The Sun. — 1863-07-28 (London, England)

THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, JULY 28, 1863.  lation is taken into account, the offence itself may bear no greater ratio to its numbers than it did some time ago. On the other hand, we must freely admit that the weight of evidence is all on the side of the reluctance which exists among juries to bring in a verdict of murder if such a verdict can possibly be escaped. Dr. Lankester, the Coroner for Middlesex, bears express testimony upon this point, and a more competent authority in a professional point of view could hardly be quoted upon the subject. When, however, we turn from a fact which virtually admits of no denial, to the causes which are gain :o have produced it, we are at once involved in a maze of cont raoiotions. Mr. Cox blames the bastardy laws, and cc Enplains that the insufficient allowance of half a ensyvn aweek as a maximum acts as a direct provocative eo the Hetty Sorrels of the present day to get rid at once of their disgrace and of the burden ett.ich they h ave entailed upon themselves by it. We pass over the somewhat absurd suggestion of Mr. Hunt that crinoline is at the bottom of the loose morale of ouss domestic servants; but it is now/ lolls that a vast dibrerence.ve of child exists upon the causes which are directly npt odue murder. Some are disposed to attribute its frequency to the comparative ileum' niay enjoyed.udges by the mother, under the present rulings 0.1" the judges wit respect, to the evidence which can Ce received as the original vitali7 of ihe chifoi, 0! hers wuuid tlttsco mar, weight to the infiuenc%!- t:t Laic expeme of the maintenance of the cki.d, en thrown into the balance against its life, than to the impulses of shame resulting in an attempt to escape detection. In support of the latter theory there Isr. at least, the argument that in a large proportion of the cases of wilful murder the infants were of the age of 12 months and upwards, and the notorious. fact that, especially among cur agricultural population, but a very small amount of stigma attaches to the mother of a " love child." But the very dna crepancy of opinion proves the extreme difficultiess which we have to encounter when we come to deal. practically with the evil. If we increase the allow-. ance paid to the mother of en illegitimate child, it 10 argued very naturally that there must be a corresponding diminution in the incentives to chastityThe present style of chess is most unquestionably within the province of paterfamilias in his private capacity,but can hardly be brought under his notice as a member of the Legislature. As to the rules of evidence in cases of infanticide, they must clearly be left to the discretion of the judges, who are not merely the most competent but the only proper authorities upon questions of such a charactea. In short, after all the suggestions which have been made, we are driven back pretty much upon Sir George Grey's conclusion, " than best means of checking the crime of infanticide is to improve the morals of the people, for no law which Parliament could frame would be so effectual to prevent it." Some beneficial effect might pas' sibly be produced by the infliction upon a reputed father in easy circumstances of a pecuniary mulct in addition to the present weekly payment, which might be available at its cessation as a premium for the apprenticeship or other advancement in life of the child. It is questionable also whether the present weekly stipend is adequate in towns to provide for the child at nurse so to enable its mother to gain her own living. So long as this is the case its chances of surviving must obviously be but small, when its removal will be so great is relief. Still, all such provisions as these cant operate only as palliatives of the evil. Beyond the extreme difficulty of acting otherwise there is really no reason for imposing upon one party to a delinquency nine-tenths of the burden when both are, morally speaking, at least equally guilty. It is high time that public attention should be specially directed to the prevalence of infanticide ; since in the publicity of the crime and in the abhorrence which it creates in the minds of the  community in general lies, as it would seem at present, the best chance of the gradual disappearance from among us of so foul a stain upon the national character.