CRIMINAL STATUTES

OF

ENGLAND;

ANALYSED, AND ARRANGED ALPHABETICALLY,

With Notes.

BY JOHN COLLYER, ESQ.

OF LINCOLN'S INN, BARRISTER AT LAW.

"Hoc spectant leges, hoc volunt; incolumem esse civium conjunctionem: quam qui dirimunt, eos morte, exilio, vinclis, damno coercent."-Cic.

LONDON:

PRINTED FOR S. SWEET, 3, CHANCERY LANE, Law Bookseller & Publisher;

AND R. MILLIKEN, GRAFTON STREET, DUBLIN

PREFACE.

I SUBMIT this volume to the profession and to the publick in general, with mixed feelings of apprehension and hope. For, although I am sensible that in a work requiring so much accuracy as the present, some errours must, of necessity, exist; yet, I cannot but indulge the anticipation, that, with all its failings and imperfections, it may be found not an absolutely useless, nor unacceptable companion.

But to proceed to state briefly the nature and objects of the following pages :

At a time when so much has been done by the legislature, if not materially to alter, at least to simplify and consolidate the criminal code, it occurred to me that it might be no unprofitable task, to bring under one view, and for that purpose to compress within one volume, the statute law of crimes. In order to attain this object, I have most sedulously endeavoured to collect and arrange all those statutes which expressly relate to indictable offences. In this description I include, not only those upon which indictments may be framed, but those also which afford additional remedies, by information or otherwise, to the remedies already provided by the common law. To these I have added the statutes which more particularly relate to the practice of the criminal courts.

It will be observed upon perusal of the work, that various clauses and provisions have been curtailed. Some apology, perhaps, is due to the profession for this circumstance; but I can say truly, that my sole object in making these abridgments has been, to approach as near as possible to good, by endea