at the foot of which the prison is situated,
and is led to every story by a conduit which
is very much admired, but which has only
the fault of being always out of order. In
winter the pipes are frozen for months, and
in summer, the water is dried up, or the
pipes are subject to repair. On many a hot
summer's day we had no water at all.
Moreover, the water itself is bad; a few drops of
vitriol put into a pint of it will produce a
thick precipitate of plaster. If I dared to
drink only a mouthful of it during the
night, it always produced colic and diarrhœa.

The dress of the prisoners is the same as
that of the old house of correction, with the
exception of the head-dress. This consists
here of a skull-cap of blue woollen cloth, to
which is attached a very large visor, which
covers the whole face, and in which are cut
two holes to see through. This horrible cap
must be worn always when the prisoner is
not locked in his cell. When in the yard, the
prisoners must be always fifteen paces
distant from each other; and, if two of them
meet by chance, this regulation causes a great
embarrassment. The greatest crime in this
prison is that two prisoners should speak to
one another, or endeavour to communicate
by any other means.

In every wing were employed five or
six turnkeys, called at Bruchsal overseers.
That one under whose care the directors very
considerately placed me, was the best and
most courteous in the house. It was indeed
a comfort to me to be under the orders of
this man; who behaved with the utmost
delicacy. He was an old soldier, and blushed
all over when he was compelled by his duty
to show me how to use the spinning-wheel
placed in my cell.

I have not space for an account of the
routine of model prison life. The meat of
the model dinner was allowed only upon
alternate days, and the allowance then was
two ounces of boiled beef! For breakfast,
dinner, and supper together, government at
that time paid to the managers daily a
penny three-farthings; from which, provision
was to be made not only for all the prisoners
consumed, but also for servants' wages.
Nevertheless, the woman who then was
manager made money by the contract.

When I had been only two days in the
house I was brought by the head overseer
into his room, where I found my wife, my
mother, and my only sister. The latter had
come from the Prussian frontier. I had not
seen her for twenty-seven years, and she had
become a grandmother in that time. My
mother I saw then for the last time. The
expression of my poor wife's face in looking
at me rent my heart. She had not seen me
yet in my base dress, disfigured by the
scissors and the razor. We thought this
meeting a very sad one, and my situation as
bad as possible: but in a few years later what
would we not have given even for such a
meeting? Only one visit in the month is
permitted to the prisoner. It must be in the
presence of an overseer and only of half-
an-hour's duration.

When my wife was in Bruchsal she spoke
to the director, and he proposed to the
Council of Control several favours to be
allowed to me; and, in consequence of this, I
was permitted to wear woollen drawers; to
shave myself; to have in my cell portraits
and other not offensive pictures; to have
flowers, even in pots, and to paint in oil;
alter having done half a day's work for the
administration. The leave to paint in oil and
to have flowers was of an immense value to
me, and I became so cheerful with my occupation
that my overseer was quite astonished.

When the director of all the prisons
in Baden made me a visit, I asked leave of
him to have my own lamps, instead of the
smoking kitchen lamps then used, which I
detested. But even he dared not to grant
such an immense boon on his own responsibility,
and was obliged to bring this important
concern before the ministry; by whom
it was allowed.

But all this was to be changed very soon for
the worse. When Captain S——fled from the
old house of correction by help of his sister,
who visited him; and who was, as was said,
supported by the bribed head-overseer,
all correspondence with our families and
friends was prohibited, and their visits
also were disallowed until the completion
of the model parlour. Most of the favours
granted to political prisoners by the Council
of Control were annulled, and a reproof given
to them into the bargain. They prohibited
especially my painting in oil, because it was
said to be against the seriousness of the
place; but they permitted me to paint in
water-colours. I never understood why
water-colour painting was judged to be more
serious than work in oil.

The Prussians, especially the officers,
behaved as if they had conquered Baden. Their
insolent and despotic manners were not liked
at all, even by the Baden officers who had
remained faithful to the old government.
These had been living for many years under
a constitution, and were shocked by Prussian
tyranny. Besides, North German sharpness
very seldom agrees with South German
bonhommie.

Prisoners who never see for years a green
tree or field are very excusable if they try to
find means to get a stealthy peep out of their
windows. So doing is forbidden, and if
detected is punished. The Prussian sentries
would have done well to report against such
trespassers; but they had received orders to
fire at them. Almost every day shots were
heard in the court-yard, and many of the
prisoners had narrow escapes. Of course
the political convicts were very much shocked
by such severity, and the better part among
the officers of the house were shocked also.