The Sun.
London, England, 1830-07-17 00:00:00

r /
%lid), in force of reasoning "and energy et ekpres-
sion, is worthy of the great occasion which has called
it forth. The firat-ground of dissent from the Lill,
which his Lordship states ought to be conclusive,
and would be so with any body of men, who, along,
with the ambition of law-making, possessed the le.
gislative capacity, is " because the Bill, as amended
in the Committee, annexes or continues the punish-
ment of death in many cases of forgery, which crime,
.however injurious to, society, is, an offence of human
institution. It can only be described as a spolia-
tion of property unattended with 'violence : and the
common feelings of mankind, the maxims of reli-
gion and philosophy, the authority of the most emi-
nent men, and the practice of the most civilized nas
tions, as well as of our ancient law, are generally
averse to punishing by death any crime in the per.
petration of which no violence is used or intended,"
In reference to a certain decrease in the number of
forgeries of late years, on which Sir Robert Peel
laid great stress, as proving in his estimation tile
sfliency of the existing laws, his Lordship says what
it would severely task the Right lion. Secretary's
ingenuity to meet with an effective reply. Here are
his words, to which we entreat the advocates of the
sanguinary punishment to give their earnest !men-
tion though forgeries may have become less fre-
quent of late years, in consequence of the resumption
of cash payments, or from other causes, such recent
diminution of that species of guilt cannot be reason.
ably attributed to the terror of a punishment which
has subsisted and been in force for nearly a century,'
which, at present, in seven cases out of eight, is net
inflicted, and which, when sternly and rigorotply
enforced, failed to produce any such diminution.
We were therefore unwilling too hastily to infer the
efficacy of severity from any recent or accidental
diminution of the offence; and we were confirmed
in withholding our assent to such precipitate rea-
Boning by reflecting that forgeries have often been,
and still continue to be, more frequent in this
country than they were before the ' punishment of
death was annexed to that crime." The passages'
which we have quoted, and indeed the whole of the
" protest," display that power of reasoning equally
exact and comprehensive, which is truly characte-
ristic of a mind adapted by nature and intelligence
to the labours of enlightened legislation.' This pro-
test affords an additional proof that the arguments
are all on one aide of this question, and the obsti-
nate prejudices of a few individuals, backed by Go-
vernment influence, at the other. As to the final
result of such a conflict, we have, as we frequently
stated, no doubt whatever : our only anxiety is, that
the conque,t which humanity and sound justice
must eventually make over the cruel errors of a bar-
barous aystem may be achieved with as little delay
as possible, and that our Statesmen may not con-
tinue to be distinguished for the combined obsti-
nacy and weakness which only concede the improve-
ments which civilization demand when they find
themselves incapable of further resistance.—Morn-
ing Herald.

The conquest of Algiers is an event alike honour-
able to the Councils and the arms of France, which
has entered upon this salutary and important under-
taliing in that triple armour which our poet assigns
to him