The National Register.
London, England, 1808-12-11 00:00:00

DEC. 11.

TEE KING V. ALEK XNDEft DA.VISON, ESQ.
This was an Inforniation filed by the At; :iruey-General against
the Def..iiilat:t, charging him with fraud in his character of
_Agent to the Barrack Master-General, in forni-hing supplies.for
tier depaitteent of the p. blic :et vier. The information, in
bp, elf in the precise nature of the fraud, set forth, that the
Defoodatil, al, a,,reementptilatefl tot
purcliti intose.stores for the wa•li :eiteral DBarrack
elaney,
iii the ye. 1795, sii
to see t -rn packed and tufo arded to tlieir
pi~je of 6.,.,i0;,.6011; he helag allowed for his agency two and
a half lief cent. upon the charges and expences so incurred ;.that
he 0,0 ...Lied to act in the character of Agent, consistent with
• s,iptilatt-,1 in the agreement, till the year 1398, when,
poreici,i.:4 the supplies from the mt•rehants as he had
a•custouied to cl:i, he furnished them from his own. stores,
tu himself tile double character of seller as well as
er; ant', ha:. Mg caused tictitious bills of parcels to be made
out in the e lines of two of his clerks (Watson and Allen), and
taken from them receipts, as if they had been dealt with on their
own account. These accounts were returtiett to the. Barrack-
Office, and the commission charged and allowed upon the trans-
actions, the same as if the Defendant had actually been the
purchaser on the part of Government, and not the seller. By
ttic se fabricated hills and receipts, the Barrack 'Master General
was deceived, and the Government defrauded, and the Defend-
ant obtained a columission which he was not entitled to under
hi agreement, in addition to his profits on the supplies fur-

The Attornev-General, Mr. Garrow, and Messrs. Abbott and
Richardson, who were employed on the part of the prosecat'l,m,
snbstamiated this charge in evidence. The original agreement
between General Delimey aed Mr. Davison was proved, by
which thc latter was expressly prohibited from supplying the
Btu-rick Department on his own account, and a compensation
of two and a half per cent. allowed him for his skill and agency
in making the requisite purchases on account of Government, as
applicable to the Barrack Departmept. It.was also proved,
that this agreement was expressly abided by till the year 1798,
when the Defendant first began to furnish the supplies of beds
ding, &c. from his own warehouse in Bedford-street, the busi-
ness of which was conducted by dr. Mingo Shedden, and the
accounts rendered to the Barrack Office, with the accompanying
bills of sale and receipts, as vouchers, led to a conclusion, that
tire stores so supplied were purchased or two individuals, of the
names of White and Allen, and not furnished by the i;eft-tulant
on his own account; by which means he was enabled, to addi-
tion to his profits as a seller, to charge his commission ilr‘ an
agent. This course of proceeding continued till ISOi, when
the practice was discontinued, in consequepee of some investiga-
tion into the accounts of that Department, and ultimately
brought to light by the Military Conenission, appointed by
the liotre of Commons to inquire into the abuses of the several
Public Departments under Government. The particular in-
stance of fraud imputed, amounted to somewhere about Irteoe
being the commission charged upon 13,000'. together with some
other minor items.
Mr. Dallas made a most eloquent appeal to the Jury in be-
half of the Defendant. Ile said, the charge imputed to his
client was a fraud, committed frmn a mean and sordid desire to
put into his pocket a small sum in breach of his contract, and in
defiance of every principle of honour or honesty. It was im-
possible, he said, not to feet that such a charge involved every
thing that was dear to the Defendant, and the nutAnitude of the
stake must. impress the Court and the Jars, with the greatest
an .iety. Mr. Dallas having; t bus introduced the subject, ad-
verted to the way in which General Delaney became acquainted
with the Defendant, and his motives for app.rintine him. tie
found him in the Otlices of Governevait, and understanding that
be wasa gentleman of approved skill and conlideire, he pitched
upon him as the fittest person to he entre-al with the agency
of the Barrack Department. lie (Ntr. Dallas) thought proper
10 mention that fact, as most injurious and calumnious state-
Leans had gone forth to the pubiic respecting that ztppointment,
asel he would repeat, that Cicoeral Delano finding Mr. Davi-
son cie;aged in extensive business, gevorally knowu to the mer-
o,ants of the coantrv, and recentl., befote empluved in situations
of great trust and confidence by Government, Inott,ght him the
re,t person to be entru-a,,il with the agency in supplying
Lie barrack Department with stores, 6.c. Till then rte was
unacquainted with him. lie accordiuglv wrote t a him, and the
befeudasit's answtsr of toe 10th of January, MA, was the ba•

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