332 JOURNAL OF PROCEEDINGS [July 31,

herewith submitted; and while deeply sympathising with
the memorialists in the heavy loss they have sustained, the
committee have been unable to arrive at the conclusion that
the case presents any just grounds for a claim on the State,
the allegation that the Directors refused to permit the pres-
ence of a private watchman on Sundays, who not sustained
by the evidence, and although it was proved that the shops
were fired on Sunday by some of the convicts, yet it did not
appear to have arisen from any lack of ordinary discipline on
the part of the officers, it being utterly impossible with few
officer s and many prisoner s, strictly to car ry out the prison rules
which requires a prisoner to be always under the eye of an
officer, neither have the committee been able to arrive at the
conclusion that a loss by fire, even if proved to have been
caused by negligence on the part of the officers, would afford
just cause for a claim on the State.

The second portion of the investigation was the memorial
of Charles Murdoch, asking a modification of his contracts
with the directors and the arbitration of a disputed account
between them.

It appears that Mr, Murdoch for some ten years past, has
rented work shops and employed the convict labor of the in-
stitution, principally in the manufacture of cedar ware, and
at the time of his memorial, had in his employment, one hun-
dred convicts whose time would expire July 1, 1861, and
fifty, whose time, under his contract would expire January 1,
1865. Mr. Murdoch deemed himself justified in asking re-
lief from his contracts on the ground that the existing war
and blockade of the Southern States had seriously embar-
rassed him in the prosecution of his business, the raw ma-
terial that he uses being derived entirely from the South, and
his manufactured goods finding an exclusive market there,
thus completely shutting him out on both sides, and render-
ing it impossible to carry on his business until peace should
be restored.

Before the committee proceeded to take evidence in this
case, an arrangement and settlement was happily made be-
tween the Directors and Mr. Murdoch, by which the latter
pays in full to the Directors the amount in dispute, and re-
tains the labor of 50 men at 50 cents per day until January
1, 1865. This, with the rent of the shops, will give the in-
stitution a revenue from that source of about $8,300.

The 100 men whose time with Mr. Murdoch expired on the
1st of July, the Directors propose to employ in the weaving
department,