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New York, 8th month, 8th, 1818. RESPECTED FRIEND, In a late letter from my particular and valuablefriend, John Griscom, he informed me of the peculiargratification he enjoyed in thy company at Liver-pool, and of thy being a warm advocate in favourof obtaining an alteration of your penal code, andrequested me to forward thee some printed accountsof the Penitentiary system in this country. It is withmuch pleasure that I comply with my friends request,and now send to care of Cropper, Benson, &; Co., abundle containing several pamphlets relating to ourprisons, and have added some others that I conceivedwould be interesting to thee. We have in this statetwo large prisons, one in this city that has about 750convicts, and one at Auburn, (about 150 miles westof Albany,) built last year, that will accommodateabout the same number. The affairs of the prisonin this city have been badly managed for some years.That punishments mild and certain will more effect-ually prevent crimes, than those which are sangui-nary and severe, there can be no doubt; and thiswould have been most completely verified, if theplan of our prisons had been adapted to the designand intention of our Penitentiary system; they shouldhave been so built, that each convict might be con-fined at night in a separate room—say six by eight feet—but unfortunately the rooms, in all our prisonsare calculated for eight to fourteen prisoners, so thatwhen they are lodged together at night, they havefull opportunity to corrupt each other, and most fre-quently come out of prison more hardened anddepraved than when they entered it. During theday, whilst employed at work, and at their meals, as keepers are constantly with them, it is very easyto prevent them conversing with each other; and if,at night, each of them were confined in a separateroom, there would be some good chance for reforma-tion; indeed, in this way the punishment would be