[i roto i te reo Māori]

§ 8.

In the case of a wrong to the whole people, that is, a Criminal Offence, the Law does not leave it at the will of the man who has suffered by that wrong, or at that of his relations, to say whether it shall be tried or no. The Law demands for this kind of wrong, for Criminal Offences, that The Queen, or the Governor, and the Magistrates, shall take care that such offences do not pass without being brought to trial. The name given to this kind of wrong is, we have said, "Criminal Offence"; such as killing a man, burning a house, assaulting any person, and the like.

In the eye of the Law, a Criminal Offence is committed not against the injured person only, but against the whole people; such are the offences just spoken of. For this reason it is left to the Magistrates to see that they are prosecuted and the offenders brought to trial.

The punishments appointed for this kind of offences are various, For a great offence, a great punishment; for the lesser offence, a lesser punishment: death for some; for others, imprisonment; for others, payment; that is, what the Pakeha calls a Fine.