The Statesman.
London, England, 1820-03-31 00:00:00

‘YFFRRENT MODES OF TYNIIIIMENT

FORRIGN VOUNFR.I K.

la China. persons Wailty of murder ire beheaded
except where a pesos,' kills his adversary in • duel, iii
ishieh case he is stranfled. Decapitation, by the laws
%AA:l;ns, is conaidercil the most dishonourable mode of
c sedition.

'rids sort of punishment hein2 deemed in the highest
blegreeignominons, is only inflicted far crimes libido
art ►egarded by the Chinese dovenoment as the most
tonsjadicial to so, ietr, such as conspiracy, 'assassination,
t umnbitting lily offence against the person of the Em•
1.• tor. or attempting the life of any of the Imperial
t : revolting, Insurrection, striking a parent, or
any other utonatoral crime. The malefactor who is con-
s;►nuned to he beheaded, is made to kited upon the
round, the hand of infamy is taken from his hark, and
the . I .... er, by a single blow of a twe•hamled
swor,l, s•ri6es off Ibis head ►tith great dexterity. These
headsmen, ste.l, indeed, the generality .4-inferior officers
of justice in China, are selected from the soldiery, cc-
c•'rdine to the cost of the primitive harharians
r.,:ithcr is .Is;* cotploymet,t considered more igei ..... 'mous
than the post of principal obtficer of executive in other
countries. Decapitation is held by the Chinese as the
most disgrareful kind of death; because the head, which
is the principal par► of a man, is separated from the
body, and that ho,l► is not cooosignerf to the grave as
entire as he ret•ricrd it from his parents. If a great
mandarin, lw cunt ;erect of any atrocious nirowr, he is
raceme,' in tire n, Inner like die meanest person. After
the head Is severest, it is frequently •nspended fr a
tree, be the side of a public root ; the body is thrown
into a ditch,, the lan haling deemed it unworthy the
respect of regular funeral rite..

When II seilfrilie is sOloloitti`4l to the Emperor fur his
approbation, if the crime be of the first ibizree of alrm
'tr. he orderg the malefactor to be e%Pril!pti without
llefly; when it is only of an ordinary nature, he directs
that the criminal shall be impri.anted till the atittiniri.
and then executed ; a particular day in that seaauti being
allotted for such cert. ((((( nies.

The Emperor of China sselsJons nesters a 4tobjert to he
executed until hr has ronsultesi tt ills Li. first law offi.
I s• rs , whether Ise ran avoid it oithoot infringing no the
t.:onstitution of his realm. Ile f:tsts for a certain period
/ !Pt ktli to signing an older for au execution; and Isis
I•nperial Majesty esteems those trap Of hi', reig t• the
vorst woo for:oitaite. in it bit It lor bas hatl
the least orea.ion to let fail upon his sashjects the rigor-
tool SWOrtsl uiillStire.

The usual capital punishments in I are string--
Fr!' and belie:o4w. The former is more en
;.--1 k decreed against those oho are foittlii rniirt• of
climes, it hich, !senesce ..031, are oniy held in the
•"cond rank of atrucit) : for instance all arts of
whether intentional or accidental ; every sprrios
1,.t ail committed upon noversollent ; the seduction of
Doman, whether Insrrie.l or ; 2itine abusive
lan-
usge to a parent; plunderissir or do' sciii2. n Intl-vine.
t !ace; robbing wish Jesuits:site n erpons; and for wear.
rtg pearls.

In Turkey anti other countries, the head is strurli off
ss;:ls a sabre.

In Etpz7 md.firealii•iviott is rrelomell the most honour-
at.:e pnni 4 buten% our g reit prr.onoz,4 fornierlv
For high treason the holy is set ered from the
hitt the etfen.h•r is previously him..., though not.
according. to e:rtem•v., till lie is tptite Ora.l; hanging. in
Krgland J.•eoied the most ignominious punish-
ment. Decapitation is here performed with the hatchet,
tl:c hea•l being plareil on a block of woo.l, with the neck
!arc. In France i, is a rumrnun punishment, and is in-
mo+t peifurnee.l.
In France the gnillutine was originally called the
raiden, of the use and form of which, in Urea, Britain,
Vt.. Pennant gives the following arcuttni

•' It seems to have been confined to the limits of the
forest of Hardwick. or the eighteen towns and hamlets
wttlsin its precinkts. 'liar time nisei' this custom look
pine. is unknown: is briber Fsrl Warren. lord of this
forest, might might hate established it a ttttt tog the san-
guinary laws then its n•e against the invaders of the
(•tooting rights, or whether it ►night not take place after
the weolion-wanufacu►rrs at Halifax began to gain
$.1.11P01111111, is unerrtain The last is k ery probable; for
Om wild country around the tont) us' inhabited by a
lawless att. whose depredations on the clotlt-tenters
might soon stifle the efforts of infant industry. For the
protection of trade. mut for the greater terror of offends
ens Ire stpeetly exernti.m. this custom seems to have been
jileb
Walled so as at last to receive the force of law,
t•.~aW~alled
was, ' That if a Won be taken within the liberty
the forest of 111M4iii irk, with goods stolen out or
within the said lorreinet%. either haml•hahend, bark-1
Lerstarl, or cootie...jolted in the valet.. of thirteen-pence
halfpenny. bestirs% after three market flays, within the,
town of Halifax. sent after sorb his apprehension. and
being eondemoell, hr taken to the gibbet. and there hare
his head cot from hi5.110.1%.' 1

" The offender hail always a fair trial; fur as .non as
he was taken In• was brought to the lord's bailiff at
Halifax : he was then exi.o.ed on the three markets
(which here were held thrice in a needs), placed in a
.rocks, with the goods stolen un his hack, or if the theft
,r is of the cattle kind, they were placed by hint ; and
this was done bot'u to strike terror into others• and to
produce new information against him. The bailiff then
►ummoned Cow freeholders of each town within the
forest, to form a jury. TLe felon and proaeeut.••. were
brought face to face ; the goods, the row or horse, or
whatever was sto!en, produced. If lie was found guilty,
i.e was remanded to prison, had a week allotted for pre-
paration, and then sta. conveyed to this spot, where his
head nas sfruck off by this machine. I should have
premised, that if the criminal, either after apprehension,
or in the way to mention, could escape out of the limits
.•f the forest (part bring close to the town), the bailiff
ltd no further power over him; but if he should hr
n aught within the preview's at any time after, he was
immediately executed on his former sentence.
" This privilege ass very freely used during the reign
of Elisabeth : the records before that time were lost.
'firenty-Cve suffered in her reign, and at least twelve
from 1623 to 1650; after nhicli, I believe, the privilege
was no more exerted.

" This machine of ileatis is now destroyed ; but I saw
one of the same kind in a room under the Parliament '
lionise at Edinburgh, where it was introduced by the
Regent Morton, who :001: a model of it 3% he passed
through 11:011.1%, and at length suffer/ NI by it himself.
It is in form of a painter's easel, and abold ten feet
Ligi.: at foer fret from the bottom is a emits bar, on
which the felon lays bis head, which is kept down by
another placed alMee. In the inner edges of the frame
;ire u oars; in these is placed a sharp axe with a vast
weight of lead, snpported at the very summit with a
peg ; t.r that peg is fastened a curd, which the exrcia•
tioner cutting, the I,Cr fills. and dues the affair effec-
tually, withont suffering the unhappy criminal to nn-
dergo a repetition of strokes, as has been the ease in the
common method. I mud add, that if the sufferer is Eno-
destined for stealing a horse or a row, the string is tied
to the bout, which, on bring w:hipped, pulls out the peg.
and brco:nes the extortioner."