emedy ought not to
have been so long deferred, will be evident to every one who attends to
Vaux's account of his first incarceration.

"On entering the gates of the gloomy receptacle to which I was
now consigned, and which, on many accounts, has not been
unaptly named the Bastile, the sensations I felt may be more
easily felt than described. Besides that this was the first
prison I had ever entered, every thing around me had an air of
unspeakable horror. After being viewed and reviewed by the
surly Cerberuses of this earthly Hell, I was conducted up some
stairs to a long gallery, or passage, six feet wide, having on
either side a number of dismal cells, each about six feet by
nine, formed entirely of stone, but having a small grated
window near the roof, at the further end, which admitted a
gloomy light, and overlooked a yard, in which other prisoners
were confined; there was also a similar grate over the door;
but, owing to their height, both these apertures were very
difficult of access. The cells on the other side the passage
were exactly similar, but overlooking another yard, and the
doors were immediately opposite to each other. The only
furniture of these dreary apartments was an iron bedstead, on
which were a bed, blanket, and rug, but all of the coarsest
kind. My conductor having given me a pitcher of water, without
vouchsafing a word, locked the door, and left me in utter
darkness.

"In order to amuse my mind during this solitary week, I climbed
up to the grated aperture over the door of my cell, and
listened to the conversation of the neighbouring prisoners;
and, from their discourse, I acquired a more extensive
knowledge of the various modes of fraud and robbery, which, I
now found, were reduced to a regular system, _than I should
have done in seven years, had I continued at large_. I was
indeed astonished at what I heard; and I clearly perceived
that, instead of expressing contrition for their offences,
their only consideration was, how to proceed with more safety,
but increased vigour, in their future depredations. And here I
was struck with the fallacious notions entertained by the
projectors of this prison, which was reputed to be upon the
plan of the benevolent and immortal Howard, who had recommended
the confinement o