Views in Edinburgh and its vicinity; . he Kings Bench andother prisons in England, there were no areas in this prison,affording the captive fresh air, exercise, or change of scene; herethe boundary of his view was a small window, the scanty lightof which was abridged by massy bars of iron : there was surelyin this procedure great inhumanity. The principal officer of the Tolbooth, had the title of Cap-tain of the Jail, and he merited much praise for his exertionsin alleviating the condition of the prisoners. The history ofCaptain Porteus, once the principal officer, and afterwards aprisoner her
Views in Edinburgh and its vicinity; . he Kings Bench andother prisons in England, there were no areas in this prison,affording the captive fresh air, exercise, or change of scene; herethe boundary of his view was a small window, the scanty lightof which was abridged by massy bars of iron : there was surelyin this procedure great inhumanity. The principal officer of the Tolbooth, had the title of Cap-tain of the Jail, and he merited much praise for his exertionsin alleviating the condition of the prisoners. The history ofCaptain Porteus, once the principal officer, and afterwards aprisoner here, is too celebrated to require particular west side of the prison was, of late years, used as theplace of execution ; a range of shops may be seen in the print,on the roofs of which these melancholy spectacles were exhi-bited. Of the New Jail, on the Calton Hill, an account shallbe given in its place; it is enough to say here, that it has beenconstructed with the greatest regard to cleanliness and generalaccommodation. X1^ 2 a31 a vjjUv v ^hil . THE TOLBOOTH, LEITH. This abode of guilt and wretchedness is situated at the bottomof a narrow lane called Tolbooth-Wynd) it was erected in theyear 1655. The entrance is by a flight of steps, at the foot ofwhich is an archway, affording a passage under the prison tothe butchers market; above is a square recess containing theroyal arms, in a very dilapidated state ; on the right hand sideof the passage is a gloomy bow window closely grated ; on itsupper part are two figures of animals rudely executed. The Tolbooth at Leith is remarkable for nothing but itsantiquity, and for being one of those places of confinement, sodisgraceful to the boasted liberality of the present day : theattention paid to its inmates may be as kind as circumstanceswill admit; but it possesses none of the conveniences calculatedto make human existence even tolerable ; and for the sake ofhumanity and the character of our country, we earnestly hopeth
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