WHEREAS by an Act of the Imperial Parliament passed in the fifty-fourth year of His late Majesty King George the Third chapter one hundred and forty-six intituled “An Act to alter the Punishment in certain Cases of High Treason” after reciting that in certain cases of high treason as the law then stood the sentence or judgment required by law to be pronounced or awarded against persons convicted or adjudged guilty of the said crime was such sentence as in the preamble to the said Act is set forth it was enacted that in all cases of high treason in which as the law then stood the sentence or judgment ordained by law was as aforesaid the sentence or judgment to be pronounced or awarded from and after the passing of the said Act against any person convicted or adjudged guilty should be that such person should be drawn on a hurdle to the place of execution and be there hanged by the neck until such person should be dead and that afterwards the head should be severed from the body of such person and the body divided into four quarters should be disposed of as His Majesty and his successors should think fit And whereas it is expedient in the said cases of high treason to alter the sentence or judgment now required by law: