Scenes from the Silent World. By Francis Scougal. (Blackwood and
Sons.)—In spite of some unhappy peculiarities of style (we read, for instance, of a " magisterial cranium," instead of a " magistrate's head "), Mr. Scougal has written a remarkably interesting book on " Prisons and their Inmates." We cannot allow that he has made out his main contention, which is, as we understand him, to show the undesirability and impolicy of capital punishment. He has certainly made out some hard cases where, if all the circumstances have been properly stated, the punishment of death has been wrongfully inflicted ; but he does not convince us on the general ground of his argument. Of course the irrevoca- bility of the punishment is a serious consideration. On the other hand, we have never seen an answer to the very much stronger considerations on the other side. Apart from this, the public should be greatly obliged to Mr. Scougal for his researches into a subject of great and painful interest.
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