Star.
London, England, 1816-01-23 00:00:00

ADJOURNED ADMIRALTY SESSIONS.

Yesterday there was an adjournment of these See
sions held at Justice Hall. in the Old Bailey, before
Sir W 1 L LIAM SCOTT and Sir VICARY Gress.
John Guiliano, William Brockman, alias Broth, alias
Billy Rod, and Samuel Brice, stood capitally indicted
for the wilful murder of Harlowe Martin, Joseph
Martin, William King, and William Harrox. on the
high seas, within the juriidiction of the Admiralty
of England. about six leagues from Ramsgate, in
the county of Kent, on the Bth of August last.
Mr. BOLLAND opened the indictment.
The ATTORNICY. GINERAL, at considerable length,
stated the case.
William James, the first witness, deposed, that he
was a seaman belonging to the Fox Revenue cutter,
on the Bth of August last. He was in she eight-
oared boat of the cutter on that day, together with
the deceased and others of the crew. They were
lying about six leagues from the. South Foreland,
about half way across Channel. About one o'clock
at noon, they observed a sail, which appeared to be
coming from the coast of France : it was a lug-boat.
She was then within five or six miles of the Fox.
The bopt neared them and they hauled up anchor,
and .made a tack to come up with her. She neared
them to within about a mile and a half, and the Fox
then hoisted her colours and fired a gun, to bring the
boat to, but the signal was not obeyed.
Witness and his companions neared them to within
half a mile, and the boat of the priioner then made
towards them. The deceased, Joseph Martin, who
commanded the boat of the Fox, waved his hat, and
called out to them to keep off. The reply of the
crew in prisoners' boat, however, was,.{ You precious
you shall perish every soul of you." Their
boat immediately ran in upon them. and cut the side
of that belonging to the Fox. The prisoner, John
Guillam, who commanded the smuggling boat, and
companions. then commenced tiring blunder.
busses and other fire-arms, by which Harlowe Mar-
tin, and others of the crew were wounded. Witness
and three others boarded the smuggler; when they
*ere attacked and beat by the crew of that boat.—
Harlowe Martin was shot in the breast, and after-
wards received a blow on the side of the head with a
musket, and was thrown overboard. Witness and
Bland escaped back to their boat much beaten ; Wm.
King was then sitting in the boat labouring under a
musket wound in the neck, of which he afterwards
died. Harlowe Martin was by this time clinging to
the end of the boat, and on the point of sinking.
The boat of the prisoners then stood from them, and
the boat of the Fox became a complete wreck, the
flat bottom being turned up. After rowing some
distance from them towards France, the prisoners'
boat again put towards them, and witness and the
other survivors asked for assistance; the crew, how-
ever, laughed at them. some of them waving their
hats and pointing downwaids, as if they meant to
say “ sink." H. Martin fell from the hold he had
some time maintained and was lost. Wm. King,
Joseph Martin, and Wm. Horrox, were also lost.
The conflict commenced about three o'clock, and
lasted some minutes. The witness and his surviving
ccmpairions floated upon the wreck of their boat un-
till seven o'clock in the evening, when they were
picked up by a Deal boat.—The names of his sur-
viving companions were, Thomas Struts, John Bland,
and Thomas Underwood. While floating upon the
wreck, witness and his companions saw the prisoners'
boat row for the English coast.
Sutra, Underwood, and Bland, confirmed the
testimony of the last witness.
John Atkins (one of the crew of the prisoners' boat,
but who had since become an evidence) deposed also
:o the particulars of the transaction as afbcting the
three prisoners.
Other witnesses were examined for the prosecution.
Sir VICA IVY Grans desired to know it the prisoners
had any thing to offer in their defence ?
Guillam asserted his innocence, and said that he
had been threatened by the witness Atkins, who had
now come forward to swear his life away by foul

perjury.
Brockman denied any concern whatever in the
transaction, and said that a severe illness, for more
than a year, precluded the possibility of his having
been engaged in such an undertaking.
Brice, in the most solemn manner, denied all
knowledge of or participation in the crime.
The prisoners called no witnesses.
Sir VICARY Glass then proceeded to sum up the
evidence in a most luminous manner.
The Jury retired, and after an absence of about
an hour and a half, returned with a verdict of—Ac.
quittal of Wm. Brice, and finding John Guillam and
William Brockman, alias Brock, alias Billy Rock—
Guilty.
Sir W. SCOTT, in the most solemn and affecting
manner, immediately proceeded to pass the awful
I sentence of the law upon the two last prisoners, which
was, that they should be executed on Wednesday
morning next, at Execution Dock, and their bodies
to be afterwards given over to the Surgeons for dis-
section..-This sentence, however, was afterwards
respited to Wednesday morning the 31st inst. on ac-
count of the tide not serving at a fit hour.
The trial occupied the whole of the day, and the
Court was immensely crowded.
W. Brice was afterwards put to the Bar, and ar-
raigned upon the several indictmentOvhich imputed
to him the murder of the other persons of the Fbx
cutter, who met their death on the Bth of August.
On each of these he was respectively acquitted, and
discharged with an admonition from the Bench.