The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1807-01-23 00:00:00

OLD BAILEr.-JAN. 22.

• An Admiralty Session was held yesterday be-
fore Sir WILLIAM SCOTT, Baron Tuntarson, Sir
.A Lan CH A MINT, and a Bench of Civilians, for the
trial of offenses committed on the high seas, within
the jitrisdiaion of the Admiralty of Englan.f.
'the Grand Jury having foetid a true bill for mur-
der against .1,4 n Ribis.son. Captain of a Liverpool
trader ; he was arraigned in the dock, on an in-
diament, charging him with feloainu.ly, and with
malice aforethought, making an assault on James
Williams, a seaman on board the Lam :Ws ,mer-
chant ship, eff the coast of fricao.n the 17th
of March, WOG, and giving the said James Williams
divers kicks and bruises, which causlsd his death.
The Prisoner's case had been before the Court of
King's Bench, and he was under bail for man-
slaughter, when he stirrendeted himself this day,
ti take his trial for the alleged murder. The pre-
sent indiftment had been instituted by the Admi-
ralty, in consequence of the representation of the
condua of the Prisoner, by some seamen on board
the Lancaster.
An affidavit was presented to the Court, by the
Pliscrer, soliciting that his trial might be put off
until the nnxt Sessions, on the ground, that three
mat.. t ial iin-sacs were absent. The affilavit went
to state, that it! e Prisoner, who was muter bail for
manslaughter, had appeared publicly in the streets
and on the 'Change, at Liverpool, amongst his ac-
cusers (the crew of the Lanrearec), from the time of
the arrival of the vessel in that port, nn the 14th
June, to the 29th July, when he was charged with
manslaughter, unconscious that sui 11 a charge was
abut to be instituted against him. The Surgeon of
the Lancaster, the Third Mate, and a seiman, the
witnesses who were now absent, were alto at Li-

verpirol ite the time, and they embarked on another
voyage to sea, on the 17th of July, twelve days be-
fore the accusers of the Prisoner attemi.ted to make
a charge against him: He had been advisod, by
Counsel, to stand his trial without these witnesses;
but he was anxious to have the benefit of their testi-
mony. If he had been aware that his condo& was
abt.et to be inspeacaed, he could have prevailed on
the 'h-re absent persons to have been present at
Otis Aitne; 'and his accusers, Law and Smith, also
had had an opportunity of soliciting their testimony,
as they knew of their being about to go to sea; but
they concealed their intentions until after the de-
prime of these three persons.
Mr. GA lutow, on behalf of the Prisoner, enforced
the Petition, and made ,ome pet tinent remarks on
the entufet of the Prisoner's accusers, in not
tetiril; a charge against him when the aheent wit-
ness, s would hay.: been ready to have given their
testimony. T,,e surgeon had attended the deecatod,
and he certai.ily would be a eery important witness,
as would also the other two persons. His advice
was, that the trial should proceed ; but the Prisoner
expressed a 'vish to have the benefit of the testimony
of tint absent witnesses ; and consequently, the
Learned Connsel moved, that the Prisoner
be allowed to find such bail as the Bench should
,think St, for his appearance at the next Sessions.
. The At-rustler G for the prosectrion,
*greed with Mr. Gerrow, in opinion, that Mr.
Copeland, the surgeon, would be a very material
tt witness ; and left it to the Bench to hold the Pri-
sorter in suds recognisances as their wisdom should
direct. and the case required.
Baron Troomv.oor observed, that tinder all the
tircumitances of the case, the Court had power to
*draft um Prisoner to bail, as it prohaOy would be
November before another Sessions would be held.
It w.iuld, however, be necessary, to answer the pur-
r.se of justice, that the Prisoner should be held
sn double recognixances. The Prisoner was held
to bail, himself in 3001. and two sureties in 4001.
each.

Messrs. Garrow, Rains., Alley, and Marryat, were
Counsel for the Poisoner.

Moores Moss, Ilsriard Carling, and AIM FOT:111d
pilots, on the coast of Kent, who had been capitslly
sionrilird. at a former Session, fur feloniously and pi-
ratically stealing oS fathoms of cable, and an an-
chor, from the brig Trevet'sr, on the high seas, were
brought up to receive sentence. Judgment was
respited at the former Sessions, a point of law
having arisen, respeAing whether or not the offence
Was capital.
Sir 1V Y. SCOTT observed, that a consultation had
been held amongst the Judges, who had decided,
that by an AA of 39 Geo. 111. chap. :3:4 who, A.
recitzd the _'Sth Henry VIII. their offence was ca-
pital. The Learned Judge made some remarks on
offences :nmmitted on the high seas, which were ca-
pital, and which amounted only to larceny on the
I.4nd, wl is i was precisely the ease of the prisoners.
The Judge nen passed sentence of death on the
Prisoners. in the usual manner; after which, he in•
eissiated Its intention of recommending them to the
Royal mercy.

At tl e last Chelmsford (2.larter Sessions, the in-
apinst Ahr,42en Ileet is and Ann
ror os;.. oh. wit's intent to murder .Isar
HA SIC% 1 lediored to the COWL el Kr:iifb
Yana.

MILITARY INQUIRr.

The TBlltrli REPORT of the Commioionem appoint .-d by
an AC4 of the 45th year of the Reign of leesent Ma-
jestyi chap. 47.
(Continued from our Paper of Monday last.)
We must observe, that the duty of regulating the
issues of cash and bills to Mr. Davison. seems to
have rested in a gre it measure with the accountant,
who, although he was acquainted, he admits, with
some of the balances, did not think them of sufficient
magnitude to notice the ciicurnstance to the late
Barrack Master General, or to justify a refusal of
further issues to Mr. Davison, until he had know-
ledge of the large balance which was in his hands
on 24 h June, Isoll This, however, he was not
informed of, he says, till the beginning of 1804,
when he mentioned it to the late Barrack Master
General.
Mr. Davison, in his letter of 10th .fanuary, 1795,
before given at length, proposes that he should he
allowed two-and-a-hall per cent. commission oil the
whole amount of his accounts (including all per
tentage on making insurance, recovering losses,
averages, Etc. and replacing all damaged or unser-
viceable articles delivered to the barracks); and we
find that he has been allowed this commission oil
the amount of these charges, as well as on his pur-
chases. and also on all charges, and expences on
package, warehouse rent, clerks, porterage, cartage,
postage, &c.
Sometimes, on an emergency, Mr. Davison fur-
nished the Barrack articles to a very considerable
amount horn his own stores, for which he charged
as a wholesale dealer, and on which he takes no
commission.
The whole amount of Mr. Davison', account, for
articles thus supplied by him nn commission, exceeds
eight hundred and sixty•two thousand,pounds ; the
balance of which, against the Barrack' Office, in his
half year's account, made up to the 24th December,
11104, is stated by him to be nine thousand three
hundred and sixty-eight pounds, twelve shillings;
and we have, therefore, observed, in our First Re-
port. that the balance was in his favour. Bet sve
have since received from the Barrack Office, Mr.
Davison's Supplemental Account, made up to lith
May last, by which, it appears, notwithstanding that
no money had been advanced to him by the Bar-
rack Office, yet, that by giving credit to the Office
for va;ious sums recovered for losses, averages, and
deficiencies of stores, kc. a bale ce arose against
Mr. Davison, amounting to six heusand and totty-
seven pounds, ,event. en shiliings, and eleven pendr.
l'his was paid to the credit of at Birrack Master
General, at the Bank, on the 17th May last. From
a statement which we have procured from Mr. Da-
vison, of the periods when the sums so credited in
this Supplemental Account were received by him,
it appears, that onwards of seve o thousand poniards
had been received in 1706; upward, of four thou-
sand more in 1796 ; and upwards of two thousand
in addition in 1799. This etatemen', t .erefote, af-
fords another reason for recommending, that an in-
terest account should be stated between him and
the late Barrack Master General.
Oa this view of the course observed by the late
Barrack fildit:! General in procuring all the arti-
cles (except coals) wanted for the use of the Bar-
racks, we cannot but remark, that it differs must
materially limn that stated by him in his ex-
amination before the Select Committee of Fi-
nance, in June 1727. He then stated (about two
years and a halt after the agreement aith Mr. Ua-
vison.-and whilst he was acting under it) that coals
and candles were, in all instances, provided on the
spot. wherever it was found that they could be pui-
chased cheaper than they could be furnished from
any gen-t al market; that bedding, foiniture, and
utensils, were nt*d, on the lowest terms, from the
wholesal • dealers, and that the charges for them
were checked by the certificates of respeaahle per-
sons, sheven.g that they did not exceed the picas in
the market at the time, and also by the personal
controu and rovestigatton of th- Officers of ese De-
partment ; and that the receipts of the Barrack Mas-
ters, of the articles 4,-livered to them, were the
vouchers on which payments were made. Brit, al-
though we find, that, in lea, no competition was en-
coutaged amongst the dealers, and that certificates
were not procured of the reasmanieness of the
polices charged, and that, instead of the payment
for the stores not being made till after their deli
very at the different hart acks, Mr. Davison, who
furnished them, has had in his hands, in the way
we have before shewn, the cash and aeceptanci
stated, beyond even the cost of the stores provided
at the end of each half year, yet we have no reason
for h-lieving that the articles supplied by him were
not conformable to the patterns which Mr. Davison
says be bad from the Barrack-office, ur that they
were not procured at a fair wholesale price. Two
or three indeed of the dealers, of whom Mr. Davi-
son purchased supplies, have stated to us, that, in
consequence of his regular and early payments,
they charged him less than they cliare,,ed at the
same period to merchants who took a longer credit.
And we are ready to admit, that at times perhaps
when the demands of the Bsrrack-office for stores
were large and urgent, a person in Mr. Davison's
situation, and with his tonne lions, might have
provided the articles wanted when t!.ey could not
have been otherwise easily obtained. Still, how-
ever, we cannot but express u ir disapprobation that
the experiment was never made of procuring the
stores by competition are: open contras, whims is
the praaice of other public departments, and which,
it must be presumed, therefore, has been proved to
be the most advantageous mode fur the public.
And we learn from tke examination of the
dealers who sold the barrack articles to Mr. Davison,
that they w•-arld have sold them immediately to the
Barrack-office on the same terms u they sold
*them to him, could they have been assured of the
same regular and prompt payment.
With the condition of prompt and regular pay.
ment, thoefore, it seems that the commission paid
to Mr. Davison, and some part of his contingent
charges, might have been saved to the pu'slic, and
thepublic would moreover not have lost the use of
its own money in the advances which wets made to
him. 11
Our opinionie confimed by the mode which is at
present observed in procuring the articles for Bar.
tank uses as will appeal in a subsequent part of this
Report.

(To be contioued).

, .
NAVAL INTRLLIGESCE.
DEAL, JAN. 21.
Arrived the Peller gun-brig, from Ireland, with a
convoy, which sailed for the River ; also the Mar-
gie, of Huntley, Jacques, from Tobago.
Sailed the Argui sloop of war, for Portsmouth.
The Valorous praam has a signal flying for a
convoy to the Westward.