PREFACE. As I had the honour to be entrusted with the preparation of the 14 & 15 Vict. c. 19, "An Act for the better Prevention of Offences," and the 14 & 15 Vict. c. 100, “An Act for the further improving the Administration of Criminal Justice," and watched those Acts step by step as they passed through Parliament, as well by attending the Committees of both Houses of Parliament upon them as otherwise, Lord Campbell, C. J., strongly urged me to publish them with notes, explaining the alterations in the law which were effected by them, and the reasons for those alterations; and accordingly I published a little work with that object; and well assured am I, that if Lord Campbell had survived the passing of the present Criminal Bills, he would have urged me to undertake a similar publication with respect to them. Impressed, therefore, with that conviction, and as a small tribute to the memory of Lord Campbell, I determined to publish these Acts. Strong as the reasons were, why I should publish the former work, there appear to be still stronger reasons why I should publish the present. Highly important as the former Acts were, still much more important are the present; one of the former related almost exclusively to procedure, six of the latter relate principally to the creation and punishment of offences; and their provisions extend over a very much larger portion of the Criminal Law, and embrace most of the offences which are of the commonest occurrence. Lastly, in the former Acts the provisions were all new; in the present, although the greater |