Star.
London, England, 1809-08-17 00:00:00

ANOTHER LETTER-SAME DATr.

18 It is no..v und,:rstood, that the batteries will po-
sitively open to-morrow ; that the anniversary of the
PRINCE'S birth-day will, as the Officers say, be cele-
brated by the commencement of the bombardment of
Flushing, aye, and by its surrender also ; at least,
such is the calculation.

" The batteries, a flotilla of gun-boats, and six sail
of the line, under Admiral GARDNER, are at once to
co-operate. It is conceived impossible for Flushing
ip withstand such a tremendous combination. From ;
the lines, which are about a mile and a half from the
:batteries of Flushing, one has a full opportunity of
viewing the, operations. The garrison seem exceed-
ingly bold and confident. They have refused to re-
ceive 4 flag of truce.
" We have taken between 2 and 3000 prisoners, in
the whole of the island, since the invasion, and killed
a vast oumber in bush-fighting. But the country
being thickly wooded, their riflemen, from the advan-
tage of local knowledge, were able to take off a num-
ber of our men. The seamen, however, who seem
to court danger, cleared the country of these gentry.
They rushed through the woods, with their cutlasses,
and hardly one of them returned without a rifle-gun
or two, which they carried about, and proudly exhi-
bited to the army as trophies.
" Among the wounded in the lines are Colonel
PrreAnctr, of the 25th regiment, Captain HAMILTON,
of the sth, and Lieutenant HemnT MAXWELL, of the
761 - 'The former but slightly in the hand ; the two
laws seriottslg, but it is said sot mortally."

.U4114311:1?•43:t1Z1;3.

TRIAL OF CAPTAIN DAVISON.

The Assizes for the v (.IF;omerset commenced
on Ivlonday last, when Captain Jslin Davison, of the
Royal WAS indicted before Sir SOULDEN
LawitEs:cr, Kn!..f•lr stealing a pkce of muslin, of the
value of SO3. the property of lanes Bunter, merccr,
of T.tunton.

- Mr. GAZELEP opened the indictment.
Mr. JEKYLL then stated the circumstances Of the
case to the Jury, and• observed, he bad seldom in the
discharge of his professional duty, a more painful task
to perform than to detail the evidence which he should
have to adduce, in order to substantiate the charge in
the indictment, which charged the prisoner with the
crime of felony ; the fads were few, short, but co-
gent, and he feared, irresistible; they would come
better from the witnesses than from any statement of
his—he would proceed to call them. The first wit-
ness was

Alexander Bailer, who slid, / am an apprentice
to Mr. James Bunter, of Taunton. I know Cap-
tain Davison ; he came to my master's house on the
_':sth July, at half past seven in the morning, there
was no one in the shop but myself ; he asked if
Mr. Bunter was up ? I told him he was not, and
on that he went away. Mr. Bunter came into the
shop in about five minutes, and ore seeing some one
go by with wham he wished to speak, he walked
oet towards the Parade, and Captain Davison came
in immediately after. I was cleaning the windows
on the outside of the shop ; on Captain Davison's
again going into the shop I followed him—he asked
to look at the muslins he had seen the night before,
and walked to the lower end of the shop to the coun-
ter on the right hand, and I carried to him 10 or 19
pieces, as he was sittir.g on the counter—he took the
first I hewed him in his hand, and very carelessly laid
it by his side, and he did the same to some other pieces.
After looking at them some time he went towards
the door, but before that, he had thrown his hand-
kerchief upon four or five of the pieces, which he had
folded up. When at the door he asked me how the
handkerchief he had on looked, and whether we had
any of the same ?—I told him we had none of them.
He asked me then for a looking-glass ? rtold him
we had none but what were fixed, but if he would
walk into the parlour lie might see there, to this he
made no reply ; he then sat doWn in a chair rather
below where the muslin was, and asked to look at
some stockings at about ss. a-pair, for his brother—
before
this, I had taken away the pieces of muslin
that were not covered over—there was at this time a
piece under his handkerchief, which I could plainly
perceive. I took him out some stockings from the
oppoeite side of the shop, but kept my eyes on him,
and I observed him draw his handkerchief from the
counter into his lap, with both his ha::.&—l observed
the muslin was still under the handkerchief its he drew
it towards him. He then asked ler some fashionable
waistcoat patterns ; I went across to the other. counter
to get him some—my face was towards him, and I
observecr-him ta!:e up the handkerchief and squeeze
it together, and put it under the left lapel of his coat ;
he took the patterns of the waistcoa:s, as he said he
wished to shew them first to Yandell, his taylor. At
this time his arm was over his coat towards his lapel
where he had put his handkerchief, and walked out
of the shop. Mr Bunter came into the shop whilst
Cwt. Daviren was there, but stared but two or three
minutes. I missed the first piece of muslin I had
share n him immediately after his 20ing out, it was
ma! ked with 0 I G S I R, the S had be.mi altered, it
had been an I. When I missed the muslin I rung
the hell, and Mr. Bunter came ; ' described to him
what had happened and the particular piece v hick
was missing, and that Capt. Davison was gone to
Yandell's. Mr. Bunter left the shop to go to Yan-
, deli's, through Hammet street—l then went out and
saw Capt. Davison standing at Mr. Bluett's shop
door. When I perceived Capt. Davison was not gone
to Yandell's, I celled to Mr. Banter aloud, and Da-
vise') walked by the Mtiket-house towards his own
lod:,,iirgs. At the time I showed Capt. Davison the
first piece, I took notice of the mark.
Cross-examined by Mr. Serjeant Psee.-1 had seen
the piece of muslin lost, the preceding evening.—Cap-
rain Davison had purchased a yard of ribbon t. dAy
before. On my calling to Mr. Bunter, Cep!. Davison
retired from Mr. Bluett's shop.
Charles Sutton, ccnstahle of Taunton.—l went in
company with another erwtalde, to search the house
of elr. Owen ; we first went into a bed-chamber, and
then into a drawing-room. Captain Davison was not
there ; when before the Justice, he desired to sleep in
his bel-room, at Mr. Owen's. In the chamber there
was a trunk with Captain Davison's name on it, on a
brass plate ; we broke it open and found in it a piece
of muslin, (produces it). Captain Davison desired of
me to have the things found in the trunk, which were
not owned, returned to him, particularly GI a pocket-
book, containing papers ; when he came back from
the Justice, he asked for his trunk, I told him I bad
taken it to my house—the muslin was out of my hand,
but never out of my house.
Alexander Bailer identified the piece of Muslin to
be the same !osnand that it was Mr. Bunter's property.
Mr. Bunter.—The marks on the muslin are my
writing ; the muslin is my property, and worth more
than 305.. In ten-minutes after the search, the muslin
was brought to me, and I knew it. I am certain I
had a piece of this quantity, six yards and a querter,
• on the With March, when I took stock, and no other
piece of that price and quantity, and I hese never
sold that piece.
Alexander Bailer celled again.—Said he had eever
sold that piece.
Here the evidence for the prosecution closed.
: Colonel Mears, T. Wcodford, Esq. Surgeon, ---e
Bryant, Esq. R. Morgan, Esq. Rev. Mr. Town-
send, Rev. F. H. Clapp, H. C. Standart, Esq. end
. the Rev. D. Webber, all of whom are persons of the
first respectability, and who had known the prisoner
. nearly two years, severally gave him a most excellent
character.
The Judge then summed up the evidence, and told
the Jury, however they might lament that a Gentle-
man of the prisoner's condition in life, holding the
~ rank of a Captain in the Royal Marines, and who had
borne so high and honourable a character till the pre.
;sent time, should on the present occasion have for-
' (cited that character, and have forgotwn his situation;
ithat it was their duty, if they were satisfied with the
evidence they had beard, to find him Guilty, however

pa'nftitthe discharge of that ditty might be ; and -
that character in cases Where a fair doubt could be
entertained, ought to have considerable weight with
a Jury ; but on the contrary, where the facts were
clear, and established by credible witnesses, how-
ever good the character of the prisoner might have
been up to the time of committing the felony, it
*vas no excuse for the, tommisiion of it. And unlesS
they could say that the prisonei at the time of draw-
ing his handkerchief from the counter with both hi
hands, as the witness Bailer stated, was ignotint that
the muslin WAS contained in it.—he did not knoiv how
to state to them A ground of doubt ; the inulin, as
they saw, was of considerable bulk, and not likely to
be contained in a silk handkerchief without its being
perceived by the prisoner, and if they thought so, it
was their duty to say that be was guilty.
The Jury, after a few seconds consideration, re,
turned a terdict of—Guilty:
The trial lasted an hour and a half ;. the prisoner
is a goateel man, 23 years of age. The trial excited
an uncommon degree of interest, and the Court was
extremely crowded:

The iblowinilirisotters were tried at the tune As-
sizes .

Kobirt Chaftne* alias Bin, eld, was indicted on sus-
picion of stealing from the coat pocket of James
Glover, a pocket book, containing a note of hand for
521. 10s. and divers memorandums in writing, the
property of the said James Glover-=Guilty,
Sarah Cope was indicted far having feloniously sto-
len and taken from and out of a drawer in the bed-
room of John Wills one 51. note, and one 11.'note,the
pronerty of the said John Wills.—Guilty.—Death.
Gramoway was indicted for having stolen
and carried away from and out of a dwelling-house a
coat, waistcoat, and breeches, the property of Wil-
liam Collins.

NArAL INTELLIGENCE.

PLYMOUTH AND PLYMOUTH-DOCK, AUGUST 18.
Arrived the Duke of Kent mast ship, from Queb.!..:,
laden with spars, timber, &c. for the Dock-yard at
this port.
Sailed the GOLDFINCH, Captain SztxxEn, with a
King's Messenger and dispatches for Cadiz ;*and the
GLEANER ketch, under sealed orders to the westward.

Captain BEDFORD is appointed to the SWALLOW
sloop of war, in the room of Captain MELNrat, who
has retired from the service.

Arrived she Daum frigate from Madeira (last
from Iceland): Sailed the Conjurer, BRICkIiTT, with
sundries; for Gibraltar.
PORTSMOUTH, AUGUST 16.
Arrived his. Majesty's ship JASON, from the West
Indies.—Sailed his Majesty's ship Cult/mow, with
2,i transports for St. Petersburgh.
, bEAL, JULY 36.
The GANNET sloop sailed yesterday night with a
Messenger who arrived last evening from-London,
with dispatches for the fleet off Flushing.—Arrived
the DEFENDER gun-brig from off Flushing. She sailed
this.moming for Portsmouth.—Arrived last night a
very fine French corvette, captured by his Majesty's
ship DRUID, and sailed this morning for the river..
ISLANDS OF SCILLY, AUGUST 8.
On the 6th inst. the Prussian bark Albertina, from
L:aiddh to Liverpool, in ballast, ran on a rock, and
damaged her bottom, and is brought on the beach t,,
receive the necessary repairs.
AUGUST 9.-7-Came in for water, &c. the Entrepre-
nante cutter, from Plymouth, bound to Constanti-
nople.