§ SIR HENRY FOWLER (Wolverhampton, E.)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been called to a statement made by the Rev. Charles Jennings (who on Friday the 5th inst. was sent to Worcester Gaol for refusing to pay the education rate), that he took with him to prison three books, viz. "The Imitation
† See (4) Debates, cxlv., 13 9.279 of Christ," by Thomas à Kempis, the Commentaries of Julius Cæsar, and Charles Lamb's "Essays of Elia," that he was allowed to retain the Thomas à Kempis and Cæsar, but was not allowed to keep the "Essays of Elia"; will he say what authority is responsible for this action, and on what grounds was this selection of books made; and whether the exercise of such authority meets with the sanction of the Prison Commissioners.
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT (Mr. AKERS-DOUGLAS, Kent, St. Augustine's)The prison rules provide for the supply to prisoners of books from the prison library, and do not allow them to have others, except by special authority. In this case the governor, out of special consideration to the prisoner, who was only under a sentence of seven days, allowed him to have two of his own books to read as well as a supply from the library, and in all the circumstances I entirely agree with the Prison Commissioners in thinking that he would not have been justified in allowing more than two.
§ In answer to a further Question,
§ MR. AKERS-DOUGLASsaid the matter was one for the discretion of the governor.
§ SIR JOHN GORST (Cambridge University)What authority settles what books shall be in the prison library?
§ MR. AKERS-DOUGLASI cannot say, but I will ascertain if the hon. Gentleman desires.