The National Register.
London, England, 1820-01-23 00:00:00

-IP

OLD BAILEY:

sreda c.ndaaisioy.
TBAFtit kIN6 IN SLAVES.

On Sloi11;;;, as snoii—as the Judges took their seats in
C . the Grand Jury were re-sworn, tor the purpose
of considering bills of indictment, tinder a s;iecial cons-
mission, against Alexander V illeniont and James Alex.
Carrot, two foretellers, who stand charged who a viola-
' 1111 l of the slave trade laws in the Alatiritins.
After the Grand July were re-sworn, Mr. Justice
hoed informed mein of the nature of the otieuce.
whicli they were called vorm to consider in the indict-
ments that would bc bill/Wined to them. It was made
.telrony by a late Act of Parliament, and though the
offence was said to have been co 11111 l iited in a distant
pan or the world, yet still the law brought it within the
Jere:diction of a jury in this country.
Tilt Grail,: Jury returned shortly- after, with toe bills
Agana: the defeccialits.
The prisoners pleaded Not Guilty; and on being in-
formed that they were entitled to a jury coiloxned hall '
of mreigners, they replicd, "Fh liar, ions Alelic" A
jury therefore of all Eligliz.h was empanelled lily their
tri'l.
The Solicitor-General, Mr. Littleton, awl Mr. Rey-
vvele the cool, sel on trehalf oi one prosectit 1111 l ;
wid 11 r.Cilrl/4004.1, A(1011J1141:4 and Mr. Platt, ibr,
the prisoners.
Cur Solicenr-Getteral, in opening the e ,se to ahe Jon
"thinner:led. the various acts which had hlAKse l IN 1896,
ss oh tile concurrence of all parties in Parliament,
abolishing a trade winch the frielids of humanity had
been tiltlcaSouring for 20 years to put an rod in. But
tae acts °fitmho only imposed pecuoiary penalties, and
it was found mat in their ortrations they wire nugatory,
as the profits of the trade far exceetb.d the amount of
the penalty inifessed by law. At length, the gh the
efforts of %Ir. Brougham, an act was passer) 111 18 11,
making the otiencea felony,
.and colier:011g tile parties
to transport.; oleo' eons tenon. With respect 10 the
prisoners now at the liar, they were meanies of St. Mots
Teti us ; and it would be recollected that by a late treaty
the Slauritios-was ceded to Great Britain. That
therefore, formed a patt of his Nlajesty's dowtu inn, awl-
the two persons at the bar were amenable to British
law. He wished to explain to the Jury, that a •Fretich
.captaits and the mine, who were implicated in tins
affair, could not be prosecuted, because there was nin•
.atitlicieot proof that they had cies lauded al the Nlatiri-
oust ; not having landed, they could pot be amenable
to British laws. There were two otters, who were also
;implicated, and who had been sent to England for trial.
.beveral slaves had been sent with them as witnesses
ageitist theist ; but it was Anhui that 411e,,e men were so
devoid .al all moral or
.religious principle, that it was
thought proper to abandon tile prostreinion. The facts
ofthe Caw were then stated, 3111.1 witnesses were called,
who proved (neut.
The case for the prosecution being closed, Cartol was
called spun for his defence, and declared that he had too
witnesses II re to confound the testimony of the false
witnesses examined. He put in a long written defence,
which commenced by giving an account of the manner
,in which he had heel' engaged precious to the transac-
tion ill question. In September, 1817, he hap sailed
from Borth:Ail% hull a reading, voyage, and had dealt and
ar flicked in rice, tobacco, and salt provisions, &c. It
oufirmed the account given, according to the testimony
of the first wittiest, by the Captain of the inane Adone,
when questioned as to tile destinalion of the vessel, and
the cargo site had carried. He confessed that lie was at
'1 sonata at Madagascar, but not for the purpose of deal-
,ing in slaves: at Thai time he seas so ill as to be incapable
of doing any thing, and he was carried by four liken to
the ship when the set sail for the Isle of Bourbon. The
document called upnu the Court to cons;der who was
his accuse:, and almost soleaccuser on the 'real—lsis own
aervatit, virtu, had enroll,. forged these fats:hoods to
etimin4te his master. he wasa boy oldie most infamous
character, and whom his father was obliged to imprison,
while yet an infant tin his crimes. After the examina-
tion at Fort Louis, this lad hail expressed his contrition
for having swum falsely, and had promised to speak the
truth its London ; but lie had basely perjured himself,
and had unjustly crimitiated his master.
The prisoner Villemotit was next called upon fur his
defence, and also 'untied in a written paper, which was
read. It stated that he was horn at the Isle of Pourbun,
.of good family, awl postuvely denied any connexion
With any transactton of the Isature imputed to hint. He
had voiuntarily surrimilered himself when called tipon,:.
conscious of his innocence, and might, if he had
chosen, have concealed himself. At the examination at
Yort Louis before the Grand Judge, he had produced
witnesses who distinctly proved his innocence, nut these
witnesses he had been unable, on ;cerium of the great
expense attending it, to bring to this country. He called
upon the Court to consider whether it were probable •
that YOU slaves could be introduced into the Mauritius"
without its being known to the authorities there, who
Welt constantly upon the watch. Not one trace of these
slaves could be found, although diligent search had been
mad,. tie was now 12,000 miles from Ws native
country, and although nut a pauper, had been unable
to bring his witnesses to this country. lie begged,
alietefore, that these circumstances might be taken tutu .
,consideratitim
No witnesses were produced for the defence.
Air. Justice Borrough, in recapitulating the evidence
to the Jury, rentalked upon toe necessity of passing the
act of I 11, making the offence of trafficking in slaves a
transportable ullence, as otherwise little or nu punish-
Diem would be labc;ed.
Tim jury found both the Prisoners Guilty.
lu tile course of tile day ilie Gratin .luny presented a
paper to the Court, in which they spoke its high terms
Di the stateof Ness Aa.e, itiroti4ll tile arrangement of Mr.
Brown, the keeper, so tar as the limits of the prison
permitted. • They also spoke in just terms of the excel-
lent eacttious of Mrs. 1. ry,