The Sun.
London, England, 1839-06-11 00:00:00

CRIMINAL TABLES,

In the course of 1838 the Acts of the Ist Victoria,
for the mitigation of punishment, have
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crimes which were formerly capital, have decreased
since the law affixed a minor punishment. Among
these are cattle-stealing, horse-stealing, and larceny in
a dwellie,_-house._ In 1818, twenty-seven persons were
capitally `eonvieted for cattle-stealing, and in 1838, the
number convicted of the same offence was 26 ; for
horse-stealing, in 1818, the number was 130, and in
1838, 107 ; for larceny in a dwelling-house in 1818, the
number was 142, and in 1838, only 120 ; sheep-steal-
ing has increased, the numbers convicted in 1818
being 177, and in 1838, 225, but, on the whole, the
offences chiefly committed by a rural population have
decreased last year, particularly the maliciously killing
and maiming of cattle, and the offences against the
Game-laws have decreased nearly 45 per cent.
In the seventy-five heads under which crimes have
been defined in the Criminal Tables, every offence is
shown separately. Of these heads, offences classed under
no less than thirty-one were subject to capital punish-
ment previous to 1832, and in 1837 capital punishment
was abolished for all offences except six (omitting those
of so unfrequent occurrence that they have not found
heads in tables, such as high treason, setting fire to ships
of war, &c.) These six are murder, and attempts to
murder, rape, unnatural offences, burglary with violence,
robbery when attended with violence, and arson of
dwelling-houses, when the lives of persons are endan-
gered. Only six persons were executed last year, two
for one offence in Hertfordshire, one in Warwickshire,
one in Lancashire, one in Wilts, and one in Stafford-
shire. The average number executed for the last
twenty-five years previous exceeded one hundred an-
Acts of the Ist.
The Viet. havealliscoetcatuosedagreat
an-
nuallyreductionin the severity of the secondary punishments.
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has been reduced to a term of transportation not ex-
ceeding fifteen years as a maximum, or imprisonment for
any term.
Comparing
g the number in the table sentenced to
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death in 1838 with the average of the four preceding
years, the proportion those numbers bear to the total
convicted was 1 in 82 for these years, and 1 in 145 for
1838. The sentences for transportation generally, too,
had decreased, though there had been an increase of
the numbers transported for fourteen or fifteen years.
For those transported for life the proportion in 1838
was 1 in 63, while during the four preceding years it
was 1 in 21 annually.
These detall4," it is well stated in a summary of the
more material alterations in the criminal law, show
clearly the effects which have resulted from the abolition
of the more severe punishments, not only directly as to the
particular offences to which the Acts of the Ist Vict.
all ot her
relate, but also as to offences, the punishment
of which has been greatly reduced ; and thus a very
considerable indirect effect has been produced on the
general administration of the criminal law. The small
proportion of cases in which the maximum of the re-
duced punishments has been resorted to,—though in
many instances tle offence is aggravated by a previous
conviction of felony, which subjects to transportation
for life,—is, at the same time, a proof that the extensive
reduction of punishments by the alteration in the law
during the present reign has not exceeded the opinions
of those by whom the law is administered!'
The mitigation of the Criminal Code, and at the
same time the decrease of crime, particularly of great
crimes formerly punished by death, confer imperishable