The Sun.
London, England, 1817-09-16 00:00:00

Act's :bf Porliatuent upon this stihject, Ohtervcs as

folloivs
" These eal-laites.Aets form a part of the 'law of the land at
these went nflinreeette and the Vire, ot money which are thus
painesseeiliis.44l£ vacsioreeenteut to the appreheiWon and
cenvictiou of offenders hes riot t 1 front 7.770/. which
was the
"amount in iThh, to Is it of re,ooo'. Which '‘'''eas paid for the
puniest! in 1815. •Your Committee are of opinion that this
eystameof l'erlituotea ties, rewards, for the co:1en:1in:1 of offend-
ers, is of 'ianstionahle -1)01,4. They have felt eit
tbioS
duty tq exattiine, not only the aliteistretes of the various Po-
lice offices in the metropolis, bet .life thaieers of the o-
licte and, the testimony of wetly of these pia-
sons , m ell as of those, uitb the exception of the Re-
corder of Lotoliin, wills have hel most opportunities Of
wit inssing the effecti of this, practice, is, that the sys-
tent le -most dangerous in itself, that it has lit-educed the
worst cetisequencee, and that it cannot he WO speedily aban-
dotted. It has been stated to your Committee, that it has the
tendency, end in some instances has prodnced the practice, of
inducine persons to forswear themselves for the lucre of the
•
reward; that,. while sometimes the imieeent have forfeited
their lives, front the cupidity of those eel° swore-them away,
to obtain the money a hide he was to be paid ott the convict bill
of the accused, in other eases, substantial justice has not.
been 111(1, from the suspicion which juries hate entertaimel
that the real truth was nit spoken, :tad that the prosecutor
or witness me the trial forswore himself forothe value of the
reward. The odious appellation of blood-money has been
given to these rewards ; arid your Committee have.- found in
all quarters an abhorrence to e-xist. against theme. with con-
stantly operates as impediments to public justice.
" Your Committee have sought with great anxiety to learn'
from the earitisti Magistrates whom they have examined, if to
their knewledge er belief the system was productive of care-
leisnesS-mal inattention on the part-of the oil eers of the po-
lice to the conviction of minor offenders ? The answer has'
been from all, that' they did not conceive any such come-
,quence had followed; but with due defereuce to the opinion
of these persons, your Committee cannot avoid' remarking,,
that estimating the conduct of thy police officers to be guided
by the common interest and motives that govern the actions
of netukind, it is impossit(le that they should not be stimu-
lated into greater activity incases where that activity was to
lie-rewarded, than in those where it was not: besides, it has
been allowed that the pectmiei y rewards offered Icy individuals
are great stimulants to the eat rtiens of officer.; a adit seems
reasonable to conclude, that the absence of these rewards
weeld operate in a direct opposite ratio. There can also he
do dine); teat offenders here been suffered to he trained on
iu their career of crime. from the first offence which made
them atm:mode to the law, though not yet 'objects of profit,
till, step by step, they have been red to the commis-shin-of of-
fences for which, on their conviction, the Parliamentary re-
ward could he obtained.-
" Your Committee nave inqnired iuto the mode in which
Parliamentary rewards are distributed. At the County dailies
they are apportioned by the Judge who tries the prisoner, the
experiees of the proeecution being first .deducted ; mid though
contrary .0 the exeress words of the various Acts of Partia-
Metst, considerable demands are made in the nature ol tees.
In the Midland Circuit, the practice is to deduct first 1 ss. Ad.
for procuring - the signature ot the Judge to -the certaic ere of
the conviction, besides a fee taken for the UndereShet HI et
faeituineas, if the reward is paid within a month. Voile
Committee have reason to believe, that even larger demands
than these are made in the nature of fees,- and that for the
proMpt payment. the Under-Sheriff charges for the felt
weeks advance of the money above sixty per cent. Your
Committee have inquired as to the practice wench takes
glace in the aleteolailis and in the County of Middlesex upon
this -subject. The Recorder,.-Sir Juhn Sylvester, distributes
the rewards, and- apportions them according to the merits of
their tespeci ive claimants. They examined Mr. Thomas
Watson, the Clerk to the Reeordere.who has told them. that
- prior to receiving that situation, he had learnt from the Clerk
to Mr. Serjeant Adair, that in his titre, as Well as in that of
Serjeaut Glyn's, there was considerable emolument arising
(rem the payment of the rewards; that he took that situation
without having any thine mentioned by the Recorder con-
cerning those rewards; but that making au applicatiou to.
another person, he received the infermation that there was
eighteen-pence in the pound to be :asked for, for the Sheriff,
and a compliment to himself for his trouble. Its respect
to that compliment it is sometimes more and sometimes
less ;• but thee witness stated, he .was perfectly satisfied
istpr. tt?Ersitl"n
that he was to pay`toe one smiling ari puoeeu
°vet to the Under-Sheriff; upon taking the money to the fin-
der-Sherillet that Officer tools sixpence iii the pound, and re-
turned the witness one shilling. Your Committee tingersta.nd
the propriety of taking this poundage money ..rests upon ems-
turn, and that this witness received no more than his prede-
cessor. The witness delivered in a paper, which purports to
be au account of the rewards which have en paid etery Ses-
sions, from the month of February. ISIS, to Feteruary, 1817,
an'. which amount to 11,4101. so that this witness has re-
cei, v.' the sues of five hundred and fifty pounds, out of which
.be has paid the stamps, which are due upon the receipts
that are taken front the different persons who receive their
sheee of the rewards. The Coutrulttee feel it but just to
the Recorder to declare, that the witness denies that he is at
all pricy to this irregularity, or that he ever had any con-
versation with 'him upon this subject. The Recorder was
shewn the evidence which was given by his clerk, and deuied
being acquainted with any part of the transaction which is
thee.: detailed ; he had, howeve?, heard, that the Under-She-
riff claimed a fee as' well as his own Clerk, yet he gives him a
larger salary thanhis predecessors ever did, without having
a:ty consideration whatever to his obtaining gratuities or fees,
or emolunieuts of any sort. Your Committee wish gene-
Telly to observe, that. this practice of taking poundage mo-
ney tin -these rewards, or •deducting, under any pretence,
any portion of thou, in the-nature of tees and gratuities,
is highly irregular. 'flit Acts of Parliament are positive upon
this subject ; and though it is but fit that the money for the
stamps should be deducted front the inn-lion of the reward
which is paid, and that if prompt payment is demanded, the
person who advances the money may have a claire to the dis-
count ; yet they caunot, hut think the demandis exorbitant,
and the whole practice liable to great abuse. With respect
to the distribution itself, no fixed rule seems to exist; and
front evidence which has been submitted to your Committee,
they have reason to believe, and white in some cases a much
L-trger sum than the exertions of the claimants can warrant,
is proportioned to them, in others, great partiality is shown,
and services, however itupoetant, - are suffered to go un-
rewarded. _
".'!hero is another saecies of reward which your Committee
would equally wish to do away with, namely, that which is
technically called a Tyburn Ticket, which is an exemption
from the service of -parish offices, in the parish where the
felony was committed, and which], by the 10th and Ilth Wil-
limo ill. chap. 23, is to he given to the apprehenderand taker
of the felon on his or her 'conviction. '1 his mode of remune-
ration has all the had eoneequences of the Perliamentary re-
wards by money, as the ticket is generally sold, varying in its
price from 12 or 141. to 50 or 401. according to the parish in
which the exemption is to arise; and, indeed, it may be con-
entered in some respects afeworse, it, having all the effect of a
meney reward without its name. Your Committee think •it
fit, that the -Officers of the Police should have a sutticieut
'salary, ample enough to-keep them above the temptation of
corruption ; and if the rewards he abolished, some arrange-
raent to that effect should take place.—That portion of the
reward which it is now the custom to pay for the expenses of
the trial to the prosecutor might be continued, and a reason-
able allowance made for loss of time to the witnesses. But
your Committee consider the payment of rewards fur the dis-
covery and apprehension of criminals to be perfectly unneces-
sary; and they think the evidence of Mr. Shelton, the Clerk
of the Arraigns, decisive upon this question, who, from long
practice in Courts of Law, is so fully capable of estimating
correctly the difficulties attending on criminal prosecutions.
robberies, 1 should conceive
Ile says, speaking of highwayrobberies,
there could be no more difficulty in discovering and appre-
hending a person charged with highway robbery, where a re-
ward is given; than there would 11e in the discovery and ap-
prehension of offenders guilty of crimes for which there is no
reward? •
" Your Committee remark, that there is no evidence to
prove that any difficulties are found in the prosecution of lar-
cetiies; or that there- is any anwilliogness in the injured to
Seek legal eearesse The enly impediments that are to be met
prosecutions- are of
with upon the general subject of legal
two kinds the expences of the prosecution y. the
severity of the laws, which often deter men front, pursuing
the effeoder to Conviction ; so•that if the parties proseeutine
were assisted in their expences by an allowayeei and the wit-
nesses remunerated for less of time, the-public justice of the
country would be no More interrupted than under She present
practice.
As an illustration of this system of assisting rewnres fog
the appreheusion of offenders, your Committee refer to the