The National Register.
London, England, 1811-02-24 00:00:00

PENAL LAWS.

Sir SA.muer. ROMILLY, pursuant to his notice, rose to call
the attention of the House to this subject. The object of his
present Motion was to obtain leave to bring in a Bill similar to
that whicli he had brought in during the last Session of Parlia-
ment; namely, to repeal so much of the 10th and 11th of William
and Mary, ae took away the benefit of Clergy from persons
convicted of privately stealing in shops, warehouses, &c. In
1808; he had first the honour to tiring under the consideration of
the House, the state of the Penal Laws of the country ; and in
the course of the last Session, a Bill which he brought into Par-
liament for repealing so much of this Act as made it a capital
felony without benefit of the Clergy, to steal property privately
from•the person. That Bill passed into a law, the effects of
which ttere found extremely beneficial. He should have been
glad to have given the House the most accurate information upon
this subject, but as far as he was informed, the effect had beeu,
that there were many more persons brought to trial for offences
of this nature, than hi the same period of time before the passing
of that Act, and that of these so brought to trial, the greater
proportion had been convicted, and if his information was cor-
rect, a more decided proof of the beneficial effects of such a
law, in his humble judgment, could not he well conceived.—
He had proposed three other measures on the same subject, in
the euurse of the last Sessions, viz.—lst. As to stealing privately
from the person ; tad. Privately stealing to the value of 40s. in a
dwelling-house ; nd ;,a. Privately stealing on canals and navi-
gable rivers. The ft passed through the House without a
division. The sec as lost by a majority of two, in a very
thin liotue ; and t ird being postponed from day to day
until the close of the •ssion, never came under discussion at
all. In maturely considering this subject, he was confirmed in
the solidity of the grounds and the importance of the mea-
sure, and he was more deeply impressed with the import-
ance of that duty whicfi he conceived himself to be discharging,
as it was not from light motives he was induced to make altera-
tions in 60 portant a subject as the criminal laws of the
country. thought ft the duty of every man to promote the
well-being comfort of his fellow-cit‘.zens, and he knew of
no tvay in' ich he could make himself more useful than by
promoting ie !present' measure. Lord Coke considered every
man who succeeded in his profession as owing a debt to it, and
by comparing those eminent works which flowed from his pen,
he had thought that the best way in which he could discharge
the debt he had so contracted. From that prosperity which he
had enjoyed in his professional career, he conceived he had con-
tracted a very large debt, and the best mode of discharging that
debt he thought was, by endeavouriug to remove elme of those
which appeared to him to be defects of.the law, and to increase
the comforts and happiness of mankind. Upon these grounds
he undertook the task, and should not easily be discouraged.--
It was not however his intention to persevere in any measure
in which the sense of the public might be against Dim, but till