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party charged; and every such coroner shall certify and subscribe the
same evidence, and all such recognizances, and also the inquisition
before him taken, and shall deliver the same to the
officer of
proper
the court in which the trial is to be, before or at the opening of the

court.

Penalty on Justices and Coroners.

(6) And be it enacted, that if any justice or cororer shall offend in any thing contrary to the true intent and meaning of these provisions, the court to whose officer any such examination, information, evidence, bailment, recognizance, or inquisition ought to have been delivered, shall, upon examination and proof of the offence in a summary manner, set such fine upon every such justice or coroner as the court shall think

meet.

Accessory before the Fact.

(7) And for the more effectual prosecution of accessories before the fact to felony, be it enacted, that if any person shall counsel, procure, or command any other person to commit any felony, whether the same be a felony at common law or by virtue of any statute or statutes made or to be made, the person so counselling, procuring, or commanding shall be deemed guilty of felony, and may be indicted and convicted, either as an accessory before the fact to the principal felony, together with the principal felon, or after the conviction of the principal felon, or may be indicted and convicted of a substantive felony, whether the principal felon shall or shall not have been previously convicted, or shall or shall not be amenable to justice, and may be punished in the same manner as any accessory before the fact to the same felony, if convicted as an accessory, may be punished; and the offence of the person so counselling, procuring, or commanding, howsoever indicted, may be inquired of, tried, determined, and punished by any court which shall have jurisdiction to try the principal felon, in the same manner as if such offence had been committed at the same place as the principal felony, although such offence may have been committed either on the high seas, or at any place on land, whether within his Majesty's dominions or without; and that in case the principal felony, and the offence of counselling, procuring, or commanding, shall have been committed in different places, the last-mentioned offence may be inquired of, tried, determined, and punished in any of his Majesty's courts of justice within the British territories under the government of the said United Company, having jurisdiction to try either of the said offences: provided always, that no person who shall be once duly tried for any such offence, whether as an accessory before the fact or as for a substantive felony, shall be liable to be again indicted or tried for the same offence.

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1828. 25 July, 9 Geo. 4, cap. 74.

Accessory after the Fact.

(8) And be it enacted, that if any person shall become an accessory after the fact to any felony, whether the same be a felony at common law, or by virtue of any statute or statutes made or to be made, the offence of such person may be inquired of, tried, determined, and punished by any court which shall have jurisdiction to try the principal felon, in the same manner as if the act by reason whereof such person shall have become an accessory had been committed at the same place as the principal felony, although such act may have been committed either on the high seas or at any place on land, whether within his Majesty's dominions or without; and that in case the principal felony, and the act by reason whereof any person shall have become accessory, shall have been committed in different places, the offence of such accessory may be inquired of, tried, determined, and punished any of his Majesty's courts of justice within the British territories under the government of the said United Company, having jurisdiction to try either of the said offences: provided always, that no person who shall be once duly tried for any offence of being an accessory shall be liable to be again indicted or tried for the same offence.

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Accessory may be prosecuted after Conviction of the Principal.

(9) And be it enacted, that if any principal offender shall be in any wise convicted of any felony, it shall be lawful to proceed against any accessory, either before or after the fact, in the same manner as if such principal felon had been attainted thereof, notwithstanding such principal felon shall die or be pardoned, or otherwise delivered before attainder; and every such accessory shall suffer the same punishment, if he or she be in anywise convicted, as he should have suffered if the principal had been attainted.

Indictments for Offences committed on the Property of Partners.

(10) And be it enacted, that in any indictment or information for any felony or misdemeanor wherein it shall be requisite to state the ownership of any property whatsoever, whether real or personal, which shall belong to or be in the possession of more than one person, whether such persons be partners in trade, joint tenants, parceners, or tenants in common, it shall be sufficient to name one of such persons, and to state such property to belong to the person so named, and another or others, as the case may be; and whenever in any indictment or information for any felony or misdemeanor it shall be necessary to mention, for any purpose whatsoever, any partners, joint tenants, parceners, or tenants in common, it shall be sufficient to describe them in the manner aforesaid; and this provision shall be construed to extend to all joint stock companies and trustees.

Indictment

Indictment not to abate by dilatory Plea of Misnomer.

(11) And be it enacted, that no indictment or information shall be abated by reason of any dilatory plea of misnomer, or of want of addition, or of wrong addition of the party offering such plea, if the court shall be satisfied by affidavit or otherwise of the truth of such plea, but in such case the court shall forthwith cause the indictment or information to be amended according to the truth, and shall call upon such party to plead thereto, and shall proceed as if no such dilatory plea had been pleaded.

What Defects shall not vitiate an Indictment.

(12) And be it enacted, that no judgment upon any indictment or information for any felony or misdemeanor, whether after verdict or outlawry, or by confession, default, or otherwise, shall be stayed or reversed for want of the averment of any matter unnecessary to be proved, nor for the omission of the words "as appears by the record," or of the words "with force and arms," or of the words " against the "peace;" nor for the insertion of the words " against the form of the "statute," instead of the words "against the form of the sta"tutes," or vice versâ; nor for that any person or persons mentioned in the indictment or information is or are designated by the name of office or other descriptive appellation instead of his, her, or their proper name or names; nor for omitting to state the time at which the offence was committed, in any case where time is not of the essence of the offence, nor for stating the time imperfectly, nor for stating the offence to have been committed on a day subsequent to the finding of the indictment or exhibiting the information, or on an impossible day, or on a day that never happened; nor for want of a proper or perfect venue, where the court shall appear by the indictment or information to have had jurisdiction over the offence.

What sufficient to stay or reverse Judgment after Verdict.

(13) And be it enacted, that no judgment after verdict, upon any indictment or information for any felony or misdemeanor, shall be stayed or reversed for want of a similiter, nor by reason that the jury process has been awarded to a wrong officer, or upon an insufficient suggestion, nor for any misnomer or misdescription of the officer returning such process, or of any of the jurors, nor because any person has served upon the jury who has not been returned as a juror by the sheriff or other officer; and that where the offence charged has been created by any statute, or subjected to a greater degree of punishment, the indictment or information shall, after verdict, be held sufficient to warrant the punishment prescribed by the statute, if it describe the offence in the words of the statute.

1828. 25 July,

9 Geo. 4,

cap. 74.

Plea

1828. 25 July, 9 Geo. 4,

Plea of not guilty shall put Prisoner on his Trial.

(14) And be it enacted, that if any person, being arraigned upon any indictment or inquisition for treason, felony, or piracy, shall cap. 74. plead thereto a plea of not guilty, he shall by such plea, without any further form, be deemed to have put himself upon the country for trial, and the court shall in the usual manner order a jury for the trial of such person accordingly.

On refusal to plead, Court may order a plea of not guilty.

(15) And be it enacted, that if any person, being arraigned upon or charged with any indictment, inquisition, or information, for treason, felony, piracy, or misdemeanor, shall stand mute, or will not answer directly to such indictment, inquisition, or information, in every such case it shall be lawful for the court, if it shall so think fit, to order the proper officer to enter a plea of not guilty on behalf of such person, and the plea so entered shall have the same force and effect as if such person had actually pleaded the same.

Challenge of Jury.

(16) And be it enacted, that if any person arraigned upon any indictment or inquisition for any treason, felony, or piracy, shall challenge peremptorily a greater number of the men returned to be of the jury than such person is entitled by law so to challenge in any of the said cases, every peremptory challenge beyond the number allowed by law in any of the said cases shall be entirely void, and the trial of such person shall proceed as if no such challenge had been made.

Another attainder not pleadable.

(17) And be it enacted, that no plea setting forth any attainder shall be pleaded in bar of any indictment, unless the offence stated in the plea be substantially the same offence as that charged in the indictment.

Jury not to inquire of Prisoner's Lands, &c.

(18) And be it enacted, that where any person shall be arraigned upon any indictment or inquisition for treason or felony, the jury impannelled to try such person shall not be charged to inquire concerning his lands, tenements, or goods, nor whether he fled for such treason or felony.

Benefit of Clergy abolished, and what Felonies shall be capital. (19) And be it enacted, that benefit of clergy with respect to persons convicted of felony shall be abolished.

(20) And be it enacted, that no person convicted of felony shall suffer death, unless it be for some felony which was excluded from

the

the benefit of clergy before the day hereinbefore mentioned for this act taking effect, or which shall be made punishable with death by this act or by some statute to be passed hereafter.

Felonies not capital how to be punished.

(21) And be it enacted, that every person convicted of any felony not punishable with death, shall be punished in the manner prescribed by the statute or statutes specially relating to such felony; and that every person convicted of any felony for which no punishment hath been or hereafter may be specially provided, shall be deemed to be punishable under this act, and shall be liable, at the discretion of the court, to be transported to such place as such court shall direct, for any term not exceeding seven years, or to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding two years, and if a male, to be once, twice, or thrice publicly or privately whipped (if the court shall so think fit), in addition to such imprisonment.

Court may order hard Labour or solitary Confinement.

(22) And be it enacted, that where any person shall be convicted of any offence punishable under this act, for which imprisonment may be awarded, it shall be lawful for the court to sentence the offender to be imprisoned, or to be imprisoned and kept to hard labour, in the common gaol or house of correction, and also to direct that the offender shall be kept in solitary confinement for any portion or portions of such imprisonment, or of such imprisonment with hard labour, as to the court in its discretion shall seem meet.

Court may pass a second Sentence, to commence after the Expiration of the first.

(23) And be it enacted, that wherever sentence shall be passed for felony on a person already imprisoned under sentence for another crime, it shall be lawful for the court to award imprisonment for the subsequent offence, to commence at the expiration of the imprisonment to which such person shall have been previously sentenced; and where such person shall be already under sentence either of imprisonment or of transportation, the court, if empowered to pass sentence of transportation, may award such sentence for the subsequent offence, to commence at the expiration of the imprisonment. or transportation to which such person shall have been previously sentenced, although the aggregate term of imprisonment or transportation respectively may exceed the term for which either of those punishments could be otherwise awarded.

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(24) And be it enacted, that if any person shall be convicted of any felony not punishable with death, committed after a previous conviction for felony, such person shall on such subsequent conviction

be

1828.

25 July,

9 Geo. 4,

cap. 74.

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