friendship, amity, and good neighborhood:  for the punishment and suppression whereof, and to the intent that all strife may be ended, charity revived, and friendship continued,—­we do order that, if any woman, from henceforward, shall be convicted of tale bearing, mischief making, scolding, drunkenness, or any other notorious vice, that they shall be punished by ducking, or whipping, or such other punishment as their crimes or transgressions shall deserve, or as the Governor and Council shall think fit.

    Essex Register, 1820.

-------------------------

IMPRISONMENT FOR DEBT.

The following scrap from a Boston paper of 1819 has reference to an old method which creditors frequently resorted to in dealing with troublesome, and no doubt oftentimes unfortunate, debtors.

    CHRISTMAS DAY.

    On this most glorious “Day of Days” there are in gaol for debt,
    in this town, the following persons, viz.: 

1 Head of a Family for 9 94
1 —­ do. —­ —­ 8 12-1/2
1 —­ do. —­ —­ 14 00
1 —­ do. —­ —­ 9 61
1 —­ do. —­ —­ 11 68
1 —­ do. —­ —­ 27 00
1 —­ do. —­ —­ 7 75
1 —­ do. for schooling } 11 25
his children, }
1 —­ do. discharged 1 88!!!
-----

Who among the opulent is willing to restore a Father to his
Family and Christmas Fire Side?

-------------------------

Sometimes debtors were not actually imprisoned, but were confined to what was called the “limits of the jail;” that is, certain streets within a specified distance of the jail.  The writer distinctly remembers, when a boy, of having a man pointed out to him, of whom it was said he had refused to pay his debts, and so was only allowed to go at large “within the limits of the jail.”

The law under which persons were imprisoned for debt was abolished in Massachusetts many years ago.

-------------------------

Somewhere about the year 1822 the tread-mill was introduced into England.  It was recommended by the “Society for the Improvement of Prison Discipline.”  It was the invention of Mr. Cubitt, of Ipswich, in England, and probably at that time or soon after it was used in this country.  Some years since there was one, as we are informed, at the Massachusetts State prison at Charlestown.

The Tread-Mill.—­We publish to-day an interesting description of the Tread-Mill, (a new invented Machine to enforce industry in Prisons,) accompanied by a Plate representing the same, for the use of which we are indebted to the politeness of the editor of the Gazette.  The introduction of these Mills into the English prisons is said to have produced much good, and the experiment is about to be tried in this country.  The corporation of the city of New-York are building