Complex sentence: He served two years on a merchant vessel at Hull before deserting to join the navy as a seaman when on 31 July 1811 he was sentenced to seven years transportation for robbing a miller on the highway.
Split into simpler sentences: He served two years on a merchant vessel at Hull before deserting to join the navy as a seaman. On 31 July 1811 he was sentenced to seven years transportation for robbing a miller on the highway.