CO of dangerous criminals for a specified period. If they choose to work, work is provided lor tliem, and they receive a daily payment for their labour (Art. 19).''

7. rt?.~A right of opposition is reserved to persons condemned by default •which ma}' be made, within three days of the notiheation of the judgment to the accused at his domicile, if known, and if not, at the Parquet (Art. 10). If the person ordered TO give security has not been previously convicted of crime, be may apipeal from the decision ordering him to give security, and on the question of security only, to a committee sitting at the Ministry of the Interior and composed of the Minister, as president, and two higli legid functionaries as memher.s, viz., the President of the Native Court of Appeal arid the Proeureur Geu(?ral of tlie Native Tribunals, j In all other cases there is no appeal. S. Condhioual LlUralion.—Any person condemned to police supervision, under the provisioMS of this law, ma}-, by order of the Minister of the Interior, be libemted Irom supervision before the expinition ‘of tlie period fixed in the sentence, if there are sufficient grouud.s for believing that he is reformed (Art. 17).

9. CoiirLs-—Finally, it is jirovided that Assize Courts, when acquitting, for lack of proof, any person accused of murder, attempted murder, theft or attempted theft, crop-destruction, cattle-poisoning or arson, may, nevertheless, if convinced that tlie accused comes within the category of persons defined in Article 1, apply to Iiim the provisions of this law (Art. 21).

Such are the principal features of this law. It is, perhaps, open to criticism in its details, hut the fundamental principle on which it is based—one which, as before observed, is becoming more and more recognized in modern criminolosrv—viz., that the segregation for lengthy periods of specially dangerous criminals is justifiable, even though their participation in specified offences may not have been and cannot he established, is, in my opinion, unquestionably sound.?

More particularly in an oriental community, subject to a foreign sj’stem of law, Avhich the mass of the population neither understands nor appreciates—and which is, indeed, in many respects, iinsuited to their requirements—a state of affaii-s may gradually be brought about with which the ordinar\* law-courts and their agents are— at any rate, for the time being—poAverless to cope. Such has been, in the opinion of tliose best qualified to judge, the condition of affairs in Egypt for some time past; and doubtless the best proof that their opinion was correct is to be found in the almost immediate effect jiroduced by these commissions on the criminal statistics.

As appears from the table idready given on p. 56, crime had been steadily increasing for years. From 3,288 in 1907, it rose to 3,655 in 1908, and more particularly homicide and attempted homicide rose from 1,214 in 1907 to 1,464 in 1908. During the fiist eight months of 1909, this progression steadily continued, viz., 2,741 in 1909 as agiiiust 2,373 for the corresponding period of 1908; and 1,096 homicides and attempted homicides, as agiiinst 890 in the previous year. But from the time the new law came into force, this progression was arrested and a diminution substituted in its place. In Seprember 1909 there were 312 crimes, as against 329 in September 1908; in October, 257 as against 280 in October of the previous year; in November, 234 as again.st 357 in November 1908; and in December, 284 as against 316 in December 1908. Homicides and attempted homicides similarly diminished from 156 to 136, 129 to 103, 158 to 109, and 13 J to 114, in the months of September, October, November, and December respectively.

Tlie figures for homicide and attempted homicide, month by month, for the last three years, show a remarkable progression throughout the first eight months of 1909, followed by a no less remarkable decline in the last four months of that year. Tliey are as follows;—■ * The Italian law rorjuires all able-bodied persons to work, but in return allows them the whole, product of tludr lalxmr without any deductions (seo regulations of November 8,18S9. for the esecutioD of the Law of Public 8ecurity of June 3U, 1889, Art. 102).

t Thi.s body thus consists of three distinguislied native lawyers. i I obsfeTved last year on this head that “satisfactory proof may sometimes be obtained that an indiviilual is living by ciiine where evidence cannot l>e obtained snllicient to cstablisli particular ca.se or ca.se.s.” (Report for 1908, p. 9.)

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