desideratum aimed at. Speaking of the chaplain to the institution, he
says:--

"Small blame to him; I honour and respect the man, though I laugh at the
preacher. And I say, that seven hundred and thirty sermons _per annum_,
for three hundred dollars and a weekly dinner, are quite pork enough for
a shilling. No man goeth a warfare on his own charges, and the labourer
is worthy of his hire. I do not see how he can justify such wear and
tear of his pulmonary leather, for so small a sum, to his conscience.
What is a sixpenny razor or a nine-shilling sermon? Neither can be
expected to cut--not but his sermons would be very good for the use of
glorified saints--but, alas! there are none such in the House of
Correction. What is the inspiration of a penny-a-liner? I will suppose
that one of the hearers is a sailor, who would relish and appreciate a
sausage or a lobscouse. Mr -- sets _blanc mange_ before him.--Messrs.
of the city government give your chaplain two thousand dollars a-year,
so that he may reside in the house of correction, without leaving his
family to starvation; let him visit each individual, learn his
circumstances and character, and sympathise with him in all his sorrows,
and, my word for it, Mr -- will have the love and confidence of all.
He will be an instrument of great good by his counsel and exhortations.
But as for his public preaching, this truly good, pious, and learned man
might as well sing psalms to a mad horse. Fishes will not throng to St
Anthony, or swine listen to the exorcism of an apostle, in these godless
days. If you think he will be overpaid for his services, you may braze
the duty of a schoolmaster, who is very much needed, to that of a
ghostly adviser.

"Mr -- never fails to pray strenuously that the master and officers may
be supported and sustained, which has given rise to the following
tin-pot epigram:--

"Support the master and the overseers,
O Lord! so runs our chaplain's weekly ditty;
Unreasonable prayers God never hears,
He knows that they're supported by the city."

He complains bitterly of the convicts not being permitted the use of any
books but the Bible and temperance Almanac. It is rather strange, but
he says that he supposes that a full half of the inmates of the house of
correction can neither _read_ nor _write_.

"Is it pleasant to look back on follies, vices, crimes; presently on
blasted hopes, iron bars, and unrequited labour; and forward upon
mi