Continued Thursday Novr. 23d. 1797

answer the intention of the legislature and the Magistrates who commit them to hard Labor.

Townsend,William
Porter's Man to
Superintend the labor
of Prisoners.The Committee were also of Opinion, that William
Townsend< no role > the Porter's Man be recommended as
Superintendant of the labour of the Prisoners and on that
Account he be excused his usual daily attendance at the
Porter's Lodge, which attendance should be supplied by the
other Beadles, in turn, and that in consideration of such
addition of duty, the Beadles should in future be released
from that part of their present Employment, which consists
in delivering Summonses to the Governors for General Courts
and Committees, which Summonses they recommand
should in future be delivered by the Penny Post.

And the Committee were further of Opinion that the
very small profit arising from the Labor of the Prisoners
confined in this Hospital, is owing to the low price usually
paid for the same and when it is considered, that three fourths
of these People are committed only for seven days (previous to
their being passed to their respective Parishes) the first of which
(being generally about, 3 or 4 o'Clock in the afternoon) they
can do but very little work, the Morning they go out, they
do nothing, Saturday being half a Holliday on account of
the Prisoners washing and cleaning themselves for Sunday
and that day intervening they are only employed three days
and an half out of seven days during their confinement, in
which short period it is hardly possible for them to acquire
any considerable degree of dexterity and that a great
number are Children and many others who from Infirmity
Age and Diseases are totally incapable of Labor, it will be
very difficult to make their Earnings by any means more
considerable or productive./.