rture him more than physical
pain. At the closing scene he was evidently trying to believe, but
could not, for he kept repeating, "If there be a God, if there be a God
I hope He will forgive me; but I can't believe it, indeed I can't!" and
so saying he expired.

Another death-bed scene impressed me much. The patient was paralysed in
his lower extremities and could scarcely walk, but his general health
appeared pretty good, and he was not confined to bed. He had a talent
for mechanics and arithmetic, but a very bad temper and a very bad
heart. His crime was sacrilege. In the next bed to his there lay a
patient who was dying, and being in great pain was making a noise,
which disturbed the studies and peace of mind of the other. A quarrel
arose between the two on the subject. High words ensued. Curses, deep,
black, loud, and long, soon followed, too soon for the officer to
prevent, and there would certainly have been a fight if the dying man
could have got out of bed, but the interference of the officer put an
end to the disturbance. It was their parting words taken in connection
with what followed, that made a deep impression upon me:--"If it wasn't
that you are dying I would blacken your eyes for you," cried the
mechanic. "How do you know I am dying? You look as like dying as
anybody, you miserable cripple," retorted the other. "Ah! I'm tough
stuff, you'll not see me die in a hurry." The cripple who uttered these
words went shortly afterwards to bed, was seized with a paralytic
affection, which took the power of speech from him. He never uttered
another syllable, but lay in bed for about a week, making frantic
motions with his lips. I forget which of these two men died first, but
they were buried together in the same grave.

Another death at this time excited a good deal of conversation among
the prisoners. The patient had been tried under the Transportation Act,
one of the bye-laws of which enacted that for every prison "report," or
offence, the prisoner would lose one month of his remission. But
convicts being usually punished under the most recent law, without
reference to its being different from that under which they had
received sentence, the prisoner I now refer to was sentenced to lose
three months of his remission for one offence, that of having an inch
or two of tobacco on his person. He had undergone nearly the whole of
this additional punishment, when, only a few hours before his time came
to leave the pris