The Law Amendment Society, which has made itself an aux-
iliary to the Legislature, has laid down a course of active utility for the season. At the last meeting, Lord Brougham, absent in body but present in mind and by letter, pointed out subjects that particularly demand attention ; such as the laws relating co breach of trust,—a matter eminently connected with the great prevalence of frauds at the present day. Again, Mr. Frederick Hill proposed the outline of a plan for freeing the country from dangerous criminals,—another step invited by the prevalence of robberies and predatory violenees. The outrages are, as Mr. Frede- rick Hill says, evidences of the imperfection of our criminal code ; and he proposes practical measures for rendering our. law equal to theerequirement. The element§ in his plan are these,—repeal of the present scale of punishments substituted for transporta. flow; adoption of tennis of imprisonment fully equal to those customary under transportation; and extending probably to
prisonment Or life in the ease of incorrigibles r power of calling upon notorious criminals to account for their conduct, and a re- moval of legal securities for the guilty which are not necessarily for the protection of the innocent. So much of this project as conflicts with the assumed innocence of every man until his guilt be proved would at least take some time before it could find ac- ceptance; but the necessity of revising the scale of imprisonment is only too obvious, and the Law Amendment Society will pro- bably assist in compelling better arrangements.
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