An excellent little work issued by the growing anti-capital punishment movement in the early 19th century. Many, including those affiliated with William Wilberforce and the Clapham Sect, saw the amelioration of the death penalty as a similar concern to slavery. This was especially true in that it was capable of being applied to non-bodily crimes like theft or forgery. This, for many of the children of the Great Awakening, seemed out of keeping with the eye for an eye call to moderation and equivalent justice seen in the Old Testament.
Tract, No. III. Of the Society for Diffusing Information on the Subject of Capital Punishment and Prison Discipline. On the Effects of Capital Punishment, As Applied to Forgery and Theft; Including the Sentiments of Some Eminent Authors, with Some Account of Recent Occurrences and Proceedings. London. Printed by John M'Creery. 1818. 28pp.
A good + copy, bound in wraps, lightly shaken, with lightly handled pages and some toning. Removed at some point from a larger sammelban with associated flotsam to spine.
