Up to Nov. 21st, 1831, the returns stood thus: Number of Cases decided by the Judges on the Poor-laws up to Nov. 1832.-Parl. Pap. No. 20, Sess. 1832. Relating to the Appointment of Overseers 79 257 100 23 37 XXI.-PROGRESS OF CRIME. Statement of the Number of Persons charged with Criminal Offences committed for Trial every fifth year from 1805, and the Proportion of the Committals in 1932, to the Population of each County in 1831. Totl Englnd 4527 5067 7710 13,495 14,214 17,750 19,260 20,486| and Wales 4605 5146 7818 13,710 14,437 18,107 19,647 $20,829 Males 3267 3733 6036 11,595 11,889 15,131 16,600 17,488 Females 1338 1413 1782 2115 2545 2972 3047 3343 Executed. 46 54 68 67 57 107 50 52 .... 638 .... 667 An attentive consideration of the table (No. 21), will remove the chief difficulties connected with the progress of crime in England. It will be found by comparing its results with the facts developed in some of the preceding tables, that the increase of criminality is unconnected with the increase of pauperism and education; and that it arises from the rapid increase in the wealth and population of the metropolis and manufacturing districts. By comparing the proportion of crime to population in the manufacturing and agricultural counties, it will be seen that the excess of delinquency is in the former, as is at once evident from the subjoined comparison : In the seven manufacturing counties, one criminal to 665 of the population; in nine agricultural counties only one criminal to 960 of the population. The increase of crime in a faster ratio than the population may then be ascribed, as one of its chief causes, to the altered relations of national industry in the growing ascendancy of manufacturing over agricultural employments. The increase of the metropolis is another circumstance to which the increase of crime may be traced. There is greater delinquency in London than in any other part of the kingdom. In 1832 the proportion of committals to the population of the metropolis, was one to 394;* which it will be seen by reference to the preceding table, is a greater proportion to the population, than in any county, either agricultural or manufacturing. Ought it then to be inferred that the standard of morals has been depreciated by the increase of the metropolis, and transition in national industry? Certainly not; and for this conclusive reason, that there has been no increase in female delinquency.† By reference to the foot of the table, it is apparent that the number of female offenders has increased ina much less ratio than the male offenders. Now had there been a growing depravity in the community, it must have been shared in by the women as well as the men, and the existence of it would have been demonstrated by a corresponding augmentation in the number of female committals. The reason that crimes have increased among the men is, that property and transactions connected with property have increased. In agricultural counties there is less crime, because there is less wealth, and fewer commercial transfers, trusts, and exchanges. There is also less fluctuation and vicissitude in the condition of individuals. The same observations apply to inhabitants in London. In Wales the proportion of offenders to the population is only one in 2348. In the highlands of Scotland, or the Pampas, I dare say it is still less; and on the open sea a minimum. In respect of crimes against property it is said,‡ that" ignorant, degraded, uncommercial, and impoverished Spain, is three *Parl. Papers, No. 135, Session 1833. This peculiarity in criminal commitments I pointed out on a former occasion, in a Treatise on the Police and Crimes of the Metropolis, p. 346. Inquiry into the State of the Manufacturing Population, p. 20. |