c. 23. 1 Geo. 4. c. 117. any other his majesty's naval stores, to the value of twenty shillings; provided that it shall be lawful for the judges to grant a reprieve for the staying of the execution of such offenders, and to cause them to be transported for the space of seven 10 & 11 W. 3. years, and kept to hard labour: and whereas by an act passed in the tenth and eleventh years of the reign of King William the Third, intituled “An act for the better apprehending, prosecuting, and punishing of felons that commit burglary, housebreaking, or robbery, in shops, warehouses, coach-houses, or stables, or that steal horses," as the same is altered by an act passed in the first year of his present majesty's reign, the benefit of clergy is taken away from persons convicted of privately and feloniously stealing any goods, wares, or merchandize of the value of fifteen pounds, in any shop, warehouse, coachhouse, or stable, or of assisting, hiring, or commanding any person to commit any such offence: and whereas by an act passed in the twenty-fourth year of the reign of King George the Second, intituled "An act for the more effectual preventing of robberies and thefts upon any navigable rivers, ports of entry or discharge, wharfs, and keys adjacent," the benefit of clergy is taken away from persons convicted of feloniously stealing any goods, wares, or merchandize of the value of forty shillings in any ship, barge, lighter, boat, or other vessel or craft, upon any navigable river, or in any port of entry or discharge, or in any creek belonging to any navigable river, port of entry or discharge, within the kingdom of Great Britain, 24 Geo. 2. c. 45. cloth from or of feloniously stealing any goods, wares, or merchandize of the value of forty shillings upon any wharf or key adjacent to any navigable river, port of entry or discharge, or of being present, aiding and assisting in the committing any of the offences aforesaid; and whereas it is expedient that a lesser degree of punishment than that of death should be provided for the offences from which the benefit of clergy is so taken away as aforesaid, and that the same punishment should be extended in manner hereinafter mentioned: be it therefore enacted by the king's most excellent majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the lords spiritual and temporal, and commons, in this present parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, That so much of the said Stealing recited acts as takes away the benefit of clergy the rack or from the persons convicted of the offences herein- embezzling before mentioned, shall be and the same are stores,-prihereby repealed; and that from and after the vately stealpassing of this act, every person who shall be &c.-stealing lawfully convicted of cutting, taking, stealing, or &c. on rivers carrying away any cloth or other woollen manu- transportafactures from the rack or tenters in the night- prisonment, time, or of stealing or embezzling his majesty's ammunition, sails, cordage, or naval or military stores, or of privately stealing any goods or chattels in any shop, warehouse, coach-house, or stable, or of stealing any goods, wares, or merchandize in any ship, barge, lighter, boat, or other vessel or craft, upon any navigable river or canal, or in any port of entry or discharge, or in any creek belonging to any such river, canal, or port, tenters, the king's ing in a shop, from boats, or canals; tion or im or from any dock, wharf, or quay adjacent to any such river, canal, or port, or of procuring, counselling, aiding, or abetting any such offender, shall be liable, at the discretion of the court, to be transported beyond the seas for life, or for any term not less than seven years, or to be imprisoned only, or to be imprisoned and kept to hard labour in the common gaol or house of correction, for any term not exceeding seven years. (1) (1) This act is repealed by stat. 7 & 8 Geo. 4. c. 27. s. I., except so far as relates to any person convicted of stealing or embezzling his majesty's ammunition, sails, cordage, or naval or military stores, or of being accessory to any such offence." As to officers in the public service embezzling money or securities with which they are entrusted, see stat. 2 Wm. 4. c. 4. post. 4 GEO. IV. c. 54. An Act for allowing the Benefit of Clergy to Persons convicted of certain Felonies under two Acts of the Ninth Year of King George the First, and of the Twenty-seventh Year of King George the Second; for making better Provision for the Punishment of Persons guilty of sending or delivering threatening Letters, and of Assaults with intent to commit Robbery. [8th July, 1823.] Threatening III. And whereas by the said recited act it is 9 G. I. c. 22. further enacted, that if any person or persons letters. shall knowingly send any letter without any name subscribed thereto, or signed with a fictitious name, demanding money, venison, or other valuable thing, or shall forcibly rescue any person being lawfully in custody of any officer or other person for any such offence, or shall, by gift or promise of money or other reward, procure any of his majesty's subjects to join him or them in any such unlawful act, every person so offending, being thereof lawfully convicted, shall be adjudged guilty of felony, and shall suffer death as in cases in felony without benefit of clergy: and 27 G. 2. c. 15. whereas by another act, passed in the twentyseventh year of the reign of his late majesty King George the Second, intituled "An act to explain and amend an act made in the ninth year of the reign of his late majesty King George the First, intituled 'An act for the more effectual punishing wicked and evil-disposed persons going armed and disguised, and doing injuries and violences to the persons and properties of his majesty's subjects, and for the speedy bringing the offenders to justice," it is among other things enacted, that if any person or persons shall knowingly send any letter, without any name subscribed thereto, or signed with a fictitious name or names, letter or letters, threatening to kill or murder any of his majesty's subject or subjects, or to burn their houses, out-houses, barns, stacks of corn or grain, hay or straw, though no money or venison or other valuable thing shall be demanded in or by such letter or letters, or shall forcibly rescue any person being lawfully in custody of any officer or other person for the said offence, every person so offending, being thereof lawfully convicted, shall be adjudged guilty of felony, and shall suffer death as in cases of felony without benefit of . 2. c. 24. clergy: and whereas by another act passed in the thirtieth year of the reign of his said late majesty King George the Second, intituled "An act for the more effectual punishment of persons who shall attain or attempt to attain possession of goods or money by false or untrue pretences, for preventing the unlawful pawning of goods, for the easy redemption of goods pawned, and for preventing gaming in public-houses by journeymen, labourers, servants, and apprentices," it is among other things enacted, that all persons who |