Star.
London, England, 1807-03-12 00:00:00

Bya the COURT.

In the conveifation you had with Mr. Pitt,
what was determined, and who was appcintA to at-
tack the Spanifh Settlements in South America,
after the attack of the Care, in cafethe event cf that
attack was fuccefsful ?—A. I tecoilleCt no propofal
being then made relative to the fettlemews in South
America. I certainly have, at another time, heard
Mr. Pitt exprefs his opinion on that fubjeet.
Sir HOME POPHAM here lamented, that on this
prominent feature of his defence, he was precluded
from offering the teftimony of that great man, with
whom he had concerted the project, and who was
now for ever loft to him and his country.
Mr. Hufkiffm (worn and examined.
By Sir HOME POPHAM.
_ -

Q Were you one of the Secretaries of the Trea•
fury in 1805 ?—A. I was.

Q Do you recoiled my taking leave of Mr. Pitt,
on the 29th July, iBos, previous to my failing for the
Cape of Good Hope ?—A. I recoiled Mr. Pitt and
Sir Home Pitpham being in my rooms at the Trea-
fury, but do not remember his taking leave.
Q Do you recoiled my telling you that Mr. Pitt
withed you to furnifh me with the names of Time
Gentlemen who were likely to procure me fame in-
formation upon the fubjed ?—A. I recoiled generally
a converfation with Mr. Pitt, who expt died an anxiety
to obtain every poffible information relative to South
America, and clefired I would take every opportunity
of procuring information, and collecting and keeping
together loch as could be fo procured. But I do not
recoiled the precife converfation alluded to. I have,
by the dare of Mr. Pitt, convetfed frequently with
Sir Home Popham upon the fubjed of tuch infor-
mation.

Q. Was the impreflion on your mind, that I, at
the time alluded to, either from what I Paid to you,
or what afterwards occurred, had had any converfa-
Lion with Mr. Pitt on the fuhjeet of South America ?
Mr. JERvIS objeaed to this quellion, as not being
evidence.

The COURT alfo thought it irrelevant.
Q Had you any converfation with Mr. Pitt, in
1805, on the fubjed of south America, and parti-
cularly Buestos Ayre, and did you, by his diredions,
take any Reps refpeding myfelP—A. I formerly
Rated that I had fome converfations with Mr. Pitt on
the fubjeet of South America, and I might fay par•
titularly retpeding Buenos Ayres.
Q Have the goodr.efs b Rate the nature of thole
converfations in zeneral, with Mr. Pitt ; but I do
not with to exalt from you any thing that can affect
the in:erefts of the State, or of in,iividuals, however
the refult of fuch difclofure might be effential to
me in this profecution ?—A. I believe, almoß on
every occafion, Mr. Piti converted with me on the
fubjed of South America; his attention was celled
to that part of the globe particularly. A pe:l wit
brought to me a plan or chart of the Rio de la Plata,
which had been then recently, as he informed me,
publifhed at Paris, the original being taken from the
depot of the King of Spain, at Madrid ; and he added,
that he had intelligence which led him to believe that
that plan would thortly be of ufe to fome part of the
French Navy, v ho would probably find their way
with troops to that place. Knowing this perfon was
one in whom Mr. Pitt could place reliance I felt it
my duty to communicate to him this information.—
Mr. Pitt Rated to me generally, the views he enter-
tained with refped to South America ; and he gene-
rally conceived, that it would be a moll effential
object to this country, to maintain our naval fuperi-
ority, and the facility that fuperiority afforded, to
commence the operations againft South America, if
the fuccefs of the confederacy on the Continent did
not correfpond with his withes. The plan of opera-
ration propofed would not only open the market: of

America, but alfo prevent the French them-
!elves from doing that which he had no doubt they
would do ; he therefore gave general credit to the
perfon who fornithed that plan, and hoped that we
fhould be beforehand with the enemy, as our naval
means were fu much fuperior to theirs. This was
nearly the general view of the meafore ; but I fhould
very much fear I cannot (late particularly, but can
only Rate generally, that by Mr. Pitt's defire, I did
talk meafures fur procuring further intelligence re-
fpeaing the !tate of Buenos Ayres. The intelligence
came to me through Inch a channel as could be de-
pended upon. And Mr. Pitt did direa me to take
preliminary Reps with ref.pea to Buenos Ayres, with
a view to facilitate its capture by a Britith force, and
Tome !hips were immediately put in commiilion for
that purpofe.
Were the views which Mr. Pitt had in form-
ing the Confederacy on the Continent, anfwered ?
A. Certainly I believe not.
. _ _

Do you knew of any political objeftions exill-
ing at the time I failed for the Cape, to prevent my
having received inllrultionsor provifional inttruCtions,
on the rub j eel of Mr. Pitt's views relative to South
America ?—A. I can only Rate, that Mr. Pitt, it
a converfation with me, Rated a political objeCtion,
which had a certain weight with him at that time, for
not undertaking immediate operations againft South
America ; but I cannot pofitively take upon me to
fay, whether, in cafe that objetaion had not exited,
Sir Home would or would not then have received
inßruetions to proceed to that part of the world.
IQ Was tbat political objetlion removed, by the
compete failure of the views Mr. Pitt had of forming
the confederacy on the Continent ? A. I believe it
was.

I think you Paid, Mr. Pitt gave direelions for
fome preliminary Reps, with refpea to BuenosAyres
—as, in the event of failing on the Continent, he
Mould commence fome operations upon the Continent
of South America ; do you know of any circumftan-
fiances happening to change his opinion in that ref-
pat ? A. With refpeet to South America, I have
no reafon to fuppofe his views were altered.
Do you think his views materially increafed by
the extraordinary and rapid fucceffes of the French
on the Continent, and from the ports of the Conti.
nent being that up against our trade to A. I believe
they were.
By the PROSECUTOR.
Q.:, I with to a& whether you don't know from
converfations with Mr. Pitt, previous to the failure
of the then Continental Alliances, that he was in
hopes to detach Spain by negotiation from her al-
liance with France ; and was not that the political
confederation which he flatted, as having weight
with him, not to commence any immediate operations
againft South America ?—A. That was the political
objection to which I alluded in my former anfwer.—
He was very far from entertaining any very fanguine
hopes of detaching Spain from her alliance with
France.

Q.I. Did Mr. Pitt at any time (late to yco, that Sir
Home Popham had any politive or provilional in•
flruitions to proceed to South America, after the
redation of the Cape, in the event offuccefs in that
quarter ?—A. Certainly I never underflood that he
had loch inflrations.

Q I with to al.: whether you took any further
fieps, more than inquiring relative to Buenos Ayres ?
—A. I did.

Q._ Were any meafures taken, in concert with the
Secretary at War, cr the Firfl Lord of the Admiralty,
in confequence of thole inquiries ?—A. I can only
flute an opinion upcn that ; I do not know from Mr.
Pitt whether there were any Reps taken, or any force
was applied for that purpofe.
O Do you not know, from converfations with
Mr. Pitt, that ke had in his contemplation the attack
of Buenos Ayres, after the reduaion of the Cape ?
A. From the converfations 1 have had with Mr. Pitt,
I rather underßood rhat,,any attack on BuenosAyres
was not in his aftual contemplation at the time Sir
Home failed for the Cape of Good Hope.
By the COURT.

PR ESIDINT..-.-Qz.. After the political °Nation was
removed, I would alk whether any orders were
Wiled, or any force was prepared or fent to attack
Buenos Ayres ?—A. I conceive the political ohjedion
was noti removed until the defeat of the Ruffians at
the battle of Aufterlitz. The (tate of Mr. Pitt's
health was fuch, at that time, as co prevent his
attending to public affairs, or my having any con-
verfati in with him upon that or any other fobjed.
Re-examined by Sir HOME POPHAM.
_ _

Were any preliminary Reps taken for the
profecution of the attack on Buenos Ayres, in which
the Admiralty interfered ?—A. A Rep was taken
with a view to forward operations againil the Conti-
nent of South America, which had the lignature of
the Lords of the Admiralty. I cannot recolleet the
nature of it, nor the precife time ; hut it was about
the period I received the plan all eady alluded to.
Here the btOnefs of the day concluded, and the
Court adjourned until nine o'clock the next morning.

FOURTH DAy•••TUF.SpAY, MARCH TO.

The Court met at nine o'clock.

The PRESIDENT obferved to Sir Home Popham,
that in the courfe of this trial he had produced a num-
ber of documents, read a variety of papers, adduced
a great deal of teflimony, and anted of the witneffes
a number of queflions, throughout the whole of
which there was a west deal of irrelevant matter,
not at all applicable to the quefliun referred to the
Court. The President therefore, expreffed a hope,
that in the remainder rsf the trial Sir Home would
not embarrafs the contideration of the Court, nor un
neceffarily protrad its proceedings, by adducing fur-
ther irrelevant matter, but that he would confine his
defence to plain faits, and to fuch tetiimony as really
bore upon the cafe ; for the Court had no other ob-
jai in view than that of doing junice to Sir Home
and to the c,-untry, upon the question referred to their
confideration.
Sir HOME POPHAM thanked the Court for the in•
dulgence with which they had favoured him in the
courfe of his trial, and of which indulgence, he (aid,
no perfon could feel a higher fenfe than he did ; and
he hoped that every a& and expreilion of his bad
marked the fenfe which he entertained of their kind-
nefs. He hoped that if, in the fituation he Rood, an
anziius feeling of folicitude for the vindication of his
profeifional charaeter and his private honour had in-
fe,fibly led him to trefpafs at any improper length
upon their indulgence, or to trouble them with any
portion of evidence nut quite relevant, they would

not impute his condo& to any improper intention, as
he had only ventured to introduce parts of the evi-
dence, apparently irrelevant when feparately confi
dered, but which taken collellively, amounted to a
fpecies of proof which, he believed, was not unufu.
ally adduced on trials of this kind, as well as on
thole in the ordinary Courts of Civil and Criminal
Judicature. He pledged hinifclf, however, not in•
tentionally to incur the difpleafure of the Court again,
in the fame way.—(lo be concluded io morrow).

P4fRLIAMEN TART PROCEEDINGS.

HOUSE OF LORDS, TUESDAY, MARCH IT.

The Duke of Suffix. Earl Manners, the Earls of Longford.
Kinnoul, and Lord Vircount Duncan, took the oaths and their feats.

Mr. Hobhoufe, Mr. Barlow, Mr. Davenport, and feveral other
MeMbers of the Houfe of Commons, brought up two Naturaliza-
tion Bills, returned agreed to, and two Private Bills, which were
read a firft time.

_ .....
In an Appeal from the Court of Seifion in Scotland, " Millie
v. White," the Solicitor General was heard for the Appillant.—
Further confideration on Monday next.
The Brandy Duty Bill, the Id& Duties Bill, and the Sugar
Bounty Bill, were read a third time and paired.
Lord GRENVILLE gave notice, that in confequence of the
dircuffions of yeßerday relative to the Scots Judicature Bill, he
Wield make a propofition upon that fubjedt to morrow.
The Lifta of Appeals before the Houk, moved for yefterday,
were prefented and ordered to be printed.
Lord WALSINGHAM prefented a petition from the Debtors
confined in tho Gaol of the County of Stafford, praying for relief.
Ordered to lie on the table.

The Houfe refolved itfelf into a Committee on the Sierra
Leone Bill—Lord AUCKLAND propofed feveral Amendments
(which were agreed to), in order to prevent the operation of the
Bill from affeeling t►e Trade of the Sierra Leone Company.—Re-
port to-morrow.
The Committee on the Thames Police Bill was poltponed till
to-morrow.—. Adjourned till to-morrow (this day).

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
The Report of the Yarmouth Committee, given in 'our Paper
of yefterday, was to-day delivered in at the Bar of the Houle.
Leave was given to balug in a Bill to regulate the Duties on
Paper in Ireland.
Mr. TIERNEY moved that there be laid before the Hoare, a
Return of the Number of Deft rtions from the tft of January,lBo7,
to the lateft period fame can be made; as alfo Weekly Returns of
the number of Men railed by Recruiting, from :ft of January,
1807, to the lateft period fame can be made, diftinguifhing thofe
raifed in Ireland from thofe railed in England —Ordered.
The kith Hearth and Houle Tax Bill, the Irifb Tobacco Im-
portation Bill, and the Loan Bill, were feverally reported, read a
fecond time, and ordered to be read a third time to-morrow, and
engroffed.

-A
Return of the Number of Caufes he in the Courts of Ex-
chequer of Scotland for the laR fifteen years, was ordered to be
laid before the Houfe.

MR. CAWTHORMR.

Mr. WM. HERBERT moved, that the Proceedings of the Court
Martial appointed in 1795 to try the Charges preferred againft
John Fenton Cawthorne, Efq. be reprinted for the ore of the Mem-
bers: which, after a few words from Meas. Tierney, Banks,
S. Bourne, Hurt, Simeon, W. Wynne, and Ofboroe, was agreed
to.

ML. PAULL'S PETITION.

Lord FOLKS TONE moved, that there be laid before the Houfe
Copies of all Papers Chewing in what capacities William Drake
ferved his MaJetty on board, his Majefty's (hips the BeUcifle and
Royal William, from the year zy9B to 180 a.