The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-05-12 00:00:00

CASE or GEORGE CROOKE.

Sir lin ANcl5 HURDaTT ►aid, hr rose to draw the atten-
tion of the House to a Petition of • person of the mime of
George Crooke, late a seaman ono board one of Iris :Majesty's
ships, complaining of severe oppression. Thr allegations
contained its the Petition called into opontinsi the emotion
of a veil/ gallant Officer in the naval service, and, at the
same time, disclosed circumstances which were sof infinite
importance to the eights and interests of every man iu *lw
navy—since all those who were amounted with that service,
were liable to receive the same ...4acriplion of treatment as
that of whids the ... er eonoulained, soilless hr macooted
taloa sr. Ile had the Petition for alllllr time in his hands,
and womb) love mccento it it onnrh mower, but be was
desirous, in She first instance, to have same roma-nation
with Sir William lloste, the gallant (officer Si, wloolisi it
oeferred—but lie understood that lie was out of the king.
dum, and was suit expected to return fur some tins?. The
statement of the Petitioner lay in a very morrow tonspass,
although the tweak which it contained were of the most into
port ant Haute. He conceived it sight to state., that having
hail mush, conversation with the Prliliatirr, she impressiuto
ion his mind was, that lie was nut a isrrsiiii of bad charnel,"
—a cooirloisioss which was bane out by she certificates of
several respectalole srdividuals, under some of whom he had
.reed in the navy, who spoke of him ■s a carrell and well-
beam( slits 111; 11111; whatever the character of the individual
might be, atwitter gourd or 1144; it had inolutsg to du wills
the justice of the came, lie staled, this, witlriul wry
elm Kr beisog exhibited against 111111; he as. Cl-111111111.11 on Ward
the .//siliar, the slap in which be was analog, for five or
six wet lis—and that, alien the staid touched at Malta, lie
was ordered to naive sic 'loam of la..hes by Sir W. 1.1,5.1 e,
without suns C:tourt Martial beaux been held on him. After
this, lie sail another man wereput ashore, and left to ►hilt
for tbrioselvo sas th. y could. It ass worthy of consiolora
Hoes, that the Petitioner was a pressed mass--and, having
served furs eunsiderilde time, pay and prise-inuory wese
sloe to him, to the summit of 560/ colon he was forcibly ,
driven from She Milli, aid marl:ell in the monks as a &seeder,
whirls desisted his claim to that *hi( belied fairly earned.
Whatever his fault might have hero, it was ext►emely hard
that Le ►lsould be deprived of his wages. Ile understood it-
was a general a isle, where a seanow deli...sled from the IletWieV,
to stop his pay soil priaeomustry. It appeared to hint to lea
very severe role, that • Slap, 11/110 had beeso tweed into the
service, and had remained there for tummy years, should he de.
'Hived of the y he had earned, because be left his ship
without leave. The t'rtitioar►, howrver, slated that he did
net desert, but was sent from the ship. fits %bat gnsund,
then, could his pay and prose.moury be witlitstal, as it was
at she prem.nt moment' It was souse years suite these eta
cuoistanen escrowed, but the Petitioner, after his dismissal
f the ship, lead proctored a master, with • limn be temiel.
led use the 01111111 CM. lie looped slips • Huh' he takes, is
the proper department, to explain this tiansactum, r Ica
(mould be obliged to institute some proceedings no the sub-
ject. lle should nowt muse "Thal this Petit beim/twig
up." lie lust a second Petition, viewed by massy respect.
able persons, who use. the Petitioner and rossisseiararaleil
his sinatiton—and called us t►e nurse to &thud to kis

and graut him relief.

tic 1 Corsto said, this Petition had been pet into his
hands. • few days ago, by an Honourable Alderman
but he M.0....eel to bate any thing to do with tt, 'treatise Ist
understood that the Petitioner had Lieu d, tiviest in souse
isopropyl practices with • person of the name or Grimaldi,
when on board the Illstine, which occasioned his desertion.
tittcariceu years had elapsed Wince the modulet he now cons-

\ -.3*..

,•.
plainid of li of talon place, and, that hine ',Pia,
this Ism had never laid his raw before the Admiralty
lhawbtless ler considered himself well off wad to her* bees
banged foe the error, he bad committed.--(ffenr, blip.)
Alderman Worm said, it. was very true the Pelitiois had
been placed in his bawls, lot.latils4ont ahiuk Be win justi-
fied in presentiog it. He made many inquiries me Hie sub-
ject (coin tlw Gillitit (officer impoitte (Sir G. Cockburn),
nod from him he unilerst I that a correspondeoce had
pawed between 11w Admiralty and different officers Molar
whom the Petitioner had served, and slap that Sir W. Haste
was likely to return to England very speedily. As be knew
that the Petitioner could bring his action against Sir W.
Boyer, when lw roomed to this country—as his Petition
was in the hands of • respectable Solicitor (by whom it was
hitrush it to him), who would do every thing in his power to
serve him—and as tlw man with whom the Petitioner went
away stood in is very itivpirimis situation—he conceived it
better to Elie up the Petiti )))) , as he did not think be could
render the Petitioner an y wery ire. —,"//ear./
Sir I. Comte sib rl, that the siibeequent testimonies
to this character, which the Hon. Baronet alluded to,
had nothing to do with the antecedent offence.
Sir Comic BLitt! said. the practice regularly adopted in
the 11,1 11:14 thii :—the ship's company were mustered in
the presence of the officers Mite in every week ; the
names of those who did not appear were dotted—and, if
three dots wire affixed to a poilor's name, it Well distin.
groished by the letter /:.. straying that he had run from
the ship. After this, be would not be paid his wages with-
out an ntihtfiiiiit the itilnsirally, and his prize-money be•
came the pinpertf 44 Cliche. Hospital. That Hospital
has inpl a vested richt iii Finch wiz...money, it would he the
bright of injustice for 11w Admiralty to attempt to take it
away. Now it was most extraordionry that 51w Petitioner,
who att• described to be a needy man, having this large sum
due to him, never applied to the Admiralty from the year
1801 until 1%17.—(/icor. )—The Hon. Baronet endeavoured
to •rcount for this delay, hy stating that he was travelliog on
the Continent with his limiter. It was not, however, to be
itipposed that he had been travelling for 18 years. When
he applied at the Admiralty to have the K. removed from
name, in the year 1817, Captain Hoste was referred to.
erplain limte's. answer, which he then held in bis hand, was
ciecheil in thew trims:—" 1 have to acquaint you, that 1
perfectly remember Crooke's desertion from the ship at
Naples or Alalia—aisil I recollect also the desertion of the
other man who was found in the hammock with him."—
The Petitioner stated, that this man bad received his wages.
In coniequenee, the Admiralty caused inquiries to be made
at the Nary Board, and they discovered that Grimaldi had
also con—that lie had not received his wages—and that, in
fait, lie had not applied for them. Crooke, ending he
could make nothing of this proceeding, in 1817, waited till
Sir W. Hittite "as out of the way, and made the present ap-
plication Sa the House of Commons. He had, it appeared,
got the Hello-limit to state that he did not run, but was
turned out of the ship. Captain Home, however, would, be
had no doubt, prisist in his statement that he had deserted.
Unfortimati ly, the other 18 signing officers were dead .—•
lookisig to all the circumstances, he was inclined to attach
muse credit to the Ftalealeat of the Captain than to that of
the Lieutetinnt.—The circumatancse, taken together, made

►trougk agaiust the Petitinuer—aud, cotuiderilig them, it
o mild be for the House to say, whether the Pei'. jUll should
or ►huiuli 11111 lie brought 11p.
Ale. CEPISF.TT, as we understood, inquired whether any
prow!' of a criminality bad been adduced against the Peti-
tioner? If three were not, it was not right that be should
be deprived of his wager.
Sir G. ('ocanvaw said, that the Officer who had been
applii if to, said the Petitioner was found in an indecent
sit n. ii W itli another sues., and had, in consequence, been
turned ti.l.ore. The argument seemed to be, that he must
have hi. wages, although his character could not be restored.
Sir F. BURDETT said, the Petitioner's statement was, that
a drooken man came to his hammock in the night, swearing
that it wan his own. The Petitioner resisted, mid the in-
ti iider rut him down, by which he was severely wounded in
the head. There never was a charge of the kind now insinu-
ated, brought against him—much less was any inquiry in-
stituted with respect to it. Added to this, malty persons
came forward to give him a good character, amongst whom
were several officers under whom he had served. lie did
nut think the gallant Admiral was treating the Petition with
&linen or candour, when he met it with an unsupported
allegation of this kind. It was a base insinuation to throw
out against any man—and such a course of proceeding ren-
dered it more particularly necessary for the House to mi.
mine the merits of the case. The Lieutenant said the Peti-
tioner was put on shore—that he was compelled to quit the
service. If he hail committed any crime, that was not the
mode which ought to have been pursued with respect to
him. He should base been punished, instead of being forci-
bly obliged to leave the ship, in a state of distress and iudi.
genre. Afterwards, in order to cover an act improper in
every point of view, the letter ft was affixed to his name.
The me yof ('apt. Rosie, whom he respected as a gallant
officer, did not, at all times, appear to be equally clear on
this subject. He had seen letters of his, written to the Peti-
tioner in 1816, in which lie did not speak positively, but
raid, 4, If you have been marked ft on the books of the
Matine, as you say, 1 presume it is so." This was at best a
deinhtfill evidence as to the fact of the Petitioner's having
deserted.

Sir G. COCKBURN said, the accusation against the Peti-
tioner did not rest on mire surmise. The letter said, that
GI 'melds was seen coming not of the Petitioner's hammock.
Three was no mention made of the hammock having been
rot down. Though an officer might, at a considerable dim
'sore of time, suppose that the Petitioner was sent out of
the ship, the probabilities were, putting all the circumstances
together, that he had deserted.
file. Lsrem:roe said, be knew not from what source the
lion. Baronet had drawn the expression of indiguatio which
he hail directed towards his Hun. Fn i
icon' and kinsman (Sir
G. Cockburn) because he stood forward to rebut the serious
Charge that hail been brought against a gallant Officer. He
did not Loom that gallant Officer—Mot lie crrt•inly felt very
strong iudignation, when he beheld the character of au bo-
llollruble man attacked on the slight and unsupported sur-
mises of au hotineous person, for such lie considered the
Petitioner to be—(Cris of " Hear, heur.")—The Ho.
nourable Baronet complained that the Petitioner had nut
been brought to trial ; but, as the Petitioner had deserted,
whet opportunity was there for trying him iii s CAW
of this kind, was it not more prudent in the Commander of
our of his Majesty's skips to punish the individual, and not
to notice the fact further, Mideast of proclaiming it to all the
world ?.../Hear, hear.)—lf the Peinsimer were not rum
11C1011e that lie was charged with some of too semoolaltom
to bear the light, would he nut have brought the matter IP
issue, in some way or other, during • pe lof sixteen
years ?--/ Haar, hear)--Nuw,sthe circumstance was brought
forward, when, of necessity, the best evidence that could
be adiluced must be defective. The wortlry Alderman, to
whom the Petition was first iutrustrol, appeared to have
formed a proper estimate of it—and acted very properly iu
rejecting Hear, hear.)—lt would much better become
for Hi. Baronet, if, before he presented Petitions, he in.
quires' into the verity of the facts they contained ; instead of
coming down at once, without the smallest particle of con.
elusive evidence, and indulging is declamatory statements
abort justice, when there was uo proof whatever that say
injustice bad been cesmstitted.—(Hear, hear )
Mr. CROBWR raid, the accusation levelled at the IPeti.
timer's character was not gratuitously introduced. It was
elated by Sir William Howe, that this nom, ito whom •
large sum of 'vestry was said to be due, bail run away. It
was asked, Why did he demi t—it is rot likely be would
do so, when en much wages and prise-money were due to
hits?" The answer was, because he was detected in judos.
cent inactices. It was necessary to Sir William Haste's
rue, that be should skew some paramount end overwhelm.
lag reason is the case of this uses, in account fur his con-
duct. lie timid not agree that this Petition should be re.
retired. It was not in the power of thy House to grant to
the Petitioner his wages. lie loot his 'Mimi at law; he
might bring en action against Sir W. Hoste for having cast
ecandalinis imputations Wit his character—or for improperly
causing the letter H. to he affivil to los name, by which be
lust his wages. Unless by hue lie esiabliebed his character,
or stirred that the H wire implopeiiy placed against his
name, he could nut get the IHilliCy which he claimed
When the Courts of Justme were open to him, to them the
Petitioner ought to upply, it would be a bad precedent to
such a riliiiim as the present.

~j

~, ~, ,

gr.tOststiSSET defended the ent;i:tict of Sir Vt lp.
Sir F. HURIWTT read 'several tealimonies from Adis,. d
Hardy and others, in favour of the retitlett.,'•
they were dated in 1797, 17901, 10181, and lwa2. The ii,„:
Baronet shooed that the Petition - -
Committee of that Homo., where i
proper decision would he come to,
Sir 1. COVIIW explained.
Dr. PHILLINORR said, it was
Hun. Baronet, in the different ii
the Petitioner, never thought i
lie had sufferedl7 years to elapse ~
piaint !---(Weetr.)—Tint Don. Baronet
nials in favour of the Pelitioner'a rhak
1798, and 1801. War varitleore
Noose wrre to he railed on to --
W. Dottie? The *Orrice of the Pet'
was evidence that Ilia claim W 4.
Sir F. BURDICTT said, some of
in DM.

An Hon. Member said, that 11
mired Harrey, was a forgery.
the name of If ovrey, on the .
Hen. Meneker tear oppris►d that
Hammy, was rnPnlionrci
Mr. Woes:House said, be
with Sir W. Hume, and no 11140
an arbitrary act toward* any
The Home then derided, when there appeared—
For receiving the Petition
Against it

Majority
FOW EY ELECTION.

The Chairman of the Forrey Election Cirnncti... 4„_
peared at the bar, and reported that Lord Viaromit tort
traa duly elected.

PENRYN ELECTION.

J. Strohler, the elder, of Penryn, and James Ray,
of Penryn, were ordered to attend (bin Noose on 1 ne..,l‘v
next..-and to bring with them copies of a certain hand.b..;
published during the election.
AGRICULTURAL PETITION.
-

Mr. LAIIIITON prevented a Petition from certain r--
pier. of Land iu the County of Durham, praying that pi..
beefing duties might be imposed, in order to prevent the im-
portation of corn, and to enithlc them lo procure
price fur the produce of thin country. While he felt it t•.
be his duty to present a Petition intrtioed to him by n p.r.
Lion of his constituents, he thought it was dive to Itiociel
state, that he retained the same opinion which he cam i•ts
in 1815, and conceived it improper for the Legislature Ii
interfere with subjects of thin kind

The Petition iras read and ordered to be printed.
AGRICULTURAL HORSE TAX.

Mr. S. VroRTLEY preseateol a Petition frons;e:rtftin
piers of Laud in Hold , against the Agricultural llor.c
Tax.—Laid on the table.

ASSESSED TAXES.

Mr. S. WORTLICV rose to present Petitions from a norther
of Shopkeepers in different parts of the kingdom, oil Ow
subject of the Assessed Taxes. Some of those Pennons seo••
from Yorkshire—there was one from sev, •
sal from other parts of the country. 'they complained of ih-
mode in which their shops and houses were assessed.
Legislature, they observed, had Out tolerated a direct tax us
shops—but their houses were assessed in such a manner to
to include the value of the shop—and thus, in fact, tile oho?
was indirectly taxed. They also considered it a grievanr.•
t►at the window-lights in their shops were cutinicil a:.l
taxed, while those in the counting-houses of tnerrh unit
were not made to pay. On another point they also called See
relief. They were occasionally in the habit of esaphiyin,
their sons, when they came home from school, to serve in
their shops, or carry out parcels. No sooner was Iles
known to the assessor, than a charge was made for so man,
shop.mess.—(Hear, hent.)—This was a very severe griev.
ance. He hoped the G ',gramma' would consider the whin.•
of the subject, and devise some .ode by which relief iniet
be extended to the Petitioner,. If they did not, lie wool
himself bring the question regularly befoie the Hutp.::
(Hear, hear.)
Mr.Trtzwiltrit bore testimony to the hardships which
were imposed on the trading, comnin oily by the oiterat.
the Assessed Taxes, and hoped the Cuancellor of the Exche-
quer would use his best efforts to modify them.
An Hon. Member, whose came we could not collect, sal
a few words to the same purport.
Lord 1./LICELLEII said, the hardship sustained awls r the
existing system was very great. in the c cohv
were obliged to have very large shops, in ()I.:es to ilis,,stei
their goods to advantage, whilst behind those shops it',
rooms were exceedingly confined and inconvedient.
whole was, however, assessed as a dwelling house, and hence
arose the grievance.

Sir M. W. RIDLZY said he had received letters from 3.1
parts of the country, complaining of the manner in wtoe't
the Assessed Taxes were levied on shops and houses.
rate bad been imposed by the collectors, in many instatices,
in a mode which the Legislature had never contemplated.
lie begged of the Chancellor of the Exchequer to indium
isiutr when he intended to bring forward a me:moire for it; •
modification and amelioration of the Assessed Tatiett
cheerfully gave way to the !tight Hun. Gentleman, chi .n
expressed his intention of introducing a new measure 11.1
this subject. If the Right Hun. Gentleman would titiviii.r
bin satiefactorily, he should press the matter no further—if
he slid not, he would again give notice that he 11111'.1111t t..
submit to the House • peopuoition relative to those Wilma.-
ems taxes.

_
The CIIANCeLLOR Or the EICUEQUIIIII. mid, the law, as
it existed at present, afforded a remedy, in such case. a. the
Hon. Gentlemen (31r. %Vol tley) had mentioned, where the
casual assistance uf the children of Ifille/IWUpie was 111.1,14
the subject of assessment. With reaper tto that pot of the
complaint, which related to shops, he had only o
that shops iti London, and most uf the great lawns, were
considered as forming part of the datllwg•huwse, :Ad
were, on that account, assessed. The windows were a 1..,
counted as belonging to tire house. To grass, relief on
this point would require a very general 'minim and
alteration of the law, which be was nut at pre'rni pr .
pared to protect' with. A. to the cuntitniz Wows uf tor'.
chants or bankers, where they funned a part Of the d+ell-
iu;•lwuat, they were halite to be asaes.e.l. With rssprtt
to the (nicest question put to him by the Hun. itatuiset,
he expected, in a very short time, that he should be able to
Ming tinder the consideration of the Hou.e, a muddied
measure, subject to such alterations as sought Inc di tined.
expedient. He was not able at present to fix the pr, rite daft
when he would introduce this tarasurr. The Haub, Repent
so entirely occupied the attention of Government. and
ra-
terfrred so much with the financial airangtmeuta whirr,
were in progress, that it was impossible at this moment to
say when the modified plans of the Assessed Taxes wonl.l I e
submitted to the Hume. lie hoped, however, to be mile to
introduce it before the financial arrangements uf the vier
were made. He could out, however, specify the day. !'er•
haps be ;might take the opportithity of submitting/ it lu tiel
House IU the course of the next week, i( an ore day SC.
cured.

Alderman ‘VAIITIMAN 11110 complained of the oppnr.lnl
nature of the As►essed 1.111‘,.. A tamp-lax WM. IWO dwsely
imposed—but that object was indirectly levied by taxing ail
the servants who were einukqed by is trail..
This was extremely Lard—since a tura chant, walla awicelecko,
could transact infinitely inure besliieba lhau ► MlLtillellll
with several assistants.

Sir W. DI CRISPIGNY inquired, whet wu the irdoe
of the relief proposed to be grouted by the Right
Gentians*?

The Cualicit-Loa of the EXCHTQUIR wid, it wmild
teed ma the priuetple of placing it in the irriire e I e vt I V in-
dividual to protect himself by compounding tor n!I
aseesarnents, by the payment of a gistu sum belnim
with which lie was at present chuged.
Mr. Bwititicrt Impressed au the Right Hen. Celli!. ii
the propticty of relaxing the law utth respect to ILc ii•o••
meet of pergolas employed in shape. lbw of the ai..,t
cause, of Ilia increase of crime in the no tropolia %A. t.. '•".
farad its she almost entire want of employment lid yoni
people. Msl'Y of "ow persons *hose fate was must mom
t would be employed in diffts eat shops, if it bbil,
fur the umeat ))))) of this tax.

The Citoicit.wet of the rXCIIEQUFS hyped mite al.

OR shotold hr referrPti in to
re it w.. more Skov pc" .
to, than by the (louse itself.
most evtranetlinokr, tint itu,
In\
interview. he had with
it no.re..ary to to loin' atm
vie before 1w mule is rum.
growl ball prntlurs ..tom,.
!r's rharartPr, fisted i :7,',
vrideor• *owls /44 this ~I it.)
n 11R-1i! 'tho• thsrart., .: . .
'mil ~,,, rr 1"..r it 10-• li,,
~,
II 111411 II just our. .
of she testi. tttttt ia',, weir,
,l,„.
ilweertifiroVe, sir.n.,l b 1,1.
There was nu Covonolovl ooe
navy bnoloo, on 17n7.._
~,,t
at the went, of Ilmtuy, ~
MVO intimato I. ricr•tain I
was moose nnI.UP!! I.• .:pm
idivotlio,ol than he wee.

roß•teent might 1.4 made to meet tee ♦ie? of tie !fun.
Gentleman.
The Petitions were t►ta laid on the table.
Mr. STV Ult tVoittVl gave Notice, that on Fritl.tv week
i,e would submit a motion to t►e Flunse on the subject of
the !grievance,' ailaded to io these Petitions.