By the same statute, both witnesses may be to the same overt act of treason, or one to one overt act and another to another. But in the latter case the overt acts must be of the same species of treason, and not of distinct heads or kinds. 4 Bl. Com. 357.

By 30 Geo. III. c. 48, s. 1, the punishment of a woman convicted of treason shall be, that she shall be drawn to the place of execution and hanged by the neck until she be dead.

By 34 Geo. III. c. 146, (which applies to males only,) the punishment of treason is to be as follows:-the traitor to be drawn on a hurdle to the place of execution, and there hanged by the neck until he be dead; and afterwards his head shall be severed from the body, and the body divided into four quarters, which are at the disposal of his majesty.

And it is provided that his majesty may, after sentence, by warrant under his sign manual, countersigned by a principal secretary of state, change the whole sentence into beheading, and may direct in what manner the head and quarters shall be disposed of.

By the attainder in treason, the traitor forfeits to the king all his lands and tenements of inheritance, whether fee simple or tail, and all his rights of entry on lands and tenements, which he had at the time of the offence committed or at any time afterwards, and also the profits of all lands and tenements which he had in his own right for life or years.-4 Bl. Com. 381.

By conviction for treason, all the goods and chattels are forfeited which the traitor had at the time of conviction.— 4 Bl. Com. 387.

By attainder for treason, his blood is also corrupted; that is, he can neither inherit lands or other hereditaments from his ancestors, nor retain those he is already in possession of, nor transmit them by descent; but they escheat to the lord of the fee, subject to the king's superior right of forfeiture; and the person attainted shall also obstruct

all descents to his posterity wherever they are obliged to derive a title through him to a remote ancestor.-4 Bl. Com. 388.

The corruption of blood is now peculiar to treason and murder, being abolished in other cases by 54 Geo. III. c. 145.

It extends to females as well as males, as does also the forfeiture of lands, &c.-See 30 Geo. III. c. 48, s. 4.

But corruption of blood does not extend to certain treasons respecting the papal supremacy.-4 Bl. C. 389.

CHAPTER VII.

OF OFFENCES INJURIOUS TO THE KING'S Prerogative,

OR AFFECTING HIS GOVERNMENT.

1. Offences relating to Coin.

By 2 Will. IV. c. 34, (intituled "An act for consolidating and amending the laws against offences relating to the coin,") if any person shall falsely make or counterfeit any coin resembling, or intended to resemble or pass for any of the king's current gold or silver coin, he shall be guilty of felony, and transported for life or any term not less than seven years, or be imprisoned not exceeding four years, at the discretion of the court.

If any person shall gild or silver, wash, colour or case over as in the act mentioned, any coin resembling the king's current gold or silver coin, or any piece of silver or copper, or of coarse gold or coarse silver, or of any metal or mixture of metals, of a fit size and figure to be coined, and with intent that the same shall be coined into counterfeit coin resembling the king's current gold or silver coin or shall gild, wash, colour, &c. any of the king's current silver coin, or file or in any manner alter such coin with intent to make it resemble the king's current gold coin; or shall gild or silver, wash, colour, &c. any of the king's current copper coin, or file or in any manner alter such coin with intent to make it resemble the king's current gold or silver coin, he shall be guilty of felony, and transported for life or any term not less than seven years, or imprisoned not exceeding four years, at the discretion of the court.

If any person shall impair, diminish, or lighten any of the king's current gold or silver coin, with intent to make

it pass as the king's, &c. he shall be guilty of felony, and transported for any term not exceeding fourteen years nor less than seven, or imprisoned not exceeding three years, at the discretion of the court.

If any person shall buy, sell, &c. or put off, or offer to buy, &c. any counterfeit coin resembling any of the king's current gold or silver coin, at a lower rate or value than its denomination, or shall import into the United Kingdom any counterfeit coin resembling any of the king's current gold or silver coin, knowing the same to be counterfeit, he shall be guilty of felony, and transported for life or any term not less than seven years, or imprisoned not exceeding four years, at the discretion of the court.

If any person shall tender, utter or put off any counterfeit coin resembling any of the king's current gold or silver coin, knowing it to be counterfeit, he shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and imprisoned for any term not exceeding one year; and if he have in his possession at the time any other such counterfeit coin, or either on the day of such tendering, &c. or within ten days afterwards shall tender, &c. any other such counterfeit coin, knowing the same to be counterfeit, he shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and imprisoned for any term not exceeding two years; and upon the second committing of any of the misdemeanors aforesaid, he shall be guilty of felony, and transported for life or any term not less than seven years, or imprisoned not exceeding four years, at the discretion of the court.

If any person shall have in his custody or possession three or more pieces of counterfeit coin, resembling the king's current gold or silver coin, knowing the same to be counterfeit, and with intent to utter, &c. he shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and imprisoned for any term not exceeding three years, at the discretion of the court; and upon the second offence he shall be guilty of felony, and transported for life or any term not less than seven years, or imprisoned not exceeding four years, at the discretion of the court.

The statute has also provisions against the making or mending, or beginning to make or mend, or having in pos

session any coining tools for gold and silver coin, or conveying tools or coin out of the mint without authority, and makes such offences felony, and punishable by transportation for life, &c. as in other cases of felony within the act. And it is further enacted that if any person shall counterfeit any coin resembling the king's current copper coin, or knowingly and without authority make or mend, or begin or proceed to make or mend, or buy or sell, or have in his custody or possession, any instrument, &c. adapted for the counterfeiting any of the king's current copper coin, or if any person shall buy, sell, &c. any counterfeit coin resembling the king's current copper coin, at a lower rate or value than its denomination, he shall be guilty of felony, and transported for any term not exceeding seven years, or imprisoned not exceeding two years, at the discretion of the court.

And if any person shall tender, &c. any counterfeit coin. resembling any of the king's current copper coin, knowing the same to be counterfeit, or have in his custody or possession three or more pieces of such counterfeit coin, knowing the same to be counterfeit and with intent to utter, &c. the same, he shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and imprisoned for any term not exceeding one year.

And in all cases of imprisonment under this act, the court may also sentence to hard labour and solitary confinement.

By 14 Geo. III. c. 42, (revived and made perpetual by 39 Geo. III. c. 75,) if any silver coin exceeding the sum of £5, being or purporting to be the silver coin of this realm, but below the standard of the mint in weight or fineness, shall be imported into Great Britain or Ireland, the same shall be forfeited in equal moieties to the crown and prosecutor.

As to foreign coin, the statutory provisions are as follows: By 37 Geo. III. c. 126, ss. 2, 3, if any person or persons shall coin or counterfeit any kind of coin not permitted to be current within this kingdom, to resemble or with intent to resemble any foreign gold or silver coin, or shall knowingly bring such false coin into this realm with intent to