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no other reason than that he could not induce himself to run the risk of taking away the life of a mam' * Mr . Charles Attwood , a manufacturer of window-glass at Newcastle , aftd a , seller of window-glass in London , had observed
a very considerable indisposition to prosecute in capital cases among the traders of London generally ; and conceives that thir reluctance would abate , if the punishment were mitigated to something less than death . -
Mr . Isaac Z&on Goldsmid , a broker to the Bank , and to merchants , whose experience in the transactions of bankers is very extensive , entertains no doubt , that the punishment of death has a tendency generally to prevent prosecution , and thinks that evidence to that effect might be discovered in hundreds of instances .
A servant of his own committed a very aggravated forgery upon him . She confessed her guilt to the magistrate before whom she was taken ; but it appearing that if she was prosecuted at all , it must
be capitally , Mr . Goldsmid declined all further proceedings , and she was liberated . In the next family in which she became a servant , she committed another capital felony ; and again the severity of the law appears to have been her protection .
Mr . Daniel Chtrney , a banker in the county of Norfolk ^ declared his own reluctance , and had observed a similar reluctance among many bankers' and traders in the country , to prosecute in case $ of forgery , in consequence of the
severity of the law . The dread of being instrumental in inflicting death had , with himself , and to his knowledge with others , operated as a protection to the criminal . In illustration of his sentiments , he mentioned the case of a man who was in the
habit of committing forgery , " and was not prosecuted in consequence of the capital punishment . " Mr . Gurney considers that' c * his property as a banker would be more secure , if the puniahtnent were not so severe , because therG Wtfuld be thore inclination to proaectite . " He also' suggested , that if in evSry town of
sufficient importance , an agent ' was invested with mil authority from th ^ Ban * of England ; to stamp the fdrged notes uhat were jpr ^ en ted to him , it wouM bfe a consideifeble check to their circulation . In this O $ lnl <«^ banker in the W « W Riding of YorV * Mty concurred ; concMtlti ^' that if M a « fent
of this kiftd wefe Authorized to put a mark upon mtfh libttsi indicating tMt theywere forged , it WoliIdWotetbly tfcrSw them back oh the original tesu ^ r so early , '• mso j& # w htm fji « Mmtf of bttdniptiiig to is * ue others of a simile description . Yotir Committee cannot btit consider , ,, -. ' , . . i , . y \ , ; I . ¦ ' ¦ ' . *¦•'•'• • '
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the suggestion made by these respectable gentlemen a * well meriting attention . After due emisideratkm df this iitimr tant question , your Committee aftTto opinion , that forgeries ariea class of offences respecting which ft is expedient to bring together and methodise the fe ^ mow i » toeing ; v Tfeat in the present state of pubftc feeUngy a rednction of the tmnishment , i » most cases M that cri £ e " k become necente&ty to the execution of the laws , # nd consequently to the seetrrlty of property and the protection of
commerce ; and t&at the inteans- adopted by the legislature to rettira to our ancient standard of value , render the reformation of the criminal law $ respecting forgeries a matter of very considerable urgency . Private forgeries vtfB , in the opinion of the Gommittee , be suf&eiently and most effectually repressed by the pwnislmients
of transportation and Hapiisonment . As long as the smaller notes of the Bank of England shall continue to constitute the principal part of the cireMattng medium of the kingdom , it may be reasonable to place them on the same footing with the metallic currency : your Committee
therefore propose that the forgery of these notes may for the present remain a capital offence ; that the uttering of forged banknotes shall , for the ftrst offence , be transportation <* r imprisonment ; but tha $ , on the second conviction ^ the offender shall be deemed to be a common uttercr of forged notes , and shall , if the prosecutor
shall go desire , be indicted as such , which wiH lender him liable to capital punishment . Respecting the offence of knowingly possessing forged notes , your Committee have too alteration to suggest , but what they conceive would be fit in all transportable offences , that a discretion should be vested in the Judges to
substitute imprisonment with hard labour for transportation , where such a substitution shall seem to them expedient . As the discovery of the actual forgers of Bank notes has been fouhd by experience to be in the highest degree difficult , your Committee consider trie ? suggestion or the commtissione ^ ^ inquiring into the means Of pr ^ mmymrMk ^ of offering an
unusually large WWW&wv the detection 0 f forgeries ^ fc # Worthy Of serious considefation : tbfe ^ eh rmvards in general , the Commkt ^ ftfel ^ l ^ ti ^ r able objection . M ^ tM'id ^^ W ^ P ^ w ^ i ^^ a ^ clrcumstaipi ^ ' % l ^ m Mm 0 m f weaken % ^^ mml ^ Wj ^ QQM " ^^^ lnsn r & &M 6 n ^ ' fWb&fevfjfence of an ; fof ^ er xit ^^^ tm h } khe discovery ot > to $ & ^ ati i ^ criminal ^ ! mKS ^ L . ^* fe reward wouH , tUermw , tafc MtleWtitetfy to endanger
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184 Register a / Public Documents .
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), March 2, 1820, page 184, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2486/page/56/
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