The Colonial Regulations laid it down that judges presiding at criminal trials should take notes of the evidence, and that no capital sentence should be executed until the Governor should have based his concurrence on a reading of these notes.

The cases noted in this volume are chiefly capital, and the reports written either by the Chief Justice or the Puisne Judge; included are petitions for mercy, depositions and judges' notes. For similar reports, referred to the Comptroller-General of Convicts and covering the period 1849-51, 1854, 1858 and 1863-6, see Convict Department Record Group.

These records are part of the holdings of the Tasmanian Archives