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New York, 11th mo. 15th, 1819. RESPECTED FRIEND, Thy very obliging favour of June 24th, 1818, wasreceived some time since, and to which I should havereplied before this, but delayed, because I wished tomake some communication relating to the objectsthat particularly claim the attention of your respecta-ble society. Some of the prisons established in Ame-rica have not answered the expectation of the advo-cates for the penitentiary system, most of whomwere led to believe, that the avails of the labour ofthe convicts would be sufficient to defray all the ex-penses of their maintenance, &;c. This has certainlynot been the fact as to the State Prison in New York,owing entirely to the appointment of persons, whohave had the management of its concerns, not beingrightly qualified for executing the duties required ofthem. The consequence of this has been, that theexpense of supporting that prison has been very con-siderable. However, considering the great advan-tage contemplated to result from the penitentiarysystem, the mere expense is a matter of secondaryconsideration. Yet experience has proved in NewJersey, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Virginia, thatunder prudent direction and good management, theprofits on the labour of the convicts will produce suf-ficient to pay all the necessary expenses of their sup-port, &;c. I think the best conducted penitentiarywe have in America is at Baltimore. 1 visited thatprison a few months ago, and was highly gratified inobserving the order, cleanliness, regularity, and in-dustry of the prisoners. I never visited any institu-tion that exhibited such a perfect degree of cleanli-ness, decency, and regularity, throughout its wholeconcerns, as the Baltimoreprison, the effects of whichwere evidently marked in the countenance and gene- ral deportment of the convicts. The present verypromising state of the Maryland penitentiary is ow-ing to the excellent management of their Board of In-