The Sun.
London, England, 1818-02-26 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COAniONS.

The-uv.miirig of the Steam Bost Bill was pos
'rled Mondety.

Sir S. itivtattAbe presented a petition from a
person 'o' the name of Edward Townshend, corn-
pliiinio4 of a great abuse in the execution of the
liank r op! Laws.—Referred to the Com Mince on
"the tik ri:pt taws.

L td KtaxivALL presteted two petitions from
Tanners in the c„.tinty of Denbigh, against the
Leather Tax....ol.deretl to lie on the Table.
A pet son front the India House presented a copy
of the tegolations made by the Government in.
India, in pursuance of Act of PerlisMent.--Or-
tiered to lie on

'The CHANCELLOR of the ExCHEMUSR moved,
that at its rising the House should adjourn to
Friday
Mr CALCItAFT wished to know whether it was
intended to move the Army Estimates on that
day ? The proofs of the Report of the Finance
'Committee, parts of which related to those esti-
mates, would, he understood, not be in the bands
eat Members until to-morrow.

The CHANCELLOR of the.EXCHEQU ER replied,tkat
There-Was no disposition on tie part of his Ma-
jesty's Ministers prematurely to
,discuss. the sub-
ject ; at the same time, the Honourable Gentle-
man mull be aware of the importance of avoiding
any unnecessary delay with respect to it, as it was
indispetsible 'that the Mutiny Bill should be passed
lira certain period, not very distant. The printed
copies of the Report of the Finance. Commii tee
ivotild be in the hands of Members to-morrow.
if the intel.val between' that and should he
thought too short k►r its consideration, those parts.
of the Estimates might at any rate he discussed, to
which the Ittport had no refer.lice.

Mr. CALCRAFT he only wanted to know
whether it was intended to hi lug oil the -consi-
deration of the. Estimates on Friday or not, He
bad no objection twit whatever, perSoually, as he
was quite prepared on the suhject.
• The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEGLUER.S tllO6Oll
SVaS tlica agreed to.
A Message %vas ordered to be sent to the House
of Lords, requesting that -their Lordships would
Terrill! the attendance of Lord Viscount Melville
on the Finance Committee.

• The Clergymen officiating in Gaols' Bill was
reach a third lime and passed.
The Offices Todemnity Bill went throogli a
Committee, ilie.lteport of which was wilered to
be received on Fricky.

Lord FOLKESTONE presented a petition from the
inhabitants of ft will; il4 Glasgow, praviug for
Annual Parliaments.-7 Ordered to be
.prin►ed.
• Itt'a Commit ee the Scotch Aqua Vitt Li-
cenhing Act, several Resolutions were agrted to,
the Report ot. which wAs ordered to be received
uu Friday,

CRIMINAL LAWS.

• . Sir S. ROMILI,Y rose to move for leave to bring
in a Bill to repeal so much of on Act passed in the
10th and 11th of. King AVilliani 111. as went to
take away benefit of Clergy fruit) persons convict-
ed of stealing in (looses, shops, stables, &c. to tile
innoont of five shillings. It was not necessary
that be should say much on the present occasion,
as a very strong opinion had been nfanilCsted on.
the subject; to which he wished to direct their.
litteptiun; *both in the,present And in the last Par.
liameut. The Bill he wished to bring in.had al-
ready passed through that liouse four times, twice
is this, and twice in the last Parliament. On the
last occasion of its being hrought.in, it passed
through its several stages without meeting with a
wqrd of opposition, though it had subsequently
• been lost in the . Lords, Under these ciretim-
• stances, he had little to say on again bringing tor-
ward a measure which bad been so • repeatedly
then), hut be thought it right briefly to
slim them what was the state of the administra-
tion of Justice at Present, with respect to thoSe
crimes which should he punished capitally,.as.the
law now stood. The offences whirl; this Bill
would affect, Were at present punishable with
death ;
,but the law, so far hack as the Returns
extended, namely, to 1805, had never been carried
into ether, In the space of 12 years frOm 1805,
• there had been 655 persons indicted, and of this
number 113 had been capitally convicted, and .out
. of these 113 criminals not one had been executed.
In 365 cars the Jury .had brought in the parties
guilty of a-,simple larceny. The severity of the.
punishment attached b law to the offeneehad
the effect of inclining 'Juries to Iciat in favour of

• the prisoner, notwithstanding the oath.they had
taken, and. this he conceived to have a most
immoral tendency, although Blackstone had
said it was perfectly proper for a Jury to
reduce the value of an article froM its no-
mival price to that which it bore at the
time the Act was passed. 'AS-he had mentioned
bow the law bad been , executed tinder the Act
- of the 10th and 171 th ob King. William, he won't!
now state what the administration of justice had
. been under the law for plashing stealing in a
dwelling-house to the amount of forty shillings.
From 106 to IS/6 here_bad been 1097 prrsons
tt ied. Out of this cumber 293 had beeti capitally
convicted, hut not ove had been executed. In
the year 131 persons had been tried, 49. had
hen capitally convicted, and one criminal had
been executed. That'out of 1228 persons indict-
ed forsterding.in a duelling-house to the amount
of forty shillings, but one indi%idual had suffered.
In all the other Cases; with the exception of 342,
the ,Inry hat: brought In the party guilty of steal-
ing, but not ti) the amount of forty,shillings. The
principle acted upon by those to whom the ad-
niio4lralion. nf kolice was'confuled, in cases:of
fraudalenthankruptcy and forgery, was prerisrly
opitosite to Oaradopted with respect IQ the of-
fences, of'whielt he had just.sikiki!n; Incases oi
forgery and fraudulent hankruptcy it was judged
i3iproper ever. tp Pardon unless some particular'
circumstances, favourable .to the prisoner,
trAnqite. the, cases of which he had Ili st
tmoken the sentence. was never -executed unless
circinnsiancrs of peculiar aggra%ation wereproved
ega,ioSt. the prisoer.. In all these'eases, he con-
tended, the 6evtlity of the law Operated-against
.the administration of justice,- Wittan the' last
wears there bid beets htit,lonrt conYik-
-I,i tor fraudulent bankruptcies. Yet it, was