Star.
London, England, 1809-11-04 00:00:00

COLONEL. WARDLE.

Mr. KEMBLE began by declaring, that he was not
influenced by any party motives in the motion he now
brcught forward, nor had he consulted with any in-
dividual Member of the Court upon it. If he had
been present when the Amendment was past, or if
any sufficient notice had been given to the Court, he
should have submitted to the decision of the Court,
and never have attempted to rescind it. It was with
de greatest astonishment that he had heard that the
inotion which had been given notice of by one Gen-1
tlzmin, and afterwards abandoned, was brought for-
wird by another, merely 'for the pm of intro-
ducing this long amendment. The unfairness of this
amendment consisted in this—that many Members of
Court were utterly ignorant of the intention to
!ding it forward, and staid away, while, on the other
hand, there was a canvass for an attendanceoLmao27
those who knew that it was to be brought forward.
He felt it contrary to the honour and credit of the
Court, that resolutions should be obtained by a sur-
Pri4. of this nature. The amendment had little or
rd)thing to do with the notice upon which that Court
had met, and if it were allowed to stand upon their
it would be a precedent for every sort of sur-
prse upoil that Court, by amendments which could
not be foreseen from any thing in the notice. He de-
clared that he did not at all wish to touch the vote in
favour of Coldnel Wardle. He only objected to the
.1-aendment, which contained much extraneous mat-

'`.•r, and in which the Court was completely taken by
;!.:prise, not having the least reason to expect that on
a luestion which was abandoned by the Mover, of re-
'cinding the thanks to Mr. Wardle, an amendment
could be introduced, condemning Lord Castlereagh
and Mr. Perccval, and giving an opinion on compli-
cated caestiont of finance. He thertiore thought it
necessary, for the honour and character of the Court,
to move, that the resolution contained in the said
amendment should be rescinded.
Mr. Deputy Box seconded the motion. He said,
b' the amendment the former Court had taken
'lpon itself, without previous notice, to decide imme-
ti,lau.;y on the first characters in the country (a laugh).'
They were certainly, if not the first characters in the
county-6
; men in the highest confidence of their Sove-
reign. If fair notke had however been given, he
should not have said it word against the decision, but
•vould have thought it his duty to acquiesce in it.
AlLierMan GOODEUIERIE defended the Resolution
*.lic!, he had originally moved. He thought that •
:iost, Gentlemen, who had expressed so much anxiety
T the honour and character of that Court, had taken
rather an odd way of shewing it. According to the
r..tsoning of these Gentlemen, no question should ever'
inored in tit Court, when it, was net convenient 1

for them to attend their duty, or when they happened
to be out of mwn. Did they mean to say, that every
question brought forward in that Court must abso-
lutely be carried, either in the affirmative or negative,
and that there was no room for any alteration in the
way of amendment ? If they said so, they maintained
doctrine which was contrary to the practice of that
Court, of Parliament, of the India House, of every
other public body, and even of these Gentlemen them-
selves, in the management of their private affairs.
Whenever a question of such a nature was agitated
in that Court, it must be considered in all its various
bearings, and the decision must be what the Members
who attend shall think right, on viewing the question
under its different circumstances. The Gentleman
who brought forward the motion disclaimed any idea
of touching the Vote of Thanks which had been ori-
ginally given to Mr. Wardle; but was it not most
evident that the tendering of this motion was to ex-
tinguish that additional lustre which a former Court,
forced into a farther discussion of the subject, thought
that Gentleman was entitled to ? When he remem-
bered how highly the Mover (Mr. Kemble) spoke of
Mr. Wardle, when the original Vote of Thanks was
passed, he had believed that that Gentleman had ab-
jured his former political errors, and enlisted himself
under the .banners of Freedom and Reform. He,
however, now feared that he had been contaminated
since that time, and thought that the present motion
would be amende honorable made to his former friends
for his warmth upon that occasion. He knew that
the Mover would disdain the imputation of any selfish
motive, for he wanted nothing :

" No Baron, no 'Squire,
" No Knight of the Shire,
" Liv'd half so well -"
but the might consider this tribute due to his for-
mer friendships. It appeared to him, however, that
this was not a time when the exertions of good men
should be damped or discouraged. Mr. Wardle had
been most shamefully calumniated ; and yet, through
all the fiery ordeal which he had as yet passed, he
came out pure. He had lately been calumniated for
not persevering in the prosecution for perjury, and for
having gone on an excursion to the sea-coast in com-
pany with Mrs. Clark. Now, as to the last circum-
stance, it was known, or it ought to be generally
known, that Mr. Wardle was a man of the most mild, I
social, and domestic manners. Such a man, feeling
strongly the duties of a husband and a father, might
go on an excursion with Mrs. Clarke, in company with
Major Dodd and Mr. Glennie, without committing
that which a Member of that Court (Mr. Samuel
Dixon) said that he would have committed if he were
in the same situation. Mr. Wardle had different feelings
respecting his duties, and yet saw that it was necessary
to amuse, by such an excursion, a woman of her slip-
pery turn, and prevent her falling into the fangs of the
enemy. If Mr. Wardle had not persevered in the form
of action which first suggested itself to him as the
proper one, it must be recollected, that he had obtained
a true bill for a conspiracy against those people, and
that the evidence of the perjury must have been very
strong before the Grand Jury would have found the
bill for a conspiracy, which depended upon the per-
jury. Mr. Wardle had not delayed a single day in
endeavouring to bring the matter to a trial, and he
would have been content to have had it tried at the
Sessions. In those two points, then, upon which Mr.
Wardle had been most calumniated, he appeared to
him to be absolutely blameless ; and he felt no doubt
but the more his conduct was inquired into, the more
apparent would the purity of his motives be. He
conceived that Mr. Wardle had, in the last Session
of Parliament, rendered to his country a service much
more important than it had received from any of the
transactions of the late war. Men that had rendered
such great services, and shewed so much energy,
could not be too highly prized. The country was in
need of such men, and wherever they appeared, by
sea or by land, they should be welcomed and che-
rished. It was always impossible for any Members
who did not attend their duty, to foresee the precise
nature of the Amendment that might be moved to a
Motion of which notice was given ; but this was one
reason for setting aside the proceedings of former
Courts, and expunging them from the Journals. He
felt, therefore, bound to support the original Reso-
lution which he had moved, and to oppose the pre-
sent Motion.
Mr. JACKS said he was far from London when the
original motion of thanks to Colonel Wardle came
forward, and therefore he hoped he should be in some
degree indulged now in the delivery of his sentiments.
As far as he viewed the present question, he thought
both parties were in some degree right. He thought
the Hon. Alderman was right in saying, that an
amendment might be moved to a resolution, and he
'thought the Hon. Gentleman right as to the question,
whether the original resolutions were proper. With
respect to ColonlWardle, as far as he could view the
conduct of that Gentleman, he confessed he could see
nothing which had occurred since the approbation of
the Resolutions, which could affect his conduct since.
As to the language of the original Resolutions, he
thought there was much to reprehend. It was said in
them that Church preferments were disposed of : now
that was not true, although it was true that Church
preferments had been applied for. As to Lord Castle-
reagh's Conduct in the disposal of India Patronage, it
was a principle of British justice that no man should be
found guilty except upon proof, and in the present in-
stance no proof had been adduced before the House.
Indeed, the corrupt influence which in that House, as
elsewhere, was attributed to the Members, could only
apply to the disposal of Boroughs. He did not like cor-
ruption—he detested it as much as any man ; but cor-
ruption was, to public bodies, what vice was to private
individuals—neither could exist, in some degree,
without it—they were natural and incidental diseases.
In the free states of antiquity, corruption was dis-
cernible: even in Greece and Rome, abuse of public
men, and the operation of public measures, were co-
ordinate. The principal question now, however, was
—were the public men of the present day more cor-
rupt than those of former times ? He did not think
they were. In the early periods of even our own his-
tory, the great Lord Bacon, that luminary of science,
and light of the political world, notoriously received
bribes when Lord Chancellor. In the year 1691., the
' Committee of the House of Commons found, that
£90,000 had been annually distributed among the
Members, and even the Speaker of the House himself
had received £lOOO for the passing of a Bill. The
language of the present day, as to corruption, was
precisely the same as that which was used formerly.

`ln 1734, Mr. Pohefty had said that corruption
was set Its height; and that unless it was diminished,
the Constitution would be lost. Yet the Consti-
tution still remained. Sir William Windham also
used the same sentiments. In those days, two hundred
Placemen and Pensioners were discovered in the
House ; whereas, on the late motion, only 78 could'
be traced by the greatest ingenuity. The House of
Commons, he thought, were vigilant in the execution
of their duty : by that vigilance, the case of Lord
Melville was discovered--by that vigilance the case
of Mr. Alexander Davison was discovered, and many
others of equal detriment to the country. The Speak
er's language in the resolution concerning the sale of
seats had been misquoted : the language as to the
existence of a public office for the sale of offices under
Government had also been ridiculed. Indeed, all
Colonel Wardle's plans of economy, founded upon
such documents, were ridiculous. Colonel Wardle
economically wished to save the country by the re-
duction of its principal defence, the :limy. He wished
to reduce the army at a time when
.the country was
chiefly menaced, and when Bonaparte had concen-
trated his forces as it were into a focus. It was be-
come the fashion lately to decry public men ; but
could Government go on without them, or would not
the people either sink into discontent or apathy, which
would as effectually ruin the counny ? He could
not see why public men should be now so much abus-
ed as to a change of principle ; they had always
changed their principles. Mr. Pitt had been once an
arrant reformer, and had afterwards opposed reform.
Mr. Fox, once a notorious enemy, had afterwards
coalesced with Lord North. Mr. Burke had been a
confessed apostate. Why should public men now
then be adjudged with such strictness ? For his part,
he thought the prerogatives of the Crown were in more
danger than the privileges of the People. He had
lived for half a century, well and,, happy under the
British Constitution. lie had grown rich under it ;
and he wished it a long continuance.
Mr. WAITHMAW expected, from the speech of the
Hon. opener of this debate, that he should have very
little to say ; as he understood him to wish that the
Resolutions should in substance stand, but that the
irregularity of their introduction was to be reprehen-
ded. He was a little surprised, however, at the per-
tinacity of the Hon. opener on this occasion; because,
on the very last Court-day he had, by his silence,
countenanced the very same irregularity of which he
now complained. The Court had met under a sum-
mons very different from the subsequent resolution on
which it had agreed. With respect to the original
resolutions he should be as ready as any man to re- ;
scind them, if any discoveries had been made, which
in his mind militated against them ; but from subse-
quent
discoveries, he was inclined to draw very dif-
ferent
conclusions from those who had already spoken.
He thought, indeed, from the indirect and clandes- I
tine attacks which had been made, that the Court
was called upon to vindicate the character of Colo-
nel Wardle. As to the speech of the Hon. Gentle-
man
who spoke last, of all the wonderful speeches he •
had spoken, it was the most wonderful. He had
never before seen him so encumber himself with dust
and cobwebs—he had never seen him in so puzzle-
brained a manner steer between right and wrong.—
Indeed, in his conjectures as to the Clinch Patro-
nage, he was not there so much to be blamed—he had
stolen his errors. He had quibbled, like the original
and arch-quibbler Mr. Canning, who would not attach
guilt because the iniquity had not been completed— 1
who would not criminate the Duke of York as to
church influence, although, at the intercession of his
prostitute, Dr. O'Meara, a clergyman, had preached i
before Royalty. With respect to the East India pa- I
tronage, so far from the Speaker's speech having been I
misquoted, not only he, but Lord Liverpool in the ;
House of Lords, had in the highest degree reprehen- 1
ded it. It was said, however, that Lord Castlereagh ;
and his colleagues in office ought not to be abused,
because they were the men upon whom the hopes of 1
the country were fixed. If this was the case, all he j
could say was, that the country was lost—that the 1
country was ruined beyond redemption. The Ho-
nourable Gentleman had said, he loved virtue and ,
hated vice. Aye, abstractedly, just as he loved a good
dinner—(A laugh). He was, however, quite a philoso. 1
pher, a metaphysical genius (A laugh). Hehadfound
out, forsooth, that because corruption was prevalent in
other ages, we ought not to abuse it now. This was,
however, Canning's doctrine. Now public men were
attacked, and now they were to make a stand, and now
he had come to his rally. The Hon. Gentleman had
said he stood up for the Constitution because he had
made money under it. Oh ! what wonderful talents
P he had ! What a melancholy reflection it was for
himself, for his country, and for his friends, that those
inestimable powers were not exercised in their proper
sphere, where they might be useful, and where they
might not be thrown away as they were at present !
(A loud laugh). He would, however, ask the able and
learned Gentleman, learned equally in modern and
ancient history, whether there ever was a State, in
which the corruption of the Government did not in-
cense the governed, until; they produced their own
overthrow. In free States he said corruption was
prevalent. Yes, because the Government was eter-
nally encroaching, and the people necessarily oppo-
sing. He did not mean to say good Ministers might
not be produced by this couutry. Mr. Pitt was a good
Minister ; Mr. Fox was a -good Minister ; aye, with
good looking after. No Ministers could be trusted
unless a vigilant Parliament watched them. What
would be the case, even in their own little corpora-
tion, unless the servants were kept to their duty .?•••
" I wonder," said Mr. Waithman, " what that man
can be grumbling at."—(Mr. Dixon had appeared to
dissent.)
Mr. Dixosf—" I call upon the Court to protect its
officers."—(A loud and universal laugh.)
Mr. WAIWLMAN hoped the man would confine him-
self to his own defence—Gob knows it would give him
trouble enough ! (a loud laugh.) He was far from
. abusing the Officers of the Court. He had only said,
that public men, in all situations, should be watched
—such was the imbecility of human nature. The
Honourable Gentleman had said, that the House had
laughed at Colonel Wardle about the assertion, as
to the existence of a public office for the sale of seats
• under Government. It was true, but Ministers after-
wards prosecuted those wko held that office (hear, hear).
The Honourable Gentleman had also descanted upon
Colonel Wardle's proposed reduction of the army :
he had stolen all his abuse from Mr. Canning' s old
speech (a kagh ).—The reports of the Commissior.ers

of Military )inquiry had proved such a feductioh
necessary ; and indeed Mr. Windham had roily
said the whole system was corrupt fr in bottom t
top. In the War-office, k was said the arre-ti s
arose from the negligence of Clerks. Why, hec:::.
young Gentlemen of interest and of idle habits v. ei-e
• put into it, and employed their time in it wilt no
other amusement than that of reading anti-jacobi-
nical pamphlets. This was the only way in which
they could gain an honest livelihood (a laugh). He
quoted the case of a Mr. Charles Hamilton, who held.
under Government £l3O per annum—next, as secre.
tary to Mr. Dundas, £lOO per annum—next a house,
or another office, the rooms of which he let out at
one guinea per week; and lastly, lie held the office
of Assessor of the property ta::, which consumed
nine hours a day, and which of coarse left little time
for his other avocations. Yet this young getulerian
got a pension on Mr. Dundas going out of office. In
the War-office, a servant of .a Mr. Charles Jenkinsun,
if any one knew such a man, was appointed alMessen.
ger ; and he, of course, igoorant as he was, could not
even tell the duties of his office before the Cornm;s-
sioners. Charles Jen kinson, who thus paid his servant's
wages out of the public money, ought not to be trust-
ed. As to pensioners in the House of Commons, he
did not like to trust them. Many might be honest
it was true, but still wlitote men were not only induced
to coruption by their own places, but by their
friends, by pensions, and by future expectations, they
might well be doubted. Public men had now great in-
fluence in their hands, when the public revenue had
grown to 78 millions annually. Mr. Lewis, even, had
lately gone out of office, with a pension of e2OOO
a-year. In 179.5, when Lord Amherst was Comman-
der in Chief, that office was only RlOOO per annupii
and in 1807, Colonel Gorden, as its Secretary, had
above two thousand. The Hon. Gentleman seemed all
' of a sudden to have new lights thrown upon his intel-
lects. He had found out that the best way to support
the prerogatives of the Crown was to oppose the pri-
vileges of the people. In all times, he thought, but
at all events in such a time as this, the people ought
to be supported. One of the Judges of the Land,
Justice Bailey, in speaking of the sale of offices, had
said in the case of Sir Christopher Hawkins, accused
of bribery, that the sale of such offices was scan-
dalous, and that their continuance would reduce the
Constitution to nothing, or to a mere shadow. The
Hon. Gentleman had, however, denied that doctrine,
and had said, that because Pitt, Fox, and Burke were
corrupt, we ought to trust other public men- This
was indeed infallible reasoning ; it was, as must be
the case in all absurdities, proving the very reverse of
what the orator intended. Now there was no time
to think of the people, yet abuses were confessed, and
still no exertion was made even by one Gentleman,
who formerly said Petitions to the Throne ought to
be presented once a week, till they were remedied ;"
and by another whom he saw, who declared " his blood
was chilled in his veins by their recollection !" For
his part, he felt horror at the present complexion of
affairs—at the sight of our armies lost and pining
with disease—at the sight of our Parliamentary cor-
ruption, and of the confessed imbecility of our Go-
vernment. He thought Colonel Wardle deserved the
thanks of the country ; he had done much good,
and our ultimate success might be depended on, if
the people were firm, like him, and went up to the
throne with the complaint of their grievances. The
Hon. Gentleman had said Bonaparte had concentra-
ted his forces in a focus. Oh ! what a strange way it
was of collecting forces in afocus, to spread theni all
over Europe ! (A laugh.) This he supposed, how-
ever, was the abstract metaphysics of the Honoura-
ble Gentleman's philosophic mind. Strange philoso-
phy which could trust those who had brought all its
misfortunes on the country—who had sacrificed our
heroic Moore—who had sent our brave army to pine
and perish in Walcheren—who 'were declared by all
thinking men incapable. Strange philosophy ! which
could book unmoved at the wreck of all which was
great and good in the nation, which could relish the
canting and hypocritical charity which affected to
give relief while it winked at deliberate cruelty. He
did not wish to despair of the country. He thought
Ministers might be found effective, that was, provid-
ed they were well watched by an honest, vigilant,
and unpensioned Parliament. Gentlemen were
shocked now at Parliament being attacked ; but if
they looked to the addresses of the City in the time of
Wilkes, they would find much stronger language
than was used in these republican days. He thought
Colonel Wardle had been used most ungratefully, and
if he had done so much good as Colonel Wardle did,
and then had his private character and house searched
for scandalous anecdotes, whereby to vilify his cha-
racter, he would have thrown their gold box in their
face sooner than have taken it. He opposed the pre-
sent motion, because he thought its adoption would
be a censure on Colonel Wardle.
Mr. 1 i :oar supported the Resolution. He did not
see why we should be so very particular about cor-
ruption at home, when the power of Bonaparte abroad
was so terrific. . •

Mr. KEMBLE declared he should not have brought
forward his motion, if he had thought it would have
hurt Colonel Wardle.

Alderman ATKI NS supported the motion.
Mr. MILLER spoke against the resolution.
The previous questiun was then carried by a great
majority.

We undertsand by' letters from Oxford that only
two candidates have been announced for the Chan-
cellor's Chair, vacant by the death of the Duke of
PourLAND—the Right Hon. Lord ELDON, and the
Right Hon. Lord GRENVILLIL A strenuous canvas
is now on foot, and it is, expected that the electi )11 will
not be decided without .a severe coniest.

At half pat nine o'clock, last night, a fire broke
out at Mr. Wood's cooperage, near the church, Lam-
beth, sA hich raged with unexampled rapidity, f r a
considerable time, and totally destroyed the prern's .s,
and a mustard-warehouse adjoining; but by the timely
arrival of engines, and a plentiful supply of
water,
it
was prevented from spreading further.
A few days since, a child of Mr. Rich, of Stoke-
lane, Bath, was burnt in a lime-kiln. The kiln was
about half burnt down, covered with coal, and but
little, if any, fire appeared. Several children were
playing near the spot, and Mr. Rich's child, who w3s
about seven years of age, not perceiving the kiln, ran
upon it, and fell in.--The manbelow immediately
drew the kiln ; but, notwithstanding, the poor child
was burnt to dust ; not even a bone could be found.

OLD BAILzr,

/ 11 prisoners were tried, four of whom
aally convicted, viz.
Jane Williams, for stealing a piece of Irish linens
the property of Samuel Clark, privately in his shop.
D. Shield, for stealing 56 yards of print, the goods
of F. Todd, and G. Bateman, in their dwelling-
house.
Edward Edwards, for stealing two gold rings, the
goods of J. Wilson, privately in his shop.
James Callen was capitally indicted for burglariously
breaking out of the dwelling-house of Denis Mahony,
and stealing from thence five pints of wine, value
four shillings, the property of the said Denis Mahony.
In this case the facts of the robbery were clearly
substantiated ; but the Judge, who was in some ;
doubt as to the case respecting the burglariously
breaking nut of the house, which was effected by
raising the unfastened flap of the cellar, said, that that
point should be reserved for the consideration of the
twelve Judges ; he advised the Jury, in the mean
time, to find a general verdict of Guilty.
The prisoner was found Guilty.
John Cole was indicted for stealing from Hester
Randall a parcel, containing Bank of England notes
to the amount of £lB6, the property of the said
Hester Randall, in the pit of the Royalty Theatre,
Wellclose-square, on the 29th of September last.
Hester Randall deposed—that, upon the 29th of
September, she went, accompanied by her daughter,
to the Royalty Theatre, and, upon being seated, was
civilly •accosted by the prisoner at the Bar, who ap-
peared 'to he very anxious to accommodate her—the •
prisoner and she had much conversation during part
of the entertainments, and she did all in her power,
in acknowledgment of his attention to her, by pre-;
senting him with tans and cakes. The prisoner, soon
after, appeared desirous to get out of the pit—
upon w..ich the prosecutrix, who had been 'leaned
upon by the prisoner, who sat behind her, immedi-
ately put her hand to her pocket, and cried out to her
daughter, that she had been robbed, and by the pri-
saner—he was then struggling to get out cf the pit
door. The daughter, who had much more presence
. of mind than her mother, gave the alarm, by crying
. out " Stop thief l"---The prisoner, however, escaped
into the passage that leads from the pit to the street,
where the prosecutrix found him in the custody of
Henry Davis, •a check-taker at the theatre—her
daughter then told her not to be alarmed, for she had
the money safe.
. Henry Davis, check-taker at the Royalty Theatre,
stated, that, upon the 29th of September, before the
hoer of ten o'clock, he was at the pit door, and heard
repeated cries of " Stop thief !" within the house ;
the prisoner, in great haste and confusion, passed
him, and said, that, as he would not probably m-
orn, he did not want a pass ; the prisoner then en-
deavoured to open the folding-doors, to get into the
street ; and was aided.by many, who appeared to be
his accomplices. The witness ran after, and seized
the prisoner, who was making an effort to conceal
something under his waistcoat. A parcel dropped
from hand, which be endeavoured to hide with
. his foot ; but the daughter of the prosecutrix, who
came up at this moment, said, that the prisoner had
robbed her mother, and took up the parcel which he
bad dropped. The witness gave him into the custody
an Officer. - _

Mary. Peterson, daughter to Hester Randall, corro:
borated tho testimony of the prOsecutrix. .
John Bibby, an officer, said, that he had, at the de-
sire of the prosecutrix, taken the prisoner into custo-
dy : he was in the boxes when he heard the cry of
.0 Stop thief !" heron round to the passage of the
pit, where the prisoner was disputing with the check-
-taker ; he conveyed the- prisoner to his room, and
searched.hins, but-found nothing about him ; he then
took the prisoner to the watch-house.
Mrs. Randall then identified the bank notes.

The prisoner said in his defence, that he wasp
obligedrfnan.the necessities of nature, to leave the'
.theatre ; that he intended to return, and was uncon•:,
. scions of having the parcel about him.
Baron TUOMPUON summed up the facts in his charge
to the Jury, whof without retiring, gave a verdiivor-:-1

.Guilty. - 7
Smith was indicted for stealing a watch, chain,
and seals, value £4, from;Johly Simpson.

• The prosecutor stated, that he had been accosted,
inthandos.street, by the prisoner, who is a woman
of •the town ; she invited him to her lodgings, in
Crown-vain, Chandos-street ; he consented to ac-
company her, which he accordingly did ; after re.
rnaining some time in the room together, the prisoner
knatched the watch from his pocket, and ran away.
The next morning the prosecutor went with a Bow.:
street officer to her lodgings, where he found her in
bed, very much intoxicated ; he asked her for the
watch, upon which she went with them to the house
of an acquaintance, who delivered it to the owner.
These circumstances were corroborated by Leck,
the Bow-street officer.

le tsow-3,.,,..
The prisoner was found Guilty.
The following were also convicted of felony :
John Muncaster, for stealing a pair •of boot-legs,
and a pair of straps, the property of Henry Bond,.and
T uke Thomas Flood ; Esther Simpson, for stealing
a silver spoon, the property of Eliz. Wolfe ; S. Da-
vis, for stealing 10Ibs. of sugar, the property of
Messrs. Raw, Conway, and Phelps ; and Thomas
it.laslin, for stealing 12 ounces of tea, the property of
the Fast India Company.
John George was capitally indicted for burglarionsly
breaking out of the dwelling horse of William
ritrangeways, and stealing from thence, in bank-notes
and gold, to the amount of twenty-eight pounds,
threeshillings, six tea spoons, two table spoons, and
a gold watch, the property of the said William
Strangewo ys.
Strangeways deposed, that the prisoner,
who was his journeyman, had seen him put Bank-
notes into his writing-desk one morning ; on the even-
ing cf that day, the prisoner had behaved in a very
.onfused and unaccountable manner ; they had both
b. en at a tavern together ; the prisoner left him, upon
pretence that he ?rid business to attend to, but return-
ad in a shni t time ; the prisoner and he then went
home, and, upon the prosecutor's desire to go into
the room where this desk lay, the prisoner took hold
of l'im, and asked him to go to bed, which he did—
in the morning he saw that the desk had been broken
open, and the money taken out.

Maria Clapton stated, that the primer desired her
to g to bed early the night of the robbery. She did
so, and heard a noise resembling that of a person
getting in at the window; she could not substantiate
any charge against the prisoner. Shortly after this,
the prisoner and prosecutor came home.
The Jury gave a verdict of—Not Guilty.

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.

,r

' Yesterday Joseph Heath was indicted for defrauding
Mary Anne Purnell, designedly and unlawfully, of
six pounds, by representing h►mself to be Mr. Reeve 4
of the Alien-office.

Mr. GURNEY, in a most able manner, stated the
case on the part of the Prosecution.
Mary Anne Purnell deposed as follows :•••44 I am
a native of Normandy, in France, and have been in
England since the year 1792: 1 carry on the business
of a milliner, in this city. On the 10th of June last,
in the evening, the prisoner called on me, and stated,
that he was Mr. Reeves, who was at the head of the
Alien-Office, and was sorry that he was obliged to
communicate a message to me, which would alarm
me, and which concerned him very much. I asked
his name ? he said it was very well known, it was
Reeves, and he was at the head of the Alien-Office ;
and that a woman had lodged an information against
me, at the Office, for being an alien, and without a
proper certificate. I told him, I did not know I had
any enemy, or that any person had it in their power
to speak against me ; he said, he thought so, or he
would not have given himself the trouble of calling
on me '; but if the woman's information proved right,
she would be 'entitled to £lO, and that I should be
obliged to quit the country ; I replied, I had not that
sum ; he said, he thought so, on which account he
had promised the woman £lO to be silent, which I
must give him, as he could not, in conscience, take
it from his Majesty's Treasury ; I told him I had
not that sum, but would go into the parlour, to a
gentleman who lodged there, to try to borrow it ; he
followed me, and the gentleman was not at home—,
I then went up stairs, and brought down £l, in one-
pound notes, which was all the money I hid, which
I gave him ; he then inquired, when he could have
the remainder ? I answered, that I would not trou-
ble him any more to call— if he would favour me
with his address, I would send it to him ; he an-
swered 4 No, lie would call on the Saturday follow-
ing, as 'his family resided at Somer's-town, for the
present, and he was with them whenever his great
trust allowed him ;' he, seeing I was frightened, and
shook, said, Don't be afraid, you only get me the rest
of the money by Saturday, I will take care that the
woman shall be silent.' I had heard that Mr. Reeves
was at the head of the Alien-office, but I did not
know his person. On theTriday following the prisoner
again called on me in a coach; I told him I was sorry
he had conic before the day appcinted, as I had only
two or three pounds ; he answered, give it to me, and
I will give it to the woman ; I gave him 42 in one-
pound notes ; he said he was very busy, he had to
set all the people to rights, as the country was in
complete confusion ; not altogether with foreigners,
for his own countrymen wanted to be set to rights as
much as they. He asked for a glass of water ; I de-
sired my servant, Mary Alliston, to bring him one,
which she did, but looked very angry and scrutiniz-
ing ; he only tasted the water ; and complained to
me of her impertinent look, and said, That was not
the way to look at a Gentleman of his rank.' He
would make the police punish her for it ;, he then
went away, and said he would call again on the 28d.
In the intermediate time, I informed some friends of
the transaction, who made a provision to receive him.
On the '22d, he again came; I told him' I was very
sorry I could not give him any money then.' He said
he could not call again, and I must abide by the law;
and if 1 did not give him the money, I would be
obliged to quit the country in five hours.' I kept him
in conversation until Gregory, the officer, appeared."
Joseph Gregory deposed, he took the prisoner into
custody, and, on searching him, found a card, which,
'be said, was his address, viz : " Joseph Heath, fish-
monger, Borough."
• Mr; Reeves, Stiperintendant at the Alien Office,
deposed, that there never was an information lodged
against the prosecutrix, in that Office, and that the
prisoner was wholly unknown to him.
Mr. ALLEY, Counsel for the prisoner, most ably
, argued several points of law, which he conceived to
by in'favour of his client; particularly one, that bank-
notes; laid in the indictment as money, were not so.
,'• • The CHAIRMAN summed up the evidence, and the
Alit found the prisoner Guilty. He was sentenced
to-be transported beyond the seas, for seven years.
Richard Thorn was indicted for attempting to pre-
vail on Jane Garret, by whom he had a bastard child,
to swear that David Payne was the father of it, he
well knowing to the contrary.
Jane Garret deposed as follows :—" I am a single
woman, and have been acquainted with the prisoner
for six years; I lived as servant with Mr. Payne, in
St. John's-street, two years and three months, during
part of which time the prisoner courted me, and, 1
had every reason to believe, with an intention to make
me his wife ; he seduced me, and I became pregnant;
he told me he could not marry me then, as he had not
a house to bring me home to ; but advised me to go
to my friends, at Wells, in Norfolk, to lie-in. ' I told
him I durst not let them know my situation ; he said
I should go as his wife, he would write to thern, acknow-
ledging me as such ; and as soon as I came up to
town I should be married. He accordingly wrote to
my brother and sister."—(Here the letters were read,
where he called her his wife ; and, in one, in answer
to one from her brother, he promises to send a certi-
ficate of their marriage.) The prosecutrix then con-
tinued—" I was received by my friends, they being
satisfied with his letters, and I was delivered of a
male child, on the 19th of May, 1808, after which I
received several letters, acknowledging me as his wife,
with many endearing inquiries after his child, particu-
larly one, of the 15th of July, which passed me on the
road. I arrived in London on the 17th of July. I
saw the prisoner on the 17th of July at his sister's ;
he received me and the child very coolly. He told
me it was Mr. Payne's child, and if I did not swear it
to him, he would forsake us ; this I refused. I re.
mained with him three weeks; during which time he
constantly urged me to swear it against Payne ; and
if I did he would marry me, so as I made Payne settle
a weekly allowance on the child. I told him I would
',not take a false oath. He threatened my life; about
eleven o'cleek at night, because I would not promise

to swear the child to Mr. Payne. It tans In bed; I ,
took it up, and left-him.. The next day 'I round he
was in a treaty of marriage with a woman who kept
a public-house. I saw him in December afterwards,
and asked him for a maintenance for the child. He
told The I must swear it to Payne. I was forced to
go down to Wells, as the child was born there, and
swear that the prisoner was his father.
Mr. David Payne deposed, that he never hied an
improper connexion with the prosecutrix • while she
was in his service, she had behaved herself becoming
a servant, and he conceived she was the wife of the
prisoner.
Mr. ALLEY, Counsel for the Defendant, contended,
that the case was not made out ; at, in all cases of
perjury, it required two witnesses ; and as this case
appertained to be perjury, it rejuired as strong evi-
-1 dence.

Three witnesses were • uced on the part of the
prisoner ; the,Were all 'telatii►es, and outstepped
moderation.
The CHAIRMAN summed up the evidence, and the
Jury,•after an hour's deliberation, returned a verdict
of Guilty.
The Court was not adjourned until six o'clock.

r7Yesterday
were capitall