One of the prominent good effects resulting from the proposed mode of disposing of those convicted of second offences, will be, to relieve the state of the vicious part of the free nLac lc POPULATION, the increase of which, and the evils thereof, are obvious to all.§ They add greatly to the number of convicts, and serve to keep up the very large poor tax paid by the city and county of Philadelphia, from the great numbers which are annually admitted into the almshouse. " By an authentic statement it appears, that in one year, ending October I, 1818, 2117 whites, and 1070 blacks, were committed to the Philadelphia prison, for various crimes, giving the proportion which the num ber of white offenders bore to the black, not of quite two to one ; whereas the proportion of white inhabitants to ne groes, within the city and county, is about eight to one. In other words, it follows, that one out of every sixteen blacks was committed to prison in the space or a single year ; while of the whites, only one out of sixty became amenable in like manner to justice."* In July, 1816, of four hundred and seven convicts then confined, one hundred and seventy-six were coloured. In August, 1819, of four hundred and seventy-four convicts in prison, one hundred and sixty-five were coloured, or nearly one-third. Of these 139 were men, and 26 women. In the apartment for untried and vagrant prisoners, there were 273 ; of these 183 were men, and 90 women. The number of blacks bears a greater proportion to the whites than those on the convict side ; those committed as va grants and sentenced to one month's imprisonment, being chiefly black.
At the court of dyer and terminer that ended January, 1819, of twenty-eight prisoners indicted, twelve were black, seven of whom were old offenders.
During the year 1820, of 687 convicts in prison, 424 were white, and 263 coloured.
In the ear 1821, of 300 admitted, 113 were coloured.
In the New-Jersey prison, of the total admitted (805) since it was opened, 194 were black, (158 men and 35 women.) On the 15th October, 1819, of 98 prisoners then confined, 25 were black.
In the Virginia penitentiary, of 909 admitted, to Octo ber 1819, 227 were black. Of 175 then confined, 39 were black.
By the annual census for 1819, of the humane and cri minal institutions in New-York, by the attending minis ter the Rev. John Stanford, the following proportion of whites to blacks is given.
Bridewell, white 70, black 29 Penitentiary Bellevue, criminals, do. 103, do. 82 Do. do. vagrants, do. 128, do. 44 State Prison, do. 489, do. 110 In 1820,of 655 persons in those institutions, there were 195 coloured men, and 78 coloured women—total, 173.— Of 744 convicts during the year 1823, 150 were coloured.
In 1819, the census taken by order of the corporation of New-York, gave 9,923 as the total number of blacks in the city and county.
In the statement transmitted from the Massachusetts state prison, the colour of those convicted the first time is not mentioned, but of those convicted a second, third, fourth, and fifth time, amounting to 142, from its establish ment in 1805, to October 1st, 1819, 31 were black. At
this last date, of 340 convicts then in prison, 48 were black. In January, 1821, of 292 in prison, 46 were black. On the 30th September, 1821, of 282 convicts then in prison, 41 were coloured.
These statements show plainly an increase of black con icts in the state of Massachusetts, although the coloured population therein is much less than in New-York, New Jersey, or Pennsylvania.
Should the transportation of the classes of criminals which I have specified, be resolved upon, by any one state, the other states ought to be applied to, in order that they may take the measure into consideration, and that in case of their approving of it, a sufficient number of convicts may be collected, to freight one or more ships. —The general government may then be requested to fur nish a convoy of two armed vessels, to conduct the trans ports to the destined island. If the convicts in one state were not sufficient to fill a vessel, she might go round to the ports whence those of other states are to be shipped ; or they might be sent to the transport destined to convey them, which should be stationed at anchor, and at a dis tance from the city where she was chartered. When the stipulated number shall be obtained, the convoy may then be asked to join, and all will then proceed to their destin ed place of depot.
As each state at present maintains its own convicts, so the states must be individually at the expense of their transportation : and the requisite preparatory step will be, a resolution by the legislature, empowering the governor to employ a merchant at the ordinary mercantile commis sion, to charter transports to carry the outfits, to contract for laying in the same rations per day, for a computed voyage, and for one year after the convicts are landed, that they now have in prison, or what may be equivalent thereto. Each county will bear its own expenses of con veying its convicts to the sea port, as they do at present when conveying them to the state prison, and for their maintenance while confined there. The state might in the first instance, advance the price of transportation, pro vision, and outfits, and receive the amount from the differ ent counties, as the county of Philadelphia now does, for the support of the convicts from the state at large.
The number safely to be carried per ton of the vessel, will be easily determined. One stipulation ought to be, that nothing be taken on board as an article of inerchan dize. A seaman of character and firmness, should be ap pointed to accompany the convicts, and to act as director general, under proper instructions. He may he selected by the merchant, and receive his appointment from the governor of the state, from which the greatest number of convicts will be sent at a time.