The Sun. — 1841-02-10 (London, England)

PUNISHMENT OF DEATH.  Mr. FITZROY KELLY rose to bring forward his motion for leave to bring in a 13111 to abolish the punishment of death in all cases except murder and high treason. It would not be necessary for him to intrude upon the attention cf the House at any length, because it was impossible to mark the progress of legislation for the last forty or fifty years the spread of education and knowledge, without feeling that the severity of the criminal code had been most materially and judiciously ameliorated in that period. Since then the number of crimes have been diminished, and the number of convictions in proportion. In the beginning of the present century there were three hundred offences punishable by death by the laws of England. Since that period owing to the great exertions of a few individuals, notwithstanding the powerful and determined opposition of many persons, among whom were a number of gentlemen belonging to the profession to which he had the honour to belong, there bad been a great reduction in the number of crimes which were denominated capital, and they were now reduced to about 30. The last occasion was in 1837, when several Bills were introduced in Parliament by the Noble Lord opposite (J. Russell), and these had, after full discussion, received the sanction of Parliament. Feeling, in common with many who had devoted their attention to the subject, that a sufficient period had elapsed since then to enable the public and the Legislature to decide on the propriety of further improvements, he had in the last Ses• sion of Parliament introduced a 13111 to exempt from capital punishment all crimes but murder and high treason It would be in the recollection of the House that last Session his Bill passed through all its stages by larg.et majorities, and that it was only on nwatsheomotthioen thatw isabocsi be read a third time that in a thin defeated. House by no means a large majority Believing that he would be giving of a very large majority ofefftclelnatpt of the well thinking the propriety leave again to submit to 1 of pthrcianpinent lte,hilioeusbeegganeda cntas all cases except those of abolishing capital p and argumentshigh t in euansoisnii.nAslienifiatdhoeftleinillb;efnotriedsatasthede ofthe n generalur d e r to favour Bill, he didi BillH wouassenot-heaxntetno. meet with no opposition in not think it necessary to iunntdrnedrsutcoion(gl tlhiaist trespass state that the object of t further on the htelmFeesoefnttbe but in deference to the wishes of many Hon, sive with that of last Session. In substance it was tAiremsabmere; he had materially altered it in point of form. In place of doing as in the Bill of last year, name all the crimes the punishments of which were capital, and which he proposed to abolish, and then in one clause doing so, he now made each crime and the abolition of capital punishment respecting it the subject He nosy w separateofa,sa that andti, that distinct plan ba cause.—( al many us en ( Hear, hear,) advantages, for any Member would now have it in his power to discuss the whole question as applicable to any crime. But eno still greater advantage was this--there were so many of