nd paper. The trade in these
articles was now rapidly increasing; but with the present small balance
of income on hand, it was impossible for him to propose any speculative
reduction of taxation. A conversation followed this statement of the
chancellor of the exchequer, and several members proposed various
economical nostrums for the benefit of the country, but none of them met
with the approbation of the house.

ALTERATIONS IN THE CRIMINAL LAW, ETC.

In 1833, a royal commission had been issued for the purpose of inquiring
how far it might be expedient to reduce the written and unwritten law of
the country into one digest, and to report on the best manner of
doing it. A report was made on this subject in 1834; and while the
commissioners were occupied in carrying, in some degree, their own
recommendations in respect of it into effect, they were further called
upon by government to state their opinions on the subject of the
employment of counsel by prisoners, and on the punishment of death. In
their second report, which was made in 1836, at great length, this was
done, and one result was the bill which was passed in the preceding
session, for allowing the assistance of counsel to prisoners in criminal
cases. A more important result, however, was the introduction in the
present session of a series of bills, having for their object the
abolition in many instances of capital punishment. This subject had been
brought before the house of commons on the 23rd of March by Lord John
Russell, who argued that, if it were thought right that a change should
take place in the law of the land on this head, it should be delayed as
little as possible. Lord John Russell began by discussing the general
doctrines advanced by Paley on the use of severity in criminal
punishments, after which he gave some statistical details of capital
condemnations in former years. He argued from these details that such a
state of things gave a character of great uncertainty to the operation
of the law, and rendered it less calculated to inspire that salutary
dread in offenders which was the object of criminal punishment. His
lordship proceeded to contend that there was no reason to apprehend
an increase of crime from the abolition of the punishment of death in
certain offences. He instanced the crime of forgery, which, with the
exception of the cases of the forgery of powers of attorney and of
bills, was now only punishable by transportation. The numb