The Sun.
London, England, 1803-08-19 00:00:00

4L' p" HATFIELD.

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ON Monday, AuguSt ts, the trial Of 3.(lha'llat-
fiehi, for for2,erl•, 14c. came- on at Carlisle, before,
Sir AVt.X AND Eit TuomesoN, Knight, one of the
8410115 01 the ExChequer.
Three several Inditiments were preferred against
the Prisoi,er. , ,
- ,
The first charged him with assuming the name
aid title of the Hon; Alex. Aug. liqe, and_pre.
tviaring to be a Altalbe,r of Parliament of' the
United Kingdom of. Great Britain and Ireland, and
with having, on or ahem the.tnorith of Caftober last,
under the same name and charritler, drawn a Draft
or Bill of Exchange, in the naive of Alexander
liope,"upon one John Crump, Esrp for the sum of
twentypounds, payable to George Wood, of, Kes-
w k
k, in the said County, at the end of fourteen
d'iys front the date of the said Draft or Bill of Ex-
change.
The second Inditiment charged the Prisoner with
-nuking, uttering% and publishing as true, a certain
false, l'orged,- and counterfeit Bill of Exchange, with
the name of Alexander Aug. Hope, falsely set and
subscribed, drawn upon John Crump, Esq. dated ,
Otieb:r i, 1802, and payable to N. M. Moore,
Esq. fur thirty pounds sterling. --
The third Indictment charged the Prisoner with
having assumed the name of Alexander Hope, and pretending to be a Member of Parliament,' and bro.
ther of the Right Hon. the Eatl of Hopetoun, and,
a Colonel in the Army, and under that fielitious
charatter at various times, in the month olooobet.
last forged and counterfeited the hand„Writing of
the said Alexaraler Hope, in the supereription of
several letters or packets, in order to avoid payment
of the duty of postage.
The Prisoner pleaded Not 'Cuilo to the charge—
The three several indkiments T heir read, Mr.
SCARLE Opened the case in an Address to she
JUry,..wkreiti he stated, at, great length, the
miry of crimes for which the Prisoner stooden ion.
dkled.. Ile observed, that the Prisoner was qualified
to an-a conspicuous part in society, by.the elegance
ref his manners, and by the exterst of his informa.
tint% He WaS sorry to observe that a Man so qua.'
Ned • shoUld become such a dangerous and such a
disgraceful member of society. It was well known
an.
he said, that the crimes singly with which the Pri.
saner was charged, met with .the punishment of
death ;• ,but -here- -was• an -accumulation of ..guilt,.
Which he trusted he--should be able to prove by a
chain of evidence which would challenge the
rockiest investigation.. The Prisoner at the Lar, he '
said, had been lung known to the world; the trans.
- affirms he had been engaged in interested many. lie
was extremely sorry that the painful•duty should he
his,, to point out more particularly the fl tgitiousneks
of his offences ; but, however painful his sensations
fire, he trusted that neither his humanity nor that
of the Gentlemen of the Itiry, should induce them
for a moment to forget the indispensable_ duty which
their c,'ountry had imposed Upon them. It became
them, he said, in their capacity, to Wave all Con Si.
derations as to the feelings of humanity, and con.
shier this question as it materially .;Retied the hap.'
pi,iess kind ,welfare.of,Society.-,.
Mr.,Sc A R 1. ET then, With
II grett deal of modera-
tion, diew ari outline of the Pris Stier's' coraltra,
feria) the iitne he bucalste known to the tArrrd io
I'l7
sassnintat tit. of Colo'nei Hope. 1 Ir. hadi
"(.1, eanonitted Rainy erinim under e*Yer
'• f Ott name of a most- respet:table Geolletrian, _
-,ll',.'"):htiongtd to a noble atal rt. ancient family..
(re C, • , ' ' •, '• ' ' '
lastaine, alto this country. to resitt: in autumn
, in his own Carriage,, got unattended ' by,
it servant :. this tacked Some degree of surprise
attire g the inhabitants, but he cleared up this. by
sjtying he had given hi servant leave to go away
How him, he be n% much tettifittl wi•!'it the trernen.:
doug mow:lain% of kesry it I.: And, its neighbourhotiil,
During liis residenue to tin!. coury lie partly lived
AI 'ice, Ns ick; na.r tly
.i, t But termere, e, here he atnit3' ea
himself with fishing and other iitnLicent diver,i;;lts'i-:
:during tliii.time' his behaviour was 4kNf 0' ette'rea`
and proper ; hes Was constant •iir üblic worship, and' tlPpeared in ever p
y respea with the manners-and vita-
r:atit,r of a Gentleman. , After residirig tim
in this neighbonthotid, he cultivated the some
acquaint.e
'ant"of qtry Robinson of Entiertnere; a charming
and an interestiag young woman,' whom, after a
short courtship, he married., About ts erid luai '
calti v ated t he acquaintanee of the-Rev,hi Mr.p Niochol.
,st'tir the 'Chaplain of Loweswater, to whom, after
depatture from Keswick, he addressed s'everal
letters,. all franked with the name of A. A. Flupe:
Fruit, these letters it appeared, that he,departed
,:nl'°Rl Rut tcrmere with the allec3ged int ention.ol visit.
ig his estate and !nose in Scotland, which he call..
nut,Cfistie Dougini, being•about seven miles frtim
tv'stl6es. It did not appear that this journey was
imevr_acentriplished, bat that after some starat Long.
wick":
lii;nl,llLis county, the paAies returned to Kea.
,re the control} Of the Prisoner became
stitpti:ost.uitte bartoses. , He was asked, by the
liatlient for tial‘6,e""ter if' he was., Member of Tar.
ii„id he kid been re Linlithgovifshire?lle '
nosy ha wns run leather for Lirilithgowshire, hilt
viember for I)nalfries.shire, He earn_
much of the freedoms that were made. with.
~ his n., aon:1,111.one of his letters he mentiarts. 11is.
ilit'-'l.xutr c., 'Ming all tile slanderous reports that
d i n circulated against him.
eaSiel:ctr,4l.,l'assi!ges of his letters were read by.. Mr.
to
the R. ° these consisted elfiefly of letters written
elt. Mr. Niehoistm, from Long/own; in one
cl: theie, he :describes particularly an affea sermon
ing
1;e heard from the Rev. Mr..Graharn, brother
of Sir
!'nle* Graham, , Bair. of Nerhetby, and in. the
!,!Inc letter cr,pied an ieserip'tion from
ni.Arthuret Churell.yard - In this lettaertuliniebs.isvtoaknes
"Alligrcitt 4in Cliln of his beloved -Mary. Indeed
i't'''"S'allOY",d upon all hands that ha tlud ua•A i li. ' " • ' • and l. a itrnselt With stugular propriety,
•the Prisoner
%14Y3 made it a point to attend publit worship.ti
1 Afier his return to Keswick, it seems Mr. "al.-
' ,ingt., WllO \Val on a tour to the Lakes, and 'i'llu
""(1. Previouly acquainted With Col. trope) th°ught.
Ptiper to i' ' ' whit '
SO ICIT at) IfitClV IC W lnc Pri,sigiCr,
4.V11, f f,
i„4,..
lasked hill) to dine with hire ; this the Pri..
i'-' III."';;iit fit to refuse ; hut hc'ealled upon Mr.
de-
tt 'it,,,,t' $r atter dinner, when he- Suppt.n.t.ed ill
!, , It h great plausibility ; but sufficient doubts
rirr,,, •
i,,,- b 4113 en in lhe mind of Mr.. Hatdinge,
it,,,,, L. -
-tv" ,Proper to detain the Prisoner a IlOrtett.

.
Thos circumstanced, the Prisoner complained
heavily in the Rev. -Mr. Nicholson, than he
had done nothing contrary to the ,Laws of his
Conntly; if he had, " a hair • held him.r!!
When he saw hiMaelf and his adions likely' to: be.,.
come subjetita public investigation, he planned his
escape •;' he told this to his friend Mr. Nicholson „to
whoM he appears to have been much attached -he
told Mr.-Nicholson that as he could not be allowed
to go home to Buttermere wio his owrehorses,
- should sail across the lakes, and go over the mountains'
to that place. - Mr. Nicholson accompanied him to
the water side, and saw him. into the boat ; this, was -
the last time the Prisoner .was in the neighbour,
hood of Keswick. The Prisoner landed at the head
of the lake, and afterwards made his escape from
the hands of justice, Gentlemest of the Jury, said
Mr. S. after the ample detail :which I have given
'you, I feel the most perfect cOnfitience in your
candOur, justice, and integrity the task
assignedone is, I feel art inward satisfakroo while Z.
thus discharge a duty which I owe to my Country,
and its liberties and laws. I shall now call evidence
in support of what I have advanced,. and I rest my
claims of justice on your unbiassed Verdict.
Mr. a Gentleman whose name we did not
distinfily hear, being called and sworn, said, he
knew the Prisoner at the bar by the name of Hat-
field. He entered into the firm, in 18or, of
Dennis, Hatfield, and 'Co." saw the Prisoner in
April aoz, when he left Tavistock on pretence of
transacting some of the Company's concerns. The
:next time' he saw him was in
Brecknockshire, in December tBOz. • The Deponent
swore positively to the hand-writing of the Prisoner,
both in the letters produced and in the bills of ex-
change. • .
Rev. M. Nicholson
,called'.---He became ac-
quainted wtth the Prisoner on Sunday, Sept. is)
I Boz, on which 'Lias, he attendeai the Chapel of
Loweswater, of which the Deponent is Chaplain-
--
was introduced to the Prisoner by Mr. Skelton ; soon
after he understood .him to be the Honourable
Hope, brother to Lord ,Hopetoun ; when asked his
name by Deponent, he said it was a comfortable' one
—Hope—he said at the same time that he would be
no way, averse to telling his name, .btit did 'unlike
it to be inquired after by inquisitive people. About
a week previous to Oa. z, deponent accompanied
the Prisoner to Whitehaven, to 'procure a licence for
hia marriage to Mary,Robinson of; Buttermere,
wlio
was spoken of by the Prisoner
-as a /ave(ygirl. Did
not see any, signs of intimacy previous to the mar-
riage ,the Prisoner. lived partly at Keswick and
partly at Buttermere; he had a handsome carriage,
but no servant. After the marriage, the parties set
off•for Scotland, and stayed some time at LOngtown,
during which time the Prisoner wrote several
let-
.ters to Deponenr, all franked by the name " A. A.
Hope ;" in, some of .these he appears aware of. the
-construfflon that had been:put .uppn his mode of life,
and he tells the Clloplain . of Loweswater, that he.
would, on his return from Scotland, chastise all
those who circulated repors to his preju,iice,
On
his return to. Keswick, Mr. O. Hardinge being then,
on a tour to the L.tkes, desired to have an inter_.
view with the Prisontr, several questinr,s
ab.' on, his f!tniiy,, &e. adven, tires to Egypt,
wh: ,e he s.,nl tivem, t 1 ; asked him why
he signed his name A. r"-. i v., when CoNorl
o.lme .via, ,:oly r l'ri,Uner did," pot
seem di,eonc .rted;, bur after tiel Otet view was over,
Mr. Hitrobv sent for a M.sgistrate, :Ind desired to
haw, the rris,uper secured.' lialltdri, when inform.
ell of this,
,said, he had done nothing to offoid the
laws of*liii country--.if he wits conscious of guilt,
:chair would hold him." Nit. 1-lardinge .then
desired ;Mr. Wood,
.the innkeePer, to secure the
Prisoner's horses ; when the Prisoner Complained to
the peponenit, saying, that they would not let him
have his horses ; he of course must go by a boat
across the Lake, and so over the mountains to But-
telmere—accompanied thePiisoner to the water-side.
Remembers the transaffion taking place forvehieh
the ptisaner stands charged—saw him take a stamp
-out of his packet, and draw a bill for 301. on John
Crump, for whiCh he received cash from Mr. G.
Wood, innkeeper in Keswick.
Mr. Nicholson swore to his being the person who
married the, Prisoner to Mary Robinson, Commonly
called Mary of.Buttetniere, on the id of Odolser,'
JBo2—that alter his marriagehe'irits on termS• of
:intimacy 'with; the Prisoner---tins thcPrisoner made
bier} his.confidential friend,. told hitnof ya !jou s con-
cerns that- happened to his family-thaelie met the
Prisoner on a certain day between'toVeiWater and',
Buttermere, when the. Prisoner told the Dement,.
he had been much hurt with a conversation that had
happened with .the Curate. of Buttermere,
_wherein
the Curate had made free with his name—came
hiM after that from Buttermere to Keswick,' Alined
with the Prisoner—was a witness to the cenVersa.:
tion that passed between the Prisoner and Mr.
Hardinge. After. this tonversation the Prisoner
thought proper to mithdraw.,tions
,the neighbour-
hood, under, pretence of . fishing neon the Likes.
The Deponent aCcompanied thePrisOner to ti,e wa.
ter,side ; after this the Deenent never saw the Pri-
, Sorter till at Carlisle. He Made his escape over the
hills of Borrowdale. Previous to hii departure he
ordered dinner at the Queen's-head, in Keswick,
Mr, G. Woods, at which house the abOve-mention-
ed conversation took place '; the Prisoner desired the
Deponent to pay for the dinner at Woods, which are
Aid; and departed that evening from Keswick to
Buttermere, where he arrived at the house .of-Robin-
Son about eleven o'clock.
The Prisoner was found. Grillo upon the first and
second indictments, aod. ordered to be brought up
next day to receive judgment. He appeared per.
fthly calm anti unmoved when the Jury,broughrin
their verdidi, and left the Courtipbre Pott.chaise,
which conveyed him to gaol. '-"
The trial lasted from eleven o'clock in the fore.,
noon till seven o'clock in the-evening, during the
whole of which time the Court"iiits crowded to sue.
location.. Never, perhaPs, did a'cause come before
a Court and Jury that excited so much interest.
Ladies and Gentleinen, within a distance of twenty
miles round Carlisle, crowded 'to the town, to gra.-
tify.the curiosity which the story of poor /Vies! of
Buttermere, and other circumstances connected `Solt h
the history (tithe Prisoner, had excited. The pres-
sure was so great, and the heat so intalerable, as to
render it almost impossible to take a note. of the

proceeding; or even to remain in Court during the
whole of the trial es

The .Prisoner was neatly diessed its black; And
by the elegance and ease of his deportinent,inzeresied
all spedators in his favour. , During the. trial he
teemed .pettedly calm and colleded, and emplOyed
liimaelf with writing notes upon the, evidencei and
ltiAtucting b Counsel,

Tab FOLLOWING PATRIOTIC ErrusidB IS ASCRIBED TO