The Sun.
London, England, 1857-10-17 00:00:00

CAPITAL PUNISHMENTS.

Mr. Sergeant WOOLRYCII read a paper, in which
he severely condemned the severe legislation in
the last century disgraced, in his opinion, the Eng-
lish statute-book, specially instancing, as an illus-
tration of its cruelty, the case of a poor woman hung
in London for shoplifting. He eulogised the exer-
tions of Sir Samuel Romillyinobtaining a revision of
that sanguinary code, rem arki ngthat at the:same time
hose who advocated it did so leis from cruelty than
ignorance. He then went on to contend that capital
'punishment was only justifiable if it could be proved
t hat it was preventive of crime, which ho denied.
He would not refute statistics on the matter, be-
cause ho deemed they were often fallacious, and
might be made to tell either one way or other to
suit the views of the party using them ; but at the
same time he believed it would be found that Bo far
as the crimes still punishable by death were con-
cerned, crime was as rife now as in 1846,10 years
ago. He condemned the gallows as a social
nuisance, which, instead of protecting only in-
creased the injury to life. He contended further
that no system of punishment could be good which
required a bribe to be paid to the executioner who
carried it into effect ; and, after adverting to the
continental custom of reprieving a prisoner who
made no sign of confession or repentance, deLls.red
that c tpital punishment, as administered ia Eng-
land, was calculated to destroy both the body and
soul of its victims:

In reply to a question from a gentleman present
the learned sergeant said ho should prope3e, as a
substitute, penal servitude for life.

DEPARTMENT W.—PUBLIC HEALTH.
HEALTH OF CUSTOMS OFFICERS.
Dr. J. O. 111‘Wrimraar read a paper on the health
of waterguard and waterside officers of Custairus
in London, for ten years ending on the 31st Dec.
last. The author of this paper, which was illus-
trated by a series of elaborate tables, commenced
by giving an account of the duties "afloat"
and " ashore" which were performed by the
'water-guard and waterside officers of the Cus-
toms respectively. With regard to the tide-
waiters, it appears that they, besides being exposed
to every vicisreitude of weather on board ship, and
often in open boats, by night as well as by day, oc-
casionally have to board ships, the cargoes of which
give out effluvia productive of incanveuience and
eveu of disease. Among the unhealthy cargoes he
enumerated guano, hides, horns and bones, grain
in bulk, sulphur, turpentine, sugar in bags and
matting, rags, &c. With respect to the watermen,
the most severe part of their duty is when they are
engaged in what is called steam duty, which re-
quires them to search minutely, or, as it is called,
" rummage" every part of steamers from the Con-
tinent, with the view of detecting any Concealment
of goods. To do this effectually, the watermen have
to creep, cat-like, over and behind the boilers, amid
under and sometimes into the flues, while the fires
have been recently, it may be, only partially ex-
tingniShed. Ou a cold winter's day the transition
from the deck to the engine-room, and again from
the pngiue-room to the dock, under such circum-
stance 4, more nearly realised a rapid interchange of
tropical and arctic climate than anything else that
can belmagiried. The officers of the waterside de-
partment, consisting of lockers, weighers, messen-
gers, and gatekeepers, are, in the performance of
their respective duties, also a good deal exposed, but
they have defined hours of employment, regular diet,
and other advantages not possessed by the water-
guard. From a trble illustrative of the rate of sick-,
ness in the two departmentS there were in the water-
guard, with an average strength of 740, 21 sick daily,
or at the rate 2.97 percent., while tho annual average
of cases of sickness deducted from ten years was
722.7, and the average duration of each case 10.77
days. In the waterside department the statistics of
disease disclose the milder nature of the duty of
its officers ; for, with a strength of 493, the number
daily on the sick list was 5.97, equal to LOG per
cent., the annual number was 192 7, and the term
of each case 11.6 days. During ten years 94 water-
guard and 75 waterside officers were placed on the
superannuation list, the ratio -being 1.4 per cont.
in the waterguard and 1.5 in ,the waterside ; but
the ago at which superannuation took place was in
favour of the latter department, the ago of the
lockers averaging 67 years and service 33. years,
the weighers 58 years and service about 30 years,
while of GG tidewaiters superannuated the average
age was 59.4 and service 32.2 ; of 17 watermen
placed on the superannuation list the average age
was 60 and of service 36 years '; and 11 constables
and watchmen also superannuated had attained an
average age of GO and of service 36 years. Of the '
total number (169) superannuated in the course of
ten years, 27 of the waterguard and 22 of the
waterside department had died before Dec., 31,
1857. Dividing the ten years into two quin-
quennial terms, the deaths in the waterguard in
the first term was, in a strength of 692, from all
causes, including cholera and accidents, 62, or in a
ratio of 1.8 per cent. ; in the latter term, with a
strength of 785, there were 43 deaths only, or at
the rate of 1 per cent., the difference in mortality
of the two terms being due mainly to the small
loss from cholera during 1854, compared with that
incurred by the epidemy of 1849. In the waterside
department the deaths were in the first term
30 in a mean strength of 492, or 1.2 per cent, ;
and in the latter term 32 in a mean s•rength of 512,
equal to 1.2 per cent. ; as in the first term, the death
rate in the t wotermshaving been but little disturbed
by the loss by cholera in the department incurred
during 1849. Dr. AV William gave a comparative
statement of the mortality of the two department.,
for the whole period, with that of the general popu-
lation, and of that of London, at the same period of
life, and with that of the army and navy on the
home station :—Mortality among male population
of England per 1,000 between 25 and 65 years of
two (as in the Customs service), 16.0 ; do. in Lon-
' don at corresponding age=; 19.9 ; mortality in in-
fantry of line per 1,000 (ages between 20 and 40),
in United Kingdom, 17.5 ; do. Foot Guards in
London, 20.5 ; do. royal navy in home station (age
from 16 to 45), 10.6 ; do. in waterguard of Cus
toms (age from 25 to 65), between 1837 and 1856,
14.1. In the same department and at the same