Star.
London, England, 1802-11-18 00:00:00

NAVAL STORES.

Thomas Winter was brought into Court, to re-
ceive judgment for the offence of having certain
naval ftores in his polfeffion.
His trial occurred at the laft noises for Maid
(Lone, before the Loan CH I F BARON. The De-
fendant was a bricklayer, at Chatham, and had
ereded feveral (mall houfes. Upon examining
them it appeared he had made ufe of nails which
' had the King's mark upon them ; his premifes
were fearched, but the value of all the nails and
other articles difcovered, did not exceed 41. He
received on his trial a very excellent charader
from feveral refpedable perfons. His defence was,
that he bought the nails of the children of the
workmen employed in the Dock Yard, who picked
them out of the chips of wood they were allowed
to carry away. The punifirment by ftatute is 14
years tranfpbrtation, but the Court has power to
mitigate it to the pillory, fine' or imprifonment.
Mr. GuaasY obferved, that the cafe of the De-
fendant differed materially from thofe of many
delinquents who were brought before the Court,
he had not abfconded when charged with com-
mitting the offence for which he was called upon
to anfwer, but on the contrary had afforded every
facility to thofe who came to fearch his. premifes.
The value of the articles found was extremely
(mall, sod it feemed very probable that he became
poffetred of them by buying their of children.
Lord ELLRNBOROUON.-•-•" Employing children
as the medium of obtaining fuch articles, teems
rather an aggravation of his offence."
Mr. GURNEY added, that perfons buying chips
fromthe Dock Yard, frequently found nails among
them. The Defendant, be Paid, was a man ad-
vanced in life, and had a large family. He had
on his trial received the belt of eharaders, and he
trufted if the Court found circumftances of exte-
nuation in his conduit, that it would ad merci-
fully towards him.
Mr. GARROW Paid, there were Tome circum-
(lances belonging to this cafe which were defpe- ,
rattly at odds with the Learned Courtiers argu-
ments in favour of the defendant. True it was,
there were very few nails found on the premifes
of the defendant ; but thus he Hood on the report
of the Judge before whom he was tried—he ap-
peared as a man, who, by trade a biicklayer, had
built two honks, about which he had himfelf done I
the bufinefs of the carpenter, and in every. vifible
part of the erections he had employed nails with the
King's mark upon them. How many more might
have been dikovered, had the houfes been taken
to pieces, it was impoffible to fay. With regard
to his purchating them of children, though, it
formed no mule for his offence, yet hg had not
even attempted to prove that faa on hli trial. If
his affertion was true, it only manifefted that the
employment of children to difpofe of loch, articles
was a mode by which the labourers in the Dock-
yards were tempted to (teal the King's Rom..
There was no way of,,cltecking this evil, but by
!hewing the people in the neighbourhood of the
Dock-yards, that it could not be committed With
impunity. - It was one among the grievants to
be lamented, that recently, in the lifts °PAW 'ltt-
rms returned for the county of Kent, he had
known not lefs than three perfons fummoned who
had been previouily conviaed of having had naval
Clore: in their poffedion.
Mr. Jzsvis folloped on the fame fide.
Lord ELLsalsoacwqn.--44 It is an offence of
great magnitude and extent, and of alarming fre-
quency."
The defendant, 43041 be bad been heard by
his Counfel, idieated the Court to Eden to him.
Lord ELLiilOROValf deffred him to pritceed.
The defendant appeared' extremely agitated, acid
was obliged to hpport -bintielf on the ann of his
fon. He difebrimed 01l intention of cominitithigl
the offence of whisk he had been found•gu&-y.-=-'I
Said he was a Swaim of Rochefier, an 4 a frift.l

.•
numerous family like t than. He was befldes a
true Briton; as well, affeaed a fobjea as his Ma-
, jetty had in his dominion's, and one who had ever
Ihewn himfelf ready to defend his perfon and Go-
vernment. When the country was threatened
with ins.l6on, he had inftantly volunteered and
tendered the ufe of his horfe and cart for his Ma.
jelly's fervice. His perfonal exertions had been
rejeeted on the fcore of his advanced age, upon
which he had forthwith equipped his fon, a youth
of twenty ; and had, at a confiderable expellee,
furnifbed him with arms and accoutrements to aid
in refilling the common enemy. He was the
avowed foe of the dikffeEked part of the commu-.
nity. His Cbarafter and principles 'ere 'well
known to the Gentry, of the county of Kcnt. He
had cautiouQy avoided, during the whole courfe
of his life, having any thing to do with King's
Mores, and as a proof of it, once, when his wife
had inadvertently purchafed certain articles with
the Government mark on-them, he had thrown
them out of his houfe, obferving (begging pardon
of the Court for repeating it) that the !lad bought
him tu th what would fend e devil, if difcovered in
• his poireffion. He Paid there were frequently fifty
or fixty women who employed themfelves in pick-
ing the nails out of chips from the Dockyard, and
who afterwards fent their children to fell them.—
He bad been five or fix times a purchafer of a
fmall quantity of them; burin every other refped
he bad never run the rifk of buying King's ftores,
nor would he ever do fo. He again declared he
was as good and loyal a Briton as the King could
boaft of; and he concluded by falling on his knees,
and humbly imploring the mercy of the Court.
. He was comOitted to NewgAte, and ordered to
be brought tip on, a future day.