The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1806-02-22 00:00:00

LAW INTELLICENdE.

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COURT OF KING'. BENCH, Wasvaii , Fee It.
Sitting: at Nisi Prius osfsre Lord ELLENIIOaOOcif
fled Sprcial
OETAININut MONEY UNDER FALSE. EELTENCES.
THE r. ions attowsE.
This was an in,hement for a misdemeanour in
obtaining money under false preterces, and was etc-
moved by ,irtiorari from the Quarter Sessions to
this Como
some of the particulars of this case hare already
been before our readers, in a leritt of the previOus
examination of the parties before. the Magistrates at
the Public Office Bow-street, mentioned in a former
Paper.
It appeared, upon the evidence of Mr. 13radherry,
the Prosecutor, that about three years ago, he was
introduced to the Defendant, who engaged to pro-
cure him an employment in the Cocket Office,
Custom House, for 2001. ; under which pretence.
he had obtained from him carious sums of money.'
amounting to neat 3001. Two hundred pounds of
this sum was stipulated to be for the procurement
of the office, and of the remainder, 501. and '3Ol.
were to defray law and other rap n es, for the At-
tainment of this object. I'art of the latter he had
advanced frOm his own private use, but the mein
sum-was turnished by his mother, who sold nut that
only prestterty she had, which was in stock, to pro-
cnce this appointment for him. After drawing the
*hale of :Let sum, by different smell payments. it
mined out, in the seqUel, so be* WASI to defrasied
him hf his money, the Defendant not having' the
least pretext whatever for making such repro senta-
tio s. In consequence of this transaetioa. he had
disobliged his friends and relations, and was wren-
aliv totally ruined by it.
Mr. Amur, on behalf of the Defendant, cross-
ex.:mined the Prosecutor, with much strieness, as
to the manner of his several payments, aid whether
they were made in bank-mars or specie? with
sped to which, he was answered, ' in both ways."
Sometimes to the Defendant-la person, but most fre-
quently to his servant or desk. The Learned Coun-
sel was proceeding at some length, in this style of
examine:ton, when
Lord thaosouca interfered, by asking. whe-
ther Mr. Alley ::irant to rest his case en a point of
law ; namely, whether a payment in bark-notes in-
stead et specie was a legal payment within the Sta-
tute? and
Mr. Accra- replied, that certainly that was the
only defence he had ; and, as the aft of Parliament
was estneerliat equivocal on that pint, he thought it
his duty to erdcavour to establish his objeeion to it.
Lord ELLit,ll,3•lOl.7tlN answered, that he was
aware such an objeftion might pneeibly be taken I
hut. from the many cases which had already been
decided upon this head, it was now considered a
settled and established rule of law.
Mr. ruts, in addressing the Jury, again ade
verted to the equivocal strueute of the Aft of Par-
herniae, and expressed a v.ish that the Legislaturr
would remedy the evil by a short explenatory
Lord EL:.i.,RUSOUCII. in summing up the evil
dente to air Jury, considered the present case poi--
reedy clear.
The Jury immediately found a verdict of Grilt..•
FaENCI. I MISONI:11S.
THE RING v. IFIDNIAS War nun, end OVUM.
1 his Wits an indiftrnent against the Defendants.
charging thern with a conspiracy to procure the,
escape of some French prisoners of war, and, furei
thee. to procure them a passage to return to France..
Mr. Jetty's, for the prosecution, was proceeding`
to state the case, when
Lord ELLEsiaoltOvnit observed, that he had re-
ceived a sort of Petition from the Defendant', r.-
questing that be would assign Counsel to them. It
was a case in which he could not do so; but inti-
mated a wish, that some Geritleman bthirrd the Bar
would have the goodness to attend m it.
After some hesitation, Mr. Cvawooo consented
to take on himself Ais of ice of humanity.
Air. drams proceeded to state, that this indict-
ment was prosecuted by the Commissioners of the
'Transport Board, who, in that capacity, also had
the superintendence of the pi isoners of war. It WAS
with great pleasure to himself, and, he was sure,
also to the Jury, that Counsel had so kindly taken
on him to watch the Defendants' interests, as they
would then have the full advantage ; and it was the
wish of the Prosecutors to give them every oppor-
tunity rf defending, themselves. After stating some
of the }aft. cf the case, the Leatned Ccuesel ob-
served, that this was a question ef very great im-
portance, as it involved, to a very great degree, the
condition and liberation of many of our fellow-stab.
jeas now is confinement in France. In the first
place, the persons thus .escaping from this country,
it was natural to suppose, would make many misre-
presentations of the treatment they received here,
in order to account for their return ; by which
means the imprisonment of British subjects might
be rendered much more strict and severe than it
ntherwise would be; hut a still greater mischief
would arise—many rood sithjeas, and worthy mem-
bers of society, would be deprived the benefit of a
fair exchange. and their country thereby sustain
a loss, in their exertions fur the benefit of the com-
munity at large.
It appeared in evidence, that the town of Ches-
terfield, where the prisoners in question had resided,
WAS full of persons of this descriptioto all of whom
were permitted to go at large upon their parole, un-
der certain restrictions.
John Bower. Esq. Agent for French Prisoners at
that place, proved that these restrietions, and various
other regulations for their conduct, were notorious,
not only to the prisoners themselves, but to ail the
inhabitants. Large printed notices, to this effect,
were posted up in all the public places in and about
the town, particularly in the Market-place. besides
the papers of the conditions of parole, &c. received
by the prisoners at war themselvee, on their arrival at
their place of dsrstination. By these regriletioes
they were snifeted to walk a distance of one mile
only without the town ; not suffered to go into
meadows or corn fields after a certain hour in the
evening, and nut to depart from their lodgings be-
forh six o'clock, or hour of bell ringing, is the
marnirte.
The Defendant, Weldon, was. by trade, a hatter,
residing in the Marker-place of Chester field. On
the filth or 19th of (Motor usorge,