It will be understood that the attempts at separate confinement in England have, in some places, been made by an effort to accommodate the old borough and county prisons to the new system. Poor as the chance of success might appear, it is worthy of remark, that the results satisfy both the Inspectors and the Noble Committee, that it is the true system of penal and reformatory imprisonment. On that subject the Committee say they “consider that the system generally known as the separate system must now be accepted as the foundation of prison discipline, and that its rigid maintenance is a vital principle in the efficiency of county and borough jails.” This sentiment pervades the whole Report, and is suggested and sustained by the testimony of all those who were under examination before the Committee. It is a subject of regret that we cannot copy at length the testimony of some of the witnesses called before the Committee of the House of Lords: we however find one question, with an answer thereto, that is too direct to be omitted. 1757. Question by the _Earl of Carnarvon_. You have given the Committee one instance, and we have heard from another witness that the reputation of Leicester Gaol has a deterring effect; can you give the Committee any reason why you think it is more deterring than some other prisons? Answer by _William Musson, Esq._, Governor of Leicester Gaol. I think that our system of discipline is very strict; we never allow the separate system to be broken through on any consideration; the prisoners are in separate cells; they are exercised in separate yards, and they have separate stalls at Chapel; and I may say that when they are taken out to be tried in Court, they go in separate partitions in the wagon, and are arraigned separately. 1758. _By Earl of Dudley._ Is not the separation relaxed when they are with the schoolmaster in class? No; they are separated then. 1759. Do they not sit at the same table? No: they are in the Chapel in separate stalls; we use the Chapel as a school-room. 1785. _Earl of Carnarvon._ In your opinion, the advantage of separation outweighs any inconveniences which may result from it? Yes; I think so. 1786. _Lord Wodehouse._ Do you ever find that prisoners when confined for long periods in separate cells, suffer at all mentally from the separation? There is a great variety of minds, and it does not influence all alike.