CIVIL LAW. 85 



Crimes, I believe, seldom go undetected, for justice, 

 though, slow in this country, is sure. 



The total number of prisoners confined in all the prisons 

 in the country, for offences of every kind, in 1862, was 

 10,055. This was rather more than in 1861, when the 

 number was 9936; but less than 1835, by 1582 (or 13 

 per cent.) ; than 1845, by 5428; than 1855, by 2049; than 

 1860, by 1252. 



Suicides are not so very uncommon, and in no other 

 country have I heard of more real determined cases of 

 felo de se than in this. Sometimes when a peasant drowns 

 himself he sticks his hat or coat upon the bank of the 

 river, so that his friends may know what has become 

 of him. 



There is not a regular coroner's inquest here in cases of 

 murder or violent death, as in England; but the Clans- 

 man " has to view the body, and investigate the cause of 

 death. There is, I may add, no " trial by jury" in the 

 north, but in all cases, I believe, a final appeal to the king. 

 In cases of felo de se a Christian burial is denied to the 

 unfortunate deceased. 



The civil laws are lenient. Bankruptcies and insolvencies 

 are very common, and appear to be thought little of. It 

 is very rarely that a man is imprisoned for debt, because 

 his creditor must keep him during his imprisonment. Un- 

 less a man put his hand to paper, it appears to me that a 

 debt will take almost any length of time to recover. I 

 would warn the stranger, in any foreign country, to be very 

 careful about signing his name to anything, especially bills. 

 I only once put my name to a bill in Sweden, and this was 

 to be joint security for a tailor, and I was done in so clever 

 a manner that Sam Slick himself could not have beaten it. 

 Two sureties were required for 25 for this man, to be paid 

 in a twelvemonth, and I agreed to be one, on the distinct 

 understanding that if the tailor did not pay, I could only 

 be called upon to pay 12 10s., and my fellow-bondsman 

 the other 12 10s. 



The bill was properly drawn ; I signed my name under 



