§ MR. BARRANasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, If his attention has been called to a prosecution conducted on behalf of the Treasury at the Leeds Assizes in November last before Mr. Baron Pollock, when Charles Foster pleaded guilty to charges of forgery under aggravated circumstances, in reference to two sums of £12,000 and £3,000, and was sentenced by the learned judge to two months' imprison- 1229 ment without hard labour; and, whether the existing Law is adequate to deal with so grave an offence, or if he is aware of any circumstances, in Law or otherwise, which would account for the light character of the sentence?
§ SIR WILLIAM HARCOURT,in reply, said, the Crown had the power of remitting a sentence which might appear to be excessive; but it had no power to make a sentence more severe. All he could say was that the ordinary law was quite sufficient for the punishment of offences of this character.