.
The greatest care should be taken to ensure obedience to this in
junction.
From the moment that earthen nands are supplied, the drains must
no longer be used for sewage, and burkundauzes should be severely
punished, if they disobey this order.
The Magistrate can then indent upon Alipore for a model of the night
privy used there, to be sent up as quickly as possible, in order that
the requisite number for the whole Jail may be gradually made of
this pattern.
The bill for the supply of these necessaries will be passed as soon as
submitted ; and I must again press most earnestly upon the attention of
the Magistrate, the very urgent necessity that exists for the utmost care
being taken to prohibit the employment of the drains for purposes of
nuisance of any kind.
During our visit to the work-sheds this morning, the stinking state of
the outer drain was painfully and palpably evident, and the inner ones
were visibly used as urinals.
The Burkundauzes will require as much looking after as the prisoners
in this matter, and should be held strictly responsible for all irregularities.
4. The drains are all bad together. The levels are wrong, so that
what passes through them is, in a great measure, absorbDrainfc.

^ ^^ afterwards disengaged, to the deterioration of the

atmosphere.
A portion of the fluid contents likewise, I have little doubt, percolates
through the soil, and finds its way to the wells. The evil effects of this
it would be difficult to exaggerate.

The drain that needs most urgently to be set right is that at the north
eastern angle, outside the walls. This should at once be taken up and
reconstructed with tiles as a V shaped drain, to the edge of the outer
parapet, where the water falls on the river bank. The other drains of
the Jail should, in succession, be repaired in a similar manner, one
by one, by convict labour, with Jail-made bricks and tiles. They

H3

should all be well flushed with water once a day, until the rains
set in.
It has recently been ascertained in Europe that lime is not only of no
use as a disinfectant, but is positively injurious. This, I believe, from
private sources of information, is the verdict of the sanitary commission
sent, under the presidence of Sir John McNeill, to Balaklava.
The lime now used may, therefore, be dispensed with at once, and em
ployed in making mortar for the repair of the drains, until the whole
are in good order.
Should any bad smell remain in the drains for the next few weeks, it
may be removed by sweeping charcoal dust and ashes through them once
a week.
5. The Wells in the Jail are numerous, and some of them excellent ;
but, with one exception, they are all so constructed as to
permit of the percolation through the soil of the drain
age and sewage of the. place generally.
It has recently been discovered in London by a singular chain of ob
servations, to which I have referred more particularly in my report on
the Deegah Penitentiaiy, that the pollution of well water by sewage may
occur to a most deleterious extent, without impairing its apparent purity,
or so affecting its taste as to be perceptible to the consumers.
It is by no means improbable that the great sickness which has recent
ly afflicted this Jail, may have been aggravated by this cause.
Some of the smaller wells, particularly that in the Hospital compound
near the privy, should at once be disused, and that one be filled up with
dry rubbish. It is now in a filthy state, and a perfect focus of abomina
tion.
In regard to the water of the larger wells, I shall feel obliged by the
Civil Surgeon examining it occasionally, especially when they begin to
dry up ; and if he finds the salts contained in it to increase in amount so
as to render it unfit for cooking or drinking, to adopt the means of
purification pointed out in my recent Circular on the sanitary state
of Jails generally, of which the Magistrate will furnish him with
a copy.
6. Jhst beyond the great sally port are large collections of rubbish,
consisting of dust, dirt, decayed leaves, refuse food and similar matters,
well adapted to cause noxious exhalations.
While walking round the exterior of the Jail, on the river bank
p

H4

with Dr. Duka, I saw the rubbish thrown over the wall by basket
loads.

This should be all removed at once, and so should all smaller collec
tions of broken vessels, leaves, &c., such as I pointed out to the Darogah
in the yards of the female and non-labouring wards. The proximity
of the river renders it easy to dispose of all such refuse, without injury
to any one.
The holes in some of the yards should either be filled up with dry
rubbish, or with earth or sand brought from the river bank.
No decaying vegetable matter should on any account be permitted to
find its way into them.
The great Cotton tree in the centre of the non-labouring yard should
be removed at once. It affords no shade, and interferes with free venti
lation in an enclosed area.
7. In this great Jail, with many refractory and troublesome characters
to manage, there is not a single solitary cell. As I
hold that without the means of isolating bad characters
it is impossible to maintain discipline, except by bonds and manacles
of which I do not approve, and which only render a prisoner an
object of sympathy to his fellow criminals, I shall feel obliged by the
Magistrate's causing to be prepared at his early convenience, plans and
estimates for six solitary cells.
They should contain at least 500 cubic feet of air, have perfect roof
ventilation, be furnished with an open iron bar door in front and a
large ventilator high up in the opposite wall. For a privy, a moveable
nand should be placed in a corner of the ward, with an air-tight lid,
so that when closed no effluvium could find its way into the ward. As
an additional precaution a small basket of charcoal may be placed over
the moveable cover.
Those of two adjoining wards may be made in the adjacent angles, so
that three pans would be sufficient for six prisoners, for example :
A and B are two cells,a and b the privies
in the adjacent angles. By raising the floor of
the cells a foot or eighteen inches, and placing
the pans in a small masonry excavation, "as in the
Alipore day privies, they could easily be taken
' out morning and evening, and their contents
removed with the rest of the filth of the Jail.

115

By this means, at small additional cost, the radical error committed

in the Deegah Cells would be avoided.
The whole should, of possible, be done by convict labour, with Jailmade bricks.
I do not, in general, approve of vaulted roofs, as they radiate heat
like ovens, but the chief objection to them might be removed if
they were built in the arched form, and the intermediate spaces filled
up with broken bricks, beaten down on the surface so as to prevent
leakage. This would render the use of beams unnecessary, as wood is
now extremely dear, and it would be infinitely more lasting than an
ordinary pucka roof. In this case, however, the ventilation of the roof
must be most carefully attended to.
The following is a rough elevation of such a scries of cells, with their
ventilators and intermediate spaces filled up.
It is not drawn according to scale.

H
The whole should be in a palisaded enclosure, so as to cut of all com
munication with other prisoners, and be watched by a single sentry on
duty.
If the Magistrate experiences any difficulty in procuring an estimate,
I shall feel obliged by his applying to the Executive Engineer to furnish
him with a plan and estimate from the above data.
8. The fetters were generally clean and in good order. The few that
now remain of the bar pattern should, as soon as possi
Fetters.
ble, be changed for the link variety, of the regulation
weight.
One man is chained hand, foot and body, for escaping. It is unfortu
nate that there is no solitary cell to put him in. In the absence of such
means of coercion, the Magistrate should put him on the hardest work

116

in the Jail, and remove the extra bonds, keeping a special watch over
him, and never letting him outside on any pretence.
9. There is a complete absence in this, and indeed in all other Jails,
except at Alipore, of penal labour for the punishment
Punishments.
of refractory prisoners, and or those who have commit
ted heinous crimes. One or more oil mills should be procured, and a
heavy Persian wheel be constructed, to raise water from the large deep
well communicating with the subterranean dungeons, to flush all the
drains of the Jail. When this drie3 up, it should again be deepened
until a spring is reached, or until it comes below the lowest level of the
water in the river, whence a perpetual supply could be obtained.
10. The manufactures in this Jail are numerous, important, and suc
cessful. I concur cordially in the sentiments on the
Manufactures.
..
iiiiot
.> i
subject, recorded by the cessions J udge at his last visit,
" I visited the Jail, and in paying my
" last visit I cannot record too strongly
" my opinion of Mr. Tucker's manage" ment. He has introduced successfully
" new manufactures, and that too in a year
"when sickness would have paralysed an
ordinary Officer ; he has improved the
" Jail and has projected still greater lm" provements which are now in progress,
" and all I can hope is that Mr. Tucker's
" successor may follow in his foot-steps,
" Dhunnoo Lall the Jail Darogah is an ex-cellent Government servant, worthy of

and <luoted m the margin for readier

reference.

" a better post-" 1N _

the profits resulting from them.

(feigned)

" William Bell,

"Sessions Judge"
" January 9th 1856."

The approaching exhibition of Jail

P ,
-n i
i
o
,i
manufactures Will show how far the
works executed here Contrast favorably or Otherwise with those per.
formed elsewhere, and the Annual
t>j.
mi
ii
.
.
,
Returns Will enable me to estimate
l

In the manufacture, or rather arsenication of the paper, the Arseni-

ous Acid (Sunkhya) should be usedinstead of Hurtal. As it is a more

virulent poison, it should be prepared with the greatest care under the
immediate personal superintendence of the Darogah, and mixed with the
lye when it is about to be used, so as never to put it in the power of any
prisoner to conceal it for criminal purposes. If boiled with a small quan
tity of potash, and strained or filtered through paper, a sixth part of
the amount of Hurtal now used would be sufficient, and the color of the
.paper would not be injured, as it is at present.
It has been mentioned to me that Arsenicated paper does not find a
ready sale in the bazar, because the poorer classes are in the habit of
having charms written on pieces of paper, and swallowing them for good
luck. Poisoned paper ought never, I think, to be sold in the bazar* Its
object is to prevent the destruction of records in Government offices, as I "
understand it, and to this purpose its use should be confined.

117

If there be a local demand for un-arsenicated paper, there is no objec

tion to its being so prepared to order.
Four men (free) are, I observed, employed as Instructors in manufac
ture. I quite approve of their entertainment for this purpose, and sanc
tion the cost from the profits of Jail manufactures for six months, but,
in future, previous sanction must be obtained for all such arrangements,
and great care must be taken that the sums expended are never in excess
of the profits available.
The pay of these men may be drawn in a separate bill and sent to me
for sanction. If the Magistrate still requires their services on the expiry
of the period above mentioned I shall be happy to sanction their continu
ance for a further short period trusting that they will not be retained
a day longer than is absolutely necessary.
It would be better in such cases in future for the Magistrate to apply
to neighbouring Jails for skilled convicts, if he needs instructorsand
if procurable by this means, the necessary sanction can be obtained in the
usual manner.
11. The guards of this Jail need re-organization, but as I have called
for a special report on the subject in a separate Circular
Guards.
Tin
' t> \
r
J shall not notice it further at present. Some of the
Burkundauzes appear old and inefficient. Should they be so in reality,
others should be entertained in their stead ; and, in future, care be taken
that none but strong healthy men, in the prime of life, are selected for
so responsible an office.
12. I carefully examined the food in the raw and cooked state and
all shown to me was excellent. But, Dr. Duka informed
me that he had occasion a short time since to complain
of the quality of the rice, which he describes to have been uufit for con
sumption.
.
It was very properly immediately changed, but, I need scarcely say
that when the Jail was in so very unhealthy a state, greater attention
should have been paid to the subject than appears to have been done.
It is clearly a part, and a most essential one, of the duty of the Civil
Surgeon to examine carefully into all matters relating to the sanitary
state of the prisoners, and he should not have permitted damaged grain
to have been used for even a single day.
The Magistrate not only has no time to watch over such details, but
cannot be expected to possess the same knowledge of the wholesomeness
or otherwise of articles of food, as a professional man.

118

I find in different Jails, different standards of weights used. This is

wrong, and may tend to injustice in some Jails, while in others the allow
ance sanctioned by the Government may be exceeded.
It would be well if every Jail could be furnished with a set of standard
weights, and none others were allowed to be used. If this is impracti
cable, the weights should occasionally be tested by the standard in the
Collector's office, at uncertain times.
The khuttorahs used by those prisoners who have no lotahs are con
stantly breaking, and many of them begged for gourds instead. These
are nearly as cheap, very much more durable, and there is no objection
of caste to their use by any class of Hindu, from the highest to the
lowest. The Magistrate may, therefore, replace the earthen khuttorahs,
as they are broken, with gourds.
The cooks seem to feed on the fat of the land, and when I made in
quiry on the subject, it was frankly admitted that each of them consum
ed more than two rations, the remaining one at the expense of the
mess. Cooks, I believe, enjoy certain privileges everywhere, which it
would be difficult to prohibit ; yet they should be carefully watched, for
I am convinced that wherever they are in collusion with the Darogah or
the Burkundauzes, the prisoners are defrauded of a portion of their food,
which is sold to purchase forbidden indulgences.
The Darogah in this Jail is one of the best native officers I have ever
seen, and there is no fear of his countenancing any such practice ; but
he himself declares the Burkundauzes to be a useless, mischievous, goodfor-nothing set, who countenance every sort of irregularity among the
prisoners. The food should, I think, therefore be occasionally re-weigh
ed after issue to the cooks, to check frauds.
13. The Visiting Book shows that the Magistrate is most assiduous
in his visits to the Jail, and that the Judge looks at it
Books and Records
,
, ,
,, , .
,
.
_
whenever duty calls him to the station. It contains not
a single record or remark from the late Civil Surgeon. The object of
this is entirely mistaken. It is not intended as a silent system of espion
age upon the Magistrate. He belongs to a class of officers far removed
from the suspicion of any deliberate neglect of duty. Its purpose is to
place on record at the time of observation, when the matter is fresh in
the memory, all circnmstances deemed deserving of remark, and all
orders issued in consequence to the Darogah or any other functionary
connected with the Jail. These orders should be signed by the persons
to whom they refer, in proof of their having been read by them.

119

I find one entry in the book, -which I feel bound to notice specially.
It is to the effect that the late Magistrate, upon hi3 last official visit,
in token of his satisfaction at the state of the Jail, directed sweetmeats to
be served out to the prisoners at his (Mr. Tucker's) expense. Such a
proceeding I hold to be quite inconsistent with the objects of imprison
ment, and although I believe it is practised in some of the Jails of the
North-Western Provinces, I cannot but consider it an amiable error of
judgment.
By a species of poetical justice, the same record shows that Mr. Tucker
was as liberal in the bestowal of the cane as he was in the administration
of the sugar ; but, the exhibition of the cane without the sugar, is more
to the purpose, in a penal point of view, than the bestowal of the sugar
without the cane. I hope, therefore, that Mr. Tucker's example in the
latter case will not be followed by his successor ; while in all other matters
connected with his excellent and most zealous management of the Jail, it
is well worthy of imitation.
The records of Jail manufactures, expenditure, and stock introduced
by Dhunnoo Lall the Darogah, are very good indeed, and much to be
commended. They show, what is much wanted in other Jails, the exact
state of all matters connected with every department, So as to enable the
Magistrate at any moment to take stock, or to test the working state of
the establishment. The number of records is thus multiplied to an extent
which a less zealous Darogah and Magistrate, would find it irksome to
continue, otherwise I should feel inclined to recommend its universal
adoption.
14. The very great mortality which has recently prevailed in this
Jail, led me to examine into this department with more
than usual care. I regret much that the departure
of the late Civil Surgeon prevented my ascertaining from him the detailed
history of this visitation, and the hygienic and other means adopted by
him to arrest the progress, and mitigate the ravages of the pestilence,
which carried off so many prisoners.
It appears' from an examination of the records of the Jail Hospital,
that Cholera, Diarrhoea and Dysentery have prevailed more or less for
nearly two years.
In his Annual Report for 1854, Mr. Collins attributed the mortality
chiefly to over-crowding, and to the prevalence of the same diseases of
severe character in the town and district.
In the past year the mortality was much greater, but beyond recom

120

mending the cessation of the manufacture of paper, the removal of a

portion of the prisoners to pals, and the supply of tukta poshtes, I do not
find that any other measures were taken to correct it.
It became accidentally"known to me a short time since, by a communica
tion from the late Magistrate, and as I had received a bad account of the
state of health of the Rajeshahye Jail, and had noticed the prevalence of
Fever, Cholera, Dysentery and Diarrhoea, in other places during my tour,
immediately on my return to the Presidency I issued a Circular to all
Jails on the subject of removing all avoidable sources of disease.
Had my recommendations been carried into effect, I cannot but think
that the mortality might have been diminished.
It is true that the epidemic character of the season was responsible for
most of the mischief; but it is equally true that there existed in the
Jail itself many sources of disease, perfectly susceptible of removal.
Detailed records of all fatal cases in Jail Hospitals should be kept for
reference. Some of the patients had evidently been salivated, a proceed
ing which I do not deem judicious in the scorbutic form of Dysentery
that has most likely prevailed in the Jail.
In all cases where great or unusual sickness prevails in Jails, it should,
I think, be at once reported to me.
The sanitary measures which I have suggested in the. former part of
this memorandum will, I hope, render the Jail again healthy, especially
as the sickness is now on the decline. In the meantime, I shall feel
obliged by the Magistrate's furnishing six charpoys for the most serious
cases under treatment, as Dr. Duka prefers them to the wooden bed
steads. Great care will be required to keep them free from bugs.
A permanent Native Doctor, with a Dresser and a Compounder are
urgently required, and should be applied for at once, through the proper
channel.
There is now, in a Jail containing more than 800 persons, only one
Native Doctor, not in the regular service of Government, and he is
neither young nor active enough for the post.
There are also nearly 200 prisoners away in pals , without a Native
Doctor, or any one else to look after them. This should not be.
15. The improvements in progress are numerous and important, and
as they were specially sanctioned by the Government, should be com
pleted with the least possible delay.
There is one other change urgently needed, viz., the re-building of the
Paper Manufactory. At present it is close, unventilated, and unhealthy.

121

I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's submitting an estimate for re-con

structing it in the manner recommended by Mr. Tucker, by convict
labour and materials.
. .
A progress report of the improvements and additions should be sub
mitted monthly until they are all completed. A very brief notice is all
that is necessary.
A supplementary estimate may be submitted for the two walls acci
dentally omitted in that sent in. Greater care should, however, be taken
in future to avoid such omissions.
16. I find that a considerable number of the prisoners recently sen
tenced are without clothing, and suffer much from cold
in consequence. Care should be taken to avoid this
in future, as when prisoners once lose their health, they rapidly fall
victims to any epidemics flying about.
It would be well if all Jails were furnished with uniform prison clothing,
as suggested some years since by Mr. Samuells, and the whole of their
own filthy rags were removed. I shall address all the Magistrates on this
subject, as soon as I return to the Presidency.
17. The Darogah, Dhunnoo Lall, is so well known in this part of the
world, as to need no eulogy from meyet I cannot
Darogah.
.
.
refrain from recording my estimate of his value as a
public officer. He is certainly one of the the most energetic natives I
have ever seen ; and instead of raising difficulties and objections, or receiv
ing his instructions in the Fabian spirit that characterizes his countrymen
in general, he puts his own shoulder at once to the wheel, and the thing
is done. Several small matters which I pointed out to him as objection
able on my first visit, had disappeared when I next went to the Jail. His
pay is very inadequate to his responsibilities and meritsand he is, I
think, deserving of some special mark of distinction from the Government.
17. There were some other minor matters connected with the Jail,
which I intended to notice, but as they were settled
at the time,*and my Memorandum has already extend
ed to a great length, I refrain from recording them.
I confidently and sincerely hope that the health of the prisoners will
improve materially when the sanitary measures herein-before indicated
are completed.
In the meantime I look chiefly to the Civil Surgeon to see that no means
are neglected to ensure the highest attainable state of health of those
committed to his charge ; and I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's
Q

122

kindly furnishing to that officer extracts of all portions of this note, which
relate to the sanitary state of the Jail.

I again re-visited the Monghyr Jail on the 6th of February, at the

special request of the Darogah, Dhunnoo Lall, to see that all my wishes
in regard to the removal of rubbish of every kind had been complied
with.
Such I found to be the case, and I can only again express my satis
faction at so gratifying a display of energy and zeal in a native officer.
2. Since my Memorandum was written, Dr. Duka has placed in my
Hospital.
hands the report of his predecessor for 1855.
That bowel affections were rife in the district, should have suggested
additional precautionary measures in the Jail, and had such been adopted
I doubt not that some of the mortality might have been prevented.
From all that I can learn, the patients were left a great deal too much
to the care of the Native Doctor, and some of my informants declare
that such orders as were given, were not carried into effect.
In times of great sickness a Medical Officer should never leave the
station, even for a day, for any purpose of amusement ; and the utmost
regularity must be observed in his Hospital visits.
I am informed that virulent Small-pox is now raging in the town and
district. If, on further inquiry, such should prove to be the case, all
unprotected prisoners in the Jail should be vaccinated, a sif it finds its
way into so crowded a place, it will be difficult to prevent its causing con
siderable mischief.
It is not impossible that the prisoners may object to it, on some fan
cied score of caste ; but as the Pundits of Benares, Nuddea, and the
Sanscrit College of Calcutta, have certified that no breach of caste is
involved in vaccination, the object and motive of protecting them should
be carefully explained.
All intercourse between the townspeople and prisoners should be
prohibited, as long as the epidemic continues.
In future, I think that every prisoner when sentenced to imprisonment
should be carefully examined by the Civil Surgeon : and if he have not
been inoculated, or had the natural Small-pox, that he should be at once
vaccinated. Small-pox ought never to be permitted to find its way into
any Jail.

123

>

DEE6AH PENITENTIARY.
In reply to letter No. 23, dated 2nd January 1856, from Mr. UnderEeport on Deegah Secretary Russell, forwarding the whole of the corPenitentiary.
respondence connected with the Deegah Penitentiary,
its origin, progress and abandonment, and directing me, after reading this
correspondence, and making a personal examination of the locality, to
submit a report upon the subject, I have the honor to state
1. That I have carefully and attentively perused the mass of corres
pondence placed in my hands,
por . 2ndly. That I have had a personal conference with
Major Ommanney and with all the civil officers at Patna,.acquainted with
the subject ; and lastly that I have carefully examined the site of the
Penitentiary and such buildings as remain, twice, very minutely, alone,
and once accompanied by Major Ommanney, the Superintending Engineer
who kindly came in from the Barahar hills to afford me the very valuable
aid of his local and professional experience.
2. It would, I conceive, be an unnecessary waste of time to recapitu
late the history of this interesting experiment, which seems to me to have
failed more from the singular combination of errors that characterized its
progress, than from any inherent defects in the locality chosen, as I shall
endeavor hereafter to show.
As a place of punishment, and as carrying into practical operation the
recommendation of the Prison Discipline Committee, the Penitentiary
system has not at Deegah had any thing approaching to a fair trial.
To condemn it from the failure at Deegah, would be illogical and
unsound.
3. The simplest plan of placing my opinions upon this deeply inter
esting and important subject before the Hon'ble the
Lieutenant Governor, will probably be to consider seria
tim the various causes to which the great sickness and mortality which
resulted in the abandonment of the Penitentiary have been attributed,
and to show how those causes might in some degree have been obviated
in the present site. The deductions from these premises will necessarily
embody my views as to the advisability or otherwise of commencinnf
anew the Penitentiary plan of punishment at Deegah.

124

Recorded causes of
4- Tne causes of the failure, as I gather them from
Failure.
the correspondence, are
1*/. The unsuitability of the site selected, in consequence of the
impossibility of draining it completely.
2ndly. The improper and unsuitable construction of the brick build
ings containing the cells.
Srdly. The defective plan on which the mud buildings were erected.
\thly. The imperfect sewage of the whole Penitentiary, and conse
quent contamination of the water drank and the air breathed by the
convicts.
There were other causes in operation which are not contained in the
correspondence, but which, in my opinion, were among the less obvious
but not less certain sources of a failure, which must be a source of
extreme regret.
Site and Drainage
5. First, then, with reference to the site.
Its position on the high bank of a large stream, its proximity to a great
commercial mart for its manufactures, and its contiguity to an extensive
military cantonment, are all obvious advantages of a most important
character.
The large open area enclosed within walls, and free from all vegeta
tion, is also well suited to its purpose, and so is its centrical position for
the Jails of Behar, as pointed out by Mr. Loch.
,
All these requisites of a prison of the highest order are deemed to
have been counterbalanced by the single disadvantage of imperfect, or,
to state it more forcibly, impossible drainage ; for, it seems to have been
admitted, that, if that difficulty could be overcome, the other evils were
susceptible of removal.
This a professional question, which requires professional knowledge to
discuss; those best capable of affording that knowledge, the officers of
Engineers, have decided that it can be perfectly drained.
It is with much diffidence that I venture to express an opinion upon
this point, yet I cannot refrain from remarking that no complete and
proper attempt has ever been made to drain the place.
The natural fall of the ground, which is considerable, and so far
important, is from the river to the road, and the adjoining low cultivated
land.
. Except when the whole country is flooded, as was the case during
the past season, when the road to Patna was also submerged, all rain

125

falling upon the surface of the enclosure would rapidly run off towards
the south.
In its passage, it appears to have been permitted to carry with it so
much of the sewage of the mud huts in the interior of the enclosure as was
not absorbed on the way, as it had to flow through common earth drains,
in which much of it must have been imbibed by the soil, and subsequently
have exhaled its volatile portion during the process of drying.
The large shallow ditch to the south of the road thus became an open
cloaca, of so offensive a character, that it was disgusting in the extreme
to pass the Penitentiary.
This surely is not a fair objection to the locality, as the most healthy
position in the world would be equally unsavoury, were it subjected to
the same contamination.
When I was at Port Louis in the Mauritius, a few years since, I
pointed out a similar defect in the drainage of one of the finest sites in
the world, but which, from similar neglect, became a hot-hed of pesti
lence and a focus of fever of the worst types.
The whole country around Patna, Deegah and Dinapore is low, flat
and liable to inundation, when doubtless is sown the usual crop of
Fever, Diarrhoea, Dysentery, and in certain seasons Cholera, when the
requisite conditions for its production are present.
It must be remembered that heat and moisture, although essential
to the production of malaria, are inoperative without the addition of orga
nic matter in a state of decomposition.
Two of the conditions were present naturally, the third was added by
the absence of proper means of collecting and removing, beyond the
reach of contamination, the effete matter which invariably collects where
a large number of human beings are congregated.
It is not yet a decided question in science, whether rice cultivation and
the surface of alluvial soils, where water accumulates and gradually
dries up without the presence of decaying vegetable matter, is a source of
malaria.
In Italy it is belived to be so, and yet Arracan has become a healthy
province, since, by the removal of its jungle, it has become a rice-pro
ducing country. Dum-Dum, one of the healthiest stations for European
Troops in the whole of Bengal, is surrounded for miles by rice fields,
and yet, it is not many years since it became nearly as unhealthy as
Deegah was at the time of its abandonment, from over-crowding its
barracks with unseasoned soldiers.

126

The cultivation in the vicinity of Deegah is chiefly that of opium, for

which the ground is very carefully prepared, from which all extraneous
vegetation is sedulously removed, and in which the recognized sources of
malaria are thus reduced to a minimum.
The objections to the site of Deegah then, are such as apply to the
whole of the province in which it is placed, and are not, further than this,
inherent in the locality.
The private residences on the same bank of the river, and near to the
Penitentiary, are exposed to exactly the same defects in natural drainage,
yet are favorite residences, from their reputed healthiness.
The attempt to drain the washings of the cook-rooms into the river by
means of the deep pucca channel (constructed so as to ensure a fall at
all times, except when the overflowing of the whole country interrupts
all drainage,) failed, because it was improperly connected with the sewage
of the Jail. In no case and in no country would open drains be healthy,
in which ordure is swept along, as it is in nine-tenths of the Jails in Ben
gal and Behar. When permitted to accumulate *as it did at Deegah, in
a filthy, reeking, putrefying mass, polluting the air in its vicinity in
every direction, the insalubrity that resulted is neither marvellous nor
unaccountable.
Like causes in all cases produce like effects, and never was the
" pinguis torrente cloaca" of Juvenal more fully and fatally exhibited,
than in the case now under consideration.
For mere surface drainage, and to remove the superfluous moisture of
the rains, the fall to the south was ample. A large tank should have
been constructed in the place now occupied by a sloughy ditch. When
deep, kept free from vegetation, and not polluted by animal or vegetable
exuvia?, large bodies of pure water are essentially healthy.
If, to the south of this again, a belt of trees had been planted, at a suffi
cient distance not to interfere with ventilation, and close enough to
absorb or arrest the current of malaria carried by the wind when blow
ing over malarious tracts, the condition of healthiness of the inmates of
Deegah would have been rendered as complete, as the peculiarities of the
locality admitted of.
None of these obvious sanitary conditions were fulfilled; hence it is
impossible for me to concur in the verdict of condemnation pronounced
upon Deegah, on the ground of impossible or imperfect drainage.
Supposing this to be accomplished, and the difficulty to have vanished,
as completely as Major Ommanney believes it would do, by avoiding the

127

errors pointed out by him, the question of the salubrity of Deegah, re

solves itself into that of the country generally in which Deegah is placed.
So far as I was able to ascertain, the great unhealthiness of the pri
soners was confined to that body, and was not shared by the Behar
guards, burkundauzes, and other persons employed about the place. The
former were frequently changed, and the latter were able to roam about
when their work was done, and were not condemned to the perpetual
inhalation of a contaminated atmosphere, or the use of excrementitious
water, as were the convicts. There is, however, something in the moral
constitution of prisoners in all countries, which renders them less
healthy as a class, than the corresponding free members of the commu
nities to which they belong. In the returns of the Registrar General
of England for 1851, it appears that the deaths among 800 prisoners
were mora numerous than among 19,000 paupers, a result which will
doubtless direct attention to so startling a fact. In India, my belief is
that the average standard of health among prisoners, as contrasted with
that of the outside population, is infinitely more favorable than that of
the English prisoners in 1851, unless it should prove, as is not at all
unlikely, that local or temporary causes combined to produce so unfa
vorable a return.
The district of Patna and Dinapore, in which Deegah is placed, is not,
I believe, considered particularly unhealthy for natives, although it can
not, on the other hand, be deemed a locality favorable to a high standard
of health. Like all countries liable to periodical inundation, it has its
alternations of health and disease, and is more than ordinarily suspectible
of epidemic influences.
For these reasons I should probably not have originally selected
Deegah, as the site of a great central Penitentiary. On the other hand,
I do not deem them of sufficient force to justify its entire abandonment,
if all the conditions required to render it as healthful as its locality is
susceptible of being made, are complied with.
6. The next point for consideration, is the construcThe Puoca Cells.
......
c

tion of the two ranges or pucca cells.

As respects their position in regard to the prevailing winds, they are
rightly placed, but in every other respect they are quite unsuited for
their purpose, and correctly designated by Dr. Dicken " black holes."
In the first place, they are, as pointed out by Colonel Garstin some
years since, too near the prison walls :so close, in fact, as to render it
impossible at any season to ventilate the lower range of cells.
.-.

128

The receptacles themselves are too small, and would be so, even if, by
natural or artificial means, the air could constantly be renewed in them.
As at present built this is impossible, and when the doors were closed,
and the wretched inmate was shut up with his own exuviae, which are
described with more truth than delicacy by some of the reporters, it
must have been impossible to exaggerate their misery.
To add to the singular combination of unsuitable circumstances, the
passage in front of the cells was converted into a work-shed, in which
the prisoners likewise eat their food.
By this ill-judged arrangement the prisoners inhaled a polluted
atmosphere day and night ; and instead of being surprised at the heavy
mortality of the Penitentiary, I am astonished that any convict ever came
out of it alive.
A very little additional expense would have rendered these cells per
fectly suitable. Their intention was not to introduce strict silence, and
solitude, which I concur with the Hon'ble the Court of Directors in
deeming unsuited to a tropical climate and impracticable with Asiatics,
except for very short periods. They ought therefore to have had air
holes in the intermediate walls, in the direction of the prevailing winds,
at least a foot in diameter. The doors should have been of open bar iron,
and the apertures in the posterior walls at least twice their present size.
In addition to all this, there should have been roof ventilation, upon
the principle adopted in the Medical College Hospital, of apertures, at
least four inches square, communicating with the roof by an enclosed
chimney in the masonry, protected at their external opening by a small
tile to prevent the entrance of rain. Two of these should have been
allowed, one in each of the intermediate cell walls.
Each cell should have contained a minimum of 500 cubic feet of air,
and have been furnished with the means of enabling its inmate to obey
the calls of nature, without being subsequently exposed to the noxious
exhalations of effete matter.
A simple contrivance would, at little cost, have effected this.
It was a vital mistake to convert the corridor of the cells into a workyard, for by this means all purification of the place became impossible.
Even in Europe, the work-yards of Penitentiaries are separated from
the cells, and there are special enclosures for exercise in addition, so as
to give the convict the best possible chance of inhaling pure air.
Instead of a high, dead wall enclosing the day privies and preventing
the gases, disengaged from them, being swept away by the prevailing

129

winds, the work-sheds should have been -separated from the buildings by
an open palisade, as at Allipore.
7. The cutcha cells are now in so dilapidated a state as to render it
difficult to ' judge of what they were when occupied.
Cutcha cells.
,
,
Ihey must have been more airy than the human
pigeon-holes of the pucca buildings ; but, from the absence of proper
draining and sewerage, must have been nearly equally unhealthy.
Failure of cell plan
8- Tne failure, then, of the cell plan, I hold to
not due to locality, have been essentially due to causes that have no neces
sary connection with the locality. .
I remember, many years ago, when attending the lectures of the late
celebrated Professor Orfila on Medical Jurisprudence, hearing him mention
a singular circumstace connected with a small apartment in the city
of Paris.
Several lodgers in succession, who entered the apartment sound and
healthy, died of the worst description of Typhus Fever ; and as it did not
prevail in the rest of the same house or street, it attracted the attention
of the ever-watchful police of that capital.
A Commission, of which Orfila was the chief member, was appointed
by the Government to examine into, and report upon the extreme
unhealthiness of this place.
After much trouble and search, a minute opening was found in the
conduit pipe of the privy, which passed across a corner of one of the
walls of the room, and although insufficent to permit the leakage of
fluids, allowed a small portion of the gases disengaged from faecal
matter, to taint the air of the apartment.
The quantity of sulphuretted hydrogen, to which the evil was attri
buted, was so small as not to be perceptible to the unaided senses, and to
be detected with difficulty by chemical analysis.
The leak was stopped, and the disease ceased.
What the emient continental Toxicologist would" have said to an
atmosphere tainted as described in the Deegah reports, it is not difficult
to imagine.
Were it not that to do so would be out of place in a general report,
I could adduce from writers in every language of Europe, such a mass
of evidence upon this point, as to show that the noxious influence of such
an atmosphere as was breathed in the Deegah cells, would render any
place pestilential.
R

(
9.

130

To the contamination of the well by the percolation through the

soil of effete animal matter, I am disposed to attribute
the greatest share in the mortality that occurred.
When first occupied, and for some time subsequently, the Jail was not
only perfectly healthy, but one Magistrate sang an Io Paean upon its com
plete success. The state of the Penitentiary at the time warranted the
commendation bestowed. But, as time advanced, and by degrees the soil
became charged with impurities, their natural results appeared, until the
penal paradise became a hideous Golgotha.
It is singular that a little subsequent to the time when Deegah was
decimated, cholera in a most virulent form appeared in London, and, con
trary to general expectation and the experience of the past, its most seri
ous ravages were in the Parish of St. James.
The parishioners appointed a mixed committee of professional men,
clergymen, and men of business, to investigate a matter which naturally
excited an unusual amount of alarm.
After a singularly patient investigation, in which the history of every
individual case was carefully sifted, and every possible source of con
tamination probed, the extreme virulence of the outbreak was ultimately
traced to the use of the water from a well-known and favourite pump in
Broad-street.
Chemical and miscroscopical analysis " failed to detect any thing which
" could be pronounced peculiar to a cholera period, or capable of acting
" as a predisposing, co-operating, or specific agent in the production of the
" disease."
By a curious chain of circumstances, the connection of the well with neigh
bouring cesspools was clearly traced. What was fair and clear and pellucid
above, proved to be stagnant, putrid, and mere diluted manure beneath.
The "complicity of pump and pestilence" which so nearly eluded
detection in Broad-street, was so self-evident at Deegah, that the
putrescent state of the water was patent to the unaided senses.
The well-known predudices of the natives in regard to the healthiness
of any district being in some degree dependent upon the purity-of its
water supply, are not altogether destitute of foundation in truth.
The Romans of old before building a new town were wont to sacrifice
some of the animals of the district upon the altars of their Gods, and
from an examination of the intestines, the Soothsayers drew inferences
as to the healthiness or otherwise of the proposed site.

131. )

Modern science has shown that there was much sense in the proceed
ing, and that in all districts where malaria abounds, and the water is
impure, affections of the bowels are rife, and the general average of
vigour and healthy developement of the frame is low.
The history of Deegaii is most instructive in showing that drainage and
sewerage, as practised in India generally, are utterly destructive of health, and that when they are brought into unnatural union, a hideous monster,
compounded of plague and pestilence, is the issue.
This source of sickness and death then, cannot by any possibility be
attributed to the locality of Deegah, which is, in all conscience, far enough
removed from the Broad-street pump, to forbid the supposition of there
being anything common to the two localities, beyond the fatal coincidence
of the water used for drinking and cooking having been, in both cases,
contaminated with similar sources of impurity.
10.

Among the minor causes of failure of the Deegah Penitentiary,

Minor causes of
faUure-

^ hold to be, the unqualified persous appointed to

superintend it ; the great distance of the Hospital from

the Jail ; and the improper conversion of the land immediately adjoining
it, into brick-fields.

11.

The immediate superintendents, with the exception of Mr. Conroy,

were imperfectly educated non-commississioned officers,
Superintendents.
.
.
usetui enough as work overseers, but, in no degree,
fitted to be entrusted with the management of a large body of prisoners.
The Magistrate was at too great distance to exercise efficient control over
so important an institution ; and if he were in all respects qualified to
do so, could not possibly have spared the time. For such a trust I am of
opinion that a well-educated Medical Officer of experience in the country,
is the only fit and proper superintendent, likely to be obtained in India,
and that to manage it efficiently, requires the whole time, thoughts, and
energy of the man.
The peculiar training of a professional man accustoms him to deal with
large bodies of human beings, in the great hospitals which most of them
have frequented in Europe.
The purely scientific portion of a complete medical education includes
such a general acquaintance with physics, the applications of chemistry to
art and manufactures, and such like matters as to enable him with facility
to. master the technical details involved in their practical employment as
an important means of prison discipline.

132

The hygienic view of the question, is necessarily his peculiar province.

Distance of tie
1 2. The distance of a suitable Hospital was an unHospital.
mixed evil, too plain and palpable to need more than
its mere mention.
The Agra Jail, which approaches more to the character of a Peniten" tiary than any other prison in the country, has not only an ample Hospital
within its own precints, but has the use of the garden at Secuudra for
the re-establishment of the health of its convalescents.
The Civil Surgeon of Patna, albeit one of the most able and excellent
Officers in the Presidency, could not possibly do justice to so distant
a charge, without neglecting the numerous and important duties of his
more immediate office.
Adjacent Brick
13. I cannot too strongly condemn the conversion
Worksof the ground on both sides of the Penitentiary into
brick-fields.
I pointed out to the late Lieutenant Governor of Agra, when I visited
the North-Western Provinces some three years since, how the imprudent
manner in which the vast brick-fields which supplied the magnificent
works at Roorkee, had been executed, had caused that place to become
nearly as malarious as an uncleared patch of the Sunderbunds.
The shallow pits along the line of Railway in Bengal, are believed
to have exercised a deleterious effect upon the salubrity of some of the
districts through which it passes.
The space adjoining the Penitentiary should have been reserved
for work-yards and a garden for convalescents, instead of being forcibly
enlisted in the army of pestiferous agents, banded together to cause the
ruin of Deegah.
14. Having thus considered, I fear at tedious length, the causes to
which I attribute the utter failure of the Deetrah PeniConclusion.
,
T

. .
,, , . .
, ,
tentiary, 1 am ot opinion that it resulted more from
the errors committed in its construction and management, than from any
inherent defects in the locality.
If the Hon'ble the Lieutenant Governor is of opinion that I have made
out a fair case for the re-consideration of the question of its re-establish
ment, I shall be happy, with the aid of the Engineer Department, to fur
nish a plan of a Penitentiary in the same locality, as it ought, in my
humble judgment, to be.
.
Such an institution is urgently needed. Without its aid it will be im

133

possible to introduce efficient prison discipline in Behar, a province that

requires more stringent penal measures to repress crime than Bengal, so
far as I am able, from a recent inspection of its Jails, to judge.

BHAUGULPORE.
I visited this Jail at day-break, on the morning of Thursday, the 7th
of February, before my arrival in the station was known, as I came in at 4
A. M. of the same day.
I visited it again during the afternoon of the same day.
2. The Jail in all parts was clean and creditable ; and its conservancy
arrangements better than those of any other Jail in
this part of the country.
In spite of this, great sickness and mortality prevailof which no
report of any description had reached me, and of which I only became
aware on my arrival at the station.
Instead of waiting to send half-yearly returns to the Superintending
Surgeon, every increase of sickness, beyond the ordinary average, should,
I think, at once be made known to me, with a special report from the
Surgeon and Magistrate in charge, of the probable cause of the sickness,
and the means they recommend to check it.
Preventive measures are so much better and more successful than
curative means, that too much care cannot be bestowed upon the removal
of all sources of disease upon its first accession.
From temporary causes, the result of the Sonthal outbreak, this Jail
is very much over-crowded, and the wards are so low and ill-ventilated, as
to deteriorate the health of all weakly prisoners at once, who are confined
in them.
The roof ventilation is the most defective, the three small holes pierced
in each being, in my belief, quite inadequate.
I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's ascertaining at his earliest con
venience from the Executive Engineer, whether a continuous ventilator
cannot be opened along the whole of the roof, and if it be practicable, at
what cost.

134

3.

The walls enclosing the yards are very numerous, notwithstand

ing the removal of several of them. As the outer
walls are high, well-built, and well-guarded by sen
tries, could not palisades be substituted for some of them, without increas
ing the chances of escape of the prisoners ?
They would much improve the ventilation, particularly of the Hospital,
which is very close and confined.
4. The mode of carting away the filth in this Jail is excellent. The
prisoners are, however, in the habit of urinating in the
open drains, and also of rendering the floor of the
wards of the night privies impure from the same causes.
Earthern nands should be placed in both the day and night privies as
urinals, and prisoners as well as Burkundauzes should be severely
punished, if the drains continue to be fouled as they are present.
Decaying vegetable matters and all solid remains from cook-sheds should
be collected daily, and removed in the filth carts. They putrify rapidly,
and soon pollute open drains, nearly as much as aminal exuvias.
I am told that the people dwelling in the vicinity of the Jail complain
much, and justly, of this nuisance in their neighbourhood.
It can readily be removed by the means pointed out above, and the
drains should be used strictly as surface drains, to remove superfluous
moisture, and to maintain general cleanliness. They were never intended
for, and should never be devoted to, purposes of sewerage.
The use of lime in them must be discontinued forthwith. Its anti
septic virtues are a popular fallacy, and it is an expensive, inefficient
agent.
Sould any bad smell remain in the drains from their long-continued
use as urinals, and for the removal of the washings of the cook-rooms, it
may be removed by strewing them once a week with the ashes from the
cook-sheds, and flushing them well with water afterwards. The cleaning
with water and sweeping should continue to be practiced daily, as at
present.
5. I find the greater number of fetters used in this Jail to be of the bar
pattern, notwithstanding their having been prohibited
Fetters,
by Mr. Loch, in March 1854. They injure the limbs
of the prisoners without affording additional security, and they should be
changed as soon as possible, for the link variety, of the form and weight
sanctioned bv the Government.

J.J

135

I also find a considerable number of the untried Sonthal prisoners,

fettered either by the hands or feet, to prevent their escaping. One man
who had escaped, and been re-captured, was fettered in the same manner
as I have already strongly objected to in the Gya and Meetapore Jails.
It is, I believe, illegal to fetter an untried prisoner, and I cannot help
thinking that a little extra vigilance in guarding them, or placing a couple
of sentries with loaded muskets over them, would be quite as effectual in
preventing escape, without any infraction of the law.
6. The food which I saw was good, but it is eaten at improper hours.
No human stomach can digest perfectly, immediately
after sleep. If there is no local objection, the first
cooked meal should be distributed at 10 or 11 a. m., and "an hour's rest
from work be given to the prisoners at that time.
There were no complaints on account of the rations. The rice is new,
but that seems to be unavoidable, as old rice is not procurable.
The Sonthal prisoners, who are very numerous, many of whom died
during the past year, and some of whom are showing signs of rapid
decay, should have meat rations three times a week at least, until they
are accustomed to the prison diet.
The large cook-rooms are in good order.
7. There are 306 labouring prisoners in this Jail, of whom little
Labour andManufec- more than a third are emp%ed in manufactures.
turesThe Manufactures are few in number, and no great
amount of skill seems to have been attained in them. The system pur
sued, as obtains in most other Jails, is upon no fixed principles, and with
the exception of half a dozen men employed in macerating the pulp for
making paper, there is nothing penal in it. Many able-bodied male con
victs are employed in spinning and cutting thread, in which idle employ
ment there can be no punishment. So long as this is the case, and pri
soners are better fed than the corresponding classes of honest labourers,
the Jails will continued to be filled With all the idle vagabonds in the
country.
For petty thefts and minor crimes, imprisonment is an expensive and
useless punishment. It corrupts those who are on the threshold of crime,
hardens those who are utterly profligate, aud seems to deter noneit is
thus neither penal nor reformatory.
More that one prisoner was pointed out to me, who is perpetually in
Jail : in fact, as the Darogah said, it is their home.

136

It surely would not be difficult to find some more deterring, and less
costly punishment for such cases, than feeding and clothing them well,
and giving them thread to spin.
8. This Jail has now been continuously unhealthy for some years,
and during the past twelve months was visited by a very
Hospital.
i
severe outbreak of Cholera, attended with great morta
lity, no less than fifty-two convicts having died in one week.
That part of the sickness was due to climatic and endemic causes not
necessarily connected with the Jail is true ; but I fear that the prison
itself must be held responsible for a good deal.
Large sums have evidently been expended upon drains, and the con
servancy arrangements are tolerably good,yet the mortality among the
prisoners has increased.
The food does not appear to have been objected to on the score of
quality. That the regulated quantity is not issued, should such have
been the case, as was complained of to Mr. Loch, is the fault of those
whose duty it is to see that the regulations of the Government are strict
ly fulfilled.
My predecessor directed the weights and scales to be occasionally
tested, and the rations now and then to be re-weighed, after issue to the
cooks. I do not find that this has been done. The Darogah is, how
ever, a new man, and it may possibly have been done before his time.
But, although I am of opinion that Mr. Loch's injunctions should
have been strictly obeyed, I do not attribute the sickness to the food.
The work cannot be held responsible, for the amount performed is not
sufficient to warrant any such supposition.
To what then can such increment of sickness and mortality as is not
fairly attributable to any of the above causes, be assigned ?
Prisoners are proverbially an unhealthy class in almost all countries,
and as a good deal of petty crime arises from want, many prisoners
at the time of incarceration, are in a debilitated state, which renders
them rapid victims to all depressing agencies.
This is particularly the case with great number of the prisoners re
cently convicted ; in these districts disease has been rife, and food nearly
at famine prices.
But "beyond all this, I believe the improper construction and over
crowding of the jail, to be the real source of the continued pestilence of
sickness.

137

Cholera was present in the Jail, long before it was seen in the town
and district. At Meetapore last year, Cholera prevailed in the town and
district, but did not find its way into the Jail at all.
The over-crowding and imperfect construction were pointed out by
the Superintending Engineer, in his inspection report for 1853.
Since that time the Sonthal insurrection has more than doubled the
number of prisoners, while the accommodation remains the same.
Many of them are encamped outside, notwithstanding which the inte
rior continues much too crowded.
In three of the arched wards, Nos. 1, 3 and 4, there slept the night
before my visit, 120, 110 and 103 prisoners respectively.
These wards all inter-communicate by large lateral barred openings,
so that when the doors and windows are shut, some 400 human beings
breathe a confined atmosphere, with roof ventilation inadequate to remove
the effete air exhausted by one-fourth of the number.
It is mentioned incidently in the records which I have seen, that con
siderable additions and improvements have been suggested, but the nature
and extent of these are quite unknown to me.
In the rear of the Jail is a very fine piece of open ground, the property,
I presume, of Government. In the front of the prison, beyond the Dis
pensary and near the Church, is a large tope, in which some 300 Sonthal
prisoners are encamped. These are both available for prisoners, should
the numbers continue to increase.
Every outbreak of sickness causing the removal of prisoners, is at
tended with considerable expense, which is a dead loss to the State. The
best means of avoiding this is so to construct the Jail in the first instance
as to secure the necessary conditions of health. I am afraid that the
Bhaugulpore Jail is past redemption in regard to its old wards, without
incurring as great on outlay as would build a new prison.
The point for determination then is to make the best of the place,
without undergoing any great outlay.
The Hospital is the worst feature of the Jail, and that which most
urgently needs consideration.
The best temporary measure that suggests itself to me is to place all
the sick in the sheds now occupied by the Sonthal prisoners awaiting
trialto dig a deep trench around the tope, and with the earth from it to
form a mud wall, with a slope, as in making earthen batteries, so that it
may not be washed into the ditch by the first shower of rain. There
s

138

should be only a gate for admission, so that an extra burkundauz at each

angle would be sufficient to guard the prisoners at night. For their safe
custody in the day-time, the present guard would be sufficient.
Great care would need to be taken that this standing camp did not
become pestilential, as all standing camps will do, "if neglected.
The Sonthal prisoners should be placed in pals, marched out every
morning under a strong guard to the maidan, to defecate in a trench,
which they should fill in and dig daily.
By these means, if they be practicable; the causes of sickness will be
much diminished.
9. The Sonthal prisoners awaiting trial are very
numerous. A large number of them are mere boys,
who ought not, I think, to have been sent in.
Speedy arrangements should be made for their trial and disposal.
Their detention is costly and hazardous, for they are beginning to die
off already.
The books of the Jail are fairlyJ kept,
Books.
, 10.
e ' and were
brought up to date.
The Darogah, however, is not a man of any energy, and is unfit for his
Office.
The sooner an European Jailor is appointed, while the prisoners from
the Sonthal Pergunnahs are being sent in, the better.
11. The guards are from the Hill Rangers. I have
Guards.
.
~, .
never seen a more inefficient looking set of pseudo soldiers.
The sentry boxes are well placed.
12. I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's sending me, at his early
convenience, a detailed report upon the matters contained
Conclusion.
,_
,
_.
in this Memorandum. The Cholera season is again near
at hand, and no time should be lost in taking measures to prevent its
proving as destructive as it did last year.

P U R N E A H.
I visited this Jail at day-break, on Sunday, the 10th of February
1856, shortly after reaching the station. The Magistrate was in the
district. I inspected the Jail again on the evening of the same day.

139

2.

The wards, with two exceptions, were in a clean and creditable

state. In one of them I found a small collection of dirt
Buildings.
,
.
_
,
,
,
_T
.
and rags in the corner. In the other, the Hospital, were
cooking vessels, andvarious other things which had no business there,
and which I directed to be removed at once.
Between the female ward and a small ward adjoining it, the partition
wall does not reach the ceiling, so that inter-communication, although
very difficult, is not impossible. This should be bricked up, leaving
pigeon*hole apertures for ventilation.
Some of the arched wards have very imperfect roof ventilation ; the
apertures should be considerably increased in size, if it can be done
cheaply and with safety.
The classification of prisoners in the wards can be of little efficacy
in point of discipline, while the prisoners associate together freely, as
they did during my visit, in the outer enclosure.
It is scarcely safe to allow so large a number of criminals to congre
gate together. If bent on mischief, it would, with the inefficient guards
employed, be impossible to prevent their doing as they liked.
That more attempts at escape are not made arises, in my belief, from
two causes. The one is that the Jails in general are comfortable places,
in which good entertainment is provided, with only a moderate amount
of work, and where forbidden indulgences are procurable at small cost,
without very much trouble. The other is that re-capture is almost
certain, from the impossibility of a Native's being able to refrain from
re-visiting his home.
It is quite evident that most prisoners are utterly oblivious of the fact
that a Jail is intended to be a place of punishment. In the ward whence
the most complaints were addressed to me in this Jail, I made the pri
soners strip, and I am convinced that in no village in this part of the
country would a set of fellows in better condition be found. I asked
them if, in such circumstances, they could possibly have any reasonable
complaint to make ; and whether the Jail was to be made altogether a
place of recreation. Their spokesman, a Mozufferpore man, rejoined, that
they worked for the Sirkar, and were therefore Government servants, and
as such thought their petition not unreasonable.
Until all such men are placed in Penitentiaries, sleep in separate cells, and
are really compelled to work hard, to repay the cost of their maintenance, the
mere dread of imprisonment will never deter from the commission of crime.

'

140

3. The yards of most of the wards are strewed

' .
with broken pieces of brick.
This has an untidy appearance and tends to harbour dirt.
They should all be beaten as flat as a pucca floor. With so manyprisoners doing little or nothing, there ought to be no difficulty in this
being effected in a couple of days.
4. The privies are all badly constructed, and by
Privies and Drains.
allowing the filth to fall into the open drains, pollute the
whole place.
The day are just as bad as the night necessaries, ami in addition, I
found the drains fouled in many places, the prisoners being too lazy even
to take the trouble of walking to the corner. All this shows extreme
laxity on the part of the Darogah and Burkundauzes, probably in
consequence of the absence of the Magistrate. I have already pointed
out, in one of my recent Circulars, the injurious effects likely to result
from such a use of the drains, but no attention seems to have been paid
to any of my suggestions. I do not even find the charcoal which I ordered,
placed in any of the wards. I shall feel obliged, therefore, by the Magis
trate's being so kind as to inform me, why this is, and what has prevented
his attending to matters so obviously necessary to prevent the introduc
tion of disease among the prisoners.
The Alipore plan of removing filth must be introduced into this Jail, as
soon as moveable vessels can be procured.
The drains must then be confined strictly to their proper use, and be .
no longer employed as sewers.
The filth when removed, should be carried away as far as possible, so
as not to pollute the air of the Jail, or the water in the wells, by again
percolating through the soil.
5. The wells in this, as in most other Jails, are badly constructed, so
that all impurities in the surrounding soil find their
Wells.
, , .
way by natural drainage into them ; they should all
have masonry walls to the lowest water level. With convict labour and
Jail-made bricks, this would not cost much, and the improved purity
of the water would add materially to the healthiness of the inmates of
the prison.
6. The necessity of unexpected visitation on the part of Officers in
charge of Jails was never better exemplified,
than in my
Guards.
r*-J
unlooked-for appearance. I doubt much if there were
Tarda.

HI

auy Burkundauzes within the Jail at all. Those whom I desired to

accompany me, came without badges or swords, with their heads carefully
wrapped up, and with an air of sluggish indifference that was significant
of their real value as custodians of the prisoners.
As soon as they discovered who I was, the scene changed as if they
were enacting a pantomine for my entertainment. Swords and badges
appeared wonderfully fast, and there was a rush to man the posts, which
had previously been left to take care of themselves.
I communicated to the Naib Darogah my sense of disapproval of what
I witnessed, and intimated to him, that it would be reported to the Magis
trate. He is evidently not possessed of sufficient energy or determination
for his present office. He is a mild, respectful, inoffensive man, who
would probably be well suited for any ministerial office in which the
moral and physical qualities absolutely essential in a Deputy Jailor are not
required. Of the Darogah, who did not accompany me in my inspection,
I have made mention in a subsequent paragraph.
Until a regular military guard, furnished from a well-drilled police
battalion, not recruited in Bengal or Behar, and frequently changed, is
supplied, it cannot be expected that strict discipline should be maintained
by Magistrates, with the very inefficient instruments they are now com
pelled to employ.
Still I am of opinion that such laches of duty as those which I witness
ed in this Jail, should not be entirely passed over without punish
ment.
7. The chief complainants were, one of the lotah rioters, and the men
who assaulted the Darogah at Meetapore. The MozufferComplaints,
,
pore man was the chief spokesman, and if any disturb
ance ever occurs in this Jail, will be the ringleader in it. He was elo
quent in his description of indulgences allowed in other Jails, with the
internal economy of which he seemed to be well acquainted.
It is much to be regretted that these bad characters are sent to Jail3
wherein the discipline is lax. It is only tempting other ruffians to resort
to the same means of procuring an exchange of quarters. All these men,
should, I think, have been banished to Hazareebaugh or Alipore, and if
there be nothing in their sentence to prohibit such a measure, it should, I
submit, still be done.
I did not hear a single complaint, which I considered ought to be
listened to.

(
8.

142

In the Hospital I found a sepoy, named Beharee Misser, who is not

sick, but still is allowed to enjoy his otium cum digniIrregularities.
.
.
tate, in a place that was never intended for men in
health. So openly was the irregularity practised, that I found upon his
bed a large earthen vessel, which, on being examined, contained little
short of three days' attah, and I doubt not sundry forbidden substances
which it was evidently not convenient for me to discover. A little jug
glery was practised to get rid of some packages, so that I only found
tobacco, which came, I believe, from his bed. This man is, I am told,
confined for murder.
In another ward, in a small kuttorah, among other things, was a packet
of dried bhang, and in other places were filthy rags, very much like
those in which gunjah and tobacco are stowed away ; but, as soon as it
was found that I was looking for such things, they were doubtless remov
ed. I perceived, however, the remains of charcoal used in native chillums, in more places than one.
These things were all on the surface, and palpable. What was hidden
and invisible, were doubtless there in due perfection.
The Darogah must have been cognizant of the irregularities pointed
out above, and had he not been an old and faithful servant, I should have
been inclined to recommend his dismissal, and the cause of his services
being dispensed with should have been published in all the Jails in the
Lower Provinces, to deter others from flagrant breaches of duty.
He told me that he had not been inside the Jail for 15 days from ill
ness, and that he had no confidence in his Naib.
He is 70 years of age, according to his own admission, and evidently
-very infirm- It seems harsh to say any thing against one who is so near
the grave, and from whom good service must have been obtained, as
Iiis sword of honor shows ; yet, the public interests require that other
arrangements should be made for the immediate superintendence of the
Jail, and I shall feel much obliged by the Magistrate's reporting what, in
the particular circumstances, he recommends to be done.
9. The books of the Jail are not brought up to date. This should
not be allowed to occur, as they are so numerous and so
Books.
...
.
easily falsified, that, if arrears are allowed to accumulate,
it will become impossible to check frauds.
The Visiting Book shows that the Judge and Magistrate are most assi
duous in watching over the Jail. But 1 find no record from the Civil

H3

Surgeon. His visits and remarks should also be recorded, and more
especially the weekly inspection of the Jail, which he is required by the
regulations to make.
I perceive from the entries in this and many other Visiting Books, that
the object of the record is so much misunderstood as to lead me to
believe that a Circular Order should be issued regarding it.
By a little modification without much additional trouble, it might be
rendered a valuable record.
10. This is a large, well-ventilated place, but was
Hospital.
.
*
i
i
not as clean as it ought to be.
The unsightly earthen beds in two of the wards do not appear to me
to be of much use. If intended for three patients, the plan is altogether
objectionable; if designed for only one, it is a needless sacrifice of
space.
The floor is pucca, and with Mr. Loch's tat bedding ought to be dry
enough for the patients to lie upon, particularly as the floor itself is tole
rably well raised. Should the Civil Surgeon entertain any objection to
this, I shall feel obliged by his submitting at his earliest convenience, a
written report on the subject. The mounds must either be entirely re
moved, which I deem the preferable plan, or re-constructed of half the
height, three feet in width, and six and a half in length, with a sufficient
interval between each.
There were four mad men in the Hospital, which is evidently quite
unsuited for the retention of such patients. If there is no hope of their
speedy cure, arrangements should be made for their transmission to the
nearest Lunatic Asylum, which is, I believe, at Moorshedabad.
11. The number of labouring prisoners in this Jail is 381, and of
Labour and Manu- tnese probably a third are employed in manufactures,
fectures.
The out-turn of their work last year was valued from
the books shown to me at Rs. 2,945-10-1, and to produce this result,
calculating the number occupied each day, if the Darogah made no
no mistake, there were 36,377 men.
They took an average of 75 ticca Burkundauzes to assist the mountain
in producing this mouse. This, at 4 Rupees a month for each guardian,
gives 300 x 12=3,600 Rupees.
It is true that the estimated value of the work done upon the roads is
not included in the calculation. What its supposed value may be, I
have not means of knowing, .but, estimating the labour of five prisoners

H4

to be equivalent to that of one free labourer, it cannot be denied that the

whole is a costly and unprofitable experiment.
It would have been more economical and more efficient in point of
discipline to have kept them all in Jail doing nothing. The out-door
occupation, in addition to being unprofitable, is the source of most of the
irregularities that have crept into Indian Jails, and rendered them ineffec
tive as places of punishjnent.
This Jail is admirably placed for turning over a new leaf. It is
situated upon a fine open maidan, capable of indefinite extension, and of
being a healthy locality for the people of this part of the country, and of
the neighbouring zillahs.
The first step to be taken is to procure an European Jailor, and if
the Magistrate sees no objection to it, I shall be happy to apply to the
Government to sanction the entertainment of a fit person.
The work-yards are now all without the Jail walls, in enclosures so
frailly fenced that a child might get though them. The work-sheds are
small mud huts that it would cost little to remove, were they worth
removing, which they are not.
To the westward of the Jail is a fine open maidan.
As soon as the two misplaced open cesspools cease to be used as such,
a large space can be marked out, bounded by the present prison wall.
Round all a deep ditch should be dug, and beyond it the earth thrown
up, would form a rampart eight or ten feet high. This, if properly con
structed, would solidify during the rains, and upon the top of it, should be
planted a thick aloe hedge.
One sentry box at each corner of this, would release many Burkundauzes, among the 75 useless fellows now entertained.
All the above . could be executed by prison labour, without costing
a single additional rupee; and under an active overseer with 100 men a
day at his disposal, ought not to occupy more than a month or six weeks^
The ditch would assist materially in the drainage of the whole prison,
if not allowed to become choked with rank vegetation, or to be used as
an open cloaca.
The area enclosed should be of sufficient dimensions to admit of the
digging of a tolerably large and deep tank in one of its angles. This is
much wanted, for at present the only water available for bathing and
every purpose, is that from the well.
Within this enclosure proper work-sheds should be constructed by the

Ho

prisoners, and a door in the centre of the rear wall would lead into it,
without permitting the prisoners ever to find their way outside.
Near the place where the door would be, there is already a sentry
posted, so that no extra guard would be required for it.
I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's reporting to me what objections
he entertains to this plan.
If it did no other good, it would render imprisonment a little more
real than it is.
The mal-khana is at present very badly placed, and occupies an extra
man to guard it at night.
The manufactured articles might be placed in the room above the
gate, which is now unoccupied, and the jute be allowed to take care of
itself, with the aid of a good padlock, for it can scarcely be worth
stealing :moreover, the residences of the Burkundauzes are so close
to it, that there would be no great hardship in holding them responsible
for any that might disappear.

DINAGEPORE.
I visited this Jail on Tuesday, the 12th of February 1856, accom
panied by Baboo Isser Chunder Mitter, the Deputy Magistrate of the
station.
The Magistrate was absent on duty in the district.
2. The Jail wards are large, well raised, and not badly situated, but
most of them are over-crowded, and all are deficient in
Buildings.

roof ventuation. This is so essential for the health of

the inmates, that I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's submitting to
me, as soon as possible, an estimate for placing at least six of Mr. Loch's
gumlah ventilators in the roof of each of the wards.
The doors at present are all of solid panel, so that when closed, the
rooms must be- stifling,for the inmates are now packed, nearly as close
ly as they can lie, upon the floors. These panels should be pierced with
round holes, about an inch in diameter, in lines alternating, six inches
apart to within two feet and a half of the floor.
. The wards were all clean, orderly, and creditable.
T

'

146

Mr. Loch, in his visit, remarked the presence of a large number of

vessels containing food, &c., in the wards. I also noticed some, and that
several prisoners had delf plates, and similar luxuries, which have no
business in a Jail. The plates I had destroyed in my presence, and I
shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's issuing the strictest injunctions that
nothing is to be kept in the wards, except the bedding, regulated clothing,
and one drinking vessel for each prisoner.
The Jailor informed me that some of the prisoners kept food in the
wards because it would have been stolen in cook-rooms. I cannot under
stand what business a prisoner has with uncooked food. If he gets more
than he can eat, the remainder must be thrown away, and on no account
be allowed to accumulate.
The Deputy Magistrate should note in the Visiting Book, from time to
time, that this order has been strictly carried into effect.
In the women's ward and yard, there is a vast collection of pots and
pans of every sort, enough to stock an old curiosity shop. They must
all be removed, except such as are absolutely necessary for cooking, eat
ing and drinking.
3. The privies are all badly constructed ; the filth is swept through
the open drains, and accumulated in an open tank close
to the prison wall. Any thing more calculated to taint
the air of the Jail, and to injure the health of its inmates, it would be
difficult to contrive. From the number of years during which this prac
tice has prevailed, the soil must now be well saturated with the salts and
impure compounds resulting from the decomposition of animal exuviaB,
and I have little doubt that the wells and tanks are polluted by them.
The percolation and natural drainage of the soil must necessarily be into
the wells and tanks, so that when drying up, they must become concen
trated in the water that remains.
From the physical appearance of the prisoners I believe this to be the
case.
It is never too late to remedy an evil of this kind. It is true that the
human constitution possesses a wonderful power of adapting itself to
local circumstances, and becoming in some degree proof against ordinary
sources of diseases.
This, although true of those to the manner born, is not so of outsiders ;
hence I think it will be found that this Jail has proved singularly fatal
to prisoners from other districts.

147

Of 488 prisoners banished from other districts, 95 seem to have died

before the expiry of their term of imprisonment, and of the 255 now
remaining from that number, others will doubtless follow the same
example.
It is somewhat singular that the greatest proportion of these deaths
occurred among prisoners from Rungpore ; of 198, no less than 35 died
between the 11th of January 1854, and February 1856.
Some of this mortality I hold to be due to local causes susceptible of
removal.
The first step to be taken is to cause the removal of all the filth of the
Jail by hand to a distance.
The second is to confine the surface drains strictly to their intende"
purpose, and to prevent their being used for any kind of sewerage. The
thirdjs to remove the filth from the open cesspool in the tanks on the north
side of the Jail, or if this be impracticable, to enlarge, level, and dig deep
the great tank at the north-west angle of the Jail, and with the earth
obtained from it to fill up the cesspools. It would, however, in every
point of view be better to remove the filth, and thus to prevent its precolating the ground, and rendering the Jail impure and unhealthy for
years to come.
The large tank should be dug to a depth of at least 25 feet and if
possible more, so as to serve for the water drainage of the whole Jail, and
to be stocked with fish for the supply of the Hindu prisoners, as I have
mentioned in another place.
By these means, I am convinced that a very short time will elapse ere
a manifest change in the health of the prisoners will be perceived. If
200 prisoners are put upon the digging of the tank, it will be done long
before the rains can set in. That number can easily be spared for the
purpose.
4. The Hospital is large, but not sufficiently so for the size of the
Jail in times of considerable sickness. It also is in the
same enclosure as the Jail, being in fact one of the
wards. This is, I think, in every respect objectionable, and likely to.
be productive of much irregularity, as well as malingering.
There were more than eighty sick at the time of my visitthe
healthiest part of the year, and this is quite enough for the place to
contain.. In the rains I am told the sick sometimes amount to 120
and more. For these there is certainly nothing like adequate, or proper

148

accommodation. As the Jail is altogether too much crowded, and it

would be difficult to isolate the Hospital in its present position, it would
be better in every respect, I think, to build a new Hospital. For this
purpose there is plenty of space in the rear of the Jail, and if convict
labour and materials were used in the construction, the cost would be
comparatively trifling.
The best form to adopt would be, I think, the bungalow kind of hos
pital, used by Native corps at Barrackpore, except that, instead of being
thatched, it should have a water-tight tiled roof.
It should be raised three feet from the ground, and be flued beneath,
in addition to having good V shaped tiled drains around it.
The roof should be supported in the centre and at the sides by strong
masonry pillars, and should have a tiled ventilator running along the
whole of the upper ridge.
By this arrangement little wood work, the really expensive part of such
buildings, would be required.
The jhamps to close it in at night, the tiles and bricks, and every thing
but the bamboos and jaffrey work to support the tiled roof, and the
space between the pillars, could be made by the prisoners.
The hire of a#raj-mistry with a couple of mates, to superintend the
building and instruct the prisoners, could be paid for from the surplus
profits of manufacture, and when the materials are collected, it could
easily be built in three months.
At each the angles of the buildings should be a room twelve feet
square, to serve one as a compounding shop, a second as a store-room,
and the remaining two as residences for the Native Doctors.
Suitable privies and cook-houses could be constructed in the com
pound, and the whole should be capable of containing 150 sick, if the
Jail itself is to hold 1000 prisoners, as I see mentioned by a former
Magistrate in his reply to Mr. Loch's memorandum.
A building 150 feet long, and 30 feet in breadth, would probably be
sufficient for the purpose.
I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's communicating the above data
to the Executive Officex*, to obtain from him as soon as possible, plans and
sections, with a calculation of the amount of masonry, tiles, wood work,
&c., required.
The floor should be tiled, as the Jail is at present, and if sand is pro
curable it would be better to fill in with dry sand ; well beaten down,

149

which the late. General Forbes considered preferable for keeping out
damp, to flueing.
The Hospital compound should be enclosed by a ramp planted with
aloes, and a deep ditch, upon the principle mentioned in another part of
this memorandum.
5. Notwithstanding the very large number of sick in Hospital, I find
that neither of the Native Doctors sleep there. As
Native Doctors.
.
.
,
,
,
.
there are two ot them, they should remain, in turn,
on duty at night, so as to be able to afford immediate assistance, when
required.
The room to the right of the entrance, is used, if I understand rightly,
for patients in extremis: it should be cleared out, and not be employed as a
godown also.
The Native Doctors should be made to keep the Dispensary cleaner,
and. more tidy than it is. No vessel of any description, or food or
clothing and necessaries other than are absolutely needful, should be kept
in the Hospital.
A receptacle for the sick cannot be kept too clear or free from impurity
other than is inseparable from sickness.
Prisoners in health should on no account be allowed to stray into the
Hospital, nor should sick prisoners be permitted to visit the outside
cook-houses.
If they do so, the guards on duty should be punished.
6. By far too many of the prisoners are employed in out-door work,
Labour and Manu- which is not only destructive of discipline, but attended
factum.
w^lx considerable expense in the entertainment of a
large class of functionaries whom the Magistrate describes very accurately
as " without exception the greatest set of rascals he has ever seen."
They are costly rogues, too, and the advisability of entertaining one
vagabond to watch five others no worse than himself, is more than
problematical. I beg, therefore, to solicit the earnest attention of the
Magistrate to my predecessor's remarks on this subject.
The only really penal labour is the Dhinkee, and upon this few pri
soners can be employed at a time.
The paper made is wrongly arsenicated. The Hurtal used is per
fectly insoluble, and can only be mechanically mixed with the paper,
which it discolors, and renders coarse and uneven. The Sunkhya, or
white arsenic, should be employed. A small quantity boiled with potash

and strained should be mixed with the lye, and this be added to the

150

pulp. Great care must be taken not to allow any of the . white arsenic
to get into the possession of the prisoners, as it is a much more active
and dangerous poison than the yellow sulphuret.
The work-sheds are too low and quite unventilated, and arc covered
with a light, grass roof, in which a spark would cause a confla
gration.
I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's submitting an estimate of rais
ing them, and covering them with a well-ventilated, water-tight, tiled
roof. The materials and .construction to be furnished by convict labour.
I was glad to perceive, both in this and in the Purneah Jail, that the
weavers experienced no difficulty in working upon a raised seat, instead
of in a damp hole on the ground. The only objection mentioned was
that when the shuttle fell on the floor it took longer to pick it up, and
therefore that the same amount of work could not be done in the same
time. This difficulty will rapidly vanish when each man knows that his
allotted task must be performed in a given time.
The whole of the Jail compound should be enclosed in such manner
as effectually to cut off communication with the outside, and prevent
encroachment, without interfering with ventilation.
The cheapest and most effective method of accomplishing this will be
by digging a deep ditch, ten feet wide and sloping to a point. The
material thrown up from this would form an excellent ramp, eight feet
in height, on the top of which a double aloe hedge should be planted.
This is the plan adopted, and very successfully, at Hazareebaugh.
It would improve the drainage of the whole place, and the ditch itself
should drain into the large tank.
One hundred prisoners in three months, could accomplish this. There
should be one grand entrance to the whole enclosure, and that should be
on the eastern side.
The space to the south of the Musjeed, extending from the east to
the western road, would make a capital vegetable garden. A larger
sum than Rupees 150 a month may be allowed for purchasing rawmaterial for manufactures when it can be procured at an advantage
ous rate.
7. The food which I saw was all good and wholeDiet.
some, but from what I learnt, the cooks here seem to be
a more unblushing set of rascals than elsewhere.
They should be very carefully watched, and severely punished when
any pilfering or selling of rations is detected.

151

The food should also occasionally be re-weighed after use at uncertain

times, to prevent fraud.
The Hindu prisoners complained that they never got a ration of fish
as allowed in other Jails, and as an equivalent for the meat given to the
Mahomedans here ; upon inquiring I was informed that fish was procura
ble with great difficulty and in very uncertain quantitiesa great landed
proprietor having a monopoly of its sale.
A little variety in the food is absolutely essential for the health of the
convicts.
.
The best way of meeting the difficulty will be to stock the tanks,
which can be done for a few rupees, and in a couple of years a
perpetual supply can thus be obtained. The great Zulm Saugor in
the station, which was, I understand, excavated by means of prison
labour, should be deepened and used for this purpose, as well as the
large Jail tank, both being the property of the Government.
The Moodie's shop is badly placed, in the centre of the Jail enclosure ;
but I do not deem it right to sanction its removal, until the Jail com
pound is enclosed. The distribution of the food outside would, I fear, be
attended with great irregularities.
Mr. Holm, the contractor, informed me that food was at famine price3
in the district, and that he could not continue to supply it at the present
rates, so long as the existing scarcity lasted.
I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's looking into this matter, and
making the best and most equitable arrangements that he can.
The present scarcity will probably not last long, and then better terms
can again be made.
The contract should contain a list of every sort of food procurable in
the district, so as, in times of great sickness, to permit a variation in the
food, without increasing the cost of maintenance of each convict.
8. Several of the prisoners awaiting trial at the sessions, are as
heavily ironed as convicted felons. I should be glad to
know the reason and authority for this practice, wjiich
seems to me to be illegal.
In the female ward is a child two years old, who was born in Jail.
The mother was convicted of a most foul and inhuman murder, and is
not a fit custodian for her child, nor is it right that the latter should be
brought up in a prison.
The parents of the womau are alive, and have charge of another child

152

belonging to her. If there be no special objection, the one now in the Jail
should also be made over to their charge.
There was a woman confined there likewise,a mere child still, yet she
is condemned for life, and has already been five years in the Jail. She is
said to have poisoned her husband when ten years old ; but I am con
vinced from her present appearance that she could not have been so old
at the time.
It is dreadful to contemplate the fate of this wretched creature, who
could scarcely have been a morally responsible agent at the time of the
commission of the crime.
9.

Mr. Reid, the Darogah of the Jail, is evidently an excellent and

Darogah and Estabment-

energetic officer, who deserves advancement. This I

should be glad to recommend him for as soon as I am

in a position to propose to the Government a scheme for re-casting the

whole of the Jail establishments.
The Dinagepore prison is under
manned in regard to superintendence. If the Magistrate can nominate
a competent Naib Darogah, capable of superintending the labours and
manufactures, and of taking general charge of the prison during any
temporary absence of his immediate superior, I shall be happy to support
the nomination, and to solicit for it the sanction of the Government.
The Darogah should liVe in the house above the gate, and never be
absent from his charge. I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's kindly
submitting an estimate of the cost of adding to the Darogah's quarters
a small bathing-room, store-room, and a kitchen within the gateall of
which are absolutely necessary to render the place habitable.

10.

The Magistrate is authorized to whitewash the Jail, to stop

leaks, and to effect all necessary petty repairs with
Petty repairs, &c.
. , ,
convict labour.
There is no need to apply to the Executive Officer in such matters, as
delay and "expense appear to be the only results obtained from such a
proceeding.
As the Jail walls are low, and escapes have been effected from them,
iron spikes had better be prepared in the blacksmith's shop, and the
intermediate spaces around filled with broken glass.
A better provision would probably be a couple of steady, trustworthy
sentries, with loaded arms, and orders to shoot any prisoner caught in the
act of escaping. The fear of such a contingency would, in all human
probability, render a resort to it unnecessary.

153

11. The records of the Jail are well and carefully

kept, and were brought up to date.
I think it would be well, if it would not be attended with any difficulty
or inconvenience, for the Magistrate to keep his Jail records and corres
pondence entirely separate. It increases facility of reference and exami
nation.
The Visiting Book shows that the Jail is well cared for by the Local
Authorities. It ought however, I think, to be kept in a similar form to the
punishment and order book, in double column, the remarks on visita
tion being placed in one, and the order consequent thereon, if any be
needed, in the other.
By this plan most unnecessary correspondence would be prevented, and
all visiting and inspecting officers would be able to gather the history of
the internal economy of the prison in a brief and satisfactory manner.
This Order Book is the best kept of any that I have yet seen, and I
beg to record my strong approval of it.

M A L D A H.
I visited this Jail shortly after reaching the station, on Friday, the
15th February 1856, accompanied by Mr. Johnson, the Deputy Col
lector.
The Magistrate was absent in the district on duty.
2. It is, I believe, well known to the Government, that the Jail at this
station is a common bungalow, with the partitions of
Buildings.
^ c&aiXQ room kicked downthe whole surrounded
by a low external wall.
It was never visited by Mr. Loch.
In the centre room are two strong posts, to which a heavy chain is
attached. This chain is passed through the connecting rings of the pri
soners' irons, and the convicts, thus shackled, sleep in a double row at night.
Each man is furnished with a small open earthen vessel, to relieve the
wants of nature. I was told that if a man were taken seriously ill
during the night, the chain was unlocked, and he was removed to the
Hospital.
This, from long experience of native habits, and their utter disre
gard of all suffering that does not immediately affect themselves, I
take leave to doubt entirely. Indeed, I was informed, a few days
u

154

since, by an Officer who was formerly at this station, that a prisoner

was one night fastened upon the chain alive, and taken off it in the
morning, dead. He had been attacked by Cholera after the prisoners
were locked up. It occurred some years since, but I cannot ascertain
whether it was ever reported to the Government. "When the centre
room is full, (and I was told that as many as 37 prisoners had thus been
chained at a time,) there are two similar posts, with a connecting
chain in the outer verandah, to secure the rest. It is said never to be
used now.
The night before my visit 27 prisoners were strung on to the chain.
The roof of this room is without ventilation, and that afforded through
the verandahs must be utterly insufficient in the hot season and rains.
This human cage at that time may be regarded, I suspect, as the
direct lineal descendant of the black hole of Calcutta; and it is, I hope
and believe, its sole surviving representative in British India. I need
scarcely record my strong and emphatic disapproval of this method of
securing criminals.
It is not necessary to remark further upon it, as I believe the place
has been condemned, and the erection of a new Jail sanctioned; but, as I
have not access to the records on the subject, my knowledge is confined
to the bare fact.
Such as the place is, it might easily have been rendered more habit
able by ventilating the roof.
The beams, doors, and wood-work generally are rough and uncoated
with any protective covering. The Dutch have a thrifty proverb, that
paint costs nothing, as it protects what is much more valuable than itself.
The compound and building were clean. The latter had been newly
whitewashed.
The cooking-sheds, Hospital, guard-rooms, and mal-khana, are all
outside the walls.
3 This is a small pucca building, not badly designed for its purpose,
Hos itai
kut without roof ventilation. It was all clean, with
the exception of the privy, which is dilapidated and
improperly constructed.
The drain leading from it, as well as that of the Jail, is an open cloaca.
I have already pointed out the objection to this in a recent Circular, and
shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's at once introducing moveable
vessels, and causing all filth to be carried away every day.
The bungalow drain is openly used as a privy, a fact which I pointed

155

out to the Darogah and Jemadar, and intimated that I considered it to be

discreditable to them. If any thing of the kind recurs, they should be
punished, aud the practice will soon cease.
4. The cook-sheds are across the road, at a distance from the Jail.
There is one Mahommedan cook, and the Hindus appear
Cook-sheds. .
to have as many cooks and messes as there are castes.
This is wrong, and the messing system should be rigidly introduced as
far as it can be accomplished.
5. This, like all the other out-houses, is a mat hut. There is a good
deal of dirt and rubbish accumulated in it, which should
Mal-khana.
be removed.
6. I saw none. The prisoners were twisting twine
under a tree, and alongside the wall of the guard house.
7. Some of them were not as clean as they ought to.be. The Darogah's excuse was that they were new. I cannot accept
this as a valid explanation of this neglect of duty. The
poor man seems, however, to have been very sick lately, and not to have
recovered much energy or strength for the performance of his duties.
8. There were said to be 70 at the time of my visit,
Prisoners
of whom 24 are under orders for transfer to Dinagepore.
For the custody of these 70 prisoners there is a permanent establish
ment of a Darogah, a Jemadar, two Duffadars and 25 Burkundauzes,
besides 4 ticca Burkundauzes employed to look after the prisoners' work.
As this is confined to twisting twine and cutting wood, they might, I
think, be dispensed with, and the whole superintendence be made over to
the permanent establishment, which is more than sufficient for the purpose.
As no prisoners sentenced for longer periods than six months are to be
retained here, no delay should occur in their transmission to Dinagepore.
There is one woman, sentenced for four years, in confinement.
I found her in a corner of one of the out-houses. I cannot approve of
her being retained at Maldah, and am of opinion that she likewise should
be 3ent to Dinagepore, for reasons which are too obvious to need detail.
9. Sickness seems to have prevailed to a considerable extent during
the past year. It was probably due to endemic causes,
b!C,ai0SS"
for tne district was as unhealthy as the Jail.
10.

The records of the Jail are all kept in Bengali, with the excep
tion of the hospital register, which is in English. They
fi0"!s"
were all in good order, and brought up to date, I did
not see a Visiting Book.

156

11.

No time should, I think,, be lost in building a new Jail, commen

surate with the wants of the station. I shall feel obConclusion.
liged by the Magistrate's being so kind as to furnish me
at his early convenience, on his return from the district, with a report of
the steps already taken in the matter, and of the present state of the
question.

RAJESHAHYE.
I visited this Jail, on Sunday morning, the 17th of February 1856,
alone. I re-visited it on the evening of the same day, accompanied by the
Magistrate and Civil Surgeon.
I again inspected it on the morning of Monday, the 18th of February
1856, with the Magistrate and the Civil Surgeon.
2. The Jail generally was clean and in good order,
the bedding was all out airing, and my instructions had
evidently been carefully attended to.
The arched roofs are still imperfectly ventilated, notwithstanding the
introduction of Mr. Loch's gumlahs. I fear it would not be safe to open
the arches again for additional ventilators.
The women's ward is very close and confined. As there are only two
male prisoners in the adjoining ward, and as their presence there causes
the opening for ventilation to be closed, I shall feel obliged by the Magis
trate's removing them elsewhere, and knocking down the intermediate
walls, so as to afford more air and space to the female prisoners.
As they work in their ward, are never let out, as are the male con
victs, and have recently been sickly, this change I believe to be urgently
required.
The women seem to collect a great deal of dirt and rubbish about
them. It is, I know, difficult to prevent this, yet the propensity should
be checked as much as possible.
The. cook-houses in the female yard are miserable places*.
Two small pucca ones should be built by convict-labour. I shall be
happy to sanction the expense, upon the submission of an estimate in the
usual form and manner.
3. These are all bad, and the filth falls into the
drains; so long as this practice continues, the Jail cannot
be healthy and free from bad smells.

157

The Alipore plan had better be introduced at once, and as soon as I

return to the Presidency, I will forward a sketch of it to the Magistrate.
4. In addition to being devoted to purposes of sewerage, which is not
their legitimate use, many of the drains are much out of
order. As they must hereafter only be used as surface
and cleansing drains, I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's having all
the levels carefully examined, so as to cause the whole drainage to fall
towards the new tank, regarding which mention is made in a subsequent
paragraph.
Much of the great and continued unhealthiness of the Jail, I believe,
to be due to its very imperfect drainage. It is built on low ground, part
of which can be little better than a swamp in the rains.
5. There is at present one good tank in front of the Jail, which is
placed on high ground, and therefore is useless for the
Tsilks
purpose of draining the subjacent ground.
A large number of huts, with their accompanying abominationsjungle
filth, animal and vegetable remains, and such like sources of diseasehave
been permitted gradually to encroach upon the Jail, to an extent that I
am convinced has exercised a very prejudicial effect upon the health of
its inmates. The small shallow pits, from which earth has been taken to
raise the floors of the huts, have, in progress of time, coalesced to
form a dirty and unwholesome nullah, in which moisture collects in
the rains.
In addition to all these sources of contamination, Mahommedan prisoners
are buried in small graves close to this spot.
The whole of the ground is the property of the Government, and these
squatters should at once be removed. So long as they remain there, the
Jail and station will both continue unhealthy.
As soon as the huts and jungle and all accumulations of filth are
removed, the ground should be carefully levelled.
This being the lowest spot in the vicinity, to it must the natural drain
age from all parts be directed.
A large tank, as deep as it can be excavated until the water filters
through a bed of clay or sand, should be dug at once, so that it may be
completed before the setting-in of the next rains.
The banks should be very carefully levelled and beaten down, and a
small bund be raised round the edge of .the tank, to prevent the washings
of the adjacent surface gradually silting it up.
If made by convict-labour, it will, I am convinced, cost comparatively
>"

158

little, while it will improve the general healthiness of the place, as much
as a similar proceeding did the station of Dinagepore.
When completed, this tank may be stocked with fish for the use of the
Jail ; and if kept clean, will be both ornamental and useful.
The high ground immediately adjoining it, and that lying between it
and the Jail, may then be converted into a vegetable garden for convales
cents, as suggested in my Circular No. 35.
The tank now attached to the Jail requires to be cleaned, and additional
barriers to prevent the escape of prisoners, should be placed in it.
6. The Hospital is somewhat close and confined, and
is inadequate for the wants of the Jail.
It should be removed to the present Dewanny Jail, which affords
nearly 10,000 more cubic feet of space.
A small room can be partitioned off for compounding, &c. The walls
of this need not be more than eight feet in height, and the doors, &c., in
the present Hospital can be transferred to it, as when the Dewanny pri
soners are removed there, the separate apartment will not be required.
Very great and fatal sickness has prevailed in this Jail during the past
year ; but, I find on careful inquiry, that the mortality among the prisoners
has been less than among the surrounding population.
This has also been the case at Bhaugulpore, Monghyr, Dinagepore and
other districts. The result of the past season has, in addition to the
ravages of pestilence, added dearness and scarcity of food, so that I fear,
their invariable concomitants, crime, the result of want, and increased
disease, the effect of both these causes, will be the characteristics of the
approaching hot weather and rains.
For these reasons I am most anxious, now that there is a temporary
lull in the sickness, for the Magistrate to lose no time in adopting every
possible expedient to remove all ordinary and obvious sources of disease
from the prison and its immediate vicinity.
The Hospital establishment does not appear to be very complete or
efficient. This should be looked to in time.
The Civil Surgeon is anxious that a permanent hut should be placed
near the tank for Diarrhoea and Dysentery patients. I have no objection
to it, if as great sickness should again prevail as occurred during the
past year ; but as it is an eye-sore, it should be only resorted to in case
of absolute necessity. The extra expense of guarding all detached bodies
of prisoners is so very great, that measures of removal and separation
should never be adopted, except in urgent circumstances.

159

7.

The guard seem to be as bad a set of inefficient idlers, as I have

yet seen. They petitioned to have the sentry box at
one of the angles removed to the ground outside,
because it was somewhat troublesome to keep an eye on the gate beneath.
The object of this is obviously to escape observation, and to enable
them to introduce forbidden indulgences. The door may be bricked up
at once, as it is not wanted. The petition shall receive special attention
hereafter.
That gross irregularities must have prevailed, is obvious from the fact
of the Magistrate's having recently dismissed the Jemadar of the guard
for having expended 3,000 rupees in the purchase of a lease, out of a
salary of 15 Rupees a month!
It is, I fear, a hopeless task to attempt to introduce prison discipline*
with such instruments to enforce it.
Some of the guards are evidently too old for the work. Care should
be taken to weed them out, as opportunities offer.
Labour and Manu- 8- Tlie manufactures are numerous and profitable,
factures.
aj^j great care and attention have evidently been bes
towed upon them.
The large work-shed is rather ricketty ; care should be taken to prevent
its being blown down, by increasing supports.
The paper should be arsenicated with Sunkhya, instead of Hurtak
A very small quantity of the former, boiled with the lye, will be suffi
cient to arsenicate the paper, without injuring its color, but care
must be taken to prevent the prisoners having access to so dangerous
a poison.
The Hurtal is at present very carelessly handled, and might lead
to mischief in the hands of any designing or vindictive prisoner.
9. The diet seems to be good in quality, as I saw from the food cook
ing at the time of my visit. I am afraid, however,
that here, as elsewhere, the cooks and the guard are
in league, and that the prisoners are occasionally, if not habitually,
defrauded in the quantity of their rations.
The instructions of my predecessor on this point, should always be
borne in mind and observed.
All articles of diet are now so dear, that the contractor is unable to
fulfil his contract without incurring loss. I shall feel obliged by the
Magistrate's reporting to me, the steps he intends to take in consequence
of this great scarcity : whatever new arrangements are made should be

160

of an entirely temporary character, and be regulated by the bona fide

market prices of the various articles of consumption.
The moment the produce of the next crops is available, the current
contract rates should be returned to.
The Civil Surgeon seems to think that since the introduction of a
lower scale of diet, sickness has increased. The information in my pos
session leads me to believe that such is not really the case.
The data upon all these questions is at present so defective, as to
render it impossible to arrive at any definite conclusion. The crude
statistics heretofore published, are utterly untrustworthy.
It will be my care to collect the means" necessary to determine this, and
many other questions, now unsettled, on the management and internal
economy of Jails in Bengal.
1 0. The classification of prisoners laid down by Mr. Loch is strictly
Classification of observed, but can be of no great use, while the convicts
Prisoners
associate freely together when at work, and have the
whole of Sunday to themselves, in the great enclosure,
The manner in which these ruffians are at present allowed to congregate,
is eminently destructive of discipline, and not without serioHS risk to
magistrates and other officers visiting the Jail. The lotah, with its
neck and a strong cord attached to it, is a very formidable weapon of
offence, and the d&os and khoodalees with which the convicts work
outside, might readily and fatally be employed, for purposes of violence,
by desperate characters.
The remedy for this is to work the prisoners in separate gangs, and in
strong enclosures, as is done at Alipore.
I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's submitting to me an estimate
of the cost of removing the present walls in the rear of the wards and
of running palisades to the outer wall, in which work-sheds might be
erected, as obtains at Alipore, and is being adopted at Hooghly.

1M

MOORSHEDABAD (MOID APO RE.)

I visited the Jail on the morning of Tuesday, tHe 19th of February,
accompanied by Dr. Wilson, the Civil Surgeon of Moorshedabad ; and
again on the afternoon of the same day, with the Assistant to the Magis
trate. The Magistrate was absent in the district on duty.
2. This Jail having been already condemned, it is only necessary for
me to state that I heartily concur in its condemnation.
Buildings.
T
It would be difficult to contrive a ^place more unsuited
for its purpose in regard to site, ventilation, drainage, and supervision.
The work-sheds are all outside, and the approach of any official can be
seen long before he can reach it. The guards are scattered, and some of
them placed in paddy-fields, and altogether imprisonment at Moidapore
must be as nominal as it well can be.
The prisoners looked a sickly set, and the whole place had its utter
inefficiency, stamped strongly upon it.
The Darogah is, I suspect, a worthless and a useless fellow. I direct
ed him to bring me all the Jail books for examination. He sent some of
them by a Burkundauze, and only appeared himself when sent for again,
as I was about to leave the station.
It was then too late for me to examine them. I shall feel obliged by
the Magistrate's sending me a special report upon the conduct, character,
and antecedents of this man, as I am strongly disposed to think that he is
not suited for his present office.
I do not deem it necessary to recommend any changes in the buildings
of this Jail, as I consider that a single additional rupee would be mis
spent upon them.
It will take some time before a new Jail can be built, and as additional
labouring prisoners are urgently required at Rajeshahye and Midnapore, '
where good accommodation and supervision exist for them, I beg . to re
quest the favour of the Magistrate's reporting to me, at his earliest con
venience, whether there ij any thing in the sentences of those men to
prevent their transfer, and whether he entertains any, and what, objec
tions to the breaking up of the Jail, until a new one can be built.
A Hajut and Dewanny Jail as accommodation for prisoners of six
months' sentence might be retained, with a suitable decreased establishment.

162

3.

The plans and elevations for a new Jail, which Captain Layard
Jan
kindly showed me, are very superior to those of any
prison now existing in Bengal ; but I am doubtful whether
Berhampore is a good position for a large Jail.
4. In Berhampore itself, I was shown a branch prison for labouring
t, v
. ., convicts, which is much worse than even the Maldah
Berhampore Jail. _ ..
Jail. Nearly 200 convicts are here nightly chained
down in a close ill-ventilated place, in a manner of which I cannot too
strongly record my disapproval.
These prisoners should at once, I think, be transferred elsewhere, and
I shall feel extremely obliged for a special report upon the place from
the Magistrate.

K I S H N A G H U R.
I VISITED this Jail on Wednesday, the 20th of February 1856, ac
companied by the Civil Surgeon. The Magistrate was absent in the dis
trict on duty.
2. The general state of the Jail in all departments was excellent, its
cleanliness all that could be desired, and its conservancy
General state,
arrangements better than those of any Jail I have yet
inspected, with the exception of Alipore.
3. The drains are nearly all out of repair ; when mended, they should
be constructed on a different principle, viz : as V shaped
drains with large tiles, so that they can be more easily
flushed, and will last longer. Instead of lime, I recommend that they be
strewed with the ashes of the cook-room before being washed. This will
deoderize them effectually, which the lime cannot do.
4. The only suggestion I have to make regarding the ordure is, that it
should be carried to a greater distance. As at present
disposed of, it cannot fail, ere long, to act injuriously.
5. ' The ventilation of all the wards is very imperfect, and from the
arched construction of the building, is difficult to remedy.
At the time of my visit, although they had been open,
and airing for some hours, three or four of them were very close and
confined.
I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's kindly ascertaining from the
Executive Officer if the ventilators cannot be continued as at present con-

163

structed, along the whole, or the greater part of the roof with safety. If
it can, I wish to be favoured with an estimate of the cost at which it can
be effected.
The ward occupied by the women is very close, confined and insuffi
cient. The unoccupied rooms above would be much more appropriate
for them. To prevent their escaping into any of the adjoining yards, the
whole of them should be barred, and those in the rear, looking on to the
Dewanny yard, be furnished, in addition, with large fixed jhill-mills, the
battens of which should be inclined upwards.
I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's submitting to me an estimate
for effecting this change in both the upper wards, as it will afford a great
deal of additional well-ventilated accommodation for prisoners, which is
at present unoccupied.
6. The existing classification of prisoners only causes some wards to
Classification of ^e over-crowded and unwholesome, while others are
Prisoners.
barely tenanted. As it does not isolate the prisoners at
all times, it is nearly, if not quite, tiseless as a measure of prison disci
pline. I shall feel obliged, therefore, by the Magistrate's exercising his
discretion in relaxing it, when the health of the prisoners renders such a
proceeding absolutely necessary.
7. The food supplied by the contractor seems to be good, and there
are no complaints regarding either its quality or
quantity. It is also eaten at suitable hours.
It should nevertheless, I am of opinion, be frequently re-weighed after
issue to the cooks, to check frauds on the part of the Jail establishment,
as well as of the contractor.
8. There were few sick in Hospital, and the prisoners
as a body seemed to be an unusually healthy set.
While Cholera, Fever, and other diseases have been rife and destructive
in the town and district, they have not found their way into the Jail, a
fact which tells well for its management, and is highly creditable to all
concerned.
There is gradually growing up* round the Jail, however, a source of
contamination which, if not checked in time, will affect the health of its
inmates, and if once disease finds its way into a prison in Bengal, experi
ence shows how very difficult it is to get it out again.
I allude to the injudicious manner in which the neighbouring soil is
excavated for making bricksleaving shallow pits, which on drying,
became each year foci rich in malaria. To this it is only necessary to

. <

164

superadd the peculiar epidemic character of the atmosphere which prevails

at certain periods, and pestilence is the inevitable result.
The remedy is simple and obvious.
All shallow pits should be filled up with dry soil free from animal and
vegetable exuvia?, and the irregular excavation, which is at present nei
ther tank nor jheel, should be levelled, excavated, and converted into a
deep, clean, and wholesome body of water, and be stocked with fish for
the use of the Jail.
I learned accidentally that the fish in the tank already existing are mo-,
nopolized, and sold as a perquisite by the Native Doctor attached to the Jail.
There is an abuse that should be at once checked. It costs little to
stock a tank with small fish ; they grow very rapidly, and if carefully
watched and distributed to the prisoners on fish days, would effect a con
siderable saving in the cost of their diet.
I have been told that the produce of some of the large tanks in the
neighbourhood of Calcutta yields a large profit to the farmers, and that a
considerable rent is paid for them. All such simple and efficient means
of diminishing the cost of maintenance of prisoners are well worthy the
attention of Magistrates.
In the Hospital I found some Hindus, of not very high caste, cooking
their own food. This is wrong, both as regards the individual, and as
setting aside the messing system, in complete operation in the Jail itself.
I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's at once making over a Brahmin
prisoner to 'cook for the Hindu patients in Hospital, and by his prohibit
ing any separate cooking by other castes of Hindus.
9. The manufactures are numerous, and the skill acquired considerable. Under the active supervision of the present Darogah, they will also, I hope, prove profitable. The worksheds are not particularly good ; but I see no present necessity for incur
ring expense in improving them.
10. The cook-sheds are very badly placed, so as to render escape
particularly easy. The Darogah informed me that a
Cook-sheds.

representation on the subject had been already sent to

me by the Magistrate. It is doubtless in my office, and shall receive my
best attention as soon as I return to the Presidency.
11. A Visiting Book has only been introduced since the beginning of
Visiting Book.
the present year. A11 remarks and orders of the offi
cial authorities should be carefully recorded in it, and it
should not be permitted again to fall into disuse.

165

12.

The fetters were all clean and bright, and the only other remarks
I have to make respecting this excellent Jail, relate to
the aged female prisoner, whose case has been referred .
to the Sudder Court, and to the prisoners confined for crimes against the
person, until they can afford security.
These are probably judicial matters beyond the sphere of my functions,
yet, as I am desirous of making a reference to the Government on the
subject, I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's kindly furnishing me
"with a statement of their cases. The Darogah will point out the prison
ers to whom I refer, as I have not taken a note of their names.
I was much pleased with the zeal and intelligence of the said Darogah,
who is an educated native, and who will, I hope, prove here, as many of
his educated brethren have done elsewhere, that competent and trustwor
thy native agency is to be found among those who have been trained in
our colleges and schools.

C H I T T A G O N G.
I VISITED the Jail at Chittagong on Saturday, the 15th of March 1856,
accompanied by the Magistrate, the Civil Surgeon, and the officer in
charge of the 2nd division of the Arracan road.
Situation and
2- The Jail is vei7 wel1 Placed as regards its site, but
Buildings,
js jn much too close proximity to the cutcherries and
town.
The buildings were all in good order, having recently been plastered
and whitewashed ; and the whole of the prison was in a clean and credit
able state.
Most of the wards, however, need additional roof ventilation,
which may easily be supplied at small cost, by the adoption of
Mr. Loch's gumlah ventilators. Two to each ward will probably be
sufficient.
3. The greatest defect in the arrangements of the Jail is undoubtedly
in the construction of the day and night privies, which by
permitting the ordure to fall into and be swept through
the open drains, pollutes the whole place.
This should be changed at once, as in so unhealthy a district as Chit
tagong it is impossible to calculate upon the prisoners being long exempt

ICG

from any general causes of sickness and mortality which affect the whole
population. I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's indenting, at his
early convenience, upon the iron bridge yard in Calcutta for two iron
pans for each ward, upon the Alipore plan and pattern.
The wooden frames for their reception can be made at Chittagong.
The present projecting excrescences can then be removed, and a window
with iron gratings placed in the room of each, which will add materially
to the ventilation of the wards.
The gumlah urinals already placed in the wards by the Magistrate are
excellent. Similar vessels will answer well for the day privies, whence
the ordure can be removed by hand, as is done at Alipore, and at the
House of Correction in Calcutta.
All the filth of the Jail should be removed to a distance, and be either
buried in a waste spot, or thrown into the river below the town.
4. The guard house is at present close and confined.
Guard House.
T
It would be rendered wholesome and airy by the addi
tion of a few gumlah ventilators in the roof.
5. The only yard furnished with a well is that of the female pri
soners. All other water is brought from the outside,
Wells.
.
where the prisoners likewise bathe.
Each ward should have a well of its own, as it is not possible to
construct a tank in the Jail enclosure : these wells can be cheaply and
efficiently made by the convicts themselves, as they will not require to
be dug very deep.
The best way of constructing them is to mark out the area of the well,
and build upon it a hollow circular wall, sufficiently thick to prevent its
collapsing : when this has been raised three feet in height, the earth can be
excavated beneath and within it, until the wall sinks to the level of the
ground. The double operation can be repeated until the requisite depth
has been attained, when the superstructure of masonry can be placed
upon it.
By this means a permanent well can be cheaply constructed, which
will seldom need repair, will not be liahle to collapse, and will not permit
the drainage of the soil to pollute the water, as occurs in all the cutcha
wells of the country.
I shall feel much obliged by the Magistrate's making one of these wells
in the first instance, and reporting to me its cost, and the time it took to
complete. I should think that three feet of masonry and excavation
could easily be effected on alternate days.

167

6.

The sentry boxes are badly placed, and too numerous. They
should be constructed at the angles of the outer walls.
Sentry boxes.
,
'
when one sentry for each wall would be sufficient.
As they must be raised, and mounted by an outer staircase, small
mal-khanas and tent-houses could be placed beneath. The sentry could
easily watch the prisoners and room beneath at the same time. The
doors in this case would all of necessity be outside.
Trees and Cutcher- ? The front of the Jail i3 at present much ennes"
- croached on by trees, and small cutcherries which are
singularly ill-placed.
The trees should be cut down at once. They interfere with ventila
tion, (afford facilities for idleness and escape, and two of them are in the
way of the wall to enclose the work-shops, sanctioned by Mr Loch.
The most objectionable of the small cutcherries is that of the Abkaree
Department; but all are in the way, and should, if possible, be removed.
The proximity of the Opium Cutcherries at Mozufferpore was found to
affect the health of the Jail , and in the recent outbreak, to afford an
amount of countenance and support to the rioters, which compelled the
civil authorities to yield to them, although they were at the time in
open mutiny.
All prisons should, for obvious reasons, be as much isolated as possible.
I shall therefore feel obliged by the Magistrate losing no time in
bringing the matter to the notice of the Judge and Commissioner, and by
his reporting the result of his reference to me as soon as possible.
8. By far the greater number of the prisoners are employed on the
LabourandManufae-

f*M-

roads> which from beinS sandv> friable> and easily

washed away by heavy falls of rain, need constant

and quick repairs.

Free labour is said to be scarce, uncertain, and expensive, so that, in the
belief of the Magistrate, it is absolutely necessary for the welfare of the
city, that the out-door labour of convicts should continue at Chittagong.
I cannot quite concur in the soundness of the Magistrate's views on
the subject. The cost of the extra guards to superintend the convicts
labouring on the roads is nearly 150 rupees monthly, a sum which, in my
belief, is in excess of what would be necessary to keep the same roads
in repair with free labour.
The inefficiency of punishment on the out-door system is as great at
Chittagong as elsewhere, and the labour thus obtained is purchased at an
extravagant cost.

168

In a properly-regulated system of in-door labour, the number of convicts

at Chittagong ought to produce in manufacture much more than the
equivalent of their inefficient work on the roads. When to this is added
the cost of the extra guards that would be saved, there can, I think, be no
doubt as to what is the most economical means of employing the prisoners,
while the relative value of the two measures in their penal relations can
not admit of question or argument.
In a sanitary point of view, it is beginning to be admitted that in-door
is more healthy than out-door labour, which is an additional reason of some
force against placing the prisoners on the roads.
The question of local improvement is beyond my jurisdiction, but, in
my belief, it is a source of unmixed evil, in regard to the suppression and
punishment of crime, that it should have been made dependent in any
way upon the supply of convict labour, in localities where free labour
is readily procurable.
9. I did not examine the food of the prisoners, as there have been no
complaints, and it was said to be good in quality and ample
in quantity. I find in the remarks of the Civil Surgeon
for the previous year, that he considered the allowance for labouring to
be less than that for non-labouring prisoners, and that extra provisions
used to be smuggled into the Jail. As he mentioned none of these mat
ters to me, I presume that the practice no longer exists, and that he is
satisfied with the rations issued.
10. The Hospital was clean and orderly, and the general health of
the Jail seems to be good. Cholera, which is destructive
and epidemic in the district, has not affected the pri
soners, and the average mortality among the convicts in Jail, is said
to be much below that of the corresponding classes of the town
people.
The mortality among the prisoners labouring outside during the pre
ceding year, was double that of the convicts employed in manufactures,
and it is more than probable that the experience of the present year will
correspond with that of its predecessor. The greater number of deaths
also occurred among prisoners who had not been in confinement more
than three months, and who in all probability brought the diseases which
terminated their lives, with them.
There was one prisoner in Hospital who is supposed to be insane, and
from his appearance I take him to be an undoubted maniac. As soon
as his term of imprisonment has expired, which is about a month, if he

169)

continues in his present state, he should be transferred to the Lunatic

Asylum at Dacca.
The large ward for lunatics will probably never be required, and as it
is open and airy, it should be used for cases of Cholera, Dysentery,
Diarrhoea or for moribund cases, which are better separated from cases
of ordinary sickness.
I perceive from the records that the legs of the prisoners are sup
posed to be chafed by the mozahs worn under the irons. These should
be made to fit exactly, and may be taken off at night, or when the
prisoners go to bed. There is no more frequent source of malinger
ing in Indian Jails than from the production of sores as if caused
by friction of the fetters. In all slight cases, and in every instance
where there is the smallest reason to believe that abrasions are spontane
ously produced, or that means are taken to prevent their healing, the
prisoner should have his sore dressed, and be sent to such light work as
will not cause any friction from the fetters.
11. The Magistrate informed me that much time is expended in
Translation of translating orders for the information of the Jail Darogah
0rieTaand his subordinates.
I have found in several Jails that delay was not the only incon
venience suffered, but that many orders were incorrectly translated. I
will take steps on my return to the Presidency to have all orders trans
lated prior to their issue.

A K Y A B.
I visited the Jail at Akyab, accompanied by the Magistrate and Civil
Surgeon, on the 17th March 1856.
I again inspected a portion of it, accompanied by the Magistrate, on
the 26th March 1856.
2. The Jail buildings were burnt down some time since, and are tem
porarily replaced by frail, badly-built, insecure sheds,
which cost a considerable sum in annual repairs, and
yet are at present in an extremely dilapidated state.
The whole are placed in an octagonal enclosure, in which life prison
ers, term prisoners, European sailors, women, and the sick in hospital,
are all congregated together, with no further attempt at separation or
classification than are afforded by mat walls and mere wooden partitions^

(170

The Jail enclosure is said to be flooded during the rains, and is very
imperfectly drained.
The privy is an open sewer, which pollutes the whole Jail, and in
which there is no attempt to screen the men in obeying the calls of nature.
Discipline, in the circumstances above mentioned, is well nigh impossi
ble ; and, with the more-than-ordinarily inefficient Jail guards at his dis
posal, the Magistrate can exercise little effective control over the prisoners.
A plan for a now Jail has, I am told, been sanctioned, and sent up to
the Government of India.
As the drawings connected with it are not in the office of the Execu
tive Engineer, I must postpone the consideration of it until I have access
to the correspondence and drawings in Calcutta.
3. From the very great and rapid increase of shipping in the Port of
Akyab, a large number of European prisoners are
European Prisoners.
,
constantly in Jail. The chief offences for which they
are committed are, refusing to work, and affrays ; the great majority of
offenders being of the former class.
In the Jail, they are lodged in a wretched mat building, in the same
enclosure with the other prisoners. The only labour on which they are
employed, is breaking stones, and of this, the allotted task is so small, that
an able-bodied seaman can perform it with ease in two hours. It is in
amount, one-sixth of what is done by the native prisoners ; and as the
men are well-fed, the Jail is, in consequence, a very popular institution.
The Jailor is evidently afraid of them, and no sort of discipline is attempt
ed to be maintained.
The construction of the Jail, and its establishment do not admit of
much being done ; but as the cost of maintaining these refractory cha
racters in comparative idleness is considerable, some attempt ought to be
made to render imprisonment more real and less popular than it is.
The amount of task work allotted to each man should be the same as
that in the House of Correction of Calcutta ; and every man who does
not perform his share, should be put on bread and water, as long as the
Civil Surgeon considers that he can be kept on low diet, without injury
to his health. The term of imprisonment seldom exceeds a month, and
no risk of injury to the refractory is incurred, if any of them are
sufficiently obstinate to hold out beyond*a few days.
The men should be placed in a separate yard, as at Alipore, each with a
sleeping cell, well ventilated, and raised sufficiently high from the ground, to
admit of his breaking his allotted share of stones, sheltered from the weather.

171

It would tend much to diminish the great tendency which Sailors have
to evade the fulfilment of the engagements they enter into, if, in all
cases where wages are due to a man, the cost of maintaining him in JaiL
were deducted from themprovided he had no just or reasonable ground
for refusing to serve on board a particular ship.
High wages in a foreign port are the most frequent cause of their
striking and desertion, which too often results in much loss to the
owners of vessels and cost to the State in punishing them inefficiently.
While every protection should be afforded to the seaman in claiming what
is his due, and shielding him from injustice and oppressionhe
should, on the other hand, be compelled to fulfil his engagement by more
stringent means than are now adopted. The short imprisonment to which
he is subjected, with light work and an abundauce of food, is no
punishment at all. It is well known that a month in Jail with total loss
of liberty, is preferred to a month's work on board-ship, with its occasional
leave and indulgences. The sooner a state of things so much opposed to
the real interests of all concerned, is put a stop to, the better. If the
existing law is insufficient for the purpose, application should, I am of
opinion, be made to the legislature to amend the Act relating to Mer
chant Seamen to such extent as may be necessary.
4. There are few records kept in the Jail, and there is no Visiting or
Visiting Book and Order Book. The latter should be introduced at once.
Records.
upon the plan directed in my Circular No. 39, dated the
27th February 1856. It will prevent many irregularities, save much
unnecessary correspondence, and exhibit at once to all inspecting officers
the state of internal economy and discipline of the prison.
5. The Hospital is the best part of the Jail, but it should not be in the
same enclosure as the wards of the healthy prisoners.
ospi '
That its being so situated is the cause of much irregu
larity, was evident at the time of my inspection, when several healthy pri
soners were loitering about it, in open defiance of the authorities present.
Malingering is, I fear, very common in this Jail, from the undue
amount of extras allowed to prisoners on the sick list.
Among these I find a tola of gunjah, which ought never, in any cir
cumstances, to be given ; and the use of which, except as a medicine in
Tetanus and such diseases as it is'occasionally employed in, must cease
from the receipt of this order.
In addition to hospital extras, I find that regular rations are drawn and
charged for sick men. It is impossible that they can be consumed, and

172

as the average cost of each prisoner is already higher than in any other
Jail in Bengal, the practice must be at once discontinued. A regular scale
of hospital diet for Europeans and Natives, as sanctioned in the Medical
Code, must be drawn up and introduced forthwith ; and the regular rations
of the prisoners in no circumstances be drawn while they are in Hospital.
I shall feel obliged by the Civil Surgeon, in future, exercising the
greatest circumspection in the granting of indulgences inconsistent with
a place of punishment, and calculated entirely to defeat the object of
imprisonment.
That this caution is not uncalled for will appear, when I state that
the average monthly cost of each patient in Hospital for the last five
months of 1855, was Rupees 2-13-11, in addition to the expense of his
Jail rations and European medicines.
In spite of the notorious sickliness of the Province, and the recent
existence of Cholera in an epidemic form, the Jail lias been comparatively
healthy.
I am inclined to attribute much of the healthiness of the prisoners
to their being locked up at an early hour, and thus protected, in spite of
themselves, form those causes of sickness which are most rife between
sun-set and sun-rise, in all malarious countries,
All the prisoners at present work within the Jail, and to this cause
may also, in all probability, be attributed some portion of the compara
tively low mortality.
6. The following is a list of the prisoners in conPrisoners.
*
*.
nnement at the time ot my visit :
Transported Convicts for life,
7 Years and upwards,

1
42

43

Local.
7 Years and upwards,
2

Under 1 year, of whom 48 are Sailors, sen

tenced from 1 to 3 months,..
Hajut,
.-.
Civil Prisoners, ....,
Insane,
,
,

Total,

21
40
13
77
13
5 - .
5
174
217

173

There is no place for the custody of maniacs in this Jail : all who
appear to he incurable should be sent either to Russapuglah, or to Dacca.
The former I consider to be the most eligible place, as they can most
easily be sent there by the Steamers running to and from the Presidency.
The Commissioner has, I believe, more than once strongly represented
to the Government, the injury which has resulted to the Province from
the cessation of transportation. Most of the great public works executed
since it became a British province, have been by means of convict
labour, which in Arracan would appear to have been more profitable and
efficient than free labour.
From the unexampled commercial prosperity of the district, and the
great scarcity of labourers of all classes, free labour is valued at almost
a fabulous rate. To such an extent has this occurred, that, I am informed ,
the earnings of a common cooly are occasionally as high as rupees 16 a
month, and seldom lower that 12 or 14. The result of this is, that hands
cannot be procured to man the Flotilla, recruits are with difficulty found
for the Local Battalion, the Jail guards are the very refuse of the
idlers of the Province, and handicrafts are valued at a ruinous rate.
Much as I am, on principle, opposed to out-door labour for convicts,
I am disposed to think that it may be safely resorted to with regard to
transported felons, in this Province. The outside population have no
sympathy with the Natives of Bengal or Behar, and if the Jail guards
were more efficient, and less corrupt, the labour of road and bund mak
ing is here more severe and penal in character, than it is in the Regula
tion Provinces.
Transportation to Arracan is much dreaded, as I find from the earnest
appeal for removal made to me by the Bengali and Hindustani prisoners
now in the Akyab Jail.
The value of their labour on the roads would here more than repay the
cost of their maintenance, the converse of the state of out-door convict
labour in the Regulation Provinces.
On all these grounds, which are special to the Province, I beg strongly
and earnestly to second the appeal of the local authorities.
The subject of tickets-of-leave for good conduct to life prisoners, I have
considered in my report on the Kyook Phyoo Jail. The temptation to
desert on the main land is too great to admit of its being adopted here,
without the exaction of very heavy securities.
All local prisoners should continue to be worked within the Jail, for
reasons which are obvious.

174

The most profitable employment is breaking stones.

It would be desirable to send down some handicraftsmen to teach the
prisoners such trades as would be profitable in Akyab, such as the
making and baking of bread, carpentering, shoe-making, &c. There is
great demand for all such work, and it would pay well, while its being
carried on strictly within the precincts of the Jail, would render it penal
to those engaged in it. The making of Gunny-bags and weaving of
Cloth, do not pay, as all such articles can be procured at a much cheaper
rate from Bengal, than they can be produced for in the Akyab Jail. If
the Magistrate will, therefore, submit to me a list of such handicraftsmen
as are most wanted, I shall be happy to retommend their being supplied
for such time as may be deemed necessary, to teach the local prisoners
the various crafts most in demand;
7. The fetters of the prisoners are all of the bar pattern, and some
of them are above the regulated weight. If link fetFetters and Chains
,

, .
.
T
r .
ters cannot be forged in Akyab, the Magistrate may
submit an indent for such a supply of them as he may require ; the for
mer being put in store or sent to the forge at Kyook Phyoo, to be
wrought into chains.
The prisoners are at present chained down at nighta barbarous
and inhuman practice, but one which is, I fear, unavoidable with so frail a
structure as the prisoners are now confined in. The hew Jail should be so
constructed as to render the continuance of this practice unnecessary.
8. The greatest source of the inefficiency of the discipline of Jails in
as ndEstab- Arracan, is the bad material of which the guards are
lishments.
composed.
The pay of the Burkundauzes is scarcely a third of the amount earn
ed by a coolie in the bazar, each of the Jemadars receives less than a
common labourer, and the European Jailor is remunerated at a rate which
scarcely enables him to live in the Province.
The following is the establishment which I found :
1 European Jailor,
Rs. 80 0
1 Mohurir,
15 0
2 Jemadars, at 10 each,
20 0
8 Duffadars, at 8 each,
' 64 0
57 Burkundauzes, at 5-8 each,
313 8
Total, Rs. 492

175

The strength of establishment sanctioned includes in addition a Soubadliar at Rs. 30, and ten more Burkundauzes at 5-8 each, but the latter
are not procurable.
Of the existing guard 14 are sick, it is said from having had double
duty to perform for the last two months.
There then remain only 43 men for duty, of whom 17 are required a3
sentries during the day, and 14 for each night watch of four hours.
A certain number are on duty daily at the Magistrate's Cutcherry, and
a Duffadar and four Burkundauzes are occupied in guarding the Com
missioner's house during his absence.
The police being paid at a higher rate than the Jail guard, the best
men are naturally drafted into the former. The inefficiency of the
latter, from all the causes above mentioned, need therefore excite no
surprize.
The first step towards improving the. existing state of the Jail, is to
procure efficient guards. It is not my intention to discuss this question
further at present, as I have called for special information regarding it
from all Magistrates in my circle of inspection.
One point of vital necessity in this province is to separate the Jail
establishments from the Police, and to restrict the employment of the
former to their legitimate duties.
9. Spinning twine and making gunny-bags are the chief work of
such of the convicts as are not employed in breaking
Manufactures.
....
stones or picking oakum.
Basket-making, iron work, and putting together coffins for the Euro
peans who die in the port, occupy the time of a few of the prisoners.
The raw material for the gunny is procured in Calcutta, and the ma
nufactured article is sold by auction. If I am rightly informed, the lat
ter is not the most advisable or profitable means of disposing of the bags.
In Bengal, where the Jailor is allowed 25 per cent, of the profits realized
by the sale of Jail manufactures, he is also permitted to sell them to the
best advantage, and as his own interests are involved, the articles gene
rally fetch a higher price than the average market rates.
I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's informing me if any and what
objection exists to the adoption of the same practice at Akyab.
10. The feeding of the prisoners is, as at Alipore,
entrusted to the European Jailor,the contract system
having been formerly tried and failed.
The cost of dieting the native prisoners is greater than in any Jail in

170

the Regulation Provinces, and there are no less than four different scales
of diet in use,one for Mngh prisoners, a second for Bengali term pri
soners, a third for life convicts, and the fourth for Europeans and Eura
sians.
I shall he glad to receive a special report on this subject from the Ma
gistrate and Civil Surgeon, and to know whether, by purchasing the food
in a cheaper market and storing it, the cost of feeding the prisoners could
not be reduced, without depriving them of any portion of what is consi
dered necessary to maintain them in health and in good working con
dition.

KYOOK PHYOO.
I visited this jail, accompanied by the Civil Medical Officer, twice
during my stay at the station, and inspected it very carefully, on the 19th
and 20th of March 1856.
2. The buildings are all placed in a single square enclosure, surrounded
by a brick wall. They consist of four- large wards.
Buildings.

each l00feet x 22 . two of 70 x 2$. twoof 51 x

22 ; and two cells 12 feet square.

The whole are raised on masonry and wooden supports, and are built
of matting with thatched roofs.
The Jail was built by Captain Siddons in 1844, at a cost of Company's
Rupees 20,212-10-10, and was intended for 510 convicts.
There is one large well in the centre of the enclosure, with a shallow
earthen trench to serve as a drain. All superfluous moisture is removed
from the surface by absorption.
The guard-rooms, cook-rooms, and most of the work-shops are in the
front of the Jail, surrounded by a light wooden railing.
The whole arrangement, like that of all the Jails in this province, is
characterized by a total disregard of classification and separation, and
of the most obvious means of maintaining Jail discipline.
A plan for re-constructing the Jail buildings, most of which are in a
dilapidated state, has recently been submitted to the Government. It is
to cost Company's rupees 21,278-11, more than the amount paid for the
original buildings, and although in many important respects superior to
them, the new plan perpetuates most of the defects of the old arrangement.

177

The Chief Engineer objects to the plan, as not based on scientific prin
ciples, as not providing adequately for ventilation, as not admitting of
classification or separation of prisoners, and as not furnishing work-sheds,
cook-houses, privies, or guard-rooms.
The Commissioner of the Province considers " that plan the most
scientific, which secures a sufficient adaptation of the means to the end at
the least cost of time and money," and deems his comparatively rude con
structions, more admirable than buildings which would cost eight times
as much, and take years to finish.
Captain Hopkinson is of opinion that all the purposes of classification
can be answered in a single enclosure, a3 the great majority of the pri
soners are life convicts, who work on the roads, for whom no further
segregation is needed ; and that the local prisoners, then 48 in number,
being separated by his plan into Civil, Hajut, Female, Insane, Labouring
and Non-labouring, need no further classification.
He states that guard-houses, cook-sheds, tool-godowns, &c., are con
tained in the outer enclosure, and that there are no privies inside tha
Jail, but that they might with advantage be supplied.
While I fully concur with the Commisioner in the opinion that costly
buildings are unnecessary, there is nothing in the local circumstances of
the Province to -show that the ordinary principles observed in the con
struction of Jails, are not as applicable to Arracan, as they are to the
Regulation Provinces.
Although the crimes for which life punishment is inflicted differ much
in moral character and turpitude, no further end will be answered by
separating them in detached yards when transported : so far I assent to the
views of the Commissioner.
But, I cannot believe that it is right in principle, to place in the same
enclosure, felons, civil prisoners, women, mad-men, the untried, and the
sick, although separation to a certain extent is effected at night by plac
ing them in different wards.
Classification, to be of any use, must cause separation by day as well as
by night, and every plan of building prisons which are insecure, renders it
necessary to resort to means of coercion, which are as cruel- as they
are illegal.
There is probably no department of the Civil Government of any State
in which mistaken economy is productive of worse effects, than in the
construction and management of Jails, and I believe, that if all the
objects contemplated by imprisonment are not fulfilled, there is no real
Y

178

adaptation of the means to the end, and that the saving of part of
the cost required to render incarceration efficient, is not worthy of
consideration.
In all the Jails of Arracan the prisoners are chained down at night,
and confined in sheds of such inflammable material that carelessness
on the part of guards or prisoners might cause a conflagation, which
might be attended with serious loss of life.
I am not aware of the circumstances in which the Akyab Jail was
burnt down, but I know that instances have occurred in other parts of
India, where convicts "were destroyed by fire before they could be taken
off the chain. At Maldah a prisoner was strung upon the chain in
health at night, and his corpse was removed from it on the ensuing
morning.
Any plan of building which renders such contingencies possible, would,
in my humble estimation, be dear at any price.
Local circumstances cannot, of course, be disregarded in public build
ings of any descriptionbut advantage should be taken of them to
render the structures as complete and durable as can be accomplished
without undue cost. I have elsewhere considered the question of the
employment of prisoners in Arracan. In my belief, all local prisoners
should be strictly confined within the walls of the Jail, and be employed
in manufactures, or such handicrafts as are profitable.
The transported convicts may not only be employed on the roads, bunds
and bridges, but I believe, from the extreme dearness, and, in the island
of Ramree, the utter absence of free labour, their being made available for
the purposes above mentioned, is the most profitable method of disposing
of them that can be resorted to.
This being the case, I am of opinion that advantage should be taken
of the necessity of re-constructing the Kyook Phyoo Jail, to enlarge it,
and to render it really efficient as a place of punishment.
Presuming that the Government will not object to increase the number
of life prisoners to be transported to Kyook Phyoo, I would reserve for
them exclusively the existing Jail compound, re-building the wards upon
Captain -Hopkinson's plan ; and placing in the enclosure day privies and
cook-rooms on the Alipore plan.
The only building that I would remove would be the Hospital, which
should, as in every well-regulated Jail in Bengal and Behar, be in a
separate enclosure.
In the recent report of the Inspector General of Prisons of Bombay,

179

it is stated that the Hospital should be outside the Jail, and thereby
obtain an exemption from all local causes, which sustain disease in its
" more malignant type."
There are other reasons equally cogent why the healthy should not
have access to the sick, which it is not necessary to discuss here.
The Hospital should be constructed on the plan suggested by Captain
Hopkinson, and should have separate cook-sheds and privies in its own
enclosure.
All the buildings above referred to, need not be raised higher from
the ground than designed by the Executive Officer.
It is however, I submit, extremely desirable that some more durable
and less combustible form of roof should be used, than the shingles
and thatches employed in Arracan. If beams, with a beaten pucca
roof be too costly, it would be advisable to try iron tie-rods, which,
although dear at first, are cheap in the end, from their indestruc
tibility.
A separate enclosure should be walled in for the local prisoners, and of
this, a sufficient space should be again separated by an eight-foot wall,
for the women's ward.
The solitary cells should be entirely separated from other buildings,
should be at least twelve in number for a Jail of 500 prisoners, and each
should contain a minimum of 500 cubic feet of air, 'besides being well
ventilated.
As the cost of masonry is not great, each of the wards for local
labouring prisoners should be raised on pillars, at least ten feet high, so
that the under part might serve for work-sheds, by which arrangement
the prisoners would never see the outside of the Jail.
With regard to ventilation, I consider the plan suggested by Captain
Hopkinson to be excellent ; at the same time I concur with Colonel
Goodwyn, in considering that there should be at least three more lateral
apertures for the admission of air in each ward. These may easily be
so constructed as to prevent the night air blowing upon the bodies of
the prisoners.
The greater part, if not the whole, of the proposed additions and
alterations should be effected by means of convict labour.
I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's submitting to the Executive
Officer, through whatever channel may be the practice of the Province,
the above remarks, and by his calling upon him to furnish fresh plans and
estimates in accordance with them. The work should be estimated for

180

by both free and convict labour, as required in the Circular of my

predecessor on the subject.
3. The pay of the establishment is altogether inadequate to secure
Establishment and the services of efficient men, in a province so peculiarly
Guari
circumstanced as Arracan is, at present.
The European Jailor, in addition to his pension of Rupees 15 a month,
receives a salary of Rupees 80, with free quarters.
The pay of the Jemadar is Rupees 10, Duffadars 8, and Burkundauzes
4-8 each, while the ordinary wages of a Coolie in Kyook Phyoo is
said to be Rupees 9. As I have called for a special report from all
Magistrates upon the subject of Jail Guards, I shall not discuss the
matter further at present, than to remark that I entirely disapprove of the
practice of taking the Jail establishment from the local police, and con
stantly removing and interchanging them, which appears to prevail in
the Province. As soon as a Jail Jemadar begins to understand his work,
he is sent to a distant Thannah, to forget the little he has learnt, and is
replaced by another to undergo the same process.
Another practice, which should be discontinued at once, is that of the
Mugh guard from the Local Battalion furnishing only a sentry for their
own guard-room. They should furnish all the outer sentries at night.
Instead of corrupt and useless Burkundauzes, the night duty of each
ward should be performed, as at Alipore, by a well-conducted prisoner,
whose irons should be removed, who should by day be made an overseer
of work, and who should be encouraged to hope that five years of conse
cutive good conduct will procure him a ticket of leave, as suggested in a
succeeding paragraph. There are some life convicts now in the Jail,
whose conduct has, I am informed, been good from the very commence
ment of their transportation. From among them, I fancy that the Ma
gistrate will experience no difficulty in selecting a sufficient number of
ward masters and work overseers. I believe Jhat if the selection be
carefully and judiciously made, there will very seldom be any abuse of
the confidence placed in them. Such has been the case at Alipore, and
similar will, I doubt not, be the result at Kyook Phyoo. It is,
at all events, worthy of trial, and will bring the greatest of all
stimuli to good conductthe certainty of rewardto bear upon the
life convicts.
4. The prisoners are fed by the Jailor, under the supervision of the
Magistrate and Medical Officer. No complaints were made to me by the
prisoners of the quantity or quality of their rations.

181

That for the two European convicts has been framed upon the scale
allowed to European Soldiers, and is ample.
The cooks are too numerous, and so are the messes, particularly of the
Hindus. Each mess should contain 35 if possible, and the cooks should
be employed in no other work, as, if they keep the kitchens clean, and
attend strictly to their proper business, they ought to have quite enough
to do.
5. The Hospital was in good order, and the sick
Hospital.

ii/.

evidently well treated and cared for.

The general health of the prisoners is good, and the average mortality
will bear a comparison with the healthiest Jails in the Regulation Provinces,
There was an epidemic visitation of Cholera in 1853, followed by
Hospital Gangrene, but even then the mortality fell far short of that of
the most unhealthy prisons in the Bengal and Bombay Presidencies.
In the Prison Discipline Report for 1838, it is stated, that the chances
of prolonged existence for transported life prisoners are increased. The
accuracy of this reference is borne out by the subsequent experience of
convict life in Arracan.
Labour.
6- There were employed at the time of my visit
35 Life Convicts in repairing the great Bund.

34

8
37

)>
;>

4
G
3
2
3
1
3
1
4
13
1
2
10

33
33
33
33
33
33

in removing jungle and cleaning the Station, in

cluding the compound of the circuit house,
Magistrate's residence, dec.
Carters.
Old Men, employed in light work, such as fenc
ing trees, &c.
Blacksmiths.
Carpenters.
Sawyers.
Mehters.
Dhobies.
Tailor.
Working in Store-rooms.

33

Moochee.
Hospital Attendants.
Cooks.
Grinding Wheat.

33

Breaking Stones.

Making and mending Drains.

33
33
33

182

6 Life Convicts Ward men.

1

Preparing Dhall.
12

Excused from labour.

11

Sick in Hospital.
Making in all 198 life convicts.
Of term prisoners, there were
2 Old men fencing trees.
2 Making Rice-husking machines.
2 Cooks.
8 Cleaning Rice.
2 Breaking Stones.
20 Removing the remains of the Commissariat Godown.
1 Preparing Bark for Gunny.
1 Excused labour.
5 Sick.
In all 43.
There were 10 prisoners in Hajut.
5 Insane.
1 Civil prisoner.
Making a total of 257 prisoners.
There is no objection to employing such life convicts as can be spared
in the station ; but I think that the 37 old men are quite enough to
devote to that purpose, except on extraordinary occasions. The work is
much too light for able-bodied convicts, of whom I saw many gathering
and carrying away dried dead leavesfit occupation for invalids and the
aged, but utterly unsuitable for strong felons. Thirty-nine old men had
one Duffadar and eight Burkundauzes to look after them. One active
young guard ought easily to look after and control ten of these old infirm
convicts.
As the guard are all armed with muskets, if they were trustworthy,
fewer should suffice to guard the able-bodied convicts on the road than
are employed.
There are three Burkundauzes employed in superintending the work
of fifteen prisoners in the work-sheds. As these are close to the guard
house, two would be quite enough.
The twenty convicts removing the remains of the Commissariat
godown, have a Jemadar, a Duffadar, and five Burkundauzes to look .
after them, or in the proportion of a fraction less than one to three. This
is a very unnecessary number to employ.

183

Altogether for the 257 prisoners, there are entertained 3 Jemadars, 4

Duffadars, and 36 Burkundauzes, or in the proportion of one for every
six prisoners.
This is irrespective of the Mogh guard from the Arracan Battalion.
Two-thirds of the present number, upon higher pay, and men of a bet
ter stamp, ought to be quite enough.
I saw the guard out usually with an umbrella over one shoulder, and
the musket over the other ; or more frequently the latter was placed
against a tree.
These are irregularities which should be strictly prevented and pun
ished.
7. The records are fairly kept, and there are special Order Books for
the Magistrate, Jailor, and Medical Officer. I examin
ed them, and found that they were carefully written up,
and included every thing worthy of record connected with the prison. I
shall feel obliged, however, by all the records being kept, in future, upon
the plan laid down in the Circular Orders, of which copies have been sent
to the Magistrate.
Among the life prisoners at Kyook Phyoo, I found a considerable
number* whose irons had been removed for longl conTickets of Lghvc
tinued good conduct. From them I received a peti
tion praying that the ticket^of-leave system, which had been intro
duced at Singapore, and to a more limited extent at Moulmein, might be
extended to them.
I am not aware of the result of this great experiment in the reforma
tion of criminals at the places mentioned. In England at the present
moment a considerable difference of opinion prevails on the subject of
letting loose upon society those who have offended so seriously against
it, as the class of which life prisoners consists. The objection to emanci
pating criminals in their own country, and among their own friends and
relations, does not exist in the foreign settlements to which they are
banished.
It is difficult to imagine any fate more dreadful than that of the Indian
life prisoner at present. His existence is one continued state of hopeless
slavery, in which no attempt is made to reform him, and in which the only
mitigation that good conduct and repentance can produce, is the removal
of his irons. From this aimless existence, his only chance of release is
deathand that he is too often anxious to court by acts of lawless violence
towards those in whose custody he is placed.

184

Perpetual punishment is not consistent with the principles on which the

Criminal law of our times is based. The abolition of the punishment of
death for many offences which the sanguinary code of the past century
ranked with murder and other crimes for which the life of the criminal
was deemed the only fitting atonement, must in a great measure have
resulted from the inefficiency of the punishment of death in preventing
the repetition of crime, and to the difficulty of getting men of common
humanity to pronounce a verdict so disproportioired to the injury inflicted
on society by the crime. But, without entering into a consideration of
the motives which led to the humanizing of the criminal laws, I cannot
think that the utter absence of any reward for years of good conduct is
right, or calculated -to operate beneficially upon the classes from which
life prisoners generally come.
The motives which lead to the commission of many crimes of the
blackest hue in India, are not the result of the same utter depravity and
absence of all moral sentiment which are found among the criminals of
more civilized countries. The female infanticide of the Rajpoots, the
human sacrifices of the Khoonds, and the strangling of the unsuspecting
victims of Thuggee, cannot for a moment be classed with the murders of
the ruffians of England and Ireland.
Even in regard to crimes against property, the dacoits of Bengal are
scarcely to be deemed equivalent to the burglars and house-breaker's of
England, although the consequences of the acts of the dacoits are more
injurious to society in India, than are the corresponding crimes of the
class of professional robbers in Great Britain.
In recommending the continuance and extension of transportation for
Para. 212. " We have now examined all the life poners in India, the admiraobjections that have been made to transpor- ble report of the Prison Discipline
tation, and have come to the conclusion that
none of. them are tenable as against that
species of the punishment which we propose,
and as applied to this country. We will only
further mention one very peculiar advantage
which this .punishment seems here to possess.
Under the present very lax system we have
now before our eyes numerous instances of
complete reformation. Men who have been

_
.
r
Committee of 1838, contains the
i
, . ,
, .
.
remarks which are quoted in the
margin. They embody the ex
J.

perience of some of the most able

r.a,
. ,
UttlCers WllO have ever served the

ZZ::ho:iZT^l%2tZit

*>* Government, and in the

other honest means. It cannot, therefore, be

doubted that reformation, one of the ends of
punishment that has seldom been attained any
where, under any system, and that has. never
been attained by imprisonment in India, has
often been attained by the transportation of
natives of India. We think, that by ajudicious use of great severity at first, of relaxation
in reward for good conduct afterwards, this

accuracy and validity of the vieWS

.
expounded, I entirely concur. My
.
.
,
_ ..
recent inspection of the Jails in
Arracan has convinced me that,
""**.,
jn spite of many errors of manaoe

185

chance of reformation can be retained, and

even strengthened, without abandoning the
main end of punishment, which is determent.
213. The fact seems to be that there are
peculiar advantages in the application of this
punishment to a native of this country. The
general morals of the people may possibly be
bad enough, but an Indian Criminal is pro
bably a better man than any other criminal
of the same sort. His general character cer
tainly differs less from that of the mass of
his countrymen than would be the case in
more civilized and moral countries. A large
proportion of the crimes in this country are
committed by persons whose tribe have done
the same time out of mind, and they are
almost as naturally the result of birth, as
another man's honest trade. Many more are
committed as it were professionally by the
members of immense confederations, who are
not much worse than other people in matters
unconnected with their profession. Owing to
feelings and principles which we can never
comprehend, there is little or no consciousness
of moral guilt amongst these classes on
account of the exercise of what they regard
as their proper business.
214. In all these cases it is evident that
when the ties of caste or society are broken
as completely as by death, and when the man
is turned away for ever from his family and
friends, and thrown into what it is scarcely a
metaphor to call a new world to him, the
obstacles to the commencement of an honest
life are much fewer than in the case of a man
whose crime is but the fruit of a general de
pravity of character, such as is usually the
crime of an English malefactor.
215. We have ready made to our hands a
weapon of tremendous power. The horror
with which the people regard transportation
is a feeling born with them, and the questions
whether it be a just deduction from true pre
mises or the result of ignorance and super
stition, are nothing to the purpose. We have
the extraordinary opportunity of punishing
with extreme effect towards deterring others,
with sufficient effect in incapacitating the
criminal for future crime, with the chance
(obtainable in no other way) of rendering
him a useful member of society, and all this
with the infliction of less real pain than that
which is inflicted by other punishments, not
half so much dreaded."

ment, and much laxness of dis

cipline, banishment is much dread
ed by the Natives of Hindustan.
While I was in the Province,
an unusually intelligent Bengali
prisoner was sent from Kyook
Phyoo to Sandoway, to learn the
art of tinning. In rowing up the
Sandoway River the conversation
carried on by this prisoner with
the boat's crew was overheard.
He gave a lively and accurate
description of the different Jails
of the Province, stating that the
Kyook Phyoo Jail under the charge
of Lieutenant Ripley was the most
dreaded, and that the labour on
the bunds of the Island of Ramree
was the most severe and disagreea
ble that was exacted from the
convicts. He spoke very feelingly
of his wife and family, and trust
ed that the former had re-married,
as he had no hope of ever meet>in her again in this world. His
remarks on the character of the
Mughs, their apathy, and the fer
tility of the soil, with a comparison
of the different state of the various
'parts of Hindustan with which
he was acquainted, were particu
larly interesting, and showed that
the introduction of men of his stamp, even from the criminal popu
lation of Hindustan, would benefit the land of their compulsory

adoption.
It should also, I think, not be forgotten that with all the vigilance, up
rightness, and sterling integrity which characterize the judicial officers of
India, the nature of native testimony must render it impossible to doubt
that the innocent may occasionally be inadvertently punished, and that
z

186

some "of those doomed to perpetual imprisonment, have not been guilty
of the crimes of which they are convicted.
A remarkable instance occurred a few years since in the very Jail which
has caused these remarks, when a man who had been transported to
Ramree for murder, recognized in the sentry guarding the Jail, the indivi
dual for whose supposed destruction he had been banished from society,
and branded with the infamy of the least expiable of all human crimes
the shedding of human blood.
That such instances are extremely rare, is more than probable. But
that they have occurred, and are likely again to happen, is, in my belief,
an argument for the mitigation of punishment in all cases, when years of
good conduct in the most trying circumstances afford the reasonable pre
sumption that the heart of the criminal is softened, and that he may be
trusted to pass the remainder of his life in the country of his banishment
with comparative freedom.
I am strongly disposed then to recommend to the Government the trial
of the ticket-of-leave system at Ramree. Its insular position, the nature
of the population, and the absence of the ordinary inducements to com
mit crime, render it probable that the experiment may be tried with safety
in regard to natives of the peninsula of Hindustan.
I inquired of the petitioners whether the place afforded any reasonable
hope of their being able to earn an honest livelihood when emancipated,
and I explained to them the consequence, that would result from any
repetition of criminal courses or attempts to escape. They earnestly
implored that they might be tried, declared that they could gain a live
lihood by honest exertions, and that they knew too well the consequence
of relapse to be tempted to resort to crime or escape.
It would however, I think, be well, before resorting to any such mea
sure, to call upon the civil authorities of Arracan to report upon the
whole question of transportation, its advantages, disadvantages, and pro
bable moral results.
For term prisoners I am not disposed, in any case, to advocate transpor
tation; but for the reasons contained in the .report of 1838, which has
exhausted the subject, I am of opinion that for life prisoners it is the
most efficacious, desirable, and profitable mode of disposing of them that
can be adopted.

187

SANDOWAY.
I VISITED the Jail at Sandoway on the 22 nd of March 1856, accom
panied by the Medical Officer in charge of the station. The Magistrate
was absent on duty in the interior.
2. The buildings consist of one ward 100 x 20, two
Buildings.
*
i
70 x 20, and two 40 x 20, enclosed in a square com
pound bounded by a high brick wall.
One of the medium sized wards was partitioned off by a mat wall for the
custody of the women.
One of the small wards is used as an Hospital, and the other is empty.
There are no drains or privies within the Jail.
In front of the prison, enclosed by a light wooden fence, are two guard
houses 60 X 20, five cook-rooms 60 X 15 each, and a godown 27 X 20.
There were some other out-houses not contained in the plan.
The whole are raised on wooden piles, and are mat buildings with
thatched roofs.
The Jail was built in 1848, by Lieutenant Fytche, at a cost of Com
pany's rupees 5,697-8-4, and is calculated to contain 232 prisoners, for
whom their are 6,400 superficial feet of accommodation. It is difficult to imagine any arrangements worse than those of all the
Jails in the Province of Arracan.
The Officers who designed them could not have been acquainted with
the most simple principles of the construction of prisons, for safe
custody, classification, or the introduction of any system of Jail discipline.
The Jail at Sandoway seems to be used as a receptacle for the aged,
infirm, and worn-out prisoners of the Province.
3. At the time of my visit there were 175 prisoners, of whom 152
were life convicts, and 21 local prisoners. The chief
Prisoners.
occupation is road-making and mending, the aged and
weak being employed in watering trees, picking up leaves, and similar
nominal work.
The internal occupation consists of basket-making, in which the
convicts are employed on an open plot of ground, immediately in front of
the market-place. A more improper place could scarcely have been
selected.

( .188

The women are employed in husking rice, and there are, in addition, 2
Blacksmiths, 3 Carpenters, 3 Dhobies, 2 Mehters, 2 Barbers, 2 Hospital
Dressers, and 38 are altogether excused work on account of old age and
infirmities. Eight of them are perfectly blind, having a convict fully
occupied in attending to each pair of them.
There is one madman in the Jail.
The labour of these prisoners is very unprofitable, and their discipline
so lax as to encourage every species of irregularity.

There are no great bunds, or public works at this station, and I can
not see the use of sending life convicts there, beyond a few to keep the
roads in repair. It entails considerable expense in extra establishment,
which might, I think, with advantage, be saved when those now there
gradually die of.
The prisoners are chained down at night, as at Akyab and Kyook Phyoo,
from the insecurity of the buildings, and the inefficiency of the guards.
The remarks which I have made on this subject on the other Jails of
Arracan, apply equally to Sandoway.
Records.
4. I could find no books or records of any kind.
The orders given seem to be verbalthe punishments to be awarded
in the same manner, and in fact nothing can well be more lax than the
management of the whole concern.
This will be rectified when the Magistrate receives the Circular Orders
which have been sent to him, on the various matters connected with Jail
discipline and management, and to which I request his early and serious
atention.
5. The prisoners are fed by the Darogah,a worthless and inefficient
officer, over whom there is no check in the matter of the
food, beyond the Surgeon's examination of its quality.
The weights should occasionally be tested, and the rations re-weighed
after issue to the cooks. Of these there are sixteen employed, or in the
proportion of about one to every eleven prisoners. I shall feel obliged
by the Magistrate's reducing them to one-half the number on the receipt
of this order, and by his organizing the convicts in eight messes. The
cooks should then be employed in no other work than is connected with
their kitchens.
6. The worst feature in the Jail is the women's department. There
are ten female life prisoners, most' of them confined for
murder, and with them is associated a Mugh woman
sentenced to a year's imprisonment for theft.

189

They occupied the end of one of the male wards, separated by a mat
partition, through which they can at any time be overlooked by their
neighbours. .
I found that one of them, named- Budnee, had a child at the breast, two
years old. She was sentenced in 1849, and has been in the Sandoway
Jail more than three years.
Another, named Jusseah, who was imprisoned in 1845, has been in the
Sandoway Jail for six years. She has a child theee years old, and mis
carried a year ago.
If all that I heard regarding this female ward be true, it is little better
than a brothel, and a scandal to the prison.
I beg strongly to reoominend to the Honorable the Lieutenant Governor
that the ten life convicts be, by the earliest opportunity, sent back again
to Alipore.
If her sentence admit of it, I think that the Mugh woman should also
be removed and sent to Kyook Phyoo, where the European Jailor will
prevent such scandalous irregularities as disgrace the Sandoway Jail.
7. In going round the Jail, my attention was accidentally directed to
Detection of other some chill urns openly placed behind the bamboos in the
Irregularities.
ward.
This led to my instituting a strict search
throughout the Jail, when I found in money Oo.'s Rs. 50-12-6, a large
quantity of gunjah, tobacco, opium, gambling dice, and various other
substances: The former I directed to be paid into the local treasury ; the
latter I had burnt in my presence.
I punished two prisoners on the spot, one for having a quantity of
arsenic in his possession, of which he could or would give no proper
account ; and a second for attempting to conceal tobacco and money
in my presence, when I ordered the persons of. the prisoners to be
searched.
,
I should have punished several others in whose possession illicit articles
were found, but they were all old men, and I dismissed them with a caution
not to offend again, or I would find some punishment suitable for their age
These irregularities could not possibly have occurred without the con-,
nivance of the Darogah and the guards.
I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate, with the sanction of the Com
missioner, dismissing the Darogah as soon as he can make arrangements
for carrying on his duties.
The guard should also be dismissed, but that I believe they cannot be
replaced, and to punish would probably cause them all to desert.

190 )

The punishments were inflicted in the presence of the whole of the

prisoners, whom I mustered specially, and to whom I explained the cause
of the punishments.
.
It is only just to the Magistrate, Lieutenant Emerson, to otatc, that I
do not attach blame to him for the state of the Jail und-rhis charge.
He has only recently joined, and has been out in the district for :'ae last
two months, during which time the Darogah and his subordinates have
evidently committed and permitted every kind of irregularity.
In all such cases at out-post stations, where there is only one European
officer, besides the Surgeon, the Jail should, I think, be placed in ;irge
of the latter, when the former is absent from the station on duty. *
I intend to submit a special report to the Government upon this sub
ject, when my tour of inspection is completed.
. , .'

191

BARASET.
I visited the Jail at Baraset on Friday, the 30th of May 1856,
accompanied by Mr. Mangles.
2. The prisoners are confined in the old cadet barracks, which are
three storied, and afford ample
space
for their
Buildings.
*
c
accommodation.
The arrangement of the building, however, renders the classification
of the prisoners as nearly nugatory as possible, inasmuch as there are no
means of separating them during the day.
The space allowed to the convicts, and the height at which they
sleep above the ground, have rendered the Jail healthy.
The barrack was built in 1807 at a cost of Rupees 12,185, and
contains 9,504 square feet of ^pace, calculated to accommodate 475
prisoners.
..'

They are at present lodged in the two upper floors, of which some
Wards are unoccupied. The only objection which I entertain to the
existing arrangement, is regarding the position of the Hospital.
This is at present on the middle floor continuous with the other
wards. The sick and the healthy are thus not only in unduly close
proximity, but the latter are exposed to exhale the impure air unavoid
ably resulting from the consequences of severe sickness. The chief
advantage of the arrangement is, that it places the patients high above
the level of the ground ; but this desideratum, great as it undoubtedly
is, is more than counterbalanced by the objections to the plan.
I shall feel much obliged, therefore, by the Magistrate's kindly clean
ing out two of the lower wards, each 24 feet by 12, removing the brickwork
of theurches between them, and fitting them up in the manner of the upper
rooms now appropriated to the sick. One of the rooms on the opposite
side of the passage may be appropriated to the Dispensary and Native
Doctor.
,
Although it is desirable to isolate the Hospital completely, I am afraid
that it would not be advisable at present to build a wall across the lower
A

192

passage, as I fear that such a proceeding would interfere with the general
ventilation of the lower floor.
The remainder of the rooms on the ground floor will afford ample
accommodation for the Moodie's store, and Malkhanas of every descrip
tion, without any fear of their heing plundered hy the convicts, if the
latter are safely locked up at night, and carefully guarded during the day.
3.

The cook-rooms

are in a very dilapidated state, and are

an unsightly, continuous collection of mud

Cook-rooms.
, .
sheds.
I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's submitting a plan and
estimate for the construction of a suitable cook-shed for the non-labour
ing and Hajut prisoners, and for the Hospital.
For the labouring prisoners a small cook-shed should be placed in
each work-yard, as at Alipore, so that the convicts of all classes should
never intermix freely as they do now, and should be only removed from
the labour-yards to be locked up in their wards at night.
For the same reason a small day privy of the Alipore pattern, should
be constructed in the farthest removed corner of each of the yards
referred to.

4.

A plan of ihe privies will be sent from this office.

The general privy of the Jail will, as contemplated by Mr.

Loch, have to be removed when the new worksheds are built. It may either be placed in the
far corner of the general compound of the Jail, or opposite the entrance
to the Hospital, a proper screen wall being built in either case.
The former would, I am inclined to think, be the preferable ar
rangement, and there would be plenty of room for it, with the restricted
dimensions of the new cook-room without their interfering with each other.
Upon this point also, I shall be glad to be favoured with the opinion
of the Magistrate.
5. Of the new work-yards intended by Mr. Loch, the outer wall
and the great divisional palisade only have been
w orK~yiircis.
_

completed.
This space is to be again sub-divided by palisades into three separate
compartments, each to be complete in itself.
The manufactures are now carried on under serious disadvantages
in the rooms of the outer building, used as a Guard-house and Treasury.
I cannot ascertain from the records whether the work-sheds have
been sanctioned or not. If on enquiry the Magistrate finds the latter to

193

be the case, estimates for three work-sheds of suitable dimensions' should

be prepared, and sent in without delay.
The manufactures now carried on are cloth weaving, blanket weav
ing, gunny making, basket making, and spinning thread. In the latter,
no less than seventeen healthy men are employed, and none of the
labour in the Jail can be considered to be penal.
The manufactures, in such circumstances, should be restricted to
such as pay well, viz. : gunny bags ; such as are needed to supply the
prisoners at a cheap rate with necessaries, as blankets and tat bedding ;
and such as, without being actually remunerative, are not a positive loss
of labour while they are severe and penal, such as the expression of oil
by the Native mill, a process much dreaded by the prisoners in every
Jail in which it is used.
In the two former, all labouring prisoners who have not been con
victed of any heinous offences, should be employed : the latter should be
reserved for the refractory and heinous offenders.
The object of labour in a Jail is three-fold. To repay a portion of
the cost of maintaining a prisoner ;to teach him habits of industry, and
an honest means of gaining a livelihood on his release ; and to render
the sojourn in a prison so distasteful as to implant a dislike to re-enter its
walls. It is difficult so to measure the punishment of each offender as to
apportion its penalties exactly to the crime of which he has been convict
ed, and it is destructive of all the objects of prison discipline to render
, the Jail so much more comfortable than the house of the convict, as to
cause it to be regarded as the Father-in-law's house, where good cheer,
little work, and pleasant society are furnished at the expense of the State.
If the system of labour be fairly carried out, and all prohibited
indulgences are carefully excluded, the Jail will soon cease to be a
popular Institution.
The regularity of hours, the execution of task work, and the pre
vention of intercourse with the outer world, are all known to be exceed
ingly disliked by Natives. When to these are superadded separation at
night, which has undefined terrors for a people who are universal
believers in ghosts and goblins ; and the really penal labour of the oil
mill, there will be no fear of some of the great ends of incarceration not
being fully attained. In regard to the latter, Mr. Floyd, the intelligent
Jailor at Alipore, once told me that he had never known a prisoner well

194

worked at the oil mill, who had ever been seen again within the walls of
that Jail !
The same has, I believe, been remarked elsewhere, and a recent
report from Patna intimates that its introduction at Meetapore has been
efficacious.
In bearing the above principles in mind, and applying them with
discretion to individual cases, I believe the Magistrate of Baraset will
experience little difficulty in cleaning his district of bad characters, and
in rendering his Jail a terror to evil-doers.
In all this there is, however, no systematic attempt to reform the
offender ; but that is a vexed question, upon which I am not prepared at
present to enter.
6. The food is said to be sufficient in quantity, and too good in
quality, inasmuch as the Magistrate obtains some
articles, at enhanced cost from Calcutta, which are
better than the food procurable by respectable people in the district.
There is certainly no need for this, and so long as the articles
supplied are wholesome and of fair quality, every consideration to which
even a criminal is entitled, is strictly fulfilled. All that the State is bound
to furnish is such an amount of plain wholesome food, as is absolutely
necessary for the maintenance of health. All beyond this may fairly be
classed with the luxuries quaintly denounced by Sydney Smith as a mere
mockery of punishment, when a criminal sits down to dinner " with
fetters on his feet and fried pork in his stomach."
But, the other doctrine of the prison reforming Dean that " the most
vulnerable part of a thief is his stomach," is a dangerous one to apply to
a nation of vegetenarians.
From causes as yet unexplained, but which seem to be common to
all races and climates, depressing agencies operate more rapidly and
injuriously upon captives than upon any other class of society, of all
depressing agencies the most sure, certain, and fatal, is the reduction of
food below the standard necessary to repair the waste of the body, and
maihtain the animal heat. These agencies take some little time to pro
duce their effects, so that while they are innocuous in houses of correc
tion, and for prisoners sentenced to less than six months' confinement,
they are sadly mischievous to those who are doomed to spend years in
Jail. Some of the most experienced medical officers in the country have

195

told me, that when a prisoner once loses his health in confinement,
he scarcely ever regains it, and is almost invariably carried off
by any epidemic that visits the Jail and station. Thus, a sentence of five
or seven years is, I am afraid to a very large proportion of prisoners,
equivalent to a sentence of death.
Hence my anxiety, if possible, to avoid a contingency not contemplated
by the law, and not sanctioned by the precepts and practice of common
humanity.
7. There were 176 prisoners in the Jail at the time of my visit, of
whom 31 were employed in manufactures, and 76
in out-door labour, the remainder being nonlabouring prisoners.
.
Among the non-labouring prisoners was an American confined for
riot and assault, and placed in a separate apartment on the ground floor.
He seemed happy and contented.
The Hajut prisoners are divided into two sets. Advantage should be
taken of this to classify them, so as to prevent the contamination of mere
misdemeanants, by contact with decoits and felons.
The civil prisoners have been removed by the Officiating Magistrate
to the outer buildings. I concur with Mr. Mangles in considering the
Criminal Jail an improper place for them ; but, as the guard house is ex
posed in every direction, I think it would Be better that the civil prisoners
should sleep in the Jail, and remain outside during the day. So long as
it is deemed necessary to continue imprisonment for debt, the incarceration
must not be entirely nominal.
It will be well also, as soon as the means exist, to make all labouring
prisoners work at manufactures, instead of employing them on the roads.
8. The conservancy arrangements of the Jail are good, and to them
must be attributed some portion of its freedom from
Conservancy.
sickness. There were only three patients in
hospital.
9 The guards are fewer in number than are absolutely necessary
for the safe custody of the prisoners. Upon this sub
ject I find the following remarks of my predecessor,
in the 11th paragraph of his memorandum, dated 9th February 1854.
" Your permanent Jail Guard is very weakonly 14 men, but I
' think it not very legitimately, (under the circumstance) made consi" derably weaker ; two men are detached as part of the guard over the

196

"
"
"
"
"
"

Malkhanna, and four are always in attendance at your Office in charge

of the Hajut prisoners. I think these men ought to be sent back to
their proper duties, and arrangements made for the other duties. I
shall be prepared upon your forwarding me a statement in the usual
form to go up to Government for six extra Burkundauzes on four
rupees per mensem, and a jemadar on ten rupees."
To this the Magistrate rejoined :
" With regard to the 14 Burkundauzes, whom you call the permanent
" Jail Guard, I beg to point out to you that you are mistaken in so des* cribing them ; they are "Hajut burkundauzes" entirely, and are borne on.
" the establishment, as such. As there is no permanent Jail establishment,
" these men assisted by the ticca burkundauzes, have been in the habit
" of guarding the Jail, but in no other Jail, I believe, is such a course
" pursued. The Jail cannot possibly be guarded at all with less than 16
" men, nor properly under 20 men, nor can I manage the work with
" less than six Hajut burkundauzes. You appear also to be of opinion
" that the Jail requires 20 men to guard it, I therefore beg to request
" that you will be good enough to make the following application to
" Government, viz., that eight men be struck off the Hajut Guard and
" put upon the permanent Jail Guard, and that 12 extra burkundauzes
" at 4 rupees per month, be added to the guard, together with a Jemadar
"on 10 rupees per month. As' this will be a permanent establishment,
" I enclose the usual statement."
The matter seems to have dropped at this stage, for I can find no
other information regarding it.
My belief is that the guard is numerically insufficient, and if the
Officiating Magistrate concurs in this opinion, and will submit a proposal
for the permanent increase of his establishment in the regular form, I
shall be happy to recommend it to the favorable consideration of the
Government.
10. Additional means of bathing seem to be
needed for the prisoners. .
I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's reporting to me how this
can be most economically furnished, without rendering it necessary
for the prisoners to leave the Jail.
The Magistrate will find some remarks on the subject in my printed
notes on the Balasore and Bancoorah Jails.

197

11.

Should there be any other matters on which the Magistrate

is desirous to obtain information or instructions, I
Conclusion.
shall be happy to afford them as far as it is in my
power to do so. I do not note here the great and unnecessary delay
which has occurred in the repair of the stair-case, as it will form the
subject of a special communicatian from the Officiating Magistate.

JESSORE.
I visited the Jail at Jessore on Sunday, the 1st of Jane, and on
Monday, the 2nd of the same month accompanied, on both occasions, by
the Magistrate and the Civil Surgeon.
On the latter occasion, the whole of the prisoners were mustered in
their respective yards, and their bedding and clothing carefully examined.
I again visited the hospital portion of it, on Tuesday, the 3rd of June,
with Dr. Palmer.
2. This Jail, as pointed out by Mr. Dunbar, is extremely ill contriv
ed for its purpose, and difficult so to sub-divide as
to secure a proper and efficient classification of the
prisoners, without rendering it unhealthy.
It was built in 1822 at a cost of 32,000 Rupees, and contains 10,155
cubic feet of space, which is calculated to accommodate 507 prisoners,
giving an average of 20 square feet to each. In such a climate as that
of Jessore, with endemic causes of disease rife at all times, and epidemics
of annual occurrence, it is never safe or prudent to confine a larger
number in such a space.
I find on examining the Jail correspondence, and the report of the
Superintending Engineer, that more than 1000 prisoners have sometimes
been confined in the space intended for half the number. This I regard
as extremely objectionable, and as the cause of much of the great
mortality which for many years prevailed in the prison.
The number at the present moment in the Jail is more than it is
calculated for,the consequence is, that the Hajut ward is crowded to an
injtirious and improper extent, as I shall refer to more particularly pre
sently. As regards health, this is of less consequence in the Hajut, than

198

it would be in any other ward, as the prisoners are only confined there
for a short time, are daily removed to the Cutchery, and are buoyed up
with the hope of acquittal until they are actually convicted.
Upon the buildings Mr. Dunbar, in his note of the 1st March 1854,
remarks that it is one of the worst Jails he ever saw in the- country, that
it was badly arranged, miserably ventilated, and extremely filthy. That
Officer suggested the building of an upper story, and the conversion of
the present wards into work-shops, if it would not cost too much.
I doubt if the walls would bear such a superstructure, and the plan
would cost as much as to build a new Jail.
The arrangement of the wards is past remedy, and the ventilation
is, I fear, not susceptible of much improvement without risking the fall
ing in of the arched roof.
Major Ommanney, in his report of the 6th January 1854, suggests,
with a view to prevent over-crowding, that a board should be fastened
over the door of each ward, showing the exact number it was capable
of holding.
*
I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's carrying this excellent
suggestion into effect, calculating 20 superficial feet as the allowance for
each prisoner, and reporting to me when it is done.
Should circumstances at any time render it necessary to exceed this
number, a special report should be made to me at once, in order to pro
vide such remedy as may be in my power.
Another matter, noticed' by Major Ommanney, also struck me as
deserving of consideration, viz. the absence of solitary cells, and the objec
tionable shifts that have been resorted to in consequence.
The Superintending Engineer states that the Jailor had been in the
habit of making use of one of the wards, 44J feet long, as ,a condemned
cell, and another as a punishment cell.
Without the means of isolating refractory characters, it is impossible
to maintain any thing approaching to strict discripline.
A Jail for 500 prisoners should contain at least twelve solitary cells,
and in such a climate as that of Jessore, each should possess at least 80O
cubic feet of air, with full and free ventilation.
I can scarcely determine from the plan in my possession where this
range could best . be placed. The Magistrate and Civil Surgeon had
better, therefore, select a suitable site, and when the matter is reported to

199

me, I will bring it to the notice of the Government, with a view to

procure suitable plans and elevations.
3. In the second paragraph of his report, No. 282 of the 22nd July
1854, Mr. Loch remarks that " the first addition
Hospital
.
" that is necessary is a new Hospital which should
" be built outside the walls of the Jail, but adjoining as marked in the ac" companying plan. On this hinges almost all the other alterations that are
" necessary to give increased accommodation for the prisoners, who are
" now too much crowded, as also to enable you to carry out in-door labour
8 more efficiently. I shall immediately report on this subject to the
* Government, and I have no doubt that it will be at once sanctioned."
The proposal seems first to have been suggested by th local
authorities, and after some correspondence to have been approved by the
Government. The Superintending Engineer was called on to prepare a
suitable plan andestimate: a site was selected and approved, and the bricks
required for the building have been burnt by the Magistrate and are ready.
I can find no trace of the plan and estimate, The matter has long
been represented to be urgent, and is so, yet nothing has, after an interval
of two years, been done.
Many of the most important means of amending the state of the Jail
cannot be carried into effect until the new hospital is built. If there is
any further information on the subject in the Magistrate's records, I shall
be glad to be favoured with it, as there seems to have been very great and
unnecessary delay in effecting so suitable an arrangement.
Another subject connected with the buildings, is the want of a proper
residence for the Jailor, and of accommodation for the guards.
A plan and estimate for these was submitted for my countersignature,
by the Executive Officer of the Division in February last, but I was
unwilling to attach my name to it, until I had seen the Jail and convinced
myself of its necessity.
Captain Eliot's plan is an excellent one, but more expensive than is
required, the cost being 4,448 Rupees.
The Magistrate has submitted a plan and estimate by which an equal
amount of accommodation can be afforded for 2,131 Rupees, the work
being executed by convict labour.
If the Executive Officer considers the latter to be practicable and there
are no architectural objections to it, I am inclined to prefer it. I shall, there
fore, submit it to Captain Eliot for his judgment, being now convinced from

200

personal observation, that a Guard-house and Jailor's residence are essential.

4. Although the wards were not in the state in which Mr. Dunbar
found them, they were not as clean as I could
Wards.
.
wish to see them.
The Jailor should be more particular in this respect, as cleanliness is
essential to health, and is also an element of discipline.
5. The state objected to by Mr. Loch still
partially obtains. The sooner the Alipore plan is
fully introduced, the better.
The pans sent up are small, but two of them will be found enongh for
the large wards, and one for the small ones.
The day privies on the present plan are a failure. Mr. Woodcock's
device is not suitable for Lower Bengal, where so much rain falls. The
outer channel and reservoirs had better be removed as soon as earthen
gumlahs can be placed in masonry beds, as at Alipore, If the Magistrate
has not a plan of these, I can send him one.
6. The drains appear to me to be very offensive from defective con
struction and
of
Drains, , disrepair
. r ; with a , plentiful
, supply

water, and the river near at hand tor all super

fluous moisture to run in,to, this should not be. The drains, for surplus
drainagethe only purpose to which they should be applied, are
too deep.

If taken up, re-constructed of the saucer or V shape, and the tiles well
cemented together, they would be efficient.
I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's informing me if he can accom
plish this at small cost, with convict labour.
7. The prisoners complained that the rain beat
Side Ventilation.
.
in through the lateral ventilators, and some of the
blankets had been cut up to act as screens.
The Magistrate proposed to have shades outside. These are ex
pensive and interfere with the free passage of air. It would be better
to supply small squares of canvas, which can be taken down,
and rolled up out of the way when it does not rain. They should be put
up only on the side through which the rain beats.
8. The jail statements appear to be carefully kept and brought up to
l
,
date, but the records are not filed in the manner
Eecords and Visitor's Book.
.
directed in Circular No. 39 of 27th February last.
I request the careful attention of the Magistrate to this.

201

The old Visitor's book contains one note by the late Sessions Judge
the new one is blank. Upon this subject also I shall feel obliged by
the Magistrate and Civil Surgeon consulting the circular above
referred to.
The periodical inspections of the latter Officer as required by the regu
lations, should, in particular, be carefully entered in it. It is of much
importance that all remarks should be noted when fresh in the
memory.
9. The prisoners now confined in the Jail
Prisoners.
amount to 591, disposed of as follows :
Ward No.
33

33

33

33

33

33

33

33

33

33

33

33

33

33

3)

3)

33

33

33

33

33

33

1.

67

2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.

54
73
48
108
87
35
38
40
15
18
8

Hajut.
Civil and non-labouring.
Labouring.
33
33
33
33
33
33

Hospital.
33

Female.

591
10.

The Hajut is not only excessively overcrowded, but the pri

soners therein confined are subjected to an amount
Hajut.
of inconvenience quite inconsistent with the real
intention of such a place. It should never be forgotten that however
necessary the temporary custody of" a man charged with crime may be,
he may, and in many instances does, prove to be entirely innocent. . I
believe that at least 20 per cent, are' either innocent or unconvicted for
want of sufficient evidence. He should therefore be treated with every
consideration consistent with his safe custody, until he is tried.
At present, confinement in the Hajut is very much more severe than
in the criminal wards of the Jail. There are no means of cooking his
food with the smallest degree of comfort provided for the Hajut prisoner.

202

The privy is one of the worst in the Jail, and the arrangements seem to me
to need urgent and immediate amendment.
The only means by which this can be accomplished in existing
circumstances is by the removal of the women elsewhere, and by placing
their yard and shed at the disposal of the prisoners awaiting trial. The
plan suggested by Mr. Loch, more than eighteen months since, has not
yet been commenced, and will probably take at least two years to accom
plish from the date of its beginning.
The female prisoners are now confined in a small unsuitable, ill
ventilated building, intended originally for a cook house. It is placed in
a large yard immediately adjoining that of the Hajut prisoners.
11. The female prisoners are eight in number. Three of them are
sentenced to short terms of imprisonment, all of
Female Prisoners.
.
...
.
_,
which will expire in three months. There will
then remain but five, who might, I think, be transferred to Kishnaghur
with great benefit to themselves, and relief to this Jail, if the Magistrate
can manage to find some other suitable place for the custody temporarily
of any woman who may be convicted of crime, before the Jail is enlarged.
The cook room is not suited for the incarceration of any prisoners at
all, and should be restored to its original functions.
12. The civil prisoners are very badly off. They are not only in
the Criminal Jail, but are confined with the nonCivil Prisoners.
....
labouring prisoners, and in close contact with the
Hajut. As a result of this, they are of necessity subjected to restrictions
which are not strictly legal or right. The withdrawal of tobacco is one
of these.
.
This is a strong additional reason for the early completion of the
additions long since and repeatedly urged to be necessary for the wellbeing of the Jessore Jail.
13.

The food appears to be fair in quality and sufficient in quantity.

Some of the prisoners complained of a portion of
the dhal being nearly raw, while the remainder
is overdpne. This results, as pointed out by "Dr. Palmer, from different
qualities being mixed together in the raw state. This should be pre
vented. I observed also in the Moodie's store, that the rice had been
similarly mixed. He should be warned of the impropriety of this, and
fined if it recurs.

(
14.

203

The store of the contractor is in a small brick-building outside

the Jail, in which the contractor claims a part
Moodee's Store.
proprietory right from having supplied the beams
and lime.
Upon this Mr. Dunbar, in paragraph 81 of his report on the District,
remarked, " Mr. Skinner told me it was proposed to take half a brick" building outside, (for the civil prisoners) in which the Jail Moodee now
" keeps his stores. This building was erected half at the Moodee's expense,
" and half at that of Government. The Moodee protests strongly
" against the proposed arrangement, alleging, that upon a fair interpreta" tion of the agreement under which the building was erected, he is
" entitled to the sole use of it. As Government gave half of the money,
" besides the labour of the prisoners, this may be questioned, but as he
" requires a large space to keep his stock of rice and other articles on
" hand, I would not be disposed to press the matter, and would recom" mend that a new building should be erected for the purposes of a
" Civil Jail. It might be advisable at the same time to provide a place
" for female prisoners, who are at present kept in the large Jail, in a ward
" not well adapted to the purpose." .
It appears to me to be highly objectionable, irrespective of the uses
to which Mr. Dunbar would convert it, that any person should
possess a proprietory right in the Jail buildings. It is still more
improper that this right should be claimed by the contractor, as it virtu
ally gives him a monopoly of the contract. I should be glad to be favoured
with a special report upon this subject for submission to the Government.
15. The new work-shed just completed is excellent, and will
enable the Magistrate soon to extend his in-door
Manufactures.
.
_
,
m
occupation of prisoners. The beams and burghas
should be tarred to preserve them from decay. The older work-shed
which was intended for a range of cook-rooms, is almost too low and
needs a little roof ventilation, which may be effected at trifling cost.
The manufacture statement of the past year shows a steady and
creditable advance, and the introduction of the oil mill will afford punish
ment for the refractory.
The simple and ingenious shuttle used in the weaving of cloth is so
much superior to that generally employed, that I should wish to introduce
it elsewhere. I shall feel obliged therefore by the Magistrate's kindly
having a muster made for me by the Jail carpenters.

204

By preventing the fall of the shuttle it saves much time, and entirely
obviates every objection to a raised seat for the weaver.
In future, I think it would be advisable to confine the manufactures to
such as are profitable, necessary, and penal. The first is undoubtedly
gunny; the next comprise blankets, jail clothing, and t&t for beddinc;
the last is the oil mill. By apportioning these judiciously to the crime
and the criminal, the result will be profit and punishment, in more exact
proportion than obtain at present.
There is a great want in many jails of artizans, particularly masons,
so that whenever even petty repairs are needed, it is necessary to call in
aid from without, at great expense. With more than 12,000 labouring
convicts at our disposal, this should not be.
As a considerable amount of masonry is now about to be undertaken
at Jessore, I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's selecting fifty able
bodied, long term convicts to be taught brick-making, the preparation of
soorkee, and so much of building as an operative builder should under
stand. No prisoner under five years of unexpired sentence should be
selected. When the Jessore buildings are completed, the masons can
then be distributed as instructors to pther jails. Those who exhibit skill,
aptness and docility, should be rewarded by the removal of their irons, by
being made Khillaburdars as at Alipore, and by such moderate indul
gences as are permissable in a place of punishment.
I beg to solicit the earnest attention of the Magistrate to this as the
commencement of an experiment to render prisons independent of all
external aid, and to teach convicts useful and profitable trades, so as to
enable them to earn an honest livelihood when released.
In the same manner it is my intention to rear a corps of skilled
blacksmiths at Hazareebaugh ; of carpenters and weavers 'at Alipore;
of carpet-makers and blanket-weavers at Meetapore and Monghyr ; and
so on, until every thing required in a jail is made by prisoners.
It is the beginning of an organized system of labour which I am
sufficiently sanguine to hope will, with the zealous aid of the Magistrates,
prove successful. I am sure that I can rely on the cordial co-operation
of every officer in charge of a jail in carrying out this great measure of
prison management.
16.
Tank.

A large tank for the supply of pure and wholesome water

for drinking and cooking at all seasons of the
.
,
year, is much needed.

205

It may be formed by deepening, enlarging and rendering regular

the mis-shapen hole heretofore used as a brick field.
It should be dug deeper than the lowest level of the bed of the river,
and when finished, should be stocked with fish to assist in feeding the
prisoners. Around the bank of this tank, should be planted a grove of
mangoe trees to afford shade, and also to assist in feeding the convicts, the
green mangoe being a valuable antiscorbutic when cooked with curries, &c.
In the garden which will be attached, I hope, to the jail, should be grown
potatoes in abundance, the cabbage tribe in the cold weather, and arrow
root for the diet of the sick. By careful attention to working this part
of my scheme, a considerable reduction will ultimately be made in the
cost of feeding the prisoners, without pampering them.
17. In conclusion I have much plaesure in recording, that I find the
Jail in a better state than I was led from previous
Conclusion.
....
reports, to expect ; that it has improved consider
ably since Mr. Dunbar visited it ; and that, with a continuance of the care
and attention bestowed upon it by the Magistrate and Civil Surgeon, it
will become as healthy as the locality will admit ofand that it will
(indeed it has done so already,) cease to merit the unenviable distinction
of being the worst jail seen in a long experience of the country, by an
old member of the Civil Service.

KHOOLNAH.
I visited the Lock-up at Khoolnah on the morning of Saturday, the
5 th of July 1856, accompanied by the Deputy Magistrate and Mr
Rochfort.
2. The present Lock-up is a dark, damp, ill ventilated, thatched
hut in the rear of the Magistrate's house. It has
Existing Lock-up
only one small door for ingress and egress, at which
a burkundauze is placed.
The inmates are fortunately not chained down, as in the event of a
fire they would infallibly be roasted before any of them could be got out.
As it is, should a conflagration unhappily occur, the result would be dis
astrous.
There are no out-houses attached to it. The kitchen is under a big
tree, of which the lower branches are festooned with blackened cooking

206

vessels, and the privy reminds me of the answer of a French Planter in

the Mauritius, of whom I enquired the locality of the temple of Cloacina.
He gravely walked into the garden, and indicating the land lying round
in every direction, exclaimed, " la voila."
The same seems to be the Khoolnah arrangement.
The dimensions of this well peopled hut are 58i feet by 13, and
11 feet in height, allowing less than 250 cubic feet of air to each of the
forty-seven prisoners now confined in it.
3. There were 47 prisoners at the time of my visit, two of whom
were convicts, and the remainder awaiting trial.
Prisoners.
.

j. he number in confinement during the month

averaged from 19 to 47 ; and I was informed by the Deputy Magistrate
that it had risen as high as 64 in his time. Among those awaiting trial, I
remarked a savage looking middle aged man charged with murder, and an
intelligent looking boy 12 years of age, accused of stealing a rupee. Of the
remainder several were charged with theft, and some of them were, I
doubt not, confirmed bad characters.
Into this den of iniquity was thrust the boy committed for his first
offence. If convicted, he must be sent to Jessore to be punished by the
Magistrate, and thus I am afraid will be sown the seeds of future greater
crime.
There is still another reason why it is much to be lamented that this
boy could not have been punished by a good caning, and sent home at
once. The frequency of unnatural crime in our jails is altogether
unknown, but I have little doubt that it flourishes there, and will continue
to do so, until criminals are separated at night. In the mean time, I fear
that no body can enter such a place without much risk of contamination,
and of returning to society infinitely'more depraved than he left it.
I grieved much that I had not the power to try and flog the boy on
the spot, and then send him home with a more wholesome dread of a
continuance of crime, than he is likely to acquire in the Lock-up or Jail.
4.
Food-

5.

The prisoners are fed by contract at a tolerably reasonable

rate, and I heard no complaint of the food.

A new puckah Jail, upon a somewhat extended scale, is being

built at some distance from the Cutchery. The
New Jail.
.
.
site did not seem to me to be well chosen, and
it is too near the village, in addition to the ground being low and very
ill drained.

207

There was no one belonging to the Department of Public Works at

Khoolnah, to show me the plans or to explain any thing about the con
struction of the place.
In the first instance a cutcha jail was partially built, which tumbled
down before it was completed. At its present rate of progress, the new
structure is not unlikely to share the same fate.
In the absence of the plan and elevation, I cannot hazard an opinion
upon the suitability or otherwise of the building ; but, unless the most
ample roof ventilation has been provided, it will not be a healthy place.
The plan adopted of filling in the foundation to the level of the floor
with the loose earth from a hole in front of the jail, I regard as very
objectionable. The prevention of damp by filling in foundations was
much advocated by the late Major General Forbes, but his device was to
use dry sand well beaten down.
In this manner the new College at Kishnaghur has been constructed.
Damp earth full of vegetable matter will not answer the same purpose ;
I therefore recommend its removal and the use of dry sand, which can, I
imagine, be procured in abundance from the neighbouring river bed.
The bricks for building the jail have been taken from an irregular
hole near its front. It would have been much better, while they were
about it, to have excavated a regular tank a little further off, and after
making the bricks, to have employed the remainder of the earth in raising
the whole of the ground on which the jail is built.
I have written to the Executive Officer, forwarding to him a copy of
these remarks, and requesting him to favour me with some account of the
delay in the completion of the building, and to show me the plan and
elevation that I may judge of the nature of the means adopted for
ventilation, drainage, and the conservancy of the jail.
As soon as I am in possession of the requisite information, I shall
append a supplementary statement to this report.
6. The Native Doctor attached to the jail is not fit for his
office, and complained of having no medicine for
Native Doctor.
,
. .
the treatment ot the sick.
I have reported more at length regarding him in a separate statement.
c

208

BDRRISADL
I visited this Jail on the evening of Sunday, the 6th July 1856,
shortly after the arrival of the Steamer, accompanied by the Magistrate
and Civil Surgeon.
I again carefully inspected the prisoners on the succeeding morning,
in the presence of the Magistrate, Additional Judge, Collector, and Civil
Surgeon.
The prisoners were, on this occasion, all carefully examined, and
their bedding and clothing specially inspected.
2. This is one of the worst contrived and singularly badly placed jails
General construction I nave yet seen. It is built in a swamp, near a
and position.
dirty crowded khai, of which the water at the
time of my visit was higher than the level of the main drain of the
prisonthus rendering its drainage, at this season, impossible. ,
The buildings themselves are grouped in four square blocks in which
it must be difficult for fresh air to enter, and nearly impossible for it to
get out again when it has become effete.
The floors are on the level of the ground, and so coated with the
grease and sordes of years, and so damp as to render it almost impossible
to clean them.
The privies are of the worst possible construction, and permit the
whole ordure of the prisoners to fall into the open drains, and thus to
pollute additionally the already stagnant air of the wards.
The cook-rooms are in the same enclosure, and are so ingeniously
contrived as to prevent the egress of the smoke.
The wells in the centre of these quadrangles are, I am sure, in a
state of pollution that would render the water unwholesome in the
hot season.
The work-sheds are a few wretched, ill constructed, thatched huts.
It would be difficult to crowd together a greater number of defects
in the same space.
The floors, walls, and old wooden bedsteads are so saturated with
bugs and vermin, that the prisoners complained very bitterly of the
misery to which they were subjected in consequence.

209

The Jail was built in 1818, and with subsequent additions cost
Rupees 49,182. Its superficial space is 14,464 square feet, and it is said
to be capable of accommodating 723 prisoners, allowing 20 square feet
for each. This is a very false method of calculation, as it affords no
indication of the cubical contents of the wards.
The Hospital is really well constructed, and a great contrast to the
rest of the buildings.
The women's ward is also better built, but the masonry did not
appear to me to be good.
Most of the defects above noted attracted Mr. Loch's attention in
1854, but from the great and very unnecessary delay which occurs in
obtaining estimates, nothing has yet been done in the way of improve
ment.
I am responsible for the last three months of this delay, for when
the estimates were sent to me in March last by the Chief Engineer, as
they amounted to nearly 8,000 rupeesone-fifth of the estimated cost of
the whole jailI did not deem it right to submit them to the Government,
until I had personally seen the place.
3. Without entering into a minute detail of the defects and remeChanges urgently re- dies required to remove them, which are con,uireiitained in my predecessor's report I will here en
umerate those most urgently needed, and when they are supplied,<it
will be time enough to turn our attention to such further alterations
as may then appear to be advisable or necessary.
They are.
(a.) Improved ventilation.
(6.) Better sewerage and drainage.
(c.) New cook-rooms.
(d.) Such changes in the floors and walls as will render them dryer
and cleaner.
(e.) The best means of destroying bugs, &c.
(f.) New work-sheds.
(jr.) The separation of the yards in which the prisoners work.
4. (a.) The ventilation will be most readily, effectually, and econo
mically
gumlah ventilators in
Ventilation.
J amended by
J placing
r

the roof of each ward, as suggested by Mr. Loch.
These, according to the estimate furnished, may be made for one
rupee each, and 32 are sanctioned.

210

The Magistrate can supply these at once, sending in a bill for the
same as soon as they are completed.
The ventilation of the Hajut will be improved by removing the upper
half of the present fixed jhill-mill, and furnishing the means of opening them.
All the panel doors in the wards should be bored to a height of
four feet from the ground, with circular apertures an inch in diameter,
and six inches apart.
Mr. Loch recommended in addition the removal of the front of each
of the four squares, but the Magistrate objected to it on the ground of
its rendering the jail less secure.
I was at first disposed to doubt the prudence of my predecessor's
suggestion, but on careful re-consideration, after hearing all the Magis
trate urged against it, I am disposed to concur in it, and to think that
stout open palisades will be quiie adequate in the way of protection.
I shall feel much obliged therefore by the Magistrate's again carefully
examining into the matter, for it is one of very great importance,
as respects the improvement of the ventilation of the wards.
5. (b.) The sewerage of the prison must at once be changed,
nothing can possibly be more offensive than its
Sewerage and Drainage.
present state.
The Magistrate should indent without delay on the Iron Yard at Alipore
far pans of the Alipore pattern, in wooden boxes, wtfch latter on indent,
can be procured from the Alipore Jail. As soon as these are procured, the
present privies should be removed, and an iron grated door be placed in
their stead which will open into the outer yard of each ward, as men
tioned anon. The pans should be placed in a corner of the ward, pro
tected by a dwarf screen wall, the filth being removed every morning
and thrown into the khal at a distance from human habitations.
When this is accomplished, all the present drains must be taken up and
re-constructed as shallow surface drains, to carry off the rain water.
The yards of the civil and female wards should be metalled at onceTbey are at present very damp and swampy.
6. (c.) These can be constructed in the outer yards at a sufficient
distance from the walls to prevent their beinc used
Cook-rooms.
.
=
as a means of escape.
The Magistrate can submit an estimate of this at his early conve
nience, adopting the dimensions and principles of construction laid down
by Mr. Loch, and contained in the circular on the subject.

211

I do not approve of converting the present cook-rooms into wards.

The Magistrate can probably suggest a more suitable use for them, with
a few necessary alterations.
7. (d.) The floors should all be taken up, relaid to a depth of
two feet with dry sand well rammed down, and
Floors and Walls
. ,
, ..
covered with common square tiles.
The sand might be obtained cheaply from the churs in the river
the tiles be made and burnt by the Magistrate, and the whole operation
performed by convict labour without the aid of the Executive Depart
ment.
The walls should be re-plastered within two feet of the new floor.
8. (e.) The bugs will best be removed from the floors by the means
above suggested, and from the walls by mixing a
little corrosive sublimate (the Ruskapur of the
Bazar) with the white-wash, and carefully white-washing the whole jail
with it. This should continue from time to time to be used over any
patches on which bugs or fleas appear.
The present tuktaposhtes are very old and dirty.
The good planks should be taken out of them for use again, the
rotten posts and boards be burnt for fire-wood.
They should be reconstructed in separate pieces, six feet in length
and three in breadth. Along the wall, and six feet from it a small one
brick wall, four inches in height, should be built, andon this the tukta
poshtes should rest. They should be taken out into the open air every
morning with the bedding while the floor is being cleaned, and each
prisoner should scrub his own every Sunday. This is a plan suggested
to me by Mr. Atherton, the Judge of Chupra, and I have tried it with
success in one ward of the jail at that station.
It will destroy effectually and prevent the renewal of bugs, and tend
much to the health and cleanliness of the convicts.
This plan of destroying bugs I suggested to the Magistrate of Chittagong, when the jail was nearly uninhabitable on account of them, and
Mr. Henderson told me when I visited his station, that a perseverance in
the measure for nearly three months had almost entirely banished those
pests.
The bedding, blankets, and clothing of the prisoners can only be
freed from dirt by boiling them with a little saji-mati to take out the
grease.

212

Old copper or iron boilers can be picked up cheap in Calcutta, and

a small brick furnace to hold one can be constructed at a trifling expense.
9. (/.) These cannot be constructed in the yards attached to the
wards, but should be placed, as suggested by Mr.
Loch, in the space in front of the tank, to which
the present incomplete wall should be extended as soon as possible.
This should be palisaded into four compartments, and separated
from the tank to prevent the escape of prisoners in that direction.
Four work-sheds 100 feet in length by 25 in breadth, with tiled roof
and raised cutcha floor, open on all sides, might be accommodated in it.
I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's submitting plans and esti
mates of these.
Timber is cheap at Burrisaul, they ought not therefore to cost much.
10. (<?.) The yards can be separated by palisading as suggested by
Separation of the work- Mr. Loch. The contractor engages on his estimate
yards>
to furnish 3,352 of these at seven rupees a hundred.
At this rate I shall be happy to sanction their purchase at once, on the
understanding that they are to be of the dimensions and pattern contain
ed in Mr. Loch's Circular, which is taken from those adopted by Mr.
Samuells at Alipore.
I shall feel much obliged by the Magistrate's kindly intimating to
me how many of the changes above suggested he can carry into effect
himself, and for how many he will need the aid of the Department of
Public Works.
The indent furnished by the Assistant Overseer in charge of the
Dacca Division, can then be considered and disposed of.
1 1.

There were in the Jail on the 6th of July

Prisoners.

420 prisoners, disposed of as follows :

Making Baskets,
Morahs and Petarrahs,
Platforms,
t
Cloth,
Gunny Bags,
Washing prisoners' clothes,
Barbers,
Cleaning Jail,
Cooks,
Cleaning Hospital,

'.

..
.,

10
18
22
2
25
2
2
16
14
5

213

Women pounding Soorkee,

Cutting grass inside the Jail,
Cleaning jungle,

Tanks,.
Repairing the road West of the Jail,

the Bund road,

Cleaning ditches,
Circuit House bridge,
Filling up a ditch North of Mr. Jordain's compound,

In Hospital,
Hajut,
Non-labouring,
Excused labour,
Civil prisoners,

Sentence for life,

by Nizamut,

Sessions Judge, ....=

Magistrate,
Referred to Nizamut,
Committed to Sessions,
Awaiting trial,
,
Civil prisoners,

8
19
25
10
80
30
10
10
20

Total,

...

328
20
52
13
1
6

Total,

...

420
9
64
190
96
4
13
38
6

<

Total, ...
420
Life prisoners have no business in such a jail as this, for obvious
reasons, and I beg to recommend their transfer to Alipore, where they
can be better accommodated and more profitably occupied. One convict
named Ramsaugor Nundy was brought to my special notice as a jail
breaker, and as being the ring-leader in all the mischief that occurs
in the prison. A jail in which there is no penal labour, and not a single
solitary cell, is scarcely a fit place to reform such an one, or to prevent
his contaminating others. I beg, therefore, strongly to suggest that he
also be transferred to Alipore, where he will soon find the means of
becoming a wiser, if not a better man.

214

Another prisoner named Wuzeer Mahomed, was convicted in 1828

of the murder of a man whose body was never found, and his sentence is
to continue until the missing man re-appears.
I should like to know the history of this case, for circumstantial
evidence is, in a country like India, a very unsafe guide.
The man is said to always to have been a remarkably quiet, well be
haved individual. *
12. Of the labouring prisoners, by far the greater number are
employed on the roads and in the conservancy of
Labour and Manufactures.
.,
,
the place.
The manufactures are few, contain no penal occupation, are not
remunerative, and are not conducted on the principles which I wish to
introduce into all jails.
Daring the year 1854-55, the profits of jail manufactures in this prison
were Company's Rupees 972-15-9J, and the average earning of each prisoner
Rupees 7-11-6, while he cost the state to maintain him Rupees 20-15-5 I
The making of baskets and morahs pays, that of plat-forms is
decidedly losing, as each is sold at a smaller cost than the value of
the labour employed, exclusive of the material, which is presented
gratuitously to the customer.
The Magistrate has entered into a contract for gunny bags which
will, I doubt not, be more remunerative. But care should be taken
to purchase the Jute in a cheap market, otherwise the speculation will
be unprofitable. I am afraid that some of these contracts are bad
bargains, for the Magistrate has no means of knowing the probable
demand for the article. It would be better if all contracts were to be
subject to ratification by me, for I find that they vary in nearly every
jail. At Alipore, Mr. Floyd purchases the raw material and sells the
produce in the market. At Hooghly and Burdwan the contractor provides
the raw material, and takes delivery of the manufactured article at the
jail. At Backergunge the Magistrate finds the raw material, and I fancy
delivers the manufactured goods in Calcutta. I think better terms could
be obtained if the contracts were thrown open to competition in Calcutta.
The Magistrate had better introduce an oil mill or two at once, to
serve as penal labour for refractory prisoners.
The convicts must be put to task-work, and care be taken that as
much is done by each of them in a day, as an ordinary labourer of the
same craft can accomplish in the bazar.

215

Among the prisoners are two employed in washing clothes. This

is scarcely sufficient, and as there is no question of caste involved in any
Hindu washing his own clothes, it would be better to make all the prisoners
wash their clothes once a week. To do so in gangs on Sundays, will
probably be the least objectionable arrangement. A little khari mati
should be issued to each. I dare say they will object to it at first, but if
the Magistrate is firm and insists upon the clothes and persons of each
prisoner being kept clean, there will be no ultimate difficulty in giving
effect to this order. The clothes, bedding, and persons of some of
the prisoners whom I inspected, were very dirty, hence the necessity for
directing special attention to the subject.
6. The food was good in quality, the Civil Surgeon is of opinion
that it is sufficient in quantity, and I heard no
complaints regarding it.
.The prisoners, as a body, were in remarkably good ease, in spite of
the many defects in the Jail, so that there cannot be much to complain ,
of in the matter of the diet.
7. The Hospital is by far the best part of the Jail. It is well raised,
spacious, fairly ventilated, and was in excellent
order throughout. The diseases most rife, as in
every other jail in Bengal, are bowel affections.
The mortality in 1854-55, was for out-door labouring prisoners
16-30 per Cent., for in-door labouring prisoners 5-95. This is a
very suggestive fact, and intimates the necessity of employing the
prisoners as little as possible outside, notwithstanding the plea urged
by the Magistrate of the difficulty of procuring free labour in the
district.
The Hospital should not be completely accessible from without as it
now is. I do not wish it to be surrounded by dead walls to interfere with
ventilation, but there should be a deep ditch, or an open palisade, or
some similar means of making it an integral part of the Jail.
8. The classification of the prisoners is not all that could be
Arrangement of prison- desired, yet it would be difficult in the present
lIS"
arrangement of the Jail to improve it.
In arranging the prisoners for my general muster and inspection,
great difficulty was experienced in placing them in any regular order.
When they are very numerous, it is also difficult in such circumstances
to identify them at once.

216

Every prisoner should have a number. This should be cut in

Bengali on a small tablet with a rounded top to suspend it round his neck.
On one side of this should be cut his number, name, age, caste, zillah, crime, and date of confinement.
On the other side should be cut in Bengali the date of expiry of his
sentence.
This should always be worn by the prisoner round his neck, so as to
be conspicuous and available for reference at all times.
I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's introducing this at once, and
sending in a bill for the cost of the same.
9. The guards were clean and orderly looking, and armed with
truncheons as well as swords. The latter should
be serviceable weapons and fastened to the wrist
by a leathern thong, otherwise they may be snatched out of the hands of
the guards, and used with destructive effect by a mad or resolute pri
soner, as occurred a short time since at Beerbhoom.
There is no place for the guard to cook in.
>
I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's selecting a suitable site within
the Jail compound for the guards' cook-room, and submitting an estimate
of the same for sanction.
10. The books and records of the jail are well and carefully
kept, and show that it is well watched over by
Records.
.
the local authorities.
I was glad to find in the books some excellent remarks by the Su
perintending Surgeon Dr. Mackinnon, in the propriety of all of which I
entirely concur.

FURREEDPORE
I visited the Furreedpore Jail on the morning of the 9 th July 1856,
immmediately after the arrival of the Steamer, accompanied by the
Officiating Joint Magistrate.
I re-embarked en route to Dacca, immediately after I had com
pleted my inspection.
2. The Jail is a good one, and was in excelCeneral state.
lent or(jerj ^ejng clean an(j neat throughout.

217

The following points attracted my attention, viz. the ventilation of the

wards, the partition walls in the criminal jail, the privies and sewerage*
generally, the work-yards and sheds, the cook-houses, the exposed condition
of the jail compound, and encroachments made on it by huts and houses, the
state of labor and manufactures, the food contract and moodies hut
the guard, the appearance generally of the prisoners, and the
hospital.
3. The ventilation is superior to that of most jails in Bengal, yet
_ ntil ti
it may easily be improved at small cost, and by
simple devices.
The flueing and raising of the floors render them perfectly dry.
The panel doors by which the barred windows are at present closed,
should be sawn through the centre, so that the upper half may be opened
while the under one is closed. In the lower panel circular holds an inch
in diameter, four inches apart, and in rows six inches from each
other, should be bored at once. All this can be done by convict
labor.
When the next general repair of the jail is effected, openings in the
walls at the ends of the beams should be made, about two inches wide,
and the exposed part of the beam should be tarred.
By these simple measures, with the roof ventilation already existing,
the rapid renewal of the air in the wards will be much accelerated.
In these wards which have no roof ventilation, gumlah ventilators,
according to the pattern published in Mr. Woodcock's reports, may be
placed. They cost, iron bars and all, about a rupee each, and one may be
allowed to every 24 square feet.
4. The division walls of the eriminal jail are too close to the
Division walls and yards buildings, and thus interfere with ventilation withof Criminal jail.
out afJbrd.ing any additional security.
They should be removed, and stout palisades of the Alipore pattern
as contained in Circular No. 27, dated the 12th November 1855, be sub
stituted for them. I shall feel much obliged by the Magistrate's sub
mitting an estimate for the cost of this change.
The yards of these wards are rough and uneven, and in many places
worn into holes. They should be dug up next cold weather, and relaid
with khoa well beaten down. The slope of this should be outwards to
assist in carrying off the rain water and surface drainage.
The bricks should be made, broken, and burnt by convict labor.

(
5.

218

These are by far the worst features of the jail : the filth falls into
open drains through which it is washed to a main
Privies and Sewerage:
. .
.
,
, ,
.
...
drain, perfuming the whole prison in its passage.
The Alipore plan described in so many of my reports, should be
adopted at once, and an indent be sent to the iron yard for pans and
to Alipore for boxes, to be supplied as soon as possible.
As soon as these are obtained, the openings of the present privies
should be bricked over, and all the deep drains taken up and re-constructed
as shallow, saucer-shaped surface drains, never on any account to be used
for purposes of sewerage.
The filth should be carried to the nullah on poles passed through the
rings in the iron pans.
Day privies should be constructed in the corner of the work-yards,
and of the civil, hajut, and female yards, on the plan in use at Alipore.
Each consists of a couple of earthen pans, let into a small masonry
platform, placed behind a couple of dwarf walls, four feet in height. The
filth from these is also remov&l by hand.
6. The enclosures for work-yards are excellent, being each 150 by
120 feet. The present imperfect, perishable and
Work yards and Sheds:
confined mat huts abutting upon the walls, are
quite unsuitable.
In each of the yards should be constructed two sheds of 100 x 25 feet
each, with an interval between them of 30 feet. They should be tiled, with
raised cutcha floors, and provided with hanging jhamps to keep out the rain.
1
I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's submitting an estimate of the
cost of these.
In them can be carried on every kind of in-door labor that is penal
or profitable. In one corner of each of the yards should be a day privy
near the wall, and at the opposite angle a cook-shed, as mentioned in the
succeeding paragraph.
The puckah godovvn in one of the work-yards may be used as a
malkhana for storing raw material and for keeping all tools and imple
ments belonging to the jail. It is too good for a soorkie house, the
purpose to which it is at present devoted.
7. The present cook rooms are dilapidated, insufficient, and by being
without the jail are the source of very many irreCook-houscs.
gularities pointed out by the Magistrate, and nearly
impossible to prevent with the present worthless and inefficient guards.

219

New cook-rooms for the laboring prisoners should be in one of the

angles of the laboring yards, and of the pattern laid down by Mr. Loch.
Estimates for these may be submitted at the early convenience of the
Magistrate, for they are urgently required.
The hajut ward is at present without a cook-room, and the prisoners
awaiting trial are subjected to much inconvenience in consequence. An
estimate for a suitable building in their yard may be submitted at the
same time.
8. The jail compound is at present open in every direction, forbid
den substances find their way in, and the prisoners
Eiposedstate of jailcom.
*
pound and encroachments seem to find their way out, without much let or
hindrance from the guard, as detailed by the
Magistrate in his annual report.
To the west of the jail a collection of huts encroach upon the very
walls.
The cheapest and most efficient plan of enclosing the compound so
as entirely to cut off communication with the town, will be by digging a
deep ditch round it, eight feet in depth by six in breadth, sloping to the
bottom. With the earth removed, from this a solid ramp may be made
well beaten down, and sloping with a foot-path on the top, two feet in
width ; upon this should be planted an aloe hedge.
The sides of the ditch should be well consolidated, and beaten down
and the level of its bottom carefully planned, so that it may drain into the
nullah.
All houses built within the boundaries of this ramp, on the ground of
the Government, should be removed. I presume that the squatters on
this ground have no pottahs or leases, or other titles of possession, as such
ought never to have been given. I shall feel much obliged by the Joint
Magistrate's sending me a plan of the whole ground in question, showing
the position in all directions of the boundary, ramp, and ditch, and stating
if any, and what difficulty exists in clearing the jail compound of in
truders.
Within this enclosure on the western side might be made the jail
garden referred to in my Circular No. 35, dated the 2nd January 1856.
9. The prisoners in this jail are not at present as profitably employ
ed, as will be the case when the new work-sheds
Labor and Manufacture.
.
are erected, lhere is at present also no penal
labor in the prison.

220

The making of gools should be discontinued at once. It i9 an idle

employment, and more of them, I expect, find their way into the jail,
than out of it.
The contract entered into, to supply gunny bags for two years at
fifteen rupees the hundred, the jail finding the raw material, is not a
profitable one, but as the terms do not compel the supply of any specific
quantity, it does not matter much.
One or two oil mills should be introduced for refractory prisoners,
and those not employed in making gunny, or as jail servants, will be
amply occupied for the next year at least, in carrying out the improve
ments suggested above.
10. There is no contract in force at present, as there is a combina
tion among the dealers to compel the Magistrate
Food.
6 . ,
,7T
to pay more than the market rates.
So long as this continues, the Magistrate may make his own arrange
ments, care being taken that the food furnished by the Darogak is
carefully examined daily before, and occasionally after issue to the cooks.
There were no complaints either of the quantity or quality of the food.
The Moodie's store is at present badly placed. The Magistrate may
remove it to any more eligible position of which he himself approves.
11. The guards were among the worst specimens I have yet seen
and from the Magistrate's report appear to be
Guards,
ii
< n
,
m,
,j
unusually good-for-nothing.
I he old spears
should be discarded, and each man be armed uniformly with a tulwar,
that will draw from its sheath, and be fastened to the wrist by a leathern
thong. Each burkundauze should also be furnished with a properly
made constable's staff. The latter might be made in the jail.
12. The whole of the prisoners were mustered and examined in
a body. They were an unusually ill-looking set
Prisoners.
of ruffians, but physically in excellent condition.
Many of them exhibited proof of having obtained tobaccco according
to Dr. Baillie's test which I find to be an excellent one, and perfectly
true in its indications, a fact I was at first inclined to doubt.
There were 304 prisoners in jail at the time of my visit, distributed
and disposed of as follows :
Sleeping Ward No. 1 Hajut,
25
j,

2 Non-laboring,
14

,, 3 Laboring,
9

(
Sleeping Ward No.

55

jj

55

221

4 Laboring,

57

5
6

49
9

j,

55
55
55 7
j,
55
55
55 ^

55
55
55 9
55
55
55
55 10 Solitary,
Dewanny Ward,
In Female Ward (laboring prisoners,)
In Hospital,

8
57
36
1
2
18
20
304

Disposed of as follows:
Cleaning the drain of the Jail,
Meyhter,
Attending the sick in Hospital,
Blacksmiths,
Cooks,

Sweepers,
Cutting trees in Jail compound,
Repairing Jail Wards,
Weavers,
Making Paper,

Gools or Fire Balls,

String,
y
Gunny Bags,

Baskets,

Ink,

Soorkee,

Chattas,
Carpenters,
Sawyers,

14
2
8
2
13
11
25
6
13
27
6
53
5
7
2
35
9
3
8
248

Making a new road,

In Hospital,

5
12

222

Non-laboring,
Hajut,
Civil Prisoners,
Dewanny,

11
17
9
2
304

Sentenced as follows:
By Nizamut,
Sessions Judge,
Joint Magistrate,
Deputy Magistrate,
,
Sudder Ameen
.
Referred to Nizamut,
Awaiting Trial,
Civil Prisoner,
Dewanny,
Transferred from Rajeshahye,

11
102
131
4
27
9
17
1
1
1
304

I destroyed and refused to listen to, or receive the petitions of those

on whom I found tobacco stains, indicative of their having infringed the
rules of the jail.
12. The Hospital was clean, in good order, and had few sick in it.
The mortality of the jail is low, although the
Hospital.
....
iii
i

,
,
district is an unhealthy one, showing that by pro
per care and management, the health of prisoners can, and ought to be
raised above the standard of the outside population, without any pam
pering or improper indulgences.
1 3. The divisional walls and entrance yard may be removed in the civil
.
jail, as they are of no earthly use, and the material
Concluding remarks.
can be employed in some of the alterations above noted.
The coping of all the jail walls should be removed as it tends to
facilitate escape. The walls should be made flash, as shown in the
accompanying rough section.
,
Hanging lanterns should be placed in the wards instead of the
cheraghs now in use, and the Magistrate is authorized, in case of sickness,

223

to issue blankets for

hajut
3r the Lai
at prisoners on the requisition of the SubAssistantt Surgeon,
Surgeon.

DACCAI visited this Jail, accompanied by the Magistrate and Civil Surgeon,
on the evening of Wednesday, the 10th, and again on the morning of
Thursday, the 11th of July 1856.
The wards, yards, sheds, and other parts of the interior of the Jail
were as clean as their construction admitted of.
My predecessor visited this Jail in January 1855, and suggested
various important improvements and changes, not one of which seems
to have been carried into effect.
This has probably resulted from the frequent change of Magistrates
in the time which has elapsed, and is much to be regretted on every
account.
2. The Jail was built in 1790 by Colonel Fleming, and cost
rather more than 80,000 Rupees. It is badly
placed near the Chouk adjoining the Insane Hos
pital, and so surrounded by roads and buildings, abutting upon it as to
render it very difficult to enlarge and improve it.
The guard-house is within the Jail enclosure, which is a large open
space, in which the prisoners congregate in a body without let or" hin
drance. In this are the cook-houses, a large mat work-shed, and a
smaller hut for paper making. To the South of this enclosure is a large
tank common to the Jail, Hospital, and Lunatic Asylum. This is in a
very dirty state, and should be cleaned after the rains, the greatest care
.being taken to remove the decayed vegetable matter and filth from it to
a distance and not to spread it over any surface in the immediate vicinity
of the Jail, otherwise an outbreak of cholera will be the most likely result.
To the North was, in close proximity with the wall, a large stagBant tank, which was for many years used as the receptacle of all the
ordure of the Jail.
It is now partially filled up, but in its stead at the North-Eastern
angle, is an indescribably filthy ditch which is reeking with ordure, and
pollutes every thing in its vicinity. In the two directions last indicated,
huts, are built close to the jail walls.
E

224

The jail walls are very low, and from the character hereinafter
given of the Darogah and Guards, it will be perceived that the convicts
must be a very amiable well-disposed set of criminals not to escape by
wholesale from a prison which presents so few difficulties, and offers so
many facilities to the Jack Sheppards of Eastern Bengal.
The criminal wards are well furnished with ventilators, and would
be well suited for their purpose if they were less crowded. But the
ventilation, fair as it seems, is not so perfect as to permit of the space
for each prisoner to be reduced to 300 cubic feet, with impunity.
The Hospital is in a separate compound of its own, and is a good
building of its kind, but insufficient for the wants of the Jail. All the
out-houses are mat huts.
The Civil Jail, called the House of Correction, lucus a non lucendo
is. also detached from the Jail, in a separate bungalow, with a separate
establishment.
In this, in addition to the civil prisoners were confined the nonlabouring prisoners and the Magistrate's Hajut. The building in which
the latter sleep looks out upon the road. All these arrangements are
most objectionable.
3. Mr. Loch recommended that the existing guard house should
be converted into a sleeping ward for prisoners,
Changes proposed.
and that a darogah's house and store-rooms should
be built over it.
In this, I entirely concur. He also suggested that new guard
rooms should be built at the sudder entrance outside the Jail walls.
To this I also assent.
He likewise proposed the division of the large enclosure into five
separate spaces, walled and palisaded for work-sheds and yards.
To this, I likewise assent, but would prolong the palisades to the
southern wall, and construct a separate cook-room and day privy for
each, as at Alipore, so as entirely to obviate the necessity of the prisoners
ever leaving their separate enclosures, and being herded together in a
body as they are at present.
If the Magistrate concurs in these recommendations after perusal of
Mr. Loch's Memorandum, No. 828 of the 26th January 1855, I beg
earnestly to solicit the sanction of the Government to plans and estimates
for effecting the same being obtained without delay, if they should not
already have been drawn and calculated.

225

Perhaps the Magistrate will kindly enquire of the Executive Depart

ment if any thing, and what has been done.
4. Upon this point, I cannot do better than quote
Drainage and Sewerage.
the remarks in the fifth paragraph of Mr. Loch's
5th. " The subject of the drainage you are aware
Memorandum in the margin.
has been much discussed, the present system has
I coincide in nearly all the
been universally condemned, in fact it is a wonder,
the Jail and its neighbourhood are ever free from views therein expressed, ex
epidemics. After mature consideration and bearing
in mind the great number of prisoners in confine
cept as regards the trucks. I
ment, as also the number of Insanes in the ce?tral
Hospital which joins on to the jail and the thickly am now convinced, since I
peopled neighbourhood, I have come to the conclu
sion that the only plan is to carry away all the night have seen that plan in oper
sail in carts to a distance, do away with the great
ation at Bhaugulpore and
majority of the present drains and turn those that
may be retained into merely surface water drains,
Balasore, that it is inferior to
not allowing any filth to accumulate in. them.
the simple and efficacious
Although the night privies are on the worst prin
ciple, yet I am not prepared to recommend their method in use at Alipore ;
entire demolition, as I think, at a small cost they
may be made sufficiently serviceable for the new
and that so long as deep
system. At present the inner compartment is
drains of any kind are retain
without ventilation, the consequence is the n0S-J"s
gasses are forced into the ward, this may be cured by
ed, they will be fouled by
having gumbla ventilators let into their roots, the
opening for which to be protected by cross iron
both
guards and prisoners.
bars, built into the pucca, six inches at each end
besides the above the whole of the floorings, &c.,
For day privies, each yard
require a thorough repair, the hole over which the
prisoners sit ought, if possible, to be enlarged and should be furnished with
new trucks to receive the night soil must be made.
one on the Alipore plan,
These trucks ought to be formed of a board upon
four wheels, on this board a moveable vessel should
which consists of a couple
be placed, (if the vessel be of wood it must be lined
with tin, spelter or sheet iron,) the vessel should he of earthen nauds, sunk in
sufficiently large as to prevent any of the hltn
masonry, moveable and en
dropping through the privy hole over the side.
The object of htving the body of the truck separate closed by a couple of dwarf
from the wheels is to facilitate removal and empty
ing into the night soil cart, it must be remembered walls.
All the existing
thit before removing the truck, a board should be
placed on the top to prevent any of the contents day privies, gutters, drains,
splashing over from the jirk of moving it, and the
pucca work on which the truck is to run should and ditches should be care
always be kept in thorough repair. Two night fully removed and filled up
soil carts to be pulled by bullocks must also be
with dry rubbish, not with
built. These should be constructed of well sea
soned wood and if the joinings were fastenedI in the
same manner and with the same care as those ot the refuse of the streets and
boats and lined with some metal, they would prove roads, as was adopted in
perfectly water-tight; they should be covered in
by folding lids, each leaf being fastened by hinges making the new Bank in
to the side of the cart. The truck vessels and carts Calcutta between Prinsep's
should be kept perfectly clean by washing with lime
and water and being exposed to the sun. 1 may Ghaut and the Hasting's
here remark that night privies must be supplied to
what is called the House of Correction but which
is used as the Civil and Non-Labouring Jail, for the
present arrangement of having the place in one ot
the corners of the open room is most objection
able."

Bridge.
A similar method of fill
ing up a tank near Middle-

226

ton Row, has left a perpetual generator of cholera in the corner. Such
mistakes are as inexcusable as they are mischievous.
5. Mr. Loch recommended the purchase of a plot of ground
Purchase of ground to
to tlie North and East at present occupied by huts
the North and East
an(l the filthy pool above referred.
A generous old lady offered to present the portion belonging to her,
but before it was taken possession of, she died, and a host of claimants
appeared for it.
The purchase of all this I hold to be absolutely necessary, and I
strongly advise, that as soon as the sanction of the Government is obtained,
it be taken possession of under the provisions of Act I. of 1826.
I believe that a good garden might be formed on the ground to the
North.
6. The walls surrounding the Jail are every where too low: an
active man might easily vault over them. They
Walls.
should, as proposed by Mr. Loch, be raised four
feet all round.
When estimates for the whole of the changes and additions above
noted, are sent in, I shall be happy to submit them all for the sanction
of the Government, as they will amount to a sum very considerably in
excess of that which I am authorized to pass.
In the mean time, the Magistrate may send in estimates for the
petty repairs required for the cook-sheds in the Civil and Criminal Jails,
and such others of the temporary out-houses as require them.
7. The establishment of this Jail seems to be more than usually
Establishment, Guards, inefficient, and I am of opinion that with such aid,
&<=.
the Magistrate will never be able either to main
tain strict discipline, or to render it remunerative from the labour of the
prisoners.
The Darogah is a middle aged Greek, who speaks no language
intelligibly, can neither read nor write Bengali or Hindustani, can
furnish no information respecting his charge without referring to the
Mohurrir, and appears to be destitute of all control and authority over
prisoners and guards. He understands nothing of manufactures, is inca
pable of keeping or checking any of the records, and seems systematically
to disobey and disregard the orders of the Magistrate. How he can
have been allowed by successive Magistrates to remain in an office for
which he is glaringly and grossly unfitted, I am unable to understand.

227

The guards did not hesitate to treat him with the utmost contempt
in the presence of the Magistrate and myself; and it was a matter of
some difficulty to put a stop to so unseemly a proceeding.
I am sorry for the man, as he appears a quiet, harmless simpleton,
but the public interests imperatively require the removal of so incapable
an officer, from a post of so much trust and importance as the Daro<*aship of a large Jail in a great city.
A short time since, in an affray between the prisoners of two dif
ferent zillahs, which appears to have been a Dacca Doneybrook on a
small scale, this valiant Greek is reported to have enacted the part of
Caesar's steward, mullum agendo nihil agens, running up and down,
wringing his hands, and doubtless appealing to all the Gods in pure
Homeric Greek, to arrest the dire contention.
The prisoners treated his lamentations very much as the Atlantic
behaved towards Dame Partingtonwith utter disregard, and the
result has been an increase of the contempt in which he was formerly
held.
Even at the time of my visit, a large proportion of the guards
absented themselves, and he was unable to arrange the prisoners for
inspection.
In these circumstances, I shall feel much obliged by the Magis
trate's submitting a report on the man's claims, services, and fitness for
his office ; and should this report bear out my estimate of him, I am
afraid there is no use in retaining him longer in the jail, than will be
necessary to procure a successor.
In such a jail, I am of opinion, that the most able and energetic
European Jailor who can be found should be appointed. If the Magis
trate concurs in this view, a proposal for increasing the pay of the office
to rupees 75 per mensem may be submitted in the usual tabular form, in
order to secure the services of a competent officer.
The guards are a disorderly, impudent, useless set, who are always
quarrelling together, and are a source of infinite trouble and annoyance
to the Magistrate. They are of no earthly use, and bandied about
charge and countercharge of derelictions of duty towards the prisoners,
with an effrontery and coolness that I have never seen surpassed.
The Magistrate tells me that it is impossible to procure better men,
or to make any radical change so long as the present set remain ; .and
all attempts to maintain discipline with them are impracticable.

228

In these circumstances I know of only two plans of meeting the

difficulty ; to borrow a Company of Sepoys from the Regiment at Jumalpore to take charge of the jail for a month or two, while the Magistrate
makes a clean sweep of the existing establishment ; or to recruit an entire
new guard in some other zillah, and march them in a body to Dacca to
replace the old ones.
The ticka burkundazes in charge of the out-door labouring prisoners
are equally bad, but, as the great majority of them will, of necessity, be
dispensed with when in-door labour is more systematically introduced,
there is no such immediate necessity for changing them.
8. There were 616 prisoners in jail, and one child 8 years old,
the son of a female prisoner whose time will shortly
expire. This child receives half the ration allow
ed to a female prisoner. The whole thing is an abuse which should not
have been allowed. In future, should a female prisoner bring a child
into jail, it must be sent to its relations to take care of as soon as it is
weaned. In the present instance, the child may remain until the mother
is released.
The whole of the prisoners were mustered in the outer yard, and
upon inspection several of them exhibited proof of having obtained tobacco
surreptitiously : the inner and outer guards mutually accused each other
of having connived at the indulgence, and I have no doubt that both
parties were guilty.
The prisoners generally were not sickly looking, although there is
a good deal of disease in the jail.
The prisoners were disposed of as follows :
Making Gunny Bags,
212

Paper,
126

Soorkie,
11
Cooks,
24
Cleaning Jail,
39
Attending Sick in Hospital,
10
Washing Prisoners' Clothes,
3
Carpenter,
1
Procuring Stones from Ramna jungles for making
Soorkie and Khoa for Jail,
15
Cleaning the outskirts of the Jail and rooting up
grass, &c., in Jail,
17

229

Cleaning Roads,

Burial Ground,

Church,

Lunatic Asylum,
In Hospital,
Hajut,
Dewanny,
Non-laboring,

5
5
5
10
43
32
11
47
616

Sleeping as folloios :
Ward No. 1 has Five Rooms
In Room No. 1,
99
99 9*J
99
99
99

99
99
99

.
.
.
.

99
99 4 9
99 5,

6~
50
11
74
6 .
^-Laboring Prisoners.
147

Ward No. 2,

3,

134 I
122 |

4,
Hajut Ward,
In Female Ward,
Hospital,

47J
15
16
52

Dewanny Ward has Five Rooms

In Room No.
99
99
99

99
99
99
99
99

1,
2,
3,
4
^9
5,

22~
22
15 y Laboring Prisoners.
14
1^
10^

616

230

Sentenced as follows :
Under sentence of Nizamut Adawlut,

Sessions Judge,

Magistrate,

Cazie (Mohamedan Law Officer,)

Pandit,

Principal Sudder Ameen,

Dy. Magistrate Moonsheegunge, ..

Ditto
Manickgunge, ...

Under trial before the Magistrate,

Committed for trial,
Under reference to the Nizamut Adawlut,
Under trial at Thuggee Department,
Dewanny prisoners,
Total,

39
313
113
5
14
6
51
32

573
19
9
2
2
. 11
616

The price realized for the Gunny Bags is now 25 Rupees a hundred,
and the Magistrate hopes by putting it up to auction to obtain a larger
sum, probably 30 Rupees.
This clearly demonstrates the accuracy of my surmises that the
Magistrates of Backergunge and Furreedpore have made very bad bar
gains in taking contracts for 15 Rupees a hundred, when the market
value of the manufactured article is nearly double.
It also shows the necessity of subjecting these contracts to super
vision, as in two jails only, if all the prisoners were fairly at work, a
probable loss of Rupees 400 or 500 monthly, is sustained.
In macerating the pulp for preparing paper, some of the prisoners
have had their fingers crushed by the iron shoe of the dhenkie, and have
been mutilated in consequence. Great care should be taken to prevent this.
The dhenkies are all outside the jail, near the tank between the
Hospital and the Jail. This must be productive of irregularities.
As the tank and the enclosure and all their belongings are the pro
perty of the Government, the entrance to the road should be bricked up,
and a new entrance made near the angle of the jail compound, at the
end of the weaver's shed.

231

I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's effecting this desirable change

at once, as by bringing the sheds referred to more strictly within the
jail enclosure, some ticca burkundauzes may be saved.
The pounding of the arsenic at one end of the cook-house is a very
dangerous proceeding, and should cease at once.
Upon this subject I beg particularly to direct the attention of the
Magistrate to my reports on the Cuttack and other jails, and to my Cir
cular Order No. 48, dated 12th June 1856, on the subject of the arsenication of paper, and the cautions necessary regarding it.
If white arsenic is very dear at Dacca, it should be procured from
Calcutta.
In regard to this and many other similar cases regarding the expense
and difficulty with which materials are procurable at distant stations, I
am of opinion that an agency should be established at the Presidency to
procure and transmit all that may be required.
Upon this subject I have also received communications from the
North-Western Provinces.
. The result of the approaching exhibition of jail manufactures will
throw some light-upon it.
The best plan that suggests itself to me is to attach it to the Alipore
jail, and to allow Mr. Floyd either a small per centage or some increase
to his salary to undertake it, should the Magistrate of the 24-Pergunnahs
see no objection to his doing so.
So large a jail ought to have more carpenters, and a couple of
blacksmiths whom I hope to be able to supply before long either from
Alipore or Hazareebaugh.
Among the convicts are 7 life prisoners, 3 males and 3 females,
with 1 said to be insane. All of these should I think be removed to
Alipore.

They are not fit inmates for outlying Jails, in which the discipline
and arrangements are necessarily less severe than at Alipore. At Dacca
their labour is worth 4 Rupees a year, at Alipore 31 Rupees, a
sufficient reason, if there were no other for removing them, inasmuch
as they must be maintained by the State for the remainder of their
lives.
9. The fetters were of several different patterns and weights ; a
few
long
links ; and others
Fetters.
. bar
. ; some with
.
& elliptical
r
with six short links without a connecting ring.

232

They should all consist of six links, with an intermediate ring, and
their weight should be uniform, as well as in strict accordance with the
orders of the Sudder Dewanny on the subject.
The prisoners are in the habit of polishing their fetters with pieces
of burnt brick. This is not at all necessary for cleaning them, and as
it will rapidly wear them out, should be prohibited.
Some of the labouring prisoners condemned with fetters had ancle
rings. The recent order of the Honorable the Lieutenant Governor on
the subject should be observed.
10. The clothes and bedding of several of the prisoners were
very dirty, and saturated with grease and sordes,
Washings.
..
...
~ .
.
.
ordinary washing is not sufficient to cleanse them.
They should be boiled with Saji Mati in a common copper pan, which can,
I imagine, be obtained cheap at Dacca, and a small brick furnace would
cost little.
Several of the convicts were adorned with long, greasy, duty elf
locks, which are unhealthy and unsuitable for a Jail.
I do not know of any reason why the practice of the North-Western
Provinces in this respect, should not be introduced into <all Jails in the
Lower Provinces. It is conducive to health and cleanliness, and is a very
legitimate addition to the prison garb as a portion of Jail discipline.
The following is the rule referred to viz. :
" As a general practice, it is very desirable that every criminal pri
soner, who is sentenced to imprisonment with labour, should, on final
confirmation of the sentence, or expiration of the period of appeal without
an appeal being preferred, have his head and face close shaved, and be
subsequently shaved every 15 days by prisoners set apart for this duty
the Hindu retaining the chotea. The beard and moustache of both
Mussalman and Hindu prisoners being close clipped."
" But Magistrates are authorized to exempt from this rule those pri
soners to whom they think that such a proceeding would be justly offen
sive or degrading."
" Seikhs in the Jails of Umballa, Loodiana, and Ferozepore, are ex
empted from this rule, and must be similarly exempted wherever they
may be imprisoned."
I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's reporting whether he knows
of any objection to the introduction of this wholesome practice at
Dacca.
. .

233

11.

The books and records of the Jail are kept entirely in Bengali,
and it is very difficult to obtain any precise inforBooks and Records.
.
mation from them.
I was unable to procure a precise account of the classification and
distribution of prisoners in the various criminal wards, and it struck me
from the confused and imperfect statements of the Darogah and Mohurir,
that they are not arranged as they ought to be.
This is not a matter of much importance at present when the prisoners
commingle freely in the outer yard during the day, but it will become so when
they are separated by day as well as by night, as I hope will, ere long, be
accomplished by the changes advocated in a previous portion of this report.
The prisoners should be classified in the manner directed in the
margin of para. 4 of Government let" *Prisoners convicted of perjury,
"forgery or fraud, to be classed with

., ..
.,
i ,
n
i
ter, JNo. 2344, dated 3 1st December

"^trTrne^oruLe!

"*, to the address of my predeces-

"main with No. 3, till they can be

" withdrawn to separate Jails."

sor, viz.: " 1.

,

"2.

*Males under trial for

felonious offences.
Ditto under ditto for misdemeanours including affrays and the

like.
" 3. Male prisoners sentenced to imprisonment with labour in irons
not redeemable by fine for periods exceeding three years.
" 4. Male prisoners sentenced to ditto for periods not exceeding
three years.
" 5. Male prisoners sentenced to imprisonment without labour or
with labour redeemable by a fine.
" 6. Women under trial.
" 7- Women convicted."
The only records properly kept were those df the Hospital.
With the present inefficient Establishment, I do' not think it possible
for the Magistrate to keep the records as they ought to be kept, but as
soon as the necessary changes are effected, I shall feel much obliged by
the rules on the subject being strictly observed.
12. In the Civil Jail, as remarked before, are now confined civil
prisoners, non-labouring prisoners, and the Magis
trate's Hajut.
It is wrong in principle to place civil prisoners in contact with cri
minals, and if the Magistrate, by any other distribution' of his convicts,
can remedy this, it is most advisable that it should be done.

234

13.

Where the duties of the Magistrate are so very heavy as they

are at Dacca, I am of opinion that much good
Superintendence of Jail.
.
.

would result from his employing his assistant in

looking after the details of the Jail.
Irregularities would thus be brought to his notice in time to check
themthe guards and prisoners would be more closely watched and con
trolled, and it would gradually make the assistant familiar with duties,
of which the whole responsibility will devolve upon himself hereafter.
14. The mortality in the Jail is not very high, although there is a
considerable proportion of sick to strength. Should
Hospital.
i
the number of prisoners be increased, an addition
to the accommodation of the Hospital will be imperative, as it is at pre
sent barely sufficient to contain the patients sent to it.
New out-houses tiled, are needed for this part of the prison, but as
the want is not so urgent as that of the other changes hereinbefore
noted, it may lie over for the present.

SERAJGUNGE.
I visited the jail at Serajgunge immediately after the arrival of
the Steamer, on the morning of Monday, the 14th of July 1856.
The Sub-Assistant Surgeon, in charge of the Station, accompanied
me, and when the inspection was concluded, the Deputy Magistrate,
whose house is at some distance, joined us.
2. The jail at present consists of one large mat hut, which serves as
'
a prison for laboring and non-laboring prisoners,
and as hajut, hospital, female ward, parish stocks,
and store-house of the station physic. In one corner of it is a privy, and
at some small distance is a dilapidated mat shed serving as a cook house.
There are no bars, bolts, walls, or other means of securing the prisoners.
There is necessarily no attempt at separation, and guards and pri
soners pig together with scant ceremony, and little regard to the order of
their coming and going. To reach this building I was obliged to take to
boat, as it at present enjoys an insular position.
This building was formerly used as lock-up.
*
From all that I could gather, and from the fragments of public cor
respondence shown to me, it would appear that, on the recommendation

235

of Mr. Mills, three buildings were sanctioned for the jail, viz. the one now
occupied by it, the bungalow used as a dispensary, and a third in which
the Sub-Assistant Surgeon performs his dissection of all cases sent to
liim for medico-legal examination.
If I apprehended this matter rightly, the buildings intended for a
jail have been alienated from their intended use, but on what ground, or
by what authority, I could not gather.
Such as they are, I am of opinion that all the buildings above re
ferred to will be annexed by the river during the next rains, if they are
not saved by timely removal.
3. There were at the time of my visit 41 prisoners in custody,
viz. 8 laboring prisoners, 5 non-laboring prisoners^
and 28 in hajut. Of the latter several were
awaiting trial for dacoity.
All prisoners of longer sentences had, on the setting in of the rains,
been sent in to Pubna and Bograh respectively ; the longest sentenced
prisoners at Serajgunge were for six months.
The prisoners complained very bitterly of the length of time they are
retained in the hajut. Nineteen men charged with dacoity had been four
months in custody, and I was informed that some had been as long as
eight months.
This is a matter beyond my province, and I only mentioned it, that en
quiry maybe instituted as to the cause of the delay, by the proper authorities.
The prisoners also complained of having no clothes served out to them,
and of their suffering from sickness when long confined, in consequence.
This is very likely, and whenever a prisoner is retained for more
than one month in hajut, a piece of tat bedding, a blanket, and one suit of
clothes should be issued to him, the whole to be returned in the event of
his acquittal.
The bedding issued to the labouring prisoners was in no case furnish
ed with a pillow as required by Mr. Loch's circular on the subject.
This should be remedied.
,
Many of the hajut prisoners, and principally the dacoits, were fettered.
This is illegal, but unavoidable from the utter insecurity of the jail.
4. The prisoners are fed by contract at so much a head. The
allowance is ample, but the Sub-Assistant Surgeon
Food.
.-ii.
.
complained that it was not always of good quality,
and that there was not enough variety in the dhalls j no fish or flesh is

236

ever issued to the Mahomedan convicts. The latter is said not to be

procurable, and the former to be dear and scarce.
The prisoners are in fair condition, and as the terms of the contract
are reasonable, so long as only short time prisoners are confined, there is
not much ground for complaint. The Sub-Assistant Surgeon should
scrupulously reject all food of which he does not approve, and whenever
fish is cheap and plentiful, it should be supplied.
5. There are no guards specially attached to the jail, except when
prisoners are labouring on the road, when ticca
burkundauzes are engaged. At other times the
guards are furnished from the thannah. These are twelve in number,
and when several of them are out in the district, the jail is left to take
care of itself.
This should not be. A Duffadar and eight burkundauzes should be
detached from the central jail to form a permanent guard for the Sub
division lock-up.
6. The books of the iail are all kept in
Books.
Bengali, and were brought up to date.
Two bran new registers, one a visiting, the other an order book,
prepared yesterday, were presented to me with all the formalities.
The Deputy Magistrate told me that he was only made acquainted
with the necessity of keeping such records within the last few days, but
his own file showed that this was not the case.
I have much reason to believe that he takes no interest in the jail,
seldom or never visits it, understands nothing about it, and is incapable
of correcting any abuse in it, however obvious, so foreign is the whole
thing to one of his habits and training.
7. 'There were no sick at the time of my visit : when there are
any they are placed in one corner of the great
Hospital.
, .,,.
building.
8. In a place so populous and important as Serajgunge, with occa
sionally 150 prisoners in custody, there ought,
Conclusion.
.
...
,
in my opinion, to be a much better and more
secure jail, upon the plan which I have already recommended to the
Government.
It should be further removed from the river and habitations ; have
a separate establishement ; and be under the charge of an officer able and
willing to look after it.

237

Its divided allegiance to Pubna and Bograh is also an evil, but as I

am not acquainted with the reason of its belonging to two Sudder
stations, I am unable to suggest a remedy for it.
This memorandum will be sent to the Magistrates of Bograh and
Pubna for report, as both have an interest in the Sub-division.

GOWALPARAH.
I visited the jail at Gowalparah on Tuesday, the 22nd July, accom
panied by the Magistrate and by the Civil Medical Officer.
2. The jail is placed at the base of the hill, upon the bank of the
river, and consists of thatched buildings with bam
boo walls, surrounded by a frail bamboo fence.
It is scarely possible to imagine any thing more insecure, and yet
escapes are infrequent, notwithstanding the manifest inefficiency of the
guards. The prisoners must be the most docile and well conducted of
convicts, or the jail must be very much more desirable than their own
homes, to account for the fact above-mentioned.
The jail was clean, and in excellent order throughout. The princi
pal ward is divided into five sectionsone for women, three for male
labouring and non-labouring convicts, and at the extremity, adjoining the
hospital, is a small compartment in which cholera cases are placed.
The principle of classification is necessarily out of the question in such
an arrangment ; which, in regard to the space allotted to female prisoners,
is liable to all the objections pointed out in my note on the Sandoway jail.
There were no women in confinement at the time of my visit.
The placing of cholera patients in the corresponding compartment
is not right. If it be deemed necessary or advisable to isolate sporadic
cases of that disease, a separate detached hut should be provided for them.
Notwithstanding the openness of the bamboo walls, the jail buildings
and more particularly the hospital are badly ventilated. This is partly
due to all air from the South being cut off by the hill, and in part to the
absence of openings in the roof to allow the escape of effete air. The
bodies of the convicts are also too directly exposed to the night air.
The remedy for some of these evils is cheap and obvious.
The ridge of the roof should be opened so as to permit air to escape,
without allowing rain to enter. A small mat screen, two feet in height,

238

should be placed round the walls at the level of the bodies of the convicts,
who sleep on raised bamboo machauns. The side of the hill should be
scarped where it is feasible. But I am afraid that all these means will
not materially diminish the great sickness to which this jail is, and always
will be, liable, so long as it is situated at the base of the hill, and on its
northern aspect.
The hospital is a detached building similar in character to the wards,
but furnished with a verandah.
The cook-sheds are roomy, but in a very dilapidated state.
The hajut and civil jail are in the same buildinga manifestly
undesirable arrangement.
The work-sheds are small thatched huts.
The guard are lodged in mat sheds at the entrance gate. Their
quarters are much too crowded.
I do not deem it desirable to suggest any alterations in the arrange
ments of this jail, until I have visited all the prisons in the province,
as I believe that they may be centralized with ease, advantage, and
economy, and then for the reduced number of prisoners that remain, it
will be easy to make more suitable provision than now exists.
3. There were 145 prisoners at the time of
Prisoners.
. .
. ..,_,
.
, , .
. . ,
my visit, viz., 3 civil, 2 sessions and 140 criminals.
They were specially mustered for inspection. The Garrow prison
ers were muscular, sturdy looking fellows. Most of the others had the
faded, sallow, emaciated, stolid appearance of broken down opium-eaters,
which most of them were.
Several of them were covered with offensive and unsightly skin
eruptions, partly, I fear, the result of want of cleanliness.
Labor.
4. The convicts were disposed of as follows :
Working on the Roads,
75
Weaving of Cloth,
8
Blacksmiths,
4
Weaving Setringees,
4
Spinning Thread,
13
Carpenters,
9
Sawyers,
4
Pellats,
5
Cooks,
7
Cleaning the Jail,
4

239

Cleaning Hospital,
>
1
Non-labouring,
2
Sick,
4
The labor in the jail is almost nominal. There is no market for
manufactures, and there are no skilled convicts to teach any variety of
handicraft, if there were.
The working on the roads is in the form of gentle exercise, with
very light loads. Upon a bamboo resting on the shoulders of two convicts
was placed a piece of matting, in which were a few bricks, and this was
being carried along at a funeral placethe burkundauzes and prisoners
all having the appearance of a collection of sleep-walkers, and yet the
convicts complain of the severity of this labor. With opium eating,
drowsy, dreaming guards, it is, I know, very difficult for the Magistrate to
prevent this. Indeed, the proceeding was so open and undisguised, that
the actors evidently laboured under the belief that they were engaged in
hard labor.
The only way of remedying this is to fix the load to be carried, and
the amount of work to be done, and to punish both burkundauzes and
prisoners if the allotted task be not executed It will take time, and need
firmness to overcome the existing vis inertia of people so unaccustomed
to physical exertionyet, I believe, that with patience, it may be accom
plished.
There was one lunatic in the jail, chained to a pillar of the veran
dah of the hajut. He appeared quiet, but as there is no knowing when
such unhappy beings may break out into paroxysms of uncontrollable
mania, he should be sent to Dacca by the next Steamer.
5. The Magistrate has taken the feeding of the prisoners into his
own hands in consequence of the contractor attempt
ing to extort a higher rate than the market value,
for articles of consumption by the prisoners.
This man has supplied the jail for twenty years, and being the weal
thiest man in the place, no one appears at present inclined to enter the
field against him.
I entirly approve of the step taken by the Magistrate, and counsel
his holding out, until the monopoly is destroyed.
6. I postpone all further remark upon this jail until my return
from the other stations of Assam. In the mean
time I shall feel much obliged by the Magistrate's
G

240

preparing a statement to show what reduction of establishment may be

effected by the transfer of all prisoners whose sentences are- for longer
periods than one year, to a central jailand whether the short term
convicts would be sufficient for the repair of the station roads, and for
coaling the Steamers, there being no local free labor available for either
of those purposes.
The conservency of the jail is cared for by the Garrow prisoners,
who appear to have no caste
The Magistrate has made the very most of the unprofitable instru
ments at his command, and the jail generally was in as good a state a3
can be hoped for in existing circumstances.

KAMROOP
I visited the jail at Gowahatti, on Friday, the 25th of July 1866,
accompanied by the Magistrate and the Officer in charge of the Civil
Medical duties of the Station.
The general state of the jail in all its departments was most satisfac
tory, and although a portion of the scrupulous cleanliness and order visble
throughout were evidently due to the fact of my visit being known and pre
pared for, enough remained to show that it is well cared for by the Officers
in charge, and that its ordinary condition is such as to deserve my approval.
As it is my intention, in communication with the Commissioner, to
sum up my review of the jails in this province when I have seen them
all, I shall only now note a few obvious changes needed in the existing
arrangements, whether the jail remains in its present footing, or the long
term prisoners are transferred to a Central Penitentiary.
2. The buildings are good of their kind, and well adapted for those
who have been accustomed to live in mat huts.
They, however, need roof ventilation, which may
readily be given upon the ridge. The intermediate brick walls should
be removed and replaced by. strong bamboo work : the eastern wall
should be assimilated to that on the western side, and additional ventila
tors near the ground should be opened.
Instead of oil cheraughs, cheap lanterns should be used, removed
beyond the reach of the prisoners at night.

241

It would be very desirable, if possible, to get rid of the combustible

grass roofs and replace them with a water proof tiled covering similar to
that at the entrance to the burial ground, built by the Magistrate, and
which seems to be efficient.
The jail has once been burnt down, and a similar catastrophe is at
all times within the limits of possibility.
The former conflagration, like the great fire of London, was benefi
cial in its resultsthe next might not be so fortunate in its issue, and
should be provided against now.
All these changes can be effected cheaply and efficiently with convict
labour and materials, and if the Magistrate concurs in their desirability,
I shall feel obliged by his submitting an estimate of the cost at his early
convenience.
3. The drainage of the whole jail is defective, and most of the yards
are wet and swampy : the floors of all the wards
Diainage.
.
.
but one are also very damp. The exception is due
to an excellent suggestion of Mr. Simons, the Medical Officer in charge.
In it the floor has been taken up, and dry sand rammed down to the
depth of a foot, over this has been placed a layer of khoa well beaten
down and consolidated by a little soorkie. This should be done in all the
other wards, raising the floors towards the centre to allow of all moisture
running off instead of being absorbed by the ground on which it falls.
This desirable change can only be effected in the dry season, and its
cost will be trifling.
For the drainage of the yards the same process would be very
desirable, but I am afraid would be somewhat more expensive. They
should be raised from the walls of the buildings and slope gradually to
the outer walls, where suitable openings for the running off of rain water
should be made, and the whole level should be so constructed as to drain
into the large tank in the rear of the jail.
For the cook-houses a different arrangement would be necessary.
Nothing can'be more injurious than to allow the washings of rice, and of
other animal and vegetable food to spread over and be absorbed by the
swampy ground in the rear of the jail. It is abundantly rich in the elements
of malaria, which are disengaged on the drying up of the ground. Behind
the cook-rooms a chabootra of khoa well beaten down and sloping to the outer
Wall, should be constructed. It should fall at a central point which might
communicate with a small square pucka cistern on the other side of the wall.

242

This may be made four feet square and three in depth, and from this
the draining of the cook-rooms should be daily removed by hand and
thrown in to the river exactly as if it were ordure, than which it is little,
if any thing less pernicious.
All the pucka drains in the jail compound should be taken upthey
are worse than useless.
The floors of the wards and the pathways in the yards and compound
should be occasionally leeped.
4. The prisoners sleep on machauns raised from the ground.
Most of them are of light
bamboo work,
but . in
Beds.
a
.
one ward they are constructed of planking, fitting
in a wooden frame supported ort masonry pillars. The planks are im
moveable, and although it makes an excellent and healthy bed, a very
simple change in the arrangement will improve it materially, without in
creasing its cost.
Each bed should be three feet in width and six feet long. The
planks forming it should be united beneath by small wooden battens, and
the whole should rest on small masonry pillars as at present, with a cross
beam connecting them.
The end nearest to the wall should be sufficiently distant from it to
allow a guard to pass readily round.
The tukta-poshtes should be taken into the yards every morning
when the convicts get up, while the wards are being carefully swept out
When taken in again they should rest on their ends against the walls, so
that the ventilation of the wards would be as little interfered with as
possible.
They should all be scrubbed once a week to keep them free from
bugs and dirt.
As wood is cheap and abundant at Gowahatti, and some of the
convicts are tolerably good carpenters, the above can be carried into
effect at small cost by means of convict labour.
5. There were at the time of my visit 159 prisoners distributed as
follows, viz.
Prisoners.
Coaling Steamers, making and repairing roads, and
bringing wood for carpenters,
35
Making Soorkie,
12
Tiles (Khuprail,)
,
20
Carpenters, .,
40

243

Blacksmiths,
<
Mehturs,
Cooks,
At Rice Dynkee,
Hospital Servants, ..,

In Hospital,
In Hajut,
Dewany,

2
5
6
6
5
131
10
17
1

,
,

159
Sleeping as Follows.
Ward No 1,
9,
2,
99
99 3,
99
99 4,

5
,, 6,
99
99 7*

8,

... ..

Hospital,

35 Labouring
35

28
,.
28

Empty (Female ward)

17 Hajut
1 Dewany
Empty (condemned cell)
144
15
159

Committed by Nizamut,

Deputy Commissioner,...

Magistrate,

Sudder Ameen, ...

Transferred from Gowalpara,
,,
Moorshedabad,
Hajut,
Dewany,
,

3
51
79
5
1
1
18
1

159
They were specially mastered for my inspection, and were generally
in better condition than those at Gowalpara. Even the confirmed
opium-eaters, when once the habit is broken, improve in the jail.
The labour is not severe, but in some of the manufactures very
creditable progress has been made. The fatal facility with which opium
is obtained at present in the province is said to be rapidly depopulating

244

the already sparsely populated portion of the country, and to render it

almost impossible to procure free labourers. When obtained they are
worthless, and the Magistrate declares that the healthy convict does twice
the work of any outside-worker.
This is doubtless true, and yet the convicts themselves are, in my
opinion, under-worked ; but upon the question of prison labour in Assam, I
shall speak more at length in my general report on the jails of the Province.
6. The women's ward is at one end of the Hajut, an arrangement
of which I cannot approve. There were no females
Female prisoners
in custody at the time of my visit, the whole of
those in the Province for long terms having, at the instance of Major
Vetch, the Deputy Commissioner, been removed to Tezpore.
As misdemeanants for short periods can scarcely with propriety be
sent to distant jails to undergo the sentence awarded to them, they should
have a small, suitable separate ward assigned to them in the local prison.
For this, there is ample space at Gowahatti, and it can be done at small
cost. Perhaps the Magistrate will kindly ascertain the probable number
of female prisoners of short sentences for whom room is required, by
taking the average from the past records of the jail. It can then be deter
mined, on my return from Upper Assam where it would be best to build
a small ward for them.
7. There was only one civil prisoner in jail when I saw it, and the
ward appropriated to that class of prisoners is ample.
Civil Prisoners.
.
The door opening into the criminal jail should be
closed, and a gate be made in the outer side if it be practicable.
8. The Guards are as bad as elsewhere, and must certainly be the
_ .
direct lineal descendants of Falstaffs ragged reGuard.
&
giment.
The hands of several of the prisoners exhibited undeniable proof
that tabacco is not unknown to them, and as they can only procure it
through the connivance of the guards, I shall feel much obliged by the
Magistrate's carrying out strictly the order in the circular on the
subject.
9. The feeding of the prisoners is under the immediate charge of
D.
the Magistrate, in consequence of the contract
system having failed here, as it has done in many
other out-stations, where the local markets are ill supplied, and the
contract becomes a monopoly. So long as it is as carefully looked after by

245

Magistrate and Civil Surgeon as it is at Gowahatti, the plan is unobjection

ablebut if any relaxation be allowed, it will fail as it did at Arrah,
and for the same reason.
I examined the cooked food of the evening meal. It was ample in
quantity, excellent in quality, and by the very judicious arrangement of
Mr. Simons, it is varied, within a fixed limit, as much as local circum
stances will permit.
A few of the convicts complained of the morning meal being less
ample in amount than that of the evening. The complainants were in
excellent case, and their physical condition belied their statement.
One of them admitted that he was afflicted with an einordinate
appetite, that he was never satisfied, and that his stomach was the origin
of all his troubles, his career of crime having commenced with stealing
food.
I saw no ground for making any change in the rations.
The hours of feeding are not, however, judicious, the interval
between the morning and evening meal being too great. I shall feel
obliged by the Magistrate's kindly changing the hour of the morning
meal to nine or ten o'clock, as may be most convenient.
10. The jail books and correspondence are
well kept, and were brought up to date.
1 1. The hospital is one of the best I have seen, and all its arrange
ment are so excellent as to merit my entire
Hospital.
...
approval. I am very happy to nave it in my power
to record the high estimate of the character and acquirements of Mr.
Simons, which I formed from a careful examination of the institution
under his charge. Mr. Simons is an Apothecary in the service, but the
state of his books and cases, the estimation in which he is held by rich
and poor in Gowahatti, and his known scientific acquirements, prove him
to be an officer to whom there are not very many equal, and fewer still
superior in any branch of the profession attached to the public service.
The greatly reduced mortality in this jail, which was once a Golgotha, is
in part due to the judicious skill and treatment of Mr. Simons. It is
also in some measure attributable to the fire which caused its removal
from an unhealthy site, and still more so to the material improvement of
the sanitary state of the station, of which I saw ample evidence in every
direction. The greatest and the only objection which I have to the
hospital is its distance from the jail, and its being in the same compound

246

withTThe pilgrim hospital and charitable dispensary. These are unmixed

evils, which are not counterbalanced by the excellence of the site. It also
entails the charge at a considerable cost, of an extra guard of twelve
men.
In all well regulated jails, for obvious reasons, the hospital should
form an integral part of the jail buildings, being only separated so far
from the prison wards, as to prevent the access of the healthy to the sick.
I shall feel obliged therefore by the Magistrate's informing me,
whether accommodation for the sick could not be found in the immediate
vicinity of the jail ;what saving in guards and other expenses would be
effected by the removal of the hospital, and at what cost a small hospital
for the sick of the diminished number of prisoners that will remain in
the jail upon the removal of all long term prisoners to Tezpore, could be
built.
It would be well at the same time to ascertain whether the existing
hospital could not be used for any other public purpose ; and, if not,
whether the property could not be sold so as to- furnish the means of
building a new hospital without any actual outlay of the public funds.
12. The ground in rear of the jail will answer excellently for a
garden, and when raised and drained will materially
Garden.
7
. .
improve the healthiness of the jail.
As it is already the property of the Government, it might be enclosed at
once, and arrangements be made for its cultivation as soon as the rains
are at an end.

NOWGONG.
I visited the jail of Nowgong on the morning of Monday, the 28th
of July, accompanied by the Magistrate and Apothecary in Medical
Charge of the Station.
2. The jail is enclosed by a low wall and the level of its interior was
at the time of my visit, about two feet below the suiSituation;
.
face of the river, so as to render drainage lmposable during the height of the rains. The necessity of raising the ground
had been strongly urged by the Magistrate previous to my visit, but I
postponed the consideration of all radical changes until I had seen the
place.

247

3. The prison in all parts, was as clean as so

.
.
.
damp a situation would admit of.
4. The wards are thatched buildings with open bamboo sides, and
projecting roofs enclosing a low verandah which inBuildings.
,
,
terferes much with the lighting and ventilation of
the rooms.
No means are provided for the escape of effete air by the roof, so that
although the wards had been empty for more than an hour at the time
of my visit, and the walls are of open bamboo work, the air was close,
stagnant and disagreeable. Exit it had none, and its entrance was
impeded partly by the lowness of the verandah but still more by matting
tied to the walls to the depth of several feet.
The walls themselves are badly constructed, the bamboos being stuck
directly in the ground which causes them to rot, and need frequent
renewal.
.
The ventilation can be rendered as complete as can be accomplished
in such buildings by raising the ridge pole, opening the roof, and causing
an interval between the ventilator and roof of about a foot in the whole
length of the building. This can be accomplished without dismantling
the thatch, as was explained to us by the Executive Engineer of the
Division, Lieutenant Craster, who was present at the time.
It would be still better however, if this could be accomplished with a
fire and water-proof tiled roof.
The floors are at present very damp. This can be remedied as has
been done at Gowahatti, by digging out the soil for a couple of feet,
and filling it with dry sand well beaten down. This should be covered
with a layer of khoa, mixed with a little soorkie to form a hard uniform
surface, raised slightly in the centre to cause all moisture to run off.
5. The drainage of the compound is at present extremely defective,
all moisture being absorbed by the surface, and stag.
Drainage.
nating there until the falling of the river permits it
to drain off. To raise the whole will be a matter of some difficulty, and
yet it is absolutely necessary to render the place healthy.
It may be accomplished in the same manner as mentioned in my note
"The drainage of the whole jail is defec- on the Gowahatti Jail, quoted in the
General state.

tsgrsi 4S oniuhrwrrt but w. ** ^ r<*~ As the

one are also very damp, the exception is due
to an excellent suggestion of Mr. Simmons,
&e Medical Officer in charge. In it the floor

faH 0f the ground is from the river

to the back of the station, the slope
H

248

has been taken up, and dry sand rammed

down to the depth of a foot, over this has
been placed a layer of khoa well beaten
dnwn and consolidated by a little soorkie.
This should be done in all the other wards,
raising the floors towards the centre to
allow of all moisture running off instead
of being absorbed by the ground on which
it falls.
This desirable change can only be effect^imnnghedrySeaS011' and'tSC8tWiUbe

had better be in that direction.

.
being taken however that the
j
,,
, c
ture does not collect to form a
jn that direction.

For the drainage of the yards the same

process would be very desirable, but I am
afraid would be somewhat more expensive.
They should be raised from the walls of
the buildings and slope gradually to the
SELEftSrf 4tt:terPestnugl8d t

Dy the Magistrate and Medical

J
.
.
Officer.
As the time is close at
,,,,,,,
,
e
hand, by tar the best plan ot conserT is that adaPte* at Alipore, of

made, and the whole level should be so

constructed as to drain into the large tank
in the rear of the jail.
For the cook-houses a different arrangement would be necessary. Nothing can
be more injurious than to allow the washmgs of nee, and of other animal and
vegetable food to spread over and be
absorbed by the swampy ground in the
rear of the jail. It is abundantly rich in
the elements of malaria, which are disengaged on the drying up of the ground.
Behind the cook-rooms a chabootra of
khoa well beaten down and sloping to the
outer wall, should be constructed. It
should fall at a central point which might
communicate with a small square pucka
cistern on the other side of the wall
This may be made four feet square and
three in depth, and from this the draining
of the cook-rooms should be daily removed
by hand and thrown into the river exactly
as if it were ordure, than which it is little,
if any thing less pernicious.
All the pucka drains in the jail com
pound should be taken upthey are worse
than useless.
The floors of the wards and the path
ways in the yards and compound should
be occasionally leeped."

causing all and were to be collected in

iron-pans, and to be carried away

, n , ,
,
daily by nana.
The Magistrate can indent on
b
the Iron Yard for as many pans as
.
..
"
he requires, and I Will pass the bill
, ..
mi
,
on presentation. They can be sent
up as far as Qowahatti by Steamer,
f
J
7.
There were
Prisoners.
1" prisoners at .NOW..tVol, n* TJ- ioro J,*
g0ng 0n the 28th of Jul7 1856 d13"
tributed as follows :-

6.

The

. .
"

Cooks,
Carpenters,
Blacksmiths,
Mehturs,

mois.. . i
Jheel

privies are upon an

,.
.
,.
,
objectionable plan, as
already pointed out

Making and repairing Roads,

Morahs and Baskets,

Care

,....

87
3
6
"
2
6

109

249

In Hospital,
Hajut,
Dewanny,
Excused labour,

10
3
3
1
126

Sleeping as follows :
Ward No. 1,

2,
In Hospital,
Hajut,
Dewanny,

*
#

41 Labouring.
65
Ditto.
14
3
3
126

Committed by Nizamut,
3
n
Deputy Commissioner,... 16

Magistrates,
101
Hajut,

3
Dewanny,

3
126
Those who were present were specially mustered for inspection.
Most of them seemed sickly, and some more or less emaciated. The
majority exhibited proof of being opium eaters.
In the Hajut were two prisoners ironed, who have been awaiting
trial since September 1855, or nearly ten months. They are Nagas
accused of murder.
To iron Hajut prisoners is illegal, unless they have attempted to
break jail, or the Magistrate has reason to believe that such a measure
is absolutely necessary to prevent escape.
The great length of time for which these men have been detained
pending trial, is deserving of enquiry.
A great many more prisoners are employed outside than is at all
necessary.

(
8.
Guards.

250

The guards are pretty much as elsewhere, and did not impress
me with a. high
The
e estimate of their efficiency.
.
J
following is the strength of the establishment :
Rs.
1 Darogah,
15
1 Mohurrir,
10
1 Jemadar,
12
2 Duffadars, at 6 Rs
12
1 Havildar,
6
2 Naibs, at 5 Rs
10
20 Burkundauzes, at 3 Rs
,
60
24 Ticca Burkundauzes, at 4 Rs
96
Co.'s Rs
2 Carpenters, at 8 Rs. each,

221
16 (Permanent.)

237
This gives 50 guards to 126 prisoners or less than three prisoners
for one guardan amount altogether disproportioned to the real neces
sities of the Jail.
The permanent guard is ample for the whole number of prisoners, and the
greater number of the ticca burkundauzes should at once be dispensed with.
There are also two Carpenters entertained as permanent establish
ment/at a charge of Rupees 8 each. If required to teach the prisoners,
they should be hired for a limited time, and paid for from the manufac
turing funds. If not required for that purpose, they should at once be
struck off the strength of the establishment.
I shall feel obliged to the Magistrate's submitting explanations on all
the points above referred to.
9. The prisoners are fed by contract, and the rates are reasonable,
with the exception of that of the rice. Regarding
this I find a note from the Medical Officer to the
effect that a contract rate of one rupee and four annas per maund is paid
for clean rice, while six prisoners are allowed to proceed to the contractor's
shop in the bazar daily to clean the said rice for the prisoners.
This is an abuse which should not have been allowed to occur, and
I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's causing it to cease at once from
the date of receipt of this order.

251

Mr. Pingault's note says, that the unhusked rice can be purchased at
14 annas the maund, and if husked by the convicts in the Jail, that a
saving of six annas and three pie per maund will be effected.
If this be so, and the data seem to be correct, I shall feel obliged by
the Magistrate's causing the Contractor to supply unhusked rice, and by
his having it cleaned in the Jail from and after the receipt of this order.
Fifteen rupees a maund for oil seems also to be very dear. It should
be expressed in the Jail, in which a common Bengali oil-mill should be introduced at once, both as a measure of economy and of discipline.
10. There is at present no special accommodation for female con
victs_ at . Nowgong, a defect pointed out to me by
Female Prisoners.
J
the Magistrate.
Although all women sentenced for more than six months in Assam
are transferred to Tezpore, accommodation is required for them in the
local Jail while under trial, and for those sentenced for shorter
terms.
I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's submitting a plan and estimate
of building a small ward capable of containing twelve persons.
The foundation should be of masonry, the walls of open bamboo work,
and the roof tiled, and ventilated in the manner mentioned in a former
paragraph.
Each person should have at least 500 cubic feet of space, and the
yard should contain a cook-house, privy and well.
1 1 . The Hospital, and indeed all the Jail buildings are within the
same enclosure, with no separation of any sort*
Hospital.
In the absence of any proper system of classification
this is not of much consequence as respects the Criminal Wards, but in
regard to the Hospital, Hajut, Civil Jail, and Female Ward, it is a mistake.
The separation might easily be accomplished at a cheap rate by means of
a strong bamboo fence, care being taken not to allow it to approach within
ten feet of the outer wall in any direction, otherwise it would, as remarked
by the Magistrate, facilitate escape.
The ventilation, privy arrangement and darkness of the Hospital
are all as defective as those of the wards, and need to be remedied in the
same manner.
Mr. Pingault complains of the want of a dead-house and a separate
ward for contagious diseases. The former is necessary, but I am not
quite convinced of the urgency of the latter.

(252

A small tiled hut twelve feet square, would be sufficient and could be
built at a small cost.
The books, instruments and medicines in the Hospital were all in a
very creditable state;the treatment adopted by Mr. Pingault was judici
ous and successful, and the condition of the department under his charge
is very creditable to that officer.
12. The prisoners were all dressed in red Curwah cloth, which the
Medical Officer disapproves of as dear and of
inferior quality. The Magistrate does not concur
in this judgment, and questions the right of the Medical Officer
to . express an opinion upon a matter which is beyond his pro
vince.
The specimens of Curwah which I saw were decidedly of bad quality,
and expensive, and I am afraid that I cannot concur in the propriety of the
rebuke administered by the Magistrate to the Medical Officer in the visitor's
book. I consider it to be the clear and bounden duty of the Medical Officer
to make known to his official superiors all matters connected with the
economy and discipline of the Jail, which come under his notice and which
he deems it his duty to reportand I regard it to be equally the duty of
the Magistrate to attend to all such remarks, when properly and respect
fully made.
,
The clothing of the prisoners has much to do with their health, which
it is the special province of the Medical Officer to watch over. Some of
the clothing is nearly worn out already, although it has not served half
its appointed time.
The Assam cloth shown to me by Mr. Pingault is superior to the
Curwah and much cheaper, and I must express my regret that it was not
adopted by the Magistrate, both as a measure of economy and
efficiency.
The only objection to it is, that it is not sufficiently distinctive but
that is a minor consideration if the calculation given by Mr. Pingault be
correct, from which it appears that the prisoners might have been better
dressed, with a saving to Government of fourteen annas in the cost of
each suit, consisting of a chudder and dhotee.
I am about to issue a special Circular on the subject of jail clothing,
in which the color, quantity, and quality will be indicated, so as to enable
Magistrates to adopt uniformity of plan and principle in a matter which
is of great importance in jail economy.

253

13.

The Jail wall is much too low and should not have had a toping
to facilitate escape. It is not worth the cost of
changing at present, as all long term convicts will
probably ere long he removed to a Central Jail.
14. The registers of the Jail are well and carefully kept and were
brought up to date. I do not however find any
record of the visits of the Magistrate to the Jail.
This is required by the regulations of the Government, and I shall feel
obliged by the Magistrate's being so good as not to omit it in future.
15. I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's submitting to me a
report of the reduction of guards, and general
saving that will be effected by removing all prison
ers whose sentences extend beyond one year to a Central Jail ; what pro
bable average number of prisoners (taking the statistics of as many years
as his record extend)will remain in his jailand what the effect of the
measure will be upon his station.

DEBROOGHUR.
I visited the Debrooghur Jail on Saturday of the 2nd August 1856,
accompanied by the junior Assistant to the Commissioner, Captain Reid,
the Executive Officer of the Division, and Dr. Moir, the Officer in charge
of all the medical duties of the station.
2. The buildings of this jail are on the worst possible plan,
situated in low ground which it is exceedingly
Buildings.
difficult to drain, surrounded by a frail bamboo
fence, in close proximity to the lines of the Burkundauze, and so arranged
as to render classification impossible. Criminal prisoners of all classes,
except those confined for civil offences, are placed in one large, ill-ventilated
dilapidated building. There is a separate shed for civil prisoners in the
same compound, but as none have been imprisoned by the Civil
Courts for several years, the building has been, and is used as a pottery.
The Hospital is in the same enclosure, and very unfit for its purpose.
The cook-sheds are a miserable collection of hovels, and the carpenter's
shop is not very much better.
The guard house is at the entrance, and adjoining it is a separate
enclosure for female prisoners, of the same character as the rest of the
jail.

254

The Hajut adjoins the criminal ward, and was unoccupied at the
time of my visit.
The compound of the jail is low and swampy.
The whole of these buildings are in so dilapidated a state that to
repair, it would be necessary to re-build them, which they most
assuredly are not worth.
They have long been condemned by the local officers, and the
question of building a new jail has been six years under consideration.
In the propriety of condemnation and the necessity for a suitable jail
I entirely concur, and I sincerely hope that the matter will now be
soon definitively settled. Captain Reid pointed out to me the site
selected by a special Committee long since for a new prison, and upon
examining it carefully from the tower of the excellent church in its
vicinity, I entirely agree with the Committee in the eligibility of the
place chosen.
I am of opinion that the plan now in the office of the Chief Engineer
is very much more expensive than is at all necessary, and that in many
important particulars which it is not necessary to discuss here, it is not
suited for the place or the province.
I would suggest, if the Magistrate concurs in my views, that plans
and estimates be prepared as early as possible for a new jail on the
following scale :
(a) A criminal ward for fifty prisoners, of sufficient extent to allow
five hundred cubic feet to each man :twenty-one feet in breadth so as
to admit of a passage of 2^ feet behind and three feet between the beds
ventilated below and in the whole length of the roof, and with only as
much solid masonry in the wall as will be necessary to give stability to
the building and to support the roof.
It should be surmounted by a pent roof, with the ridge pole raised
for ventilation, and open gables for the same important purpose.
Instead of bamboo machauns each prisoner should sleep on a
tukta-poshte three feet and a half in width, and six feet long, moveable,
and supported on small masonry pillars, with an intermediate cross
beam.
The intervals in the masonry of the walls should be filled with strong
bamboos well dried.
On the South-East and West side should be a verandah six or eight
feet wide, and not falling lower than within six feet of the ground.

255

On the North side a verandah is not necessary, but jhamps should be

supplied for the cold weather and rains. The North and East ends should
have large openings fitted with bamboo work. From one of these ends
should project the privy, which should have a tiled floor and a raised
parapet, within which should be a sufficient space for an iron pan,
and a gumlah urinal similar to those in use at Alipore.
The roof should, if possible, be of incombustible material and water
proof.
In the same yard with the ward should be a work-shed of suitable
dimensions, with open sides, and a tiled roof supported on masonry pillars.
A cook-room of pucka work with an incombustible roof, ventilated,
should also be in the same enclosure.
It should also contain a small day privy on the Alipore plan, viz.
a small pucka space containing hollows to hold a couple of large earthen
moveable pans, placed behind two dwarf walls. This should be in. the
corner farthest removed from the cook-rooms. None of the buildings
should be less than thirty feet from the outer wall of the jail. The whole
of the yard should be surrounded by stout palisading seven feet
in height.
(b) A Hajut capable of containing ten prisoners, a civil ward and
a female ward capable of containing six prisoners in each, should be
placed in separate yards, the buildings, cook-rooms and prives being upon
the same plan as the criminal ward, but rateably reduced in dimensions.
(c) A Darogah's house and guard house with cook-rooms adjoining
them should be built in either side of the entrance to the jail, each en
closed by a neat palisade.
r
(d) The hospital, capable of containing twenty patients, with eight
hundred feet of cubic space for each, and suitable rooms for the com
pounding shop and Native Doctor should be in a separate enclosure, of
which the interior wall of the jail should form one side, in which the en
trance gate should be placed.
. It should be well ventilated, and somewhat similar in design to the
excellent Military Hospital of Debrooghur, which is by far the best public
building I have seen in Assam, and which is infinitely superior to any
jail hospital in the regulation provinces. It only needs additional roof
ventilation to render it a model building of its class, and I shall feel much
indebted to the Executive Officer if he will kindly favour me with a plan,
section, and elevation of it, with an estimate of its cost.
I

256

In the hospital compound should be a day privy and a small deadhouse twenty feet square, lighted from the roof, or from windows placed so
high up as to screen it from observation from without. It should be sur
rounded by a slight palisade, and might have a small well secured door
communicating with the outside, so as to render it unnecessary to carry
dissected bodies through the jail compound.
A cook-room of suitable dimensions will also be required for the
hospital.
(e) Within the great enclosure of the jail should be a Moodie's
store-room, 16 by 10, ventilated with a door to lock up the property at
night.
(/J To the Darogah's house should be attached a small store-room
for the safe custody of the property of the jail.
(p) The large enclosure of the jail should be surrounded by a
walL twelve feet in height, tapering to a point, and without a coping.
(h) In this enclosure, in addition to the wards and yards abovementioned, should be a large deep tank, with the earth of which the whole
compound should be raised, and slope outwards with a sufficient inclination
to cause all moisture to run off. It should be covered with dry sand
well beaten down to the depth of two feet, and upon this should be placed
a layer of khoa a foot in thickness, connected together by a sufficient
quantity of soorkie.
(i) The jail should be furnished with six solitary cells, each contain
ing at least 1,400 cubic feet of space, and well ventilated, particularly in
the roof.
If the magistrate concurs in the above suggestions, I shall feel much
obliged by his kindly placing himself in communication with the Execu
tive Officer to obtain a plan and estimate.
Orders having already been given for a new jail, a fresh application
to the Chief Engineer is not, I believe, necessary.
Any suggestions from Captain Reid or modification in the proposal
submitted above which he may deem advisable will be most acceptable,
as his long experience and intimate acquaintance with the climate and
peculiarities of the prisoners, will render his counsel extremely valuable.
3. The wards and yards were not quite as clean as they ought to
be; and cows, goats, and dor's belonging to the
General state. '
Burkundauzes are allowed to be kept within the
compound.

257

The female ward was half filled with lime, and the woman confined
in it was cooking her morning meal on the floor in close proximity with
considerable quantity of dry grass for thatching, placed in the verandah.
A spark blown by a puff of wind in that direction, would burn down the
whole jail.
The machauns are all extremely dirty, and apparently infested with
bugs.
The Darogah seems a careful and strict man, but does not under
stand the value and necessity of scrupulous attention to- cleanliness in
every thing relating to the prisoners. The moment I directed his
attention to the matters mentioned above, he promised to amend them
immediatelyand I shall feel much obliged by the Magistrate and Medical
Officer seeing that he does so. The machauns should be scrubbed once
a week, and boiling water be poured over them to assist in the destruction
of the vermin infesting them.
4. There were fifty-nine prisoners in custody at the time of my visit,
one of them a female confined for theft,and the other
Prisoners
a lunatic. Of the prisoners, there were committed
by Nizamut,
1
Commissioner,
1
Deputy Commissioner,
10
Magistrate,
39
Transferred from Gowalparah,
3
Ilajut,
4

Lunatic,

58
1

59
The lunatic is not a convict, but detained for safety. He should
be transferred to Dacca as soon as possible. ,
There is one life-prisoner in the jail. The following is the disposal
of the prisoners: .
Breaking Stones,
5
Pounding Soorkie,
1
Masons building Ghaut,
5
Carpenters,
5
Blacksmith,
1

258

Mehturs,
Cooks,
Cleaning Magazine, Roads, &c.,

2
5
24

In Hospital,
Hajut,
Non-laboring,

48
5
4
1

Lunatic,

.s

59
There are two young children in the jail : as they have both been
weaned, if they have any relations or friends to take care of them outside,
they should be removed.
If there be nobody to take charge of them, a ration of milk may be
issued to each of them daily and charged in a special contingent bill,
which I shall be happy to pass monthly on presentation.
Although there is a special Hajut, the Darogah allows the prisoners
under trial to sleep in the criminal ward. I shall feel obliged by the
Magistrate's directing him to discontinue this practice,
5. The Darogah informed me that the bedding of the prisoners
had been . destroyed
been originally
Clothing.
. from having
e
.
J
infested with vermins : and that none has since been
issued most of them had small mats, which are scarcely sufficient for the
purpose.
Blankets also have not been issued for some time to the convicts.
Some of the prisoners had accumulated a quantity of old clothing :
all in excess of the regulated allowance, should be taken away from them,
and regarding clothing generally, I shall feel much obliged by Magis
trate's kindly consulting my predecessor's Circular on the subject.
The prisoners should be made to wash their clothes once a week, on
Sundays.
7. The prisoners are fed by contract : they complained much of its
being bad in quality, and deficient in quantity.
The good condition in which all but the con
firmed opium eaters were, proved that they have not much ground for
complaint.

259

The rice, however, shown to me, was dirty, and the dall of inferior
quality. The former should be issued in the clean state, and the number
of chittacks allowed should be free from impurity, according to the state
ment of the prisoners, which the Darogah did not contradict, they lose a
cluttack a day, from the presence of impurities. This is probably an
exaggeration, yet the matter is deserving of attention.
The following are the contract rates, viz :
Per Maund.
Rice,
18 0
Dall,
1 4 0
Vegetables,
16 0
Salt,
5 8 0
Oil,
13 0 0
Mussallah,
10 0 0
Wood,
0 2-0
Fish is supplied every other day at a cost of from four to six rupees
a maund.
The cost of feeding a laboring convict is,
10 pie.
A non-laboring prisoner,
9J
A Hajut prisoner daily,
9
8. The amount of sickness in the jail is not
Hospital.
great.
The acting Native Doctor is a dismissed student of the Medical Col
lege, who never obtained a diploma, and is quite unfit for the office which
he occupies. Perhaps the Civil Surgeon will kindly explain how such
an individual came to be appointed, for the only proof of professional
capacity with which he seems to be provided, is a certificate of qualifica
tion for the duties of compounder.
9. The records of the jail are brought up to date, but the general
correspondence is not filed separately as required
by Circular No. 39, dated 27th February 1856,
and I found no regular prison order book.
10. It is proposed to transfer all prisoners of more than one year's
sentence to a central jail at Tezpore. As this meaConclnsion.
sure .will deprive the Magistrate of road laborers,
I shall feel obliged by his reporting the probable effect of this measure
upon the station, and the amount of reduction in guards and establish
ment that would be effected by it.

260

SIBSAUGUR.
I visited the jail at Sibsaugur on Monday, the 4th of August 1856,
accompanied by the Magistrate and Civil Surgeon.
2. The prison in all departments is in exGeneral State.
*
cellent order, and kept as clean as such a place is
capable of being kept.
3. The existing buildings have been condemned for many years,
and a long and protracted
correspondence
has
Buildings.
.
r
taken place regarding the building of a new jail.
Various plans and estimates seem to have been submitted and reject
ed, until a recent one was sent up from the office of the Chief Engineer.
This would form an excellent jail elsewhere, but is, in my opinion, ill suited
to the climate of the province, and a great deal more costly than is
necessary.
The existing buildings are in so frail and insecure a state, that I am
surprized at their not having tumbled down long ago.
The wants and circumstances of the two stations are so similar, that
the plan which I have suggested for a new jail at Debrooghur, will be
equally applicable to Sibsaugur. There is no need therefore, to repeat it
here.
The new jail should be built on the site of the old one, and contain
a criminal ward for fifty prisoners, a hajut for twelve, a female and civil
ward for six each, with suitable cock-houses and privies, also six solitary
cells.
4. There were at the time of my visit 111
Prisoners.
.
.
in,
'
prisoners in custody, ot whom 5 were women.
Of the prisoners, there were committed by
Nizamut,
3
Sessions Judge,
*..... 29
Magistrate,
55
Sub-Assistant Commissioner, ... 14
Maharajah Porunder Sing,
1

Hajut,

102
9
111

261

Of the above two are life-prisoners, and one of them is liable to occasional
fits of insanity. I am of opinion that the last of these should be transferred
to Alipore.
Of the term prisoners, one is a leper who has still two years of un
expired sentence. There are no means of isolating him. I think, there
fore, he should be sent t6 the leper ward of the Burdwan jail, to prevent
his tainting others, and to "afford him a chance of cure.
In the hajut, a frail mat hut with bamboo sides, there are no less
than five murderers at present, of whom one is only awaiting the sen
tence of the Sudder. There is neither condemned cell, nor any means
of providing for the safe custody of such desperate characters, except
placing the armed guard in the same building with them. The want of
a new jail is so exceedingly urgent, that I trust there will be no further
delay in the matter than is necessary for the preparation of the plan and
estimate by Captain Reid.
Of the female prisoners, two are for short terms and three are await
ing trial. The place in which they are all confined is very unsuitable, and
has neither privy nor cook-rooms attached to it.
The prisoners are disposed of as follows:
Breaking stones,
3
Cleaning roads,
82
Blacksmith,
1
Mehturs,
2
Cooks,
5
Sicks
6
Non-labouring,
3
Hajut,
9
111
No classification of the convicts is possible in the jail, as it is at
present.
Guards.

5.
1 Darogah,

The guards consist of

23 Rupees.

1 Duffadar,
21 Ticca Peons, @ 4 each, ...

6
84

113 Rupees.

. x "

262

The Darogah is also Mohurrir and draws tlie pay of the two offices,
amounting to 25 rupees. This is a very old arrangement, but as it is
opposed to the orders of the Government, it would be better to have the
pay of the Darogah fixed at 25 rupees, and to suppress the office of
Mohurrir.
The ticca guards also take the ward duty of the jail at night.
In addition to the above the jail is guarded by a detachment of the
1st Assam Light Infantry consisting of a Havildar, a Naick, and 16 Se
poys for the jail, and a Naick and four Sepoys for the hospital, and a
Havildar and eight Sepoys for the hajut.
The whole cost of the guards of all descriptions is rupees 329-10 a
month, a large sum for so small a number of prisoners.
6. The prisoners are fed by contract at the
following rates :
Rice, per maund,
1 12 0
Dhall,

3 0 0
Vegetables,
3 0 0
Fish,

5 0 0
Oil,

16 0 0
Wood,

0 4 0
Salt,

5 0 0
Mussallah,
20 0 0
These rates are somewhat high, but I suppose this is unavoidable
in so isolated a spot as Sibsaugur. The quantity of wood allowed for
cooking is in excess of that given in other jails. It should be reduced
to the extent of half a seer for each prisoner.
The food is good in quality, sufficient in quantity, as varied as local
circumstances will permit, and agrees well with the prisoners.
7. The hospital has recently been built, and is a good building of
its kind. It needs a night privy, a covered way
Hospital.
,.
.
, ,
,
,
to the day privy and doors to the two ends.
The day privy may be dispensed with when a proper night con
venience has been built.
The Magistrate may submit estimates for the above, which I shall
be happy to sanction as far as may be in my power.
The sick of the detachment of the 1st Assam Light Infantry, and
outside cases of accident and injury are placed in the verandah of the
jail hospital. I need scarcely say that this is a very undesirable arrange

263

ment, and that suitable accommodation for all sick not belonging to the
jail, should be found without its walls. The sepoys object to it, and not
without reason.
In existing circumstances', however, it is unavoidable.
The medicines, hospital registers and instruments were all in good
order. Some of the latter appear old and unserviceable.
The hospital guard at present sleep in the hospital verandah, unpro
tected from the weather. A small guard room should be built for
them.
The verandah of the hospital requires chicks which may be provided,
but I do not approve of fixed jhill-mills. The hospital cannot be too
well ventilated, and light is nearly as necessary as air, for the recovery of
the sick.
Fixed jhill-mills interfere with both.
A small dead house is also necessary. Estimates for the whole of
the above may be submitted.
8. The prisoners were all clothed in red curwah, of good quality.
The plan of a distinctive dress is a good one, and
Clothing.
..i,,,a practice introduced by Captain Holroyd, of
affixing a number to the clothing of every prisoner, is excellent.
It assists in identification and prevents the destruction and stealing
of the clothing.
9. The fetters of the prisoners were rough and several were not
of the pattern approved by the Sudder Nizamut.
The Magistrate may indent on the jail at Alipore for
one hundred sets of three link fetters, to be sent up by an early
steamer.
The old fetters may be sold as old iron, or kept in store, to be
converted to any other uses for which iron may be required.
10.

Instead of chiraughs, the jail and hospital ward should be

lighted with cheap lanterns, hung out of the reach
Lanterns.
,
.
of the prisoners.
11. As there seems to be an absolute want of free labour at Sibsaugur, I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's reportConclusion.
,
,
p, ,

,
-j
ing what number of labouring convicts he considers
absolutely necessary to keep the roads &c., in repair, and what reduction
of establishment would be feasible by the transfer of all criminals sentenced
to more than one year's imprisonment to a eentral jail at Tezpore.

264

TEZPORE.
I visited the jail at Tezpore on Wednesday the 6th, and Thursday
the 7th of August, 1856, accompanied by the Officiating Magistrate, the
Executive Officer of the Division, the Sub-Assistant Commissioner, and
the Medical Officer in charge of the station.
2. The jail buildings are well situated, and were in excellent order
_ x of-...,
throughout.
The classification of rprisoners >; the
General, State
the jail.
.
cleanliness of the wards and yards ; and the
internal arrangements generally, were such as to command ' my
approval.
I would suggest, however, that all animals be removed from the
jail, as they are always the cause of impurities, which in time become
offensive and injurious in enclosures.
3. The criminal jail consists of four wards, each 50 by 25 feet with a
verandah on the western side. The roof is of
Buildings.
thatch ; the eastern wall is of masonry with small
longitudinal openings ; the western wall consists of pillars with bamboos
in the intermediate spaces, and on the same side running the whole
length of the building is a good verandah.
The prisoners sleep on bamboo machans placed against the wall,
and well raised from the ground.
The privies project from the eastern wall, and formerly communi
cated with a deep pucka drain. The floors have been closed up by the
Magistrate and gumlahs used, with great advantage to the cleanliness
and purity of the jail.
They were changed by the Magistrate upon reading my notes on
the sewerage of other jails, and the change has my full approval.
The eastern drain may be taken up and filled with earth. The
bricks can be used for any other purpose requiring them.
The cook-sheds are open mat buildings, 100 by 10 feet each. They
are much out of repair.
At the south-western corner of the great yard is an unventilated
ill built work-shed.
Two small wells are also in the same yard.
The hajut is to the south of the criminal yard in a large enclosure,
and is a building of similar character to the criminal wards, 50 by 20,
with a night privy and thatched cook-shed.

265

To the eastward of the hajut yard and opening into it is the civil
jail, also 50' by 20'. It is at present used as a school room, and place of
confinement for murderers and desperate characters, whom it is deemed
desirable not to retain in the Iiajut.
I need scarcely say that this is an undesirable arrangement, but in
existing circumstances without a single solitary cell, or other means of
isolating particular prisoners it is unavoidable, and as no civil prisoners
have been sentenced for some time, no practical harm has resulted from
using their ward as a condemned cell.
The hospital is in a separate enclosure on the north side of the jail,
is 70 by 25 feet, and has a verandah on its eastern and western aspects.
Like all the other buildings, it has no proof ventilation, and the
doors are not sufficiently numerous for the free admission of air.
In the same compound are a cook-house, and dead-house twenty
feet square.
To the east of the hospital is the female yard and ward, the latter
40 by 20 feet, and in every other respect similar to the other
buildings.
There is no hospital or work-shed for the women.
The whole jail is surrounded by a low, ill built masonry wall; and
the masonry in general of the buildings, which seem to have cost a large
sum of money, appeared to me to be of inferior quality.
In front of the main entrance on either side of the gate are two
buildings 30 by 20 each, used respectively as a malkhanah, guard-room,
and jail office.
In the space in front of the jail were some dilapidated work-sheds,
and a rice-store.
As I have written a separate and special note upon the changes and
additions necessary to convert this into the central jail of the province,
it is not necessary to reconsider the matter in this place.
3. There were at the time of my visit
Prisoners"
110 prisoners in custody, of whom ten were
females.
Of the above there were:
Committed by Nizamut,
6
Ditto Sessions Judge,
4
Ditto Commissioner,
1
Ditto Deputy Commissioner,
33

266

Committed by Magistrate,
Ditto Sub-Assistant Commissioner,

51
4

Hajut,

99
11

110
There are three life prisoners in the jail, of whom two are women.
They should all be removed to Alipore.
There are two children in the jail, one four, and the other two
years old. As neither of them now need be retained by their mothers, I
shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's instituting enquiries as to whether
they have any relatives able and willing to take charge of them.
Should such prove to be the case, they should be made over to them at
once.
The following is the manner in which the prisoners are disposed of
viz :
Carpenters,
.12
Sawyers,
4
Blacksmiths,
3
Farmers,
3
Cloth-weavers,
8
Making Petarahs and Bamboo Screens,
9
Repairing roads &c.,
38
Cooks,
4
Sweepers,
5
Cleaning arms,
1
Sick,
5
Hospital Servants,
3
Convalescent,
1
Non-labouring,
1
Jail Bukshee,
1
School Master,
1

Hajut,

99
ii
110

267

They were distributed in wards as follows : _

Ward No. 1

30

2
3

31
19

>,

Hajut Ward,
Female Ward,
Hospital,

.-.

9
10
8

110
The jail school master is a moonshee who was sentenced to banish
ment in connection with the Moorshedabad murder case. He is reported
to be an extremely well behaved man, and is a good Oordoo and Persian
scholar. His pupils are chiefly the sons of the Omlah of the court, and
of respectable inhabitants of Tezpore, and they are taught in the jail.
I am afraid that I cannot sanction the continuance of this arrange
ment. The jail is a most unfit place to familiarize children with ,
Persian and Oordoo are not languages needed in the province, and as
there is a Government school at Tezpore, the children should be
encouraged to go there, and pay for a suitable education, instead of
obtaining elemosynary instruction in the jail.
A prison school is a good thing, but its pupils must be inmates of
the prison. If the Magistrate can organize a class of convicts to be
taught reading, writing, and the form of accounts current in the province
in Bengali, I know of no objection to the moonshee's being engaged in its
instruction, under suitable regulations, but the present system must
cease from the date of receipt of this order ; and no outsiders be allowed
within the precincts of the jail on any account whatever.
As there is no mohurir in the jail, and the moonshee is probably a
Bengali scholar, he may be employed at once in assisting to keep the
jail records.
I do not understand what is meant by the jail Bukshee, and shall
feel obliged by the Magistrate's explaining in what manner he is employed
and how such an occupation came to be instituted for a convict.
4. The prisoners are fed by the Magistrate, there being no person
of sufficient substance at Tezpore to undertake a conFood.
...
tract. A store of rice was laid in by the late Magis
trate; the fish, meat, mussalahs, and vegetables arepurchased by the darogah.

268

The following are the rates paid for food :

Rice,
0 8 0 per maund
Dhall,
1 11 4
Mussalah,
7 8 0

Oil,
13 11 6
Salt,
4 8 0
Wood,
0 3 0
Fish,
3 9 0

Meat,
5 8 0

Vegetables,
110

The daily cost of feeding each prisoner is

For a labouring prisoner,
0 0 11
pie
Non-labouring prisoner,
0 0 74
Hajut,
0 0 9
The following is the scale of rations allowed :

SUNDAYS.

Eice,
Salt,
Oil,
Mussalah,
Dhall, ...
Vegetable
Wood, ...

11 chittacks
1 tollah
1
1
3 chittacks
1
1 seer

Mondays, Wednes Tuesdays, Thursdays!

days and Fridays.
and Saturdays.
Rice,
14 chittacks
Salt
1 tollah
Oil,
1
M ussalah 1
Fish orMeat 1 pow
Dhall
1 chittack
Vegetable, 2

Wood,
1 seer

Rice,
14 chittacks
Salt, ... 1 tollah
Oil, ... 1
Mussalah, 1
Dhall... . 2i chittacks!
Vegetable, 2
Wood,... 1 seer

The Sunday ra
tion of the labour,
ing prisoners is
that allowed to
non-labouring con
victs on all days.

There is no fixed scale of hospital rations; I shall feel obliged by

the Magistrates procuring and introducing that of the Gowhatti jail, and
not permitting any deviation from it.
5. The following is the establishment of the jail, costing in the
aggregate 307 rupees. This needs revision, but
Establishment.
as it will form part of a general scheme, it need
not be further discussed here.

1
1
3
32
1

Darogah,
,
Jemadar,
Duffadars at 6 ..
Jail Burkundauzes at 4
Blacksmith,

>

Rs.
30
10
18
128
8

1 Carpenter,
\ Rajmistry,

269

Rs.
8
6
208

Ticca or Kamjaree Peons.

15 Peons at 4
1 Duffadar,
1 Female peon,

60
6
3
69

Hospital.
1 Native Doctor,
1 Dresser,

20
10
30

Total Rupees,
307
I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's ascertaining from his records
and reporting to me, the authority by which a blacksmith, a carpenter
and a rajmistry have become a part of the permanent establishment.
Among the guard is a female peon, who remains in the women's
ward, and has charge of them during the day. Her pay is three rupees
a month, I should be glad to know the origin of this excellent arrange
ment, how far the Magistrate considers it to have been successful, and
whether it cannot be extended to having a female guard at night, so that
the men of the guard should never have access to the female ward.
The hospital was clean and orderly and had
Hospital.
.
. .
few sick in it.
The instruments are in good order. There were many medicines
on the shelf of which the original fastenings have never been taken off,
and which are evidently wasted, at some cost to the State. There seems
to be no proper check upon the expenditure of such medicines as are in
ordinary use.
The hospital records are not properly kept, and I found no detail of
miportant cases. The weekly sanitary report of the Surgeon upon the
state of the jail generally is not furnished, as required by the regulations.
I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's kindly directing the attention of
the Civil Medical Officer to all these matters.

270

The Native Doctor is a past student of the Medical College, who

obtained a gold medal for general 'proficiency, I was glad to find that
he bears a high reputation for care and skill in the performance of his
duties, and has performed some difficult surgical operations with success.
7. The Magistrate brought several matters to my notice as requir
ing
They
to the classificaGeneral Remarks.
. consideration.
,
related,./...-,
tion ot the prisoners ; the ventilation of the jail ;
the want of bedding ; the state of the prisoners fetters ; the unhealthy
swamp surrounding the station ; and the most profitable means of employ
ing the labouring prisoners.
Most of these matters ,are considered in my general note on Tezpore
as the locality for a great central jail.
The fetters are not of the right description, and as there are no local
means of replacing them, the Magistrate had better indent on Alipore
for 100 sets of three-link fetters of the weight and pattern approved by
the Sudder Court. The second ring now used should be removed at
once.
One female prisoner had iron ancle rings : these also should be
removed.
For bedding the Magistrate had better also indent on Alipore.
Regarding the clothing of the prisoners, I shall issue special instruc
tions for all jails hereafter.

JUMALPORE.
I visited the Lock-up at this station on the evening of Monday, the
11th of August 1856, accompanied by Mr. W. Cockburn.
2. The building is a single mat hut, very much out of repair, 45 feet
by 13, without surrounding wall, palisade, or pro
tection of any kind. It has neither cook-room nor
privy, nor is it in any way fitted for a place of confinement.
It contained, at the time of my visit, 57 prisoners, employed as fol
lows:
Clearing away jungle,
32
Working on the roads,
11
Cutting Cane from jungle,
5
T_
48

(
llajut.
Non-laboring,
Sick,

271

)
,

3
4
2
.scS

57
The sick, the non-laboring, the prisoners awaiting trial, and those
sentenced for periods varying from 15 days to 5 years, are all huddled
together, without the semblance of an attempt at separation.
Two prisoners had escaped the day before I reached the station, by
cutting through the mat wall, and there was nothing to have prevented
the whole from accompanying them, had they been so disposed.
The hut was so crowded that I cannot imagine how so many men
were able to lie down in it at all.
3. The jail is guarded by a duffadar and six burkundauzes from
the thannah. These men dislike the work, naturalGuards.
ly enough, for it is impossible, in existing circum
stances, to hold them responsible for the escape of those confided to their
charge.
The laboring convicts are superintended by nine teeka peons, who
draw the same pay as the permanent establishment, viz, four rupees a
month each.
Until better arrangements are made, one-half of the Kamjaree bur
kundauzes should be placed on night duty.
4. The rprisoners . are ....
fed by a branch conFood.
tractor ot the Mymensing jail, and get the same
rations as in the Sudder'jail.
Mr. Cockburn informed me that the contractor gave him a great
deal of trouble. His principal should be punished if this recurs.
5. No time should, I think be lost in buildxiecommenaation.
ing a suitable jail for this subdivision.
In spite of the overcrowding, exposure, and other drawbacks mention
ed above, the prisoners are healthya significant fact and one that should
not be lost sight of in the construction of a new lock-up.
The more I see of the jails under my charge, the more I am con
vinced that solid, massive, costly pucka structures are unnecessary
for the safe custody of the prisoners, and are the cause of much sickness
and mortality to those confined in them.

272

The only part in which great expense is unavoidable is the outer

walls, which must be of masonry, and from 12 to 15 feet in height.
The buildings cannot be too simple and well ventilated. As the sea
son for brick-making is close at hand, and wood can be brought cheaply
to the station while the river is open, the Deputy Magistrate is autho_
rized to procure immediately as much wood as will be necessary to make
at least two lacs of bricks, and these should be prepared and burnt
with the least possible delay, in order that the building may be com
menced as soon as the sanction of the Government to a new jail has
been received.
This should consist of a criminal ward capable of accommodating
fifty prisoners ; 90 feet long and 21 in breadth, with a tiled pent
roof, of which the ridge pole should be raised so as to form a ventila
tion in the whole length of the roof.
The foundations should be of pucka masonry 2 feet in depth and
the same height above the ground, furnished with narrow arched aper
tures for the entrance of air. The walls should consist of masonry piers
two feet in width at intervals of 4 feet, arched above at a height of 10
feet to support the roof which should be a common tiled roof, durable,
water-proof, and ventilated as mentioned above.
The intervals between the pillars or piers, should be filled in with
strong bamboos, let into the masonry as in the jail at Gowahatti and
Tezpore. These should be well dried, and the ends fitted into the masonry
tarred when they will last for many years.
The floor should be dug up and filled in with two feet of dry sand
well beaten down ; over this should be placed a layer of vitrified khoa,
the surface should be puddled with clay, and be slightly raised in the
centre so as to admit of its being washed, and of all moisture running off.
The night privy should, as at Alipore, be in a corner of the ward,
screened by a dwarf wall, and consisting of a gumlah urinal, and an
iron bidet pan, for which the Magistrate of Mymensing may indent at
the same time that he sends for those of his own jail.
If the Deputy Magistrate can understand my very imperfect speci
fications, and can build the wards and wall himself as he has done the
excellent bungalow in which he lives, I shall feel much obliged by his
sending in an estimate of the cost of construction as soon as possible,
in order that it may be submitted without delay for the sanction of the
Government.

273

The jail should also have a hajut capable of containing 30 prisoners ;

a female ward for 6 ; a hospital with accommodation for 16 sick, each
in a separate yard, with suitable cook house and day privies, all
upon the same plan as that of the criminal ward, but proportionately
reduced in size.
The site shown to me by Mr. Cockburn is very suitable for the jail,
care should however be taken to enclose a sufficient area for the build
ings in the first instance, and to prohibit burkundauzes or any other per
sons squatting near the outer walls. The guard-rooms, darogah's residence
and a room for a moodie's store, should be on either side of the chief
entrances. Accommodation should thus be provided for a jemadar, a
duffadar, and twelve burkundauzes.
The hospital should contain a small room for medicines and a place
for the native Doctor to sleep in at night.

MYMENSING.
I visited the jail at Mymensing on Tuesday, the 12th of August
1856, accompanied by the Magistrate, his Assistant, and the Civil Surgeon
of the station.
It was inspected by Mr. Loch in February of last year, whose me
morandum points out most of ^the defects of this singularly ill-contrived
prison, and as they are nearly all exactly in the state in which he found
them, it is not necessary for me to recapitulate his remarks.
One striking improvement effected in consequence of his visit has been
the enclosure of a large space for work-sheds which is nearly completed.
Part of the new ward is occupied. It is built on an extravagant scale
quite unnecessary for its purpose, but is in all respects, infinitely superior
to every other part of the jail.
The old wards are low, damp, and ill ventilated ; the sewerage of
the prison is on the defective plan so frequently noticed in my remarks on
other jails ; the work shops are a collection of mat sheds without the walls ;
*he female ward, hospital, and non-labouring wards are entirely separated
from the main jail ; and the cook-sheds are in as bad a state as can well be
imagined.
s

274

Much credit is due to the present Magistrate for many useful and
necessary reforms introduced, and I found his prisoners more free from
evidences of having obtained tobacco or any other forbidden luxuries, than
those of any other jail which I have recently visited.
The general state of the prison was as creditable as so very unsuitable
a place can be, with an inefficient Darogah and worthless establishment.
To introduce any radical measure of amelioration, would render it
necessary to rebuild and recast the greater part of the jail, which is not
worth the outlay that would be required.
As it is probable that Central Penitentiaries will ere long be established
that will relieve most of the existing jails of a considerable proportion of
their population, all that I deem it necessary to recommend at present is to
remove all obvious defects that can be remedied at little cost, and to sug
gest such improvements as are necessary in existing circumstances.
These I shall briefly consider in the following order, viz. : prisoners
diet, clothing, drainage and sewerage, state of the yards, work and cooksheds, labour and hospital, guard and establishment.
3. There were in custody on the day of my
Prisoners.
.....
<> i

,
visit, 504 prisoners, ot whom 12 were females.
Of these there were
Committed by Nizamut,
40

Sessions Judge,
161

Magistrate,
94

Deputy Magistrate,
81

Assistant Magistrate,
1

Law Officer,
45
Transferred from Jumalpore,
10
In Hajut,
60
Dewanny,
12
504
They were disposed of as follows, viz.
In Ward No. 1
157 Laboring prisoners.

2
,
76
Ditto.

3
54
Hajut.
,,
4
24 Non -laboring prisoners.

5 (new ward,) 72 Laboring prisoners.

Female Ward,
12

Lall Dewanny,
Dewanny,
Hospital,

Total,

275

48 Fouzdary non-laboring prisoners.

12 Debtors.
49

504

Of the above six are life prisoners, one male and five females. These
are all murderers and should, in my opinion, be at once transferred to
Alipore.
The association of term and life prisoners is extremely objec
tionable, and the only jail in which they can be effectually separated is at
Alipore.
There is another prisoner under trial for murder, who is manifestly
insane, and was known to be a lunatic long before he committed the
crime for which he is imprisoned. He should at once be transferred to
Dacca, for I am afraid he is a hopeless, as well as a dangerous maniac.
The jail is much overcrowded, particularly in the hajut, and No. I
ward. I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's at once removing 57
prisoners from the latter and placing them in the unoccupied division of
the new ward.
Its not being quite finished is of less consequence than crowding so
many men together in a space utterly insufficient for their healthy custody.
The convalescent ward is also too crowded. Those who have slight
sores on the limbs should also be put, if labouring prisoners, in the unoccupied
portion of the new ward. I am afraid there is no means of relieving the
pressure in the hajut, but crowding is not of so much consequence there
as in the criminal wards.
In regard to occupation, there were
Making paper,
79
Gunny weavers,
80
Bricklayers,
45
Raising the ground of the work yard,. . .
84
Cleaning the Jail,
14
Cooks,
11
Hospital attendants,
,
...
15
Blacksmiths,
2

330

276

The remainder were disposed of as follows :

Non-laboring,
Convalescent (excused labor),
Laboring,
27}
Sick,
^Non-laboring,
2>
(/Hajut,
Dewanny,
Hajut,

55
18
34

5J
12
55

504
The laboring convicts are not as profitably employed as they
might and ought to be, but of this, I shall say more in a subsequent
paragraph.
The prisoners generally appeared to be in good condition. Some
of them had however a scorbutic look.
4. The prisoners are fed by contract at the
Food.
,
.
,
undermentioned rates, viz. :
Rice,
1
0
8 per maund.
Dhall,
1
4
o
0

Vegetable,
0 13
Oil,
10
2 10

Salt,
4
0
o
Mussalah,
3
0
o
Wood,
0 10
0
Fish or Meat,
3 12
o
The rates for rice, dhall and wood, appear to me to be very high.
At Bhyrub Bazaar, in the junction of the Brahmaputra and Soorma
rivers, not far from Mymensing, unhusked paddy is sold at the rate of
2 maunds and 5 seers for the rupee. The cost of carriage to Mymen
sing can be very little.
Wood again can be floated down during the rains at a cheap rate.
The present contract was not made by Mr. Lance. When it
expires I shall feel much obliged by care being taken that the rates are
more reasonable.
At present a laboring prisoner costs 13 pie daily, and hajut and
non-laboring prisoners 11 pie. In such a district as Mymensing the
former should not cost more than 9, and the latter 7 pie each per diem.

277

Subjoined are the scales of diet allowed :

Mondays, Wednesdays
and Fridays.

Sundays.

Phall,
Vegetable,
Oil

3
1

H tollah,

Mussalah,

Dhall,
1
Vegetable, ... % pow,
Meat or Fish, pow,
Oil,
H tollah,
Salt,
If

Tuesdays, Thuksdats and

Saturdays.

Dhall
3
Vegetable, ... 14 pow.
Oil
H tollah.
Salt,
If

The non-laboring fouzdary, dewanny, and hajut prisoners re

ceive the Sunday ration, except on Saturdays when a ^ pow fish or
meat is added. The hospital diet is as follows :
1st Class.Full rations, the same as is allow
Hospital.
ed to the non-laboring prisoners, cost 1 1 pie.
2nd Class.Half rations, half of what is allowed to the non-labor
ing, cost 5^ pie.
3rd Class.Light food, such as sago, arrow-root, &c.
As soon as a patient is placed on full diet in the great majority
of cases, it is time for him to quit the hospital, and join the convalescent
gang, otherwise the hospital becomes the resort of idlers and maligners.
From my experience of Indian hospitals, and of the large number
of sick who used to be under my charge from the Police force in Calcutta,
I am inclined to think that the exceptions to this rule are very few.
When convalescent it is a mistake to excuse them from all work.
They should be placed on the lightest possible description of labor, such
as preparing thread for weaving, &c., but absolute idleness is neither
necessary nor judicious. I saw several prisoners in the convalescent gang
who were perfectly able to work, and who should be transferred to their
respective wards at once.
5. There is no prison dress in use. Some of the recently convicted
criminals had no other clothes than the scanty
Clothing.
covering they brought in with them, and others had
more than the regulated allowance.
All these matters should be regulated in strict accordance with the
Circular Order on the subject, until I am able to devise a uniform plan
for dressing all convicts.

(
6.

278

The sewerage throughout the jail requires immediate change.

,_ .
The night privies were as clean as such privies
Sewerage and Drainage.
.
can be, but it is wrong in principle and injurious
in practice to allow ordure to fall into, and be swept through the drains
as is now done.
The Magistrate should indent on the Iron Yard at once for as many
pans as he requires. As soon as he has received them, the openings into
the drains should be closed, and never again used for their present
purpose.
The pucka drains must then all be taken up, and the ground filled in
as directed in a succeeding paragraph.
The bricks will be useful in metalling the yard.
The day privies must also be changed. At present they are foul and
offensive.
They should be constructed as at Alipore, viz., with two movable
gumlahs let into masonry, and screened by a dwarf wall.
All ordure should be removed daily by hand, and thrown into the
river or deposited in some suitable place at a distance from the jail.
For the night pans only a sufficient amount of water for ablution
should be allowed, so as not to overflow the pans, otherwise, as happened
at Alipore and elsewhere, the prisoners will flood the place, and render it
more impure than it is at present.
The khilaburdars, appointed by Mr. Lance since he read my remarks
on the subject, will always keep the Magistrate informed of those who
infringe these rules, and a few examples will soon cause all infraction
to cease.
The mehturs of the jail I understand, decline to carry away filth,
alleging that this is the work of a lower caste of their own order.
To allow of such endless sub-divisions of caste would render it
impracticable to carry out the duties of the jail at all. They are"
moreover, not sanctioned by Hindu authorities, on the subject. In the
Burdwan jail recently a silk weaver refused to weave gunny, on the
ground that it was a lower description of weaving, and that lie should
lose caste by it. When compelled to weave gunny he pretended to
hang himself, but on his transfer to Alipore with the promise of severe
punishment in case of contumacy, he has discovered that there is no real
question of caste involved in it, as I had previously ascertained from the
Principal of the Sanscrit College.

279

While then, I would carefully prevent any real infringement of caste

which is avoidable in a jail, I would not permit the prisoners to plead
every mere local custom as a privilege of caste, such as should exempt
them from duties which they are bound, and should be compelled to
perform.
Judicious firmness on the part of the Magistrate will soon cause all
such evasion of unpleasant labour to disappear.
The yards
State of Yards.
J
, throughout
, . , the
, iail are ,at , present
wet, soft and undrained, the water lodging in
them, and drying by evaporation from the surface.
The best means of remedying this is by the plan laid down by the
late Military Board, viz., to dig out the soil, and fill it in with dry sand
well rammed down. The surface of this should be covered by a foot of
khoa puddled with clay, with a fall of one foot in ten, so as to cause all
moisture to run off.
This can easily be effected in the cold season, by the prisoners at a
trifling cost, and it ought not to occupy much time if the prisoners are
well looked after.
8. I have already remarked that the labour
Labour and Manufactures.
.
. . ',
in this jail has not been profitable.
This has partly arisen from the want of work-sheds, and in part by
their having been engaged in out-door occupations the nominal value of
which is not credited to the jail.
The gunny cloth woven is coarse and of inferior quality, and no
great amount of skill has been attained in any article of manufacture.
As soon as the new work sheds are built, this should be remedied.
The expression of oil and making of bricks should be resorted to at once.
Both are penal and profitable. The latter should not be carried on at
any great distance from the jail, and care should be taken that the hole
from which the clay is taken may form the nucleus of a wholesome
tank, instead of becoming a malarious puddle.
9. In the new yard should be built three large work-sheds separated
from each other by palisades. In each enclosure
Work and Cook sheds.
should also be a- cook-house and day-privy. The
best and cheapest plan of constructing this is that now introduced into
the jail at Hooghly.
If the Magistrate will apply to Mr. Cockerell, he will, I am sure,
furnish him with plans and estimates of those built by Mr. Dobson in the

280

Hooghly jail. They are quite as good as that of Alipore, and considerably
cheaper.
10. The hospital is detached from the jail, and is one of the worst
buildings belonging to it. It is too closely hemmed
in by walls, is badly drained, insufficiently ventilated,
and much too crowded.
The posterior wall is tumbling down, and should be repaired as
quickly as possible.
It strikes me that the Lall Dewanny, with slight additions would
make a much better hospital. If the Magistrate and Civil Surgeon
concur in this opinion, I shall feel obliged by their submitting a special
report regarding it. The yard would require to be raised as mentioned
above, and a tiled verandah might be added to it at a trifling cost.
The hospital records are well and carefully kept, and the patients are
properly cared for.
1 1 . These require remodelling as in almost
Guard & Establishment.
,
....
. .
every other jail, the existing guard, from the
Darogah downwards, being evidently inefficient.
The old muskets in the guard -room had better be returned to the
Ordnance Department, as they are worn out and useless.
12. The fetters are not all of the proper pattern, and the rings
are now iust below the knee instead of at the
Fetters.
ancle. This should be changed.
There were some Hill men in the hajut awaiting trial, fettered. I
scarcely think this can be necessary to prevent escape, with jail walls so
high as those at Mymensingh.
13. The records of the jail are well and
Conclusion
'
.
.
carelully kept in the manner required, and they
were all brought up to date.

CHERRA POONJEE.
I VISITED the Jail at Cherra Poonjee on the 18th and 19th of August
1856, accompanied by the Magistrate and Civil Surgeon.
2. The jail buildings consist of a long stone bungalow, with a
.,,.
tiled roof covered by
Buildings.
J a thatch, in two
compartments

r
one 50 by 23^ feet in which the prisoners are

281

lodged, the other opening into it, 16 by 23 feet, and serving as a guard
room and hajut. In the same enclosure is a sepoy guard-room of similar
construction 20 by 14| feet. The whole is surrQunded by a stone wall,
and is situated in the Civil portion of the station.
The hospital is a small detached stone bungalow at some distance
from the jail, and having no wall around it.
A female ward, most unsuitable for the purpose, without any other
aperture than the door, is also detached.
So likewise are the cook-room, the manufacture shed, and store
room, all of which are dilapidated mat huts.
The criminal ward is ample for the present wants of the district, and
the prisoners have been very healthy in it.
It was originally built as a magazine and was converted by Col.
Lister into the jail, when it ceased to be required for military
purposes.
The old jail was in a large bullock shed of the Sylhet Light Infantry
Battalion, very badly placed, in an isolated position, and unhealthy.
The removal of the prisoners to their present locality was a judicious
measure.
A claim for the restoration of the building to military purposes was
made a short time since, but was negatived upon the representation of the
Magistrate and the Agent to the Governor General.
Apparently by an oversight, the buildings were not then finally
transferred from the military to the civil department. This should, I
think, be now done to prevent future mistakes and misapprehensions, the
more especially as various additions are urgently required to render it
suitable for its present purpose, which will entirely unsuit it for any
future military occupation.
There is at present no accommodation for civil prisoners ; the hajut
prisoners share the quarters of the burkundauzes, which again open into
the criminal ward, all of which I hold to be objectionable.
In the advisability of these and indeed of almost all the changes
necessary, I have been anticipated by the Magistrate, who had drawn up
a note for my information before I reached Cherra.
Mr. Hudson suggests the building of a ward for civil prisoners
and a hajut each 26 by 18 feet to the south of the present criminal ward,
in the propriety of which recommendation I concur. They should be
separated by a small six foot wall, and have ample roof ventilation, which

282

is not provided in any of the existing buildings. The outer compound

wall should also be extended, so as to enable each of the yards to contain
a small cook-room and day privy.
To the westward of the above, in Mr. Hudson's sketch plan, is a
female ward 36 by 18 feet. This also needs four small square windows
in the sides, and roof ventilation, and the compound should be extended
so as to enable the enclosure to contain a privy and cook-room.
To the eastward of the present building is a space which it is
proposed to surround by a low Wall, and convert into a vegetable
garden ; in this it is proposed also to place under the iee of the existing
jail wall, a suitable work-shed with stone walls.
Of all the proposals I approve, and as I concur with the Magistrate
in deeming them essential, I shall feel obliged by his sending me asestimate of the cost of effecting them, at his early convenience.
As much as possible of the work should be effected by convict
labour ; the stone for building is lying about in great abundance, and
lime is cheap, the whole ought not therefore to cost much.
Another urgent want is a suitable hospital for which sufficient space
may be found in the enclosure originally intended by the Magistrate for
a work shed.
This should be a well ventilated building of the same dimentions
as the female wards.
/
The guard should be removed from their present place in the
criminal ward, and quarters for them and for the jail Jemadar be found
outside.
I would not at present remove the sepoy guard room, although it
likewise is misplaced within the criminal jail yard.
From the establishment of the garden and work shed, I anticipate
much benefit, particularly from the former.
There are times when in such a climate as that of Cherra Poonjee it
is impossible for the convicts to work outside the jail, when profitable
and suitable employment is absolutely necessary for them within.
All kinds of European vegetables will, I believe, grow in the garden,
and in addition to assisting in feeding the prisoners, finding suitable work
for the sickly and convalescent and furnishing a supply for profitable sale
to the residents of the station, it may be the means of introducing into
the Cossiah Hills economical plants, which may prove nearly as valuable
as the potatoe has done.

(
3.

283

There were thirty-four prisoners in custody on the 20th of

August, of whom three are life prisoners confined
for murder. Two of these are Assamese of the
doom caste, who have been 26 years in prison. They are represented to
have been uniformly well behaved, and the Magistrate recommends them
for release on account of old age, infirmity, and good conduct.
In the propriety of the recommendation as respects the elder pri
soner, Bhojun, I entirely concur. He seems for many years to have been
employed in the charge of the other prisoners, and at one time was in
sole charge of them, a trust which he discharged with fidelity.
He is old and feeble, and I beg strongly to advise his release on a
ticket of leave, to show himself occasionally to the authorities.
Among the convicts is one named Sheik Hazanee, a native of
Mymensingh and a sirdar dacoit. He was originally sentenced to nine
years imprisonment with hard labour for dacoity. He has subsequently
escaped three times from the jail, and on one of these occasions committed
a robbery in the station after breaking jail.
He is a very troublesome character, and has at length been bribed to
good, behaviour by making him cook, a pleasant and profitable office. I
strongly recommend his transfer to Alipore for the remainder of his term
of incarceration which will expire in September 1860.
In the year 1848 a considerable number of prisoners were transferred
from the Sylhet, Mymensingh, and Tipperah jails to the Cossiah Hills
to assist in making the road to Cherra from Teriah ghaut. I was anxious,
if possible, to ascertain the exact result of these experiments, but from the
loose and imperfect manner in which all statistical records are at present
kept, I find it to be impossible. They were employed in a most danger
ous occupation as regards health, yet out of 290 men at the end of
fourteen years, 224 had been released, 1 was hanged, and 65 had
died.
The Sylhet jail is at present extremely sickly, and as it is adviseable
to have, if possible, a sanatarium within practicable reach of such a
station, for native prisoners, I should be glad to transfer 30 of the
prisoners who are out of health at Sylhet to Cherra, in order that
the result of the measure may be carefully noted and recorded. Mr.
Hudson will, I believe be able to find room for them in another six
weeks.

284

4. The prisoners are fed by contract of which

the present rates are :
Rice,
i
19 0 per maund.
Mustard oil,
12 8 0

Salt,
t
6 4 0
Kessaree Dall,
1 14 0

Chillies,
10 0 0
Onions,
2 8 0

Huldee,
14 0
Firewood,
0 2. 0-.

The charges for salt, mussalah, and rice are high as compaired with
Sylhet, whence the carriage, except in times of panic as sA present, ought
not to be high, particularly as the Government have a number of Com
missariat elephants near the foot of the hill, which are nearly always
available for the carriage of Government property. They took up,
during my stay at Cherra, a large quantity of mess and the stores,
and could with equal facility carry up the prisoners food. The boat
hire from Sylhet to Teriah ghaut would not amount to muck The
following are the prices to which I refer.
Sylhet.
Rice,
Salt,
Mussalahs,

Cheeea.
Rs.
,,

0 10
4 6
2 8

2
0
0

Rice
Salt,
Chillies,

Rs. 1 9 0

6 4 0
10 0 0

The following is the diet table of the Cherra prisoners with its
cost :Labouring Prisoners.
12 Chittacks of rice, at^l rupee 9 annas per maund,...

Es. Aa.

Pies.

5,62,500

0,46,875

0,75,000

0,60,000

1,55,625

1,00,000

10,00,000

285

Non-labouring Prisoners.
11

Chittacks of rice, at 1 rupee. 9 annas per maund, ...

Its. As.

Pies.

5,15,625

0,46,875

0,75,000

0,60,000

1,52,500

0,50,000

9,00,000

From this the paun and sooparee must at once be omitted. The pri
soners declare that they will die if their masticating material be taken
away from them. So they also said when tobacco was stopped, and paun
is just as much a luxury, and just as little a necessary of life, as the
Nicotian leaf.
For the present, the cost of the paun and sooparee, viz. 1 pie in the
case of labouring, and half a pie in the case of non-labouring prisoners,
should be expended in the purchase of fresh meat or fish three times a
week, if the amount mentioned be sufficient.
The prisoners were all in excellent condition, and while the free cossiah
are dying at a rapid rate in every direction, were free from disease,
a tolerably good proof that their food is wholesome and sufficient, and
that they' are well cared for.
The following are the rates at which the articles mentioned, are pur
chased for the use of the prisoners, viz :
Blankets,
1 12
each.
Red Gurvvah cloths, for dhootees-.
and chudd.ers, each 13 to 14 1 1 8 0
hats long,
J
Small earthen cooking pots,
0 0 9
;>
Large ditto ditto,
.0 1 6
JJ
Earthen plates for eating,
0 0 6

Ditto pots for privy,

0 2 0
n
a
Ditto kulsee for water,
0 1 6
33
Ditto cherags for lights,
0 0 3
33
Charcoal,
0 2 0 per basket.
Lime,
.,
0 2 0 per maund.

286

Dhoonah,
0 5 0 per seer.
Flax for ropes,
0 16

Chattas,
0 13
each.
Lanterns should be substituted for chiraghs, and when charcoal is
used, dhoonah may be dispensed with. Instead of earthen plates, which
are constantly breaking, the prisoners should make stone plates for
themselves.
5. The prisoners are all clothed in red curwah at 1-8 the piece.
This was introduced by the late Commissioner of
Clothing.
Assam, Mr. D. Scott, and is excellent as a diag
nostic costume, but is not otherwise suited for the purpose. In addition
to this, it is very expensive.
A flannel jacket, made with sleeves, was introduced some time ago,
with excellent effect as respects the improvement of the health of the
convicts. With this jacket, which costs 2 rupees, a chudder is unneces
sary and should not be allowed. The jacket at the cost mentioned ought
to last a year.
i
The Magistrate and Civil Surgeon recommend the grant of a third
blanket in the cold weather, to place under the prisoners, the present
allowance of two being necessary to cover them. I am afraid that I
cannot concur in this recommendation as a good, stout, warm piece of
Tat bedding ought to be quite sufficient. The blankets ought, however, to
be large enough for a prisoner to roll round him.
6. The Magistrate recommends the second ring of the fetters to be
removed, which may be done at once, as they were
never intended to be placed there, and must have
been introduced from misapprehension when the bar were changed to
link fetters.
,
Leather Mozahs were sanctioned in my Circular No. 41, dated
30th April, 1856.
7. The night privy of the criminal ward cannot be used, and
none of the others have any privy at all. The
best form is that of a simple projecting room, with
a ventilator in the roof, and a pan to receive the ordure which should
be carried away in the morning.
A day privy, consisting of a moveable pan behind a dwarf screen
wall may also be constructed in the work yards. I shall feel obliged by
the Magistrate's sending me estimates for the above.
Privies-

287

8.

Those at present carried on are few and simple, and the work
generally of the jail seems to me to be too li^ht.
Manufactures.
m.
i

i
They may be increased in any direction which
the local experience of the Magistrate may suggest to him as being penal
and profitable, but care must be taken to apportion the task to the strength
of the prisoner, so that every convict does a fair day's work.
_ .
9. The existing
Establishment.
,
establishment of the Jjail
is as follows :
Assistant Surgeon in Medical charge, Rs. 100 per mensem.
1 Native Doctor,

15

1 Dresser,

10

1 Jemadar,

12

1 Duffadar and Mohurrur,

1 Duffadar,

20 Burkundauzes, at 5 each,

100

2 Convict Duffadars, at 1 Re. each,

2

Total,
254
I am of opinion that the Civil salary of the Surgeon should not be
debited entirely, if at all, to the jail. The pay is well earned, and quite
small enough, but as Cherra Poonjee is a Sanatarium, and the calls on
the time of the Surgeon are neither few nor unimportant, the charge
should be debited to the Civil duties of the station.
The Jemadar, who is in reality a Darogah is not sufficiently paid in
so expensive a place as Cherra, but this had better be rectified in the
general revision of the jail establishments.
Money allowances to prisoners are very objectionable, and I shall feel
much obliged by the Magistrate's kindly informing me how, and when
the allowances in question was sanctioned, and what objections there are
to its being discontinued.
Regarding a blacksmith, for whom the Magistrate applies as a per
manent addition to his establishment at 8 rupees monthly, it will be better
to transfer a convict blacksmith, which I shall be happy to recommend.
10.

I have already remarked upon the distance, and unsuitability

of the present hospital. The new one should have a
Hospital.
proper privy, cook-shed, compounding shop, and
native doctor's room in it; and a dead house should be attached to, but
detached from, it.
N

288

The hospital was in good order, the books well kept, and the sick
are carefully and successfully treated.
11. The books and records are admirably kept, and were brought
up to date. They exhibit the great interest taken
Books and Eecords.
....
,
,
.
, ,

in their charge by the officers attached to the

jail, the state of which in every department was such as to command my
approval.

STLHET.
I visited the Jail at Sylhet on Saturday the 16th, and Sunday
the 17th of August 1856, accompanied by the Magistrate and Medical
Officer in. charge of the Station.
2. I found the jail in excellent order throughout ; but the prisoners
are very numerous, a large number of them are unhealthy, and there
are several matters connected with the jail, which need radical and
immediate change.
3. It was visited by Mr. Loch in December 1854, nearly twenty
months since, and the changes considered by him to be necessary were,
the construction of new work-sheds, the removal of the western wall,
the metalling of the jail yards, the closing of the intercommunicating
openings between the criminal wards, and several minor improvements, few
of which have been effected. Much of this great delay has arisen from
the time occupied in procuring estimates from the Executive Depart
ment, and some portion of it is due to my having been unwilling to
sanction any expensive alterations, until I had myself visited the jail.
4. I will take up the different points requiring consideration in
the order in which they were discussed by my predecessor for facility
of reference, noting the plans in which I agree, and the proposals hi which
I differ from Mr. Loch.
5. The Sylhet jail has long occupied a high
New work-shops.

.
.
position for the variety and excellence of its ma
nufactures, and it csntinues to maintain its reputation. The works are,
however, carried on in miserable, dilapidated sheds, without the walls
of the jail, and in close proximity to a large colony of prostitutes, neither
of which circumstances is calculated to maintain the discipline, or mend
the morals of the convicts.

289

2. The orders for the new work yards

hare been sanctioned by the Government, but
I find my plan of palisades has been omitted,
I shall bring this to the notice of the Execu
tive Officer and have them erected.
3. The additions may be shortly discribed
as follows.
The outer walls of the western yards of the
labouring wards, will be pulled down, the partition walls elongated by about 80 or 90 feet,
and the outer walls re-built at this distance,
palisades will run across the end of each yard
at a distance of about 15 feet from the main
building so as to form a passage separating
the guard from the working prisoners. The
partition walls will be lowered to 8 feet and
their junction with the outer wall will be
protected by a triangular block ot masonry
on the said outer wall.
4. The necessity of having the work-shops
pucka and built within the walls was shown
on one t>f the days I was at Sylhet, when the
Bazar caught fire, and if the wind had been
blowing in the direction of the jail, every one
of the present work-sheds must have been

)
/.
tt
i.i
! i c ii_
6- UPon the Subject of the
work-sheds, Mr. Loch's remarks
in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th para,
, .
,
graphs ot his memorandum as
ted in ^ margin for readier
*
o '
reference,
The Magistrate Objected to
.1
i
.i
,
n
the removal of the western Wall
on the ground that throwino- the
B
work-shopS inside the jail, Would

*
render it unwholesome from the

P ,
..
,
retuse ot the oil and paper manufapture>?
"
I do not consider this objec.
*,

destroyed.
tion to be valid for the refuse
should be carefully removed, whether it be within or without the wall,
and the prisoners at night would not be exposed to it more in the one
case, than they are in the other.
A more valid objection to my mind is the great cost of the palisades
which would not be so necessary when the present western wall of the jail
is lowered, as it may be with safety, when the outer wall of the work yard
is built.
,
7. I would therefore reduce the height of the western wall, as well
as of the prolonged partition wall to 8 feet, guarding the points of junc
tion with triangular masses of masonry, as recommended by Mr. Loch.
8. The work-sheds may be placed as in the plan submitted by
Lieutenant Eckford, and the whole should be submitted for sanction as
early as possible, that no further delay may occur in obtaining the sanc
tion of the Government to the outlay necessary.
wara^P6ntagS betW6en ^

9'

UPon this subJect Mn Loch remarked :~

" At present little or no classification can be carried out owing to

" there being large openings between the wards only separated by iron
" bars. This, although allowing a free circulation of air, is very objec" tionable, and I think that it would be advisable to have fixed jhilmills
" with wide boards, well overlapping each other, fixed in the openings,
" the iron bars would still be retained. This would not, I think, inter

290

" fere very much with the circulation of air, and would enable a much
" better classification to be introduced than can be carried out at present."
10. This was not done in consequence of a belief on the part of the
excellent Officer in charge of the Medical duties of the Station, that- it
would interfere with ventilation. While I am disposed to treat with every
consideration any opinion expressed by Mr. Norval, I believe that in the
present instance the advantages of the existing plan are more than coun
terbalanced by its grave disadvantages.
11. Where ventilation is so imperfect as it mnst always be in a
buildin" surrounded by high walls, the result of lateral openings in the
partitions dividing the wards is to cause the effete air and noxious exha
lations to be diffused through all the wards, and to increase the additional
contamination of all of them. The only true ventilation in such cases is
to cause the passage of all deleterious gases through the roof, to effect
which the number of gumlah ventilators in the ceilings of the criminal
wards may with great advantage be doubled, when the lateral apertures
may with equal advantage be altogether bricked up, the iron bars being
removed, as they may be serviceable elsewhere.
12. All of this can be effected by convict labour for the mere cost
of the lime, the bricks required being made by the prisoners ; I shall feel
obliged therefore, by the Magistrate's carrying it into effect without delay.
13. The yards of nearly all the wards were
Metalling the yards.
-.
. .
nearly impassable at the time or my visit from the
damp and boggy nature of the soil. This also attracted Mr. Loch's notice,
as the following remarks will show :
" The whole of the new work yards must be laid down with broken
" brick, well and smoothly beaten down. In fact as Sylhet is such a damp
" place I should like to see it done in every yard and the grass entirely
" removed, at any rate pucka paths ought to be made for walking on.
" This is especially required in the hospital and I request you to consult
" Dr. Norval on the subject and carry out his wishes. The cost of the
" above cannot be very great, as the prisoners will make the bricks and
" do all the labour."
14. The proper method of accomplishing this very desirable and
necessary object is that laid down by Captain Beadle when Secretary to
the late Military Board.
15. It is to dig up and remove the upper stratum of soil in the
yards, and to fill it up with dry sand tightly rammed down ; over this

291

is placed a layer of khoa nearly a foot in thickness, which may be bound

together either by clay, or lime. The whole should be carefully levelled
from the buildings to the walls, with a fall of one foot in ten, so as to
cause all moisture to run off immediately.
16. If the Magistrate will be so kind as to try it in one yard, he will
be able to calculate the cost of, and time likely to be occupied in com
pleting the whole.
.17. In front of the jail is a large shallow, putrid tank, of which
it is impossible to exaggerate the indescribable filth
and pollution. Mr. Loch's observations regarding
it were that " the tank immediately in front of the jail is a great nuisance
" and ought to be cleaned. It would, however, involve the necessity of
" removing all the prisoners during the time and might cause great sick" ness to the neighbourhood. Dr. Norval is anxious to try whether
" sprinkling lime along the edge touching the jail would be at all efHca" cious ; be so good at to supply Dr. Norval with whatever quantity of
" lime he may require for the experiment and request him to report the
" result after a fair trial.
18. The trial accordingly was made, and with the result that might
have been anticipated, viz. entire failure. While I was riding round this
stagnant abomination, a number of the neighbouring inhabitants addressed
me, entreating that I would have it cleansed, as it was a source of great
discomfort, distress, and sickness to all in its immediate vicinity. The
surface was covered with a dark green slimy . vegetation, abundant in
animalcule, the water was discoloured and semi-putrescent.
19. One old man told me, that to his certain knowledge it had not
been cleaned for 45 years.
20. In a note in the visiting book, I fell upon a remark from Mr.
Norval that he had observed some of the convicts in the act of polluting
it, and I have little doubt that the people inhabiting its banks use it more
or less as a cloaca.
21. In the course of the day I received a petition very numerously
signed, entreating me to take measures for having the tank
cleaned.
I directed the jail Darogah to measure it, and to ascertain the average
depth of the water and the mud at its bottom, and to bring me samples of
the latter, on my return from Cherra Poonjee. If I understand his mea
surement rightly it is 413 feet in length by 1 17 in breadth with an average

292

depth of 1 1 feet of water which is almost liquid manure from the vast
amount of impurity contained in it.
22. The average depth of the mud is 1\ feet : it is a mass of
decayed vegetable matter, and would answer admirably for manure.
23. Immediately behind the southern portion of this stygian lake
is a swamp, through which a pucka drain leads to a large open cesspool
in which all the ordure of the jail is collected. In riding through the
swamp with the Civil Surgeon,- our ponies were knee deep in mud in
some places.
24. Familiar as I am with the causes and effects of noxious exhala
tion in the production of disease, I am surprized that cholera, fever, and
dysentery are ever absent from this concentrated collection of miasmata
of the worst description.
25. There is undoubtedly some risk to be incurred in removing this
perennial source of disease, yet it is, in my belief so absolutely and ur
gently needed, that it must be accomplished at all hazards.
26. If properly and carefully done, it may be accomplished with
out much danger.
27^ From all that I could ascertain the river in the cold weather
falls about 2 1 feet. The deepest part of the bottom of the tank does not
exceed 11 feet, there is therefore, a fall of at least 10 feet, which is more
than sufficient to drain the tank.
28. It should be emptied gradually about two feet at a time, which
a simple sliuce gate will effect. The mud thus exposed should be rapidly
removed by at least 300 convicts, so that it would not have time to cause
any ill effects by its exhalations.
29. The mud should be removed until the natural soil is reached,
and the whole should either be thrown into the bed of the river, or re
moved to a spot where it can do no mischief.
30. By repeating this process the whole of the offensive matter
ought to be removed in a week. As the inhabitants of the neighbourhood
are so much interested in the cleansing of the tank, they will propably
lend a helping hand.
31. As soon as all the mud is removed, the tank should be deepened
and its sides consolidated.
32. Advantage should be taken of emptying the tank to
drain the swamp bordering in the jail, and to fill up the open
cloaca.

293

33. The former can easily be accomplished by digging a ditch

three feet deep, communicating with the tank by which all the moisture
from the swamp would drain off. The earth, should then be raised with
good soil, and it will form an excellent garden for the jail.
34. The above are strictly sanitary measures, and will require to
be executed with the greatest promptitude, and with incessant personal
supervision.
35. The time of the Magistrate is much more fully occupied than
that of the Civil Surgeon, I shall feel obliged, therefore, by their being
specially placed under the charge of Mr. Norval, who will adopt during
their progress such measures as he may deem necessary for the preserva
tion of the health of the convicts, and of the inhabitants of the neigh
bourhood. The cleansing should commence as soon as the season admits
of it, and before the time for the periodical advent of cholera arrives.
36. I have every reason to hope and believe that much benefit,
with comparatively little risk will result from the removal of the great
est nuisance and source of contamination I have yet seen, in any jail
under my Superintendence.
37. There were in custody on the 16th of
August, 615 prisoners, of whom 21 were females.
Of the prisoners there were
Sentenced by Nizamut,
55

Sessions Judge,..*
201

Magistrate,
289
Hajut, ...,
61
Dewanny,
8
Lunatic,
1
615
38. The madman is not a criminal, and should be transferred to
Dacca as soon as possible.
The jail is not a lunatic asylum, and is a most unsuitable place for
the safe custody of madmen.
39. The prisoners were disposed of as follows :
Working on the roads,
145
Cleaning the jail,
12
Clearing away jungle,
16
Making paper,
158

294

Making Cloth,
;

Setringees,

Mats,

Morahs,

Baskets,
Pounding Soorkie,
Oil Mill,
Selling stones,
Bringing lime stone,
Carpenter,
Cooks,
*
Hospital servants, ......
On light work,
Making garden at Circuit house,
Bringing cane and bamboo for mats,

23
..- 13
15
5
3
14
8
16
6
1
18
10
1
10
10
484

/"Labouring,
SickX Hajut,
(.Lunatic,
Non-labouring,
Hajut (males),
Dewanny,....

29^
3 V
\J

33
32
58
8

615
40. Seven of the abovementioned, of whom five are women, are
life prisoners. They should all be transferred to Alipore, for reasons
mentioned in many of my reports on other jails.
41. As there is great sickness prevailing in the district, and it is
impossible to protect the prisoners properly from the weather, the out
door labouring convicts should be immediately withdrawn.
42. The Magistrate will find on consulting the mortality statement
of his jail that the deaths among the out-door labouring prisoners in his
jail in 1854-55 was 46'66 per cent. This alone is, in my belief a suffi
cient reason against sending them away from the jail "at any time.
43. When mustered for my inspection, I found a larger number
of the prisoners scorbutic and out of health, than in any jail I have yet
seen, except Tirhoot.

295

The average health of the prisoners in jail, I believe to be quite as

good as, probably it is better than that of the same classes of inhabitants
in the district. This I attribute more to the constant care and attention
of the Medical Officer than to the construction or internal economy of
the prison. If unhappily in their present crowded and debilitated state,
any of the epidemics at this moment so rife and destructive without, should
find their way into the jail, the consequence would, I fear, be very serious.
44. Again, they may all be set to work at once in effecting the
changes and improvements which I have noted above.
45. Until the sanitary state of the jail is rendered as perfect as
circumstances will admit of, and the new work-shops are erected and
the yards metalled, I cannot approve of the employment of convicts out
of doors.
46. In any circumstances it is most objectionable in time of great
sickness, like the present, and should cease at once.
47. The following is the disposal of the prisoners in the variouswards.
There is not an attempt at classification in this arrangement, nor is
any real separation practicable in the existing state of the jail.

Wards.

No.
n

Description of Wards.

No. of prison
ers sleeping
in each.

Civil Ward,
Sessions Ward,
Sessions Hajut
Criminal Ward,
Ditto,

.,
.,
,,

l
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12

>,

13

Criminal Ward,

27

Female Ward,

21
36

10
39
59
58
62
61
57
Converted into
( Sessions and Niza- )
57
Ditto Ditto.
48
Ditto Ditto,
46
Non Labouring Ward,
34

Class of Prisoners.

Dewanny,
Labouring.
Labouring.
Ditto.
Ditto.
Ditto,
a Malkhana.
Labouring.
Labouring.
Ditto.
Labouring Cooks, Mehturs &c.
[ Of these 26 are Non-Labouring and
I

on light labour.

615

48. By the above arrangement according to a note of the mea

surement of the Wards furnished to me by the Magistrate, the following
*s the space allotted to each convict :
O

296

Superficial space.
.... 110
Ward No. 1 Civil,
....
28
2 Labouring,
....
18
3 Hajut,
....
18
4 Labouring,
....
17.46
5
n
266
....
18.2

270
6
....
19.17

289
T
f A large ward containing 16,500 Cubic feet, and
8 t 1,100 superficial feet is used as a Malkhana.
19.17
289.27
9 Labouring,
22.44
10

343.36
23.42
358.22
11
32.12
12 Cooks, Mehturs &c.
485.10
13 Non-Labouring, ...
40
601.3
Female Ward, ...
24
357.3
Hospital,
,.
217.18
15.15
49. Except in the Civil Ward, not a single prisoner has 500 Cubic
feet of space, which in a recent dispatch regarding the Rungpore Jail,
the Hon'ble the Court of Directors have stated to be the minimum that
should be allowed to each convict.
50. The labouring and sick again require more space for healthy
respiration, than the Non-labouring.
51. The best mode of relieving the existing pressure will be to
clear out Ward No. 8, at present used as a Malkhana, and to place the
Hajut prisoners in the Civil Jail.
By this means two large wards each containing 16,500 cubic feet of
space will become available for criminal prisoners, and the Hajut prison
ers will have proper out-houses, which they have not at present.
52. The Civil Prisoners are few in number \ there is no need
whatever of such strict seclusion as regards them, and I shall feel obliged
by the Magistrate's making such temporary arrangement as he can, . for
their accommodation,
53. A small permanent ward can be built for them over the en
trance to the Jail, where they will be entirely separated from the other
prisoners.
For this I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's sending me an esti
mate at his early convenience.
Cubic Feet
1650
425
279
284

297

54. The women are very badly lodged. Regarding them Mr. Loch
remarked,
" The womeu's ward is badly situated, abutting immediately over
" the Tank, but I see no cure for it at present ; it is however made very
" much more confined than it need be, the Magistrate's Malkhana taking
" up one of the wards properly belonging to it. I would be obliged by your
"at once removing "the articles in the malkhana and having this ward
" thoroughly cleaned out and white-washed, which, it much requires, and
" a gumlah ventilation put in the roof."
55. I concur with my predecessor in considering their present ward
insusceptible of any material improvement. A Malkhana is much needed,
and their quarters would make an excellent one.
56. The female convicts are seldom numerous and an excellent ward
could be built for them on the site now occupied by the black-smith's
shed. Their yard should contain a small work-shed, cook-room, and privy.
Of this also, and a suitable wall to surround it, I shall feel obliged
by the Magistrate's sending me a plan and estimate.
57. The prisoners are fed by contract at the
Food
following rates.
Rice,

0 10 2 per maund
Dhall,
3 2 0
Salt,
4 6 0
Oil,
12 8 0
Mussalla,
2 8 0

Vegetable,
14 0

Fish,
2 8 0
Wood,
0 3 4

Leaves,
0 1 0 per 100
All these prices seem to be reasonable, except for DhalL
The following is the scale of rations adopted.
Mondays, Wednesdays and Tuesdays, Thursdays and
Fridays.
Saturdays.

Sundays.
Bice
Dhall
Vegetable,
Salt,

11
3
... 1
1J

chittacks.

tollah

pa,

Mussalah,
Wood,
Leaves

1}
1 seer.
2 pieces.

Rice,
Dhall
Fish,
Vegetable.
Salt
Oil,
Mussalah,
Wood,
Leaves

12 chittacks.
1
% pow.
... 1 chittack.
H tollah.
1*
lj- ,.
1 seer.
2 pieces.

Rice,
Dhall
Vegetable,
Salt
Oil
Mussalah,
Wood
Leaves

...

12
3
i
1J
1J
1]
1
2

chittacks.

pow.

tollah.

seer.
pieces.

298

The daily cost for feeding

A Labouring prisoner is,....
8 pie.
Non-labouring,
7 ff
Hajut,
7i
The hours of feeding are objectionable and must at once be changed.
58. This should have been done when Mr. Loch noticed it, and
* " As regards the meals I have not altered
" the hour as yet nor shall I until as you state,
the prisoners are worked inside the Jail I am
" so pressed for labour in the paper manufactory
" that I tear the system ot going to dinner and
" then returning to work would be a source ofse" rious loss and might be the cause of rendering
" me unable to supply the demands of the courts;

as I cannot coincide in the COgenc ,i

t i t
i
CV ot the reasons which induced
the Magistrate* to adhere to the

plan which I still find in force,

tiiij>i lt
-ii
i
-1 sha11 teeI obliged by its being

- %&'?Z?^^i^

changed from and after the date

" that as a sanitary measure I would suggest

" 9 or 10 a. m., as the most favorable time for
" the prisoners morning meal."

of receipt of this

COmmuni-

Cation.

59. The Hon'ble the Court of Directors in a recent dispatch have

directed special attention to the improper hour of feeding prisoners, and to
this cause many Civil Surgeons attribute some of the sickness and mor
tality in their jails.
60. The prisoners complained of the quality of their food, but as it
is always carefully examined by Mr. Norval before it is issued, and as
what I saw was good of its kind, I do not consider their complaint to be
well founded.
6 1 . The scorbutic condition of the majority of the prisoners however
renders a temporary change in their diet necessary ; and I shall feel
obliged by the Medical Officer's substituting an equivalent of ghee for
mustard oil, and issuing a ration of potatoes and a small quantity of sour
milk to all such prisoners as he may consider to require them. An extra
allowance must also be given to all prisoners while engaged in cleaning
out the Tank, to protect them against the exhalations to which they must
be more or less exposed.
Fetters
62; These are badly and roughly made, and
there are more sore legs in this than in any other
jail which I have yet seen.
63. The Judge noticed the subject in the visitors book, and the
Magistrate intimates that the prisoners will not wear the mozahs issued
to them.
64. I am afraid they must either have been badly made, or that
there is some mismanagement in the matter on the part of the Darogah and

(
his subordinates. I
particular attention to
65. The fetters
infirm men, who were
Manufactures.

299

request the Magistrate's and Medical Officer's

this subject.
should at once be removed from all the old and
considered fit subjects for release by Mr. Loch.
66. These, as I have already
J remarked are
excellent, and reflect much credit upon the Officer

in charge of the jail.

67. Some prisoners were pointed to me who have not only been
uniformly quiet and well-behaved, but who are in addition skilled work
men. The Magistrate should select a certain number of these, strike off
their irons and make them khillaburdars and work-overseers, as has been
done with the best effect at Alipore. The khillaburdar of each ward
should at night be responsible for the good conduct of all in his ward,
and to the indulgences above noted may receive an extra pice worth of
rations every day.
68. These are more numerous than there can be any real necessity
for. Including the Darogah and his assistant and
Guards.

the jemadar and military guard, they are in the

proportion of one to every six prisoners.
69. As this will, however, undergo revision when the general
question of the guards of all jails is submitted to the Government, I do
not consider it necessary to discuss the subject further at present.

LOHARDUGGA.
I visited the Lohardugga jail on the evening of Thursday the
19th, and on the morning of Fri'day the 20th of February 1857, accom
panied by the Principal Assistant Commissioner, Captain Davies, and on
the evening of the 21st instant, with Captain Davies and Dr. Warneford.
2. The jail was clean and orderly throughout, but, with the excep
tion that the three wards were united by a mud
General state.
.
wall, was in exactly the state described by Mr.
Ricketts in his report. Civil prisoners, criminals, and all other classes
are mixed together, without any attempt at classification, separation
being, in the present arrangements of the jail, impracticable. A portion
of one of the wards is walled off for women, of whom there are two at pre
sent in custody ; they are not otherwise separated from the other prisoners.
p

300

The wards are three in number, built of mud, with pucka floors and
tiled roofs. The yards between them are laid with gravel.
The defects of the jail are its site, want of drainage, absence of the
means of separating different classes of prisoners, objectionable con
servancy arrangements, absence of in-door labor, expense of guarding,
undue cost of repairs, general laxness of discipline inseparable from its
construction, and the mode of employing the convicts.
3.

The
paragraphs
quoted in the
Sita # r
margin * from
the report of Mr. Ricketts,
embody the objections to the
existing positron of the jail.
Having also examined
the different sites, I quite
concur in the recommenda
tion of Mr. Ricketts that
the prison should be re
moved to the locality mark
ed No. 3 in his plan, as the
present site is, in every point
of view, most undesirable.
The ground on which
the jail now stands is valu
able from its proximity to
the Bazar, and it is not imporbable that if sold in build,
ing lots, it will realize suffi
cient to purchase the ground
and materials for buildino- a
new jail near the hill.
I beg, therefore, strong
ly to recommend the adop
tion of a proposal which
has been urged for some
years, by every authority
interested in, and personally acquainted with this jail.

* Para : 106. The jail at Rainchee may have

been suitably situated when first erected, but it is
now very necessary that it should be removed else
where. The Bazar has grown up on three sides of
it, and there being no jail walls, it appears to be a
part of the Bazar. It is to leeward of a large tank,
which being formed by a dam across low ground, the
upper part, that nearest the jail, is always swam
py, and from October to the beginning of the ensu
ing rains, there is always a margin of considerable
breadth drying up. Moreover, immediately outside
the jail, to the West from which quarter the prevail
ing wind blows, there are paddy fields.
Para : 107. It being agreed by all the authori
ties, that the removal of the jail is most necessary,
I carefully examined the different sites in the neigh
bourhood available, and requested the Surgeon to
state his opinion of each.
Para : 108. Dr, Brougham accordingly submit
ted the annexed plan of the station, with the three
sites available, marked, 1, 2, 3, with reference to his
estimation of each. He prefers the spot marked 1 ,
but those is no water near : it is close to the road,
and almost immediately opposite a beautiful new
Church erecting by the German Mission located at
Rainchee. As the Surgeon always lives at Dorunda,
it would be very convenient to him to have the jail
at this spot, marked No. 1, which is on the Dorunda
road ; but there is no other advantage observable in
this site, and it would be most objectionable to place
a jail within a few yards of the Church
Para : 109. No. 2, has some of the same objec
tions a3 No. 1 ; there is no water, and it would be
objectionable to place the jail immediately in front
of the Agency House.
Para: 110. No. 3, is preferred by all, except the
Surgeon. It is at a convenient distance from the
great tank, without being too near. It is to wind
ward of the tank, the prevailing winds being West
and North West. The wind is never from the East,
except in rainy weather, when the tank is not whole
some. Though not far distant from the Bazar, there
is no chance of the Bazar ever reaching the spot,
the tank being between. It is not so near the hill,
that any inconvenience will be occasioned by it. In
my opinion, this site is, in every respect, the most
suitable to be found.

301

But I do not concur with Mr. Ricketts in deeming it necessary to

retain long term prisoners at Rainchee, as mentioned in a succeeding
paragraph. I think, therefore, that ajail for all laboring prisoners male and
female of six months' sentence and under, civil prisoners, and a hajut is
all that is really needed. A calculation of the average often years would
easily show for what number accommodation would be required, and the
whole might, I believe, be built with convict labor for about five hundred
Rupees.
The jail should be surrounded by a ramp and ditch as at Hazareebaugh, and contain a hajut, a civil prison, a female and labouring ward,
and a small hospital ; each should contain a small cook-shed and privy,
and be separated for the others by a low mud wall.
Mud wall with tiled roofs, mud floois, and raised machauns for the
prisoners to sleep on, would be ample and suitable.
A Jemadar and ten Burkundauzes would be ample establishment for
such a jail, and the periodical repairs might be executed by the short term
laboring prisoners, and ought not to cost more than a few rupees annually.
I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's kindly recording his senti
ments on these points.
The repair of the station roads might be provided for far more
efficiently, and at a cheaper rate than at present, by the arrangement
suggested in paragraph 8.
4. In the note appended to page 29 of the report of Mr. Ricketts
containing the remarks of the Civil Surgeon in
Drainage.
.
.
1849, and quoted in the margin for readier re
ference will be seen, the
"On the 22nd September 1849, the Surgeon wrote
as follows, respecting the present locality of the
jail:Immediately in front is the back of the
Bazar, to the West up to the very jail compound
are rice grounds, from which in the hot season, the
most offensive effluvia are wafted by the prevalent
" winds direct to the jail. To the South, about
" three hundred yards distant, is a large sheet of
" water, which being shallow at the North end has
during the hot season a margin of verdant mud
" while in and about the immediate vicinity of the
" jail are holes and pits of all sizes, full of putrefy" ing matter and water, to fill up which will, I am
' sure, employ the prisoners for the next twelve
" months. I think then I have cause to say the
site of the jail is the reverse of good, especially
" when in addition, the present locality presents
" this inconvenient feature, viz. that the jail com.
" pound cannot be enlarged, at least without taking
" in rice fields, or pulling down the Bazar."

reasons which render it

-i ,
.. c
..
impossible satisfactorily to
drain the ground on which
. .
the jail now stands.
,
J he large Sheet of water
; ^ however, be rendered
o >
'
much more wholesome by
running a blind aci'OSS Its
M
,
,
, , _
North end and deepening
Jt measures which I consider
essential for the health of the
.
. . . ..

town, as well as of the jail.

304

This is a direct tax on the jail if not less than Rupees 1,200 annually,
in addition to removing the convicts from the control of the Magistrate,
whose authority ceases at the cantonment boundary.
In the rains there is no shelter for the convicts, and the distance
renders it almost certain that they must be thoroughly drenched once or
oftener, on every day in which rain falls.
The Commissioner's house is a public building, but its roads might
6urely be kept in perfect order for the salary of the two burkundauzes
guarding the prisorlers, independent of the heavy tax levied in the
ten prisoners whom they are appointed to assist in doing as little as they
possibly can.
It is these abuses which render the cost of jails so heavy, and their
management so ineffectual as regards the punishment of crime in the
Lower Provinces.
The only remedy for them is the introduction of the Central Peni
tentiary plan, and the assignment of the product of the convicts labor to
the purposes above mentioned.
The expense of guards is out of all proportion to the requirements of
a really efficient penitentiary, and in a district jail, with a superannuated
Darogah and a corrupt establishment, is a waste of the public money.
9. I found that the periodical repairs had commenced under the
Repairs.
direction of the Department
of Public Works and
r
on questioning the boy in charge of the work,
it seems that they are to cost more than three hundred rupees.
This boy, a half educated pupil of the Russapuglah School, draws a
salary of Rupees 12 a month, and is entrusted with the framing of esti
mates, which cannot be properly controlled by the Executive Officer at
a distance.
The whole of the mud buildings forming the jail cannot be worth
very much more than the sum above mentioned, and as I regard the
charge to be altogether incommensurate with the result to be attained,
I have directed the work to be stopped, as soon as the ward now untiled
is covered in. I have also directed three roof ventilators to be added.
The Chief Engineer must, I fear, have misunderstood my wishes in
the matter of those repairs. It was only intended to employ skilled
agency in work requiring it, when the Magistrate was unable to under
take it himself. Now in the repair of the Lohardugga mud huts there

305

is nothing that the Magistrate could not execute, with the aid of convict
labor, under the supervision of a single tiler. The skilled agency of the
twelve rupee boy is probably no better than that of the inefficient
Darogah, I shall feel obliged, therefore, by the Magistrate's completing
the repairs himself with convict labor, and intimating to the Executive
Officer my reasons for stopping the execution of the work by his depart
ment. It is my intention on my return to the presidency to communi
cate again with the Chief Engineer on the subject, with a view to the
issue of revised instructions.
The cost of repairs last year was returned to me as Rupees 324-3-5J
I do not understand this, as the former repairs were executed in 1853-54,
and shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's kindly ascertaining from his
f records why the sum was only brought to account last year, and why it
was not liquidated at an earlier date, instead of being debited to a year
with which it had no connection.
10. The prisoners, as Mr. Ricketts remarked, are too well fed and
presented a sleekness of appearance and embon
point, which induced them to complain to me of
the withdrawal of tobacco and the want of oil to anoint their bodies, as
insufferable hardships. I have reason to believe that much delusion
exists as to the necessity of old rice, which is not procurable, and not
eaten in the district by people far superior in condition to the convicts.
There is not only no need to feed them on a finer variety of food than
they are used to in their own houses, but it is an abuse which ought not
to exist.
I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's therefore seeing that they
get only such food as they have been accustomed to, sufficient in quan
tity, and good of its kind. More than this is not necessary.
The establishment of a vegetable garden would very much dimin
ish the cost of food, and give the prisoners the variety necessary to
prevent their becoming scorbutic.

SINGHBHOOM.
I visited and inspected the jail at Chybassa on Sunday the 22nd
and Monday the 23rd of February 1857, accompanied by the Principal
Assistant Commissioner and Sub-Assistant Surgeon.

2.

306

The jail was in as clean and creditable a state as its construc

tion admitted of. With the exception of the roof3
General state.
having been slightly raised from the walls, so as to
126. The jail is an open mud shed, built in the improve the ventilation of
shape of a square. Till lately there was no wall of
the wards, the buildings are
any sort, now a bank of earth, about 5 feet high and
S feet wide, has been thrown up round it. There are
in exactly the state des
at this time 170 prisoners. They remain there be
cause they do not choose to run the risk of punish
cribed
by Mr. Ricketts in
ment for escaping. There is nothing to prevent any
one from getting out who has not made up his mind
the 126 th and 127th para
to remain inside, except the very objectionable plan
graphs of his report, quoted
of having a single Burkundauz stationed in the
ward with the prisoners.
in
the margin for readier
127. With the exception of the year 1852, when
the cholera killed 66, the jail has been healthy.
reference.
Such a place is beyond criticism, but it seems doubt
ful whether a prisoner should be punished for
Discipline there can be
escaping when he is placed where he is incited to
none in such a place, and
escape.
although the flagrant violations of propriety noticed by Mr. Ricketta no
longer exist, the prison is scarcely to be regarded as a place of punishment.
Captain Sissmore informed me that the withdrawal of the liquor no128. .The dietary system prescribed in the Re- ticed in the 128th para
gulation Provinces has been carried out; neither
graph of the above men
opium nor tobacco is allowed, but on Sundays the pri
soners are still feasted with five sheep at Rupee I
tioned report, has caused a
each, and Rupees 2 worth of oil and mussallah besides
the usual daily rations ; this indulgence should be
considerable diminution of
stopped. The relations of Coles are permitted to
petty crimes in the district,
bring an intoxicating drink common among them,
and give it to those incarcerated. Theory says this
and been attended with no
should be stopped also : if the liquor is absolutely
indispensable to the health of the prisoners, it should
injury to the health of the
be procured and served out in such quantities as may
be necessary. But with such a jail, and the sort of inmates, thus proving that
discipline there must be at Chybassa, such a rule would
the danger of the withmerely saddle the Government with the cost of the
liqour, which is now paid by the sympathizing friends.
drawal of grog, like that
of tobacco, deserves to be classed among the fallacies of the faculty, of
which not -a few have heretofore passed muster and become articles of
medical belief, from the strictly anti-baconian method in which they have
been treated.
The feast of mutton and mussulahs continues. The Sunday lambs,
of whom two by the way were kids approaching the age of puberty,
were ready for the slaughter when I visited the jail, and were killed for
my inspection as I was going round. The flesh was good and whole
some, notwithstanding the animals being of the lean kine species. My
object in noticing the matter is because of a sleek, well-fed, oily-looking
Cole, who acted as the spokesman of the prisoners, complaining to me

307

of the hardship of not having fat, gram-fed mutton to indulge in. Now
I am told that the Coles never by any chance have meat in their home
steads, I therefore concur with Mr. Ricketts in deeming the indulgence
altogether misplaced, and, provided they have a sufficiency of wholesome
vegetable food, with the variety of " turcarie" procurable from the station
garden, it can be at once withdrawn without any fear of injury to the
health of the convicts. I shall be obliged, therefore, by the Magistrate's
abolishinc the issue of meat from the end of the month in which this
order is received, and by his directing the Sub-Assistant Surgeon to note
carefully and report the result in his monthly return on the health of the
prisoners, until it is fully established, as I have no doubt that it will be,
that they can thrive perfectly well without it.
*" It was stopped on the suggestion of Mr. Ricketts, and resumed
again on the recommendation of the late Principal Assistant Commission
er, based upon a report of the Sub-Assistant Surgeon. I have read over
the correspondence carefully, and do not consider that a fair case for the
resumption was made out.
The post hoc, was, as it too often is, taken for the propter hoc.
The increase of sickness was trifling and not of a character that
would have been caused by the withdrawal of meat, had that been the
real reason of the augmentation.
The unhealthiest time of the year at Chybassa appears to be the
hot season. Should the number and severity of the attacks of Diarrhoea
and Dysentery undergo any perceptible change for the worse, a ration
of dliye twice or thrice a week, may be issued to every sickly prisoner.
The jail is not worth spending monev on, nor
Changes recommended.
.
do I think a new and more costly prison necessary
for the district, as mentioned hereafter.
The only changes I would now make are to ventilate the roofs
along the ridge, to open air holes six inches square near the floors, pro
tected by iron bars ; to take up the present privy drains, and substitute
for them day privies on the Alipore plan, but with iron instead of earthen
vessels. These vessels should be fitted carfully into masonry beds, and the
filth be carried away daily and buried in trenches to the leeward of the jailThe cook-rooms need repair urgently. They are too numerous.
The one nearest the wards may be removed immediately, and a portion
of one of the remaining three be walled off for the prisoners under trial.
Q

308

They should all be pallisaded off so as to prevent convicts carrying

away fire, and attempting to burn down the jail, as appears to have been
essayed once, if not oftener.
Near each cook-shed should be constructed a small brick reservior,
four feet long, three in breadth, and two in depth; into this all the refuse
water of cooking, and the rinsing of the prisoners' mouths, &c., should be
collected and the whole should be removed by hand, and thrown away
without the jail daily. It is now spilt about the place, and is unsavoury
as well as unwholesome.
Prisoners.

4.

There were 171 prisoners in custody, viz. :

Labouring,
Non-labouring,
Hajut,
Life convict ordered to Alipore,

140
1
29
1

'

171

Of the above five are employed in clearing the jail and five as black
smiths, the remainder work on the roads.
There are thirteen cooks, ten for the Coles, and three for other castes.
This is too large a number. The Cole messes should be 30 strong,
for whom one cook is sufficient.
There is no strictly penal labor in the jail. As manufactures can
not be introduced, the oil mill should be tried, as it is both penal and
profitable, oil-seed being abundant, while oil is extremely dear in the
the district.
Guards.

5.
1
1
36

To guard this jail there are employed

Jemadar,
Duffadar,
Burkundauzes, @ 4 each,

Total,

16 Rupees.
8

144

168 Rupees.

309

In addition to this there is a Military guard from the Ramghur

Battalion of
1 Havildar, at
10 Rupees.
1 Naick,
7

26 Sepoys, at 5-4 each,

84

Total,

Ill Rupees.

Or the whole monthly cost of the guards is Rupees 279, being for
171 prisoners at the rate of 1-10-1 per mensem eacha very heavy out
lay for such a purpose.
6. There were few sick in hospital, and the
Hospital.
cases were not very serious.
The cost of medicines is however very extravagant, and the charges
for the physic of the Cole Hospital and the detachment of troops as well
as of the prisoners, are all debited to the jail.
Upon carefully examining the list of European medicinesI found twelve
that have never been used, and many more which there is no real need for.
In this, as in almost every other jail hospital in my jurisdiction,
there is a considerable and most unnecessary waste of the public money,
which it is not in my power to check, and for which I am unable, there
fore, to be responsible. These out-stations are never visited, and never
likely to be seen by a Superintending Surgeon. That Officer has no
particular interest in the economical management of jails, hence an
amount of outlay that is out of all proportion to the real requirements of
the sick, for a large number of the medicines spoil and are thrown away.
The expenditure of bazar medicines is likewise extravagant, and
needs to be curtailed, but as the bills are not at present submitted to me,
I have no control in the matter.
7. This is another department in which the absolute and wanton
waste of the public money is still greater. The
annual repairs of this collections of mud huts
amounts to nearly half their value, and there is nothing connected with
them which the Magistrate might not execute with the . aid of convict
labor, at an outlay of a few rupees annually.
I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's kindly stopping the execution
of any further repairs or additions by .the Executive Department, and
by his taking them into his own hands for the future, submitting to me
estimates of such works as may from time to time, be urgently required.

310

8. I am of opinion that imprisonment in this jail is no real punish

ment, that the transfer of the prisoners to a central prison would be a
measure of economy as well as of efficiency, and that the roads would
be better repaired by the assignment of the value of the in-door labor of
these convicts to the entertainment of a regular road gang, than they are
in the existing system.

MAUNBHOOM.
I VISITED the jail at Purulia with Captain G. N. Oakes, Principal
Assistant Commissioner, twice on the 26th of February 1857, in \rhich
visits I examined carefully the buildings, and the whole of the prisoners
specially mustered for the purpose.
2. The buildings are exactly as they were when examined by Mr.
Ricketts and described by
in his published
General State.
J him
.
'
report, of which the extract in the margin* con
tains an accurate and faithful account. Such places are, as Mr. Ricketts
observed, beyond criticism
Para. 104. This jail is of the same character as
the Chybassa jail, mud and thatch. The plan is
there is no need, therefore,
open to fewer objections, but the arrangements are
to waste more words upon
worse.
Para. 105. There is one large room 130 X 16,
them.
in which all those sentenced to long periods of im
prisonment are confined. In this room there are now
The place was as clean
106 persons ; allowing 6 X 4, or 24 superficial feet,
for each person to lie on, the space should be 2.544
and orderly as the most
feet, but the ward is only 2.080 feet, so that there
scrupulous
care and atten
are now more than there should be, and the number,
if necessary, is increased to 125. In the room to the
tion could make it, and I
left of the gate, 90 X 16, those sentenced to short
periods, and those under trial. are placed. Here
have never seen a better fed
also there are too many, I found 70 in confinement ;
they ought to have 1,680 feet, they have only 1,440.
and more sleek collection of
At the season of the year "it is of less consequence,
criminals. The abundance
the jail being a little crowded and they are not unhealthy ; but in the hot months, there should not
of the food, the lightness of
be above 86 in the long ward and 60 in the smaller
ward at the utmost.
the work, and the evident
Para. 106. The cook rooms are longer than is
facilities for obtaining for
necessary. I would convert one half into another
ward for prisoners. The civil prisoners and the
bidden indulgences which
women should be removed elsewhere, and the rooms
the construction and guard
they occupy marie into another ward.
Para. 107. The hospital for the sick is situated
ing of such a jail render it
to the South, the cooking room for the sick is to the
north. I would enlarge a sentry box, which stands
nearly impossible to prevent,
near the hospital, and make it into a cooking room
for the sick. I would make the room marked A the
are, in my belief, the pri-

311

apartment for women, and the present cooking room

for the sick their cooking room. This would, with
walls erected, as marked in the plan, be as much
separated from the male prisoners, as circumstances
will admit of.
The godown-room marked B I
would make the civil Jail.
Para ; 108. The whole is now surrounded by a
bankandditch I would throw the ba.jk back into
the ditch, and build a pucka wall eight feet high all
round. The prisoners could burn the bricks, burn
the lime and assist in building the wall. The cost
would be inconsiderable, and there would then be
some little security. The godown may require a
few alterations to make it suitable for the civil
prisoners, but alterations of mud and thatch cost
but little. The thatch should be every where lifted
a few inches from the wall for the sake of ventilalation ; of course escape is facilitated by such an
arrangement, but it is of little moment, when there
are so many other chances of escape, and such venlilation is most needful.

**e

3.

ramp* of tlift infrpm3r> causes Ot tlie llllreqUency of escapes,

.
The jail IS badly placed,
,
,
P ,
and among the causes Ol the
f
and severity of
1
J
J
^,e epidemics of Cholera,
,
.
Which nave Visited, it are the
, . , ~olln(J to the
unaraineU ground 10 tlie
gouthwaro\ the
Complete

.r
absence of Ventilation in the
.
wards, and occasional OVerj
Crowding.

The ridges of the roof should be at once raised, and small

Present change, pro- air holes opened near the floor of the wards at
posed.
intervals of six feet each.
Day privies on the Alipore plan may be constructed in the wards.
The door of the civil jail should open into the outer enclosure,
instead of being, as at present, a portion of the criminal jail.
The cook-rooms are much too extensive; one-half should be walled
off to serve as a Hajut, instead of the present confined space, but the
utmost care must be taken to avoid the chance of fire from the very un
safe and unwise thatched roof now covering the cook shed. As soon as
it can be accomplished, tiles should, at least in the cook-shed, be sub
stituted for the thatch: a little leaking is not of so much consequence as
the great
risk of fire.
.
h
4. At the time of my visit
there were O0O
232
Prisoners.
prisoners in custody, viz :
Sentenced to labor,
Without labor,
u .
Hajut,
Sessions,
Dewany and Oollectorate,

172
o
32
12

Insane,
Wounded,
232 '
There are no manufactures in the jail, all either work on the roads
or as jail servants.

312

The oil mill should at once be introduced, and the female prisoners
be employed within the jail.
5. Here, as in Singhbhoom, the prisoners who never eat meat in
their own homes, are provided with animal food
twice a week, at considerable cost. This must at
once be discontinued, care being taken that the amount of vegetable food
is ample in quantity, and as varied as the district can produce.
In the charges are included two pice a head monthly for shaving.
This also is an unnecessary expense. When there are no convicts of the
barber caste in jail, two or three steady prisoners of other castes should
be taught to shave, and all shaving, washing, and similar operations
should be done on Sundays, when there is no other occupation for the
prisoners.
.
_, The non-laboring prisoners should not be exempted from messing,
except on special grounds.
6. The repairs of this jail are extremely and unnecessarily costly,
as the following enumeration of the sums expended
in four years will show:
1852-53
1853-54
1854-55
1855-56

61 4 8
373 7 3
189 11 0
414 13 11

The Magistrate should at once take them into his own hands, and
execute none but such as are absolutely necessary.
7. Whether the long term prisoners are, or are not, transferred to
a central jail, a new prison will be required for
Conclusion.
.
.
_
.
this station. Its nature, cost, and extent will
necessarily depend upon the decision of the question above referred to.
In the mean time I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's ascer
taining and reporting on the following points from his records as far
back as possible, viz. :
The average number of criminal prisoners of six months' sentence
and under, in custody, giving at the same time the maximum ever confined.
The average number of civil and female prisoners.
The Darogah was under suspension for six months, at the time of my
visit, the cauee of this should be reported to me.

313

BARE
I visited the Lock-up at Barh immediately on my arrival
at
of January
Lock-up B*.
lg57the station, on the 30th
2.

It was much crowded with a gang of dacoits recently captured

by Mr. Vincent, and was as clean as clay floors
General State.
'
.
'
and mud walls can be, in such circumstauces.
It struck me, however, that the Burkundauzes usurp the lion's
share" of the accommodation, and have an extravagant amount of
space for their cooking.
One of the rooms would he quite sufficient for them, with a threefoot raised partition to separate the chulahs of Hindus and Mahommedans the other might then by a similar arrangement be devoted
to the prisoners, so as to get rid of the cooking in the inner verandahs,
which renders it difficult to keep the place as clean as it ought to be.
3. ' The Lock-up is very insecure for so large a place as Barh and

for so active a Magistrate as Mr. Vincent. The

Defects of the building.
,
.
.,
,
gang ot desperadoes now in it, it they have any
outside sympathizers, would not find it difficult to overpower the guard
and escape.
It should at least have an outer puckah wall, the buildings might
with advantage be better distributed, and if an equally high site can be
found, it would be better to remove it further from the town.
4. The dacoits complained that they had not enough to eat, but
their outward case was not such as to convince
Complaints of Prisoners.
me of the truth of their assertion.

PATNA (HAJUT.)
I visited the Hajut attached to the Court of the Deputy Ma
gistrate in the City, with Dr. Dicken. The
Patna, City Hajut.
Mouluvee received and accompanied us in our
examination, which was unexpected.
y

(
2.

314

The place is close, confined, damp and ill-ventilated ; its con

servancy arrangements are faulty, and the only
General State.
. .
.
, .
.
, ,
,,
provision tor cooking enjoyed by the prisoners
under trial, is in small chulahs in the open air, behind the Mouluvee's
Cutcherry.
There were fourteen men confined in it on the day of my visit.
The Mouluvee informed me that double that number were occasionally,
but not frequently, in custody.
The average detention is about four days, but instances have
occurred in which the accused have remained as long as a month. This
happens about twice a year.
The prisoners are allowed three pice a day for food, which they
expend as they please, a Moodie supplying them with all that they
require.
The water in the well of the compound used in cooking is unfit
for such use, being saturated with saltpetre. The water given to the
prisoners to drink is said to be brought from the river, but I very
much doubt the correctness of the assertion.
The centre room of the Hajut is occupied by the guard, and on
the right hand side of it is a small room for females. This is even
more objectionable than the male ward, for there were no arrange
ments for the seclusion of a female, which even the most ordinary
delicacy requires.
3. A new Hajut is much needed. It should have compartments for
men and women properly separated from each
other, and in the yard of each should be its own
cook-room and privy. The guard room should be separated from the
wards, and all that is required might be built for five hundred Rupees,
in the small garden behind the Cutcherry.
The Sub-Assistant Surgeon should be required to visit it very
frequently, to see that it is kept clean and wholesome, and that proper
water is supplied for cooking and drinking.
He lives close at hand, is a zealous officer, and has expressed his
willingness to undertake this duty whenever called upon to do so.
There is already a small separate ward added to the Dispensary
buildings for the reception of the sick and wounded of the Hajut.
For the information contained in this note, I am indebted to
Mouluvee Moula Buksh, the Deputy Magistrate of Patna.

315

BEHAR (LOCK-UP.)
I only became acquainted accidentally with the Hajut attached to
the Sudder Thannah of the City, and visited it on the morning of Sunday,
the 15th instant, accompanied by the Civil Surgeon of Gya.
It consists of a room adjoining the Thannah, with two small, dark,
unventilated godowns opening into it, one of which was locked up, and
was said to be a Mai Khanah, the other was open, and from the abomi
nate smell proceeding from it, seems to be used as a privy.
There were three men confined in it at the time of my visit, two of
whom declared that they had been there for eleven days. The place was
very dirty, but as the Darogah and Jemadar were absent in attendance
on the Rajah of Benares, I could obtain no information regarding it.
There was an impudent fellow apparently in charge of the guards,
from whom I could extract nothing.
It appears to me that no prisoners should be confined in such a place
for more than a single night : and as the Magistrate will doubtless en
quire into its state, he will pass such orders as may be necessary for its
being kept in a clean, wholesome state.

HOWRAH JAIL.
I visited the reduced Jail at Howrah a few days since, accom
panied by the Magistrate and the Civil Surgeon.
It contains few prisoners, and was in good order throughout.
2. There slept in the prison on the 28th of
Prisoners.
_ .
.

February last 26 prisoners viz :

Labouring prisoners,
Non Labouring,
Under trial of whom 3 were females,

Total,

4
8
14
26

316

All prisoners above one month's sentence are now transferred to

Alipore.
I am of opinion that, for some time to come, and in fact until it is
full, all such prisoners should be transferred to Hooghly, where labour
is much required, where it is considerably more profitable than at
Alipore, and where the Jail is now much more healthy than tbat of the
24-Pergnnnahs.
The transit by rail can be effected cheaply and quickly, it appears
to me, therefore, to be in every point of view, a more desirable arrange
ment.
I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's kindly stating any objection
he may entertain to this proposal.
3. The cost of feeding the prisoners is high, anti
Diet.
,
,.,;,
, ,
,
ought not to exceed 9 pie a day all round, for each.
The fish of the labouring prisoners should be cut off at once. It is
only for long term prisoners, whose health would suffer from reduced
rations, that fish and flesh are at all necessary. In fact, convicts of one
month's sentence should be placed on non-labouring diet. A little pinch
ing in the belly, which Sydney Smith regards as the most vulnerable
part of a thief, is an excellent and wholesome discipline for those whose
health will not suffer by it. Next to a good flogging, which I regard as
by far the most efficient and really humane preventive of petty crime in
the vast majority of instances, penal diet is the most simple and success
ful method of causing a jail to fulfil its real functions of punishment and
prevention.
The following is a memorandum of the present cost of feeding the
prisoners, furnished by the Magistrate.

Tabove
change
a*week
the
of
days
lSundays,
rcwhen
will
the
except
theaoeonnbcrsameasvoneiuactrveisng
Seers
19per
At
Seers
Rupee.
At
10per SAt
Mds.per
At
Md.
At
1-15-6
Rs.perRupee.
7eersper Rupee.
ditto.
Seers
At
00perMaund.
Rs.
At
10per Maund.
Rs.
At
10per Rupee.
Remabks.

00
i 0 10
1i
00
o0 0

I0
1f

0i
o
0- 0 10
100 0
3000i
4

7
00
P.
A.
Rs.

Price.

0
Tuesday.
soner
each
to Priper
Quantity
of al
Articles lowed
Working
Prisoners.

Ch.
S.
M.

diem.
0
\

00
0 0 10J
1J6
1i
7
0J
000

60
1

Rs.
P.
A.

Price.

$
0
Monday.*
soner
lowed
to Priper
of al
Quantity
Articles each

Ch.
S.
M.

0i
000
0i
1 0 0 01
4
100 0

0000
o 00 10$
0
oI
1i
6
00J

1
0

i 00
00
101 3
0 0 0 i0
4
01

diem.

Priceper
P.
A.
Rs.

Nand
on-Labouring
Hajut
Prisoners.

day.

soner
lowed
to Priper
Quantity
of al
Articles each
diem.

M.
Ch.
S.

}
0
[
ing
Priut
each
Total
feed--)
of
cost

Descofription
Articles.
Oil,
Mustar. d.
Vegetable,
Rice, Doll Fish,. .' Flesh, Salt,

Mus ala, Firewo d,

Ottah,

)
soner,

ncon-vliacbotusr.ing

(318

4.

The buildings are in good repair but require a few changes to

render them more healthy and habitable than they
Buildings.
are at present.
Gumlah ventilators, five in number, should be placed in the roofs
requiring them, the quarters of the Jail mohurrir and guard need also
better ventilation, and small tiled cooksheds are required for the hajut
and female ward.
Estimates of all these works may be submitted by the Magistrate, as
well as of any minor repairs that may be necessary.

KISSENGUNGE.
I visited the Deputy Magistrate's Hajut at Kissengunge on Friday,
the 17th April 1857.
2. So far as the place admitted of it, it was clean and in good order.
3. It consists of a large mat building with a thatched roof, a nar
row verandah on one side, and the whole slightly raised from the ground.
In this building are placed all prisoners of both sexes, under trial, and
around the room sleep the burkundauzes. It is scarcely possible to ima
gine any arrangement more insecure and objectionable.
4. The hospital is in a separate mat hut of large dimensions, about
a hundred yards from the Hajut. It serves for a public dispensary as
well, and is entirely without the means of preventing the escape of any
prisoner. The public store of medicines and instruments contained in it is
also liable to be stolen at any time, for the native doctor lives at thirty
yards distance from the hospital, and no one remains in it at night.
5. As the district is extensive and a good many prisoners pass
through this lock-up in the course of the year, it is very desirable that a
suitable place of detention should be built on the plan and scale of those
recommended for Burhie and Bhuddruck.
6. The roof of the jail urgently needs repair, which should be
effected before the setting in of the rains.
7. The Native Doctor complained, with some reason, of being com
pelled to send in his reports in English, a language with which he is
entirely unacquainted, and which men of his class are not expected to
understand. He is consequently obliged, from his small pittance, to pay for

319

the translation of his returns into very bad English. They should either
be translated and copied for him by the Mohurrir of the Deputy Magis
trate's Court, or if that individual be also ignorant of English, the Native
Doctor should be permitted to send in his returns in his own vernacular
tongue.
8. Again, the Native Doctor brought to my notice that the prevail
ing (endemic) diseases of the district are Goitre, Fever, and Spleen, the
half yearly supply of medicines for the treatment of which is exhausted
in a fortnight. This might easily be remedied without much additional
cost.
9. The Native Doctor lastly applied to me to grant him leave of
absence for six months to proceed to his home, as he was somewhat out
of health, and had not enjoyed any such privilege for twelve consecutive
years. I directed him to apply for it through the regular channel. He
declared that he had done so four times without effect, but I can scarcely
credit his statement, and therefore, recommend that the Civil Assistant
Surgeon of Purneah send in his application in the present instance.
10. This out-post needs frequent medical visitation.

DARJEELING.
I visited the jail at Darjeeling on Monday, the 27th of April 1857,
accompanied by the Officiating Superintendent and the Civil Surgeon.
2. The present prison has long been condemned by the local autho
rities as entirely unsuited to its purpose, and I
Present State.
.
,
,.
. T .
*
concur in the verdict, tor 1 have seldom seen so
objectionable a place. In the infancy of the station, before it became
surrounded by bazars and buildings, it may have answered tolerably well,
but an entire change of site and arrangements is now an urgent necessity.
It is situated close to the bazar, contains four ill-ventilated and
badly lighted compartments, and is covered by a frail, combustible roof
The out-offices, and small tanks for the prisoners to bathe in, are on the
public road, and the sick prisoners are placed in a side room of the sta
tion hospital.
It was clean, and in as good order as such a place can be, but for
obvious reasons it is singularly ill-adapted for a place of imprisonment.

320

Its close proximity to the bazar renders the procuring of forbidden

indulgences feasible, while the good food, warm clothing, and fires are
not unlikely to render it a favorite place of resort for distressed Lepchas
in hard times, the qualification for admission by the commission of
petty crimes being easy, and attended with no moral stigma in the esti
mation of the Hill Tribes.
It is an expensive jail, each prisoner having, during the two past
years cost an average of sixty rupees, while the smallness of their numbers
and the defective construction of the buildings have rendered it impos
sible to introduce any penal or profitable labour.
It is also an unhealthy place, the average mortality for 1852-53
inclusive having been 10*59 per cent. The most common diseases are
fevers, pulmonary affections, and diseases of the stomach and bowels, but
from the defective nature of the medical returns heretofore furnished,
it is at present impossible to assign each to its proper cause. The num
bers from which the calculations are made are however, too small to
admit of any rigid accuracy being obtained, for some time to come.
All the sanitary objections to the existing Jail are concisely pointed
out in the report of the Civil Surgeon for the official year 1855-56, and
are printed at p. LXXI, of the appendix to the report for that period.
3. All the authorities concerned, concurring strongly in the urgent
necessity of building a new jail in a more conRecommendations.
venient locality, I communicated personally with
Captain Murray, the Executive Officer on the subject, and after full
discussion of all the requirements for a proper prison, that officer has
kindly engaged to prepare a suitable plan according to the following
specification.
I. The jail to be removed to a convenient distance from all exist
ing buildings, and to be placed in a spot susceptible of perfect drainage,
with a good water supply. The site to be sufficiently extended to admit
of the formation cf a large vegetable garden, in which healthy and pro
fitable employment may be found for the convicts.
II. The jail buildings to contain separate wards for condemned
criminal prisoners, civil prisoners, a female ward, a small ward for Euro
peans, and a hajut ; the amount of accommodation in each department
to be in excess of the calculated average of former years, as the station and
population in the surrounding hills are rapidly increasing, and a rateable
increase of crime may be anticipated.

321

A dozen solitary cells are also needed for refractory prisoners, and
for all whom it may be desirable or necessary to separate temporarily.
The roof of all these buildings to be of shingle, and the fire places
to be so constructed as to be inaccessible to the prisoners, the fire being
fed from without.
All the wards to have roof ventilation, and to afford at least 500
cubic feet of air for each inmate.
The solitary cells to have at least 800 cubic feet of air, to be venti
lated in the roof, to be warmed by heated air from below, and to be
furnished with such conservancy arrangements as will admit of their
being kept clean and pure from without.
The hospital to be separated from, but in the same enclosure with
the jail, to afford accommodation for at least twelve patients with 600
cubic feet of air for each, to be ventilated in the roof, and to contain in
addition small suitable apartments for the subordinate medical establish
ment, and dispensary.
The out-offices to consist of guard rooms, kitchens, privies, and
store rooms, adequate to all the requirements of the institution.
A small dead house to be placed in the vicinity of the hospital.
The privies to be so constructed as to admit of the daily removal of
all the filth, either to manure the garden or to be carried away beyond
the reach of infecting the jail.
The sentry boxes to be raised at each angle of the outer walls, so as
to overlook the whole enclosure.
The whole jail to be surrounded by a Btrong, seven foot wooden
pointed palisade, let into masonry two feet in height, and well tied
together.
4.

As it is impossible in existing circumstances to introduce profi

table manufactures into the jail, it appears that the
^labour and Manafac- important object of finding suitable and constant
employment for the prisoners that will repay the
greater part, if not the whole of their cost, will be to establish a large
vegetable garden around the jail, and to place within it a bakery.
Good bread and vegetables are in constant demand in the station, and
Would sell at a large profit.
If the Superintendent concurs in this view, a large oven and store
room should be built within the prison precincts, and I can make the
necessary arrangements in Calcutta for. the supply of suitable agency to

322

teach and superintend the manufacture of bread, and to send up a con

stant supply of the flour and other materials necessary upon the indent
of the Superintendent.
5. There is one life prisoner in the jail, and
as he is a native of the Morung, he should, I think,
be sent down to Alipore.

RUNGPORE.
I visited the jail at Rungpore on the 13th and 14th of May 1857,
accompanied by the Magistrate and the Civil Surgeon. It had not been
seen since Mr. Loch's visit in 1854, nearly three years since.
2. Of the various suggestions made by my predecessor, several
had not been carried into effect, for reasons which do not appear in the
records, and which I could not ascertain as the Magistrate then in charge,
is no longer so.
,
3. The wards and yards were clean, but in all essentials, this,
although a costly and substantially built jail, is
II. General State.
.,,.,.
very ill suited to its purpose.
4. It is in an unhealthy position, all the out-houses of every des
cription are on the open plain, and the hospital in addition to being at a
distance from the jail, is in the very centre of an undrained swamp.
5. While costly and unproductive, it is one of the most unhealthy
prisons in Bengal.
6 . The following are the points requiring consideration, and to
which I beg the most earnest attention of the Magistrate.
7. The ventilation of the whole jail is imperfect from its arched
construction and the smallness of the apertures in
III. Ventilation.
,

n ,
,
,
the roots ot the wards, but there are two wards
which are not ventilated at all, and which are perfect Golgothas. They
are the wards beneath the second story at each end of the building, the
one occupied as a Hajut, the other devoted to the non-labouring prisoners.
From a special report furnished to me by the Civil Surgeon during the
past month, it appears that many of the prisoners in this, jail die from the
Hajut before they are convicted, a result that is lamentable and must
immediately be corrected.

323

8. The Hajut, as it is often liable to be crowded, must

be removed at once to the upper floor, and the women who are few in
number and generally very healthy, brought down to the present Hajut.
As they are not given to climbing, the door of their ward may bo left
open at night, by which they will get a little more air. The heavy panel
window which at present closes the end of the lower wards, should have
circular openings made in it in lines six inches asunder from top to
bottom.
9. In the ventilation of the rooms a tin tube should be carried from
the roof at each end to the top of the building, with a revolving head, as
adopted with great success in the ventilation of the opium godowns at
Patna.
This will require to be done by the Executive Officer.
10. The greatest care must be taken that none of the wards are
at any time over-crowded, as with such defective and irremediable
ventilation, disease and death must be the result.
11. The jail and hospital are both built on low swampy ground,
difficult at any time to drain, and impossible to
free from stagnant moisture during the rainy sea
son. By a strange perversion of the principles which ought to guide such
matters, the drainage, such as it is, is carried toward the buildings to ill
constructed brick drains, where much of it stagnates and becomes soaked
into the soil under the floors.
In the dry season this rises through the ground, and causes the floor
at all times to have a damp, greasy appearance.
12. The only remedies for this undesirable state of things that I
am able to suggest are, to dig a large deep tank in the rear of the jail, and
to cause all surface moisture to be carried off in that direction. The
same measure should, on a smaller scale be adopted for the hospital, but
the greatest care must be taken that no sewage is allowed to find its way
into these tanks. To render the floors of the wards dry, they should be
taken up, and the earth-, rich in decomposing matters beneath them, be
removed to a depth of at least two feet, and its place supplied by dry
sand, with a layer six inches deep of charcoal. The ventilating apertures
should be carefully bricked up, and the whole of the floors belaid with
thick new tiles.
13. This is a costly measure, but nothing short of it will remove
some of the evils that now combine to render this a very sickly prison.

324

14. The present drains which are much out of repair, should all
be taken up when the ground is properly raised and levelled.
15. The cook sheds, and those used for manufactures are built on
the open maidan, are all thatched and combustible
miLteS Sh^s andB*' buildinns> and with such guards as are employed
in this jail, render it impossible to prevent the pro
curing of forbidden indulgences. A sufficient space in the rear of the
jail should be enclosed by a low wall to include the large tank referred
to above, all hollows in it should be carefully filled up, and a complete
series of tiled roof out-houses be built, including a cook-room with parti
tions for Mussulmans and Hindus, and a couple of manufacturing sheds,
each capable of containing 100 prisoners at work.
16. The Magistrate is requested to prepare and send in plans and
estimates to effect this urgent change.
17. The sewage of the jail is bad, for although General Garstin's
model privy which is in use, was infinitely superior
Privies SeTerage and Day to its predecessors, it does not prevent a portion of
the ordure from falling into the deep drain and
being swept through the whole jail, its abominations being concentrated
in the yard of the present Hajut ward, where the greatest sickness pre
vails. The arrangement for urinating is a perennial nuisance. The
only radical cure for this undesirable state of matters is to adopt the
Agra plan of which a drawing is attached. A khillaburdar from among
the well conducted prisoners should be appointed to each ward and held
responsible for its not being defiled at night by any of its inmates.
18. The Magistrate will be so good as to prepare an estimate for
converting all the present privies to the Agra model. If he is unable to
do so, he will address the Executive Engineer on the subject.
19. Day privies there are at present nonethe convicts frequenting
and polluting the maidan in the rear of the jail. This is an objec
tionable practice both on account of its insalubrity as respects the jail,
and on account of the facilities it affords for escape and breaches of
discipline.
20. In the new work yard day privies on the Alipore plan, should
be placed in the far corner ; and all ordure of every description must
be removed by hand to a distance from the jail. At present it is
collected in a stagnant jheel so close to the jail as to be perceptible
from it.

325

21. The large tank now near the place should be deepened, as
mentioned in a former paragraph, stocked with fish, and kept pure and
sweet.
22. All these measures are absolutely necessary to improve the
healthiness of the jail, and must not be delayed a moment longer than is
necessary for passing the estimates.
23. There were at the time of my visit 374 prisoners in custody,
who were distributed through the wards in the
VII. Prisoners.
following manner :
. 1
.
* . . ...
Ward.
18
2
23
3
68
4
32
6
0
91
6
62
7
43
8

9 (Females,)
6
Hospital,
25
24. The result of this unwise arrangement is, that the only two
really well ventilated wards on the upper story are assigned to the
women and Civil prisoners, who are seldom sick or sorry, whose num
bers are very small, whom there is not the same necessity for hermeti
cally sealing at night, and who thus enjoy the highest standard of health,
while their scarcely less criminal neighbours are perishing in the unventilated dungeons below.
25. The sooner this is changed the better. The Civil prisoners
and women must be sent down below, the Hajut and non-labouring
prisoners be placed in the upper wards. The doors of the lower wards
need never be locked at night, as neither the women nor the dewanny
prisoners are likely to attempt to escape.
26. The convicts in the remaining wards must be distributed with
more regard to the capacity of the wards, than to any abortive attempt
to classify them according to crime.
At the same time care must be taken to separate as much as possi
ble heinous from petty offenders.
27. The manufactures of this jail are at a low ebb, and its profits
inconsiderable. I do not expect much improvement in these respects with

326

the present Darogah, regarding whom I entirely concur in Mr. Loch's

estimate. He is decidedly an indifferent specimen of an inefficient and
corrupt class. Yet, I must beg the earnest attention of the Magistrate to
the introduction of such labour as is penal and profitable, and to re
ducing to the narrowest limits, until it is finally extinguished, road
labour.
VIII. Establishment. 28. The establishment of the jail consists of:
1
1
1
5
1
6
56

Darogah,
Rs.
Mohurrer,
,
Jemadar,

DufFadars, at 6 Rs. each,

Sirdar Dewan,

Dewanies, at Rs. 3\ each,

Burkundauzes, at Rs. 4 each,..

30
8
10
30
5
21
224

Making a total monthly charge of Rs. 328 for fixed establishment.

29. In addition to the above there is an extra establishment of 57
Burkundauzes to guard the out door labourers at a cost of Rs. 228,
making a total expenditure of Rs. 556 for the executive of the jail.
30. Of the Burkundauzes 4 are employed as the Magistrate's per
sonal guards, and four in the Fouzdary Malkhana.
The former is strictly a judicial charge and ought not to be debited
to the jail. The latter is also a judicial charge, and might be dispensed
with by removing the Malkhana to the jail, where the ordinary sentries
could mount over it. If this be undesirable or impracticable, and the
Malkhana remains at the Cutcherry, the charge of guarding it should
not be debited to the jail.
31. Of the fixed establishment 3 DufFadars, and the whole of the
Dewanies are quite unnecessary, and I shall feel obliged by the Magis
trate's showing cause why they should not be reduced at once. The
proportion of 1 Duffadar to 25 Burkundauzes should never be exceeded,
and the duty of the Dewanies, should be performed as obtains in all
other jails, by the Burkundauzes on duty.
32. There is likewise a Mudhur entertained on Rs. 10 a month
to look after the Dewanny Prisoners. This is likewise an unnecessary
and redundant office, and should be abolished.
33. The extra establishment will necessarily become absorbed upon
the cessation of out-door labour.

( 327

34. Mr. Loch remarked upon the guards being armed with
spears, and directed its discontinuance. I request the attention of the
Magistrate to my predecessor's orders on this subject, and shall feel
obliged by their being carried into effect.
35. The books are few in number and are
IX. Books and Records.
,
,
carelessly kept.
Like Mr. Loch, I found the Darogah inexact in his statements, and
although I returned papers twice to him for correction, I failed to obtain
the exact information that I required.
I shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's warning him that unless he
amends very materially before my next visit, I shall deem it my duty to
recommend his removal.
37. My remarks under this head on the Dinagepore jail, are so
entirely applicable to that of Rungpore, that I
subjoin them for the information and guidance of
the Magistrate.
" The establishment of jail gardens having been directed by the
" Government in all places in which their institution is practicable, I
" shall feel obliged by the Magistrate's setting one on foot immediately
" in the large plot of ground surrounding the jail. Although the land
" is at present extremely sandy, an artificial soil can easily be produced
" by means of the manure of the jail, which should daily be buried in
" fresh trenches, and the whole ploughed up and exposed to the air
" towards the end of the rains.
" The garden should contain every variety of native vegetable ac" cording to season, and when it is fit for their reception, I will, in the
" cold weather, send up Cape and American vegetable seeds.
" In addition to the above, a hedge of the Castor oil plants
"will supply all the oil needed for lighting the jailthe plantain
" will supply the food for the prisoners, and the fibre for making
" paper, and the varieties of orange and lime trees that can be
" found to grow, will give a valuable anti-scorbutic article of diet for the
" prisoners.
" If fully and fairly carried out the establishment of the garden will
" diminish the cost of feeding the prisoners, will afford a certain amount
" of healthy out-door occupation for them, and will, I am convinced,
" lessen sickness by removing the scorbutic taint under which so many
" suffer at present."

( 328

There is ample ground belonging to the Government around the

jail on which to form an excellent and spacious garden. From what I
saw of the private gardens in the Station, there seems to be no difficulty
in growing every variety of vegetable, and many fruits which afford
wholesome, anti-scorbutic articles of diet. The type of diarrhaea and
dysentery which decimate the prisoners at Rungpore seems to me to be
essentially scorbutic in character.
38. The hospital is at a distance from the jail, and is thus
described by
in a report which
XL Hospital
J the Civil Surgeon
f
1 called tor some months since.
" Before closing this report, I think I ought to call the attention of
" the Inspector to the Jail Hospital at Rungpore which I have no
" hesitation in saying is not sufficiently well suited for the purposes of$a
" hospital. It is firstly too small for the number of sick that are cou" stantly on the books generally nearly forty, the size of it being 52 feet
" X 39 feef; X 16 feet high, besides the patients there are ten atten" dants making fifty persons in the hospital on an average giving each
" about 648 cubic feet of air : there is no separate ward for lunatics or
" persons in extremis, and only two very small rooms to serve for a com" pounding shop or store room : the hospital has at present no roof venti" lation and the drainage outside the hospital wall is bad ; in fact all the
" refuse is allowed to accumulate in holes immediately outside the wall.
" There is scarcely a case of any kind admitted into hospital that does not
" terminate in dysentery, and I firmly believe that the deficient drainage
" and manner in which the hospital is surrounded by jungle and other
" sources of nuisance have some influence upon the health of the inmates
" and tends to produce the dysentery that is continually occurringI
" can account for it in no other way, for after strict attention to the
" diet and other circumstances, this evil still continues, and I am afraid
" is likely to do so, until some alteration is made."
39. I purposely refrained from passing any orders on the above
until I was able to visit Rungpore, which I hoped to have done during
the past rains in my way down from Assam, but the country was too
flooded to permit of my doing so.
40. Now that I have seen the place I quite concur in Mr. Poole's
views regarding it, and consider its drainage, sewerage, and ventilation
to be so defective as to render it very undesirable to retain it for the
purposes of a hospital.

329

41. It would answer much better for a Dewanny jail, and the female
ward attached to it would contain all the women easily. Both of the
above classes are healthy, and by improving the drainage, ventilation and
sewage of the hospital, would probably remain in as good health there as
in any other place in Rungpore.
42. I am therefore strongly of opinion that a new hospital on the
plan of that sanctioned for Dinagepore, for fifty patients, with suitable
out-offices, should be built.
43. In the mean time some changes may, with benefit, be made in
the existing hospital whatever its ultimate destination may be.
44. The filthy open cesspool in the rear must immediately be
abandoned, and the filth be carried to a distance, as far from the jail as
possible.
45. The large stagnant hole in one of the compartments of the
compound must be filled up, which can be done by enlarging the tank
near the hospital, and using the earth dug from it in the manner
indicated.
46. The patients must in no case be permitted to defecate on the
floor, as some of them do at present. The plea of weakness and inability
to walk to the privy is inadmissible, as in all such cases, pans should be
placed at the bedside. If the practice continues in spite of this warning,
the consequences will be visited on the Native Doctor, who is responsible
for the cleanliness of the wards.
47. Six gumlah ventilators may be placed in the roof of the male
ward, and two in that of the female ward.
48. A good lantern is required, and should be suspended beyond
the reach of the patients.
49. The room now used as a store-room should be properly fitted
with shelves, and have a lock and bolts, to serve as a compounding shop,
and for the safe custody of the medicines.
50. Tickets should be supplied for the bed head register of the
cases, as in all well regulated civil and military hospitals.
51. The keys of the hospital gate must never, on any pretence, be
removed by the Darogah, nor must he interfere with the orders and
directions of the Medical Officer, except upon the authority of the
Magistrate recorded in the order book of the jail.
52. The post mortem house is not well adapted for its purpose, and
is too much exposed to the public gaze.

330

53. A new one on the plan of that sanctioned for Burdwan, which
is appended to this report, may be built for Rs. 53 annas 6, and should be
surrounded by a strong bamboo fence to secure the privacy necessary in
the medical examination of bodies.
Estimate of the quantity and cost of materials for the construction
of a dead house 12 feet X 12 feet as the Burdwan Jail, the labour to
be performed by convicts.
The foundation wall to be of masonry, 1 foot in depth and 2\ feet in
breadth, the plinth to be of brick masonry 1 foot in height and 2 feet in
breadth, the wall to be of tempered earth and 5 feet in height except at
the ancles, which are to be run up to 9 feet in height, on which the roof
will rest, the intermediate space to have a lattice work of bamboo. The
flooring to be 1 foot in depth of brick and lime and a raised platform
in the centre 7 feet X 4 feet x 13 feet for post mortem examina
tion, the roof to be thatched with rice straw 5 inches in thickness
throughout.
Rs.

As. Pie.

11

14

6 Ditto of Wood at 2 annas per ditto,

12

6 Saul Logs for stips, &c., in roof,

25 Seers of String at 3-12 per maund

56 Bamboos at 8 per rupee,

16

0
0

3
53

3872 Bricks at 3 per 1,000,

150 Maunds of Gooting at 5-7-6 per 100 maunds,
30 Ditto of Coal at 1 anna per maund,

64 Pahuns of Rice Straw at 4 Pahuns per rupee,

Contingencies,
Total Co.'s Rupees,

On the day of my arrival I found 150 labouring prisoners

told off for detachment to the new station of.
XII. Prisoners detach
Jelpigoree. I examined them carefully and rejected
ed to Jelpigoree.
five as unfit from age and liability to disease to
undergo the fatigues of even so short a march.
55. The measure, I fear, is one of considerable risk at the
present advanced season, but as they cannot possibly be worse off
than in their own jail, it is to be hoped that they will not suffer
materially.
54.

(
nil. Sanitary State of
the station generally.

56-

331

Upon the receipt of the extract noted

in the margin from a dispatch of the Honorable

* " A comparison of the case of the district of Dinage" pore with that of the adjoining district of Hungpore ex" emplifies how much may be done by well directed efforts
" to improve the sanitary condition of an unhealthy loca" lity. It appears from the comparative statement showing
" the average rates per cent, of mortality of all the jails in
" the Bengal Provinces from ordinary diseases (excluding
" Cholera) for the eleven years from 1843 to 1853 inclusive
" that of all the districts in the Barrackpore Circle of medi" cal superintendence the average rates were highest in the
" districts of Dinagepore and Rungpore the rate in the for" mer being 6'65 and in the latter 859 per cent. In the
" first five years the annual rate in Dinagepore was between
" 8 and 1 1 per cent" and in Rungpore between 7 and 9 per
" cent. In the last 6 years however the annual rate in Di" nagepore fell to between 4 and 6 per cent, and in Rung" pore rises to between 8 and 1 1 per cent. The jail at Di" nagepore has no higher rate of mortality than have the jails
" of some other districts which are generally healthy, and
" the jail at Rungpore takes its place as the most sickly in
" the entire Circle. The cause of the improved healthiness
" of Dinagepore is to be found in the Report of the Civil
" Assistant Surgeon at that Station who refers to the prais" worthy exertions of the public officers there in removing
" sources of unhealthiness and clearing and otherwise im" proving the Station. The special attention of the Inspec" tor of Jails should be called to the continual unlieaithi" ness of the Jail at Rungpore."

Court of Directors

I
'
Called Upon the Civil
o
/>

burgeon lor a special

runnrt *1,_ t
lePurt on lne lopography as affectinp;
*
the health of the Sta.
"Oil.
Jn Anp-nst la^r

the
following reply
.
Was forwarded to me

.
.i
answer to tne specific Questions asked.

" The topograph}' of Rungpore cannot but be looked upon in rather

" an unfavourable light in a medical point of
I. The medical topography
of the Station of Rungpore with

.
, .
. .
,, . ,
.
view, surrounded as it is on all sides by in

r^LtnTT J ju^ST

" many instances thick jungle, and being de-

jheels and other sources of unhealthiness in and around it.

ficient in any efficient system of drainage as

*
" well as in the existence of several very un" healthy swamps in and round the station itself. Of the most extensive
" and worst of these swamps much has already been written and said, but
" I will repeat it is situate on the North-East of the Sudder Station not
" more I should say than a quarter of a mile distant, extending East to
" West for one and a half or two miles, and in breadth about \ a mile. In
" the rainy season it becomes filled with water, affording no drainage for
" the surrounding lands which are for the most part low and swampy.
" At the end of the rainy season evaporation begins, and the weeds putrify
" which had sprung up plentifully, and fever and other diseases are the
" contingencies. In the dry season this jheel contains little more than a
" foot of water in some places, the surface of which is covered with much
" rank vegetation and a drive near in evening would be favorable for an at" tack of fever. There is however between the station and this unwhole

332

" some spot a thick screen of bamboos which have been wisely allowed to
" grow and by this means keep off some of the miasma which it does suc" cessfully. There are other smaller jheels in and around the station
" which are no less a source of disease than the larger one. There is one,
" or rather a succession of small ones on the South-East near the Nowab" gunge bazar, extending for some little distance to the South. Another
" in the centre of the Station. In fact the drainage is so imperfect on
" account of the low situation of the station, that whenever the ground is
" much below the level of the main road, water remains, weeds spring
" up therein and ill health of some of the inhabitants results.
" The jail at Rungpore is situated about three quarters of a mile to
f> II. " The position of the jail " the WeSt of the Sudder Station and Carmot
" and the state of the ground " be said to be altogether in a bad position,
around it for a quarter of a

" mile on each side, specially

" presence "of huts^upo*" it 'or
"3v0tl;e/nh^umstance?which
may probably exercise an
" influence on the health of the
" inmates of the jail.

" the great evil being the manner in which it

" " nedged m on almost all sides by trees
" and jungle, and the want of a thoroughly
*
6 V
" free circulation of air around for some dis_,.
tance. 1 he ground upon which the jail
" buildings are placed is somewhat higher that the adjoining lands
" whether naturally so or whether it has been raised, I am unable to
" say. The ground around the jail is for the most part low and in some
" places swampy and abounding with different kinds of jungle and bam" boo, long grass &c. On the North side in immediate vicinity are
" situated the Darogah's lodging and some few other huts for worksheds
" and cooking rooms for the guards : beyond, for some distance a consi
derable thickness of bamboos amounting I should say to jungleinter" spersed, with native huts and paddy fields within short distance effec" tually shutting out any air from that quarter. On the South are a
" number of huts some in a very dilapidated condition, in which are said
" to live the Burkundauzes. Not far from these are the cooking rooms for
" the prisonersand beyond, extending westward, is a nasty unhealthy
" sort of jheel of some little extent, and into this by means of a pucca
" drain all the refuse of the jail and prisoners is allowed to accumulate
" and evaporate within 300 yards of the prison wall. Immediately to the
" South there is a pretty clear space for some distance, the ground being
" in a state of cultivationbut at this time of the year is not much better
" than a swamp. On the East there is a tolerably thick collection of
" jungle, all kinds of huts and their contingencies are also plentiful and

333

" not very far distant is there a bazar called " Dhapp" and immediately to
" the West is a large tank which appears to be deep and clear of weed
" &c., but it is surrounded by much- low ground and the swamp already
" mentioned to the South- West of it must be very noxious and something
" should be done to remedy the evil.
" The jail buildings are tolerably good, surrounded on all sides by a
TTT
.jdescription
of. "wall 15 feet in height
and only
ILL " A. ubrief

" distant
" the jail buildings, their drain- " from them about thirty feet, all round which
" age and conservancy ar,
.
, . _, . .
" rangements, the amount of
perhaps is too near to admit ot a sufficiently
-sTer anTfheVte'Vthe " free ventilation especially seeing that the
" ventilation of the wards, also height of the wards themselves is only 13
" the food of the convicts, and
D
" the hours at which their " feet in the centre of the arched roof. The
"construction of the buildings is solid with
" arched pucca roofs supported by pillars and pucca floors upon which
" are raised bamboo platforms for sleeping. The whole building is di" vided into nine wards numbered accordingly, each ward being sub" divided into compartments according to its size. Nos. 5 and 9 are
" upstair wards and are well ventilated and good. Every ward has a
" court yard attached varying in size with the ward itselfit is fur" nished with a nice pucca well, and is well drained generallythe com" partments of all the wards except two are ventilated by means of the
" roof ventilators which I think are too smallbut the walls are " pigeon
" holed" for ventilating purposes, also most of the wards have plenty of
" doors or windows and all have a closet adjoining. The drainage of the
" jail is very satisfactory, and the wards are all kept in very good order
" on the whole. But the wards numbered 1 and 4 are in a very bad
" condition and in their present state unfitted for healthy abodesespe" cially for the number that are now inhabitants thereof. No. 1, is to the
" North side of the building has a court yard 45 feet x 40 feet with a
" somewhat imperfect drain and a well in the centre.
" The ward is inhabited at present by forty-three prisoners, is divid" ed into two compartments, has no roof ventilation, aud only two doors
" that open properly, the others being closed to prevent any communication
" with the female prisoners. The size of each compartment is 43 feet by
" 8 feet and 1 1 feet high (e. i. allowing for the arched roof) so that each
" prisoner in this ward will have about 183 cubic feet of air. The
" closet is situated at the side of the entrance door, and is not in such
" good order as it ought to be. Ward No. 4 is much similar in all res-

" pects the number of prisoners being less, only thirty, the size is the

334

"
"
"
"
"
"

same of each compartment as in No. 1, but the closet is even in worse

order than the other, is situated near the entrance door immediately
beneath the closet of the arard above and the odour is from the
combination of the two. In all the other wards the prisoners have
ample space varying from upwards of 190 cubic feet of air, the
ventilation being good.
" The food of the convicts is ample in quantity though the quality
" is at times inferior : the allowance is as follows :

.n
C 3

Chks.

Chks.

Chks.

Chks.

Seers.

Tolah.

Sunday, .....

11

ii

Monday, ....

12

Tuesday,

..

12

Wednesday*,

12

Thursday, ..

12

Friday, ...."

12

n
n
n

Saturday, .

12

Tolah. Tolah.

H
H

" The time of taking the meals morning and evening have varied
lately, but I have thought it advisable to request the Magistrate to
let the food be given at nine o'clock in the morning, and about five or
six in the evening, which is I believe now accordingly done.
" The labour performed by the convicts is such as is most likely
" to suit the temperament of each, but upon
IV. " The labour perform" this point I cannot say much ; but this I
1 ed by th prisoners, how
' many are employed outside
"
believe to be the case, the strongest and
' the jail, and the nature of the
1 work in which they are so
" stoutest working at the heavier kinds of
' engaged.
" labour and the more delicate ones at lighter
work as weeding and making string, &c. ; but, I do not think any
of them are over burdened with labour, some are employed in making
paper, clothes, gunny, or pounding soorkee, &c., others in clearing
jungle, &c. ; about the station the number of those working outside
the jail, varies averages about 75 or 76, and their employment consists

335

" in cutting jungle, levelling, and filling up, and occasionally picking up
" the roads for repair."
57. From the above it appears abundantly evident that in addi
tion to causes of disease inherent in itself, the jail suffers from the
general unhealthiness of the Station and District.
58. The causes of this may be briefly stated to be the swampy, low,
undrained, and undrainable tract of country in which the station of
Rungpore is situated ; the abundance in every direction of rank, decaying
vegetable matter ; the absence of a free circulation of air from the belt
of jungle surrounding it on all sides; and the existence of a great
stagnant ditch on the south side of the station, formed by the old bed of
the river.
59. So long as these obvious and abundant sources of disease exist,
it is manifestly impossible for the station to be healthy. To render it
moderately so, would need the immediate expenditure of a large sum of
money, and a constant annual outlay to maintain any improvements that
may be effected.
60. The remedies are easier to suggest than to effect. They are,
(a.) To drain the land for at least two or three miles in every
direction into the small river Gagette, running past the station.
The fall is small, and at the height of the floods might be insufficient.
(b.) The conversion of the present stagnant bed of the former
channel of the river, into two or three large, deep, wholesome tanks, the
remainder of the slough being filled up with the earth taken from those
tanks.
(c.) The adoption of strict conservancy arrangements in the nu
merous parcels of huts scattered in and about the station, and the bodily
removal of such of them as are in the line of direction of the prevailing
winds.
(d.) The cutting down for miles of the dense bamboo jungle sur
rounding the station in the direction of the prevailing winds, and the
planting on the borders of swamps and jheels of a curtain of mangoe or
any other large forest trees, to intercept malaria without at the same time
preventing the access of a current of air to perflate the station.
61. Nothing short of the measures above mentioned will reclaim
Rungpore, and they will probably cost more than would be required to
remove it to an eligible spot on the high bank of the Teesta, from a
position in which it ought never to have been placed.

336

BOGRAH.
I visited the jail at Bograh, accompanied by the Magistrate on
Monday, the 18th and Tuesday, the 19th of May 1857.
2. It was last visited by Mr. Loch, in 1854, and the jail was burnt
down during his visit.
3. Since that time, temporary mud buildings have been used.
4. The present jail consists of two large mud thatched huts, of
which one is divided into two compartments for
II. Buildings.
.
^-~
the hajut and non-labouring prisoners, and the
other contains the labouring prisoners. The civil ward is of the same
character in an adjoining yard, and next to it is the hospital.
5. Light is admitted to those wards by square holes in the walls.
Ventilation there is none, for night privies a gumlah is used, and the
clay floor on which the prisoners sleep is raised about a foot and a half
from the level of the surrounding ground.
6. The cook rooms are in a separate enclosure at a short distance
from the jail, and the quarters of the guard are in the same vicinity.
7. The day privies are composed of gumlahs placed over a drain
and the drinking water of the jail is furnished by small wells which are
much out of repair.
8. The jail walls are low, and formed of the red clay of which the
surrounding soil chiefly consists.
9. There is one woman in custody, who is placed in a small room
adjoining the jail door.
10. All long term prisoners are at present transferred to Rungpore, whence some, if not most of them, are sent to Dinagepore.
The prisoners are fed by contract.
1 1. There were in custody at the time of my
III. Prisoners.
. , fc.
visit, 74 prisoners, vtz :
Labouring,
44 including 1 Female.
Non-labouring,
13
Hajut,
13 including 1 Lunatic.
Dewanny,
3
Collector's,,
1

337

There were three men in hospital, the rest appeared to be in good

condition.
IV. Establishment.
12. The establishment consists of:
Permanent.
1 Darogah,
10 Rupees.
1 Duffadar,
6

16 Burkundauzesat4each, 64

1 Native Doctor,
20

i
1 Compounder,
6-12
1 Blacksmith,
6-12
1 Mehter,
3

Fluctuating.

7 Teeka Guards at 4 each, 28

Total, Co.'s Rs. 144-8

This is a large and costly establishment for so small a jail.

13. All long termed prisoners are at present
v. Disposal of Pri- transferred to Rungpore, which is a mistake and
soners.

undesirable in every point of view.

14. The Rungpore jail is unhealthy, and unprofitable, and the
road to it is not well adapted for marching over prisoners.
15. The Dinagepore jail is about equi-distant ; there are excellent
halting places on the way ; it has (or ought to have) an European Darogah,
and it possesses the means of extending manufactures to a considerable
extent. It is not as healthy as could be desired, yet is very preferraable to Rungpore in this respect also.
16. I therefore, strongly recommend that Dinagepore be the re
ceiving jail for the Bograh prisoners, and that none, at any time or in
any circumstances be sent to Rungpore.
17. A new jail is urgently required for this station, and can be
built at a cheap rate in the immediate vicinitv
VI. ffewJaiL
,
. .,
. ,
,,
, .
,
oi the present jail, with excellent drainage, on tbe
high bank of the river.
18. A prison of exactly the same character and extent as that
recommended for Maldah will probably be sufficient.
19. To enable me, however, to submit the question in a complete
form for the information and order of the Government, I shall feel obliged
u
s'

338

by the Magistrate's being so kind as to ascertain from his records the

probable amount of accommodation likely to be required for
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Hajut.
Criminals of one year sentence.
Female wards for short term prisoners.
Civil prisoners.
Hospital.

,>

APPENDIX.
CIRCULAR ORDERS.

>

APPENDIX.
CIRCULAR ORDERS.

No. 1819.
From
THE UNDER SECRETARY TO THE GOVERNMENT
OF BENGAL,
To
THE INSPECTOR OF JAILS,
Lower Provinces.
Dated Fort William, Ike 4<A September, 1855.
Sir,
I am directed to acknowledge the receipt of your letter No. 573,
dated the 29th ultimo, reporting on the subject of certain complaints
made by the Prisoners in the Nuddea Jail, in regard to the supply of their Cotton
Clothing, and in reply to inform you, that the Lieutenant Governor approves of your
proposal to allow four yards of Cloth to each female, and one yard, to serve as a
gumcha, for each male prisoner, in addition to the eight yards now given to each.
2. You will be good enough to issue a Circular accordingly, as proposed by you.
Judicial.

I have the honor to be,

Sir,
Your most Obedient Servant,
A. W. RUSSELL,
Unedr- Secretary to the Government of Bengal.

Circular No. 28, issued accordingly.

No. 29.
Fort William, December 24, 1855.
During my recent tour of inspection, I have perceived, that much
injury results to the limbs, and in many cases, I doubt not, is remotely destructive of
the lives of the prisoners, from the neglect of the iron rings immediately in contact
with their skins.

IV

APPENDIX.

2. In men of bad constitution, or when an epidemic character of the season

pre-disposes to such affections, the smallest abrasions become irritable sores, and not
unfrequently end in gangrene, destroying both life and limb.
3. This untoward result is, unhappily, not confined to the immediate sufferers,
but affects the health of all with whom they come into close contact, as pointed out
by the able and experienced Civil Surgeon of Bancoorah many years since.
4. With a view to obviate, as far as possible, the mischief above referred to, I
shall feel obliged by your issuing the strictest injunctions to the Darogah, and all
subordinates in the Jail under your charge, as to the absolute necessity of the irons
worn by the prisoners, and more especially the rings around their limbs, being at all
times kept bright and polished.
All sordes, and dirt of every kind must be most carefully removed, and prevented
from remaining in contact with the skin.
5. The precaution above pointed out is especially necessary to be observed in
regard to all new prisoners, such as the Sonthals, among whom considerable mortality
will result, if every care be not taken to avoid the production of sores upon their limbs.
6. As there is no use in issuing orders to which obedience is not enforced, I
shall feel additionally obliged by your requesting the Civil Surgeon occasionally to
inspect the prisoners, with special reference to this and -all other points connected
with their personal cleanliness, and in every instance to record the result of his
inspection in the Visiting Book, for your information and orders.

No. 30.
Fort William, December 26, 1855.
From reports which have reached me from different quarters, and
from the result of personal observation during my recent tour, I believe that cholera,
fever, and bowel affections are at present prevailing to a great extent in some localities
in Bengal, and that they are not unlikely to extend to places now free from th em. "
2. In these circumstances, I deem it my duty to bring the matter specially to
your notice, in order that every possible precaution may
Object of this Circular.
,
,,,,,.
be taken to prevent any outbreak of those diseases among
the prisoners in the
Jail ; and should they unhappily find admission,
as they will do if those diseases assume an epidemic character, that their ravages
may be mitigated as much as can be accomplished, by the adoption of those prophy
lactic measures which medical experience has shown to be most efficacious.
3. For this purpose, I shall feel obliged by your causing every possible source of
Remedial measures disease, from .accumulations of filth, rubbish and rank ve.mthin the Jail.
getation, to be at once removed from the Jail, convict
labour being employed in this most essential operation, in preference to its being
bestowed upon the repair of roads or any external occupation of any kind.

APPENDIX.

4.

All stagnant tanks, jheels, ditches, and accumulations of garbage in the

immediate vicinity of the Jail, and more particularly those
The same without.
,

#
'
in the direction of the prevailing winds, should also be
cleansed, and otherwise robbed of their power of doing mischief, as far as can be
accomplished by the means at your disposal.
If the proprietary rights of any persons to whom they may belong are interfered
with by the execution of this order, the same should, I think, be specially reported
to the Government, should the existing state of the Law not admit of the adoption
of compulsory measures for the preservation of the public health, on the approach
of epidemic disease.
5. I beg to direct your most earnest attention to the ventilation of the wards,
Special objects deserving the state of the privies, the avoidance of over-crowding at
attention.
night, the cleanliness of the clothes and persons of the
prisoners, their food and drink, the hours at which their meals are taken, and the
nature and amount of the work performed by them.
(a.) In regard to ventilation, and the purity of the air in the wards, the moment
the prisoners leave their beds, all doors, windows, and
Ventilation.
.
every aperture through which air enters should be thrown
wide open, the bedding and blankets of the prisoners taken out and aired in the
yards attached to the wards, and the rooms well and thoroughly swept, so as to
remove every particle of dirt accumulated by, and around the prisoners. When this
is done, which need not occupy more than half an hour, the bedding should be neatly
folded up, and placed in the position occupied by the prisoner to whom it belongs.
As an additional purifier of the atmosphere, in all Jails where the practice has
not already been adopted, vessels of wood charcoal, broken into small pieces, may be
placed, at least one in the corner of each ward. Wicker baskets, eight inches in
diameter and two inches in depth, will be the most suitable receptacles of the
charcoal, as I believe that they can easily be made in most Jails, or if not, are pro
curable at a very small cost in the Bazaars. The charcoal will require to be occa
sionally renewed, or its purity and fitness for destroying and disinfecting purposes can
easily be restored by baking it.
Recent researches in Europe, and their practical application in hospitals and dis
secting rooms, have shown, that for purposes of purification, especially in ill-ven
tilated places, charcoal is an extremely valuable agent.
(6.) The state of the privies is, if possible, of still greater consequence. All or
dure should be accumulated in moveable vessels, and not be
imc'"
allowed to fall into any of the drains of the Jail. They can
then be removed by hand in the morning, and should be carried to a sufficient distance
from the Jail, to the nearest waste spot, there to be buried in a fresh trench each day.
The prisoners must be specially interdicted from a dirty and unwholesome practice,
which I have found in most Jails and Hospitals, viz., that of urinating upon the

Vi

floor.

APPENDIX.

Proper pans can be provided, and all prisoners disregarding the order should

be punished.
If you entertain no objection to the plan, and can, without any additional cost for
guards, leave the door of the wards open at night, and place all vessels for the
reception of filth in the most remote corners of the yards attached to them, it will be
a vast improvement upon the existing practice. The plan, I am aware, is not
feasible in some Jails, from their defective construction and arrangement. It is so,
however, at Cuttack, Balasore, Midnapore, Burdwan, Bancoorah, Beerbhoom, and
the female ward of the Hooghly Jail, all of which I have seen ; and may be so in
others which I have not yet visited.
I have not had an opportunity of consulting most of the Magistrates personally
upon the point. Those to whom I have spoken have expressed their concurrence
in the measure, and anticipate no additional difficulty in preventing the escape of
prisoners.
(c.) The over-crowding of the wards themselves must be scrupulously avoided.
The importance of this cannot be exaggerated, or too
Over- crowding.
,
,

frequently impressed upon the attention ot all persons

charged with the custody of large bodies of human beings.
There is probably no single fact in the whole circle of science better established,
than that an adequate and constantly renewed supply of fresh air is necessary for
healthy respiration that this amount cannot be diminished with safetythat its
diminution, from whatever cause, is attended with injurious effects upon the human
constitutionthat the breathing of impure air is a powerful pre-disposing and ex
citing cause of disease and that in times of epidemic visitation, it not only renders
individuals more liable to attack, but increases the severity of the attack, and plays
an important part in augmenting the mortality of the disease.
To professional men, no proofs of this statement are needed ; the premises and
conclusions are accepted and incorporated in the established tenets of the healing art.
To the general reader, historical examples, from the most extreme case which
probably ever occurred, that of the Black Hole of Calcutta, to the evidence collec
ted and published by the House of Commons upon the health of towns, and the
horrors of the Middle Passage, down to the most recently recorded example, that of
the wholesale destruction of emigrants in the China Seas, are doubtless more or less
familiar.
In the solitary cells of the Calcutta House of Correction, an admirably managed
Institution, the amount of space allowed for a Native in separate confinement, is 450
cubic feet of air. This quantity is sufficiently small, and less ought never, in my
opinion, to be allowed.
I shall feel obliged by your causing all the Wards in your Jail to be very carefully
measured, and by your reporting to me the exact cubical contents of each. I will
then issue, in a special Circular, more particular instructions upon this point.

APPENDIX.

Vll

My object is not to grant the prisoners any unnecessary luxury of space, or to

bestow upon them the smallest particle of misplaced sympathy, but to guard against
their being exposed to any avoidable risk of the curtailment of their natural lives, as
the result of their confinement, for 1 hold all such increased liability to be in excess of
the punishment awarded to them.
(d.J The cleanliness of the clothes and persons of the prisoners, is among the
means known to be efficacious in the maintenance of
Cleanliness.
, .,
i i
.
...
health, and in the prevention or mitigation of disease.
It would be out of place in the instructions issued to Judicial officers, to dilate
upon this point.
The public are as well aware of the fact as the profession, and its special impor
tance in tropical countries, has caused it to form a part of the religious ordinances of
the Hindus and Mahomedans, as it was of the Jews of old in their written Law.*
(e.) The food of the prisoners generally, so far as my brief personal experience
warrants my hazarding an opinion, is sufficient in quantity,
and if vigilant supervision be exercised, the prisoner cannot
be defrauded either in the amount or quality of his rations. The water used in
cooking and drinking does not appear to me to have been heretofore examined with
sufficient care and attention. It may appear to the eye, and the taste of those
habituated to its use, to be palatable and wholesome, and yet contain injurious sub
stances. In some Jails, well water is used, in others tank water, and the supply of
some may possibly be derived from running streams.
Many of the wells in Bengal dry up in the hot season, and in others the water
becomes unfit for use when concentrated by long-continued heat. In all circum
stances, water from stagnant tanks, jheels, or wells which are nearly dry, should not
be used, and if the Civil Surgeon after examination considers it to be unfit for con
sumption in its natural state, and none other is procurable, it should be boiled and
filtered through charcoal and sand, in common earthen vessels, which are procurable
everywhere at an extremely low cost. Decomposing animal and vegetable matters
held in solution, which some recent speculators, in Europe believe to be the medium
by which the cholera poison is introduced into the system, will thus be deprived of
some of their most deleterious properties.
(/.) The time at which the food is taken by the prisoners, is not without its
influence upon their health. In the Jail at Balasore, the
Hours of meals.
.
. . ,. ,
,.
.
.
, .
prisoners were in the habit ot cooking and eating their
morning meal as soon as they got up. A good deal of sickness prevailed, and the
Civil Surgeon, Dr. Chalmers, changed the time to ten or eleven o'clock in the fore
noon, with an evident and immediate improvement in the health of the prisoners.
* The means of ablution generally are deficient in some of the Jails which I have seen. The
Civil Surgeon had better be requested to regulate this matter in the best manner that local
circumstances will admit of.

Till

APPENDIX.

The Magistrate, Mr. Scbalch, informed me, that the practice has since been per
severed in, and that the Jail has remained healthy.
In some Jails but one cooked meal is allowed. This is the case at Allipore,
where it is cooked and eaten at 1 P. M. and yet the prison is in a healthy state.
It is very desirable that uniformity of practice should prevail, if there be no local
circumstances forbidding it.
In the mean time, as a general rule, I am disposed to think that the safest plan
will be, to adopt the habits of the people of the District in which the Jail is placed.
This may not be practicable for out-door prisoners, but there is no reason why it
should not be adopted with those who work within the wallsthe only place iu
which prisoners should be occupied, in any thoroughly efficient system of Jail discipline.
The occupation of the prisoners is at all times a matter of most serious considera
tion, both as respects their health, and as a question of
Labour.
,.,,....
_ .
.
.
. .
. .
Jail discipline. It is my intention to institute particular
inquiries hereafter, upon this important topic. I do not desire any present change,
beyond that indicated in my Notes upon the Jails which I have already visited. In
the event, however, of great sickness occurring, all sedentary occupations, and those
in which there is much dabbling in water, as paper-making, should be intermitted,
and the prisoners employed, as much as possible, in the open air, in such active work
as, without over-tasking their strength, will keep their minds and bodies occupied, and
consequently out of mischief. It is a mistake to suppose that all work should cease
upon the outbreak of disease. Nothing would be more calculated to encourage
despondency, and the depressing agencies which are invariably so injurious in such cases.
It is impossible for me, at a distance, to specify the exact amount of labour that
may safely be exacted in all Jails, where great sickness prevails. Much must neces
sarily be left to the judgment and discretion of the local Officers, and while mistaken
notions of humanity should not, on the one hand, interdict all labour, the strength of
the prisoners should not, on the other, be over-tasked. To carry efficiently into
practice any scheme of labour, in such circumstances, requires the cordial co-operation
of the Magistrates and Civil Surgeons.
6. In the event of the actual outbreak of Cholera, the prisoners should be at
Management when Cho- once removed to pals, and encamped in the most healthy
lera is present.
spot tnat can be selected, with reference to thejr gafe cus.
tody. All jheels, stagnant pools, and collections of decayed animal or vegetable
matters, should not only be avoided, but care should be taken that the camp is not
placed on the lee-side of any such place. The most scrupulous care should be
exercised in the sanitary arrangements of the camp, and its immediate vicinity.
The ends of the tents facing the prevailing winds should be closed at nifht, and
the prisoners should not be exposed to dews or exhalations of any kind, between
sun-set and sun-rise.
The walls of the Jail Wards should be white-washed, and a portion of the pri
soners be removed into them as soon as the disease begins to yield.

APPENDIX.

IX

The Darogah, and all guards on duty, should be warned to report immediately all
cases of sickness that occur, and the prisoners themselves should be enjoined to make
known any appearance of diarrhoea at once, as affording them the best chance of not
falling victims to the disease.
7. Although not so immediately connected with the object of this Circular, it is
Arrest of Cholera in of much importance that the progress of Chclera in the
Town or District.
Town or District should be arrested. Hand-bills, in die
vernacular language of the place, should be distributed, pointing out to the people
the propriety of removing all obvious sources of disease in and near their habitations,
and of not disregarding the slightest attack of diarrhoea.
They should also be told freely to resort to the Charitable Dispensary at the Sta
tion, where a supply of the simple remedies generally found sufficiently to check this
preliminary diarrhoea, should be kept. In all cases where they do not at present
reside there, the Sub-Assistant Surgeon, and subordinate Native Staff, during the
continuance of the epidemic, should remain at or as near the Dispensary as possible,
so that aid may at all times be immediately available.
No. 31.
Fort William, December 28, 1855.
Under instructions from the Honorable the Lieutenant-Governor of
Bengal, I have the honor to request that all weavers, who at present sit upon the
ground, with their feet in small pits excavated near the looms, may be furnished with
suitable seats above the ground, the pits being filled up with dry rubbish, and the
looms being raised to a sufficient height to enable the men to work efficiently at them.
2. It is true, that the use of the small hollow for the feet is the practice of the
native weavers working in their own huts ; but, it is equally true, that sitting for
many hours on the damp ground, especially in Lower Bengal, is an unwholesome
proceeding, and not unlikely to be the cause of some of the attacks of diarrhoea,
dysentery, cholera, and bowel affections generally, from which the natives of Bengal
suffer so much and frequently.
3. I can imagine no real practical difficulty in the execution of this order, as
regards the weaving, notwithstanding the proverbial attachment of all natives of India
to the practices of their forefathers, and their personal dislike to change, however
advantageous to themselves.
No. 32.
Fort William, December 31, 1855.
Nothing struck me more forcibly, during my recent inspection of the
Jails in Orissa, and those in the Burdwan and Beerbhooin
Districts, than the manifest inefficiency of the guards
B

APPENDIX.

generally, the indifferent manner in which they are armed, their free and easy com
munication with the prisoners, and the large number employed, particularly in
superintending the work of those who are occupied without the walls of the Jails.
2. At Allipore, the guards are armed with swords attached to the wrist by a
Want of uniformity in leather thong. In addition, the sentries, from the Calcutta
anns>
Militia, are armed with muskets.
At Hooghly, the guards carry long lattees in their hands, because a sword had,
on some former occasion, been wrenched from one of them, and with it a prisoner
had effected his escape. At Balasore and Cuttack, the Paik Corps furnished the
guards, who were armed with heavy muskets. At Pooree, where some of the
guardians are ancient and venerable, the arms in use are old spears of various patterns,
resembling those of the rural police.
From this it will be seen, that there is no uniformity of plan or system in the
arming of guards.
. ._
3.

Again, the guards are, in my belief, too much and too closely in contact with

Other defects of existing

system.

the prisoners when on duty, and are, at all times, able to

furnish with forbidden articles those who can bribe them,

without much risk of detection.

4.

My predecessor, in his Circular No. 23, proposed a classification of prisons

according to the numbers confined in them, and a new
Mr Locli*s di*odos3"1
distribution of establishments and guards. The best
feature of this proposal was the separation of guards from the Superintendents of
manufacture, which is undoubtedly a most advisable arrangement. It is not, how
ever, my intention, in this Circular, to enter upon a more general inquiry regarding
manufactures and labour, as I consider that they can be more suitably treated inde
pendently. My present object is to ascertain your opinion upon the propriety of
arming the guards in a different and uniform manner, and giving them a more strict
military organization.
Mr. Loch mentions incidentally, in the Circular above referred to, that it is impos
sible to furnish the Jail guards in Bengal from a distinct Police Corps, as obtains in
Behar ; but does not state the grounds upon which he arrived at this conclusion, nor
can I find them in the records of my Office.
My belief is, that the guards should be furnished from a regularly drilled and
organized battalion ; that they should be armed with rifles
My own views.
.
or light carbines, as a .Light infantry Corps ; that they
should not be recruited in Bengal, or have any local ties or sympathies with the
prisoners ; that they should occasionally be relieved and sent in to head-quarters ;
and that in all Jails the sentries should, if possible, be posted in raised sentry boxes,
as at Allipore, whence they can overlook, without holding personal communication
with the prisoners.

APPENDIX.

XI

By some sucli arrangement as this, I am of opinion, that a smaller number of

guards would suffice for the safe custody of the prisoners, and that they would be
more effectually guarded than they are at present.
The Honorable the Lieutenant-Governor has called upon me for a r -port upon the
subject. To enable me to furnish this at an early date, I
p
shall feel much obliged by your kindly favoring me, at
your earliest convenience, with your views and opinions, in order that the practical
experience of the Officers most interested in the matter, and most competent to advise
the Government, may be brought to bear upon the settlement of the question.
I should be glad to know the minimum to which, in your opinion, the guards may
safely be reduced,

No. 33.
- _

Fort William, December 31, 1855.

Considerable trouble and delay are experienced in my Office, parti
cularly when I am out on circuit, by the prevalent practice of
Contingent allowances.
Magistrates sending to mc> at all timeS; requisItions for

petty repairs, and small extra items of expenditure generally.

2. Before the orders regarding them can be issued, I am compelled to send them
to Calcutta for abstract, entry, numbering, and all other purposes of record, thereby
delaying, sometimes very considerably, the issue of orders upon matters which fre
quently require summary disposal.
3. With a view to get rid of the difficulty, and to enable all Magistrates to
effect small urgent repairs, and to provide for cases of immediate necessity, lam desirous
of submitting to the Government a proposal to allow to every Magistrate a monthly
contingent bill, in which to charge all such items, without any previous reference to
this Office.
4. Propositions for additions and alterations to Jail buildings, as comtemplated
by this Office Circular No. 8, dated 26th July 1854, can be decided upon between
myself and the local authorities on each Jail being visited, and as I shall, if possible,
visit every Jail at least once a year, I apprehend there will be no difficulty in carry
ing out my views.
5* To enable me to calculate the amount within which the Magistrates should
draw, and to specify the nature of the items which may fairly find a place in Jail
Contingencies, I shall feel obliged by your favoring me with a tabular statement of
the sums expended in petty repairs and contingencies generally, during each month
of the three years, ending upon the 30th of April last.
6. A list of the items of expenditure may be placed in a column of remarks,
and in the letter transmitting the return, I shall be glad to be favored with any re
marks or suggestions you may wish to offer on the subject.
7. In the meantime I shall feel obliged by your not forwarding to me any requi
sition for expenditure, which is not of an absolutely urgent nature, until my return
to Calcutta, of which I will send you due notice.

Xll

APPENDIX.

No. 34.
Calcutta, January 4, 1856.
To enable me to draw up my detailed report for the year
1855-56, on the several Jails which have been placed un

Miscellaneous.

der the charge of this office, I have the honor herewith to forward certain Forms of
1. Manufacture Statement.*
of Statement, as noted in the margin, to be filled
4. Escape Statement!
2. To make these Statements clear to you
and to obviate the necessity of their being returned hereafter for correction, I have
appended to this an Explanatory note, pointing out fully in what manner it is intend
ed that each column of the Statements in question is to be filled up, and I would beg
to impress upon you most earnestly, the propriety of their being prepared with great care,
inasmuch as these Statements will form the basis of comparison in future years :_aV*l
as Statistical Reports of this kind to be of any value should be furnished immediately
on the expiry of the time for which they are drawn up, you will oblige me by taking
such steps as will enable you to forward them on or about the 15th of May at the
latest.
3. I shall also require from you a short report as to what has been done durinor
the year 1855-56, under the following heads.
1.

The alterations in the buildings that have been proposed, dis

tinguishing what has been carried out and what is in progress.

2.

Conduct of Jail Officers.

3.

Conduct and treatment of Prisoners.

4.

State of the Manufacturing Department.

4. The note appended to this will, as I have already stated above, explain to you
the mode of filling up each Column of the different Statements, but it will be neces
sary for me to add here, that the averages given in the different Columns should be
calculated in every Jail on an uniform system, for which purpose the averages in
Part 2, of Statement No. I, and in Statements Nos. 3 and 4, should be calculated
midnight, and that the averages in Part 3, of Statement No. 1, should be calculated
for the evening of each day at the time when the prisoners knock off working.
5. To the preparation of the remarks in Statement No. 3, I would beg the best
attention of the several Medical Officers, and would be obliged by their furnishing
me with every information in their power, which may enable me to trace the cause of
the great difference of mortality that takes place in the several Jails.

* See pages xxii. and xxiii.

t See pages xxiv. and xxv.

J See page xxvi.

See page xxi.

 APPENDIX.

Xlll

6. The Medical Officer will be pleased especially to note with reference to the
deaths of labouring prisoners, how many occurred among those employed on Manu
factures, and how many among those employed on the Koads, together with the
average numbers of prisoners so employed during the year.
7. The Medical Officer will also be pleased to note with reference to the deaths
of non-labouring prisoners, how many were among the Civil, and how many among
the Criminal prisoners, together with the average number of each class during the year.
8. The information required in the foregoing two paragraphs, were called for by
my predecessor for his Report of the past year, but could not be furnished satis
factorily, owing to their being no records to show it. I hope that proper precautions
have been taken to supply that information complete in the statement now required.
9. As there will be some difficulty in obtaining, in time, the exact value of
European Medicines expended during the years 1855-56, that part of Column 7 of
Part 2, of Statement No. 1, may be left blank, and the Medical Board will be re
quested to take the necessary steps in directing the Medical Officer of each District
to furnish, as soon after the 1st of May next as possible, a List of European
Medicines expended in his Jail, and its dependent outstation Lock-ups, for the pur
pose of being priced by the Apothecary General, and in instructing the latter Officer
to furnish me with a Statement giving that information with the least possible delay.
10. As a similar difficulty will also be felt in filling up a part of Column 9 of
the same part of the above Statement, viz., the value of additions and alterations
to the Jail Buildings by the Department of Public Works, during the years 1855-56>
that part of Column 9 may also be left blank, and the Chief Engineer Lower
Provinces, will be requested to call for and furnish me, as soon after the 1st of May
next as possible, with that information.
11. It may be needless to state here, that the blanks which will be left as directed
in Paras. 9 and 10, will entail the necessity of leaving blank parts of Columns 7 and
9, and Columns 10 and 11 of the same statement, which blanks will be filled up on
the receipt of the information contemplated above.
12. A double set of forms is supplied, one of which will serve as your Office
Copy; and it is earnestly requested, that you will see that there are no changes
made in these forms.

Explanatory Note referred to in Para. 2 of Circular No. 34.

I. Manufacture Statement. The 'first part of this Statement requires no
particular orders in addition to those already issued, from time to time, by the Accoun
tant to the Government of Bengal, except that it is necessary, that in the Column of
Total,the results of the 7th and 8th lines, and the 9th and 10th lines, should be noted ;
that is to say, the excess of Receipts and Charges shall be once entered under the
8th, and above the 9th line, and then again under the 10th line.

XIV

APPENDIX.

2. In the 1st Column of the 2nd part, the daily average number of Criminal
Prisoners of all classes (of course including the Hajut Prisoners) should be entered.
The other Columns with the exception of those noted in Paras. 9 to 11 of the
Circular, should be filled up as soon as possible, after the Audit of the Bills for April
1856, when the Officer in charge of Jails shall have been able to get at the exact
total expense of the years 1855-56.
3. Columns 2 to 8 of the 3rd part, will show the average daily number of
Prisoners, and their different employments during the year, and its Column 1 the
total of the same. The filling up of Columns 9 to 1 6 of this part is obvious, and it
is only requested that the averages in Columns 10, 12, 14, and 16 may be calcu
lated carefully down to Pies and Tenths of Pies.
II. Report of Criminal Prisoners. 4. Columns 2 to 7 of this Statement,
will show the Criminal Prisoners of all classes who may sleep in Jail and its outstations, on the night of the 30th April next.
5. Columns 12 to 14 will show the accommodation of the Jail and Hospital.
Column 13 showing the number of Wards of each description, Column 14 their
estimated capacity, and Column 1 5 the actual number sleeping in them.
6. Memorandum A is intended to show the exact location of the Prisoners ; its 1st
Column will be the result of its 3rd Column, taken from Column 1 1 of the main
Statement, and ought to agree with Column 1 5 of the same Statement. The use of
Columns 2, 4 and 5 is obvious.
7. Memorandum B is intended to show the employment of the Prisoners on the
last day of April next, and the different kinds of Manufacture on which they might
be employed should be noted under the 1st heading, care being taken not to specify
the sub-division in the different stages of each manufacture, but to give the whole
number under its general name ; for example, spinning jute for Gunny and weaving
Gunny, should both come under the head of Manufacturing Gunny, and all the
different kinds of cloth should come under the head of Manufacturing Cloth. A
List is given below of the different manufactures carried on in the Bengal Jails, and
it should be the aim of all Magistrates to confine themselves to the strict nomencla
ture given herein, adding others, should such be found absolutely necessary.
Making of Bricks.
Ditto of Soorkey.
Manufacture of Lime.
Pottery.
Manufacture of Saltpetre.
Ditto
of Oil.
.
Husking Rice and grinding Otta and Dall.
Carpentry.
Iron Work.
Saddlery.
Shoe-making.

APPENDIX.

XV

Tailoring.
Manufacture of Gunny
Ditto
of Blankets
Ditto
of Cloth
Ditto
of Table Covers, Towels and Dosoottee
Spinning Thread.
Manufacture of Tape.
Ditto
of String and Twine.
Ditto
of Paper
Ditto
of Bamboo, Rattan and Reed Articles.
8. Under heads 2 to 7 of this Memorandum, no detail is required, as it will be
sufficient to give only the total number opposite each heading of them.
9. It is needless to say, that the total of Memo. B, and the totals of Columns 2
to 7 of the Main Statement, ought to tally.
tOT_~-Memorandum C is intended to explain Column 10 of the Main Statement,
and both their totals ought to tally.
II. Memorandum D is the Messing Report, the total of which ought to tally
with Column 1 1 of the Main Statement.
III. Mortality Statement. 12. It is intended that this Statement should exhi
bit the average daily number of Prisoners in the Jail and its out-stations, of all classes,
vis., all Criminal sentenced Prisoners, Hajut Prisoners, and Civil Prisoners ; the
two latter being classed in the body of the Statement as non-labouring, together with
those Criminal Prisoners who may be sentenced without labour.
1 3. In first Column should be entered the average daily number of prisoners of
each description, of each caste, specified therein in Column 2 ; the number of deaths
among them, and in Column 3, their average per centage of deaths to strength calculated
to three places of decimals. Columns 4 to 8 are intended to show the period of
imprisonment of each Prisoner, at the time of death, and the aggregate of these five
Columns ought to tally with the number set down in Column 2 of the same state
ment.
14. Memorandum A in this Statement, is to show the average daily number of
labouring prisoners, the number of deaths among the same, and the average per
centage of deaths to strength calculated to three places of decimals. The total
average daily number of Prisoners in this Memorandum ought to agree with Column
1 of the third part of the Manufacture Statement.
15. Memorandum B in this Statement, is, in like manner, to show the deaths
among the non-labouring Prisoners, comprising as above stated, Criminal Prisoners
sentenced without labour, the Hajut and the Civil Prisoners.
16. The total average number of labouring and non-labouring Prisoners at foot of
Memos. A and B, ought to tally, in its principal particulars, with the grand total at
foot of the Main Statement.

XVI

APPENDIX.

17. The remarks by the Medical Officer should be comprised under the follow
ing heads, and it is particularly requested that remarks be made on each and every
head, in the order set down herein, additions of course being made at the end should
such be found absolutely necessary.
Clothing.
Diet.
Use of Tobacco and other interdicted Articles.
Ventilation and Cleanliness.
Over-crowding.
Drainage with reference to Damp.
Drainage with reference to Privies and Sewerage.
IV. Escape Statement. 18. This statement should show the average daily
number of Prisoners of all classes in the Jail and its out-stations, and the average in
its Columns 1 and 8 ought, as a matter of course, to tally with that given in the
Mortality Statements ; that in Column 1, with that given in the Mortality Statement^
of 1854-55, and that in Column 8, with that given in the Mortality Statement of
1855-56.
Columns 2 to 7 will be filled up from the Escape Statement of 1854-55. Columns
9 to 12 will show the number of Escapes, and Column 13 their total. Column 14
the number re-captured of the same, and Column 15 the number re-captured of those
escaped in former years. Column 15 will be the result of Column 14, taken from
Column 13.
20. The use of Column 1 7 is obvious.
Conclusion. 21. It is particularly requested, that the Statements before trans
mission to this office, be carefully checked and thoroughly revised, to prevent the
necessity of unnecessary references in their return for correction.

No. 35.
Fort William, January 2, 1856.
When I visited the Hooghly Jail a short time since, Dr. Baillie, the
Civil Surgeon of the Station, pointed out to me a waste
Origin of the proposal to
.
establish vegetable gardens spot without the walls, which he thought might be proin connection with Jails.
,,
, .
. ,
.-, ,
. ,
.
.
ntably converted into a Kitchen (jarden, for the use of, and
cultivated by, the prisoners.
The suggestion appeared to me to be a valuable one, and I placed it in my
Memorandum accordingly.
2. It is very desirable, I believe, in all Jails, to find some light out-door occuObjects and uses of such pation close at hand, for convalescent Prisoners, and for all
a garden.
Up0n wnom confinement, change of diet and habits, and
similar causes, have produced a scorbutic condition of the system.

APPENDIX.

XV11

The latter class also need a larger supply, and greater variety, of certain vegetables
which are known to possess anti-scorbutic properties, than can be allowed in any
fixed dietary.
In some Districts, such substances are not procurable, as their cultivation is
unknown, and there is no demand for them.
Chief among them is the Potatoe, the free use of which in Europe has, with other
hygienic measures, caused the entire disappearance of scurvy in Jails and Poorhouses, where it prevailed to a great extent.
Again, very many of the prisoners in the Jails in Bengal are from the agricultural
population, to whom the cultivation of the soil is familiar, and who might be more profita
bly occupied in a kindred pursuit, than in learning manufacturing processes, in which
they can never attain any proficiency, and which will be of no use to them when set free.
In addition to all this, by a little care and trouble, new plants of economic value
-xuay^by such means, be gradually introduced in Districts where they are at present
unknown, and where they may, hereafter, become staple articles of food, or sources of
fibre and other material for manufactures to the surrounding population. Much time,
and long continued perseverance are always necessary to effect any change in the
habits of a people so little disposed to innovation of any kind, as are Asiatics in
general ; but, where so many useful ends, present and prospective, may be served by
adding gardens to Jails, there is nothing idle or visionary in the belief, that the pro
posal is deserving of trial and consideration.
In these circumstances, I shall be glad to be favored, for submission to the Go
vernment, with a report as to the means and facilities
afforded by the Jail under your charge, for the addition of
a vegetable garden ; your objections, if you entertain any, to the proposal ; the
nature and capabilities of the soil which your prisoners would have to work upon ; and
such other particulars as you may deem it desirable to place on record on the subject.
The Garden might be made a means of improving the drainage of the Jail, and by
a proper distribution of its work, few, if any, extra guards would be needed for the
safe custody of the prisoners whilst so employed.
The Civil Surgeon will, I doubt not, be able to afford you valuable information
upon this subject, and I should be glad to be favored with any remarks or sugges
tions he may have to make regarding it.

No. 36.
Camp Patna, January 18, 1856.
Mr. Dunbar, during his circuit as special Commissioner, remarked in the
Jail at Jessore, " that all Prisoners sentenced to imprisonment without labour, even
for misdemeanors, have an iron put round one ankle," a practice described by Mr.
Dunbar as not only cruel but illegal.
C

XV111

APPENDIX.

The Honorable the Lieutenant Governor has directed me to submit a report on the
subject. To enable me to do so, I shall feel obliged by your informing me, as early
as you can, whether the practice prevails in the
Jail, and if so,
by what authority it has been introduced, with any remarks you may deem necessary
on the occasion.

No. 37.
Camp Monghyr, February 6, 1856.
The Honorable the Lieutenant Governor of Bengal having instructed me to make
the necessary arrangements for the holding of an Exhibition of Jail Manufactures, in
Calcutta, as soon as possible, I have the honor to request that you will be so good as
to transmit, at your earliest convenience, a sample of each of the Manufactures carried
on in the
Jail under your charge.
2. Each specimen should be labelled with a number, and a list be prepared and
sent by Dawk, specifying the cost of raw material, the value of the manufactured
article, and such other information as will enable me to prepare and arrange the
articles for Exhibition.
3. The packages should be addressed to
The Inspector of Jails, L. P.
Calcutta.
and sent on the Public Service by the most readily available mode of transmission
to the Presidency.
4. The despatch of the articles should be duly advised.

No. 38.
Fort William, February 26, 1856.
The withdrawal of Tobacco from all prisoners in the Jails of the Ben
gal Presidency, having been accomplished for more than three years, the means of
forming a correct judgment upon the result of this measure must now exist.
My attention having been directed to the subject, I am desirous of submitting a
special report to the Government regarding it, for the information of the Honorable
Court of Directors.
To enable me to do this before I leave the Presidency to inspect the Prisons in
Eastern Bengal, I have the honor to request that you will call upon the Civil Sur
geon of your station, to furnish me, within ten days from the receipt of this order,
with a special statement upon the effects of the withdrawal of Tobacco upon the
Prisoners under his charge.

APPENDIX.

XIX

Should he be of opinion that it lias operated injuriously upon their health, I shall
fee] obliged by his stating, in detail, the grounds of his belief, and by his affording
me positive illustrations from his Case Books, in support of his statements.
The question is one of considerable interest in a physiological point of view, and is
deserving of very careful consideration.

No. 39.
Fort William, February 27, 1856.
In the rules for the conduct of the duties of my office, drawn up by
Mr. Beadon, Secretary to the Government of Bengal, and circulated to the Sessions
Judges in the Regulation, and Officers exercising the power of Sessions Judges in
the Extra-regulation Districts, in Circular No. 6, dated 31st December, 1853, from
the Bengal Office, occurs the following paragraph :
II. "In order to facilitate your enquiries, it will be well, that all English correspondence
" in the Offices of the Sessions Judges, Magistrates or Assistant Commissioners, connected
" with the Jails, should be kept in separate books, which, together with all other official
' documents relating to the same subject, will be at all times open to your inspection. A
" book should also be kept in each Jail in the English and Native languages, in which all
" orders, which may be passed by any competent authority relative to prison management,
" should be entered. This maybe termed the ' Order Book of the Prison.' It will show
" you whatever changes may have been introduced since your last visit to the place."
2.

During my recent tour, I have found few Jails or Stations in which this sug

gestion has been attended to.

The consequence has been, that in no instance have I

been able to make as minute an examination of the Jail records as I could wish,
and, in some places, I have not been able to examine them at all.
3.

In these circumstances, I shall feel obliged by your being so good, from and

after the receipt of this Circular, as to keep all your Jail records strictly in the manner
directed, as it is my intention, in future, to call for the records referred to upon my
arrival at each station, in order that all circumstances connected with each Jail, may
be known to me at the time of my inspection.
4.

The Order Book I consider to be particularly necessary.

In more instances

than one, where the Magistrates were absent on duty in the District at the time of my
visit, the Darogahs affirmed that important orders relative to the Jails, had not been
communicated to them.

I strongly suspected them of untruthfulness, but as there was

no record in the Jail to convict them, I was compelled to rest content with the
suspicion.

The orders should not only be entered and translated, but should, in addition, be
signed as seen and read by all authorities connected with the Jail, whom they con
cern.

No plea of ignorance of their existence can then be urged or admitted.

XX:

APPENDIX.

5. Another subject, which I am anxious to bring to the notice of all Officers

connected with Jails, is the Visiting Book.
The object of this record has, I find, in very many instances been entirely mistaken.
It is not, in my belief, intended to be a mere register of the number of visits paid
by the Magistrate, or other authorities to the Jail.
Its real object is to record all that is deemed worthy of notice, or record, at such
visits, when it is fresh, and to note all orders passed by the Magistrate thereon.
It would facilitate the correct keeping of this record, if the Visiting Book were
bound in boards, and ruled longitudinally in triple columns, e. g. :

Date of Visit.

Remarks of Visitors.

Orders of Magistrate.

In very many cases, no orders are necessary ; in those instances the opposite column
may remain blank.
I am particularly desirous that all inspections, reports regarding food, cleanliness,
over-crowding, and such matters, should be carefully entered by the Civil Surgeons
in this record ; and that the orders thereon, by the Magistrate, should be entered in
the opposite column.
The necessity for this will be apparent when I mention, that in one Jail the Civil
Surgeon was reported never to enter it, unless sent for to superintend a punishment.
In another, the Surgeon had only occasionally entered the Jail for a couple of
months, in a time of great sickness ; and in others, various irregularities had occurred,
which never could have happened had this record been kept as carefully as it ought
to have been.
In still more instances, I found urgent and important remarks made by Civil
Surgeons, which had either been altogether disregarded by the Magistrate, or upon
which a verbal order was given, which, in all probability, met with little or no atten
tion from the Darogah, or other Jail subordinates.
I am aware that every Magistrate in the country has quite enough to do, without
being troubled with additional records, of which there are already more than enough.
I venture, however, to hope, that the keeping of Jail records and orders in the
manner hereinbefore noted, will not only not inflict any extra trouble upon the
Magistrare, but will, by systematizing, render them less irksome and complicated,
and infinitely more available fjr reference and examination, than thev have been
heretofore.
F. J. MOUAT,
Inspector of Jails, Lower Provinces.

xiaNaPPA
I
Remarks.
18.

r1
re-capture. for paid
reward of amount Total
F>

Total
No. re-c0aptured

No.
the
during
Escaped
year.

1855-56.
of uncaptured Remaining
J

yaars. Former

1855-56.

ascapas. of Total

Lock-ups.
Sub-Division From

HospitaL Prom

Jail.
the outside Prom
Jail.
the inside Prom

year.
00 the during Prisoners
of number daily Avarage
re-capture. for paid
raward of amount Total
1854-55.
of uncaptured Remaining
No.
Total re-0captured

c
*

Years. Former '

1854-55.

years. former of captured

un- remaining No. Total
yaar. the during
escapes of No. Total

year. the during soners

Pri- of No. daily Average

13

during
the
Year
18.5 -56.
III
MI
0'l0ll

S1.
Annual
Part
the
of
OtuMain
the
Jail
tof
Zillah
-netumfeanrct ure

j
purposes,
j
sold, Value
ditto
fori
cof
onsumed Public

avalue
in
Add
of
j
rstoreticles

Receipts
of)
Gross
aconount

close
of
atstore
aDeduct
of
value
in
rticles the

produce
of
)
Reaonc eouinpt s

iduring
Charges
)
the
ncur ed

Total,
Grand

Receipts
Total
close
the
of
}
atyear,

\
the
cuyear,
r ent

Rof
ecteisp,ts, of
Excess
Charges,

preyear,
ceding
)
cuyear,
r ent

Ivii

APPENDIX.

3o
H
''di <w tom
s 2 a
1
112
|3

OEn
&
o
' oo-
o
SW
U>H
M
n

1
Hospitalcharges.
7.

1
1
Eur.Med. Med.Baz.

Ttal,. .

Extra Guards.
6.
00
EsFixed tabl0shment.

wM
-i

**

5.
0nCloth0ng, Blankets andBed0nfr.
cluding

Money-Al owance.

'8J[j0M ouqnd jo
^uaraiJ-Bdao; q paJrg;

*sj[jom anoou^nsosxn

'apaoa no Sui^Jo^

ijBf sB paiofduia;

4.

*S9jn;o,BjnuBjg;
m paXojdma;
^HaraijudaQ;
29i1)0 XaB Xq pajtjj

3.
Rations.
2.

*B^upp;oq puB s.Bp

. -ung jo |anooov no hjom
01 pasnoia pus asnosip xo
oSB uiojj cjuaptgauj

Da0ly
ofn)Pruaimvsboenreagsj
eofallCHJailandloasinpsietBal,

Sltoeantbeoncr-.d
Total
v.
1.
00

m*i

xiaiiaddv

CD

H
W

OS

wM
00

j<

them.
in confined actually Prisoners of Number

CJi

3.

p
Prisoner. per feet
calculation the at taiuing
co of capable are they Prisoners of Number

i superfici 2i of

Si
O

CO

12. Column per aa Compartment

>r Ward of description each of number Total

"

Eo

-> 0e
5

?s3

WrJft
^P-fll
is_t-l-i-i*

la
OS

pfff oW;
r

1. Column per as class each of Total

Columns. preceding
the in included not are who Prisoners

trial. under still are cases whose Parties

Tuzveez.) (Hajut

F,
ST.
F.

M.
F.
M.
F.
M.

Sessions.
the before trial take to Committed
p.|
fb 5
a
Er* -- P

&

period. limited
a of expiry the after rity
secu without discharged be To

11

p.
M.

P>P

B
OS

r.

given. be security till confined

be to character dangerous Of

15

&c
M

a
eo
9
CD

iC

M.
under.
and year 1 for imprisonment Of

F.
M.

year. 1 above
and years 2 for imprisonment Of

V.

j/'

M.
*

years.
CO

life. for imprisonment 0f |

i

Female!
Male.
p -J

a ;.

11B'fi 1S |,

f.

OS
2,i>

CH
&

Pf
a S

c
P *i
* rti
^E
_ - tfia.
9 tJS

on -trate i-trat
Niz
e mie-ic Ju

1"

inate

tan5 B 2. ^ Sao &.

1
I
a

^ - ..
Q.

of Prisoners.
Work
the
which
tf
Pronihesoennr-s Number
e(Cols.
7)are
mhour.
tplooyed.
0
oRWthe2.Ja0l,
(uodontraesktd0iasneigl 0wMEtheJa0l,
3.msnocpesonlriakondeyseu d (HJa0lrSand4.Asonote-dsrqevpua0tnraesdil),
LS0ckandP5.Caro0bnsvoaulners0cnegt,
PNWell,
S0ckando6.rni-sLoanboeu.rsi,ngCofall7.PJail,
olatru0atso-snPe-o.rst

dOn
below.
Maen1.
tuasfaictluerds
EJmpSlaotyhmiento.f

Total,

Othe
Ja0l.
uts0de

r(enotdq-u0traed0,l)

the
Inside
Jail.
-Memorana\ tenced0

-1

r-notqu0r-d,)

B.ut
which
Workon and
emarks.
employedrother

F.

F.

OanduatJaeftof
the-Souetf
PandftolrNo.asi.w0psdnie-ronsg

Total.
3.

5.
Cols.
of
in
9.2tCol.
a10,
gin
P-of
nrcdC
o0espoglnsaetnraset0on M.

M.
Out-Post
In
F.

in
Distance m0les
from

Ja0l.
2.

Ja0l.

Pof
rlithe
MosecA.
of
manoetriaso.ndum

4.

of
the
till
irof
nceasocPrnaonoivdnseuoi,rnetydrs PState
NrTunder
tonite'auwhose
.rP-tare0umetans,col.nesrs
r7is*oVn7e"rsY,athe

M.
F.|

Col.
11.
Pof
rReport
Messing
iasper
D.soners

tUnderr0al.

SInud er
F.

PNo.
of
r0soners.

Total,

Ja0l.
1.

F.
M.

M.

3.
spec0al
for
Mess0ng
from
erxaD0tto
seonms.pted

Sentenced. F.
M.
M.

Total,
Total,
Grand
Messing
acPof
rNo.
tiusoanl-rsy

Total,. .
Stations.

deof
other
sPcr0spotnieorns,

2.
at at at
No.
Prisoners saclteuapl0nyg tal
of
only,
theon
and
Ja0l
in
Hosp0

Males Females
Total,
Apr0l
30th
1857

1.

PNroinDitto
s-oMnesr ing

bs

APPENDIX

g
jA

.qjSaajlB 1
E

3N
0

H
d
R

w
M

n
w

*JK3A*

03
i-

eqi ^uijtip
sqatepjo 'ojj

3
e0

. a

.qiSuaJis

to sqicep
jo sBBjuao
-iadd3BJaAyi

o^ sqi-Bsp
jo e3Bindo
jod a3i?j3Ay
.jbsX

Bqt ^uunp
Bqiwapjo -0^

SS
H

1
--

H
o
A
-1
tJ

09
M

a
an

Cm

j-

n
o
M

5 *

au

d
o

o
O

0j

ao

M
O

.
^'
ft "

S-

o
1

11

If

E -

*&

fc&ej

fi.S

:-g

spj^Mdn
00 pnB sjeaX g

0
a a

.2 o --a

S9
^S

.5

C rC

..

.JB3X

o *

no BAoqi*
pilE B.IbOA' g

|'.-

pp
few

'sq^uotu
ITS 0AOqi3

fcfl

pTIT

JBOX

si{4noui
s eajqi Oioqe
puTist|juoni9

3o

jepim
-* puTteqiuomg

K*
03

.qiSuaJjs 01
sqiptop jo eSw
-^TiaDJSd d^RJOAy

jvd cqi Sni

03 -Jtip eqiijapjo -ojjj

Es
o

............

Ph
o

::::::::::::

::::::::.:::

: :.s| :| :.p| fa H . : : = s :.s : - :-5

3 ^
s ! :-S.2 : : ;.s.3 :.s

rv=^fte_li!=^-pJ

g-gcp^p^^^^^phq

oS^fcs^i^S^

^^iSfe^^feC^fe^tSfe

ss^*^*^*^*

Ss^^^^^

"5

<

-a
an

ft)

B*

-.

05

.-

fa

xiaNaPPA

Remarks.

to

re-capture. for paid

raward of amount Total

to

1856-57.
of uncaptured Ramaining

of
ured
No.
Total re-capt
1"ol-.

oo

years. Formar

1856-57.

S!

ascapas. of Total

Look-ups.
Sub-Division From

Hospital. From

durin
iped
tg
year.
o

w Jail, the outsida From

p
a

to

Jail. tha inside From

(-<

year.
the during Prisoners
of numbar daily Avarage

re-capture. for paid

raward of amount Total
1855.56/
of uncapturad Remaining

of
ured
No.
Total re-capt
a>
cni
W
00

Sduring

a>

yaars. Former

r>

1855-56.

P>

ascapes. of Total

Lock-ups.
Division Sub- From

*-

Hospital. From

r.
aped
No.esc

f Jail. the outside From

to

JaiL the inside From

yaar. the during sonars

Pri of No. daily Avaraga

llii

APPENDIX.

No. 61.
The second Annual Exhibition of Jail Manufactures will be held
in the Town Hall of Calcutta on, or as soon as possible after, the 1st October
1857.
2. I am directed by the Honorable the Lieutenant Governor of Bengal to
request that you will forward duly addressed to me on the public service, samples of
all articles manufactured in your Jail.
3. These samples should be at least one foot square in size, or in the case of
Carpets, of such dimensions as will exhibit fully the design and texture of the
fabric.
*;
?4. Each article should have a number carefufl, ,.'..."'..''.".:' *.>. ._>-i:r.-;y r.\.-<(
on it, as to prevent its being lost or misplaced.
5. The numbers in your Invoice should correspond vi\>! *v.^ "~*};ii=ii .
. ,
and contain the following information, viz., 1, No. 2, Na:c.-5 .a f;':' - . . ,, n .*
Raw Material, 4, Cost of Labor, 5, Selling price of the A-:. _. hv ..-. " . . . <;
piece, (in the latter case the exact dimensions and weight o ..c jjici-c ucmg given,;
6, Probable amount that could be furnished by the Jail on contract.
6. From these particulars the Tickets and Catalogue will be prepared in mv
Office.
7. All articles must be despatched at such time as will ensure their reaching
Calcutta, at the latest, by the last week in August 1857.
8. The value of labor in column 5, should be calculated at the daily market
rate of labor in the district, multiplied by the number of days actually occupied in
the Manufacture.

No. 62.
Dated Fort William, 1 3th March, 1857.
With reference to part 3 of my Circular No. 60, dated 10th January
1857, relative to the Annual Mortality Statements of your Jail for the official year
1856-57, I have ths honor to request the favor of your being so good as to intimate
to the Civil Surgeon, that the return in question is to be furnished for the calendar
year 1856, from the 1st of January to the 31st of December, and not for the
official year.
2. The change is made for the purpose of saving unnecessary trouble, as a
duplicate of the return furnished to the Medical Board will answer for me.

appendix.

lxiii

3. I wish, however, to obtain a complete list of the fatal cases which occurred
in your Jail during 1856, in the form required by para. 3 of Circular No. 59, dated
6th January 1857, as far as it can be furnished from your records.
4. I shall feel obliged by your forwarding to me the returns now called for
at the latest in 30 days from the date of receipt of this order, and by your seeing
that the average number of all classes of prisoners in custody is very carefully calcu
lated in the manner indicated in the Circular first referred to.
5. This Circular is forwarded in duplicate in order that one copy may at
once be made over to the Medical Officer.

No. 63.

To
THE CIVIL SURGEON OF

Dated Fort William, March 20th 1857.

Sir,
With reference to the rules for the Medical Management
of Jails, promulgated by order of the Hon'ble the Lieutenant Governor
of Bengal, with my Circular No. 59, dated the 6th January 1857, I have
the honor to forward the accompanying forms, with explanatory notes
as to how they should be kept, to secure uniformity and accuracy with
the least possible trouble to Medical Officers.
II. No. 1 is the Surgeon's special Register of Prisoners on admis
sion and discharge.
This requires little explanation, yet it is an important record, as by
it alone can be determined the extent to which the Jails are responsible
for deterioration of health, and mortality among prisoners.
There can be no doubt that many prisoners, and particularly
those who are convicted in times of want and famine, whose crimes are
the result of poverty and starvation, or who are drunken, depraved, or
addicted to Narcotics, take into the Jail the seeds of the diseases to

lxiv

APPENDIX.

which they rapidly fall victims in confinement. For this the prison is
in very many instances only partially responsible, and in some not res
ponsible at all. At present such cases are entirely unaccounted for in
the returns.
The register of the weight of a convict on admission and discharge
is important in regard to the sufficiency or otherwise of the prison dietary,
and to the influence of labour, solitary confinement, and other points
connected with prison discipline upon the general health of prisoners,
respecting all of which, up to the present time, the jail records of the
Lower Provinces furnish no information whatever.
The previous diseases of a p ii.-i- .v:
..if'- ' V.y i.r ..a*.
fectly ascertained from natives, y - > i-v >'., 44- . ''- -u* .
I wlw I."
interest in determining the most juc v.m .u,' ,<;
.
.{.:> . r>t
ing of them in captivity. It is also
.J
- ' ... '_'. w-lr-", 1
causes of the tendency of particular ct< s- if-:-. : . urVv ->'.irt
culous cachexia, and the intractable
diarrhcea, regarding which our knowledge is at present imperfect and
defective.
For the present, and until a sufficient number of properly construct
ed weighing Machines can be furnished, in those Jails not already
provided with them, the weight of convicts may be omitted.
III. No. 2 is the Mortality Statement of the Jail. Its advantages
and necessity are so obvious, as to need no further mention.
The briefest outline of the course and symptoms of the disease, of
the general indications of treatment, and of the post mortem appear
ances, is all that is required.
The first ten heads of information can be filled up in the jail by the
Mohurrir, the remainder wil! not occupy much of the time of the Surgeon.
For facility of transmission and record, this return will be best kept
in loose sheets, which can afterwards be stitched together in the Jail
Records.
IV. Nos. 3 and 4 are the Cholera Registers, the former of all
cases that occur, the latter of the result of fatal cases only.
Cholera is so frequent a scourge of the jails in the Lower Provinces,
and there are still so many disputed points in its pathology, as to render
it desirable to collect accurate and trustworthy records, especially in
public institutions, where the means of carefully observing the whole
progress and characters of the disease, exist.

APPENDIX.

Jxv

The following extracts from the Circular issued by the Board of

Health in London during the epidemic of 1854, will show the direction
m which enquiry should be made, and the points on which further infor
mation is required :
1. " Through what channel does the exterior cause or poison of cholera first
enter or affect the human body ? is it through the lungs ? or through the stomach
and intestines ? or otherwise ?
2. Has the disease a period of incubation ? if so, how long ? and on what is
it contingent ?
3. Is there conclusive evidence, affirmative or negative, as to communication
of the disease from person to person ? Has any disproportionate liability to the
disease been suffered by those in attendance on the sick, or by those engaged about
their dead bodies, or occupied in cleansing their linen ? Have cases of the disease
occurred where personal infection was impossible ? Have solitary cases arisen in large
establishments, or been brought thither, without any diarrhoea or cholera ensuing
among other inmates ? Where choleraic disease has spread in an establishment,
shortly after the arrival either of a choleraic patient or of some person from a choleraic
' locality, has the establishment previously been free from diarrhoea or fever, and unex
ceptionable in its sanitary arrangements ?
4. Does any thing indicate a communication of the disease by provisions
supplied from houses in which cholera exists ?
5. Have persons engaged in particular manufactures or other employments
appeared to enjoy any special exemption from the disease ?
6. Has the disease been observed in apparent dependence on particular
articles of diet f Has any immunity been enjoyed by persons deriving their watersupply from a different source to that generally supplying their district ? Has it
occurred to persons, who have drunk no other water than such as had previously been
distilled, boiled, or filtered through charcoal ?
7. Does cholera begin as a morbid process of the gastro-intestinal mucous
membrane ? or is this preceded by some state of general poisoning which requires the
gastro-intestinal membrane to act as an emunctory ? Is the state of collapse deter
mined by this gastro-intestinal flux, and in proportion to it ? or can it arise indepen
dently of any such flux ? How are the lividity and the cramps determined and
proportioned ?
8. What conditions determine the occurrence, duration, and severity of
consecutive fever ? What are the varieties of morbid condition included under this
term ? To what extent does it depend on the previous occurrence of profuse dis
charges, or on the completeness of collapse ? Does stupor in this stage always depend

Ixvi

APPENDIX.

on urcemia, or on what ? In what proportion of cases and under what pathological

conditions, is the fever accompanied by exanthem ?
9. When diarrhaa and cholera prevail together epidemically in a district
are they (with differences of degree) the same disease? Does the diarrhcea, i
left to itself, generally and safely tend to spontaneous recovery ? or do such cases
without medical treatment, frequently, in proportion to their numbers, pass into trui
cholera ? Is there any way to discriminate a premonitory diarrhcea ?
10. What changesphysical and chemical, are undergone by the blood in
cholera ? Does the consecutive fever represent, in regard to the blood, a period ii
which this fluid is tending to recover from injuries inflicted on its constitution durinj
the stage of gastro-intestinal flux ? Or is it atter.
of chaps
in the blood, leading to critical discharges or inflamrr. i.
11. Does any obstruction of the capillary c.
'.. '*'<<- u
i * "i^'i.
tufts of the kidney, or in the lung or luain, or elsewl
ri" . '
pissation or other physical affection of the blood in cholera : [.'> ,\
.^:..tother parenchymatous changes, which have been observe! ii . -ani>ns v<*
'
cholera, arise in consequence of sucli obstructions ? Or do all these structural Tfesiu..
arise as ordinary inflammatory processes ?
12. Does the non-discharge of bile with the rice-water secretions of cholei
depend on tumefaction of the ductus choledochus, or on what ?
13. Is the rise of temperature which has occasionally been observed afti
death by cholera confined to cases where death occurs during collapse ? Does it occi
only at the surface of the body, and, if so, depend on a return of blood to the surface
Or does it occur also, in the visceral cavities of the body, and in the substance of soli
organs ?
In the mortality register of Cholera, (No. 2,) the following suj
posltious case will indicate the manner in which the record should 1
filled in :
1.
2.

Case,
Sex and age,

3.

Duration of severe symptions, |

4. Death in collapse or re-action,

Stomach.Distended with rice-water fluid.

9
m. 25

jq
Re-action Typhoid.
Glands near pylorus jnm

5.
swollen.
6. Small intestines.Increased vascularity towards ileum.
7. Large intestine.Below the valve congestion, extravasation of blood, a
superficial ulceration. Solitary glands enlarged.

APPENDIX.

8.

lxvii

Glands of small intestines. Solitary Glands enlarged and ulcerated.

Aggregate much enlarged, infiltrated, and whitish.

9. Mesenteric Glands.Much swollen, of a reddish gray colour.
10. Spleen.Atrophied.
11. Liver. Pale and ancemic.
12. Gall bladder. Moderately distended with dark green ropy bile.
13. Peritoneum. Healthy.
14. Kidneys and Urinary Organs;Eight Kidney coarsely granulated ;
bladder ; empty and contracted.
15. Female Urinary Organs.Blood and mucus in cavity of uterus ; os
uteri ulcerated ; cyst in ovary.
16. Heart and blood In Pericardium, a little fluid : Heart small and flabby :
Valves healthy. No staining or coagula.
1 7. Lungs.No fluid in pleurre, pneumonia of lower lobe on right-side.
18. Membranes.Veins on surface full, no fluid under arachnoid.
19. Brain substance.Slightly congested.
20. Ventricles.A small quantity of clear fluid.
21. Remarks.Any peculiarities connected with the particular case which
the Medical Officer may desire to place on record.

In the general register of cases, No. 1, uniformity will best

be secured, with the least trouble, and the results be susceptible of
comparison with those obtained in Europe by observing the following
instructions, which are likewise extracted from the Report of the
Medical Council of the General Board of Health, published in London
in 1855.
The extracts are re-produced in extenso, as the work in question
is not generally accessible in India.

" Instruction I. The following Degrees or stages of the Disease. Are

generally recognised by the Medical profession, and whenever it is possible should
be distinguished. The terms adopted to designate them are in common use. All
the stages are not present in every case."
("

Diarrhoea,

1. Simple.Alvine discharges frequent and liquid, but foecal.

Vomiting and cramps absent.
\
2. Choleraic.Alvine discharges very copious, watery, still
tinged with bile.
or urgent.

Vomiting generally present, but not continued

Cramps of extremities absent.

lxviii

Cholera,

APPNEDIX.

3. Without Collapse. Alvine discharges watery, colourless

with white flakes (rice water). Vomiting commonly urgent.
Cramps of extremities frequent and severe. Eyes somewhat
sunken. Temperature of surface lowered. Pulse small and
feeble. Urine not secreted.
4. With Collapse. Surface of face and extremities quite
cold, often wet. Face and hands much shrunken, and more or
less deeply livid. Cramps present. Pulse at wrist absent prscarcely
to be felt. Veins of extremities contracted to dark threads.
Urine not secreted. Voice usually much altered and feeble.
5. Consecutive Fever.Temp
.-. . f -rre. --
less restored. Pulse distinct, son
' :n .,-.. v. rVeins more or less filled. Face les . -. . >! .. . . y,-t: ?:'i: t :
deeply flushed. Drowsiness passir; -"'-. ij:-::.- . A :' i ..
charges again containing bile.

Ur

f -.

" . -4 -. .'.','

pressed.
" Instruction II. Absence of Stages.The absence of any one or more
of the earlier stages should be indicated by the word " absent" or " abs," written
opposite the deficient stage in the place of the date of commencement. The fact
of the disease not reaching the later stages will be sufficiently shown by the mode
of termination of the case, (" death" or " recovery") being written opposite the stage
at which the disease ceased."
" Instruction III. Dates.When the time of commencement of a particular
sta^e cannot be ascertained, the words " not known" or " n. k." should be
written in the place of the date. But although the precise hour of the com
mencement of each stage cannot be determined exactly, except in rare instances,
it may generally be stated approximately by taking some intermediate time between
a known period when the symptoms of the particular stage were entirely absent,
and one in which they were clearly developed.
Instruction IV. Recovery. The date of recovery should be fixed at the time
when all the symptoms of the disease, and all marked disturbances of health directly
resulting from it, have disappear- ed, although some degree of debility may remain.
Instruction V. Treatment.The nature of the treatment should be in
dicated in the table as concisely as possible When any uniform and definite plan
of treatment is adopted in a series of cases, that plan should be accurately described
in the space for " Remarks" and should be indicated on the table by one or two
words, as " Salines" " Calomel c. op" " Stimulants" Sulph, Ac., fyc.
Instruction VI.If any patient at the time of the attack was already
suffering from another disease, the nature of that disease and the treatment used for
it should be mentionedin the " Eemarks."
*\

APPENDIX.

Ixix

V. The last of the forms is the monthly general return of sick in

the jail hospital, and in all outlying gangs as well as lock-ups.
This return is to be transmitted within one week of the close of each
month, except in cases where the oat-station lock-up is at a great distance
from the zillah jail, in which case ten days after the expiry of the month
will be allowed for the submission of the return.
The total strength of prisoners is to be obtained by adding together
the whole number of prisoners of every class, criminal, civil, and in
hajut, and will be obtained from the Magistrate's Office.
The averages are to be calculated in the usual manner.
Whenever the mortality is in excess of one per cent., of the whole
strength, it is to be specially accounted for under the head of ' Medical
. History of the monthl which is likewise to include a brief account of
any epidemics which may have visited the jail during that time, and any
remarks or suggestions which the Civil Surgeon may desire to make
regarding ventilation, drainage, clothing, food, labour, over-crowding
and the internal economy generally of the prison, so far as they concern,
or come under his observation as affecting the health of the prisoners.
When epidemics prevail, a brief abstract of the results of the me
teorological records kept during the month should also be appended to
the return.
The list of diseases is taken from the form of return adopted by the
Registrar General in England, and is promulgated in its complete form to
get rid of the unsatisfactory and indefinite class of other diseases.
Many of the affections mentioned, are of rare occurrence in jails,
and others may probably not occur at allin such cases the correspond
ing columns should be left entirely blank.
It is hoped that care will be exercised in the accurate diagnosis of
jail diseases. At present most examples of phthisis and fatal cases of
wasting from tuberculous cachexia, are returned as Diarrhoea, this being
the most prominent symptom preceding dissolution.
Again, the ulceration of the cornea which occurs in the advanced
stage of general debility and wasting from innutrition, is seldom re
corded in the proper place.
The detailed calculations of the sickness and mortality of the year
will be made in the office of the Inspector of Jails.The only annual
statement required from Medical Officers will be a brief narrative of the
results of the year in all matters relative to jail hygiene.

APPENDIX.

lxx

V1L To sum up briefly the wi

Medical Officers in connection with
they are as follows :
, j

"statements required from

professional duties in jails,

1. Brief notes in the jail visiting book of all inspections of prison

ers' food, &c.
2. The register of the health and weight qf prisoners on admission
and discharge.
3. The hospital- case book, in which only serious and fatal cases
need be entered, and those not in great or cumbrous,detail.
4. The Casualty record.
5. The Cholera Registers.
6. The Monthly return of sickness a
:t '
7. An annual narrative of the Medit . ,
.
.[,:' .... .
the year.
I have the hont :
Si:
Your most obedient servant,
F. J. MOUAT,
Inspector of Jails, L: P.

rV'

>l * P. M. CRANENBURGH, BENGAl MIlITRAY ORPHAN PRESS.

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