The National Register.
London, England, 1819-02-01 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

MONDAY. JAR. 25.
CRIMINAL LAW.
The Sheriffs of London appeared at the bar, mid presen'id
I petition from the Lard Mayor, Aldermen, and Con DOG
Coancil Lotiiion. playing the house to take iwo it. cons.der-
shun the state of We law respecting the punishment of
etleu-
ders.
Mr. Alderman Minn, en rising to move that this petition
should lie upon tie tank, observed, that he was sere the sub.
jert to whirls it referred must appear to the gunge to be high..
ly important. (Atwe, Aear,) Many leavaM and eminent men
tide during the last 511 years contended, chat our criminal rode
was unneces.arily severe, and that imp ri.ennient and hard la-
hour inight in many eaves be propel ly substituted for the
punishment of death. He had visited Newgate the day before,
and had seen 40 persons ender seatence of death, pot one of
whom had any appreheliseens of being executed. The calcu-
lation was, he believed, that not more than t to lb suffered ;
and ibis constant extension of mercy, arising from the rigour
of the law. probably operated to encourage the commission of
offences. With these few remarks he begged leave to more
that the petition now presented do lie upon the table.
Mr. Alderman WAITIIMAN sob d, that he rose fir the
purpose of seconding the motion of the hon. Alderman. He
had no intention, however, to enter into a discussioa an the
general merits of the question, being merely desirous 'dealt*:
the attention of the house, on this oecasiop, to a few of the
loading facts contained in the petition. It appeared by this
statement, that crimes had increased to an alarming degree
within the last ten years. The number of prisoners was nearly
quatimpled, having rises from 4,000 M 14,000. He could state
frees his owe ieformation, that, of the persons brought before
the magistrates in London, • much; larger number escaped
with inpuoity than formerly, from the difficulty of sending
them to prisons already croudrd, and of brining them ulti-
mately to juitice under the present ity of the penal code.
He held a paper in his hand, by which it appeared, that 600
of the persons confined in Newgate during the last year wets
under 21 years of age ; and, as far as the account could be
made out correctly by the keeper, the total of those acquitted
and cons icted under that age summated 10 about 1,000. He
had no wish to trespass longer on the time of the house, and
should conclude, therefore, by impressing a hope, that the ins.
perfume of this subject Would draw the attention not only
satire house, but of his Majesty's Government, with the view
of providing some remedy for this alarming and increasing
evil. (hear, hear.)
Mr. B. BATHURST agreed, that it was very desirable that
this question should be fully considered; the fact was, that the
increase in the metropolis was net in so large a proportion a.
in other places. A new practice had indeed sorting up, or
older CMS more artful offenders employing children as the in.
cruelest* of their depredation., probably in the kept, nott.
only at-remaining themselves-concealed, but that the youth u
the other culprits would exempt them from incurring the full
punishment of the law.
'the petition was then ordered to lie en the table, and to be
printed.