The Sun.
London, England, 1806-05-03 00:00:00

CAUTION TO PRESS-GANGS.

LIVERPOOL QUARTER SESSIONS'.
THE KING V. CLEMISON, J. SIIIIUIDA'N, AND P.
CONNOR. ,

TlliS was an Indietment against the three persons
abOve-mentioned, charging them with riotously and
forciblY breaking into the dwelling-house of John
Harrison, and of violently heating, wounding,. and
assaulting him in his own premises.
'this Cause excited an unusual interest, and roust be'
considered as of peculiar importance
,to Maritime
places, as it involves the question, Whether a Press-
gang, in the exercise of their duty, have a legal right
to make forcible entry into a dwelling-house for the
purpose of discovering concealed Seamen ?
' Mr. PARR opened the case on the part of the pro-
sedition. After some prefatory remarks on the im-
portant nature of the'duty he .had undertaken, and
the momentous consequences Which.the decision of
this day might even'tualiy involve, he declared it as
his opinion, that the right of,personal liberty was
a privilege of such importance, .that without it all
other rights are
.nugatory, and all other human en-
joyments-entirely valneleSs ; not, he Said,_ that false
species ofliberty which had spread desolation through
the fairest provinces of Europe, and seemed to con-
ist theright of every than, however depraved, to
do•as he 'pleased, but that moderate and measured
liberty which stibmits.to the restraifits of virtue and
thelaws,,and is compatible with the order and wel-
fare of society. In this country, however, this right
to personal liberty admitted of several legal infringe-
ments, and among the rest was the practice of int-;_
pressing:seamen - for His Majesty's Navy. How-
ever much, he said, this practice may be deplored,
as repugnant to the genuine feeling of liberty, and
hoftile to the spirit,of the Briti'sh Constitution,' it
was now become certain, that without it our mari-
time superiority could not be maintained,-andwith-
out that, not one of the blessings we at present enjoy
could for a moment be secured.

_ The good of the,. whole, therefore, clearly de-
manded a partial sacrifice. I.llutas this practice
,(jus-
tified by necessity alone) itself
is' of sufficiently Un-
grateful to the general feeling, particular care should
be taken that it may not 'be aggravated by unneces-
sary, instances of severity or oppression. In the case
befbre the Court, he-maintained that the manner in
N,vhich the midi puttl privilege br: „His 41jesty had
been exercised, was Illegal, oppressive, and cruel ;
and he lamented that the forcible entry into the
house of the Prosecutor had, been made under the
authority of the law, as supposed to-have been laid
down in a late case at the Lancaster Assizes: Mc.,
PARR strenuously combated this dnCtrine, which, .he
conceived, could not have been rightly understood ;
and denied that there eVer existed any law, written
or unwritten, which would warrant a press-(rang, or
any other persons whomsoever, to enter, in the night,
or ni the day, with force of arms, into the peaceful
habitation. of any of the' meanest of*His Majesty's
subjects, for the purposeblimpressing seamen knOwti
.to be there concealed ; much less, as *the present
case, on a 'bare suspicion. He closed his address
with a well-grounded hope, that the verdict of the
Jury would be such was consistent with the jus-
tice.of the case, and finally conducive to promote the
best interests of the country.
It was theft clearly proved by several Witnesses,
that on the night stated in the India:nem the De-
fendants, with some others,. carne to the house of
the above-named John Harrison, -in order to search
for a Seaman. of the name of Bell, whom they sup-
posed to .be there concealed. The door being fasten-
ed, they demanded entrance, which being refused,
they knocked out the windows,, got intothe house,
and abused the occupier,' Harrison,: in a shameful

thanner. They- fouild -eatna ).-c•ho is-now cr..
board-. 4 Ship of War..
The Defendants did not -set Alp -any genera; -de=
fence, but Capt. Cumbnland was called on the.pait.
of the, Defendant Clein,:isoh, :to whom lie
.gave
.;
most excdient charaater.

The RECORDEik, in a very aMe and 'impartial man-
ncr, then. gavolls opinion of the law, in which lie
acceded to, the several palpositiou before :stated;
and the Jury-pronounced a 'verdiet of Guil.ty agaimst
the Defendants. . .

A young woman, very genteelly attired, attempted
to destroy herself yesterday morning, in the Padding-,
ton Canal. She was perceived to castoff part
-a abet',
, garments by the side of the river,- by cottager, who,
'was going to work. at one of the locks ; soon .aftek
which she plunged.into the water: the,labourer bas -7
tened to her assistance, and ex4ricated her from her
.perilous situation. She was taken to a house, and
put, to bed: when she .came to her Self- she said her
-name was Sayer, that she'was untbr,tunately situated
in life,- and had returned from Bath on Wednesday;
to which place she had gone to meet a friend, from
wltOrn.she expeaed_suceour, but her hopes had tit
been realised.

• CORONEICO IIsTO.U:EST.-Ah Inquisition was bad
yesterday at the Swan-, in_lVlerton, Surrey, on .the
body of A. Wilson, who on Wednesday last was
found. hanging on an elm tree by the road side, quite
The evidence went to prove, that the unfor-
tunate man was in •a frail state of health'. and.had a
large family, for which he was.very ill able to 'pro-
vide: it should seem-, had preyed upon . his-
mind, and ,he at times had shewn symptoms of
mental-derangement, which on this occasion had
been heightened by a recent loss he had .i_,u.itained.—
Verdi .

;GE, HATTON-GAR vEN.---Ire,sterdny
Eteanor Carig was charged. kith-.s•tealitig .4 (I nanti
of Guinea and other totals from the 'poultry yard 0:
Gentleman at Ilendon-i she was committed fOr-
re-exairlination. •,:

A dreadful tire brOlte out on Sunday morning Insp.;
about .three' o'clock; in- lilt: work-shops- of -.
Crayne,- Joiner and Cabinet-maker, of Derby, which,
on account of the materials tl:at first took fire. beim;
of a combustible-nature, raged with areal inryihi-
ing its cont;nuance.. The fire-engines belonging to
the- different. Pdrishes- were on the• spot as speediVas:.
,possibip, and happily the tire was-got unclpr in-about
three-hours, after. having ColltltUed great 'part of
the preMises, with a small part of the Adam and
Eve public-house adjoining (the property also of Mr.
Crayue), together-with most of the workmen:sto44
The
.daniage is already eStmutect, at about
small part of which js'aissin-ed. ,