age in a moral point of view, as all classes and ages of per-
sons are thrown together in one common herd, as it were, the
young and old being indiscriminately mixed up, and many
young persons who might be reformed, are doubtless made
much, worse by their constant association with the more hard-
ened criminals. The following statistics will show the ap-
proximate amount of loss to the State, by the lost labor in the
Institution;

187 males at 75 cents per diem, for 300 days, (1
year.)................................ $42,075

26 females at 40 cents per diem, for 300 days,(1
year.), ................................ 3,120

Total loss for 1 year................ $45,196

This amount would be amply sufficient to erect proper
buildings for present use, and whilst improving the moral
condition of the convicts would materially reduce the expense
of the Institution, by the decrease in the number of guards
&c., to watch over those now in idleness.

THE INCREASE OF PRISONERS.

The increase in the number of prisoners received into the
Institution during the past year has been unprecedented in
its history. Tho unhappy events attendant upon our late
troubles seems to have been in a measure productive of this
state of affairs, and it is feared that the recent Act of Con-
gress prohibiting the sale of negroes for criminal offences
will increase still more, in proportion the vast in-
crease in the number of convicts as all these cases will now
become a tax upon the state for support. The proportion of
colored prisoners received were largely in excess overt the
whites during the year, there being 220 blacks to 144 whites.
The colored labor we find, has always been objectionable to
the contractors in the Institution as they invariably prefer
white labor where mechanical skill, or ingenuity is required.
The following list of the number of colored prisoners received
annually for the last seven years, shows the great increase of
this class:

MALES FEMALES. TOTAL.

1860................ 9 0 9

1861................... 1 0 1

1862................ 19 4 23

1863................... 32 17 49

1864.................. 29 17 46

1865.................. 70 36 106

1866..................174 46 220

334 120 454
In a majority of the cases of colored prisoners, they are con -