Mr. Bennetrose, to move for leave to bring in a bill "to amend the laws against Accessories before the fact in certain Felonies." The House must be well aware that in certain cases of felony, such as murder, arson, robbery, and others, the individuals who were, perhaps, the instigators to the crime, but did not participate in its commission, could receive no other punishment than twelve months imprisonment. He would mention an instance which placed the impolicy of the law in this respect in a strong point of view. A jeweller in Arundel-street, was some time since robbed of property to the amount of 2,000l. It appeared that the robbery had been planned by a boy in the employment of the jeweller, and there were strong grounds for believing that he had even assisted in the fact; but, because there was no direct proof of that, the judges 1458 were obliged to let him escape with the slight punishment which the law, as it at present stood, provided for his offence. The object of the bill which he proposed to introduce, was, to invest the judges with power to inflict a heavier punishment upon persons who were proved to have been accessories before the fact, in certain cases of felonies, than the laws at present permitted.
§ Leave was given to bring in the bill.