The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1810-02-10 00:00:00

CRIMINAL LAW.

Sir SAMVII. ROMILI.Y. is pursuance of the in-
timation lir had given, rose to tiring under the
con4ideration of the House the Cnrrun4l Law of
this country. la doing thin he was convinced he
was fulfilling a great public duty, and rodrarour-
ing to obtain a very necessary and important good,
Whate►er might be the fate of the mutton ha

*mild hare to Inbrait, the agitation of tl.e ques-
tion must be productive of material benefits. if
he was successful. and prevailed on the House to
*pee with him, their decision would have a great
effect upon the law. and contribute to its improve-
ment. If, on the other band, he filled in his ob-
ject, the discussion would at least thew that
the objections now entertained against the law
were unfounded. and reader as satisfied with
them as they stood. Far his part he had not
a doubt upon his minds but that the whole of
our Cr al Lsiva would be mach improved by
revision; but at present he would confine himself
to one point; that of capital punishments.—
Of this there were two kinds, death and transpor.
tation—to the former of which he would direct his
olsiervations, reserving to himself, fora future occa-
sions the consideration of the latter. There was
no country on the face of the earth► where so many
crimes were punished with death. This had long
betas complionA of. hut, till the present time, re-
mained oureruediedi The laws remained, arid were
nut acted upon, which was a mast convincing proof
that whatever they might have been. they were nut
consonant to the sense and feelings of modem
nine,. The Learned Gentleman then weut into a
detail of the number of convictions oral execu-
tions at different periods, to *hew that t II now the
laws were sanguinary iii spirit as ail leiter, and con-
tending from them premises, that they ought to
be altered to suit the titue.—ln one year of the
reign of Henry VI., more per.on, were executed
than in France in seven sears.—ln the reign of
Henry VIII. seventy-two thousand were execut-d.
being at the rate of two thousand in a year.—
the nine of Queen Glizibr li, the executions
were 40i1 in the year. In the mien years, from
1749/o 17511, the numbers convicted were atm, of
whom 306 were executed. being in the proportion
of three-fourth.. The next seven years, the propor-
tion was one-half, and so it continued to decline,
till, in the *even years, from lao2 to I SO9, the
eollrierlunf were 528, and the executions 67, hieing
in the proportion of one-eighth. The Hou. Gent.
then west into statement, of the executions for
larceny, or mere violation of property; from which it
appeared. that. for London and Middlesex, in the
last seven years, 1013 were tried capitally for steal-
ing iu dwelling-houses, and 859 for stealing in
shops, of whom only use was executed. He con-
tended. mast feelingly, that no capital punishments
should be awarded for such crimes ; and that, from
the great chalice there was afforded of escape from
the non-execution of too severe laws, much encou-
ragement was given to the commission of this species
of crime. His object, under these impre.iims onld
be, to repeal the Act of William 111. making it ca-
pital to stcal,tir the amount of 5.. in is shop; the
Act of Quern Anne, smiting it capita' to steal to
the value of 40s. in a do:ening-house ; and the Act
of George 11. making it capital to steal to the same
amount iii snips. wharfs, ace.

.
Mr. WI t4DIIA,oI spoke siviirist the motion.
Tree Salm:iron-Gr./stash sand, be GSM not
intend to oppose the introduction of the Bill, but
would enter his protest against many of the 'dis-
ciples upou which it was introduced; he thought
it nicumbent upon him to take notice ur Ull asser-
tion made by the Hon. Cleatlearn., that the crimi-
nal laws of England ware if a sanguinary macre ; the
Hon. Gentleman had sot vary rtufaelenly ex-
pounded this. when he stated, that the ',umber of
capital punishment.. inflicted in previous reign. was
vastly greeter than had been inflicted within the
present. This, rarely, was a tentimimy of the le-
nity. rather than the seventy. of the British criminal
lava. The subject required greet consideration.
and he thought it necessary that a plan of what was
to he substituted in plats of 4lsese taws, represent-
ing the mode of preserving a full security of the
public property and liberties, should be brought
forward.

Mr. SMI Till spokr in favour of the introduction
of the Bill.

The CIIANCIILLOIt of the EttentoOra made a
few observations respecting the ipusreprrsentatiena
which had been made with regard to the severity of
the Criminal Laws.

Sir SAIIIHIL HOMILLY spoke in reply.
Lord G. Gags MIS supported the motion.
Carried so the of

Mr. CHRISTOPHER HUTCHINSON moved, " That
some Papers respecting the ewe of the Fortifica-
tions of Antwerp. previous to the sailing of the ex-
pedition to Welchem', be laid before the Commit.
tee of Eiscpsiry.
Mr. 'Urine said, he could not state whether the
documents were in his office, and that the 'notion
stand till Monday.—The Howse hewing resumed the
Inquiry into the Walcheren Expedition, strangers
were immediately ordered to withdraw.

FOREIGN INTALLIGENCE.