The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1803-03-14 00:00:00

TORK ASSJZES,—Cit3 Hall, March

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ISEFGAL SIR. GILES ROOKS, BART.
SEDITION.
William Lee (aged 42) and William Rmthesley,
both of for having, between September.
1804 a•id Christmas last past, feloniously admi-
niStered an oath to William Simmet, of Chester-

field, collier, to en:age in an assOciation or con-
spiracy, formed :or the purpose of disturbing the
public peace.
Mr. TOPPING stated the charges in the india-
ment, upon which Serjeant Coctmt, in the most
elra Int and impressive speech, addressed the Jury ;_
after stating the MI of Parliament of the 38th of
the present reign, upon which the felony charged in
the indiftments was founded, he took notice of the

recent trials for High 'Cresson, and congratulated
the country upon the discovery of one of the most
atrocious schentes for the overturning of our blessed
and happy Constitution, but by the vigilance and
pron►ptitude of Government, those schemes have
been frustrated, at the very moment they were upon
the point of breaking out with all their necessary
attendants of rapine, bloodshed, and every de-
vastation destruaive to civil and well-regulated so-

ciety.
The first witness called on the part of the
Crown was William Simsey, a collier, aged 21
years,. brother.in-law to the prisor.ori Roukesley,
Who hied near Chesterfield. The whole of his evi-

derive is too long fo: us to insert in our Paper, but
we will endeavour to give the substance of it, with as
much accuracy as our limits will admit. About a
tweivemoath ago, last oflober, he stated to have
been solicited by the prisoner, Roukesley, to be-
come a member of their Society ; he was told that
it would be better for him ; that those who would
not go, would he made to go; that if any fell in the
contest, there was provision made for their wives
and families; that they were to fight against any'
that came against them; that the prisoner, Roukes-
ley, told waness there were more than 1000 in Shef-
field; that the Prisoner, Roukesley, was what was
called a condeetor ; that the Prisoner, Lee, what
was called a Chief; that the witness, his brother,
and the Prisoner. Roukesley, at the request of the
Prisoner, Roukesley, went to the Prisoner, Lee's
house, when an oath was adrhinistered to witness,
and his brother, by Lee ; 'did not recolle6 the whole
of the oath, but recolleas that they were swore to
keg') the secrets of the Society ; that Roukesley told
the witness the objet of the Sooiety seas to over-
turn Parliament, to make this a five nation, and to
rule themselves ; that that freedom, and those oh-
jeets, NVC:e to be obtained by . fighting. .Witness
understood there were five chiefs in Sheffield, the
number of those caned condators he did not
know ; that in August last, the Prisoner, Roukes-
ley, gave orders to a manOf the name of Ramsker,
to make some pikes; that he, the same Prisoner, told
witness, that they had received orders to prepare
arms; that he, the Prisoner, Roukesley, said, he
should prepare arms for his own men ; that the Pri-
soner, Roukesley, Witness, and his brother, went to
a wood near Sheffield, and cut some wood for pike-
shafts ; that he heard the Prisoner, ltoukesley, say,
that a letter had been intercepted at the Post-office
from London, which had led to a discovery ; that in
consequence of that discovery, it was necessary to
secrete the arms; that in consequence the .Witness,
his brother, William Ronsk.y, and Thomas Frede,
went to a wood near Sheifield, after having previ-
ously put the arms in a chest, and buried the chest
in the ground ; that he was afterwards taken up ;
that he gave information to the Magistrate before
whom he was taken, of all he knew ; that he after-
wards went with the Constable to the place where
this box, with its contents, had been secreted, and
that it was taken from its place of concealment.
Edward Simley (brother of the last witness) corro-
borated the preceding evidence, but added thereto,
that the prisoner, Roukesley, said, we mean to take
possession of the barracks (meaning the barracks near
Sheffield) that we will make the soldiers prisoners,
take their arms from them, and afterwards come and
take possession of the town.
Tho. Ramsker proved, that the prisoner, Roukes-
ley, came to him and ordered arms of a certain
construclion, which he, the witness, did not under-
stand, until the prisoner, Roukesley, brought him
one that was made. The box containing those in-
struments of destruction, was produced to him, but
he would not positively swear that they were of his
making.
These instruments are about three times the size
of a carving-knife blade, but edged on both sides
like a dagger.
There were three or four other witnesses called to
corroborate the former evidence.
The Judge, in a most immessire manner, sum-
med up the evidence, and after pointing out to the
Jury the blessings every honest and peaceable man
enjoyed under our happy and valuable Constitution;
he contrasted the character and happiness of such
men, with the chara&er, and the wild and miserable
imagination of the prisoners at the bar.
The Jury immediately pronounced the prisoners

guilty.
The Learned Judge, upon. passing the sentence of
the law upon the prisoners, pointed out to them, in
the most solemn manner, the enormity of their
crime, of which they had been found guilty, as Well
respelling their acting so contrary as Brood members
of an established Government, but also as violating
those principles upon which true religion is founded;
namely, Charity, good-will towards each other, and
peace amongst all men. The Learned Judge ob-
served, that if their schemes had been carried into ef-
feCt, civil society would at once have been destroy-
ed ; every happiness of which this country in par-
ticular can boast of; all those sacred ties which at
once unite us in civil society, and nuke us feel and
praftise the beneficence of religion, would at once
have become destroyed in the vortex of their prime-
ditated measures, but that the interference of Divine
Providence, he trusted, had put an end to their ma-
licious effurt-i.
The sentence of seven years transportation was
then pass2d npon them.
Vasa: Crawil, for stealing from the diveiling-
house or Samuel White. of Sheffield, Vithaller,.
three Sheffield bank five-guinea ptomissory
macs, and (ice Nottingham bank proriaisSory note
for the tam of five guineas, which said foisr five-
guinea notes were the property of John tiaXl: The
prisoner was formerly an Att4mey id thetheld.
The circumstances of the case were sing63:t. The,
Proset utor vrisgml to obtain the discharged
a the arti:dery, employed the priAmer t 4 vnite to

Mesirs. Cox and Greenwood, Army Agents, Orr 4.:
purpose of obtaining such discharge ; that before the
letter was written, it was found necessary that the
prosecutor should provide 211. for the purpose of
remitting to Messrs. Cox and Greenwood, to obtain
the discharge. It appeared also from the evidence
of the prosecutor, that a time was• appointed to meet
the prisoner, at a public-house in• Sheffield, upon the
business; that they did accordingly meet, and that
the prisoner wrote a letter, and read it over to the
prosecutor, in the presence of three other persons,
who were then present; that the prisoner put the•
notes into the letter and direCted it to Messrs.. Cox
and Greenwood, and after having so done, went out--
of the room with the letter, for the exprr,. purpwse
of getting a water ; that he returned with a Isrse•
direEted in the same manner as the one the seitiicssts
had seen him write ; that he sealed it in t'..eir lime=
scnce, and it was put into the hands of oi,e of ale
witnesses, to take to the Post-office, who proved ttnit
he put the same in. After the lapse of a little time,
an answer was received by the prosecutor, from
Messrs. Cox and Greenwood, saying, that no remit-'
tance had been made, as exp.essed in the letter.
Some suspicion arose, and a prosecution commenced
in consequence against the prisoner. The letter re-.
ceived by Messrs. Cox and Greenwood was read in
Court, and all the witnesses were positive, that the
letter so produced was not the same letter as he the
prisoner had wrote and read in their presence; the
charge therefore was, that when he came to meet
the prosecutor at the public-house in Sheffield, he
came with that letter ready written, and that when;
he left the room for the purpose ..1 getting a wafer,
he had changed the letter containing the money with,
the one he had ready prepared. 'lll2 jury forandthe
prisoner—Not gUilty.
Pbilio Samuel -Ilaisier, Esq. of Sulcoates, in the
East Riding, committed the 4th of r•ebrtiary last,
for the wilful murder of Margaret Maister, his
daughter. 't he prisoner was found guilty; but as it,
appeared upon his trial, upon the evidence of two
physicians, and one of his own servants, that he hast
tor some time been in a state of insanity, he-did not
receive sentence of death.

LINCOLN ASSIZES. r.;
THURSDAY, SIARCH 10.
Thomas Wilson, aged twenty-one years, was found.
guilty of the Vl ilful murder of Joseph Ledtet.—
Wilson procured the fatal sword oh Monday 014
20th of December. On Tuesday he had it ground
and sharpened at a blacksmith's ; on Weefuesda?
he stabbed the unforttinate Ledget, and w‘is him-
self dieadfully shot in the arm. On "Churdday he
was apprehended ; on Friday he was committed to
Lincoln Castle ; and on Saturday his arm was am,
putated hear the shoidler. H
ebras sentenced to
sufFer on Thursday, March the 10th, and his bodeto be afterwards delivered td4e.surgeons for (Hs:
seaion. On account of the N:Age not tieing to
leare the torn to-day, the nitallated Wilson; how.l
ever, has experienced a respite until thi,Sessions are
closed; It is expeEted he will stiff& t ...raorron;
(Friday), Wilson hits almost recovered from the
effects of hae*g his rigllt arm imputated,"whichie
will be remembered was in occasioned, by his being
shot in endeayouring to escape from his pursuers.
. Prdswil Moody and golly:Jon, two yolnig
men in considerable trust at the iron foundery,
found guilty, and sentenced -to seven: years trans..
pcf r!,at t n , for robbing the poultry-shed of a farmer,
whose- servant-maid -one Of them was courting:
Edward-Just andnis Wire, *ife also tried for receiV•
ing and cooking the stolen poultry; and were
found guilty,' and received• sentence,• the span to be
transported for seven years, the WOrtati to be impri#
soned six months. . .1 :- -
• t - •
ALIENS! •
• ;
Copy ora Circular Letter, adircssA%the gLiiitir. of SigS
for the Home Dc;:arrmtnt to the Lout Lieut.naats.of this
Maritime Comities ut Great ; ..,*
My Lord—As there is reason to think that Aliens


landing in this kingdom, from the . Continent,
neob led in many instances to make their declara-
tions to the Magistrates of the places whi.re they
reside, as required by the provisions of the 9th and
10th clauses of the Alien At, a• copy of which I
inclose, I am to request that your L irdslaip will be
so good as to call the particular attention of the
Magistrates in the county of - to this cir-
cumstance, and to desiie them to enforce •the pro-.
visions of the above-mentioned clauses, with resped
to such Aliens within their several . jurisdictions as
have negleded to comply therewith, and at the
same time to return to me a list of such Aliens.
I am, &c. (Signed) PULHAM..

On Wednesday but, an Inquisition was taken at
Droxford, before Mr. Nr.wt.vN, on the body ce*Alr.,l.
SARAH BEDFORD, who had shot Jaerself. Verditt
Lunacy.
A Letter from Plymouth, dated March 10, says
Last night one of the hottest impresses for the
navy took place at this port that was ever remem-
bered : the Marines from Stonehouse Barracks were
stationed in parties in the towns of Plymouth, Dock,
and Stonehouse, and seized almost ev. ry one they
met, whether seamen or otherwise ;'the baits fros.i
the men of war and frigates were employed in sack-
ing the merchant vessels dispersed over the ha-b Lats
Ofilamoaze, Catwater, and Sutton Pool, at d sosn.:
hundreds of hands were picked up- and eonveyedi..,
hoard the guard-ships in. Harnoaze. Parties .:f LL.
rives were yesterday diipatched to the villa-es
ated near the public roads leading from la:rus.4
the ptirpose of picking up stragglers.
" file impress will, it is expect*di be renewed aga7rt
to-night, but not with equal success, as most of chi
merchantmen were stripped lea night of an die
hands they had on board, whereby some of them
suffered considerable inconveniency-, particularly thu
bark Favourite, of this port, Capt. Peterson, bound
to the West Indies, from which vessel they took un
her hands, and it blowing strong, she was driven
on shore in Catwater, ant hid her rulda kwYsitest
off."
EXTRACT OF • LET/tlltiOlititAiWlNstitAltel J.
" This der the shipwrights began to take to
pieces the Pilu frigate, and the nrbiar is °Alessi
to be refitted in her *eta. Tia Aires is or.tesed
for a sutiott; likewi Ai. the Cocinazdel to ratty
troops. On Thaartday last came up ±e cparnms,
Irsint the WAS. Saturday came to necorints,
posite the Plsck-otd, the f!ssrepid, from tbr Eta,
Injjesi iiatht PA: trigiteis Oniti.tl rat. ) 64,
be pulled to

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