Curious to say, there are few instances of
difficulties being put in the way of his inspecting the prisons in any
of the countries which he visited, while about six months after his
labours began, he was called to the bar of the House of Commons, and
publicly thanked for his services in behalf of those who could not help
themselves.

Mr. Howard was pleased and touched at the honour done him, and at the
proof that

Evil is wrought by want of Thought,
As well as by want of Heart;

but he was much more gratified by two laws that were passed during that
session, one for relieving innocent prisoners from paying fees, and the
other for insisting on certain rules being carried out which were
necessary to keep the prisoners in good health.

* * * * *

This last Act was greatly needed. The bad air, the dirt, and the
closeness of the rooms constantly produced an illness called gaol fever,
from which numbers of prisoners died yearly, one catching it from the
other. Nominally, a doctor was attached to every prison, but instead of
being ready, as doctors generally are, to risk their lives for their
patients, these men usually showed great cowardice. In Exeter, the
doctor when appointed had it set down in writing that he should not be
obliged to attend anyone suffering from gaol fever; in the county gaol
for Cornwall, every prisoner but one was ill of this disease when Howard
paid his first visit there. And no wonder, for here the prison consisted
of only one room with a small window, and three 'dungeons or cages,'
the one for women being only five feet long. The food was let down to
them through a hole in the floor of the room above.

In Derby, Howard was thankful to see that things were far more what they
ought to be. The rooms were larger and lighter, there was an infirmary
for the sick, 'a neat chapel,' and even a bath, 'which the prisoners
were required occasionally to use.' Here the debtors, instead of being
nearly starved, were given the same allowance of food as the criminals.
They were also supplied with plenty of straw, and had fires in the
winter. Newcastle was still better managed, and here the doctor gave his
services free; but the Durham gaol was in a terrible state, and when
Howard went down into the dungeon he found several criminals lying there
half-starved and chained to the floor. The reason of these differences
probably lies in the fact that before Howard's