National Prison Association

The National Prison Association held its third Annual Congress in St. Louis, May 13-16 of the current year. The transactions of the Congresa, n octavo volume of nearly 700 pages, in f uil cloth binding, will be issued l'rom the presa in a few days. It contains: - I. Opening Addresse8 by the President and others. II. Annual Reporta of the Six Standing Committees, with discusaiona thereupon. III. Annual Report of the Secretary of the Association. IV. Papers subtnitted to the Congress. V. Present State of Prison Reform throughout the civilized World. VI. Miscellaneous Matters, containing, ainoug other things, a full account of the proceedings of the International Penitentiary Coinmission at Brusels, in June last. VII. Closing session of he Congress, with Resolutionssubmitted )y Business Comniittee and the discusion elicited by them - also the Valedicory of the President, Hon. Richard Vaux. VIII. Appendix, containing ' Analytical Outline of Penal and Peni;entiary Reform, by M. Bonneville de Vlarsangy, Member of the Penitentiary üonimission of the Natiuual Assembly of Trance." The Reports of the Standing Commitees on Criminal Law, Reform, Pólice, Prison Discipline, Discharged Convicta and Preventivo and Reforinatory Work, are papers of rare excellence and thor oughness, prepared as thoy were by auch men as ex-Preaident Woolsey, ex-Gov. laines, Mr. Sanborn, Mr. Brace, Dr. 'eiree and Judge Walker. The discusiona elicited by these reports, were argely anticipated in by the practical men of the Congress, and thence bear a tamp which gives them a professional Yalue, as embodying both information and opinions wbich are the result of ex)erience. The Report of the Secretary on the State Prisons, Houaes of Correction, and uvenile Reformatoriea of the United States, Pilis nearly 200 pages of the volume, giving a resume of all their latest ïepoita, and probably the most complete iody of penitentiary and reformatory tatistics ever published in America. Some idea of the exceptional merit of ;he papers offered to the Congress, and irinted in the Transactions, is afforded y the fact, that among the authors are Miss Mary Carpenter, of England ; Sherff Watson, of Scotland ; M. de Marsany, of France ; and Messra. Vaux and irockway, of America. The fourteen papers detailing the )reaent state of the penitentiary queation hroughout the greater part of tne civilized world, are, with but one or two exeptions, the work of distinguished speialista resident in the countriea to which hey relate. They Bhow the world to be at this moment, a busy iutellectual workhop on this vital question of prison re'orm. In some reapeota, they have an nterest wanting to the more elabórate ieporta sent by governments to the Lonon Cougress, being of a more familiar, ff-hand character, and having lesa of the tateliness and atifi'ness of official documenta. The paper of M. de Marsangy, printed a an appendix, is a treatiae in itself - oinprehensive, profound and masterly. t alone is worth the price of the wliole olume. The work is placed at the low figure f two dolmra per copy, or two and a ïalfdollarrwhen sent by mail to any art of the United States, with postage repaid - whioh ia at leaat fifty per cent. esa thau a work of the aame size and tyle would be afforded by a regular )ook-publieher. Orders which will reeive prompt attention, may be addressed o the undersigned, No. 320 Broadway, few York. E. C. WINES, Secretary. P. S. - The estímate placed on thia seies of Transaotiona by competent judges may be aeen from the following statements : Mr. Stevens, the eminent Inspector General of Prisona in Belgium, wat so mpressed with the yalue of the Transacions of the Cincinuati Congress (the first of the series), that he requested his government to cause the entire volume to be translated into French, and issued as a public document. The government, dechning the proposition in that forra because of the heavy expense it would involve, nevertheless had considerable portions of the work translated and pubIi8hed, agreeably to the suggestions of the Inspector General. Of the second volume, contaiuing the Transactions of the Baltimore Congress, and also a Report by the Seoretary on the Congress of London, Mr. Pols, an emminent jurist of Holland, who represented the Netherlands Government at London, says : "The volume will remain a Standard work on prison reform, and ought to be carefully studied by all legislators." Of the saroe number, the Melbourne Argua, published at Melbourne, Australia, tha ablest and inost influential journal in all the Brittish possessions in the East, declares. " This volume is the most comprehensivo encyclopasdia of the penitentiary qunstion ever compiled, and quite supersedes all other works of the same kind. It is full to overflowing with information, and forms a perfect storehouse of facts. It is a model of condensed and careful writing, The book is simply invaluable in its department, and takes the place of whole libraries of theoretical discussion on the subject of crime and its treatment."