The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1822-01-23 00:00:00

ADMIKAL'I'Y SESSIONS.

OLD BAILEY, TUUDAY, JANCIAUT !2.
CONSPIRACY AND PLUNDER UPON THE HIGH
SEAS.
This morning five Prisoners, John Stehbinr,
she, John Neu/ Niebhings, Ni/hats Reacher.
otherwise James "hitcher, Thontat hello,
John Penny, sod William Hatcher, jug. were put
to the bar, to answer to an ondicimeot for conspir-
ing to plunder and destroy • vessel, and for pro-
ceeding, by sundry acts, to the plunder 110 de-
streoction of the said vessel, off the coast of Suffolk.
The Priout-rs pleaded Aol Gsilty.
Mr. ED. Looms opened the pleadings. •
Sir C. ItorstrisoN, the Mug's Advocate, stated
the case substantially, as it afterwards came out
more particularly in evidence. There were a sari-
ety of taunts iu the indictmentr-some chewing the
previous conspiracy, others the acts which were per-
petrated, in order to meet .ell the points of the de-
fence. The case had arisen from the accidents
which took place on the seas in the late temper%
The brig Westrnorelana having been at sea from
December 3, and baffled by bad weather, appeared
off Lowestoff on the 7th December, at three
o'clock p.m. She was rodeavouring, in
.• great
stress of weather, to make Stem port Potut,but struck •
her rudder, and was broached•to, being drawn in
towards the send by both wind and sea. She struck
upon Newcombe Studs. The anchor was let go. It
was found that she was likely to beat herself to weer..
The cable was then cut, and she was driven further
in on the sand; the danger being considerably. in-
creased, she made signal of distress. Two boats
came off, one called the Seaman's Assistance, an.
other a smaller life-boat—both kept there for the
retcue of ships and passengers in distress. The Pd..
scowl's were part of the crew of the first-mentioned
boat or yea!, which came up first, though act above
three imitators before the life-boat ; so that it was
the same act of rescue or salvage with both boats.
Two of the prisoners, Stebhings and•the younger
Butcher, were already on board when the life-boa;
came up. Their first act ou board was the taking
down the signal of distress by Stebhiniray The
life boat, just then come up, became an object
of jealousy with the people in the yawl, who he.
goo to use abusive language. and called on the
people on board to cut away the line of the life-
' boat, regarding.the property of the wreck as their
perilousl possession, and cooing. What are those
fellows doing with that thong ?--cut her away—
let her go hoine—(mranitie the life-host)—we are
enough to manage the ship." The hoot was ac-
cordingly cot adrift, nod went to leeward at a
great rate. It would be seen by the evidence
float they could have done. this from no other mo.
live than that of personal gain and advantsge.—,
They might suppose that they had • right to do
so. Upon which point he would endeavour to
state what was the inteution of the law, nitcl to
shew that it was as different from the interpre-
tation given it on the Coast of Suffolk as light
Red darkness. The law held out every encou-
ragement to skill stud enterprise not for the
salvage of ships, and those iu danger of ship-
wreck ; it viewed all their wets so employed
,will, an eye of peculiar favour and approbation :
but it only did so as far as those acts tended to the
•tiFtti saving and preserving of distressed property,
and the lives of persons on &tiger from tempests
,aud shipwreck on the seas. There were disputed
cases in which it interfered, to determine who
wire the chief and secondary salvors, and in what
• degrees stood their titles to recumpener; but
it never intended the ossignmtut of a ship,
either in distress or actually wrecked, to the first
party coming off for the purpose of ipaving it.
Whether the Prisoners knew that the:stet they were
perpetrating were legal or illegal, mattered walling
as to the charge of the indictment, though it might
become a point for cousideration in ulterior cause-
queoces. The effect of it could be only mischievous
in regard to the ship and her crew. The wind was
south et the time, and the life-boat drifted towards
the north, from which it became imowasible to
afford any usaistauce to the dispensed ship. The
ship got off at last and made towards the shore, un-
der a heir, peesii,of sail, but agaiu struck, and was
rapidly-Cookout. The crew of the, yawl got into ir,
together with a boy from the brig sod • female pus-
scoter. They unloosed the rope andatade off. leae-.
iog the crow of the ship to their fate. The vessel
was at iletigth abaudoned aud was betoing herself
to pieces. The wavea broke over. her._ Some of
the men were wawhed, overboard mud. lward oft
. •
no more. The master ,was knocked down by the,
a.'nd -with that assid the swamping. of the•
waves which isruite,oyer into, was ufterwardalotand
deoid. `on' the deck. The few Smola, •uel 'the.
Pete. emee„ relieved, after tZiffUle blattileir end
flinger, by, LiettN Simon), who came off with a
.bast. ,;The particulars would he more -minutely
at,ate4l to them in the course of the .evidencew After
coal inept ing for a while on the nature of the alien",
he proceeded to cell -witnesses. . . •
, gobert flates„, sworn and examined by Hr, Aissillß..trao
seaman ,on foulard Vas Westmoreland, of deticklnes, bound fon
Limbo, ionesge ISA toes; toaster's name Thomas 'Ryder;
company, four acumen sod a cabin-boy, a ferple paw liger,
on board. On Deer:At' Meech bas:rutideFermninuover
the Staudford Sands, within a mile of Lowestoft', she ans.

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