A little farther on, it washed the walls of Cold Bath Fields Prison, the _House of Correction_, and we get a view of it in Hone's "Table Book,"[41] p. 75. Here he says, "In 1825, this was the first open view, nearest London, of the ancient River Fleet: it was taken during the building of the high arched walls connected with the House of Correction, Cold Bath Fields, close to which prison the river ran, as here seen. At that time, the newly erected walls communicated a peculiarly picturesque effect to the stream flowing within their confines." This "House of Correction" was indebted for its birth to the famous John Howard, who had made an European tour, not to mention a home one, inquisitorially inspecting prisons. We all know the result of his labours; how he exposed abuses fearlessly, and made men's hearts soften somewhat towards those incarcerated. [Illustration: THE ANCIENT RIVER FLEET, AT CLERKENWELL, 1825.] Howard, writing in 1789, held that capital punishment should be abolished except for _murder_, _setting houses on fire_, and for _house breaking, attended with acts of cruelty_. And speaking of his Penitentiaries, he says: "To these houses, however, I would have none but old, hardened offenders, and those who have, as the laws now stand, forfeited their lives by robbery, house breaking, and similar Crimes, should be committed; or, in short, those Criminals who are to be confined for a long term or for life.... "The _Penitentiary houses_, I would have _built_, in a great measure, _by the convicts_. I will suppose that a power is obtained from Parliament to employ such of them as are now at work on the Thames, or some of those who are in the county gaols, under sentence of transportation, as may be thought most expedient. In the first place, let the surrounding wall, intended for full security against escapes, be completed, and proper lodges for the gate keepers. Let temporary buildings, of the nature of barracks, be erected in some part of this enclosure which would be wanted the least, till the whole is finished." This was a portion of his scheme, and he suggested that it should be located, where it was afterwards built, in Cold Bath Fields--because the situation was healthy, that good water could be obtained from the White Conduit, as the Charter House no longer required that source of supply, it being well served by the New River Company--that labour was cheap--and so was food, especially the coarse meat from the shambles at Islington.