The Sun.
London, England, 1802-11-13 00:00:00

TO TILE

PRINTER OF THE CALEDONIAN MERCURY.

SIR,

•- It is universally admitted that the pralice o
Smuggling is pregnant with innumerable ills. 11

defrauds the Revenue, it ruins the Fair Trader, it
corrupts the morals of the lower ranks of the people,
it discourages the• exertions of our own manufac—
turers, it depreciates the fair profits of the Farmer,
and ultimately must fall a dead weight upon , the
Landed Interest.

`With all these evils in its train, it is nevertheless
true, that this illicit trade was never carried on
to a greater extent than it is at present in Scotland.
On the eastern coast, the quantity of Gin ushered
in by the Smugglers is incredible; and by their au_..
dacity and ingenuity, it is circulated, by various
ramifications, over the whole country.

•
That the fart is as I have stated it, admits of no
dispute ; that the evil demands knmediate redresi is
equally true.
Two classes in society, and to them I would par-
ticul,irly address these observations, appear to me
materially interested. These are the 'Fair Trad-ers
and the Landed Intelest.

Respeding Fair Traders, one remark will suffice.
A stop must be put to Smuggling, or they may
shut their shops. TO sell, goods which pay duty
upon the same terms with those who pay no duty,
is a'solecism in trade, altogether irreconcileable.---,
The application is so obvious that it requires no il-
lustration. . '
The Landed InterestL-Though at first sight tcieir
interest may appear remote, yet, upon due observa-
tion, it will befound they are more deeply concern-
ed than perhaps any other class of men. The rent of
their lands is their fortune, and this must. of course
increase or_ diminish in proportion to the encourage-,
meat afforded to the liariner. Viewing the matter
in this light, I call upon them to consider
,what has
occurred in Scotland within these twelve months.
The Distillm; after having been suspended in their
operations for two years, were, in January last-,
again permitted to work : -having done so for seven
-months only, they found themselves necessitated to
drop. their licenses, owing to a full rnirket. And
how could it be otherwise ? the influx of smuggled
foreign spirits was such, that the demand for home-
made spirits Was not equal to one half of the usu,il
consumpt. If the same cause continues to operate,
the same consequences may be expetaed to follow.
If then the Distillers of Scotland are to work only
one half or three-fourths of the year, the barley
produced by bur farmers must conic to a heavy
market, and the influence of this upon the letting of
lands will soon be felt both by tenants and landlords.
•If the Country Gentlemen would proteCt their
own interests and that of the Farmers, the subjel
upon which I now address them; will not fail to oc-
cupy their attention at the County Meetings. If
to promote a foreign manufaelure. at the expence of
OUf own, betokens hostility to our Country, it fol-
lows, that to. suppress Smuggling, is a duty incum-
bent upsi us as good and loyal subjeas.
By inserting the above in your useful Paper, you
will much oblige

A FREEHOLDER.

Berwickshire, OR. 15, iBoz.

JOHN HATFIELD,
Tat iCEIMICK IMPOSTOR AND SWINDLER.

THE address of the accomplished Swindler, and
the depravity of the hardened villain, are united in
this living Zeluco, who has become so well known
to the Public by his baseness to the unfortunate
Mary of Buttermere.
It affords but a melancholy picture of human
nature, to say, that this ;la of wanton wickedness,
exhibits only a solitary instance of the daring ini-.
quity which has marked the whole life of this aban-
doned man.
He was. horn at Mottram, in Longendale, in
Cheshire, and is of low origi#, but possessing abi-
lities, and being early devoted to pleasure, after
some domestic depredations, hetitlitted his family
in pursuit of adventures. It was not long before
he ensnared the natural daughter of a Noble Parent,
with a handsome: independent fortune, who ran
away with and married him; He soon squandered
her property, and: left hera beggar. For some time
she existed on a stipend provided by her friends,
and then died of a broken heart. By her he had
three daughters, whom he deserted, and one of
them is now living in the lowest stateof servitude.
In.the course of his career he visited America, and
travelled over many parts df Europe, representing
himself as a Major in the Army, and was much in
Ireland, where he was engaged' in many duels.
About the year,l793 he was arrested for debt,
and confined in Scarborough Gaol from that period
till'September fSoo, when he had address enough,
even through the bars of his prison, to captivate a
young Lady,, who married him, extricated him
from confinement, -and accompanied him to DeVOC,:.
Shire.. • •

Ndt long after his arrival in Devon, by the most
artful means and insidious misrepresentations, 'he
prevailed on .some respeaable Merchants to admit
him to a partnership in their business, offering to
bring a large sum of money and to do this he also
prevailed on a worthy Clergyman to accept his
drafts to a large amount, on the persuasion of his
remitting property to provide for diem when due.
He now visited Town, and with his carriage arid
establishment, Made a splendid figure; and turning
his talents to a seat in Parliament previous to the
General Election, canvassed the Borough of Oueen-
borough, to many Eleaors of which - place he
must be well known. Suspeled, however, by some
of his Creditors, and threatened with arrest, he
abandoned his Parliamentary scheme, and all his
projeas, decamping with some hundreds ofpOunds,
which he had art enough to secure, and leaving
his wife in Devonshire with a young infant, and.
ready to be brought to bed of another; depending for
bread on the charity-of the world. The Clergyman
who had accepted'his drafti, was obliged to fly'hi
duty and his country to save himself from a prison,
and Hatfield was instantly made a Bankrupt in order
to unravel his Villainies.

It has lately appeared that on his quitting Lon.
don he took the road to Portpatrick, with his car-
riage, and leaving it there, passed over to Ireland;
and from an intercepted anonymous letter, there
is great reason to suspe& he was concerned with a
desperate banditti in the neighbourhood of Glen_
arm or Coleraine. Although when he first ab-
sconded diligent search was made for him, by letter,
all over England, and even on the Continent, he
was never discovered till- he made the Lakes of
Cumberland the theatre of his iniquity, and under
the santlion of marriage betrayed poor Mary of
Buttermere. This unsuspeaing, girl, who had
hardly ever lost the prosped of her native moun-
tains, tempted by her artless innocence this bar-
barous destroyer t
After escaping from Buttermere, he took refuge
on board a sloop off Ravenglass, where he was
plentifully supplied with provisions from the shore,
and by his voluptuous profusion, attrafted in his,
hiding place the curiosity of a stranger, who went
on board, on purpose to see this amazing consumer.
Finding that he should he deteded, he went in the
coach to LTlverston, and was seen at the Hotel at
Chester, about. ten days since, where he had, in
his usual way, a goodisupper, and drank his bottle
of Madeira. The next morning he ordered a
chaise for Norwich, but not being able to get one,
he walked away in a great passion,- and has not
been heard of since. It is, however, supposed,
that he was hastening towards his native village to
secrete himself until the ardour of the first search
had abated, or else going to secure a passage to
Ireland.

Under the respeaable name of Colonel Hope
he franked several letters, and of course is guilty of
forgery, as well as swindling, 'bigamy, and the
felony of not appearing to his Commission.
Perhaps in the circle of life in which he moved,

there was never so specious an hypocrite ; he never
spoke._of those ties which ate valued in society,
without a tear ' trembling in his eye ; he hardly
ever saw an objeet of 'misery in the preteda of
others, without giving assistance, which, throgh-
the gift of ostentation, resembled the tribute of
charity. _His countenance is extremely engaging,
his information classical and general, his manners
courteous and insinuating, and his language do-
cpently persuasive. The perfeCt basilisk, he hardly
ever saw a woman whom he wished to allure, with-
out success. The history of ki3 seduetions and
gallantries would form a volume, at which British
blood would run cold, and even the disciples of
Chevalier de Faublas himself, would shudder at
his barbarous triumphs over chastity. The un-
wary female whom he deluded, would become the
minion of his pleasures, or the purveyor or his
purse, and there are, alas I too many viaims of
his treachery.

So plausible, that his acquaintanbe could hardly be
resisted, he adapted himself to the ruling passion of
all whoin he knew, discovering their weak side, and
having a genius to turn their abilities to his own ad-
vants-ri" and availing himself in the most dexterous
manner of the foibles, inclinations, prejudices, and
jealousies of mankind.