Star.
London, England, 1805-07-12 00:00:00

TM KING V.

This was an-action ag.ainft the Defendant, who is:a
reputable fhip chandler in the immediate vicinity of
the Thames Police Office, for having in his poieffion,
knowingly, a flag and union, with the marks upen
them, (hewing them to be the King's norm
It appeared from the evidence adduced, that the
Defendant lived within a few yards of the Thames
Police Office ; that a Conflable belonging to that of-
fice having come into his flop on the t7th of March
LW, faw a young man in the moil public place in the
Chop, and as the Surveyor for the Office deferibed it.
in the moil public place in the parith of Shadwell,
uhlefs he had done it in the open beets, repairing a
flag, which he difcovered to be King's notes. He
left the flop, begging permiffien, on his return, to
turn Come copper in the Defendant's vice. This was
readily granted him, and on his return he found the
young man engaged in the fame employment in
which he had left him. He returned with the Prin
cipal Surveyor. On being informed that the flag
bore the mark of being King's Bores, the Defendant
alked with furprife, if it did ? When the Union was
found lying on the window, he told the officer they
need not examine it, as it was the Union belonging to
the flag which they had feen. He then molt willingly
agreed to accompany the officers through the whole
of his premifes, which they could not have fearched
without a warrant ; and although they difcovered of
King's (lures to the amount of from 4 to pool. they'
law nothing which warranted them in fuppoling
there was any impropriety in its being in the Defen•
data's pn Ife ffion , they beingall fuch nom as are ufually
purchafed at (ales in the yards. and the Defendant
being known to them to be a conliderable purchafer.
Mr. ERSKINE, for the Defendant, in a moll elo.
quent fpeech, diffinguithed the safe of Naval Stores
as under the Ad of King William, which, from be.
ing an Ad of the (landing of a century, mull be Cup-
poled to be, and adually was, well known to every
one, betides that the diflingualaing marks were there
difcovered at firft fight, and the prefent offence, which
was charged under an Aet of the attt of his prefent
Majetly, yet little known, and the marks which were
to lead to the dircoverr being not at all calculated to
attrad attention, confiding merely of two tape stripes,
of the tame colour, palling through the cloth. He
contended that althopgh ignorantia loge: sea exesfat,
this was not an ignorance of the law, but an igno-
rance of the fad, which would entitle the Defendant
to a verdia in his favour.—He adduced many wit.
neffes, dealers in articles like thefe found in the De-
fendant's pofftffion, who declared that they never
knew that any•mark fimilar to that which had been
fhewn them !ince the prefent queftion oziginated,
belonged to King's Mires of that defcription ; and
that they would innocently, fo far as intention or
knowledge was concerned, have purchafed the articles
fazed in the defendant's poffeffion.
Alter a very ciicumttantial charge from the Judge,
the Jury found the defendant—Not Guilty.

Mademnifelle de BOURIV)11 took the Black Veil on
Tuefday, at the convent to Which the has retired in
Norfolk. High Mafs was performed at the Duke of
BOURBOW'6 Chapel in Portman-fquare, in celebration
of this event, whidh was attended by Lord Dti.i.on,
and a number of the Englilh