The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1818-02-26 00:00:00

.

.. * e 1
%.
these 113 Were' capitally convicted, kit not one
"it eat Tuteri-365 were found guilty of' petty lar-
dog. In d 1 last am., the Jury Atwood II bits,-
int/ stasterti. tie or ihne slid Imp, and in awry
retin only a species of trilling o :uts
t4E A unditne their cellos, fvequently,
when tlw 'if
ofk
was rotor fillies shits stun, tlwy
brought in a diet to the contrary, He knew it
had been sale , fat the Jiiilzre exercised a discre-
tion*/ power of the Jury in boil the value,
an as to answer the iiitelitiosi of the,tgistature, soul
higher satins of money iii the•lOth 1 itt; itt: Art. A
very respectable authorise 10.3 orrlge lilac kst Ime, li id
laid slums, that should Juries hi itig. in the 1/44414
of the article stolen privately from the • person
nutter one shilling, when it tot reality mar ostristh
greater. they were quite justiliable il they 4141 it
only to raise the value of a shilling to who is *K.*,
the time of passing the Act. It was important too,
that the Howse should know the Plate of execution
or 11w law, miuslisig stealing to the amount of 40s.
in a dwelling-house a capital felony. 'floe mortal
slurred, that from 1800 to the coal of 1415. 1.09,
persons had been indicted on this Act, and 291
capitally convicted—io 11416, the number of doe
former was 131, of the latter 49 ; so that of 1,-.2-28
indicted, 343 only had been Lund guilty of steal-
ing to the value of 404. All the rest had beris
'minuted, or declared guilty of strafing to a fr.%
amount. The attention of the Iliiii.e sdotothl Ise
called to ilia state of the Crtnii IA Low ; :he sv,-
tem of siliiiiiii•i,iii,g iltilt Ina OS-. 10 i.,heor piii-
hog it ill Shill exrctsismo, irkerpt 1.1 4....”!...1 ~Meat
riwriiity. Nmv ihts Willi the etiliftil.y (If 11:1•0 the
system Slllllllll lw ; boot the extrriire swbrilly of
intros of our l:rittinial Code was tile lesson' of it.
I There were cei tam e 1505....% or, efillos, Ow :,,,s ~,,,, ,t,
which slisioold sirvvr he els•pelised with; lic Ilie.silt
those of tuaskrtipicy awl forgery---icgoin,t such
offences the laws YllOlllOl grileral'y be kxrviis.-,1;
but lie was sorry to soy, that the law, iii,toati
of preventing these crimes, had tended to eu.
rootage them. Not one who had a knowleiloze
of the. Bankrupt Laws, or nosy esprrience on the
subject, that did not know uvery year iltrili..ll,ml.
several capital felonies, committed under the 5114
George 11., mid yet store that Act, during a pe-
riod of 86 years, but four convictious had taken
place, and of the cobricted but one offesider not
pardoned. Pentium suffered those who defrauded
them to a great extent to escape on principle. as
there was sin medium between impunity and the
shedding of blood. The ease wits the souse in
the crime of forgery ; compassion was frequently
excited in those who ought to prosecute ; where
that did not operate to the obstruction of justiceti
it bud been found necessary in malty instances
to pardon; the law had been executed only in
cases of particular guilt. A great discretion
its prosecutitig laid been necessarily vested iii a
certain body ; lie believed the Directors of the
Bank had exercised this discretion judiciously;
that they had ordered prosecution only where there
was a certainty of guilt. However this be, the state
of the law un this subject is such us to excite a this.
position in the people of England totally to ectoderm'
executions for forgery. If ewer there was a general
l'oPular frelisog against any law, it was against the
law of forgery. This day week two individuals bud
been executed for that crime; on this very day, two
boys would have sufferer! the extreme rigour of the
law, is err it not fur the interposition and active ex-
ertions of il worthy Magistrate and an Hon. Friend.
Any one possessing u knowledge of human nature
or experience. understaods that the effect of the
present law is not to aptiore obedience to it, hot
rather hope of impunity or rebelbors, awl com-

• -
miseration for the eenvicted.—(Hear, hear.)—
The Art of the 41st of the King, staled in the
!tremble, that the crime of forgery had of late
years greatly ittereased. The waste 0t hie walt not
the only evil ; the fieflucid exhibition of scenes of
death half the effect of,lismiletrising the mind of
the populaee to cruettg,„bir. Burke had mid, that
arch executions only it tsr the ferocity of men,
and teach them to place Bide value on their own
lives, or those of others; whereas the great policy
of ()overflowd is to excite greet regard for both,
and to inctilinde the lessou never to sacrifice or
hazard them through 'mission, but only under the
dictates or law and morality.' Yesteiday's exhi-
bition (as he hod read it in the papers) of the self-
'widener. was calculated to produce the worst ion-
',cession on the spectators. To accustom women
and children to such sights, was injudicious in a
high degree. How could the Sheriff hike upon
himself to pronounce him guilty sift of his own
murder hut of that of another. Ile complained
that the Sheriff shoold presume to make such ex-
hibitioune-datigeroso to the character or the cons-
niunity, and disgraceful to society. Ile in con-
elosion, moved for leave te4)ring in it Bill to repeal
to much of the Act tif TO and I I of William
as takes away the lostittit of clergy from persist's
convicted of privately and feloesiottaly sic:ll4l4,r to
the value of 3s. or more, in a shop, werthouse.
coach-house, or stable.
Mr. J. Swim could confirm the statement of
the Hon. atid Learned Gentleman. The instaisres
of concealment of t ffrcts by bankrupts were tune-
tuerable ; during 3 long period, no year passed
without many Inch. As to forgery, from some
cause that crime hod received a great increase %inti-
m the last tour or five years. He believed the
Hoare or the reentry did not know the Instaly of
the crime, and the i ssss *inviable eases of guilt
hushed up by individuals. A society was funned
to prevent improper commiseration for such cri-
minals interposing between them and punieliment.
hot notwithstanding its enistence and ef ect,. syisi-
pithy wills the guilty, hoses the severity of the pe-
natty, was excited, and operated to the suppreesiou
or proveentiotw.
Sir J. Ilutyroot said. that a strong cue had
been made out ; he trusted that his Hon. Friend.
would persevere in applying the priticiplee pf wis-
dom and huntanicy to the reformation of user
code.
Leave wax then given to bring in the Bill.
Sir C. Meilen said he understuod a Constitution
had been agreed au hessian the boor gloat Powers
for the louts.. hilatids, and since formed. The

nature of it alight furnish an ORieCt of jettlensy to
this House. He ili refer* desired to know udittiier
It sios to he sehtnittetl to Parliament
Lord CASTLEREAGH believed the Constitution
lied hero homed, end was tU existence, fiat he Inol
recrive'd on rnullltoo& to lay it before the
Sir C. MAt:St-lia giire WARM that he ,auv:!.l, lot