The Napier Gaol.

V A visit to a prison in not a pleasant thought V to the great majority of people, but to anyone interested iv criminal anthropology snoh a visit proves instructive, and gives much food for reflection. In ninety-niae cas<Jß out of a hundred a oriininal becomes dead to the outside world, as it wei-e, the moment he enters Her Majesty's service after resaiving a sentonoe of "twentyfour hours' solitary," or "three months' hard" as the case may be. A man oroates a Jictle sensation by effecting a during burglary, or committing a clover forgery ; he is apprehended, tried, found guilty, and sentenced, aud then the curtain drops and hides the scenes that are to follow. Through information kindly supplied by AlrSaverne, the gaoler, and Mr principal warder, wo are enabled to give a short acoouat of the inner workings of the Napier prison. ACCOMMODATION AND CONSTmjCTION It ia about twonty-seven years since the gaol was erected, Me Miller being in charge ■when the building was formally taken over and put into u»e. Since then a new wiug has been added, and there is now accommodation for sixty-six men and five women, although afew more cvmld ba ht-lil at a piuoh. About four years prior t-> hi 3 retirement, MiMiller caused to be o-instructed by prison labor a boundary wail tit the rear of the premises, 21ft in height -at one cud, and 1 Ift at tho other, whioh for durability and strength would be hard to surpass This wall Mr Severne hopes at soma future date to be ablo to oontioua round to the front of the building, and bo entirely enclose the prison, mating the escape of criminals all the moreaifficult. There are twenty- seven cells in all for. the accommodation of prisoners, two being speciully prepared for solitary confinement. Mhe windows of these cells are covered with perforated ziuo, this having been done consequent on a prisoner named Campbell hiving hanged himself in one of them by means of a strap fastened to the bars. So determined waa this man to do away with Simself that when he was found in the morning hia knees were within six inches of the ground. The bars are now on the outside of the ziec, and the possibility of a recurrence of suoh a thing is obviated. There are also two smaller cells about 6ft equate kept specially for dangerous or quarrelsome characters, whilst tho refractory ward is apart from the others, and opens out on to a small enoloaure as an exercise vara Then there is a padded cell, used chiefly for the confinement of -delirium tnmens patienta. At present this room ia ooouoied by a stalwart native from Waxroa, whose mind wanders at intervals, and he incoherently talks of the death of his poor crandinother, aud other troubles. He was sent in for three months, and although one month has elapsed, he shows no Bigns of recovery. Then there is the oook-house, the laundry, and the various store and olothes rooms, all of whioh are oonvement and well arranged.

TBBAIMKNI Off CBIMIKALB,

On hia entranoe to the gaol, the prisoner is firet of all taken to the principal warders room where every mark of identification is taken and entered in the prison records The next step is the bath, in which every new arrival, be he there for forty-eight hours or twelve months, must undergo a cleansing process. Onemerging from hucold douche, he is supplied with a clean suit of clothe*, carefully and prominently marked with the Government's private brand. Aaoh prisoner has plaaed at his disposal two complete sets of wearing apparel for use during the term of his imprisonment, his own clothe* being strictly examined and relieved of any vermin that may chance to be lurking in hiding, and are then ticketed and put • away pending his release. All valuables found in possession of prisoners are taken charge of by the gaoler, and kept m _ the safe even if only a three-penny piece. Thus is » new arrival introduced to his temporary home If he is well and able to work he is made to do so, and help to compensate the authorities for the outlay en-tail-d in his detention. The food, which is all Jei"hed out acoording to the criminal s "standing" or "position," is served in three mess-rooms kept scrupulously clean, the tablee being well scrubbed after each meal. The " mark system" for the encouragement of good conduct is found to have a very beneficial effect on the prisoners By strict adherence to the gaol rules a man in for, say, six months, will have about three weeks of his sentence remitted ; but for a breach of dieoiplineso many good ingly. BSECOIIONB.

There have been three executions within the walls of the gaol during the last tenyea, s. On July 15th, 1884, Roland H Edwards, •who it will be remembered Buffered the death penalty for the bmtal murder of his wife and children at Ormondvnle, satisfied tie law with the forfeit of his life. Hira te Piri dropped from the scaffold on the rtth of Jttay, 1889, and Makoare, who ' murdered Robert Gollan at the Mahia, was "shared into eternity by the hangman a rope on September 25th of the same year. LX one other execution in the Napier eaol is on record, that of a native fnown as the "eye-eater," so-called from the eagerness with which -he sought to devour the eyes of human bunge. This unfortunate man was sentenced to death for the murder of Mr Moulton at Opotiki. After receiving Ins sentence he was taken to the gaol, and no sooner was he inside the gate than he produced a razor which he had succeeded in concealing in his clothing, and inflicted a teirible gash in his throat. His life was at one tmfdespaired of, but he sufficiently recovered a few days prior to the date fixed for Ms exeoution to be able to meet death according to the sentence of the Court. ' £he mortal remains of these four murderers «ere interred within the gaol grounds, and Ismail headstone now serves to remind one of the degraded death thsy Buffered. -^~ "■■-- BBLKHOUS BBBVIOK.

Church of "iiflglaud service is conducted in one of the mew-roome every Sunday morning by the gaol chaplain. AttendSSr at divine service v Mmpulswy, except in the case of Jew« and Oathohoe. In iezard to the former, if they chooeo they Sβ Sowed to observe S.turday ac their then required to attend. THB WOEXSHOPa.

Besides the general laboring and stone fcrfaktag work to which the prieoners are put Aerearlinoonnectionwiththegaolacarpenters' ehopand Bet of tools, bootmakers' requires aXa blacksmiths' forge, and when a Xks*an in any of these occupations beb ßi r°rVa!na^n sd ° t S substantial commercial tablu 1* the gaoler, fitted with natty drawers and o.her acces--2S The female prisoners epend their « m 9 mostly in laundry work repairing clothes, and knitting socks, and though the iWtableaovernmentstrokeiepredommint, atill £ large amount of work is got through, SSl"the institution made partially eeif..supporting

CtENEBiL. ha circulating lib-ary for the use «f the JriflonetH, comprising aoout 190 volumes Xh« means of pacing time finds in cherae now for three yeate, datug wb lc h ■■ point than when he entevdd