Star.
London, England, 1819-07-07 00:00:00

tire Ail I twill pit** .the introduction of two dis-
tinct BWs the one a gal for thikabolition of thirty-
ken) or perhaps l-athii more, caphal felonies ; the
other, a Bill •to consolldato and amend the existing
laws respecting forgery:—to bring them all into one
Statute, and to make such amendments as may seem
expedient. I proceed to give a general idea of the
proposed amendments; and here I beg to observe,,
that besides the general evidence given before the
Committee to which I have already adverted, there
are other considerations—considerations of policy, of
a very grave nature, which ought to induce the
House to consider the amendment of the laws re-

specting the crime of forgery as an imperative duty.
Parliament has recently adopted' a most important
and serious, and in my opinion, a highly-beneficial

measure; a measure which I trust ne temptation or
occurrence will ever induce it to _repeal. It has

pledged itself to return to the ancient standard of our
currency—to that intrincically valuable stanchrd,
which had so long existel in this country, in corn-
nzon with the other cZuntrie3 of the civilized world.

It has pledged itself to abandon—what I trust will
never under any circumstances be re-adopted—a sys-
tem, which, however it might be excused by the ex-
traordinary pressure of the time at which it was
taken, is acknowledged by every body to be incon-
sistent with all those principles on which the perma-
nent wellbeing of society depends. In doing this,
nevertheless, we cannot dissemble from ourselves that

we are taking a step, which however beneficial on the
whole, must be attended with partial danger, with con-
siderable sacrifices, with serious injury to individuals.
Under the agitating circumstances'necessarily conse•
quent On so great a charge, it appears to me to be the
polity of Parliament to give character and popu-
larity to the change itself, by removing from the
laws which regulate our paper currency the odious
imputation of a sanguinary character, which the
execution of those laws bas but too frequently war-
ranted. In my opinion, Parliament ought to render
the measure it is about to adopt as acceptable to the
Public as it can. This seems to me to be also cape-
dient for the sake of the Bank of England, which
has of late been charged, and perhaps unjustly, with
conduct not altogether reconcileable to the principles
of justice, or at least of humanity. Sir, it is most
desirable that all these things should, if possible, be
forgotten. It is most desirable that they should be
imputed to the necessities of the times, and l-e dis-
missed from mens minds. Sincerely do I wish that

the Bank of England may continue the inspectors of
our domestic circulation; and that they may conti-

nue to afford aid to Government, if Government
should need their assistance ; and therefore do I also

wish, that we may signalize the great change which
is about to take place by such alterations in the law
as may restore to the Bank, and to all connected
with recent events of a financial nature, the charac-

ter which has at least been so seriously endangeted.
Sir, the amendments in the law proposed by the Corn-
mittee are founded on this principle. It appears to
them, that as long as the small Notes of the Bank or
England continue in circulation, forming as they do
a great proportion of the currency of'the country, it
may be right to place them on the same footing as
the metallic currency of the same value. With great
pain and reluctance, therefore, the Committee re-
,ceremend, that the actual forgers of those Notes shall
continue subject to capital punishment. At the same
time the Committee suggest that it may be worthy
the consideration of Parliament to inquire into the ex-
pediency of adopting the suggestion of the Commis-
sioners appointed to examine into the means of pre-
venting the forgery of Bank Notes, to offer a high re-
ward for the detection of the forgers of those Notes.
There does not appear to me to be any danger in this
proposition. No Jury will convict—no Jury ought
to convict—on the evidence of informers alone. A
verdict of guilty can be pronounced only on the dis-
covery of the materials and implements necessary for
carrying, on the illegitimate manufacture. I repeat,
that no Jury will convict on the evidence of an in-
former, without these corroborating circumstances.
It seems to rre therefore, that without danger of
perjury, or of false information, destructive of inno-
cent individuals, offer such a temptation by reward
as may eventually lead to the discovery_and
lation of those nests of wretches who have sacrificed .4a
many human beings to their avarice. Vi'ith respect to
the utterer of forged notes, it is proposed by the Com-
-IMittee to lighten the law. It is proposed to punish the
first offence either with transportation or with hard la-
bonr, at the discretion of the Judge; but to place the
offender on the second or third offence on the footing
of the common utterer of money, prosecutable cape.
tally ; leaving it, however, open to the prosecutor, to
prosecute if he shall think fit as for a first offence.—
It is not proposed by tie Committee to make any
change with respect to the person found in possession
of forged notes eexcept it shall be left.to the discretion
of the Judge whether to subject him to imprison.
mentor to hard labour. These, Sir, are the measures
which I am instructed by the Committee to recom-
mend to the House. I will close my observations
by endeavouring to describe what appears to me,
from the evidence before the Committee, and from
other sources, to be the general opinion of the public
on this interesting and important subject. The num-
ber of the Petitioners whose Petitions are on our table
praying for a mitigation of the Criminal Law, exceeds
12,000. We have besides the Petitions of the Corpora.
Lions of London, of Norwich, of Portsmouth, &c. Wit
have the Petitions of Grand Juries, and of a large piny
Lion of the Clergy. But the Petition from the City
of London alone, speaking, as it does, the sentiments
of the great majority of the metropolis, conveys the
opinion and wishes of a much greater number of
persons than those I have already mentioned. All the
witnesses who have been examined before the Com-
mittee concur in declaring that the severity. of the
law ought to be mitigated, and that such are the
sentiments of the majority of those with whom
they are acquainted. It is the deliberate opinion
of the public at large. It is no popular clamoui,
likely to subside with the temporary cause whit "
gives it voice. it is the well-grounded persuasion
lof that very numerous and highly-respectable class
of society, to the soundness of whose sentiments
I have endeavoured, however feebly, to do justice.—
It is the decided conviction of all, that it is impossi-
ble to execute the laws as they stand at present on
our statute book ; and I am therefore justified in as-
, Setting, that there can by no possibility be any sub-
ject to which a wise Legislature ought more speedily
or mote intensely to direct itrattention. Sir, I move