accomplishment of its object, or the reverse, in proportion as it comes up to the proper idea of a punishment, or falls short of it. "The points which most persons would look to," observes Archbishop Whately, in his letter to Earl Grey, "as important requisites in any kind of punishment that is to be awarded, are,—first, and above all considerations, that it should be formidable; i. e. that the apprehension of it should operate as much as possible to deter men from crime, and thus to prevent the necessity of its actual infliction: secondly, that it should be humane; i. e. that it should occasion as little as possible of useless suffering,—of pain or inconvenience that does not conduce to the object proposed: thirdly, that it should be corrective, or, at least, not corrupting; tending to produce in the criminal himself, if his life be spared, and in others, either a moral improvement, or, at least, as little as possible of moral debasement: and, lastly, that it should be cheap; such as to make the punishment of the criminal either absolutely profitable to the community, or, at least, not exceedingly costly."
Let transportation then be dispassionately examined by these tests, and I am confident the result will not be unfavourable to its adoption as a species of punishment.
1. In regard then to the first requisite in a
