n of the Home Office and the
Local Government Board. A master has a right to inflict moderate
chastisement upon his apprentice for neglect or other misbehaviour,
provided that he does so himself, and that the apprentice is under age
(Archbold, _Cr. Pl._, 23rd ed., 795). Where a legal right of
chastisement is exercised immoderately, the person so exercising it
incurs both civil and criminal liability.

In some of the older English legal authorities (e.g. Bacon, Abridg. tit.
"Baron and Feme," B), it was stated that a husband might inflict
moderate corporal punishment on his wife in order to keep her "within
the bounds of duty." But these authorities were definitely discredited
in 1891 in the case of _R._ v. _Jackson_ (1 Q.B. 671). By the unmodified
Mahommedan law, a husband may administer moderate corporal punishment to
his wife; but it is doubtful whether this right could be legally
exercised in British India (Wilson, _Digest of Anglo-Mahommedan Law_,
2nd ed., pp. 153, 154). In Hawkins's _Pleas of the Crown_ (Bk. 1, c. 63,
S 29) it is laid down that "churchwardens, and perhaps private persons,
may whip boys playing in church" during divine service. But while the
right to remove such offenders is undoubted, the right of castigation
could not now safely be exercised. At common law the master of a ship is
entitled to inflict reasonable chastisement on a seaman for gross breach
of duty. But such offences are now specially provided for by the
Merchant Shipping Act 1894 (SS 220-238); and where the provisions of
that statute are available, corporal punishment would probably be
illegal.

As to corporal punishment in the army and navy, see articles MILITARY
LAW; NAVY. In civil prisons, whether they are convict prisons or local
prisons, corporal punishment may not be inflicted except under
sentence of a competent court, or except in the case of prisoners
under sentence of penal servitude, or convicted of felony, or
sentenced to hard labour, who have been guilty of mutiny or incitement
to mutiny, or of gross personal violence to an officer or servant of
the prison (Act of 1898, S 5). Flogging for these offences in prison
may not be inflicted except by order of the board of visitors or
visiting committee of the prison, made at a meeting specially
constituted, and confirmed by a secretary of state (Prison Act of
1898, S 5; Convict Prison Rules 1899; Stat. R. and O. 1899, No. 321,
rr. 77-79; Local Prison Ru