The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1804-07-18 00:00:00

i

FOREION INTELLIGENCE.

PARIS, JULY
They write from Guldaloupe, that the number of
French citizens murdered up to the cOth of April,
by Dessalines, at St. Domingo, amounted to 20,000,
including women and children.. Forty Americans,
and six Irishmen, settled at the Cape and at Port-au.
prince, have, with their families, shared the same
toe with the French. Twelve Spaniards, two
Danes, and one Swede, who had lately settled there,
had first been ransomed, and were to have their
lives soared, upon giving up all their property ; but
another party of blacks, who had no share in this
booty, murdered them within two days after they
bad been [hindered. It is said that Dessalines in-
tends, under pain of death, to forbid any black
women to cohabit with white men; and the same
punts .
• t is reserved for negroes, who marry, or
hmer •
take for mistresses, white women. Dessalines has
coined both gold and silver money, with his head
en it ; and when a sufficient quantity is issued, the
rircalation of all other coin; in the island is to
cease. By an ordinance of the 2cl of April, he pro.
under pain of death, the circulation of any
money with the head of Bonaparte ; and every per-
son, who possesses such pieces, is to deliver them up
before the 20th of the same month, under pain
cf death. By another publication of the same day,
be institutes a Legion of Honour, to consist of 5000
men. All the officers, to the rank of a chief of bat-
talion, arc members of it ; and, of his body guard,
flee hundred picked men are to have the same ho-
nours. In their oath, they are to swear eternal
hatred to Bonaparte and to the French." This is a
measure by which he intends to attach to hinvelf
the negro army, divided between hint and Chris-
tophe, whom he appointed the first grand officer of
the Legion of Honour. This is mentioned as a fafb,
that great distress is felt in all offices of Dessalines's
government, for want of men of talents ; and that
such a confusion reigns in his finances, that when
once the value of the property plundered from the
whites is expended, he will be obliged either to dis-
band his army, or to expose himself to its mutiny for
want of pay.—(Journal des Definieurr.)
Letters from Holland speak highly of the im-
provements in the defence of the Dutch coast, ex-
ecuted according to the orders of General Marmont ;
and it France has an iron frontier, thanks to his ta-
hats and zeal. North Holland is an iron coast,
which may defy an attack from the whole united
navy of Great Britain. On the different points of
the Helder and in the Texel are no less than eighty
batteries, containing 500 pieces of heavy artillery,
of a form and calibre after the improved Frenc..
model, able to carry their bans at least COO feet
farther than the old ones. These batteries are most-
ly defended by French artillerymen, though he
Dutch gunners, by the instrndion of French officers,
are become almost as perfefL as their masters. A
laudable emulation subsists between the troui cf the
two nations encamped near Utrecht. Lately Ge-
neral Marmont gave three prizes to the best shot
fired at a mark by 50 French and 50 Dutch artil.
lerymen. The former won two of these prizes and
the latter one, though, upon the whole, the latter
struck the target most frequently.
The Emperor has decreed new uniforms for
the sailors, composing the crews of our fleets and
flotillas. They are in future to be dressed in blue
jackets, in the manner and of the cut of those of
dragoons; red waistcoats, with gilt buttons; blue
cloth pantaloons for Europe, but blue Nankin for
the East and West Indies. They are to wear red
stockings of wool in Europe, but of cotton in the
other parts of the world. Their shoes are to be
pointed, with round buckles ; and their hair to be
cropped, without powder. They are to change
their shirts three times in the week, and each sailor
is to have three shirts, one white and two coloured
ones. When on shore, they are to wear small
tacked hats ; but, when on board, except the fore-
castle men, the other may wear round hats. Their
night-caps arc to be red, and washed once in the
week. Their neck-cloths are to be, for full dress, of
black silk ; but otherwise, of cotton, dyed black.
loh man is to have two night caps and two neck-
r.o:iis. Besides a boarding-axe, each sailor is to be
at/fled with one short sword, a dagger, and two
,pistols; small enough to be placed in the pockets of
their trowsers. Eath man is allowed two pipes in
the week, and half a pound of tobacco for chewing ;
and a quarter of a pound for smoaking, if the com-
manders think the latter may be permitted without
longer. When at anchor, they are to bathe morn-
ing and night, for half an hour each tine; when at
lea, they are to wash the bodies all over twice
a:week. They are to comb out their hair three
tAtes in the week, and to be shaved once every
Llr days. When in Europe, thoy are, for exercise,
t: dance for an hour every Sunday ; but, when in
elm climates, for half an hour every second day.
MI art. to avoid scorbut'_ complaints, to wash
their mantles twice in the week with vinegar, and
'We Wary .day with fresh water.—(Jearrnel de Paris.)

rola aßcurr.

HERTIORD, MY 16.
This day the Home Circuit commenced at this
town, before the CHIEF BARON and Mr. Baron
HOTHAM. The Learned Judges arrived in town
about twelve o'clock, and immediately opened their
Commission, and went to church. Returning from
thence, they proceeded to business.
These Assizes in general do not furnish much
matter, as, from their vicinity to London, all anions,
which are not local, are in general tried in the me-
tropolis ; but at this moment they are more than
usually defeCtive in interest. There being but five
causes entered on the Civil side, of which three only
were tried. On the Crown side there were only two
indi,lments.

CIVIL SIDL.

Before the LORD CHIER BARQW.

TILL E. CADDELL.

Mr. Gaewow stated, that this was an aftion
brought against the Defendant, who was a mere no-
minal Defendant, being a Messenger of the Com-
missioners of Bankrupts, to try a question of bank-
ruptcy. The Plaintiff was a most respeflable man,
the Master of an Academy at Penton►ille, who for-
merly had under his care a young man of the mime
of Pollard. To this young man he becam • very
much attached, and aded towards him with a friend-
ship very uncommon to be found. He lent him
above 1,3001. with which the young man took two
farms in this county, one called Organ's Farm, and
the other Tikewater. As a security, he took a bond
and warrant of Attorney. Finding that he was like-
ly to lose his money, unless he put his security in
execution, he entered up judgment, and sued out a
writ of Fieri Fariat. His former pupil and his
friends immediately set their heads together, to de-
feat his remedy, and the plan they hit upon was t
trump up a bankruptcy, whic:i should over-reach
his title. The Learned Counsel admitted, that if a
fair aft of bankruptcy was committed, prior to the
execution of the Plaintiff; that, however hard it
might be, his client must lose his remedy, and come
in pari passe, with inh...r creditors. The anion, as he
had before stated, wa. fz,r a trespass, by the Messen-
ger of Bankruptcy seizing these goods, which the
Plaintiff had before taken possession of, under his
writ of Fief? Ferias. Is was for the other side to
prove the aft of bankruptcy ; he should only, in the
first instance, prove their seizure.

The Under Sheriff of the county proved, that the
gnosis of Pollard were taken in execution, at the suit
of the Plaintiff', on the 27th of February last. It
WAS also proved, that the present Defendant had
entered as Messenger of the Commissioners ot Bank-
rupts.
Mr. Serjeant Sitter n, for the Defeldant,
stated. that although i• n,ght he a hard case on the
Plaintiff, yet, if Poll . id become a bankrupt pre-
vious to his execia; being levied, Lc must only
share with the other creditors H,• admitted, that
Pollard, as a farmer, e ild not he liable to .he Bank-
rupt Laws ; it ',sides being a farmer, he also
dealt in o her art'.: and in any degree sought his
living therelfy, ahe became liable to those laws.
He should pi e, in the present caw, that Pollard
dealt in ha- ,d cattle, not as a farmer, for the as,:
of his ov. . ;arm, but also as a jobber ; and he ..!1 ;Aid
prove, that he had been guilty of a most triequivo-
cal ad of bankruptcy ; for, besides his farm, he held
a place in the Custom-house, and a brother clerk
would prove, that he was frequently denied to his
creditors. These faits, he said, would entitle him
to a •erdi&.

The commission of bankruptcy was put in and
read. It was dated May 3, I ,30$ It was founded
on a joint debt of a Mrs. Wood, the aunt of Pollard,
Edwards and Co. brewers, in Gray's Inn-lane, and
Whitby and Co. coal merchants.
To prove Mrs. Wood's debt, D. Watson. an up-
holder in Parliament-street, was called, who proved
that he appraised goods from Mrs. %Wail to Pollard,
at a house in Pentonville,
_ on the 11th of December
1798, at the sum of 1411. 13s.
Clerks in the other two creditors' houses proved
their respeaive debts, so as to make up the joint
debt more than COOL as required by the Bankrupt
Aas.
To prove the trading, Pollard's father was called:
he stated, that his son bad purchased hay at three
several times, which he had converted into chaff,
and sold at the London markets; that he had bought
beasts and sheep to sell again ; that he had once
bought coals, which he sold again.
On cross-examination, he admitted that he was an
uncertificated bankrupt; that the coals were sold to
Pollard's brother-in-law, who was also an uncertifi-
cated bankrupt ; and that psrt of the cattle were
sheep, which were kept on the farm till they lambed,
before they were sold.
Harvey, a clerk in the Custom-house, proved,
that Pollard bad denied himself to sever it creditors.
Mr. G ARROW, in reply, insisted that the whole of
this Bankruptcy was a fraudulent scheme to defeat
the Plaintiff of his remedy, and described Pollard as
born in insolvency and bred in bankruptcy, and that
' this trio of bar krapts had combined to cheat the
poor honest seloolmaster.
The Learned Judge summed up the evidence, and
left it to the Jury to determine upon the litioning
creditors debt and the stets of trading. Verdi. for
the Plaintiff.