The National Register.
London, England, 1817-04-14 00:00:00

QUAKERS.

There were three instances, during the late Essex Assizes,
where the prisoners escaped, in consequt nee of the refusal of
several members of the Society of Friends to appear to give
that evidence absolutely necessary to their conviction.--
In each case the Judge made the same remark, that if
these persons, acting as they professed from conscientious
motives, did not appear. others were not to suffer for it. lie
set a severe fine upon each of them.
The following letter on this subject has appeared in a
Morning Paper :
" In thy Paper of this morning, I observe a paragraph, in
which it is stated, that, in several instances, at the late Es
sex Assizes, criminals escaped public justice from the rethsal
of members of the Society of Friends to give their evidence
against them; or, in other words, to violate their consci•
ences, and what they consider the express commands of our
Saviour, by taking an oath : it is also stated, that, in cause-
qnence of such refusal, they were severely fined by the Judge
who presided. In case thou shotildest have occasion to recur
to the subject, I take the liberty of offering a few remarks
upon it ; by which I think it will appear, that, in this instance,
the Judge, although probably acting bout a love of justice,
by no means promoted the object he had in view, by inflict-
ing fines. I take it for et anted, that the object of punish-
ment is to deter both the individual on whom it is indicted,
and others, by Isis example, from committing the same crime;
the idea of justifying punishment on vindictive grounds being
universally abandoned. Now I must maintain, that neither
of the above objects of punishment will, with any reasonable
degree of probability, be obtained, its this instance, by the
infliction of any punishment, however severe; for the very
statute of the alleged offence is such, that those who arc
guilty of it (who are, I believe, confined to the religious
Society above mentioned) can only be actuated by motives of
religions duty, as it is impossible they can have any interested
motives in their refusal ; and the experience of past ages too
plainly evinces the litter insufficiency of the infliction of any
punishments to overcome even the errors of those who act
from such motives. As such punishment cannot, therefore,
be defended on legitimate grounds, I can only look upon it as
a species of religious persecution ; although, as I have before
said, I trust it proceeded irons other motives in the Judge. If
the number and station of the Society of Friends is such as
to make their evidence in criminal cases of importance, let an
Act be passed to make their affirmation' sufficient, as it has
long been in civil cases, from which no inconvenience has
arisen; not one case having yet occurred in which the affir-
mation of a Quaker has been violated.
" Excuse me for thus obtruding myself upon thy time and
attention ; and believe me to be, very respectfully,
" A MEMBER OF THE SOCIETY OF FRIENDS."
" 10th of 4th month, 1817."

CONFESSION •v P. DIGGLE, who suffered the awful sen-
tence of the law, on a temporary gallows, erected in front of
the County Gaol, at Nottingham:—" I, Daniel Diggle, being
about to suffer death, and tearing that I may not be able to
anburthen my mind at time place of execution, have requested
a friend to write duo II the following remarks and confessions,
to be made public after my decease. I freely acknowledge
my guilt with respect to the particular crime fur which I am
to sutler ; yet I declare, that when I entered Kerry's house,
I had no intention of taking away his life; and that I never
thought of injuring him, until he seized Wuoiley. I also ac-
knowledge that I was guilty of the attack upon Lard Mid-
dleton's gamekeeper, and that I leave been engaged in most
of the frame-breakiligs which have taken place in this neigh-
bourhood within the List eight months ; lint I never was ell-
gaged in Luddism previous to that time: I du not, however,
publicly mention the names of my iissociates; us it is my
most anxious hope, that they will take warning from my un-
happy fate, and escape the miseries and disgrace w Melt I
now experience. I would exhort with the eaanestness of a
ing man, not only my immediate companions, but ail vi Iw
have been engaged in Luddism, to break oil from practices
which can only involve themselves and others in trouble and
rain. When they observe a young man just 21 years of age,
and who has only been married about as 111,11:y weeks, brong lit
to the scaffold by those very practices—when they see the
anguish of my attlicuil wife and parents—when they pa's by
the church yard of Ilasford, and observe the graves of Ilani-
fard, Towle, .ind myself—and when they cousider the pi
nos state of those 111 W confined in Leicester gaol, surely they
'trill forsake their wicked course; and all who may have for-
ukhed rtmuley, or liquor, as an incentive to Crime, will be in
dotted to rlivnt of their ei itchy. We have been often told
that Luddism wourl,beriet,. Wady, but I must r.-apiestly -
leech all my irequaintame, as the last request• a sltall ever
make of them, to consider it as leading,• inscusitly, to e,•e
commissimi of the worst of critlics, even Minster it,44.11.
most the only comfort that I now experience is, that the life
of an innocent Mall was not sacrificed; and as I (-onside'
Kerry and those vs ho gave (---;•witee against me, as instru-
ments in the hand of Almighty God, in bringing me to jus-
tice, it would greatly increase toy present rullerings, could