The gentleman appointed was a good man, but feeble, and acknowledged to a friend that he could not do what had been done for the prisoners the previous year. But the idea seemed to prevail that he could do what was desired by the warden. Hence, as is understood, the secular school is largely a thing of the past, and finally the Sabbath school is given up. Now, this is a very nice place for him in his advanced years, he being over seventy, where he has no care, and but little labor. But what of the effects upon the inmates thus left with so much idle time on their hands? Anything but good. A young man, the previous year, was quiet and orderly, closely attentive to his studies, making good advancement; but, when left with all these unemployed moments, he turned his thoughts to planning an outbreak, was arrested in the execution, and for months condemned to the ball and chain. Whereas, had his mind been kept employed as formerly, no doubt he would have continued quiet. Does it pay thus to cut off educational and moral privileges and share such results? 51. _Prison fare under the new government._ I did not serve under this government for a period sufficiently long to enable me to learn from personal observation very much as to what would be gained in the fare of the prisoners, but thought some steps were being taken in the right direction. The cracked wheat dinner was abolished for meat and potatoes. The evening after, I found the prisoners rejoicing over it. One exclaimed, "_Didn't_ we have a good dinner, to-day? They have put away that wheat stuff, and now give us good meat and potatoes. Oh, _isn't_ it good?" A woman, leaving prison, gave us an account of the warden's scolding, that Councillor ---- "was about poking his nose into everything." This, if true, gave signs of a determination to know and remedy matters. But they had to work under difficult circumstances. They did not begin sufficiently near the bottom. As informed, they went quite thoroughly into fitting up the clothing and bedding,--a welcome move, for no set of fellows ever needed it more. The next winter, however, I said to a man who was leaving, "You fare better over there this year than last, do you not? You are kept warmer, are you not?" To which he answered, "I don't see much difference." Certainly, I was looking for a different answer from this, and did not know what to make of it.