all respects as if his offence had been actually committed in that county or place. (24 & 25 Vict. c. 98, s. 41.)

Q. What is the offence of forging any share or coupon of a duly-registered company or of falsely personating the owner of any shares in such company with intent to defraud?

A. In either case it is a felony, and the punishment may be penal servitude for life, or not less than five years, or imprisonment not exceeding two years, with or without hard labour, and with or without solitary confinement. (30 & 31 Vict. c. 131, ss. 34, 35.)

Q.-Of what offence is any clerk guilty who shall, with intent to defraud, destroy, mutilate or falsify any of his employer's books?

A. He is guilty of a misdemeanor, and is liable to a maximum punishment of penal servitude for seven years. (38 & 39 Vict. c. 24, s. 1.)

Q. What is the offence of personating the owner of any stock in the Bank of England with intent to obtain the transfer to him of any such stock?

A. It is a felony, and the offender is liable, at the discretion of the court, to penal servitude for life, or not less than (five) years, or imprisonment not exceeding two years, with or without hard labour, and with or without solitary confinement. (24 & 25 Vict.

c. 98, s. 3.)

Q. What is the crime of, and what is the punishment for, forging exchequer bills?

A. It is a felony, and the offender is liable to penal servitude not exceeding seven and not less than (five) years, or imprisonment not exceeding two years, with

or without hard labour, and with or without solitary confinement. (Ibid. s. 8.)

Q. What is the punishment for forging bank notes ?

A.-Whosoever shall forge, or alter, or shall offer, utter, dispose of, or put off, knowing the same to be forged or altered, any note or bill of exchange of the Governor and Company of the Bank of England or the Bank of Ireland, or of any other body corporate, company, or person carrying on the business of bankers, commonly called a bank note, a bank bill of exchange, or a bank post bill, or any indorsement on, or assignment of, any bank note, bank bill of exchange, or bank post bill, with intent to defraud, shall be guilty of felony. Punishment, at the discretion of the court, penal servitude for life, or not less than (five) years, or imprisonment not exceeding two years, with or without hard labour, and with or without solitary confinement. (Ibid. s. 12.)

Q.-Of what crimes is any person guilty who shall forge or utter, or offer, knowing them to be forged, any will, bill of exchange, or order for the delivery of goods?

A. In all cases it is a felony, and the offender is liable to penal servitude for life, or not less than (five) years, or imprisonment not exceeding two years, with or without hard labour, and with or without solitary confinement. (lbid. ss. 21, 22, 23.)

Q. What is the offence of defacing, destroying or injuring any register of births, baptisms, marriages, deaths or burials?

A. It is a felony in all the cases given, and the

punishment is the same as in the last-mentioned answer. (Ibid. s. 36.)

Q.-A person is desirous of making a mortgage on land, and, with intent to defraud, conceals an incumbrance affecting the property: of what offence is he guilty?

A. He is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable with fine or with imprisonment not exceeding two years (with or without hard labour) or by both. But no prosecution shall be commenced without the sanction of the Attorney-General (or, if that office be vacant, Solicitor-General), nor without previous notice to the person intended to be prosecuted. (4 Steph. Comm. p. 148.)

Offences against Religion.

Q. What is apostasy?

A.-It is the total renunciation of Christianity, and is an offence which can only take place in such as have once professed the true religion; and it is now provided that any person, educated in the Christian religion, writing, teaching or speaking against it, shall for a first offence be rendered incapable of holding any ecclesiastical, civil or military office; and for the second be rendered incapable of bringing any action or being guardian, executor, legatee or grantee, and shall suffer three years' imprisonment without bail, but if within four months after the first conviction the delinquent will acknowledge his error, he is discharged from disability. (9 & 10 Will. III. c. 35.)

Q. What is blasphemy?

A.-The offence includes not only the blasphemous libels by one who has been attached to the Christian religion and has apostasized, but also denying, whether orally or by writing, the being or providence of the Almighty, contumacious reproaches of our Lord and Saviour Christ, profane scoffing at the Holy Scriptures or exposing any part thereof to contempt or ridicule. The libel to be blasphemous must consist not in an honest denial of the truths of the Christian religion, but in a wilful intention to pervert, insult or mislead others by means of licentious and contumelious abuse applied to sacred subjects. (Reg. v. Ramsay, 48 L. T., N. S. 73; Har. Crim. Law, 73.)

Q.-Is blasphemy punishable ?

A. Yes, at common law, by fine and imprisonment, but the law is rarely put in force. (Har. Crim. Law, p. 73.)

Q.-Is it an offence to disturb a public worship?

A.-Yes; any person wilfully and maliciously, or contemptuously disturbing any lawful meeting of persons assembled for public worship, or molesting the person officiating, or any of those assembled, upon proof by two or more credible witnesses before a magistrate, must answer for such offence at the sessions, and upon conviction is fined 407. (52 Geo. III. c. 155, s. 12.)

Riotous, violent, or indecent behaviour is also punishable on summary conviction. (23 & 24 Vict. c. 32, s. 2.)

Q.—Is it an offence to profane the Sabbath, and, if so, how is the offence punished?

A.-It is an offence which has been brought into prominence through recent prosecutions.

The statute of Charles II. provides that no person may do any work of his ordinary calling upon the Lord's day, works of necessity and charity only excepted, under penalty of 5s. Nor may anyone expose to sale any wares on penalty of forfeiting his goods, nor may drovers, &c. travel under a penalty of 40s. But no prosecution for such offence may be commenced without the consent of the chief officer of the district, or of two justices, or of a stipendiary magistrate. (29 Car. II. c. 7; 34 & 35 Vict. c. 87; Har. Crim. Law, p. 75.)

Q.-May places of amusement, debate, &c. be kept open on Sunday, admission to which is to be paid for? A.-No. If they are so kept open they will be deemed disorderly houses, and the keeper fined or imprisoned. (21 Geo. III. c. 49.)

The crown has, however, recently been empowered to remit the penalties. (38 & 39 Vict. c. 80; Terry v. Brighton Aquarium Co., 10 Q. B. 306.)

Q. What is the punishment for swearing and cursing?

A. In the case of a labourer, sailor or soldier profanely cursing or swearing the offender is liable to forfeit 18., and every other person under the degree of a gentleman 2s., and every gentleman or person of superior rank 5s., to the poor of the parish wherein such offence was committed. And on a second conviction shall forfeit double, and for every subsequent