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{"source_document": "", "creation_year": 1743, "culture": " English\n", "content": "FRAUDS AND ROBBERIES OF CHARLES SPECKMAN, ALIAS BROWN, WHO WAS EXECUTED\nAT TYBURN ON WEDNESDAY 23D OF NOVEMBER, 1763 ***\n  Transcriber\u2019s Note\n  Italic text displayed as: _italic_\n  THE\n  Life, Travels, Exploits,\n  Frauds and Robberies,\n  OF\n  Charles Speckman, _alias_ Brown,\n  Who was Executed at TYBURN, on _Wednesday_ the\n  23d of _November_, 1763.\n  By far the most dexterous of his Profession in this\n  or any other Country.\n  CONTAINING,\n  A genuine Recital of more than Five Hundred\n  Thefts, Frauds, and Felonies, committed by him in\n  _England_, _Scotland_, _Ireland_, _North America_, and the\n  _West Indies_, during the Course of Fifteen Years.\n  WITH\n  Several Maxims, Hints, and Remarks, by Way of\n  Caution to the Public, to prevent or detect the Designs\n  of Sharpers and Thieves from being carried into Execution.\n  The whole NARRATIVE being wonderful and\n  surprizing, and yet in all Respects strictly true.\n  Written by HIMSELF,\n  Whilst under Sentence of Death in _Newgate_.\n  _LONDON_:\n  Printed for J. FULLER, in _Blowbladder-Street_, near\n  _Cheapside_. M.DCC.LXIII.\n  [Price ONE SHILLING.]\n  [Illustration: 3 daggers] This Pamphlet written for the publick Good\n  ONLY, is entered in the Hall-book of the Company of Stationers, and\n  at the Stamp-office, whoever pirates or prints any Part of it, will\n  be prosecuted to the utmost Rigour of the Law.\n[Illustration: Decoration]\n_I do hereby empower_ Mr. John Fuller, _of_ Newgate-street, _to Print\nthis only Genuine and True Account of my Life and Transactions for\nmany Years. Containing the most astonishing Variety of Incidents, of\nany Person ever under the same Misfortunes with myself_.\n  Charles Speckman.\n  Press-Yard, Newgate,\n  _Witness_,\n  Francis Caveac,\n  John Anstey.\n[Illustration: Decoration]\n[Illustration: Decoration]\n  THE\n  LIFE\n  AND\n  WONDERFUL TRANSACTIONS\n  OF\n  Mr. CHARLES SPECKMAN,\n  alias BROWNE, &c.\nThere is not perhaps in the world a more agreeable study than that of\nBiography; nor any thing sought after and read with greater avidity,\nthan the lives of unfortunate men, and those who suffer under the\nhands of the executioner more than any. In this narration will be\nseen, the early propensity to acts of robbery, preying upon, and\nliving in an absolute state of war with all mankind, the long series\nof years Mr. Speckman escaped punishment, in which time he committed\nmore robberies than any person before him brought to publick shame;\nall of them related by the unhappy man himself, in the following\nplain and undisguised manner.\nI think proper for the benefit of the public, and to make all\npossible attonement for the injuries I have done to my fellow\ncreatures, in England, Scotland, Ireland, North-America, and the\nWest-Indies, in all which countries I have committed acts of\nhostility and depredation innumerable; I have no interest at all in\nthis, only to warn the unwary, how they shall in general avoid the\nfalling a prey to thieves and sharpers, and make those who tread in\nmy wretched paths, be sensible and be warned in time to sly evil\ncourses, as too truly will they find verified, that _the wages of sin\nis death_; besides that of undergoing in their wicked career, what is\nworse than death, the stings and daggers of a guilty mind: so that\nlet their race be as long as it will, and their illicit practices\nattended with continual success, yet not one hour of true and solid\nhappiness is the consequence.\nAbout sixteen years ago, to the best of my memory, my father who\nlived in good reputation in London, where I was born, put me to a\nboarding-school, and bestowed more money on my education, than on all\nthe rest of my brothers and sisters, (I was the eldest of eighteen)\nfor all which I never made any grateful return, which gives me great\naffliction, and the most pungent remorse, when added to my present\nload of trouble. To shew my early inclination to what has brought me\nto this deserved doom, I well remember, as I was standing by the side\nof Mr. Andrews, a waterman, in Charles-court in the Strand, my nurse\nbeing with me, I took a fancy to pull his watch out of his fob, at\nthe same time laughing in his face; on detecting me, Mr. Andrews\nsaid, my dear, you begin betimes; the nurse, however, appeased him,\nso that no ill consequences followed: I mention this affair, as my\nfriends rebuked me many times, by telling me of this deed, and my\nearly inclination to what would, and indeed has proved my ruin.\nI was put to board with a worthy clergyman, by my father, at thirty\npounds a year, in order to inure me to what was good, and improve me\nin learning; but my delight was riding of horses at livery-stables,\nran away from school; the wicked disobedient child, soon finds\nout evil courses. The first injury I plunged myself into, was\nrobbing my parents of a suit of cloaths, and pawning them to go to\nSadler\u2019s-wells. Now every fraud that my fertile brain could device, I\nput in practice in my father\u2019s name, and got various sums of money,\nwhich answered my present purpose very well; however, my father had\nme catch\u2019d, carried home, and kept me naked in a room several days,\ntill I found an opportunity to get my sister\u2019s cloaths, and with them\non, I escaped from the house. I have been often brought home from\nCovent-Garden playhouse, by the orange women, to whom my father gave\ntwo shillings each time for their trouble. I was at length taken up\nby my father, and put into Covent-Garden round-house; but through the\nhole the prisoners received their victuals at, I escaped, though it\nwas so small, no one could have conceived it possible. I learned more\nwickedness here in one night, than in all my preceding excursions,\nand verily believe, it tended greatly to fix me in the determinate\nresolution of aspiring at every act of wickedness, my unfortunate\nlife has since been so fruitful of; making it my daily study to\ndefraud every one who came in my way, and rob every one I could\nconquer.\nOne day I and two other boys, went into a grocer\u2019s shop in\nDrury-lane, for some sugar-candy, the grocer told me, he sold not\nsmall quantities, on which asking him, if he was above his business,\nand perceiving a watch hang up in the parlour, I rolled a halfpenny\nas by accident into the parlour before me, I got the poor grocer\u2019s\nwatch; in coming out, he asked me, how I dared to go there? he was\nanswered by my throwing some powder sugar in his eyes, which was\nlying on the counter, and got off without any molestation.\nSoon after this, coming from Westminster with my two companions,\nthere was a man had a stand by the Horse-guards, to sell all sorts\nof handkerchiefs, muslin, lawn, stockings, and other things in the\npedlery way; I made bold to take him on one side, to talk about what\nI was to buy of him, which he was told was to a considerable amount;\nwhilst I was thus amusing him, my two comrades made off with the\npedlar\u2019s whole stock, to the amount of fourteen pounds, and upwards:\nI however resolved to leave my companions, being determined, for the\nfuture, not to keep company with any, but act entirely on my own\nbottom.\nI now set out for Newmarket; and, on my return home, hired a horse,\nunder pretence of going express for a certain lord, well known on\nthe turf, and came full gallop to the Blue Boar inn in Whitechapel,\nwhere I instantly ordered twelve stalls for the horses of my lord,\nwhich was to be there that night; telling the landlord, I was going\nto Hyde-park-corner for a running horse, and my haste occasioned me\nto come from my lord, without a sufficiency of money to defray all\nexpences, and therefore begged him to let me have twelve guineas,\nto pay the charges of the horse and servant, and let his own servant\ngo with me, to assist in bringing to the Blue Boar the running horse\nthis night; all this he readily complied with; but the inn-keeper\u2019s\nservant I took French leave of in Piccadilly, put my horse up in the\nusual stable and then went home to my lodgings.\nShortly afterwards, I took upon me to go about the town in a genteel\ndress, with a green apron on, as a watch-maker, under pretence of\nbuying pieces of handkerchiefs to send abroad to my friends; I\ncommonly found fault with the thinness of them, holding them up with\none hand, and putting a dozen, or a piece, with the other into my\napron: generally in these expeditions, after a sufficient quantity\nwas obtained, I went into the country, and what could not immediately\nbe sold, were raffled for.\u2014\u2014In practicing one of these tricks upon a\ngood worthy woman, who kept shop in the Borough of Southwark, I was\ndetected putting a piece into my apron; I immediately flattered the\nhonest woman, that I was a weaver in Spitalfields, telling her, my\nuncle had a journeyman who had stole four pieces, and had sent me\nwith that piece to match the other, upon information my uncle had,\nthat the pieces were sold by his man at this shop; by this means I\ngot clear off, the unsuspecting woman not knowing her own.\nIn genteel apparel I next went among the silver-smiths and jewellers,\nwhere my dexterity and success was so great, that I used among them\nin their respective branches, it is almost incredible what quantities\nof spoons, rings, buttons, buckles, stones, &c. I stole; the\nrobberies of this kind are so numerous, that I cannot particularize\nthem, but I made bold to borrow something from every silver-smith\nand jeweller in the bills of mortality, and not only in all these\nattempts had the good fortune to escape, but on many occasions, had\nthe most lavish encomiums passed on me, for the honesty of my looks,\nand the humanity expressed in the lineaments of the countenance.\nAlas! how seldom is it, that the outward appearance corresponds with\nthe inward disposition. I am a shocking instance that my face was the\nmost deceitful in the world. Of this kind of fraud and robberies, I\nbelieve I have not perpetrated less than two hundred.\nI went one day to Mr. Brogden, in Long-lane, West-smithfield, who\nlent out wearing apparel, of him I hired a suit fit for any little\nmaster in London; bought at the same time a satchel to put some books\nin, thus equipped, I went to Mr. Greg, a watch-maker in St. James\u2019s\nstreet; on going into the shop, I perceived there was but one man\ntherein; upon his being told my father had bespoken a watch for me,\nand I wanted to know if it was ready, he replied, as indeed well he\nmight, that he knew nothing of the matter, but that Mr. Greg his\nmaster, being at the coffee-house, he would go to him, and ask the\nquestion; the minute he was gone, I fixed my eye on a gold watch,\nchain and seal, with which I marched off with all speed, took a\nhackney coach in Pall-mall, away to Holbourn, and sold the watch,\nthough it was worth fifty-five, for seven guineas only, to Mary Keen,\na woman who understood that business much better than myself. She has\nbeen transported four times.\nAt this time, and with this money, I went down to Reading in\nBerkshire, where I took great delight in going out with my gun;\nat length money falling short, I went to a milliner\u2019s shop, under\npretence of buying some lace, to go round a cap and handkerchief,\nfor my sister; the milliner asked if I was not too young a man to\nbe a judge of lace? I replied, being young I should hope for better\nusage, and left it entirely to her generosity to serve me of that\nwhich was best of the kind; at this moment I fixed my eye on a\nparticular piece; pretending to have a bad cold, took my handkerchief\nout to wipe my nose, laid it down on this piece of lace, which\nrepeating again, I took the lace up with my handkerchief, and put\nit in my pocket, and then told the milliner, I would stay till I\nwas grown older; though it is clear I was too old for her now. I\ntook my leave, and marched gravely off, without the least suspicion;\nand went directly to the Crown, the grand inn in Reading, hired a\nhorse for Maidenhead, but pushed on for London, sold the horse in\nSmithfield for five pounds ten shillings, and the lace to a milliner\nat Charing-cross, at a very decent price; at the same time cheapening\nsome of her lace, made bold to steal one piece.\nThus I found a method to deal among the milliners, without much\ndanger of detection, women being less on their guard than men, and\nalways delighted with any one who will hear them prate and chatter.\nVery few milliners escaped my dexterity, for my youth, simplicity\nof manners, and engaging behaviour, caused me always to pass\nwithout suspicion; nay, on many occasions, I have been treated with\nextraordinary marks of civility and politeness, and with the best the\nhouse afforded, even after I had robbed them, which sometimes has\nsqueezed my heart a little, but I was too far gone in the road of\nperdition to think of returning back.\nI now thought of amusing myself in the country; accordingly set out\nfor Bath, Bristol, &c. in the first of these cities I took a room\nfor myself in a widow-gentlewoman\u2019s house, who kept a shop in the\ndrapery way; she had a daughter, a neat, pretty, genteel girl, whom\nI courted more for the sake of being free with her, than any real\nlove; then the mother began to trust me, and place great confidence\nin me, upon her daughter\u2019s account, which continued to the mutual\nsatisfaction of us all, till I found an opportunity to make off with\nbetween twenty-five and thirty pounds-worth of goods, taken out of\nthe shop, and retired to Bristol, where I dealt a little among the\nmilliners: returned for London, but being taken ill on my journey\nthither, I stopt two or three days at the Castle at Marlborough,\nwhere I observed a great quantity of plate, and other things of\nvalue lie very carelessly about, I only borrowed a silver tankard,\nand six table spoons, to assist in defraying my expences on the\nroad: at Brentford I sold the tankard and spoons for five pounds ten\nshillings, and stole two pair of silver paste buckles, proceeding\ndirectly for London. I committed about fifty other robberies in the\nsmall way, which, as being trifles, are not worthy of farther mention.\nI have sometimes, for the sake of variety, gone to dyers and scourers\nshops, in the character of a gentleman; on seeing none but a woman\nthere, I asked for my servant, who came there for my cloaths; being\ntold there had been none, then on asking if my cloaths were done,\n(they not knowing but that I had some there) shewed me several\nsuits, clean, and not clean, but I never took a cleaned suit, always\npretending they should be wore once more before cleaned, desiring my\nservant might be sent home as soon as ever he came; so tying them up\nin a handkerchief, left the poor dyers and scourers to lament their\nfolly and precipitation. I used to serve the hatters in the same\nmanner, both in gold and silver laced hats, without being in the\nleast suspected.\nI waited on a mercer on Ludgate-hill to cheapen some silks for\nwaistcoats, with sattins, and some for gowns; I requested of the\nmercer to make a bill of parcels, put them up, and send his servant\nwith me to my lodgings in Pall-mall; which being done and come\nthere, on opening the bundle, told the servant there wanted a piece\nof sattin, and sent him immediately home for it: The bill amounted\nto forty-three pounds, and the parcel heavy, yet I easily (in the\ninterval of the servant\u2019s departure and return) found means to walk\noff with all. I left an answer on the bill of parcels which was\nleft upon the table, that my judgment was not sufficient for such a\nlarge sum, without advice whether I should pay him at his return, or\nnever. I went directly to Mr. Howard\u2019s, in Long-lane, Smithfield, and\nsold the whole parcel for eighteen pounds; telling me, any quantity\nbrought to him he would buy. This gave me great encouragement to\ncontinue in the mercers business: I served several other mercers in\nthe same manner.\nNot long after this I went to a gentleman in Long-acre, hired a\nchariot and pair of horses, to go to Windsor, intending to stay a\nfortnight; accordingly I set off, and stayed pretty near the time\nagreed on; I sent my servant to Eton, with a view of defrauding my\nlandlord, and for this purpose asked him for twenty guineas, with\nwhich he very readily complied; the pretext was to purchase a pair\nof horses: having thus succeeded, I slipped on one side, and set off\nfor London, leaving the man, chariot and horses to come at their\nleisure. The next day I sent for a sword-cutler, to bring me half a\ndozen swords to my own lodgings in the Hay-market, that I might take\nmy choice in variety, but brought never a cut and thrust, I sent him\nback for some; and when he was gone, I took a walk out with the half\ndozen swords, with an intention never more to return.\nI then took lodgings in Duke\u2019s court, St. Martin\u2019s lane, where I had\nnot been long, but I sent the servant of the house to a jeweller, to\nbring me a variety of rings, the jeweller immediately sent one of his\nservants with some of all sorts; no sooner were they under my eye but\nI fixed on two, set with diamonds; I told the man, as I was no judge\nof their value, he would give me leave to shew them to a friend at\nnext door, he readily assented, and so left the honest servant for\nhis own amusement in my new lodgings: for I used to take a lodging\none day, and serve a tradesman in this manner, and leave it the next.\nSoon after, I put on the dress of a gentleman\u2019s servant, went\nto a very great milliner\u2019s in Pall-mall, as from a lady in\nGrosvenor-square, lately come from abroad, who wanted some\nassortments of her best lace, and desired one of her people with me;\naccording to my application it had the desired effect: I brought the\nservant to a house under some repair, that I had the knowledge of;\nI took the box of laces, went up stairs to shew my pretended lady,\nleaving the servant in the hall, to whom immediately returning, I\ntold her my lady was in bed, and she must come again in an hour,\nbut must leave the laces, with a bill of the rates or prices of\neach sort; she went away very contentedly, and I had the generosity\nto follow with the whole box, and made clear off. I thought it now\nhigh time to leave off dealing with the milliners. The garb of a\ngentleman\u2019s servant in livery, I always found the best to deceive\nwith at this time, and made use of it on divers occasions, with\nmy two companions before mentioned, Abraham Crabb, and Campbell\nHamilton, and being apprehended for a small theft, made myself an\nevidence against them both; Crabb was tried at the Old Bailey,\nin February 1749-50, in the mayoralty of Sir Samuel Pennant, for\nstealing a peruke, value twenty shillings, and John Beaumont for\nreceiving, knowing it to be stolen. The evidence (as an accomplice)\nI gave was, that I was about fifteen years of age, and deposed that\nI had followed the business of thieving two years; the prisoners,\nhowever, were acquitted, there being no evidence to the fact but my\nown. Crabb was again indicted with Campbell Hamilton, for stealing\non the 10th of December 1749, a silver watch, value four pounds,\nthe property of Mr. Jonathan Scriven, in his dwelling house; and\nCatherine Hall, widow, for receiving it, knowing it to be stolen:\nmy evidence was here also unsupported by any other; though what I\nswore upon this and the former trial was nothing but the truth, with\nrespect to all the prisoners; the silver watch belonged to the grocer\nin Drury-lane, already mentioned. I resolved never to have companions\nin any of my exploits, judging that I might one day or another be\ndetected by my associates, as I had done by them.\nMany surprizing pranks have I used with all trades in London; but\nat last pursued by my evil genius, I went into the shop of Mr.\nHonychurch, under St. Dunstan\u2019s church in Fleet-street, on the 5th\nof November 1750, and stole a silver watch, with which I got off,\nimprudently keeping it till the next day, I offered it pawn to Mr.\nPrice on Snow-hill; it being advertised, he stopped me, sent for Mr.\nHonychurch, and carried me out of the city to justice Fielding, who\ncommitted me to New-prison, Clerkenwell, thence removed to Newgate,\ntook my trial on the 10th of December 1750, in the mayoralty of\nFrancis Cokayne, Esq; was capitally convicted, and received sentence\nof death with fifteen others, among whom were Mr. Baker, the\nsugar-baker; and Mr. Joshua West, a clerk of the Bank.\nIn the course of my trial, which is all fact as sworn against me,\nit proceeds thus: Mr. Honychurch deposed that the watch was taken\nwith the prisoner on the 6th of November, was lost on the 5th, had\nhis name and number on it, never had been sold, and by advertising\nit, by that means it was stopped. William Batersby, Mr. Honychurch\u2019s\nservant, gave his testimony, that he was alone in the shop, the\nprisoner came in with a watch to have it cleaned, he then appeared\nin another complexion than now, he had on a laced hat, a waistcoat\nwith either gold or silver button-holes; he desired his watch to be\ntaken to pieces, while that was doing, he said that some of the work\nwas dropt; adding, he was sure some of them were lost! I looked upon\nthe ground, there were none down, but all right before me; then he\nwas for taking it to show some other watch-maker, I said I must not\ntake it to pieces and put it together again for nothing, he said, I\nwill take and shew it to another man, and if he says there is nothing\nlost, I will bring it again; he took it not put together, also two\nnew wheels, a third and contrite wheel away with him, which lay\nbefore me; when he stayed longer than I expected, I began to suspect\nhim, and looking about saw a hook was empty, where a new watch hung\njust before he came in. I went to the watch-maker where I supposed he\nwould go to, and asked for him; he told me no such person had been\nthere. Then I told my master the affair, who told me by his book it\nwas a watch he had made for a gentleman in Devonshire. When Mr.\nPrice sent for my master, I went with him, and knew the prisoner. On\nbeing asked by the court, if there had been any person in the shop\nbetwixt the time he last saw the watch, and the prisoner\u2019s coming in;\nreplied, not one person from opening the shop, till the watch was\nlost, but him.\nJames Bruin, servant to Mr. Price, declared, that between six and\nseven o\u2019clock on the 6th of November in the evening, as he was\nsitting in the parlour, somebody came in and asked for Mr. Price; on\ngoing into the shop saw the prisoner, who was dressed in a silver\nlaced hat, a green waistcoat with gold button holes, who said he\nwanted to see the master, if he was not engaged; on being told that\nhe could do as well, he took a watch out of his pocket, and I saw it\nwas the watch advertised that day, I went and told my master of it,\nwho came down stairs, and told the prisoner he had stole it, which\nhe denied. My master sent directly for Mr. Honychurch; his man came,\nand said the prisoner was the person that was at his shop yesterday\nmorning. While our man was gone, the prisoner owned to my master and\nI, that he had stole it; we went before justice Fielding the next\nday, and the prisoner was committed. So far the trial, in which the\nfact was but too plainly fixed on me: however, in my defence I urged\nthat all said of me was false; I did not deny but I carried the watch\nto be pawned; I was coming down Snow-hill, and a well dressed man\nasked me if I had mind to earn a shilling; I said yes, so carried it\nto pawn; then the young gentleman said, there was a watch stolen, so\nstopped me; but neither the judge nor jury paid any regard to such\na pitiful come off. I put myself in a wretched habit, thinking that\njoined to my youth, might excite the pity of all parties.\nAt this time I had many friends to make application for me in\nmitigation of my sentence, and had the happiness to be sent abroad in\nthe summer of 1751, there to continue for fourteen years; I sailed\nfrom Gravesend in the ship Trial, captain Johnson, for Patomack\nriver, in Virginia; there went on board this ship with me Mr. Joshua\nWest, before mentioned, to be transported as well as myself. As\nsoon as the ship arrived, intelligence thereof was sent to colonel\nLee\u2019s, that the convict servants were come from London; we dropped\nanchor on a Saturday, and the Wednesday following was sale-day, and\nthe planters came on board to buy; there was one John Burgess, a\nnative of the country, came to me, asking very civilly what I could\ndo; I told him I could work, but not hard; I then asked him if there\nwere any milliners, watch-makers, or such trades as I worked at in\nLondon, he turned his head and laughed; I told him I did not care,\nas my father had paid my passage, but the captain replied he had\nnot, and I having no friends was forced to submit, and be sold as\nothers were. My master took me on shore to an ordinary, and told\nme if I would be a good boy and work, I should want for nothing: I\nthen asked him, if he and I were to go halves? he replied, in what?\nand I said in thieving: but on telling me I was come into a wrong\ncountry for that, and practising theft would soon bring him to ruin;\nI urged that would certainly be his portion if he did not let me go.\nHe rejoiced much at his bargain, and I at his folly. We then set out\nfor home on horse-back, I behind him, and had fifteen miles to ride;\nat length got home, and seeing my master\u2019s palace, I took it for a\npidgeon-house: being tired and hungry, they brought me some victuals\ncalled humeny and milk, which I thought very sweet and good. Next\nmorning my master roused me by-times to grind my hoe, I looked very\nhard at him, and told him I was not used to that kind of work; he\nhowever took me to a field to shew me how to hill-up some corn; I\ntold him the trade I was sent from London for, was much easier than\nthis. In short, I could think of nothing but my old trade, and soon\nfound means to break into a neighbour\u2019s house, with an intent to rob\nthem of what I could catch, with a fixed resolution to ruin myself\nand my master, for work did never agree with me; however, I got two\ngold rings, and some wearing apparel, which I brought to my mistress,\nknowing her to conceal other things for us, but she would have\nnothing to do with my prize: this caused me to run away, and make my\ncase known to a justice of the peace, who had me apprehended, and\nsent for my master, upon my own discovery; I was sent to goal, but my\nmaster bailed me out till sessions, when I received sentence to be\nwhipped and pilloried, which was rigourously executed: my master was\nobliged to make a fourfold gratification for the injury I had done\nthe party robbed.\nMy servitude being very intollerable to me, I determined to make\na trial of another escape, and for that purpose took one of my\nmaster\u2019s horses, a suit of his cloaths, and other necessaries for\nmy journey; but not considering the expence, the danger in crossing\nthe rivers, and having no pass from a magistrate, I was soon taken\nup, and brought back to my master, who gave me a terrible whipping,\nhe fleed me from neck to rump, so that I was obliged to lie on my\nbelly for several days and nights; and when I was well enough to\nwalk, he sold me into the back settlements of Virginia, I believe\nfour hundred miles within land where I was, when general Braddock\ncame with his troops from Alexandria in Virginia, on his way to the\nOhio, in the year 1755, where he was defeated with great slaughter by\nthe French; my master and his family removed for fear of the French\nand the scalping parties of Indians, which were scouring the country\nall round, and committing the most shocking and inhuman murders. I\ngot acquainted with serjeant Campbell, of colonel Dunbar\u2019s regiment,\nand begged of him to let me go to the battle; he granted my request,\nand I got clear of my master. After our defeat, on the 9th of July,\nwe had a very long and tiresome march back from the field of battle,\nnear Fort du Quesne, to Philadelphia, in Pensylvania; when there\nbeing bare of cloathing, and in want of money, being withal very\nhungry, I took up my London trade, and soon stole a whole piece of\nhandkerchiefs, a dozen in number; I tarried in Philadelphia till\nI had got good stock of cloaths and money, meeting with continual\nsuccess in defrauding the public, by my old and wicked proceedings.\nI travelled with all possible diligence to New York, where I found a\ngreat many milliners; I thought of immediately touching them with my\nLondon mode; into one shop I went to practice in my usual way, but\ngoing to sell the lace, I was apprehended by one of the aldermen,\nupon suspicion of stealing it, and the owner hearing of the affair,\ncame and claimed the lace, brought me to trial, and I was sentenced\nto be whipped behind a cart, at the corner of every street in the\ncity, which was executed upon me, brought back again to the goal, and\nin a few days ordered out of the city, never more to return, on pain\nof having my sentence again repeated. I was passed twenty miles by\nconstables, and then left to myself to proceed wherever my fancy led\nme: in walking about two miles farther, I fell into company with one\nBrowne, a namesake and farmer; he asked me if I could work, I told\nhim but a little, though very willing to learn. He took me home, used\nme very well; however, I had not been with him long, before he sold\na plantation, and observing where he put the money and the key of\nthe chest, took my opportunity to seize all his money in dollars and\npaper, amounting to one hundred and ten pounds, with a horse, saddle\nand bridle, made off directly for New York, where altering my dress,\nand proceeded direct for Philadelphia, there putting up at the sign\nof the Indian King, I was obliged to sell my horse and buy another,\nintending to get a little farther out of the way of enquiry, at least\nfor the present.\nFor this purpose I continued my route to Winchester, in the back\nsettlements of Virginia; when finding myself near my old master, made\nenquiry for him, found him out, and made him a present of a silver\nwatch, besides some money which contented the old man very well.\nHe then gave me up my conviction, and went with me to Winchester,\nwhere he procured a pass as a free man for me to go wherever I had\na mind without molestation. From this place I went to Port-Tobacco,\nto see my first master, to let him know I had mended my fortune with\nother peoples gains; he wished my joy on the occasion, and in a few\ndays took me leave of him, and steered my course for Charles Town,\nin South Carolina, bought a gun to amuse myself on the road, and had\nnear nine or ten horses, I swapped, changed, and defrauded people\nof, under pretence of going with an express to Charles Town; where\nat length arriving, I met with my brother, that I had not seen for\ntwelve years and upwards; he looked very cold and indifferent upon\nme, thinking I should bring him to disgrace and shame, as I had done\nin England. I got acquainted with one Joseph Warren, and hired myself\nto him, as an overseer of his Negroes. I had not been in this station\nlong, before he sold me a horse at my own price, which I immediately\nsold in town, and went on board the Three Brothers, captain Holliday,\nbound for Antigua; the greatest reason for my retiring thus hastily\nfrom Charles Town, was, I had got acquainted with one Mrs. Broughton,\na married woman; her husband swore he would cut my ears off, or take\naway my life, if I dared to continue any intercourse with his wife,\nhe was extremely jealous of me, and indeed not without sufficient\ncause.\nWe proceeded on our voyage, and had got within two days sail of\nAntigua, when we fell in with four French privateers, after a stout\nresistance of sailing and plying our wooden guns, of which we had\nmounted twenty two, we were taken and carried into Martinico, there\nremained three weeks, till a cartel ship came and carried us to\nAntigua: in this island I assumed the character of a master painter,\nand got a job to paint the Duke of Cumberland privateer, belonging\nto George Walker, which having finished, I was paid. I now went to\nSt. Christopher\u2019s, in the packet, where I had not been long before\nI entered on board the Fox privateer, captain Woolford, for a six\nmonths cruize, but had no success, we returned to the same port: as\nI had been thus unfortunate at sea, was willing to try my luck by\nland, I went into the country to a gentleman, told him I was courting\na young lady of fortune, and begg\u2019d him to lend me a suit of his\ncloaths, he very willingly did; I took him into a house, where we had\nsome punch, which having drank, I went out and left him to amuse\nhimself with his own folly. I sold the cloaths, without the least\nprobability of discovery; I secreted myself a few days, and went on\nboard a vessel then ready to sail for Philadelphia.\nAfter my arrival, I got acquainted with a recruiting officer, beating\nup for volunteers to go against the French fort on the Ohio. I\nenlisted with him for four years, and to be paid half the money down,\nI bought a horse to go with him to Carlisle, in the back settlements\nof Pensylvania. There I saw my captain, who was vastly pleased with\nme; our company was reviewed by the major of the light horse, he\nhaving the superiour command. I was pitched on for a light horse man,\nunder the command of captain Thompson, our general Forbes being very\nill, was obliged to be carried in a horse litter, between two horses;\nit wanted painting, I was ordered to Carlisle to buy some paint, for\nthat service; I was ordered by one of the officers to bring his girl\nfrom Carlisle with me, which I did, and by the way, had the pleasure\nof giving her the compliment of a road relish; my committing such\na rash action, made me imagine the whole camp might be set on fire\nby her; I thought nothing was so expedient for me as desertion, for\nfear of bad consequences, and went off the same night, being the\n10th of July 1758, with my horse, regimentals, and accoutrements,\nand travelled for the back settlements of Virginia; in short, I went\nthrough many dangerous places, and almost insurmountable difficulties\nbefore I reached Williamsburg; where as soon as I arrived, sold my\nhorse and regimentals, and put on the dress of a farmer, in order\nto buy corn; but notwithstanding this scheme succeeded so well as\nI expected, I thought of speedily shifting my quarters. For which\npurpose, I once more thought of paying a visit to Charles Town, where\nI entered into a regiment of Buffs, raised by the colony of South\nCarolina, to go against the Cherokee nation; I was made a serjeant,\nand being sent one day to change a ten pound bill for my captain,\nI had changed it at a Jew\u2019s, who afterwards charged me with a bad\nbill of twenty pounds, of which I was entirely innocent; however,\nI was sent to Goal, and confined for two months, in as deplorable\na condition, as ever poor man was. When released from prison, I\nwas sent to the barracks, where I continued in a very bad state of\nhealth for some time. After my recovery, I became acquainted with a\ngentleman, he and I took to coining of bad money; which we carried on\nfor some time with considerable success; but at length we parted good\nfriends in the Country, and threw away our utensils. I took my course\nfor New Bern, in North Carolina, in my way I married, and my wife\u2019s\nfather thinking me too great a rake, to be trusted with her portion,\nlook\u2019d very lightly on me; but I found means to bring him greatly in\ndebt, and made off directly, leaving the old man, daughter and all,\nto please themselves in the folly of their Wisdom. I made free with\none of my father\u2019s horses, and made for a place called Brunswick,\nin the same province of North Carolina. Then I agreed with captain\nWright, for my passage to Jamaica, we were weather-bound for three\nweek. I then verily thought my wickedness was the cause of our delay,\nthrough the just vengeance of Almighty God. At last we had a fair\nwind, made sail, and had a very favourable passage to Port Royal; the\nnext tide after our arrival here, we weighed anchor and made Kingston\nharbour.\nOn my going on shore here, being very poor and distressed, I began\nto think of something for my appearance in so fine a place; for this\npurpose I got acquainted with a taylor, and told him, I was come\nthere to settle at my trade of a limner; by this expedient I got a\nvery good suit of cloaths, and thought myself in a good situation.\nThe next acquaintance I had, was one Mrs. Pembruge, who had several\nnegroes, her own property, I thought this a fine fortune, and it was\ncertainly so to me, though I soon found her to be a married woman,\nbut parted according to law from her husband; she had a great many\ngallants, I found myself her principal favourite, and must confess,\nI got acquainted with one of her sparks; he told me, he had a much\ngreater regard for her, than she had for him: and said, he had a\nchest at his master\u2019s accompting-house, which he believed was full of\ndollars: I directly acquainted Mrs. Pembruge with this, who requested\nme to get it from him, if possible; I then made use of every means to\nget the prize into my possession; he came and gave me directions how\nand when to send for it; I procured a negroe, and sent him agreeable\nto my orders; every thing succeeded, and the chest was brought to\nme: I went to a certain private house, examined the contents, which\nproved to be cambricks and lawns, which I went directly and sold\nfor fifteen pounds sterling, leaving out two pieces for a suit of\nlinnen for Mrs. Pembruge, but gave the gallant nothing for his pains,\ntelling him it was of no value.\nAfter this, I became acquainted with Mr. Torries, a Jew, who told me\nhe had an hundred pound bill at my service whenever I pleased, and\nfor whatever use I had a mind to apply it: I went the next morning\nto a store, purchased goods to the amount of one hundred and twenty\npounds, desiring the store-keeper to send them to my lodgings; he\ncame with the goods himself; I then shewed him the hundred pound\nnote, told him I had borrowed it, and was to give five pistoles to\nthe lender for two months; on this he told me, I looked like a very\nhonest gentleman, and would give me credit for the whole for three\nmonths; I was to have gone to him the next morning, but declined\nthat. I run in debt with many other people upon the island, to a\nconsiderable amount: I sold all the goods to the Jew, who lent me the\nnote for fifty pounds. Mrs. Pembruge and I made off for Spanish-town,\nin order to settle with her husband, and get her own slaves from\nhim. At this time, the person who let me have the chest full of\ncambricks and lawns, followed us; she told him how great a fool he\nwas to follow one who he knew full well had not the least regard\nfor him, though he had lavished away all his own honest gains, and\nrobbed others to support her; though she was kind to me, yet I think\nthere never was a woman of a harder heart, or of a more cruel and\nungrateful disposition in the world; those who shewed a more than\nordinary regard for her, were sure of the worse treatment; now living\nin plenty, she forgot all former want and misery; and I do verily\nbelieve, she would have cut the throat of any man who should rescue\nher from want, or save her life.\nShe was a good looking woman, and to those who knew her not, appeared\nan angel, but in truth a devil. The old gallant being stung to the\nquick at Mrs. Pembruge\u2019s base behaviour, went back to Kingston,\nand informed against us both, and we were taken into custody, and\ncommitted to Spanish-town goal, for the fraud of the linnen; in this\nprison we lay three months; at length the evidence was brought to\nthe same goal, and the regard he had for this woman being still as\ngreat as ever, he wrote a letter to her, full of the most tender\nprofessions of esteem and love; begged her pardon for being the cause\nof her confinement; that he was sensible the charge against her\nand Charles Speckman was not just; nay, that he knew us both to be\ninnocent, and that he would so swear upon the trial; and never could\nrest or have quiet of mind for taking this ungenerous step, to abuse\nand defame the character of the best woman in the world, and that of\nthe worthy gentleman her companion. We were removed to Kingston, to\ntake our trials at the assizes; in the interim the evidence broke\ngoal, and made his escape, we were for want of prosecution discharged\nthe second court-day.\nThinking it would not be so well to continue in Kingston, I left\nMrs. Pembruge, and went towards Black-river, and Savannah la Mar,\nwhere I hired a horse, and proceeded to Montague-bay: there I met\nwith a sister, who I had not seen before for twelve years. I soon got\nacquaintance in the neighbourhood, and especially with a daughter\nof colonel Savory\u2019s; I was determined to settle here, and live in\nan honest way; all her family greatly caressed and loved me, and I\nfound that I had no small interest with her friends; I found myself\nabsolute master of the young lady\u2019s heart, my happiness was compleat.\nIn a short time we were married; four days before, she made me a\npresent of one hundred pounds in cash, to get necessaries: the day\nwe were married, all the negroes came to wish me joy, and hoped\nI would make them a good master; the sight of them in a state of\nslavery, affected me very much; I wished to have made presents to\nthem all, and wished myself on an immediate voyage for London, I had\nnot enjoyed the married-state long, till my wife was taken very ill,\nand soon after died; she was a very worthy woman, and her departure\na great loss to me. It immediately unhinged the tranquillity of my\nmind, so that I determined to sell all off, and return to Kingston,\nand to my old practices again.\nWhere being arrived, I enquired for and soon found out Mrs. Pembruge,\nand entirely forgot my deceased wife: we lived together as usual,\nbut money falling short, I fell into the immediate exercise of my\nold pranks. I bought up a great quantity of flour, getting as long\ncredit as I could, but sold it all again directly for ready money.\nIn like manner I got linnen and other things from different stores,\nand sold them as I had done the flour. One man I run pretty deeply\nin debt with, and promised him a good horse in part of payment; to\naccomplish this, I next morning hired a wherry to carry me to Passage\nFort, where I hired a horse for Spanish-town, but instead of going\nthere, returned to Kingston, and sold the horse to my merchant, and\nreceived some money in pocket. I confined myself during the remainder\nof my stay to my lodgings, being afraid to go out, my safety prompted\nme so to do, fearing the being detected, Kingston being but a small\ncity, and not very populous; before I left the island I buried Mrs.\nPembruge, and then bid adieu to Jamaica for ever.\nI went privately on board the brigantine Betsey, captain Goodwin,\nbound for New York; at this time I pretended to be a doctor, and\nhaving two other ships in company, whose hands were very sickly,\nI was put on board one of them to bleed several of the men, which\nI performed though with much fear; and one of them that I gave a\ndraught to, gave me four dollars for the service; soon after our\nown people were taken ill; them I served in the same manner; at\nlength I was taken ill myself, and at our arrival at Sandy-hook, was\ncarried on shore, put to bed, and grew so much worse during three\nweeks, that I was obliged to have the clergy by me, thinking my end\nat hand: happy had it been so, but God for worthy purposes, and for\nthe good of the world, reserved me for an ignominious death. I had\nextraordinary good usage of every kind from the gentlemen of this\ncity: indeed, throughout all America their generosity and hospitality\nare almost boundless, especially to English people. Though I was by\nthese worthy citizens used in so kind a manner, I made them most\nungrateful returns. As soon as well, I enlisted as a serjeant in\ncaptain Thompson\u2019s company of rangers, for whom I enlisted several\nmen, but cheated them of their advance money; and went to several[1]\nstores, took up linnen, and other effects, in the captain\u2019s name,\nto the amount of twenty pounds. Then I hired a horse, and set off\nfor Boston in New England; I had been no more than two days on\nmy journey, till I was obliged to hire a chaise and harness, &c.\nto enable me to go through my long journey; this I did of an old\ngentlewoman in Connecticut, and took chaise and horse to the end\nof my journey, had the chaise new painted, and sold it to the best\nbidder; I also sold the horse and harness. My stay was but short at\nBoston, I went to Salem, about twenty miles from Boston, where I\ntook lodgings, courted a widow-gentlewoman\u2019s daughter, then took a\nshop, set up the business of painting, and got several considerable\njobs, but all the while run very much in debt with every body. I got\nacquainted with a gamester in this town; he wanted improvement; we\ncontrived to touch all we could, and then make off. We had great\nsuccess, several horses, watches, and other things in trust, were\nthe effect of our industry. The people of Salem, are not only the\nmost unsuspicious, but the best dispositioned, humane and friendly,\nand the most agreeable in all respects, in the whole world. I hired\na chaise at Salem, and a single horse, to carry me out for two days\npleasure; I went directly to Newport in Rhode-island, sold the\nchaise, bought another horse, and with my companion, went as fast\nas we could for Philadelphia; when arrived, we directly went on the\ngambling scheme, and had very great luck; but not agreeing in sharing\nour booty, we parted. He wanted to aspire at my art of dealing; this\nI chose not to trust with any one, for reasons already mentioned.\nThe gamester took his passage for the West-Indies; I resolved to\ncontinue in Philadelphia, and had thoughts of matrimony again, that\nI might the better be enabled to carry on my designs, get into debt,\nand in due time run away. I met with a young woman, she passed for a\nvery good fortune, we were soon married, but fortune she had none;\ntho\u2019 many rich and powerful relations, whose interest was for my\nwife, and of great service to me, I had credit every where; but being\ndissatisfied with my wife, I told her that I had urgent business at\nNew York, to see a commander I expected from the West Indies; as my\nbusiness lay all there, I desired her to put up in a large trunk, a\npair of sheets, a pillow, and other necessaries that I thought would\nanswer my purpose: I must confess, she was a compleat housewife, and\nvery industrious. My inclination, however, led me for England, the\nfirst opportunity: accordingly I set out on my journey towards South\nCarolina, hired a servant, and on the road, took all my effects out\nof the trunk, filled it with combustables of a great weight, raised\nmoney on it, and left it in the care of my unsuspecting landlord;\nhired two horses, and went to Annapolis in Maryland; here I found\nout my wife\u2019s real character, and that she had a child at nurse,\nwhich finding out, I bought some cloaths, and presented to her, in\nremembrance of her mother. The next morning I set out for Edenton, in\nNorth Carolina, where on my arrival, I met with some jovial company,\nthat pleased me extremely well: I stayed three weeks with them,\nconstantly gaming: I won more than one hundred and fifty pounds;\nwith part of this money I bought a race horse, intending to run him\nas opportunity offered, on our journey to the south, which I did\nseveral times, and always won. My servant and I agreed very well, he\nwas a trusty fellow, a good servant, kept my secrets inviolable, and\nwithout any fear. Before we reached Charles Town, we had got six or\nseven horses, and sold them about thirty miles from the places they\nwere taken from. I used often to make a halt for necessaries for\nmyself, and to the prejudice of the public.\nWe at length reached Charles Town, where I discharged my trusty\nservant; enquired after my old acquaintance Mrs. Broughton, found\nher, and let her know my intentions were for England; she smiled,\nand told me, she could not believe it, and set forth the danger and\ndifficulty of such an enterprize from the enemy, together with the\nhazard of the seas. I enquired for her husband, but being told he was\ngone a voyage to the West Indies, this removed my fears; we drank\nsome bottles of wine together, repeated our old scenes of action,\nthough she had received many a hearty drubbing for what we had done\nbefore, which the husband was determined never to forgive; he was a\nvery jealous man, but with great reason he was so; I knew that very\nwell, and therefore was the more conscious of my own and her crimes.\nMy mind continued still to run upon England; I took a walk to the\nbay, and met with captain Sclater, bound for England, made a bargain\nfor my passage, told him I had an estate fallen to me, and was going\nhome to take possession of it; got all necessaries for the voyage,\ntook leave of all my acquaintances, and in 1761, went on board; my\nservant, who still continued in town, begged to accompany me wherever\nI should go, but being at this time very sick, I was obliged to leave\nhim behind me, tho\u2019 very unwilling. After being on board about three\nweeks, I began to write; at the same time telling the captain, I had\nsent the most valuable of my papers home in the West India fleet.\nWe had a long passage of nine weeks, and the day before we made\nFalmouth, a most terrible hurricane came on, the oldest person on\nboard had never before seen the like: we resigned our selves to the\nmercy of God, and the mountains of waves; however, we at length put\ninto Falmouth, in a shattered condition. Captain Sclater and I went\ndirectly on shore, I then told him my intention of going up to London\nby land. I had a negroe of his to sell, but could not get my price\nfor him; the gentleman I applied to, knowing my friend, desired me to\nbe perfectly easy, as I might have ten or twenty pounds to carry me\nto town; I took only ten guineas, and gave him my note for it. I also\nsettled with the captain, and gave him a note for thirty-five pounds,\nfor the payment of my passage, and other matters betwixt us.\nI set out for London along with part of the guard that came with the\nmoney, brought over in the Lisbon packet; my friend at Falmouth lent\nme one of his horses; when we came to Exeter I took a post-chaise,\nbut not before I had borrowed twenty guineas of the landlord, who\nreally thought I was a sharer in this fine prize, and master of the\npacket. The whole sum was imagined to be seventy thousand pounds. I\nmade a bold attempt, and got some of this money, and should have got\nmuch more, but for the want of a partner. I put this and the rest of\nmy money into the seat of the chaise, suffered a man to ride behind\nto the next post town, where I quitted the chaise, put the money in\na box, and had it sent to town by the next waggon, and which came\nvery safely to my hands. I was vain enough to think with proper\nassistance, I could have got hold of the greatest part of this cargo\nof money. I set out post for town on horse-back; my behaviour all\nthe way was such as gave every body satisfaction, from the genteel\ntreatment they all had from me on the road; they gave me the greatest\ncharacter, which I turned to the best advantage, and made several\nlittle sums by the way. On searching my pockets in London, I found\nmyself possessed of more than one hundred pounds; but thought of\nhaving another push at the treasure, which was expected in town every\nhour; I went to the inn in Friday-street, told the book-keeper all\nthe circumstances relating to the money, and where I had left them\non the road, with other descriptions that gave him satisfaction; and\nthat my concern in the cash was considerable; he told me, I should\nbe heartily welcome to all the money he had, accordingly he brought\nme eight guineas; after expressing my concern for giving him so much\ntrouble, I walked away from him.\nI did not think of visiting him any more; but went to Mr. Lane\u2019s in\nDrury-lane, where I hired a chariot, with a coachman and footman, in\norder to pay a visit to my father, whom I had not seen for fourteen\nyears; my good father was glad to see me, I promised him to go again\nshortly, but never did more. The misfortunes I have undergone,\nhas been, I am certain, intirely owing to the continual state of\nrebellion, that I lived in with my dear parents; and God for such\nunnatural practices, has been pleased to bring me to this most just\nand deserved punishment, I am now shortly to suffer. Oh! that from my\nsad fate, children would learn obedience to their parents, which will\nbe attended with every desirable advantage on earth; be a blessing\nto themselves, and an honour to the human race; the enjoyment of\npeace and felicity in this world, and the sure and certain hope of\nenjoying the life which is to come. Were it known to the world, who\nmy parents are, it could give them no satisfaction; I have been a\ndisgrace to them, and would wish disobedient children to be warned\nfrom perpetrating those infamous actions, which may in the end work\ntheir own ruin; and such deeds, that their unfortunate parents, could\nneither foresee nor prevent. If children did but properly consider,\nthe very fear of bringing their innocent parents to disgrace and\nshame, would prevent them from pursuing those wicked practices which\nend in being publickly exposed to a censorious world, and suffering\nan ignominious death.\nI sought out all places of gaming and horse-races, till my money\nwas all existed. I hired a post-chaise, with an intention of going\nto Dublin, and went in this manner to Birmingham, where I defrauded\na great many tradesmen; and at my departure, hired a horse for\nPark-Gate, waiting some time for a fair wind, my money running very\nshort; but at length a fair wind springing up, I went on board, and\nthere passed for Maddocks the wire dancer\u2019s brother, who had but\nlately been cast away in his passage from this port to Ireland. The\npassengers were much afraid least the same fate should attend us, as\ndid him and his unfortunate companions; one of whom was Theophilus\nCibber, the famous comedian. But God\u2019s holy name be prais\u2019d, we had a\nvery fine passage, and arrived very safely in the port of Dublin.\nI went on shore, and took me a lodging, and went the next night to\nthe Play-House, in Crow-Street, where I made application to Mr.\nBarry, as the brother of Mr. Maddocks, and that I wanted to perform\nin my deceased brother\u2019s way, though my real intention was only\nto borrow money of him. Mr. Barry told me he must see some of my\nperformances first: well knowing my own inability in performances\nof that kind, without broken bones, I desisted from Mr. Barry and\nthought of making my market of Mr. Mossop; but he told me it was too\nlate in the season to engage any performers. Meeting with these two\nrebuffs, I went to a Goldsmith, to cheapen some buckles; he sent his\nboy to my lodgings with two pair of Bristol-stone buckles, set in\nsilver: I sent the boy back for two small rings; In his absence, I\nmarched off with the buckles, and sold them at a Bagnio for my own\nprice. The next day the buckles were advertised, and in a few days\nafter I was taken at the same house by the master of the Bagnio; for\nthey were fools enough to tell of their prize to several neighbours,\nthat they had bought two fine pair of buckles very cheap, and found\nthemselves now in danger of much trouble for their simplicity: but\nthe good nature of the master, got me off from any other punishment\nthan that of making them a recompence for their loss. I bought me a\nregimental suit of cloaths, and visited the milliners as an officer;\nat one shop I desired them to put up a box of the best sorts of their\nlace to shew a lady, and send the servant with me, with which the\nmilliner most readily complied; we went directly to my lodgings,\nwhere I directly ordered her to go and fetch me some handkerchiefs;\nin the interval I pushed off with the laces, and sold them all the\nnext morning. I was immediately advertised, and taken by a thief\ncatcher, but at the earnest intercession of his wife, he let me go;\nI went for the country, and at Thomolin, I was again taken by the\ndescription in the same advertisement, and brought back to Dublin;\nbut I made the people robbed, so easy with my flattering behaviour,\nthey did not care much what came of me, so that I meditated, and\naccomplished my escape, after a good supper, and drinking plenty of\nwine.\nMoney was now low with me, so that I was obliged to step into a\nlinnen-draper\u2019s shop, and steal some handkerchiefs, made sale of them\ndirectly, and with the money paid for my passage to Park-Gate, where\nI found a ship bound to the Isle of Man, on which going directly on\nboard, landed at Douglas, but I found nothing could be done here, the\npeople being all as great thieves as myself. So in a little vessel\nbound for Scotland, I got on board, who landed me at Dumfries; where\nthe moment I got on shore, I paid a visit to the merchants (the\nmeanest shopkeeper is so here) the milliners and others, and picked\nup enough in defrauding them to support me tolerable. But the town\nbeing small, business promised but a short continuance. I made the\nbest of my way to Edinburgh, the horse I brought with me, I sold\nto a drover for three pounds; and put up at one Browne\u2019s, of whom I\nborrowed a clean shirt to go to the play, enquired for the manager of\nthe house, which proved to be Mr. Digges; I wanted him to engage me\non the same terms as I had made application to Messieurs Barry and\nMossop, he said I should perform the next week, but that was too late\nfor me. I then went to the Parliament-Close, to a silver-smith\u2019s,\ncheapened some of his buckles, and according to my usual method,\ndesired him to put up two pair and two rings, let his servant go with\nme to my lodgings; when I sent back for something more, then went out\nand sold them to Mrs. Japp, at a Bagnio, where I refreshed myself\nfor two days: but by some accident, was taken and committed to the\nTalbooth-Goal, where I lay for three weeks, brought to my trial, and\nacquitted, but ordered to depart the city in three days. I must say\nI had very great favour shewn me, as any person could have, which\nwas more than I either expected or deserved. On my being discharged,\nI hired a horse, and stole some handkerchiefs, and rode away for\nBerwick, where the horse was sold. I had no opportunity nor time to\ndeal with the good people of Berwick, so went on board a ship bound\nfor London, to which place we had a long and tedious passage: on our\narrival, I thought proper to take with me, the bundle of one of the\npassengers, what suited me I kept, and the rest was sold.\nI made but a short stay in London, hired a horse for Bristol, sold\nhim there, and bought a stallion, with which I went to Cowbridge in\nGlamorganshire, there sold him, and stole a silver watch, besides\nsome small parcels of laces. I did not like this of all the places I\nhad ever been at; and set off directly for London, where I sojourned\nbut a few days, went down to Portsmouth, took lodgings at a very\ncreditable house, told my landlady I was a dealer in lace, desiring\nshe would recommend me, which she did to several shops, where I got\nseveral pieces, went over to Gosport among the silver-smiths, and got\nsome small booty there. I hired a horse in Portsmouth for London:\nwithin four miles of Kingston, I came up with two seamen, stopp\u2019d,\nand demanded their money and watches, they gave me four guineas,\nand a silver watch; I left them, wishing them safety to London.\nBetween Wandsworth and Vaux-Hall, I stopped a gentleman and lady in\na post-chaise, robbed them of thirteen guineas, the post-boy got off\nhis horse and ran away; but after I had secured the money, I rode\nafter him, brought him back, and gave him a hearty flogging: the\ngentleman then returned me thanks in a very kind and hearty manner,\nand I wished him and his lady a good night. I went that night to\nVaux-Hall, and between the hours of eleven and twelve, I stopped\nthe Portsmouth machine, for which I was apprehended, and carried\nbefore the sitting justices in the Borough, where they searched me,\nbut found nothing, yet my pistols were in my breeches pockets; I\nwas discharged as they had no proof of any thing I had done amiss:\nI called for my horse, and mounted, crying out to them, if any one\ncould ride that horse better than I, they might follow me; I went\ndirectly into London, and was taken very bad, so that I was obliged\nto go through a salivation for one month. I then began to be short\nof money, and was obliged to go a thieving again; accordingly I took\na hackney coach, being still very weak, and not able to walk, I went\nto a milliner\u2019s, or lace shop, near the Royal-Exchange in Cornhill,\nand stole twelve yards of point lace, to the value of thirty-six\npounds, which I sold. I began to get strength daily, so one day took\na walk to the Park, and so to Chelsea, where I hired a horse to ride\nabout a little while, being tired with walking; I put my horse up at\nthe Horse and Groom, in order to regale myself over a pint of mull\u2019d\nwine: and seeing there a fine grey mare, with new bridle and saddle,\nI made enquiry of the owner\u2019s name in the house, and found it was\nSimpson; in a short time, desired the ostler to put the bridle and\nsaddle on the mare, as I thought Mr. Simpson stayed longer than he\npromised; the man without the least suspicion brought the mare out,\nI mounted and rode into London, and at the end of Fleet-Market, was\nstopped by the owner, he asked if I had not that mare at Chelsea; I\nvery frankly assured him I had, and was going on a very hasty message\nfrom the master of the Horse and Groom, into Bishopsgate-Street, and\nwas to return with all speed; he said it was very well, and left me\nto proceed where I would. I went into the Borough, and left the mare\nin pawn for six guineas. I went the next morning to Hyde-Park-Corner,\nand hired a Spanish Mare to go to Hounslow, went round the country\nto Epping, robbed two milliners of some lace, came back to town,\nand left the mare in pawn for four guineas with the landlord of the\nCatherine-Wheel Inn, in Bishopsgate-Street. I went out again in a\nfew days, and at the upper end of Tyburn-Road, I hired another horse\nto take an airing, but went only round to Whitechapel, and left him\nin pawn at the Chaise and Horses there, for four pounds. A great\nnumber more horses I hired in like manner, my method was always to\nget the names of the stable-keepers, and of all the gentlemen\u2019s\nhorses that stood with them, that I possibly could. I always called\nthem familiarly by their names, thought I might have the knowledge of\nthem, and their mentioning some gentleman that the acquaintance might\narise from, I immediately joined with them, in affirming that it\nwas so. I do think I have been advertised near a hundred times, for\nhorses hired in this manner. As I had hitherto escaped, I thought it\nnow high time to leave off dealing with the stable-keepers, and turn\nmy hand to other branches, in which I had not been less successful.\nI went into Leicester-fields to take lodgings, and the gentlewoman of\nthe house dealt very largely in lace, which I did not know of before;\nI told her I was just come from the West Indies; she took me for a\ngentleman of distinction, as I had a servant in livery along with\nme. I told her, I should be glad to see some of her lace to make me\nruffles; she shewed me some point, at four pounds ten shillings: I\nstole one piece, containing twelve yards; I sold six yards, and sent\nthe other six to pawn: the person I sent it to, stopped it, although\nshe had taken in pawn many pieces that she knew to be stolen by me\nbefore. This event grieved me very much, as I was under the necessity\nof turning out again. I went to a watch-maker\u2019s in the Strand, and\nfinding the master out, I asked his wife, if my watch was done? she\nnot knowing but I had bespoke one, shewed me a great many; I stole\na fine gold watch in this time, and went away: I met, just there,\nwith one Smith, a bailiff\u2019s follower, to whom I sold the watch. I\nwent into another watch-maker\u2019s, being short of money, finding only a\nwoman in the house, she shewed me three watches, one of which I took\nby force, ran out of the shop with it, and got clear off. This was in\nthe morning. I went to a pawnbroker\u2019s and pledged it for two guineas.\nI soon heard of a particular milliner\u2019s shop at Charing-cross, Mrs.\nMoore, where business might be done; agreeable to this information,\nI hired a woman servant, sent her to Mrs. Moore\u2019s, and desired\nshe would tell the milliner, I was lately come from abroad, and\nwanted some shirts, neckcloths, and other things, to the amount of\neighty pounds, all of which were brought to me; but there being no\nblack neckcloths, I requested Mrs. Moore to go back for some, and\nsoon after sent the maid to desire her to bring two dozen; in this\ninterval, I made off into the country, and sold all, pretending to\nbe a dealer in lace myself. I came back to London in a few days,\nand paid a visit to Mr. Snow, on Ludgate-hill as one just come from\nPortsmouth, where I had landed from the West Indies; I desired him to\nshew me some handsome rings, to shew to a young lady; as I told him,\nhe put up two that I had chosen, at six and seven guineas price; he\nsent his boy with me to a tavern at Temple-bar, where on our arrival,\nI sent the boy back for two rings, that his master had forgot; he\nwent very readily his way, and I also with my booty. I pawned these\nrings to a certain man, F\u2014\u2014 Pr\u2014\u2014, near Covent-garden, for three\nguineas and a half. I have pawned a great many things with this man,\nthat I am very certain he knew to be stolen; he always received every\nthing from me without any hesitation, reluctance, or denial, although\nhe is a pretended honest man.\nI then took my horse that I had standing by Covent-garden, and rid to\nthe George at Hounslow; where sitting over a pint of wine, I resolved\nwithin myself that I would rob the first man I met. Going over the\nheath, I met with one Mr. Simpson, a dealer in lace, as he told me;\nhim I robbed of fifteen pounds in money, and his silver watch; then I\npushed off for Henley on Thames, and meeting with the master of the\nCrown inn in that town, I robbed him of a gold watch, and thirty-five\nshillings; afterwards went to Henley, had a pint of wine, and then\nreturned to London. The very next night I went out again, and near\nthe turnpike by Battle-bridge wells, I robbed two post-chaises, one\nof thirteen pounds, and the other of somewhat less; I came into town\ndirectly, put up my horse as usual by Covent-garden, and refreshed\nmyself. I then fell ill, I believe from a fall from my horse; I\nmade application to a doctor, and soon got well. I paid a visit to\nVauxhall: going over Westminster-bridge, I robbed two gentlemen of\ntheir watches, and thirty shillings in silver, which was all they\nhad, having left the remainder of their money with Mr. Tyre, at\nVauxhall. I made directly for Covent-garden, put up my horse, and lay\nat a bagnio that night: I got up the next morning early, and set out\nfor the last Ascot-heath races, where I lost a good deal of money; in\nshort the chances run against me. In returning home, I was obliged to\nleave my horse in pawn at Hounslow, being short of money.\nI turned out on Tuesday the 27th of September last, I took coach\nand paid a visit to Mrs. Dixon, a milliner, in Broad-street,\nCarnaby-market; the last and fatal place for me, and for which fact\nI am most deservedly to die. I asked her for a pair of minionet\nruffles, but at this time she not having any thing to suit me\n(though she seemed vastly desirous to serve me) for ruffles, which\nI pretended to want, she very politely begged I would come again\nthe next day; which in full expectation of bettering myself, I\ndetermined not to rob her now, which with ease I could have done,\nas she was intirely unsuspecting, and treated me with vast gentility\nand politeness; declaring, that if I would come the next day, she\nwould shew me some very fine patterns of lace and ruffles. Mrs. Dixon\nundoubtedly took me for a gentleman; and in this she was no farther\ndeceived than hundreds of people had been before her. Mrs. Dixon\ndescribed what passed betwixt us very exactly upon my trial; that\nI tossed the pieces of lace about, pretending they were not fine\nenough, as indeed, for my purpose, they were not: according to my\nold custom, I clapped my hand to my head, as if not well, and had I\nfound any lace I approved, to have taken my handkerchief out to cover\nit as usual. Mrs. Dixon asked me, if I was not well, and I answered\nher in the affirmative; and as I had been telling her before of my\nbuying ruffles in Jamaica, she said very smartly, sir, perhaps the\nair of England does not agree with you, and you may not intend to\nreturn again; to which I replied, that I certainly should, having\nnot only a ship, but other property of great consequence there; then\nI took my leave of her, promising to come on the morrow, and bring\na lady along with me: I accordingly went, and all things were ready\nfor my reception; many pieces of lace were shewn me, all of them very\nfine indeed; I fixed my eye on a genteel and well fancied piece,\nbegan to examine my handkerchief, according to art; but two pair of\neyes being too many for me, under pretence of my wanting some lace\nfor a cravat, Mrs. Dixon sent her maid out for them; I instantly\ngrasped my prize, slid it into my pocket, and went away, without\nbuying any thing. Undoubtedly Mrs. Dixon was heartily vexed, to see\nherself so dexterously slung; but however, her prudence now began to\nrouze itself; for she made use of the most probable means either to\nregain the lace, discover the thief, or both. Upon some occasions,\nit is certainly not amiss _to set a thief to catch a thief_; but be\nthat as it may, I am pretty certain, had not Mrs. Dixon taken the\nexpedient of having her lace advertised at a pawnbroker\u2019s, she would\nnever have seen thief or lace more. A pawnbroker is a most villainous\nemployment: they not only exist by griping and grinding the faces of\nthe poor, but are places of refuge for things stolen, few of them\never making enquiry how the party came by what they offer in pledge,\nand the less sum of money is demanded, the less is their desire to\nhave it redeemed, or take notice of any advertisement; on seeing any\nsuch, they can directly make away with the matters in dispute, or\nsend it amongst the Jews stolen cargoes to Holland.\nOn my marching off with Mrs. Dixon\u2019s lace, I took a chair, and went\nto Strand-Lane, not with any intention to dispose of what I had got,\nbut falling into conversation with Mrs. Davis and Mrs. Rogers, asked\nthem if I might dine there, and was answered in the affirmative,\ndischarged the chair, and dined with them on Pig; they both to me\nwere utterly unknown before. After dinner I pulled out the lace,\nshewed it to them, then pretended to be short of Money, and but just\ncome from Jamaica; I prevailed on Mrs. Rogers to go and pledge part\nof it, but not to take notice to Davis, what she was gone about. As\nsoon as she was gone, I sent Davis with the other pieces I cut of,\nwith the same injunction, not to tell the other. Though the whole of\nmy trial is in the main, true, yet with regard to the time, Davis\nwho pledged, and Brooks the pawnbroker, are both wrong; for it was\npast one o\u2019clock when I stole it, two when I got to Strand-Lane,\nand at least three, when Mrs. Rogers went out with the first, as\nshe justly swore. I mention not this by way of reflection, but that\nwitnesses should consider when upon oath, they are to speak the whole\ntruth, and in this instance it is certainly a falsehood. I made a\nmost pitiful and shuffling defence; as indeed who could do otherwise\nunder the vast load of guilt, I had to sustain, being under a stupid\ninfatuation, and certain that my race was run. I could very easily\nhave escaped or eluded the most diligent search made after me, for I\nsaw the advertisement, had information of Davis\u2019s being in custody\nfor pledging the lace, and warned if any thing was amiss, that I\nwould immediately fly, for fear of the bad consequences which might\nensue; but all this I slighted; indeed I saw destruction before me,\nyet determined to make use of no means to shun it: by the persuasion\nof a certain person who has been exceeding kind and serviceable to\nme under my troubles, I went to Goodman\u2019s-fields, stayed all night,\nreturned the next day which was Tuesday the 4th of October; on our\nreturn, I heard of the enquiry made after me at this house, by very\nsuspicious persons; however, having bought the Beggar\u2019s Opera, I\nwas determined to go, and did, to see that play this evening: after\nthe play was done, I returned to my lodging, and was told, two\nill-looking fellows had been to see for me, and that they were at an\nalehouse just by; on this intelligence, I stood some time like one\nconfounded or in a trance, and at length went into my room; where\nI had been scarce a quarter of an hour, till the constable and my\nold friend Mr. Fuller, the thief-catcher, burst the door open, and\naccosted me with, _Oh, Captain, is it you!_ then took me with my\nfriend to Covent-garden round-house, and the next day before Sir John\nFielding, who committed me to New-prison, as before mentioned: I\nsaw several of my old acquaintances about Sir John\u2019s, and some who\nhave deserved what I have met with; but they say they are now turned\nhonest, though I greatly fear it is all a sham: but I was to them\nall unknown, at least with regard to my old pranks; they did think\nI dealt on the highway, and also in horses; but my old friend Mr.\nFuller knew something of me with regard to horses, not much to his\nbenefit: how can it possibly be so to people who have any concern\nwith those of my unhappy profession?\nDuring my long course of wickedness, I never was addicted to common\nor profane swearing, to excess in eating, drunkenness, and but little\nto women; to none of these I can charge the errors of my life, my\nfaults are all my own seeking and doing, without the advice, privity,\nor solicitation of any person whatever: I never was fond of even\nconversing with thieves and robbers, though at accidental meetings\nI have met with several, who guessing I was of their profession,\nwould set forth the advantage of associates, or appearing in company\nto rob and plunder the honest and unwary part of mankind. Pallister\nand Duplex, lately executed at Coventry, who called themselves\nfamily men, and the heads of a great gang, pressed me violently\nto go on the highway with them and their companions, but all they\ncould say was in vain. I never would make use of, or indeed knew the\nflash or cant language, in which these two men were very expert.\nOf all my acquaintance, men or women, Benjamin Campbell Hamilton,\nand Mrs. Pembruge[2] were by far the worst; of the latter I have\nalready given a particular relation; but of the former I neglected\nto mention, that after his being acquitted at the Old Bailey, (my\nevidence not being sufficient against him, or his mother Catherine\nHall, in Newtoner\u2019s lane) he soon went into foot-pad and street\nrobberies, with other idle boys, committing a vast number in the\nfields and streets; he was with his companions taken, tried, and\nexecuted at Tyburn on the 16th of May, 1750, with Lewis, May, and\nGiddis, his associates, and behaved under sentence, on the way, and\nat the place of execution, with the utmost hardiness and unconcern,\nnot at all forced or constrained, but talked to the mob, and his\nfellow sufferers in the cart, with as much disengaged ease, as if\nhe had been going to a ball or merry-making, and continued so to\nwithin a few minutes of his death; for at the place of execution, his\nbehaviour was most intolerably indecent, talking and laughing aloud\nas the executioner was tying them up; making use of most scandalous\nand blasphemous expressions, at the instant of his launching into\neternity; and yet astonishing as it may seem, this active, wild and\nextravagant youth, had only lived seventeen years.\nAnd now, O Lord God Almighty, who by thy powerful hand, and\nout-stretched arm, hast for the salvation of my soul, and the benefit\nof thy creatures, (to whom I can make no other reparation, than to\nmake known to the public the injuries I have done) been pleased\nthrough a series of unexampled acts of injustice, brought me down to\nthis most deserved sentence and doom; for my benefit, and that of thy\nmost extensive mercy and goodness. Oh! that I could make recompence\nto the multitudes I have injured; but no means have I but this, by\nlaying all my crimes, as red as crimson, before the world. To thee,\nO most merciful God, I most humbly prostrate myself: grant me in\nthis world, knowledge of thy truth, and in the world to come, life\neverlasting. Amen.\nFOOTNOTES:\n[1] Warehouses or shops for the sale of European goods, are so called\nin America.\n[2] The Editor has been looking over some papers, shortly to be\npublished, in which an account is given of a woman, that in all\nrespects far out-strips Mrs. Pembruge. This creature, it seems,\nwhose preceding life had been far from good, was met with in the\nfields by a person who was vastly taken with the plausableness of her\ndemeanour, an intimacy began; she being in the utmost distress, was\nfurnished with money, wearing apparel, and lodging; was supported\nin a plentiful manner for five years, and with a house the three\nlast years, for which she received all the rent, amounting to thirty\npounds a year, besides an allowance of seven shillings per week in\nmoney; but the ingratitude, baseness and corruption of manners of\nthe wretch, can never be parallelled: sloth, sluttishness, whoredom,\ndrunkenness, and gluttony, marked all her days; one of the most\nmerciful and compassionate of men, and the kindest benefactor to\nher, was treated with every mark of ingratitude, and loaded with\nevery kind of reproach; deprived of his peace, happiness, content,\nproperty, reputation, and even an attempt made to take away his life.\nWhat will be the end of this woman, cannot be ascertained; though it\nis far from being improbable her days will be either finished on a\ndunghill, or at the gallows.\nIf there is any thing in the marks on human bodies, as the books of\nAstrology and Divination would feign, this person is assuredly\n  \u201cMark\u2019d on the back, like Cain, by God\u2019s own hand.\n  Wander, like him, accurst thro\u2019 all the land.\u201d\nBad as this mirror of her sex was, she had an ancient grey-headed\nlife guardian, for her privy-councellor, confident, and servant, yet\nfar worse than she: with this old fellow she had lived in adultery\nprevious to the acquaintance above-mentioned, which continued, as\nopportunity offered, to the time the pious old soldier assisted\nthe woman to rob her benefactor of all his property, with which\nthey retired, as to a place of refuge, among the foot-guards, and\nblack-guards, in Peter street, Westminster. This man makes vast\npretentions to religion, and a good name; yet it is plain, as the\naccount saith, he has no just pretentions to either.\n  _Maxims, Hints, and Remarks, by way of Caution to the Public, to\n  prevent or detect the Designs of Thieves and Sharpers from being\n  carried into Execution._\nI. Never place many different articles on the counter at one time;\nnor turn your back on the pretended customer, but let some other\nperson put the different articles up, whilst you are intent upon the\nbusiness before you.\nII. It is in general to be suspected if a person pulls out a\nhandkerchief, lays it down, and takes it up often, some ill is\nintended; this was my constant practice with milliners and others, in\nwhat lay in a small compass. It never failed of success.\nIII. The shopkeeper on seeing such methods as this made use of,\nshould remove the handkerchief from off their goods; which will give\nthe sharper reason to suspect his design is seen through.\nIV. It is very common at haberdashers and other shops, which deal\nin small articles, for every one that is wanted to be paid for,\nthe tradesman applies to his till for change; his eyes being fixed\nthereon, then is the time something the nearest at hand on the\ncounter is moved off.\nV. It is very easy to discover a thief or sharper from an honest\nperson; for the sharper asks for fifty things, none of which will do,\ntosses them backwards and forwards, shuffles what can conveniently be\ndone aside, and moves off with the prize, promising to come again.\nVI. Watch-makers and silver-smiths are imposed on principally thus;\nin a morning or evening the sharper, well dressed, as a sea-officer,\nwill go to their shops, look at watches, buckles, rings, &c. when a\nvariety of these are laid on the counter, if opportunity offers, the\nhandkerchief is made use of with great advantage: should that fail,\nthen the goods are ordered to a tavern, coffee-house, or private\nhouse, as best suits for ellegance or honesty; then the person is\ninstantly sent back for something omitted, whilst the prize is\nsecured, and the sharper moved off another way. Though this is an old\nand stale trick, it is amazing how successful the practitioners in it\nstill are.\nVII. Watch-makers should be extremely careful of strangers in their\nshops; as many watches are always lying on the work-board, and others\nhanging up, they should never have their eyes off the person: the\nhandkerchief is here made use of to great advantage; if the watch\nis hung up, it damps any sound or tattling that might be made, and\nscreens it intirely from the sight of the owner.\nVIII. There is something in the very aspect of a cheat and sharper,\nwhich may be easily seen through: I know from experience, he\ncontinually has his eyes fixed on the shopkeeper, or person he has\nto deal with; has his body always in motion, whether standing or\nsitting. The eye of a thief continually follows the person he intends\nto deal upon.\nIX. Dyers, scourers, and other persons, who have the property of many\nin their possession, should not let the appearance of a sharper, be\nit as genteel as it will, ever be parted with, but first by enquiring\nthe name, and looking in their books for it; and should they by\nchance hit on a name, be sure to send the things in question home\nto the owner\u2019s house yourself, or send them with necessary cautions,\nnot to part with them on any account, but to the right owner. Women\nand servants should never act on these occasions, in the absence of\nthe master; or be against sending for him from a neighbouring tavern,\ncoffee-house, &c.\nX. Pickpockets are the most easily guarded against, of any kind of\nthieves; it is people\u2019s carelessness makes so many of this kind of\nrogues; nor is there more of any kind detested than of these. Whether\nthrough pride or negligence, I cannot say, but if people will go\nwith their coats loose, a good handkerchief hanging half way out of\ntheir pocket, or the pocket flap thrust within, so that the contents,\nas pocket-books, &c. may easily be seen, and as easily taken away.\nThe fob made so wide, and the chain and seals hanging down so long,\nthat the watch will draw out as easy as water run through a pipe.\nPeople who go into crowds, or frequent the publick offices, should\nhave their pockets open on the inside of the coat, which can easily\nbe done; or else, as is customary with many, to have them on each\nside the coat, breast high; and to have a small strong strap, to\nbutton over the watch-chain, on the waistband of the breeches, will\neffectually and for ever prevent picking of pockets, and the loss of\nthings of so much value. The smaller way in cutting women\u2019s pockets,\n&c. is but little practiced now; so that warning all people to take\ncare, and be on their guard in churches and publick assemblies, and\nthey will scarce have cause to complain.\nXI. Footpads and street-robbers are neither to be guarded against,\nor prevented, in my opinion, but by the vigilance and continual care\nof the magistrates, in putting down bad houses, seizing suspected\nrobbers, and clearing the streets of whores. None of this kind of\nthieves can expect to continue in their trade above a month or six\nweeks, and the greatest part of them not half so long.\nXII. Highwaymen are also very easily detected, by the method made use\nof by Justice Fielding, for stable-keepers to fend an account to him\nof the suspected robber\u2019s horse, and a necessary description of his\nperson, especially if it answers that of the described robber. But\nthe method of thief-taking rather increase than diminish the number\nof robbers. And large rewards for taking highwaymen, &c. is certainly\nwrong, as old robbers are left unpunished, or taken, and young raw\nthieves hanged in their stead. The former are thief-makers, and who\nfurnish business for the thief-takers.\nThe preceding narrative, with the hints and remarks, are the work of\nthe unhappy sufferer himself. The Editor has been very faithful in\nadhering to the letter of the narration; and cannot help looking on\nit as the most extraordinary history of the kind, and of the greatest\nservice to the public of any thing similar to it in the whole world.\nUnhappy for me, I knew nothing of the prisoner\u2019s intentions till\nTuesday morning the 22d of November, the day before he suffered, by\none of Mr. Akerman\u2019s servants; with some difficulty I got a sight of\nthe manuscript, the reading of which filled me with amazement; and\ninstantly determined as it would be for the publick benefit for it\nto be printed, and resolved to see the prisoner, and agree with him\ndirectly; the time was short, the copy to be read over betwixt us,\nand many questions to be asked. I went into the Press-yard to him,\nwhere I found a man of a genteel appearance, a likely person, thin\nnarrow face, somewhat cloudy brow\u2019d, about five feet nine inches\nhigh, of a spare slender make, his demeanour courteous and affable,\nand his countenance, though pale, carried the vestigia not only of\nserenity but innocence. On apprizing him of my business, he said,\n\u201cSir, I know you not; but trust and hope you are an honest man: my\nintentions in the publication, is much against the inclination of\nmy relations; I do it to make all the satisfaction in my power,\nfor the numberless injuries I have done to mankind, and to pay my\nfuneral expences, the executioner, the servants and others, to whom\nI am indebted. It is worth a good deal of money, but I will leave to\nyour generosity what I am to have for it: the Ordinary has hitherto\nrefused me the Sacrament, under pretence of not being prepared, but\nin reality, to get from me an account of my life and transactions,\nfor which he would not have given me one farthing, or his charity\nextended so far towards me, as to furnish me with a little food to\nkeep soul and body together till the time of my death. That is no\npart of his business. I have been supported by a gentlewoman through\nmy imprisonment in Newgate, in a most kind and christian manner; for\nwhich I trust God will bless and reward her a thousand-fold. What\nis farther wanted concerning me, the undertaker will inform you of\nhimself, or let you know where the gentlewoman is to be found; who\nhas got some other papers concerning me, and will deliver them to\nyou.\u201d\nWe had just finished our business, when Mr. Cruden, famous for being\nthe author of a Concordance of the Sacred Scriptures, the best ever\nyet seen in the Christian world, and well known in the republic of\nletters, came into the prison, to pray with and comfort the five\nunfortunate men; who very cordially, and with great fervency, joined\nwith him in prayer: Mr. Cruden adapted his whole prayer, which was\ndelivered extempore, to their present deplorable condition, with\ngreat propriety and simplicity, to move them to a sense of their\nguilt, to a firm trust and affiance in God\u2019s mercy, and the certain\nhope and expectation, on their sincere repentance, of enjoying a\nstate of eternal bliss in the world to come, through the blood,\nmerits, and intercession of Jesus Christ, the redeemer of all\nmankind: that their state of probation here, was intended to qualify\nthem, for a much more high and happy state; and would be their own\nfault if they did not attain it. To die, was natural to all men; but\nthe time when, or place where, not worthy a wise man or a Christian\u2019s\nnotice. Then most heartily recommending them to God, and the word of\nhis grace, admonishing them to be chearful and resigned, he left them.\nHe had not been departed long, till Mr. Ordinary himself appeared;\nbut alas! what a falling off was here! Instead of his presence being\nagreeable to them, as a Christian pastor should be, they looked upon\nhim as come for nothing but his own advantage; and rather to disturb\nthem with insignificant and impertinent questions, than to take care\nof their poor souls; besides being honoured with execrations from\nsome of the bye-standers, for none but the Protestant prisoners were\nsuffered to be in Mr. Ordinary\u2019s room: Mr. Cruden, on the contrary,\ndesired all present to join with him, and left the door open all\nthe time of prayer. Speckman and Broughton had the better of master\nOrdinary, who was obliged to leave them without accomplishing the\nonly end he visited them for; who on coming out of the room, and\nperhaps smelling a rat, came up to the Editor of this narrative,\nwith an assurance and countenance that carried the _true Shannon\ndip_, asked what he came there for; and whether he wanted any thing\nwith _them there men_; in which being answered in the negative, he\nvouchsafed to stalk away, blown up with his own sufficiency and\nconsequence.\nMr. Akerman, the keeper, to his eternal honour be it said, all this\ntime was busily employed in procuring food, at his own expence, for\nthe poor naked and starving prisoners, who many of them were at the\npoint of death with the goal distemper; but the Christian reader\nwill not be frightened at this, when he is told this distemper was\nonly hunger. On parting with Mr. Speckman, he solemnly declared,\nas he trusted in God\u2019s mercies, that every part of his copy was\nstrictly true; and now being satisfied of its publication, he should\ndie without fear, and with perfect resignation. The Editor, on\nrecollecting his person, and having seen him under sentence of death\nin the beginning of the year 1751, made enquiry of the authenticity\nof many robberies, &c. here related, and has found them all true in\nevery respect.\nThe prisoner requested some person might come to him from me in the\nmorning. I requested a worthy friend to do so; who went into the\nPress-Yard, and the prisoner speedily came down; who, on putting his\nleg up to have his setters taken off, lifted up his hands and eyes\ntowards heaven, and said in a kind of extasy, _This is the finest\nMorn, that ever I have seen_. As soon as this was performed, he was\ntaken on one side to be haltered and pinioned, which he suffered to\nbe done with patience and resignation; praying with uncommon fervency\nall the time. And then going with this friend to the upper end of the\nPress-Yard, they read and prayed together for some time, and was\nthen asked if he had any thing farther to say concerning his life;\nreplied, It is all truth, but if Mr. S. finds any thing therein,\nwhich may be thought not for the public good, that may be left\nout if he pleases. At the conclusion of this he addressed himself\nto the people, requesting their prayers, for his happy entrance\ninto eternity; declaring that he deserved to die, but had great\nconsolation in his last moments; that he never had beat, ill treated,\nor murdered any one, save in one instance of the post-boy.\nThe friend was then desired to take some money out of his left\nbreeches pocket, which proved to be eight-pennyworth of half-pence,\nand to give them to one of the servants who attended on him, desiring\nhis acceptance of that and his wig, which he had ordered to be sent\nto him: Then wishing farewell to his friend, Mr. Melville a prisoner,\nand the persons about him; was led by the officer to the cart:\nwhich for the first time was hung in mourning, this added much to\nthe solemnity of the occasion. On the way to, and at the place of\nexecution, he was perfectly resigned to his irrevocable doom; and\nto the last carried himself with the greatest decency and devotion,\nin full expectation and hope of enjoying the life to come, in the\nblessed regions of eternal day.\nHis body was taken care of by his friends, put into a coach and\ncarried to an Undertaker\u2019s in Moorfields, where on searching his\npockets, there was found a prayer copied by him from a printed one,\ntwo farthings, half a walnut-shell, into which was thrust a long\nnarrow slip of paper, on which he had wrote, \u201c_I beg of you to\nlet your trust be in God, for there is your trust, and in no man\nliving_;\u201d intending it for the young woman before mentioned. His\nbody was decently interred on Sunday evening the 27th of November,\nin Tindall\u2019s Burying-ground, Bunhill-fields; aged 29 years: and the\nservice of the church of England, at his own request when living, was\nthere performed.\nSince writing the above, I have seen the Ordinary\u2019s Account of\nSpeckman and the other criminals, and that he hath given what he\ncalls the Life of Speckman; which if the reader will give himself\nthe trouble of perusing, he will find nothing but absurdity and\ncontradiction; and that the unhappy man, at the instant of his\nbeing turned off, told him was nothing but deceit, asked Master\nOrdinary forgiveness, whose truly Christian disposition was on this\nimminent occasion pleased to comply, and pray for the sufferer. This\nundoubtedly is a laudable act, though the Ordinary did no more than\nhis duty, which I hope he\u2019ll not think too much for him, to make his\nonly rule and guide for the time to come: as a pastor of such a flock\nhe hath much to do, and his constant presence and residence as near\nthe scene of action as the keeper; the necessity and obligation of\ntaking care of the souls of the prisoners, should go hand in hand\nwith that of the care of their bodies.\nSuch a wretched paper as the public is drenched with every execution,\nit is hoped they will be no more bothered with, but if that should\nbe the case, it is confounded hard to pay six-pence for two sheets\nof whited brown paper rubbed over in a very slovenly manner, but\nthe writing itself is truly inimitable, none but himself can be his\nparallel; finally, should it ever fall in Mr. Ordinary\u2019s way, to find\nany of his brother pastors neglecting their duty, he will recommend\nto them the following spirited admonition of a most famous poet on\noccasion of the corrupted state of our national clergy, and under\nthe similitude of a shepherd; which cannot fail of bringing them back\nto their original purity and usefulness.\n    \u201cOf other care they little reckoning make,\n  Than how to scramble at the shearers feast,\n  And shove away the worthy bidden guest;\n  Blind mouths! that scarce themselves know how to hold\n  A sheep-hook, or have learn\u2019d aught else the least\n  That to the faithful herdman\u2019s art belongs!\n  What recks it them? what need they? they are sped;\n  And when they lift their lean and flashy songs,\n  Grate on their scrannel pipes of wretched straw;\n  The hungry sheep look up, but are not fed,\n  But swol\u2019n with wind, and the rank mist they draw,\n  Rot inwardly and foul contagion spread;\n  But that two handed engine at the door,\n  Stands ready to smite once, and smite no more.\u201d\nFINIS.\n  Transcriber\u2019s Notes\n  pg 13 Changed: he was sitting in the parlour, sombody came in\n             to: he was sitting in the parlour, somebody came in\n  pg 13 Changed: there was a watch stolen, so stoped\n             to: there was a watch stolen, so stopped\n  pg 15 Changed: for several days and nights; aad\n             to: for several days and nights; and\n  pg 18 Changed: I dared to continue any intercouse\n             to: I dared to continue any intercourse\n  pg 19 Changed: my commiting such a rash action\n             to: my committing such a rash action\n  pg 26 Changed: credit every where; but being disatisfied\n             to: credit every where; but being dissatisfied\n  pg 27 Changed: about thirty miles from the the places\n             to: about thirty miles from the places\n  pg 30 Changed: till my money was all exausted\n             to: till my money was all exhausted\n  pg 32 Changed: the the milliners and others\n             to: the milliners and others\n  pg 34 Changed: I went to a miliner\u2019s\n             to: I went to a milliner\u2019s\n  pg 38 Changed: meeting with the master of the the Crown inn\n             to: meeting with the master of the Crown inn\n  pg 39 Changed: I answered her in the affirmitive\n             to: I answered her in the affirmative\n  pg 41 Changed: by the persuation of a certain person\n             to: by the persuasion of a certain person\n  This book uses goal instead of gaol throughout.", "source_dataset": "gutenberg", "source_dataset_detailed": "gutenberg -  The life, travels, exploits, frauds and robberies of Charles\n"},
{"created_timestamp": "01-31-1743", "downloaded_timestamp": "10-18-2021", "url": "https://founders.archives.gov/API/docdata/Franklin/01-02-02-0090", "content": "Title: Articles of the Union Fire Company, 31 January 1743\nFrom: Franklin, Benjamin\nTo: \nThe Union Fire Company\u2019s Articles of Agreement of January 31, 1743, are substantially the same as those of 1736 (see above, pp. 150\u20133), and will not be printed here in full. There are, however, three noteworthy differences. Article I increased the required equipment for each member from two leather buckets and four linen bags for salvage to six buckets, four bags, and \u201cone convenient Fire hook.\u201d Article VII raised the membership from 25 to 30. Article IV prescribed in considerably more detail the procedure to be followed in case of an alarm of fire, and also obligated members to respond to a fire in any part of the city, regardless of whose house was endangered. The text of this article follows:\n\u201cIV That we will all of us, upon hearing of Fire breaking out, immediately repair to the same with our Buckets, Bags and Fire hooks and there employ our best Endeavours to preserve the Goods and Effects of such of us as shall be in Danger, by packing the same in our Bags; and if more than one of us shall be in Danger at the same Time, we will divide our selves as near as may be to be equally helpful; and such of us as may be spared shall assist others. And to prevent as much as in us lies, suspicious persons from coming into, or carrying any Goods out of such Houses as may be in Danger; Two of our Number shall constantly attend at the Doors, untill all the Goods and Effects that can be saved, are packed up and carried to some safe place to be appointed by the Owner, or such of our Company as shall be present, where one or more of us shall attend them \u2019till they can be conveniently delivered to or secured for the Owner. And upon our first hearing the Cry of Fire in the Night-time we will immediately cause two or more Lights to be set up in our Windows; and such of our Company whose Houses may be thought in Danger shall likewise place Candles in every Room, to prevent Confusion, and that their Friends may be able to give them the more speedy and effectual Assistance. And, moreover, as this Association is intended for a general Benefit, we do further agree, that when a Fire breaks out in any part of this City, though none of our Houses Goods or Effects may be in any apparent Danger, we will nevertheless repair thither with our Buckets, Bags and Fire Hooks, and give our utmost Assistance to such of our Fellow Citizens as may stand in need of it, in the same Manner as if they belonged to this Company: And if it shall appear at the next meeting of the Company after the breaking out of any Fire in this City, that any of our Members neglected to attend, with their Buckets, Bags and Fire hooks, or set up Lights as aforesaid, every such neglecting Member shall forfeit and pay to the use of the Company the sum of Two Shillings; unless they can assign some reasonable Cause to the Satisfaction of the Company.\u201d\nThe following twenty-one signers of the Articles of 1736 also signed the Articles of 1743: Samuel Coates, John Armitt, Benjamin Shoemaker, Hugh Roberts, BF, Philip Syng, William Parsons, Richard Sewell, James Morris, Stephen Armitt, William Plumsted, John Dillwyn, John Cooper, Edward Shippen, Lloyd Zachary, Samuel Powel, Jr., Thomas Lloyd, George Emlen, Thomas Lawrence, William Bell, and Joseph Turner. Others who completed the initial group of thirty signers of 1743 were: Charles Norris, Reese Meredith, Samuel Neave, William Logan, Samuel Morris, John Bard, Charles Jones, Peter Bard, and Luke Morris. As each of the original subscribers died or resigned, his name was struck through and another was elected in his place, he signing the articles as others had done, either below their names or, when that page was filled, on another page of the ms Minute Book.", "culture": "English", "source_dataset": "Pile_of_Law", "source_dataset_detailed": "Pile_of_Law_founding_docs", "source_dataset_detailed_explanation": "Letters from U.S. founders.", "creation_year": 1743},
{"created_timestamp": "04-01-1743", "downloaded_timestamp": "10-18-2021", "url": "https://founders.archives.gov/API/docdata/Franklin/01-02-02-0091", "content": "Title: Distribution of the Mail, April 1743\nFrom: Franklin, Benjamin\nTo: \nThis document obviously belongs to the period of Franklin\u2019s Philadelphia postmastership, 1737\u201353. The date 1743 is tentatively ascribed on the basis of a marginal note that the John, Captain Mesnard, for New York arrived at Deal on February 10. Stephen Mesnard was captain of the Britannia sailing between New York and England in 1740\u201341, and of the Charming Hannah on the same run in 1742. The New-York Weekly Journal, Nov. 8, 1742, reports that the John, Captain S. Mesnard, has cleared New York for London; it reports May 2, 1743, that Captain Mesnard has cleared New York in the Carolina (the vessel of which he was master for the next eight or ten years). It does not report the return of the John, but unless she was lost and her captain rescued, she must have returned in April 1743, which she could have done if she was at Deal waiting to enter the Channel February 10. So while the dating of 1743 for this fragment is plausible and may even be sound, it is not conclusive. Further research on the movements of the John may provide evidence which the present editors have sought in vain.\nIt is only negatively relevant that other Johns, smaller than ship-size, are reported entering and clearing New York in the 1740\u2019s; that a Captain William Mesnard was sailing between New York and the West Indies in the same decade; and that a John, which may have been Stephen Mesnard\u2019s old command, is noted in the New-York Gazette, Nov. 5, 1750, but now under Captain Deane.\nTo accept the 1743 date suggests, however, that Franklin\u2019s proposal for a more orderly distribution of ship\u2019s mail was never adopted. At least Peter Kalm reported in 1748 how, as soon as the vessel dropped anchor, \u201cmany of the inhabitants came on board to inquire for letters. They took all those which they could carry, either for themselves or for their friends. Those which remained the captain ordered to be carried on shore and to be brought into a coffee-house, where everybody could make inquiry for them, and by this means he was rid of the trouble of delivering them himself.\u201d Kalm, Travels, I, 16. This passage can, of course, be cited as evidence for dating the document after 1748.\nPhilada. April [1743]\nWhereas it has been customary for Numbers of People to croud on board Vessels newly arrived in this Port, and into the Houses of the Captains, or Merchants to whom the same belong or are consigned, in quest of Letters, Packets, &c. and under Pretence of taking care of the Letters of their Acquaintance dividing the whole Bag among themselves in a disorderly Manner, and in such Hurry and Confusion that it cannot afterwards be known by whom any Letter that is missing was taken up, and evil-minded Persons have made use of such Opportunities to pocket and embezle Letters of consequence, and either destroy them or delay the Delivery a long time, to the great Damage and Injury of those to whom they were directed; And whereas there is a regular Post-Office in this Place establish\u2019d by Act of Parliament, which is for the Benefit of Correspondence in General, and ought therefore by no Means to be discouraged; We the Subscribers hereunto taking the Premises into Consideration, and being willing that the Office should be encouraged, and that the Captains of Vessels should have the Benefit of the Bounty allowed by Law on delivering the Letters they bring into the Office, do hereby desire all Persons Masters of Vessels and others, to put all Letters they may have for us immediately into the Post Office, or deliver them to such Persons as the Postmaster shall send on board for them; and we declare that we shall not take their so doing in the least amiss, but look on our selves more oblig\u2019d by their taking that Method than by their delivering our Letters in any other Manner whatsoever.\n  [In the margin:] The John, Capt. Mesnard for N. York arrived at Deal the 10th of February.", "culture": "English", "source_dataset": "Pile_of_Law", "source_dataset_detailed": "Pile_of_Law_founding_docs", "source_dataset_detailed_explanation": "Letters from U.S. founders.", "creation_year": 1743},
{"created_timestamp": "05-14-1743", "downloaded_timestamp": "10-18-2021", "url": "https://founders.archives.gov/API/docdata/Franklin/01-02-02-0092", "content": "Title: A Proposal for Promoting Useful Knowledge, 14 May 1743\nFrom: Franklin, Benjamin\nTo: \nA proposal Franklin drafted in 1743 to found an academy in Philadelphia, he wrote in his autobiography, came to nothing and was laid aside. \u201cI succeeded better the next Year, 1744, in proposing and establishing a Philosophical Society.\u201d Franklin did take a leading part in founding this Society, but the implications that it was his idea and that the Society flourished are not fully supported by the facts.\nThe botanist John Bartram seems to have been the first in Philadelphia to propose a learned society. He had been corresponding for a decade with naturalists like Gronovius, Mark Catesby, and Sir Hans Sloane in Europe and Cadwallader Colden, John Clayton, and John Mitchell in America. Of all the Philadelphia philosophers, except James Logan, he was probably the best known beyond his own city. Early in 1739 he asked Peter Collinson\u2019s advice about the formation of a society or even an academy where \u201cmost ingenious and curious men\u201d might communicate knowledge of \u201cnatural secrets arts and syances.\u201d Collinson realized that there were not yet enough learned men in Philadelphia\u2014Bartram had admitted as much\u2014and pointed out that \u201cto draw learned strangers to you, to teach sciences, requires salaries and good encouragement,\u201d which were lacking. Meanwhile, he observed, the Library offered many of the advantages of an academy. Bartram, discouraged, seems to have done no more for several years, but in 1743, with Franklin, whose interest in scientific matters was growing, he took the matter up again. Franklin now wrote a proposal for a learned society which embodied both Bartram\u2019s ideas and his own.\nThe immediate response was encouraging. Colden\u2019s warm approval determined Franklin \u201cto proceed in the Affair very soon.\u201d The Society was organized, probably early in 1744. By March 27, when Bartram sent Colden \u201cone of our proposals,\u201d there had been three meetings. Several persons from neighboring provinces were elected to membership; others expressed interest; and a few, in response to the Proposal\u2019s invitation, sent scientific papers. Only James Logan held aloof. \u201cI tould Benjamin that I believed he [Logan] would not incourage it,\u201d Bartram explained to Colden; \u201cwe should have been pleased with his name at the top of our List, as his person in our meetings. However we resolved that his not favouring the design should not hinder our attempt and if he would not go along with us we would Jog along without him.\u201d\n  Stout words were not enough. The first enthusiasm soon passed off. \u201cThe Members of our Society here are very idle Gentlemen,\u201d Franklin complained to Colden, August 15, 1745; \u201cthey will take no  Pains.\u201d Colden commented later that if some had been lazy, others were \u201ctoo officious.\u201d In October Bartram, Franklin, and Thomas Bond were talking of \u201ccarrying it on with more dilligence than ever which we may very easily do if we could but exchange the time that is spent in the Club, Chess and Coffee House for the Curious amusements of natural observations.\u201d The Society was already moribund by the time Bartram began receiving inquiries about it from his European friends.\nBut Franklin did not give up easily. He jumped at Colden\u2019s suggestion of publishing an American philosophical miscellany which would include the papers that had been submitted to the Society and others which such a periodical might be expected to attract. These plans, also, came to nothing. Franklin was still clinging to the idea of a learned society in 1751 when he solicited Collinson\u2019s influence to get him the office of deputy postmaster general for America: one of the beneficial results of his appointment to that post, he pointed out, was that it \u201cwould enable me to execute a Scheme long since form\u2019d, of which I send you enclos\u2019d a Copy, and which I hope would soon produce something agreeable to you and to all Lovers of Useful Knowledge.\u201d\nA PROPOSAL for Promoting Useful Knowledge among the British Plantations in America.\nPhiladelphia, May 14, 1743.\nThe English are possess\u2019d of a long Tract of Continent, from Nova Scotia to Georgia, extending North and South thro\u2019 different Climates, having different Soils, producing different Plants, Mines and Minerals, and capable of different Improvements, Manufactures, &c.\nThe first Drudgery of Settling new Colonies, which confines the Attention of People to mere Necessaries, is now pretty well over; and there are many in every Province in Circumstances that set them at Ease, and afford Leisure to cultivate the finer Arts, and improve the common Stock of Knowledge. To such of these who are Men of Speculation, many Hints must from time to time arise, many Observations occur, which if well-examined, pursued and improved, might produce Discoveries to the Advantage of some or all of the British Plantations, or to the Benefit of Mankind in general.\nBut as from the Extent of the Country such Persons are widely separated, and seldom can see and converse or be acquainted with each other, so that many useful Particulars remain uncommunicated, die with the Discoverers, and are lost to Mankind; it is, to remedy this Inconvenience for the future, proposed,\nThat One Society be formed of Virtuosi or ingenious Men residing in the several Colonies, to be called The American Philosophical Society; who are to maintain a constant Correspondence.\nThat Philadelphia being the City nearest the Centre of the Continent-Colonies, communicating with all of them northward and southward by Post, and with all the Islands by Sea, and having the Advantage of a good growing Library, be the Centre of the Society.\nThat at Philadelphia there be always at least seven Members, viz. a Physician, a Botanist, a Mathematician, a Chemist, a Mechanician, a Geographer, and a general Natural Philosopher, besides a President, Treasurer and Secretary.\nThat these Members meet once a Month, or oftner, at their own Expence, to communicate to each other their Observations, Experiments, &c. to receive, read and consider such Letters, Communications, or Queries as shall be sent from distant Members; to direct the Dispersing of Copies of such Communications as are valuable, to other distant Members, in order to procure their Sentiments thereupon, &c.\nThat the Subjects of the Correspondence be, All new-discovered Plants, Herbs, Trees, Roots, &c. their Virtues, Uses, &c. Methods of Propagating them, and making such as are useful, but particular to some Plantations, more general. Improvements of vegetable Juices, as Cyders, Wines, &c. New Methods of Curing or Preventing Diseases. All new-discovered Fossils in different Countries, as Mines, Minerals, Quarries, &c. New and useful Improvements in any Branch of Mathematicks. New Discoveries in Chemistry, such as Improvements in Distillation, Brewing, Assaying of Ores, &c. New Mechanical Inventions for saving Labour; as Mills, Carriages, &c. and for Raising and Conveying of Water, Draining of Meadows, &c. All new Arts, Trades, Manufactures, &c. that may be proposed or thought of. Surveys, Maps and Charts of particular Parts of the Sea-coasts, or Inland Countries; Course and Junction of Rivers and great Roads, Situation of Lakes and Mountains, Nature of the Soil and Productions, &c. New Methods of Improving the Breed of useful Animals, Introducing other Sorts from foreign Countries. New Improvements in Planting, Gardening, Clearing Land, &c. And all philosophical Experiments that let Light into the Nature of Things, tend to increase the Power of Man over Matter, and multiply the Conveniencies or Pleasures of Life.\nThat a Correspondence already begun by some intended Members, shall be kept up by this Society with the Royal Society of London, and with the Dublin Society.\nThat every Member shall have Abstracts sent him Quarterly, of every Thing valuable communicated to the Society\u2019s Secretary at Philadelphia; free of all Charge except the Yearly Payment hereafter mentioned.\nThat by Permission of the Postmaster-General, such Communications pass between the Secretary of the Society and the Members, Postage-free.\nThat for defraying the Expence of such Experiments as the Society shall judge proper to cause to be made, and other contingent Charges for the common Good, every Member send a Piece of Eight per Annum to the Treasurer, at Philadelphia, to form a Common Stock, to be disburs\u2019d by Order of the President with the Consent of the Majority of the Members that can conveniently be consulted thereupon, to such Persons and Places where and by whom the Experiments are to be made, and otherwise as there shall be Occasion; of which Disbursements an exact Account shall be kept, and communicated yearly to every Member.\nThat at the first Meetings of the Members at Philadelphia, such Rules be formed for Regulating their Meetings and Transactions for the General Benefit, as shall be convenient and necessary; to be afterwards changed and improv\u2019d as there shall be Occasion, wherein due Regard is to be had to the Advice of distant Members.\nThat at the End of every Year, Collections be made and printed, of such Experiments, Discoveries, Improvements, &c. as may be thought of publick Advantage: And that every Member have a Copy sent him.\nThat the Business and Duty of the Secretary be, To receive all Letters intended for the Society, and lay them before the President and Members at their Meetings; to abstract, correct and methodize such Papers, &c. as require it, and as he shall be directed to do by the President, after they have been considered, debated and digested in the Society; to enter Copies thereof in the Society\u2019s Books, and make out Copies for distant Members; to answer their Letters by Direction of the President, and keep Records of all material Transactions of the Society, &c.\nBenjamin Franklin, the Writer of this Proposal, offers himself to serve the Society as their Secretary, \u2019till they shall be provided with one more capable.", "culture": "English", "source_dataset": "Pile_of_Law", "source_dataset_detailed": "Pile_of_Law_founding_docs", "source_dataset_detailed_explanation": "Letters from U.S. founders.", "creation_year": 1743},
{"created_timestamp": "07-10-1743", "downloaded_timestamp": "10-18-2021", "url": "https://founders.archives.gov/API/docdata/Franklin/01-02-02-0094", "content": "Title: From Benjamin Franklin to William Strahan, 10 July 1743\nFrom: Franklin, Benjamin\nTo: Strahan, William\nSir\nPhilada. July 10. 1743\nMr. Read has communicated to me part of a Letter from you, recommending a young Man whom you would be glad to see in better Business than that of a Journeyman Printer. I have already three Printing-Houses in three different Colonies, and purpose to set up a fourth if I can meet with a proper Person to manage it, having all Materials ready for that purpose. If the young Man will venture over hither, that I may see and be acquainted with him, we can treat about the Affair, and I make no doubt but he will think my Proposals reasonable; If we should not agree, I promise him however a Twelvemonths Good Work, and to defray his Passage back if he enclines to return to England. I am Sir, Your humble Servant unknown\nB Franklin\n Addressed: To \u2002Mr Wm Strahan \u2002London", "culture": "English", "source_dataset": "Pile_of_Law", "source_dataset_detailed": "Pile_of_Law_founding_docs", "source_dataset_detailed_explanation": "Letters from U.S. founders.", "creation_year": 1743},
{"created_timestamp": "10-01-1743", "downloaded_timestamp": "10-18-2021", "url": "https://founders.archives.gov/API/docdata/Franklin/01-02-02-0096", "content": "Title: To Benjamin Franklin from Cadwallader Colden, [October 1743]\nFrom: Colden, Cadwallader\nTo: Franklin, Benjamin\nSir\n[October 1743]\nEver since I had the Pleasure of a Conversation with you tho very short by our accedental Meeting on the Road I have been very desirous to engage you in a Correspondence. You was pleas\u2019d to take some notice of a Method of Printing which I mentioned to you at that time and to think it practicable. I have no further concern for it than as it may be usefull to the publick. My reasons for thinking so you will find in the inclosed Copy of a Paper which I last year sent to Mr. Collinson in London. Perhaps my fondness for my own Conceptions may make me think more of it than it deserves and may make me Jealous that the Common Printers are willing to discourage out of private Interest any Discovery of this sort. But as you have given me reason to think you Zealous in promoting every usefull attempt you will be able absolutely to determine my Opinion of it. I long very much to hear what you have done in your scheme of erecting a society at Philadelphia for promoting of usefull Arts and Sciences in America. If you think any thing in my power whereby I can promote so usefull an undertaking I will with much pleasure receive your Instructions for that end. As my son Cadwallader bears this I thereby think my self secured of the pleasure of a Line from you by him.", "culture": "English", "source_dataset": "Pile_of_Law", "source_dataset_detailed": "Pile_of_Law_founding_docs", "source_dataset_detailed_explanation": "Letters from U.S. founders.", "creation_year": 1743},
{"created_timestamp": "12-01-1743", "downloaded_timestamp": "10-18-2021", "url": "https://founders.archives.gov/API/docdata/Franklin/01-02-02-0098", "content": "Title: Bill from Alexander Annand, [December 1743]\nFrom: Annand, Alexander\nTo: Franklin, Benjamin\nMr Benjamin Franklin to Alexr Annand Dr\nTo James and William Franklins Schooling from Decr 12th 1738 [to] Decr 1739\nTo Wms Do from Decr 12th 1739 to Decr 1743\nTo firing \u00a31 2s.\nTo Ovids Epistles 3s.\nTo Stirlings Cato 2s.\nTo Corderius 2s. 6d.\nTo Stirlings Rhetorick 1s.\nTo Ovids Metamorph: with Min: Notes\nTo Clarks \u00c6sops Fables 2s. 6d.\n Endorsed: Mr Franklins Acct 1738[?]", "culture": "English", "source_dataset": "Pile_of_Law", "source_dataset_detailed": "Pile_of_Law_founding_docs", "source_dataset_detailed_explanation": "Letters from U.S. founders.", "creation_year": 1743}
]