two things
ever dear to Liberal Birmingham, and it was proposed to send him the
money from here as a mark of esteem and sympathy. The _Daily Post_ took
the matter in hand, and, after appealing to its 40,000 readers every day
for some weeks, forwarded (November 10, 1877) a draft for L80 17s. 6d.

~Gaols.~--The Town Gaol, or Lockup, at the back of the Public Office, in
Moor-street, was first used in September, 1806. It then consisted of a
courtyard, 59 ft. by 30 ft. (enclosed by a 26 ft. wall) two day rooms or
kitchens, 14 ft. square, and sixteen sleeping cells, 8 ft. by 6 ft. The
prisoners' allowance was a pennyworth of bread and a slice of cheese
twice a day, and the use of the pump. Rather short commons, considering
the 4 lb. loaf often sold at 1s. The establishment, which is vastly
improved and much enlarged, is now used only as a place of temporary
detention or lockup, where prisoners are first received, and wait their
introduction to the gentlemen of the bench. The erection of the Borough
Gaol was commenced on October 29, 1845, and it was opened for the
reception of prisoners, October 17, 1849, the first culprit being
received two days afterwards. The estimated cost was put at L51,447, but
altogether it cost the town about L90,000, about L70,000 of which has
been paid off. In the year 1877, three prisoners contrived to escape;
one, John Sutcliffe, who got out on July 25, not being recaptured till
the 22nd of January following. The others were soon taken back home. The
gaol was taken over by the government as from April 1, 1878, Mr. J.W.
Preston, being appointed Governor at a salary of L510, in place of Mr.
Meaden, who had received L450, with certain extras.--See "_Dungeon_" and
"_Prisons_." The new County Goal at Warwick was first occupied in 1860.

~Gaol Atrocities.~--The first Governor appointed to the Borough Gaol was
Captain Maconochie, formerly superintendent over the convicts at Norfolk
Island in the days of transportation of criminals. He was permitted to
try as an experiment a "system of marks," whereby a prisoner, by his
good conduct and industry, could materially lessen the duration of his
punishment, and, to a certain extent improve his dietary. The
experiment, though only tried with prisoners under sixteen, proved very
successful, and at one time hopes were entertained that the system would
become general in all the gaols of the kingdom. So far as our gaol was
concerned, however, it proved rather unfor