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causes of this increase of crimes are the rapid growth of our population and wealth; the consequent luxury and corruption of, manners, particularly in the capital of the state; and the great number of indigent and vicious emigrants from Europe and the West Indies, driven hither by the disordered and distressful condi-tion of their native countries, or to escape the ven-geance of the laws. More than three fourths of the whole number of crimes are committed in the city of New York. Its population has almost doubled in ten years, and the increase of its trade and wealth is unequalled in the history of commercial states. It is certain also, that under the present system of punishment, a much less number of offenders escape conviction. Individuals do not, from a sense of the terrible consequences to the party, refuse to prosecute; nor juries, from motives of compassion, forbear to convict the guilty. This is a most salutary consequence of the melioration of our penal laws. The corruption of morals engenders those crimes which pollute society, and undermine the security of life and property. It is the duty of government to begin at the source, and to endeavour, by every rational and practicable expedient, to prevent crimes, rather than to apply the painful and uncertain remedy of punishment to evils grown formidable by negli-gence. It is in vain, under the best devised plan of punishment, to expect that crimes should be dimin-ished or exterminated, if laws are not framed to check the progress of vice, and to arrest the first steps of guilt. It is well known, that the greater number of crimes originate in the irregular and vicious habits produced by intoxication, and by the idle, low, and dissipated practices encouraged in taverns and tippling-houses. There are few criminals whose gradual depravation cannot be traced to this source. It is well ascertained, that in this city there are more than twelve hundred