he thus affords us an account of her visit:--

Yesterday we went, the moment we had swallowed our breakfast, by
appointment to Newgate. The private door opened at sight of our
tickets, and the great doors, and the little doors, and the thick
doors, and doors of all sorts, were unbolted and unlocked, and on
we went, through dreary but clean passages, till we came to a room
where rows of empty benches fronted us, and a table, on which lay a
large Bible. Several ladies and gentlemen entered, and took their
seats on benches, at either side of the table, in silence.

Enter Mrs. Fry, in a drab-colored silk cloak, and plain, borderless
Quaker cap; a most benevolent countenance; Guido Madonna face,
calm, benign. "I must make an inquiry; is Maria Edgeworth here? And
where?" I went forward; she bade us come and sit beside her. Her
first smile, as she looked upon me, I can never forget. The
prisoners came in, and in an orderly manner ranged themselves on
the benches. All quite clean faces, hair, caps and hands. On a very
low bench in front, little children were seated, and watched by
their mothers. Almost all these women, about thirty, were under
sentence of transportation; some few only were for imprisonment.
One who did not appear was under sentence of death; frequently
women, when sentenced to death, become ill, and unable to attend
Mrs. Fry; the others come regularly and voluntarily.

She opened the Bible, and read in the most sweetly solemn, sedate
voice I ever heard, slowly and distinctly, without anything in the
manner that could distract attention from the matter. Sometimes she
paused to explain; which she did with great judgment, addressing
the convicts--"_We_ have felt! _We_ are convinced!" They were very
attentive, unexpectedly interested, I thought, in all she said, and
touched by her manner. There was nothing put on in their
countenances; not any appearance of hypocrisy. I studied their
countenances carefully, but I could not see any which, without
knowing to whom they belonged, I should have decided was bad; yet
Mrs. Fry assured me that all those women had been of the worst
sort. She confirmed what we have read and heard--that it was by
their love of their children that she first obtained influence over
these abandoned women. When she first too