§ MR. COBB (Warwick, S.E., Rugby)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware that, in the 10 years from 1879 to 1888 inclusive, there were in England and Wales 1,766 verdicts of wilful murder found by Coroners' Juries, 672 persons committed for trial, 373 acquitted or found insane, 299 condemned to death, 154 executed, and 145 sentences of death commuted; and whether, looking to the disparity between the numbers of committals and convictions, and between the numbers of capital sentences passed and carried out, as compared with committals, convictions, and sentences for other crimes of violence, the Government will, in this or next Session, introduce a measure either for the abolition of capital 675 punishment, or for otherwise amending the law relating to punishment for wilful murder?
§ MR. MATTHEWSYes, Sir; the figures are correctly given. Of the 145 cases where the death sentence was commuted, 30 were crimes of infanticide by Women. It is not the intention of the Government to introduce any legislation in the direction indicated by the hon. Member.