BANK NOTE OR OR INSTRUMENTS. POSSESSION OF the possession of such instruments or materials for STAMP FORGERIES making them, are criminal, although there be no uttering (1.) The most important are contained in the Acts 45 Geo. iii. c. 89, relating to Bank of England notes; 41 Geo. III. c. 57, relating to Private Bank notes, and the Post Office Acts 7 Will. IV. and 1 Vict. c. 36, and 3 and 4 Vict. c. 96. for such offences are extremely rare (2). relating to excise and post stamps and the like, appear in no case to have been made the basis of a prosecution (3.) VENDING FORGED BANKRUPTCY Prosecutions VENDING FORGED BANK NOTES. When forged bank notes are vended to a person who knows them to be forged, there is, as has already been observed, no uttering in the strict sense. But on the other hand, to vend forged notes at a price below their nominal value, is a crime by the common law, and punishable by penal servitude or imprisonment (4.) As regards Bank of England notes, such vending is punishable by penal servitude for life, or not less than seven years, or by imprisonment for four, or not less than two years (5). BANKRUPTCY FRAUDS. Though frauds of this kind are divided into two classes—I. Fraudulent bankruptcy; and II. Fraudulent 1 Hume i. 168.-Alison i. 391, 392. 2 The latest cases are Arch. Miller and Susan Brown or Miller, H.C., Jan. 3d, 1850; J. Shaw 288, (indictment). John H. Greatrex and others, H.C., May 9th to 11th, 1867; 5 Irv. 375 and 39 S. J. 388 and 4 S.L.R. 3. 3 There has been one prosecution under the Act 6 and 7 Will. IV. c. 69, relating to the assaying of plate.-John Anderson, H.C., Dec. 14th 1846 and Jan 11th 1847; Ark. 187 and 220. 4 Hume i. 150: case of Horn in note 1.-Alison i. 406, 407,and cases of Hendrie and M'Millan there. -Will. Cooke, Jan. 7th 1833; Bell's Notes 58. 5 Act 45 Geo. III. c. 89, as amended by 2 and 3 Will. IV. o. 123, and by 7 Will. IV. and 1 Vict. c. 84, and by the Penal Servitude Acts 20 and 21 Vict. c. 3, and 27 and 28 Vict. c. 47. FRAUDS. acts by persons insolvent or on the eve of bankruptcy, BANKRUPTCY the distinction between the classes is not very clearly defined. But generally speaking, the nomen juris "fraudulent bankruptcy," is applicable where a person obtains sequestration by fraudulent means, or having committed fraudulent acts in contemplation of bankruptcy, continues them down to the date of sequestration (1). The other class includes all fraudulent acts committed in contemplation of bankruptcy, or after bankruptcy. secreting pro If a person, who is in contemplation of bankruptcy, Alienating or or whose power to meet his engagements is so lost perty. that he is insolvent at the time, alienates property to particular or pretended creditors or to relatives (2), or carries off or secretes property (3), or disposes of property by fictitious sale (4), or pretended payment (5), or in any similar manner with intent to defraud his creditors, he may be prosecuted criminally. And the same holds, if a solvent person secretes property, and takes out sequestration on pretence that he cannot satisfy his creditors (6). Any alienation or putting Putting away or away of property (7) or attempt to escape from the property after country with property (8) after bankruptcy, is criminal. The punishment is either penal servitude or PUNISHMENT. imprisonment. 1 See Chas. M'Intyre, Inverness, Sept. 14th, 1837; 1 Swin. 536. 2 Hume i. 509.- Alison i. 571.— Will. M'Laren, H.C., May 23d 1836; 1 Swin. 219 (Indictment).— John M'Rae, Perth, Sept. 17th 1867 5 Irv. 463. 3 Alison i. 570, 571.-Richard F. Dick and Alex. Lawrie, H.C., July 16th 1832; 4 S. J. 594 and 5 Deas and Anderson 513.-John O'Reilly, H.C., July 14th 1836; 1 Swin. 256 (Indictment).-Chas. M'Intyre, Inverness, Sept. 14th 1837; 1 Swin. 536 (Indictment). NOTE. These cases are selected as illustra- 4 Rob. Moir and John Moir, 5 Will. Maclaren, H.C., May 23d 7 Alison i. 571, and case of Carter escaping with bankruptcy. FALSE STATE- ETC. FALSEHOOD IN REGISTERING BIRTHS, This statutory offence (1) consists in knowingly and TERING BIRTHS, Wilfully (2) making or causing to be made any false or fictitious entry for insertion in the Register, or any false statement in reference to the names or other particulars required to be registered. The cases which occur are generally false registrations of children as legitimate (3), or as being the issue of a person who is not truly the parent (4), and fictitious entries of marriages or deaths which never took place (5). It has not been decided whether the false statement constitutes the offence, though the Registrar make no entry, but the Act seems sufficiently broad to cover such a case. PUNISHMENT. The punishment is penal servitude (6) not exceeding seven years or imprisonment not exceeding two years. COINING. Law codified terms. COINING. The practice of prosecuting offences against the coin at common law, is now abandoned, and the law is codified by statute (24 & 25 Vict., c. 99). By the Interpretation of interpretation section (§ 1), "Queen's current gold "and silver coin," includes any such coin coined in any Royal Mint, or lawfully current by proclamation or otherwise, in any part of the Queen's dominions :Queen's copper coin includes any copper, bronze, or 1 Act 17 and 18 Vict. c. 80 § 60. 2 Jas. Kinnison, Dundee, Sept. 2nd 1870; 1 Couper 457 and 43 S.J. 17 and 8 S.L. R. 1. 3 Alex. W. Askew, H.C., Nov. 7th 1856; 2 Irv. 491 (Indictment). David Greig, H.C., Jan. 14th 1856; 2 Irv. 357 (Indictment). 5 Mary Campbell, Perth, Sept. 1857 (Indictment), Adv. Lib. Coll. NOTE. The cases quoted above are selected as Illustrations only. 6 Penal Servitude, Acts 20 and 21 Vict. c. 3, and 27 and 28 Vict. c. 47. "mixed metal coin, coined or current as above":- COINING. depend on coin state. own use or that of another (1)." By § 30 every offence not to offence of making false coin, or buying, selling, receiv-being in finished ing, paying, tendering, uttering, or putting off, or offering to buy, &c., counterfeit coin, shall be deemed complete, although the coin be not in a fit state for uttering, or the counterfeiting be unfinished or imperfect (2). The offences under the statute are as follows: I. CRIME AND OFFENCE. Imprisonment not exceeding six months, with or without hard labour. foreign gold or § 20. First offence of knowingly tendering, uttering, Uttering base or putting off, counterfeit coin, resembling, or apparently silver coin. intended to resemble or pass for any foreign gold or silver coin. 1 This clause obviates the difficulty (if there was truly any), which was pointed at in the case of Isabella Murray and Helen Carmichael or Bremner, H.C., July 26th 1841; 2 Swin. 559 and Bell's Notes 137.See also Mary Sutherland and Isa bella Gibson or Murray, H.C., Dec. 2 This section prevents any ques- COINING. Uttering base British gold or silver coin. Uttering as British gold or silver, being of less value. Uttering base coin. Having three or more base II. CRIME AND OFFENCE. Imprisonment not exceeding one year, with or without hard labour, or solitary confinement. § 9. First offence of knowingly tendering, uttering, or putting off counterfeit coin resembling, or apparently intended to resemble, or pass for British current gold or silver coin. § 13. Tendering, uttering, or putting off with intent to defraud, any coin, medal, or piece of metal, or mixed metals, resembling in size, figure, and colour genuine British gold or silver coin, but being of less value than the coin it is passed off for. § 15. Knowingly tendering, uttering, or putting off counterfeit coin resembling, or apparently intended to resemble or pass for British current copper coin. § 15. Knowingly having in custody or possession ditto with intent. three or more counterfeit coins resembling, or apparently intended to resemble or pass for British current copper coin, with intent to utter or put off the same, or any of them. Defacing. Making base foreign inferior coin. Exporting base § 16. Defacing any British current coin by stamping names or words upon it, whether it is lightened in the process or not. § 22. First offence of making or counterfeiting any coin resembling, or apparently intended to resemble or pass for coin of a foreign country, the coin imitated being of a less value than the silver coin of such foreign country. III. CRIME AND OFFENCE. Imprisonment not exceeding two years, with or without hard labour, or solitary confinement. § 8. Without lawful authority or excuse (burden of proof on the accused), knowingly exporting, or putting on board any ship, vessel, or boat, for the purpose of |