The National Register.
London, England, 1812-02-16 00:00:00

FFI3. Pl 6.

walls of their loathspire 'prison, by the onle means which offered'
namely,, by the telex -of entering into the French army, with a view not ,
alohe of alleviatierg their own dlgtreeses, but of rendering assistance to
their cetintrytrien in'thraldom. ',Chic' he argued, had been the only mo-
tive by which they had been actuated, a fact which had been sufficiently
Trotted by the word's df the Capitulation, to be found in the Gazette,
cotrtaieing the earticitlars of the success of the British arms. There it
was specified that the French troops and their families should have the •
opp-artunfty 'of ;being conveyed to aray • port in France ; and, in con se-
(pence df 'they-stipulation , to the disgrace of Great Britain, be had tie
lamenteiliat sseyerat British sue jects'hid actually accompanied the ene-
my of tileir country: The prisoner, • however, did -not avail himself of
that tibt.rty; tut, 'with a zeal highly creditable to himself, seized the
first opportunity cif quittieg a service which lieesoehoeoughly hated,
stet submtainglatinself once more 'to' ale direction of British Officers.
'Under all the circumstances of the case, he trusted the Jury would agree
withhim in thinking that the charge against the prisoner had uut been
fulArbstantiated.
tee witnesses, W. Reyno/ds, G. Armstrong, end J. Flbbsethe two
last standing indicted for High Treason, wer • then examined for the
defeece.
.11aeir teelmony merely *went to prove; that the prison in
Which they Were confined was uncomfortable; and their captivity irk-
some. They did not, however. 'stove that any force had been used to
make ti.e.prisoaer enter, nor that he attempted to escape. They de-
posed that at the time the British force' were Off the Island, they were
htipri ones, and, on being asked to accompany the French troops, they
all positive'," refused so to do, and, when the opportunity arrived, tin-
tnediaray surrendered to the'English army.
The AtTOR-Nee Gee en AL having replied on'behalf of the Crown•
The Cuter Da Roe then read the evidence, crammenting on it ;Is he
'proceeded, aral observed, that the overt acts were all primed ; how far
the prisoner had made good his defence, that'he was compelled-co join
the enemy by fear ofloss .life, which ;lone coied act as a justification, .
it Was for the Jury to say.; they would recollect that the 140 who're- !
twined in prison had borne those hardships till they were released by
the capture of the Island by their countrymen.
-Jury.retired, and after being absent about ten minutes, returned
a verdict of Guilty, at the same time recommended him to mercy, he
having returned to his allegiance the first opportunity.—The prisorer
is a Young man, apparently abOut 30 years of Ogre—Adjourned to next
.day.
SECOND DAY.
Tueiday, the Court met at half-past nine o'clock.—Corsteriur Parker
was put to the bar and the Jury being again sworn, the Clerk of the
Crown read the indictment against the prisoner,. which 'charged him
with four overt acts of High Treason, similar to those which had been
alledged against the sailor who had been convicted on the preceding day;
and there was a fifth, namely, that the prisoner dtd maliciously and-
treasonably invite, incite, and endeavour to persuade John Yourg, a
subject of the King, w enter into the French service.
Mr. Assoc opened the prosecution, and the ATTTORNHY-GINFRAL
opened the case for the Crown.
Joseph Cartwright proved, that the prisoner eras born in the pariah df
sedgley, in Staffordshire, and continued there midi he entered the Staf-
fordshire Militia; from which it appeared in subsequent evidence, that
he had volunteered into the marine servicieon board the le.aticienne,
and was taken prisoner, and carried into rile Isle of France; where,
after being imprisoned, it was proved, that he-entered-with a number
of others into the French service, were their uniform,
_ bore their arms,.
and acted in all respects as a French soldier, and that he had eddeavour-
ed to 'induce J. Young, a private marine, and also a Britieteprisbner,
taken with 'himself, to enter Into thir French service, saying, that he
was happy aevvhat he had done, and did not at all repent it.
reliedeClTAM addressed the Jur yon behalf of the prisoner.
Aa, awl.: y •GENHaAL replied.--Sir SilsoN IA BLANC summed up the
id the prisoner was found Guilty.
The nest prisoner put to tke bar was John Tweedale alias Twedele,
thargl/44 with the first four overt acts as charged against the last prisoner.
'ewes clearly proved that the prisoner had repeatedly acknowledged
himself tote a native of Liverpool, bred a sadler, and having followed
business there'; that he was afterwards a private marine on board the
Iphigehia frigate, which was taken by the' French, and-carried In the
Isle of France ; and that being confined as a prisoner •of war with a
number of other British soldiers and sailors, had voluntarily entered
himself as a soldier in the French service, •evere their • ultiferm, bore
their arms, and acted in conjunction with the French troops, although
he afterwards voluntarily surrendered himself to the British on the cap- ,
Lure of thelidand, in preference to going with the French tresops to.,
France.
In the prisoner's defence, lieutenant Grimes, and Mr. Bourne, a
kidshiptnan, bare testimony to his general simple and unoffending con.
duct while ohboard the Iphigenle. They also prey...A that he had come
off from the shore to the IJnited*Kingliora prison ship, on board whirl.
they were 'confined, after he had entered into the French service, and
from his demeanour seemed desirous of assisting his countrymen. He.
was token into custody by the French Guard on hoard-, however, be- •
fore he could accomplish his purpose, and, After signifying his dislike to
the French service, he waetaken dirshore to prison.
After an address of considerable length from Mr. BRoUell us, and
a reply from Mr. GAeltdW. the 'Lord Cuts/ 13AitOSI Wanted up the