The Statesman.
London, England, 1812-01-06 00:00:00

NSPARIOVS PRACTICES AT THE AD-
"MALTY.

N4VAL INTE LUG PINCE%
PORTSMOUTH, rosc. 5.

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" 1
It was Mr. Yorke, the First Lord of the Admi-
ralty, who made the discovery of the forgeries and
frauds coanected with the Navy Office, Greenwich
Hospital, &c. In consequence of Gawler, the
clerk, being unwell and not able to attend, his duty
was performed by another person, who refused to
pursue the mal-practices Gawler, and others con-
nected with him, had been carrying on for a consi-
derable time. On some 'official papers being laid
before Mr. Yorke, he was struck with the appear-
ance of fraud. A board was immediately assembled,
and a very strict investigation took place, which
was attended by,the Magistrates of Bow-street, Mr.
Graham and Mr. Nares ; and the officers, Lavender
and Vickery, were employed to apprehend suspected
persons.
On Saturday morning; lavender and Vickery took
a messenger, and two others, in official situations,
into custody, and conveyed them to the Public Of-
fice, Bow-street, where Mr. Croker, the Secretary
to the Admiralty, Mr. Bicknell, the Solicitor to the
Admiralty, and Mr. Dyer, the Secretary to Green-
wich Hospital, attended, and a very long private in-
vestigation and examination took place, before Mr.
&mitt. It appeared, that frauds to the amount of
several thousand pounds have been committed for
these thirteen years. The investigation was consi-
dered of so much importance to the pubtic, that Mr.
Croker, who was engaged to attend a Board, re-'
mained at the office during the whole of the exami-
nation, which lasted upwards of four hours. The
criminality of the messenger greatly astonished the
Secretary, as he was a man he had much confidence
ia, but from the investigation on Saturday, he turned
out the principal confederate of Gawler, the clerk,
in causing men's names to be put on the books for a
greater number of years service than they had per-
formed. Thus those persons obtained higher pen-
sions than they were justly entitled to. Other de.
ceptions of a similar nature were carried on, for
which Gawler and the messenger received the sum of
201. from each man, for whose interest the fraud
was practised. The part the messenger took was the
most audacious. It was his duty to read over the
long lists of names, and in the course of about one
hundred, he would omit reading ten or twelve names,
in order that those he and Gawler had agreed with
for 201. might be brought forward on a different list,
to entitle them to larger pensions, and other privi-
leges. Mr. Birnie committed them all three for fur-
-1 the r examination.

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Arrived the Port Mahon from a cruise.
Sailed his Majesty's ships if:reury, Spider, and'
cyanne, with the West India convoy ; Royal Oak,.
Venerable, mid Hotspur, for off Cherburgh. liis
Majesty's ship Zenobia takes convoy for Portugal.
PLYMOUTH, JA/4. 4.
Arrived the American brig' Alma Maria, Jams
Irvin, Master, from Bayonne, bound to New Yerk,
laden with Wendy, captured by his Majesty's brig
Scylla, of 18 guns, Captain Atchison.
Sailed the St. Joseph, of Ilb guns, for Ports-
mouth.

Tho Diadem. of 61 guns, 13 expected to sail to-
morrow, with 300 French prisoners, for L..2ith ; Slav
also takes convey to the Downs.

Arrived the l'u!age sloop of war from the west-
ward.

West up harbour to refit, the S(ylin sloop of ‘sar.
A French Chasse marce, laden with brainy, cap.'
tured by the Arrow schooner, in attempting to go up,
llamosze last night, got on the hocks between
Drake's Island and Mount Edgcombe, when she
filled with water, and was deserted by the crew; hot
as "the tide flowed, she floated off last night, and
dritte3-to sea', lend Was picked up by a fishing-boat-
this morning, and brought into harbour. •
The Arrow schooner is now coming in with three
other French prizes, which she captured on the coast
of France, consisting of a brig and two Chasse
marees, laden with wine and brandy.
DEAL, JAN. 5.

Arrived his Majesty's ship Rapid, with a convoy
of coasters and colliers, and one ship from Quebec,
from- Falmouth.

Sailed his Majesty's ship Rolla, with the Dawson,
Peace,
.Narova, and Royal Briton transports, with
the 3d Regiment of Foot on board, for Cork ; the
Cheerly gun-brig, with the outward-bound for Ports-
mouth; his Majesty's ships Tremendous, Norge,
Poidiers, and Valiant; La Pique on a cruize, and
the Phipps schooner for Sheerness.
FALIWOUTII, JAN. 3.

Put in here, by contrary winds, his Majesty's
ship Hyacinth, with 12 sail of transports under con-
voy, for Portugal.
Arrh•ed the Landrail cutter, from Scilly ; Mentor,
Capt. L'Mertie, from Valencia, in 33 days; and the
Echo cutter, from Gibraltar, in 13 days.
TORBAY, JAN. 4.
Sailed the Acasta frigate and the East Indiamen for
India, all well.
DARTMOUTH, JAN. 4.

BRIGIITON, JAN. 3.—A foreigner, in the habit of
a sailor, dirty and ragged in some parts of his exte-
rior garments, but with a shirt of remarkably fine
linen, called at the Golden Cross inn here, last night,
for refreshment, where his manner and appearance
exciting suspicions to his disadvantage, the constable
was sent for, and he was soon after called upon to
give an account of himself. Being a Spaniard, and
but little acquainted with the English language, a
gentleman, the Rev. Dr. Bew, we believe a Roman
Catholic clergyman, was applied to, who condescend-
Ugly attended the examination, as his interpreter.—
'The man, who is six feet in stature, with dark whis-
kers, ands countenance the reverse of prepossessing,
at first stated, that he reached England as the cook
of an American vessel, about fourteen months ago;
that he had since resided at Petersfield for a twelve-
month, which place he had recently left, in conse-
quence of losing his passport, to visit the Spanish
Ambassador in London, which he had done, and
obtained another ;_that he had continued in London
but one night only, and that he knew nothing of the
town, nor any persons in it. Upon searching lils
pockets, a passport was found in one of them, but
that was dated November 25, which did not tally
with his stated visit to the metropolis, and of his
continuance there but for one night. But what most
operated to confirm him to be a character deserving
of detention, was the following direction, without i
a name, written on a slip of paper, and which was
found with the passport, viz. " No. 6, Martha-
street, St. George's in the East," as it was imme-
diately recollected by several gentlemen who attend-
ed the examination, that Martha-street is very close
:.to the spot where the late atrocious murders were
committed, in the neighbourhood of Ratcliffe, and
which strengthened the prejudices against him. In
addition to this, his statements altogether turned out
of so contradictory a nature, that it was evident he
laboured at concealment ; and which, with the ad-
vice of those present, induced the constable to con-
vey him to and confine him in the town prison.--An
account of what has taken place has been sent off to
Shadwell Office, from which an answer is ex-
pected to-morrow. The requisite inquiries, with all
I. we possible diligence, are also to be made at Petersfield;
and of the result of the whole shall make the
earliest communication.
Some genuine manuscripts, several or which are in
the hand writing of Oliver Cromwell, have been dis-
covered in a chest, containing records of the town of
Ilaverford West. )
The private accounts from' France are to the 4th
instant,.and they contain some important darner-
cial intelligence./ Bc.NiPARTE, in conseqne* of THE MARKETS.
ian application from the Council of Commerce, has
granted a number of licences for acimittin&into the , eagle F.XCHANGF., Sax. 6.`
ports of Bourdeaux, Rouen, Marseilles, and 41"avre, To_day thraiweisab of
rwfi 6beWheat ark; but a short supply,
various articles of merchandize limp
8111 Ul4e9f Fridir's priOes:nteedettid Sol inferior ratliteregaivvyelawney'.nelaaleyat,
which were previously piohibiteci. Atiftwiit inesa are with sitt, and hardly at last prices. White
mentioned pot-ashes aed,ltiaes. The ondition ex-
pressed in the licences•is, effat an equal value shalt • lel at
Tile variatniOnt.milelehka- rrßeivalat4ott(Vat4s9s.ndnlnidthlss
samples are named sawn hat dearer.
be exported from Friineerin certain proportions of r.4Flodenerr;,il•rtifilvan'eriatithisen.
CURRENT POMO OP CRAIN!
raw or manufactured silk, porcelain, window-glass, !
$2.. 110, ?Irk Old) - 46 50,
seeds, and wines or brandy ; corn is specially ex- 12. i. I altio our old) - • 5O 53$
cepted, in consequence of the general failure of the R. 50 55.. ! Oats - • 27- So, 93 .
-t her France. Arts of ' Cod:- Barley..- - - M. us. 1101.4111$
Malt. . .79.. 84, Potutoe ditto • - t 9.. 404. 14.
• Peas (11nilers1 764. VT.I knee erre - X 56 £62
Pens. 4. •- - 55;.. 611.1 Fine 'Flour - - 95 100s'
- - Seroods
• SMITH FIELD MARK F.Tonlaii. 6.
T.. aink the Mal, per woior
-fu. J. to 60. 4.t. l load actittle till-114ns
Mutton • .5.. 2.1. to 6.. 4d. k Belot.
Veal .7s, ud. tri tta. 04..1 Sheep . .
rork net. tr. Is.. 4.1. Calves HS,
440
Lark. • . Os. 01.1.-toBLA 4Apial
Nny
."!!l'lttroott .`....110111. W. to' It 10tottg.
.1 4111,40 W. to Ails. A. 04. •

Arrived the Eliza cartel, from Morlaix, with two
English and one French Lady, passengers; also an
American Messenger from Paris, with dispatches fot

London.

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