The Press. — 1858-09-04 (London, England)

CORONER'S LAW. TO TEM EDITOR OF "THE PRESS."  Sir,—ln your strictures upon the mode in which coroners administer the law, you appear to have over. looked the terms of the statute from which they derive their powers. The statute de officio coronatorfi, after defining this classes of cases into which A bienqitntitirue,iregdoewsheonwetroe, saanyd:—in whet Like wise it coroner is ss manner, cutlotpoable, either of the act or of the force, and who were present, either men or women ; and of what age soever they be (if they sceaenvesrpebaekfeournd haveeul paanbyledbiyscirnetitinoin) and h inquisition enin any neon yw of the manners aforesaid, they shall be taken and delivered to the sheriff, and shall be committed to the gaol." esot ed in that htaarngtyedht he i coroners, ro with s nhaeor, eusl,dni. ot be permitted epttsoetwdi yetroasbpslrui ekrvede ntthtoeasaerpgevir ste offence from being before his court. It is alike doe to the gravity of the inquiry and to the interests of the party charged, who might wish to make his defence, that he should be there. The unseerob conflict of the two jurisdictions is not created by the coroner, who simply adheres to a practice which bee worked well for eight centuries. The powers of the justices, who are the successors of the conservators of the peace, and who, like the coroners now, were formerly appointed by the freeholders and not by the Crown, are comparatively modern. The statute I have quoted will, I think you will admit, disposed your progressive theory of, Ist, the coroner's inquiry; 2nd, the inquiry before the magistrate; 3rd, the committal. The fact is simply this, that if a person should, upon the coroner's inquiry, appear to have been guilty either of murder or manslauuhter,— according to the laws of England he stands coni• mitted, on the coroner's warrant, to take his trial in the ordinary way. Your maxim, that a coroner and a coroner's jury are to do nothing more thin "inquire into the facts," and "everything be yond that is unnecessary and irregular disquisition, the sole object and end of which are the self-glorification of the office," seems to me to require explanation. The duty of the coroner and thejari is to inquire whether any person be culpable. Culpable of what? Why, it of anything, it must nee. eerily be of an offence against the law; and how is s jury to be reminded of the law, but by the coroner' and how can that be done, but by explanation and reference to the law ? The subject does indeed require ventilating, sod no doubt it will he. What is wanted is some legislation upon the subject, ariapted to the exigencies 0.l t the age. One great fallacy which appears to prevai even in well-informed quarters is, that an inquiry .bY the coroner is like an ordinary proceeding betore the justice of the peace, having simply for its object h, detection of some criminal act. But, rightly viewil the duties of a coroner embrace a much wider fiei They extend not alone to the detection of foul p but to a public investigation by a perfectly pendent tribunal into the policy and administration of the laws which relate to the preservation of human .. Thet; life—taws which affect our sanitary arran"nien navigation, manufactures, and railways. embrace a consideration of all the mean' by which death in every shape romay e t or averted. Can you suggest a more a a Pp p bunal than one which has existed some eitl_cs. nine hundred years, and has on many a trying '". sion done good service ? What is wanted is to dorn the and in some directions to extend, the powers salon salon coroner, and to pay him by a moderate proportionate to the value cf the services of tnel;"`_. and intelligent public servants instead of, by —I au" sent objectionable system of payment by fees.nattri sir, your obedient servant,  Wri.uAm Bentley, near Doncaster, Aug. 30, 18V.