s, the record of Mrs. Fry's early labours may have lost much of
its interest. But it is well to state clearly the nature of her work,
and the spirit in which it was undertaken. Nor was it only in the
interior of the prisons that her labours were carried on. At that time
the transportation of criminals to penal settlements was very largely
resorted to, and the state of convict ships was as bad as that of the
worst prisons in England. Mrs. Fry made arrangements for the classifying
of female prisoners; for obtaining superintendents and matrons; for
providing schools and work on board ship; and in many ways attending to
the welfare of the poor convicts. She used to go down to almost every
ship that left the Thames, and saw everything done that was possible for
their comfort. In one case, that of the _Wellington_ convict ship,
hearing that patchwork was an easy and profitable work, she sent quickly
to different Manchester houses in London, and got an abundance of
coloured cotton pieces. When the ship touched at Rio Janeiro, the quilts
made by the women were sold for a guinea each, which gave them money to
obtain shelter on landing, till they could get into service or find
respectable means of subsistence. The children were taught to knit, and
sew, and read; the schoolmistress and monitors being themselves chosen
from the convicts, with guarantee of reward if they continued steady.

A more public and national benefit was the assistance given by Mrs. Fry
to those who sought revision of the penal code by Parliament. Sir Samuel
Romilly, Sir James Mackintosh, the Earl of Lansdowne, Mr. Wilberforce,
all acknowledged the help obtained in their parliamentary efforts to
amend the administration of the criminal law, in the facts and the
experience supplied by her from her long and successful efforts in
prison work. The popularity acquired by her brought all manner of
persons, the very highest in Church and in State, to seek to know her
and to do her honour. Even the aged Queen Charlotte, who had never taken
much interest in philanthropic work, and had paid undue attention to
small matters of court formalism and etiquette, was melted into
admiration of what this Quaker lady had done. On the occasion of a
public ceremony at the Mansion House, the Queen asked Mrs. Fry to be
present, and paid particular attention to her. The pencil of the artist
has left a record of this scene, as well as of the meetings in Newgate,
where she is addressing