Star.
London, England, 1817-09-12 00:00:00

door open, And went up stairs and fonnd a pannel
cut out of the door with a small s4w ; that he went
to the box where the keys were kept, which he (mind
broke into and the keys. gone ; that he then went irto I
the Lolls; Room ; the keys were in it ; found both the
safe and the chest open ; he then left his two (laugh•
ters, n had come to clean the house, to watch it
While he went for Mr. Leitch, in going for ehom he
s;,w a ladder in the court and ; he thought the rob-
hrry was committed by some person acquainted with
the house, as nu other places belonging to it were
touched except Mr. Leitch's and the Collect:es desks;
t;ic ladJer was claim! d on the Ithh by the master of
a sloop in the harbour. Mr. Leicch, on the discover y
of the robbury, scut (or the Collector and Comptrol-
hs, the CAM: itosneJiately.
_ _

. _
Ad trn Johnston, Esq. Collector of the Customs at
Greenock, was the next witness called ; hut

Mr. .IFFrithY objected to him, as being interestpd,
haviag beret pre snit at the einksion cf some of Ow de-
clar4tious, and acting as an agent in this business.,
Tae Lotto .A.uvccATE then declined cading Mr.
Johnston.

WlHim M.Dowall, Esq. C/mptroller at Gree-
nock, c.,•rro',3,rat d the te:ai,tiony of the preceding
witness 3; aild far her stated, that the r•:hhety was
adverti,•Ll in several newis.pt rs, post..d up in Gree-
tv.ck and Glasgow, and a reward of two hundred
goi.:eas offered. Murray Stewart was a tide-waiter,
and !:is emoluments could nut exce:d £7O a-year ; lie
was there about two years.
The LOKI) Anvocyrr. then proposed to read the
declarations of the prisoner, which was object ,d to
by Mr. ilerFEity, principally on account of the man-
ner in which they were taken, as the prisoner had pe-
titioned the Magistrate to see his former declarations,
which was refined.

The SOLICIIUIt-GENF.RAL replied to the ohjocCons
of Mr. Jeffrey.
Benjamin *Bain, j.ilor in Greencck, said, he
knows the prisoner at the bar, who had been a pis
vier in Greenock. Being asked if he received a peti-
tion from the prisoner to carry to Mr. Marshall, said
he does not rec“llect ; to which answer he adhered,
after being asked repeatedly.
Claud Marshall, Esq. again called, Elie, that on
one occasion, he thinks on the taking Cie last decla.
ration, the prisoner made a verbal application to have
his declaration read over to him, which he ref used ;
that after the last examination he received a letter
from the prisoner, wishing to have his declarations
read to him, but witness took no notice of the letter,
and thinks he destroyed it; but he is sure the three
first deilarations were read over to him.
After the SOLICITOR-GENERAL and Mr. JEFFREY
bad been heard at great length, the Court delivered
their opinions.
Lord PITMILLY thought this a most ttlportant
point in the practice of the law of Scotland. He
then entered into the nature of the objections, and
thought that the three first .declarations might be
read ; but that the fourth, owing to the manner in
which that declaration was taken, ought not, unless
the prisoner desired it.
Lord SUCCOTH and the Loan JUSTICE Cr.artn coin-
cided in the opinion of Lord PirtaiLLY.
The three declarations were then read by the Clerk
of the Court.

The declarations went into a history of the priso-
ner's transactions from his leaving this country to go
to London, where he wrought for some time as a
journeyman, and afterwards as a master carpenter;
that he got into a law-suit, in consequence of which
he was imprisoned in Newgate for dcbt, where he
remained fur some time, and was at last relieved by
the Insolvent Act; but previous so Mir he had made
over Isis lids to John Ke►r, his foreman, who after wa, dr
resiortd his properly! Kerr then went to India, where
be died. That be left London after his liherAtion,
and came to Scotland, was appointed a tide waiter
at Greenock, and had money when he came home.
He totally denied the robbery in All his declarations.
George Williamson, writer in Greenock, Procure-
tor-fi4cAl of Rentrewshire, said he was present when
the MLA receipts and letters were found in the pri-
scnet's house, el ich being shewn him he identified.
They were not secreted in any particular manner; he
heard of the rolelEfor of the Customhouse at Gave:
'mock, which he went to see. •

James hick, porter to the Royal Bank of Scotland's
Office, Glasgow, said, that a person calling himself
Murray Stewart, called at the Bank Office in Sep-
terrilser last, to leave money for the Bank, £l7l ;
but as it was on a Saturday it could not be received;
that the person cal:reg himself Murray Stewart left
the money with into, and he rut it Into the Bank on
Monday ; deer uct know that the prisoner is that
man,• as he never saw him before; and he'said he be-
longed to ; the witness said there were
one hundred pounds in large notes, and the zest were
small ones of different Banks.
Robert Bell, innkeeper at Bowling Bry, :I'd he
had seen the prisoner at his house, in company with
another gentleman, and he was rather intoxicated ;
that he helped him up to his bed, and took his money
from him, as there were several people in the house,
and he did it for safety. Next moroing he returned
him the money, which he counted at the witness's de-
sire, and said he was much obliged to him. The
sum might be between sel.TO and 8180, in which
were two twenty-pound notes, the others were smaller
notes, of various Banks.

Mr. John Baumback, Clvrk_in the Secretary's Of.
&ea Edinburgh, said he was in London in August,
and a schedule was sent to hint of Stewart's effects,
as sworn at Clerkenwell Sessions, when he was die-
chargtd under the Insolvent Acr, and also his dis-
, charge from Newgate, both which he compared with
the originals, and found to be correct.
Mr. .Irsri.er objected to this evidence, to which
the LOUD ADVOCATZ replied.
This evidence was rejected by the Court.
John Dennis, of Brunswick-square, London, said
he knew the prisoner since 1810, and resided with
him as a lodger till 1813, and considered him an ho-
nest man; that he was sometimes a journeyman, and
latterly a master, and never did good alter a law-suit
he bad with ooe Thomas Allerson ; that he was put
into Newgate, where be was several months, and
witneu visited him there; that he owed witness
money, and when he carne out of Newgate by the
Insolvent Act, the prisoner:gave him some, and said
he would remit the'balance from Scotland, which he
did in two payments, in December 1816; that he
always 'bought him an honest man ; never shut a
door against him ; being iu business, has entrusted