A SOCIAL OR BRITON'S CATECHISM,

(From BARROW's Young Christian's Library.)

Q What are your social duties ?

A. As a subject of the King of England, I am bound to obey the laws of my country.

A. For the protection and security of all the people.

Q. What mean you by protection ?

A. I mean protection against violence, oppression, injustice, and ungovernable passions, which would often lead men to injure and destroy one another, if they were not restrained by wise laws.

A. I mean the security of my property, which is the reward of my own industry, or that of my parents and ancestors, and is secured to me for my own benefit and enjoyment by the Constitution.

Q. How are the laws of England made ?

3 A. By the three estates of the realm in parliament, consisting of King, Lords, and Commons; each of which must agree to every new law.

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A. The supreme power entrusted with the execution of the laws, the fountain of honour and mercy, the head of the church, and the director of the naval and military forces of the empire.

A. It consists of the Archbishops and Bishops, of the Dukes, Marquisses, Earls, Viscounts, and Barons of the realm, and is the court of final appeal in all law-suits..

Q. What is the House of Commons ?

A. It consists of 658 representatives of the people, freely and independently elected to assist in making laws, and to grant such taxes to the crown as they deem necessary for the use of the state.

Q. What are the chief objects of the laws?

A. For the prevention of crimes, by punishment for the example of others, such as death, transportation, imprisonment, whipping, and pillory. Q. For what crimes is the punishment of death inflicted?

A. For treason, murder, house-breaking, house-burning, highway robbery, piracy, rioting, forgery, coining, robbing employers, and many

other heinous crimes.

Q. How are criminals put to death?

A. By being hanged by the neck; traitors are afterwards quartered; and murderers dissected; and highway robbers and pirates are sometimes hung in chains on gibbets.

Q. For what offences are criminals transported?

A. For buying stolen goods, for perjury, for small thefts, picking pockets, and many other crimes..

Q. Where are they transported?

A. Those who are transported for life are sent to Botany Bay, a country thirteen thousand miles from England; and those for fourteen or seven years, are kept to hard labour in prison ships.

Q. For what crimes are offenders whipped, imprisoned, or put in the pillory? A. Chiefly for various kinds of thefts and frau s and for not getting their livelihood in an honest way; and also for suca mischievous practices as hurting or maiming dumb animals, cutting down young trees, and other offences.

Q. How is the guilt of an offender ascertained ?

A. By public trial in a court of law, in which twelve impartial persons are a sworn jury, to decide truly whether they all think him guilty or not guilty. Q. Is there no other investigation?

A Yes, before a magistrate, when the accuser must swear that the accused committed the crime; and afterwards before a grand jury of twenty-three gentlemen, twelve of whom must agree in opinion that he ought to be put on his trial.

Q. When and where do trials of criminals take place 2

A At Sessions held quarterly in every county town; or at Assizes held twice in every year, before one or two of the king's twelve judges.

Q. What becomes of a culprit after his crime has been sworn against him before a justice of the peace, and before his trial?

A. He is allowed to give bail for his appearance, if his erime is a bailable offence; but if it is a high crime, as theft, highway robbery, house breaking, forgery, or murder, he is committed to the county gaol, to await his trial at the next sessions or assizes.

Q. After his trial what becomes of him?

A. If he is acquitted, he is a freeman as soon as the jury have pronounced him NOT GUILTY. But if they find him GUILTY, he receives the sentence of the law, and is either whipped, imprisoned, transported, or hanged, unless some favourable circumstances should, appear, and he should receive the king's pardon.

Q. Does the law punish first and second offences alike ?:

A. Yes, the law makes no distinction, and considers all crimes as equally meriting punishment; but for second offences there is less chance of obtaining pardon from the king.

Q. What are the means of avoiding offences?

A. Constantly to avoid temptation; to shun bad or loose company; never to spend more than your income; never to do what your conscience tells you is wrong; and always to remember you are in the presence of

God, who will punish you hereafter, if you escape the punishment of the laws in this world.

Q. What are the other motives for avoiding crimes ?

A. The experience of all wicked men, that a life of crime is a life of anxiety, trouble, torment, and misery; their frequent declarations that they would give the world itself to be restored to a state of innocency and virtue; and also the known fact, that content, health, cheerfulness, and happiness, attend a good conscience, and an honest and virtuous life.

Q. What is a Constable?

A. An officer of the king, who is sworn to keep the peace, and to seize all who break the peace in his presence; he also takes into custody, under the authority of the warrant of a magistrate, all persons charged with offences. While

in the execution of his duty his person is held sacred, and to assault him is se¬ verely punished by the laws.

Q. What is a Magistrate, or Justice of the Peace?

A. A gentleman who holds a commission from the king, or n a corporation under some royal charter, to hear charges against offenders, and, in heinous cases, to commit thein for trial; in others, when so empowered by law, to inflict small punishments. He also hears and determines questions relative to vagrants, soldiery, publicans, &c. and he forms part of the court of sessions before which offenders are tried.

Q. What is a Sheriff?

A. The king's civil deputy in the county, whose duty it is to keep in safe custody, without unnecessary severity, all persons committed by justices for trial; to keep and maintain the courts of law; to summon grand and petit juries honestly and impartially; to preside at county elections; to execute all writs civil and criminal, and to put in force all the sentences of the courts of law.

Q. What is a Lord Lieutenant?

A. The king's military deputy in the county, whose duty it is to regulate whatever regards the military force of the county.

Q. What is a Grand Juryman?

A. One who is summoned by the sheriff to attend the sessions and assizes; there to hear the charges against offenders on oath, and honestly determine, whether they are so satisfactorily made out, in regard both to fact and intention, as to justify the putting of the accused on his trial, which decision must be affirmed by at least twelve of the jury.

Q. IVhat is a Petit Juryman?

A. One who is summoned by the sheriff to attend the sessions and assizes; and who is sworn with eleven others, to hear and carefully weigh the evidence on every trial; and according to that evidence to declare, without fear or affec tion, whether he thinks the accused guilty or not guilty, as well in regard to the fact as the intention.

Q. Is the duty of a Petit Juryman important?

A. Yes it is the most important and most sacred duty which a British subject can be called upon to perform. The life, liberty, property, honour, and happiness of individuals and families being in the disposal of every one of the persons composing a jury; because every one must agree separately to the verdict before it can be pronounced; and because every juryman is sworn and bound to decide according to his own private view of the question, and not according to the views or wishes of others.

Q. What is a Member of Parliament?

A. A gentleman chosen freely and independently by the electors of towns or counties, on account of their high opinion of his talents and integrity, to repre

sent them in the house of commons or great council of the nation, where it is his duty to support the interests, liberties, and constitution of the realm. Q. Who are Electors?

A. Persons who are authorised by law to elect members of parliament. In cities or towns they consist of freemen, burgesses or housekeepers; and in counties, of persons who possess a freehold in land or house worth forty shillings per annum. They are obliged to swear that they have not accepted or received the promise of any bribe, and, in truth, the honest performance of the duty of an elector is as important to the country, as that of a juryman to an individual.

Q. Why are Taxes collected?

A. For the maintenance of the state; for the support of the king's forces; for the protection of the nation against foreign invaders; and for all the purposes which are essential to the true ends of social union and the happiness of a nation. Of the nature and amount of all taxes, the glorious constitution of England makes the representatives of the people in parliament the sole arbiters and judges.

Q. What is the duty of good subjects?

A. To honour the king and his magistrates, and obey the laws; openly to petition the king or parliament against any real grievances, and not to harbour or encourage dissatisfaction; to earn by honest and useful industry, in their several callings, the means of subsistence; to maintain the public peace; to reverence and respect the duties of religion; and to perform every relative or social office, whether of father, husband, son, or brother; constable, overseer, churchwarden, juryman, or magistrate, with honour, humanity, and honesty, on all occasions doing towards others as they would be done unto.

KINGS and QUEENS of ENGLAND from the CONQUEST to 1814.

Began their
Reign.

Kings' Names.

Began their
Reign.",

Y. M.

* Each King began to reign on the day his predecessor died.

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PRAYERS.

A Morning Prayer to be publicly read in Schools.

O LORD, thou who hast safely brought us to the beginning of this day! defend us in the same by thy mighty power, and grant that this day we fall into no sin, neither run into any kind of danger; but that all our doings may be ordered by thy governance, to do always that which is righteous in thy sight.

Particularly we beg thy blessing upon our present undertakings. Prevent us, O Lord! in all our doings with thy most gracious favour, and further us with thy continual help; that in these and all our works begun, continued, and ended in thee, we may glorify thy holy name, and finally by E thy mercy obtain everlasting life.

We humbly acknowledge, O Lord, our errors and misdeeds; that we are unable to keep ourselves, and unworthy of thy assistance: but we beseech thee, through thy great goodness to pardon our offences, to enlighten our understandings, to strengthen our memories, to sanctify our hearts, and to guide our lives.-Help us, we pray thee, to learn and to practise those things which are good; that we may become serious Christians, and useful in the world; to the glory of thy great name, and our present and future well-being.

Bless and defend, we beseech thee, from all their enemies, our most gracious Sovereign, Lord KING GEORGE, our gracious QUEEN CHARLOTTE, His Royal Highness the Prince Regent, the Princess of Wales, and all the Royal Family. Let thy blessing be also bestowed upon all those in authority under his Majesty, in Church and State; as also upon all our friends and benefactors, particularly the conductors of this school.

These prayers, both for them and ourselves, we humbly offer up in the name of thy Son Jesus Christ our Redeemer; concluding in his perfect form of words.

Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name: thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; for thine is the kingdom, the pozeer and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

An Evening Prayer, to be publicly read in Schools.

ACCEPT, we beseech thee, O Lord! our evening sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, for all thy goodness and loving-kindness to us, particularly for the blessings of this day; for thy gracious protection and preservation; for the opportunities we have enjoyed for the instruction and improvement of our minds; for all the comforts of this life; and the hope of life everlasting, as declared unto us by Jesus Christ our Redeemer.

Forgive, most merciful Father, we humbly pray thee, all the errors and transgressions which thou hast beheld in us the day past; and help us to express our unfeigned sorrow for what has been amiss, by our care to amend it.

What we know not, do thou teach us; instruct us in all the particulars of our duty, both towards thee and towards men; and give us grace always to do those things which are good and well-pleasing in thy sight. Whatsoever good instructions have been here given this day, grant that they may be carefully remembered, and duly followed. And whatsoever good desires thou hast put into any of our hearts, grant that, by the assistance of thy grace, they may be brought to good effect: that thy