The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-01-12 00:00:00

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ADMIRALTY SiNSIONS.
NONFAT. JA.O4IItY 11.

salons cam-
sir Wis. Sant,

This morning the Adi
mewed at the Old Bailer,
the Judge of that High ile
Mr. Justice PARK and Mr. Justice Bear.
At nine o'clock the Gr.. 11,1 Jury were sworn, and
the Learned Judge procreated to charge them on
the business to which their attention was abOut to
he called. He said that it was probable charges of
the highest IDOlll4llli would be submitted In their
iripiirj. The first. as he understood, was a charge
of murder against the Commander and officers of
a vessel appointed to convey persons who hail in-
carried die sentence of the law, to the places, beyond
sea to which they had been destined. It was alleged
that the parties in charge of this vessel had
fired upon the convicts, and put some of them to
death.—Now the Greud Jury were, from the evi-
dence that would be laid before them, to consider
whether any inutisiy or insurrection existed at the
time in that degree o as to justify the application
of extreme force for its suppression; for while on
the one band the Officer* were justified in put-
tisig to death the mullion, and abettors of mutiny,
so on the other the convicts were folly entitled
to protection from the endurance of tyrannical au-
thority. The next ease to he submitted to
. them was a charge of murder, *Heated to he com-
mitted by a person or persons, its a smuggling vessel,
upon an individuall on board one of Ins Majesty's
revenue cutters; and another case was for au out-
rage upon a child on the high seas The Grand
Jury had only now to retire and consider the nature
of the evidence on these several charges, fur the
purpose of putting them. if they thought proper,
into a train of inure accurate inquiry.
The Grand Jury then withdrew for the perform-
ance of their duties. IVliile they were out of Court,
The ATTORNST-GENERAI, entered, et twelve
o'clock, nod moved that Duncan Henry Wells be
put to the bar.
This Prisoner was accordingly brought in and
arraigned. for that he on the Bth of August, in the
55th year of his Majesty's reign, did with another
person, named John GilleN, assault, kill, and
rder Joseph Barton, six longues off the coast of
Kent. and on the high seas. Ile pleaded Not
Guilty.
The ATTORNEY-GIRT/IAI. then applied to the
Court, by affidavit, for the imetprinement of this
trial. The reason was, that a woman who was a ma-
terial witness for the prosecution, was now far ad-
vanced in a state of preguaocy on the coast of
France, and could not be removed.
Mr. ALLEY, fur the Prisoner, mid. that as the
Admiralty Sessions were only held mice a-year dur-
ing peace, lie had to apply to the Court either that
the man should be admitted to bail, or that the
preened Session should he adjourned for a short pe-
rind until the woman could conveniently attend.
Mr. Justice PARK consulted with Sir WILLIAM
SCOTT, and said that the Ses.ioris would, sifter its
present termination, be only adjourned until Mon-
day. the 19th of April unit., to obviate the Merin-
veniesice alluded to by the Counsel for the Pri-
miter, whose trial was accordingly adjourned until
that period.
Shortly after two o'clock the Grand Jury re-
turned into Court, after being out for four hours
and forty minutes, and found a true bill against
James Clements and Jahn Drake, for minder; and
rejected the bill. against Alexander Dewer,
Christopher Bastard, cud. another, Inn being ac-
complices iii committing the same crime.
CHARGE OF MURDER—AND MUTINY ON BOARD
A CONVICT SHIP.
John Drake and James Clements were then put
to the bar and arraigned, for that they on the
2 sth of April, 1817, while on the high seas, and
off the island of St. Jago, in the ship Chapman,
did assault and murder John M'Ardle, by shooting
I • through the bead with a musket ball.
There were two other counts ira the indictment,
varying the manner of laying the charge.
The Prisoners pleaded Nut Guilty.
Mr. REYNoLDS read the indictment. and
Sir CURISTOORRIL Rostasow. the King's Afters-
rate, stated the case to the Jury. He said that the
ilttiCili charge was of a very peculiar kind. The
Prisoner Drake was the commander or a ship called
the Chapman. which was employed in the year
te 17 to convey convicts to Botany Bay, and the
other Prisoner was one of the soldiers employed in
that ship. They stood charged on the present sc.
cation with having committed the crime of murder
upon a convict mined John M'Ardle who was one
al those iratrusted to their care for safe conveyance
to his ultimate &Initiation. The defence which he
presumed would be made on the present occasion
was, that the prisoner Cleanest* was acting under
1 the orders of his superior, and that the Captain was
i justified iii nilepting the measures which led to the
violets% death of the deceased by the mutiny of his
Prisoners. A single Atilt at tea was exposed under
I certain circormatesices to West danger from the
physical force of mutineers, and it uivat be admit,-
' teit, that there were times mad situations where per-
soma dismayed by danger. rod in imminent peril of
1 their lives, were isehlied intisloos every measure, no
imetcr what was the comerpienee to their opponents,
Irtir tiwir self-defener, slid the due eseertiori of their
I egiUtuate authority. It looppened that iu the VC-