ealing in shops, to the
amount of forty shillings, was made punishable with death; the penalty,
however, was still retained against those who should so steal to the
amount of ten pounds and upwards; by which it would appear that our
legislators conceived that a man's life was not equal in value to such
an amount. The second went to repeal certain acts which denounced death
to any Egyptian who should remain in England one year, on all
notorious thieves who should take up their residence in Cumberland or
Northumberland, and on every one who should be found disguised in the
mint, or injuring Westminster Bridge. The third repealed various clauses
in certain acts, which constituted the offences specified in them
capital, and which were converted into simple felonies. Among the
offences thus modified were, that of taking away any woman, whether
maid, wife, or widow, for the sake of her fortune; the receiving of
stolen goods; the destroying of trees, breaking down banks of rivers,
and wounding of cattle; the sending of threatening letters; and all the
capital offences created by the marriage act and laws of bankruptcy.
For these offences, transportation, imprisonment, or hard labour
were substituted for death, at the discretion of the judges. Thus the
statute-book of England was purified from many grievous stains; but
it was still blotted by many imperfections, and even to this day it
contains much that requires purging by enlightened legislators.

EDUCATION BILL.

After having rendered important service to his country by his efforts
to establish a system for detecting and remedying abuses in charitable
funds and establishments, Mr. Brougham brought forward his plan for
the education of the poor. This subject, however, was not destined to
receive the concurrence of parties at this period, though the object in
view was generally admitted to be desirable. The chief difficulty, and
that which induced Mr. Brougham to abandon the bill, arose from the
dissenters. They opposed it because they conceived that some of the
enactments originated in imperfect information respecting the dissenters
in this country, and because, overlooking their numbers, property, and
intelligence, and religious character, the whole affair was to be under
the management of the clergy of the established church. The consequence
of this opposition was that, after the first reading of the bill on the
11th of July, it was abandoned. But this failure only s