Dr. William Harty, 1 V ,00 MINUTES OF EVIDENCE BEFORE SELECT COMMITTEE ,. ako I In the fourth period, the lowest assessment was for the year 1812 being 6 \\ d and the highest for the year 1821, being 27,515/; the total of the fourth _ , period amounting to 250,111 L makes an annual average of 20,842 I On review- a May.) L these four periods, it will appear that the second period embracing twelve years, far exceeded the first embracing twenty- three years. 1 he third period only exceeds the second ( embracing the same term) by about 25,000/. The fourth period, how- ever is nearly double the third, though embracing the same term of time; and it will obviously be very necessary to explain, why the second period of twelve years so much exceeds the first of twenty three years, and why the last or fourth period should be nearly double either the second or third ; and I think on reviewing the presentments that were made in those periods, the causes will be evident and sa- tisfactory. In the first period of twenty- three years the great sources of positive ex- pense were for bridges, amounting to upwards of 10,000/. for the building of the present Newgate exceeding 10,000/. and also for transporting felons about 2,500/. The causes why the expenses were so low in these first twenty- three years are that in the first place there were very few prisoners; for so late as the year 1782 and 178.3, when the illustrious Howard visited the prisons of Dublin, he stated the number of prisoners to be about 120, and on the second visit to amount to about 1 50, therefore there were but few prisoners. In the next place they were il! fed, and many of them not fed at all; viz. those who were retained for the fees, the daily allowance of food being only twopence worth of bread. In the next place, for a great part of this first period, there were no fees remitted at all to prisoners, and when first remitted, they were remitted but partially; an Act of Parliament being occasionally passed remitting all fees for the prisoners then in confinement. In the next place, there were no medicines allowed the prisoners, there was no in- spector, no physician nor chaplain, there was no bedding provided, and there were no turnkeys but the criminals themselves, there was scarcely any compensation, a very small salary only being paid to the gaoler, who was thus forced to live bv plunder on the prisoners; and it was not till the year 1786, that the deputy gaoler was appointed. The Committee may judge of the expense of supporting the pri- soners at this time by the fact, that the half year's presentment for bread in the year 1765, amounted to 72/. only, and in the year 1778 to 120/. These are the causes why the first period was so high as it was, and also why it fell so far short of the expenses of the second period. The special causes why the second period, embracing twelve years, so far exceeded the first, embracing twenty- three years are, that three new prisons were erected, and Newgate was, besides, completed in that period ; the total expense of those objects alone amounted to 19,456/. The sessions house besides was erected in this period, and the expense thereof, during those twelve years, amounted to 6,970/. Poundage also for the allowance to collectors commenced in this period, the annual amount of which has been for many years about 2,000 /.; bridges also were erected amounting to 4,692 /.; the repairs" 011 the Rock road, and for walls against the sea were very heavy, amounting to about 5,000 /.; there were four new officers appointed, the physician, inspector, chap- lain, and coroner; medicines too, were first presented for in this period; a com- mission of perambulation also issued, which was a source of heavy expense. What is that commission for ?— For ascertaining the boundaries between the city and county ; and in consequence of the difficulty of doing so, an Act of Parliament passed for extending the jurisdiction of the recorder. Were not there maps of the city and county ?— There were maps ; but the diffi- culty of ascertaining whether the prisoner was taken in the city or county, was so great that culprits were sometimes enabled to escape. In this period also the Dublin militia was raised, the expense 6,629/.; the food provided for prisoners was much better and in greater quantity, of which an example may be had in the presentment for Newgate m the year 1798, when the expense of bread, for half a year, amounted to 600/. and in the preceding period, it seldom exceeded 100/.; nrS? an lnTfe/ r priSOners; and fees be § an t0 be " lore liberally remitted Cn6 eS also' and beddlng> were now provided by the public for prisoners; also turnkeys were appointed in place of piiod, i the twenty- three preceding years, period, the expenditure of which exceeded diffi3 nT ^ T1 ™ ln Plac^, ot criminals. The total extras of this period, in amountlun r7lTntS) a< rtUa ly made be>' ond the twenty- three preceding yeirs, theToutblZJI', 000 / IIUie thiFd Peri0d' thG exP^ iture of which exceeded and an " < J t L the samer « were continued, viz. the Dublin militia house to about ^ 000 , , exPense * which amounted to 4,000/.; the sessions to about 5,000/.; the new prison to upwards of 4,000 /.; commission of of perambulation