in Italy, the crime of murder committed by a person aged from eighteen to tventV4>ne years, is punished by réclusion; from twentyone to twenty-four years of age the murderer of an adopted father is punished by the same sentence, while the murder of a legitimate or natural father is punished by the sentence of hard labor until death, because capital punishment no longer exists in Italy. In Spain, the murder of the legitimate, natural or adopted parents, is punished by death. as is assassination, while ordinary mur
derers are only sentenced to life impris onment in chains. In Austria the sentence for an ordinary murder is from five to ten. years, while the parricide receives a sentence from ten to twenty years, when it is a case of murder in the second degree, but when there has been premeditation, he is condemned to death. The Swedish legislation considers the murder of parents as an aggravating circum stance, taking into consideration the bonds which unite the victim and his assassin.
FISHERMEN AND THE LAW. BY JOHN J. O'CONNOR, Of the Boston Bar. EVER since the McGuire Act has called the attention of the great American pub lic to the scandalous abuses which were in vogue on American vessels, the tendency of modern times has been along the lines of remedial legislation. Congress has time and again placed upon the statute books laws which provide for a revolutionary change in the treatment meted out to seamen in the past. The doctrine of involuntary servitude, which was in vogue, no longer holds sway over the lives and liberties of those who "go down to the sea in ships." By concerted action on the part of the sailors employed in our merchant marine, they have, through the instrumentality of their organized unions, worked out their own salvation. Now a fisherman is a sailor whose peculiar avoca tion calls for expert knowledge in that par ticular line, so that as well as being skilled in navigation, and the handling of sails, and do ing all the work of an able-bodied seaman before the mast, he has to know how to catch fish in the most approved and expedi tious manner. Then again, the contract be tween the master and the fisherman differs
materially from the usual shipping articles, which the sailor in the merchant marine signs before going on board his vessel; the latter contracts to give his services as an able-bodied seaman on board the vessel, and 'in return he is to receive a monthly wag^e which is agreed upon; he is to be accom modated with suitable quarters on board the vessel, and the food which he is to receive each day on the voyage and in port is fixed by acts of Congress; a scale of provisions so-called, is set out, and a copy thereof is hung up in the sailors' quarters of every American vessel; failure on the part of the master to supply the food as provided by the acts aforesaid and on proper demand by the seaman, is punishable by extra compensation to the seanian, which can be recovered as wages in the usual manner by proceedings in rcm against the vessel, or by a suit against the master in pcrsonam. There is also a pro vision in our Federal laws against undermanning—which provides that "In case, of desertion or casualty resulting in the loss of one or' more seamen, the master must ship. if obtainable, a number equal to the number
