_Origin and Organisation._—It appears that on the 2d day of February, 1776, a Society of a kindred character was organized in this city, under the name of “The Philadelphia Society for Assisting Distressed Prisoners,” which, though not identical with ours, was imbued with a good measure of the same spirit, and may be fairly viewed as a forerunner. It embraced among its members some of the most prominent citizens of that day, and immediately commenced to carry out its benevolent purposes, and extended relief to many prisoners; but in September of the following year, the British army entered the city and took possession of the jail, which caused a dissolution of the Society, after an existence of nineteen months. The troubles resulting from the Revolutionary War, prevented any further organized action in the same direction for a number of years. But finally peace having been restored, and public attention having been again called to the condition of prisoners, and to the many abuses which existed, not only in the manner of administering the penal laws, but also from a want of proper statutory enactments—a number of benevolent citizens assembled on the 8th day of May, 1787, and agreed to form themselves into an Association to be called “The Philadelphia Society for Alleviating the Miseries of Public Prisons.” This meeting was attended by twenty-five persons, and was composed of men eminent in the community for their general position, and their enlarged Christian benevolence; and, with those who came into the arrangement immediately afterwards as original members, embraced several who, through a continued career of virtue and usefulness, attained to a good old age before they were gathered to their fathers, and were consequently personally known to, and their memory is pleasantly cherished by, many of those still active in the Society; and it may be said, as regards their example, that, “though dead, they yet speak.” A few of those who were longest spared to continue their useful services to their fellow men, were William White, (Bishop) Thomas Wistar, Zachariah Poulson, Dr. Benjamin Rush, Thomas Harrison, Dr. Samuel Powell Griffitts, Isaac Parrish, William Rogers, Jacob Shoemaker, Thomas Rogers, Tench Coxe, Charles Marshall, and Joseph James.