Star.
London, England, 1807-10-16 00:00:00

TO VON ERSVINE DOUGLAS,

Captain of MA M.tjefty's Slip Bellona. and Senior C'.scer, &c. 8:e.
Clleftrieak

• • Tils Majtfifs Ship Leopard, at Set, 22d June, IS:7.
Sir—ln obedience to your fignal this morning, to
weigh and reconnoitre, S. E. by E. I have the honour
to acquaint yno, that having arrived off Cape Henry,
to the distance of about tour nr five leagues, I bore
purinant to orders from the Commander in Chief,
to feat ch for Deferters on board the United States
frigate Chefapeak. On arriving within hail, an•
Officer WAS difpatchkd according to my irdltnainns,
to thew the Order to her commander, together with.
the following Note from myfelf :
" The Captain of his Britannic Majelly's (hip
Leopard, has the honour to cockle the Captain of
the United States frigate Chefapeak, an Order frcm
the Hon. Vice Admiral Berkeley, Commande► in
Chief of his Majelty's (hips on the North American
Ration, refpeeting fi.me deferters from the !hips
(therein mentioned) under his command, and fop•
pnfed now to be letv►ng as part of the clew of the
Chefapeak.
41 The Captain of the Leopard will not prefnme
to fay any thing in addition to what the Commander
in Chief has Rater!, more than to exprefs an hope,
that every circumitance refpefting them may be.'
adjuite-2, in Inch a manner, that the harmony fubfilt-.
ing between the two countries, may remain undif-
turbed."
The boat, after an abfence of three quarters of an
hour, returned with the following anfwer :
" I know of no fuch men as you defcribe ; the
officers that were on the recruiting let vice for this
(hip, were particularly inlirufted by the Government,
through me, not to enter any deferters from his Bri
tannic Majefly's (hips ; nor do I know of any being
here.
" I am alfo inilrueled never to permit the crew of
any (hip that I command, to be muttered by any
other but her own officers : it is my difpofitiun to
preferve harmony ; and I hope this anfwer to your
dispatch will prove fatisfallory.
(Signed) " JAMES BARRON,
Commander of the United States Sbip Chefspeals."
On -the receipt of this letter, motives ref humanity,
and an ardent &fire to prevent bloodfhed, induced

me if poffible to engem:lST ttianake the feareh, with-
out recurring to more ferious meafures, Fy repeat.
edly haili• g and remonfirating without etre& I then
direfted a fhot to be fired acrofs the bow ; after which
he was again hailed, the anfwets again %vete eqnally
evafive ; conceiving, therefore, that my orders would
not admit of deviation, 1 lament to Rate that I felt
under the neceffity of enforcing them by firing into the
United States (hip ; a few flaot were returned, hes
none (truck this (hip—at the expiration of ten minutes
from the fira (hot being fired, the pendant and calms
f the Chefapeak were lowered. I then gave. tt,t
necell'ary direftion for her being fearehed, according
to my inftrueious, and herewith fend you a Rate.
ment * of the number and names of the Defence.s
found on board. Several other Englifh fubjelits corn.
`pored part of the crew of the frigate, but as they did
not claim the proteaion of the Bridal flag, and not
within the limits of my orders from the Commander
in Chief, I therefore allowed them to remain.
After the (catch had been made, and preview,' re.
paratiot. 1, the Captain fent me the annexed Note ;f
which, with my anfwer,l I have the honour to fubi
kin; and have the.honotsr to be, Sir,
Your moR obedient humble fervant,
• S. r. Nvmroatys.

_•
Serjeant Richard Frodtham, of the Royal Marines,
of his Majelly'a (hip Bellona; called in and fworn, to
truly.anfwer what he knew of the inifoner, as ago
to Inch queflions acthe Court might afk him.—Hid
heard the cha,rges read.
you know any thing of-the prifoner ?—A.
Only ['bat be was confined on beard the Belton, as a
deferrer from the Halifax.

QWere you on board his Majefly's fhip Chichef•
ter tri the Chefapeak, doing ditty as a Seijeant of
Marines ?—A. Yes : I was fent from the Bellona to
his Mijefly's fhip Chichetter, on fhe loth November
iftcG, and remained there until the istli March iBo7.
Q:Dti you know of any deferrers from Fort Nel.
flit being claimed by the American Commandaati....
A. Yes.

(Z... Relate to the Court the particulars.—A. In the
'early
.part of February !Ai the Chichefier being
ainngfide the wharf at G Xport, in Virginia, I law a
party of foldiers, under arms, confining of the Com.
mandant of Fort Nelfon, a Seijeant, o,:poral, and
tour Privates, coming from the fort to the wharf,
along fide which the Chichefier was laying. Hasoirig
entered the gates, they proceeded to Captain Stop.
ford's !edgings ; when I was fent for, by him, and
afked whether there were any deferters on board
from the fort ? I anfwered, there were oat any. The
Captain laid, "there are three, ?re there not ?" and
directed me to give them up to the perfon I fuppnfed
the Commandant. I, with the affittance of the Offi.
cers, fearched the (hip, but could not find them, and
reported accordingly to the Captain, who then order•
ed all hands to be turned up, in order to fearth more
'particularly, as he was determined to give them up.
with the Mailer, and other Officers, renewed the
fearch : and, at the expiration of an hour, two were
'found under the flores in the hold, the third was
funnd in one of the liore hnufes, under the fails. Cap.
tain Stopfnrd direded Mr. Brookes, one of the mid.
fhipnien of the 'hip. to be confined, for'ielling Cap.
rain Saunders, that he thought it was not tight to give
up their deferters, when they would not give up no's.
The deferrers were then put in a boat, and taken by
the American Captain and guard to the Putt. Their
names were, William Born, a Ihiemaker by trait, an
Irithman, born in Londonderry ; William Jones, a
weaver by trade, born at Manchener, in England ;
the name ,nr place of birth of the third perfon I do
not recoiled.

Dn ynu know of any of the crew, or fupeenh-
mei aries, claming from the Chichelter, and enter-
ing into the Ametican Military Service ?.—A. Yes—
convalefcents, who came from the Regiments, tic.
in the Welt Indies, for recovery of their health.
(Z. Relate the particulars. A. %then Simpfon
and Francis Sedgewick, of the Royal Artillery;
William Phillips, C .sporal of Royal Matines, be-
longing to the Ctuicheller ; Benjamin Withers, of the
istru Regiment of Foot ; and John Mahoney, of the
37. h, deferted from the Chichefter, fume of which
enlilied in the Englith uniform, into the American
fervice. and were afterwards fcen by me in the Amt
rican. military uniform. Simpfon and Mahoney wee
' Irithmen, and Wither s and Phillips, Engli(hmen, fro
the county of Lancaller—l do not know what coup
tryman Sedgewick was, blit has repeatedly hard
them all declare, they were bangers to the United
States.
Tile Evidence withdrew ; and
Captain John Erikine Douglas, of his Majellyl
(hip Bellona, (worn.
Q. Was you Senior Officer.of his Majefty% (hips
in the Chelapeak, when the men, Sated by the lag
witnefs, deferted from the Chichefter ? A. I vat
Staior Officer.
Q.: Did you make any application fur thole men
A. 1 did make application, but they were not given
up : and, to the belt of my recolledion' the antwer
given was, " if any deferters from the EnFlifh ler
vice have entered unto the American fervsce, they
have been fent, with a detachment, into the country."
The rrifoner was now called upon for his defence;
having being told. at the examinsti'n of each witnefit
that he might atk any queltion he pleafed. After re.
tiring for a thou time, with the Judge Advocate, he
seturned into Court, and hated—that the evidence
brought again(t him was fn hong, there was but little
left for him to fay in his defence : but that the realms
I of his hiding in thecoal hole, was for fear of the Amei
• Lift of Mtn found on board, and ferving as a part of the Crer
of the United States fhip Chi. repeat, Eleferters from hit ?darn/
(hips Melampus and lialifaz—•
WILLIAM WAR,'
j.).ANIT L MAITIN, His Majefty's Ship IVlscassres
Jrs. STSACHA N. alias STORY, .
PI. WILSON. Alia. JPS:KIN RATTOID ..' HALITAI.
His Majefly's ship Leopard, at Sea, June 22, OW.
f Copy of a letter I rom Commodore Barron to Captain Hum phrer
I" SIR4I confider the frigate Chefspeake as your prize, and MS
ready to deliver her to any officer authorifed to receivel3.l
the return of the boat I Stall crpedt your anfwer ; and have tlf
honour to be, Sir, your molt obcdietit bumble fervant, •
I " At Sea, June 22, IEO7.
-- " JAMIS DAMS.

ANSWER.
" His Majefty's fhip Leopard, (at Sea) June as, TBo7*
U Sta—Having, to the utmoft M my power, fulfilled the in*
ftrudlions of my Commander in Chief, I have nothing mon to
&fire ; and mutt, in coufequcnce, proceed to join the rcroalwit!
of the fquadron—repeating, that I am ready to give you cur/
fiftance in my power, and do molt finccrely deplore, that
ay
lives &mid have been lolt in the execution of s ferviee, which
might have been adjulted more amicably, not only with reipedl
othiclves, but to the Nations to which we refpeetively Wort.
ur
I have the honour to be, Sir, yo snoft obedient
bumble fcrvant, "a. uvurnairs