Star.
London, England, 1803-12-08 00:00:00

FROM LI.OYD's LIST.

Gitavr sr ND, Dec. 7.—Sailed the Mary Aon, Wood; Alfred.
Robfon ; Diintinka, Greenleaf; and Simon Tayler. Meik, for Ja.
mica; Prince of Wales, Hard, for Anttcs ; Ifalfella, Ray*,
for Demerara; Pima, Jones, for Cork ; Lord Deoriegall. Dillon
for Belfaft ; Hope, Morris, for Cork ; Supply, Jubsilton ; and
Fergisfoo, for Tobago.
ARRIVED.

At Yarmouth, Ann, Taylor, from Pets:am/h. Off Dover,
Indian Chief, —, from New York ; and General Green, Wilke,
from Battimore. Ac Cowes, Monadic.. M.Dougall, from Philo.
delpliia ; Pomp( idao, from Lilbca; Kitten, Gladßoasg
and Fortitude, —, from the Baltic. At Belfaß, /lope, fop*,
from vQebee. At Loodonderry, Iris, Mof., from Norway. At
Cork, 'fottenham, Jones, and Minerva, Weldon, from Bengal ;
and Atlas, Mufgrave, front China. At New York. Salton, Coe-
ran; and George, Lubber, from Dublin; Fortitude, Pinkhans,
from Cork; Recovery, Baas; Mercury, Miller; and
,Fors
Taylcr, from Clyde • Eagle,—, from Befall; Harlequin, Ha.
card; and Fame. Law, from Hull ; Hops, Campbell, from Ba-
ted; Mary, Robins; Amiable Creak, Chatham, Chew;
Triton, Caribury ; Lion, Wells& ; Liverpool Packet, Wate
Columbus —; Mantor,.--,—. and Hiram, French, from Li.
verpool ; and Irts Skinner, from London. At Bolton, Argo,
Howiand,from London; Stork, Patter, front Amiterdam ; Nancy,
Ward, from Hansa; Tar Abbey, from Newfousdland;
bgomegovea, —, from Dublin; dolly, Rowe, from MLA I
Union, Farnham; Three Friends, —; Edward, Hatch ; WO.
Inn Decker ; Rushy, Iffelteot ; Diana, Purcell; and. Orion, WE.
foe from Liverpool. At Philadelphia, Anoowan, Brown, from
Liverpool; and Prudence, from Lemke. At Bedews*
Dawfon, fromLlvenpool. At Barbadoes, Hartle.
Chalosen, from LiverpooL At Jamaica, Triumvirs, Slight Am.
, rico, Wake; Europa, Rob ; and Straw, Boynton, front Cork;
ohs Bull, Murray, from Liverpool; .frdemt, Hayes; Brook,
'ticker; and Trolly, Fester, !Com Afrlea. At Leith, my,
Graudifon ; and Eliza, Mack, hem Luba; and Vigihnta, Haydn,
from Porto Covello, (detained.) In the Downs, Tens Mono
Crtiwood,frens Peterfburgh. At Livapsial,Kirkudbsight Packet.
—, from St. Michael's. At Clyde, Governer Cocktail, flidesy,
fro n New Brunhvick. At Whitby, Oak, Banks; and Zephyr,
Brown, from Riga.

Tee Magdalen, Noel, was Itranded at Madatea ci the ad of Na

The Roo, Paprika, bound to MIL a as dare cm Peal &oda
The M. de, Addika, from Nun, is on lbws on Pad dm*
but expelled to be got off.
The Pere, Creams, from the Hammel to Liverpool:4, was takan
14th Od. in at. 4b to bag. sr. 30. by the Yates Marry privatow.
Bourdeave, of 14 gar. and kin far Deardessz.
The Dolphin, —.—, from Newry to Liverpool. Is kg is Bow
marls Bey ; great part of the cargo raved.
Tbc Garlaud frigate was fame date ago run en bore of Caps
Francois and was Let Are to by the crew and burnt. The area
ware all jived.
The Count& of Chatham, MTherfes, from auldkra tat
Ramltable, is branded an the &brides.
The arson. Wilton; sea the Sofa-rah. OR. &MI Africa for
the Weft Indies, ars imputed sad curried ate Oitedatort.
The Garai Gross enlist of Dover ea Wan, s ilidt Nov.
Is at. 4y. h. Isms. tr. W. fel is with the lidtarnia. Ms. kiss
Sorb Seas to London. Is dank, inseallag to mobs kr do GM
port, funded Ireland.
The Creole Preach referrer. d s gun ad toy Ines, i= mail
In the Weft ladies by as Abbas tra, bolosetos to i
Pour French cutter sinuses bats been captured is cis Waft
Indies by his Majelty's ildp Vsegusid.
The Otra Laurel, Capt. Madsen lasidso. cart =AN/ NI
Mal fled Margaret. Capt. Car" tram car kaik i Pmt of the
Clyde Mists. oosooy sr en baps arm Ms NtYsa•
The dame, Tlarka t art the Asa. Malkagew. be. the
Raids, baud a Llwped,ma Nat Islia.o6o aka arePr=
TM lobar of the mat etas Ara, Capers
TM St tile. 11•41wass. boa Admd kTrAtir. 171 Ist as Os
emit of Serodas.
Letters received from Mimeos LYNCII, Eft. the
EaR India Company's Agent at Cork, dated the ie
initant, give the welcome information of the leak
Reet having put in there.
The Minerva' Vla zoos, from India, arrived nCork, parted from the lest oaths 17th ult. in a very
heavy gale of wiodt—sehe !leer had experienced no.
thing but Aortas fume the 3111 of Oftober. The
hi-merest was Chattered very much. Oa the evening
of the 113th November %e was chafed by a
which fired fevetal guns at her I tad on the slieb Qte
fell in with a lb* privateer, which Cheered of i—oe
the ah, forty loNgues of &illy. was chafed by s
French privateer. of 36 pas (fuppofed to be the
Bellona), which Bred (tread Ousts at her I at three
on Monday morning (211th), lee fight of bre, and
bore away for Cork.
The Johaana (cartel), Captain Wises, which
failed from Soediamptoe to Mortar* ost the wit of
November, with slices, was permitted to land dieme
but is obliged to Grier a detention of a d day%
The Peggy. Comm, from Jamaica, arrived at
Charleßon on the 19th of °Bober, in dithers, boned
to Alexandria. On the loth of Odober. of Caps
Antonin, fpnke a French privateer, who ied maws
ed an Englith brig, belonging to New Betieferick,
from Jamaica, bound to New York.
The Oneida Chief is arrived at Dover from New
York, hem whence Ike failed on the 9th of Novem-
ber. In long. 45, (poke the General Hater. from
(tloberi out 17 days, who informed him. that li.
had [Ailed with the Beet, under convuy of the °a-
rtistes frigate. and parted with them in a gale of
wind. On the allth alt. a few kapes from Scilly,
was boarded by la Valliant French privateer of 24
guns, who had fermi preforms on board, who fist
fetters by her. La Valliant bad been out two roadie,
and made feveral prizes. two of which was sal*,
the re CI the bad fast for Sourdcaus.

W

f

L.llll I N • ,

COURT OF KING's BENCH, DEC. 7.

VI) 0% GOY i•RNNFNT.

THE KING V. tatColacc Aso joliN Hvunts.
This was .10 information tilA, rx egrio, by the
Irioesev CiKlaal., imputing to the Defendants a
fraud upon Gwen !intent to a y large amount.
Mr. East:is: oblerved to the jf.ry, that the fraud
about be i.ti.l h,fore them, was one of the many
detected in e' nrequence of all An of Parliament
which has' rsccialy 1-u..en paired, empowering certain
CornmiClioortl to trace out the tUiSpC..red abides in the
civil ef,p irtment of the Navy, and to bring delin-
quents, if any fhould be found, to julkice. Many
had oecn dit.covered, and the tiauds fo extenave, that
n4twithilanding the refources and wealth of the coun-
try 111001,1 inc ea!e in a threefold proportion, it would
be ]:)le for the public puric to withfland fuch a
drain, and the country would inevitably be ruined,
miler; ..n end was put to fuch peculation and fraud.
The Defendants, he faid, had contracied to pet form
the cooper's work at his Majelly's dock yard at
Woolwich, and to fupply the fame with hoops, tar-
barrels, and other articles ; for which an ample pro-
fit was provided, and a film allowed over and above
the real charges. The way the butlnefs was conduft-
ed was, in itielf, the moat limple; and the lea(' cal-
. collated for error of any that could be adopted.—
When the Defendants'vcatkrnen had performed their
weekly labours, the fireman took an account of the
work done, and the materials ufed, which account
he was obliged to velem to one of the clerks in the
Ilurekeeper's office, who figned the fame, and re-
turned it to the workman prefenting it, after making
a corretponditig erns y in a bunk kept for that put pule.
The ace. tint thus Egned, the woi kman tratilmitted
to the con aaor, and furnifhed bins with a compe•
tent voucher for payment from Government. It
would therefore appear that the fraud, if any, muff
inate in fain icated accounts of work done, and
twat et ials expended. Such was the cafe, and it had
c,,ttintred by connivance for many years pall. He
fhould, however, confine himfelt to the frauds com-
mitted during the interval of March, titoo, and
Augult, 1802, in which time it would appear, as
indeed had been the praCtice years before, that not'
one Lingle voucher was cone& ; that fur every fifty
hoops confumed, a hundred had been charged, and
in many instances the fraud In grofs and feandalous,
that the Jury had better hear it from the witneffes
mouths; confident' as he was, that were he to Rate
it as partially tot the Defendants as he was able,
they would not bring themfelves-up to a belief of the
Ratement, but conclude the account incredible.
The contra& was then proved, and an innumera-
ble number of notes, figned by the Clerks in the
Storekeeper's Office, at Woolwich, purporting to be
accounts of Cooper's work done, and materials
found,were alto produced, and read, as coming from
the leveret foremen employed by the Defendants,
and afterwards recognized by them as true accounts,
they having drawat from Government, upon fuch
vouchers, four feverat rums, amounting to past
Aye. rod.; befidcs prefenting another demand of up-
wards of tooca. which remained unpaid.
To prove the long feries of fraud, a witnefs, named
Roberts, was called. He had been employed by
the Defendants, previous to the year ;Soo, in the
dock yard, at Woolwich ; had carried notes of work
done, and materials ufed, to the Clerks in the Store-
keeper's Office ; and having got them figned, car-
tied them to Mars. Hedges, who lived at Rather-
Lithe. He had previoufly been inftrulted in the way
of makink out thefe notes, and was defired never to
fet down lefa. than one hundred barrels, though he
Mould not hare done more than p; and never to
charge lefs than 123 hoops for a fet of midis, though
a firlt rate would not confume more than 40. Mr.
John Hedges had given him there dire6ions, and
e tranhnitted the fame orders to his fuccelTor,
John Gardner.
John Gardner, in purftrance of his inftripffions
from Mr. John Hedges, facceeded the 'aft witnefs
In the employ of coopering pitch and tar barrels,
it Woolwich ; and made out his notes in whatever
proportion he liked. The greater the quantity, the
more money he was paid on the Saturday night.—
He always charged for more work than was done,
and for more materials than were tiled. When he
bad no materials to walk up, which was frequently
the cafe, he kept on charging ; and when he carried
in his certified notes. the Defendants always paid
hit; ; though it was impoffible but they fhould have
*sown the work charged could not have been done.
John Hedges had told him the contra& would be
worth nothing, Milers the work was overcharged.—
He had Road Rill three days at a time, yet kept on
charging ; never lefs than too barrels, and always
sao hoops far a fet of malls, though they required
but 40. As to the new heads to the calks repaired,
none were ever put in, but always charged. In Mort,
he had received a pattern nntedrom Mr. J. Hedges,
as to the quantity and mode of charging, which he
had always followed, whether any work was done
or 'sot. The witnefs was fucceeded by one Haverden.
John Hayti-den fucceeded the former witnefs in
January, rBo t. and went to work at Woolwich yard
for the Defendants. Ile had been employed there
(even or eight years before, when an apprentice. and
knew perfealy well the nature of charginyt. Mr. J.
Hedges, however, Ibewed him one of Gardner's
notes, an.i told him he was to make his oat its a li-
miter way. Ile always charged mare work than he
did, and when lie wanted a good week's work, he
pot down larger quantities of materials, and a
greater qnaatay of work done, knowing he fhould
be paid ice or..portioo to the amount of the notes he
carried ba:s. In (bort, he charged as it came into
his head, nr his wants projefted. He freqnently
charged twice as many hoops as ufed, and very often
made a firniLir charge when n i hoops were ufed at
fledges pod Lim his wages, fometimes
col. per week, and ti try:ently SI. and 91. at " right
down lahour."—Some e..pert coopers in the ViSual.
ling.nffice could earn as much as 31. per week ; but
no man could earn :dare, whizh Metres. Hedges
were well acquainted with, tl.ey having been bred
to the butine.s.
On crofs-eraminaCan the wanes faid, that when
be charged tcl. he Inc 111.1.1.1 the work of another
man; bin on le ex aminati,n, he laid at other times
be had charged as much for I.imfelf.
lite Learned Judge then fummed lin. and at
c:4;h: 0'c1.;.... j :tuna the DCAUtilinlS 4.; y.