determine how far our architect comprehended his position. The British government meditating a change of penal discipline, and the French and Prussian governments with a like design, sent commissioners to the United States, to examine the penitentiaries. Those gentlemen had previous knowledge of prison architecture in Europe; and they visited the prisons of greatest reputation in America; and they found our discipline administered with a success unparalleled. When they returned to their respective governments, the plans which they reported for adoption, were essentially the same with that of the Eastern Penitentiary. During their visits to Philadelphia, they received from Mr. Haviland, communications of his experience, which were made to them with the generous frankness which eminently characterized him as a professional man. Some idea of the impression produced by his work, and by his liberal zeal for the promotion of good construction abroad, may be formed from the following translated extract, from a letter addressed to him by the French commissioner, M. Blouet, himself a distinguished architect. It accompanied a copy of his official report, presented in the joint names of himself, and his associate commissioner, M. Demetz. “M. Demetz and myself request your acceptance of a copy of the report which we have made to our government at the termination of the mission, upon which we visited the United States to examine your penitentiary system. As you may see by our report, the establishments constructed by yourself have been the chief source from which we have drawn; and they are also the models which we propose as the best, and the most perfectly conceived for satisfying the physical and the moral conditions of penitentiary reform. We hope that you will accept the particular expression of our sincere compliments, upon the very honorable part which you have had in the erection of establishments so remarkable in every point of view. “For myself, sir, as an architect, I cannot too often repeat to you that both the design, and the execution of your works have interested me in the highest degree; and it gives me real pleasure to offer you my sincere thanks for the obliging manner in which you have furnished me with the information needed for my studies in your interesting country.”