The National Register.
London, England, 1821-11-18 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER

mankind, to destroy that hope from which they de-
rive strength of mind to meet the sorrows of this
world with fortitude, and to anticipate a happy fu.
turity with confidence—under the influence of these
feelings it cannot be supposed that we shall be the
apologists of this unfortunate, infatuated family,
whose perseverance, in the face of that law which
they must know has power to ultimately crush
them, partakes strongly of madness—but we may
ask, is not this sentence most excessive? is it not,
in fact, tantamount to one of imprisonment fur life?
and that is a sentence which, in even worse times
than these, no Judge could yet find an excuse in
the books of British law for passing.

The Bill of Rights, a main part of that non-de-
script article which we call OUR CONSTITUTION,
declares, " That excessive bail ought not to be
required, nor excessive fines imposed; nor cruel and
unusual punishments inflicted"--and yet a woman
who is not worth five pounds, is sentenced to pay a
tine of FIVE HUNDRLD POUNDS, to be imprisoned in
Dorckester gaol one year, and at the expiration of
that time give sureties for seven years, herself in
10001. and two sureties in 1001. each; and to be
imprisoned until such fine is paid and security given.
—We do not wish that she should not be restrained
from a repetition of her offence, but we regret that
her sentence should be of so severe a nature as to
excite feelings of a doubtful kind towards the Judges
who deliberated upon it, and we fear moreover that
by its severity those who have hitherto regarded the
infamous activity of this family with unmixed con-
tempt, will find that feeling converted into one of
commisseration and pity—we can most truly declare
that it has already worked such a conversion upon
us.

Another Report of the Recorder of London has
been made to his Majesty, and eight offenders
against the laws of their country have been ordered
to expiate their crimes by MATH, on Wednesday
next ! Of these, four are for uttering forgeries of
those slovenly notes, which, to the disgrace of Eng-
land, have for so many years been allowed to court
their easy imitation—and the other four are for steal-
ing—and is there then in the ingenuity of man no
power to discover a punishment which might, at all
events, leave yet a possibility of reformation—
" Unfit to live, they are not fit to die," yet are they
doomed to be " sent to their account—no reckoning
made—with all their imperfections on their heads.'
We have the Divine authority fur visiting murder
with death, but we have also the Divine prohibition
against punishing with death any other crime, and
however terrific may be a criminal information e
officio, at the suit of the Attorney General, we hesi-
tate not to say, boldly, that the human law, which
is positively opposed to our Holy Bible, is bad, even
though it be inscribed in the boasted Statute Book
of the United Kingdom. The party who has per-
haps been ruined by forgery, or he who has been
severely injured by the gross violence of the
robber, will exclaim against our feelings of hu-
manity—will, wc would ask either the one
or the other, the hanging the culprit procure
the restoration of your property, or apply an
efficacious balsam to your wounds? Certainly not ;
and if it would, where is the man who would pur-
chase such indemnity at the price of the offender's
blood? As to the effect of example, it really is a
theme on which old women only trill enlarge, while
it is upt n record that a convict has picked the pocket
of a turnkey while he was receiving the tentence cf
death, and that while that awful sentence wl:s in
progress to execution, even at the foot of the gallows,
his heretofore-companions have availed themselves
of the bustle caused by his execution to carry on
their depredations—that a radical change is wanted
in our criminal code, no one with the feelings of
christianity will deny, and Heaven will bless that
man who has power to accomplish such a change.—
Those not possessed of such power can only wAh us
ejaculate a prayer for those who effect what
we so fcvently wish for.


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