Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1819-11-16

the earl-of selkirk, notwithstanding that his
lordship had, as appeared by his printed me-
mortal produced in court, also petitioned CO.
rernment in this country, in October, 1918,
that commission of oyer and terminer Tor
the same purposes should issue had expli-
city stated to government, that the private
prosecutor Cthe earl of SelkiIk) was not rea-
dy, and that probably the earliest time when
he might be ready would be the autumn OF
1890! An intmation to this effect was, in
consequence, given on the goth OF June to
the principal agent of the North West Com
pany, then absent from the province, and &C
tually in the Indian territories peri
cd when il was much too late, even had the
thing in itself been reasonable and the pre-
parations for the approaching expected trials,
though at great expence, necessarily went
on, pursuant to the first notice. However,
on the Cd of October, the parties accused
found it expedient to lay memorial before
the president against any further pro,raction
of their trials; in reply TO which, his honor
stated that a commission for oyer and term-
ner for the trials of offences committed in
the Indian territories bad been issued on the
goth of April, 1918, and was continued by
adjournment to tie 2lst of October, and
would open on that day, = where legal course
and redress must be sought for by the persons
interested therein
Accordingly, several gentlemen belonging
to the North West Company, with uPN ards
of twenty witnesses, collected from distan-
ces of from two to FIVE thousand miles, ap-
peared on the opening OF the court when
the names of the accused, viz Archibald
Norman M'Leod, James Leith, AlexandeI
MaLdonel|, Archibald Nj 'Lelian, Hugh NJ Gil
lis, Simon Fraser, and John Siverighi, were
recorded by consent. The court cont inued
by adjournment till Thursday last, when
the counsel of the North West Company sta
ted the circumstances above. set forth, from
aflidav'ts filed by consent, and moved that
those who were under recognzance, should
be discharged from their bail, and those not
under recogniZance should be discharged by
proclamation, as the crown had declared in
court that there was nothing to object against
any one of them. After discussion Of some
length, the court adjourned TO consider Of
these motions, till The following day when,
with the exception Of one OF the accused, Mr..
M>Lellan) who happened to be under rec1g-
nzance in that court. the bench decided
that the applicants should take nothing hy
their motions. In the course Of the animad-
versions that tell from the Bench ard from
the Solicitor General, it appeared that they
considered that thGcourt had no jurisdiction
to interfere with offences a,ledged to have
been committed in The Indian Territories,
unless brought forward by the crown.
Early in the session two bills of indictment
were preferred by the crown, and found by
the Grand Jury, against Mr.. Williams, Mr..
John Clarke, Mr.. John M'Leod, Captain
Mauhey, Sergeants Vitchy and yelling,
and several Mueron soldiers, all in the SER
vice of the Earl of Selk,rk, or of the Hud-
sons Bay Company, for the assault and false
IMPRISONMENT in the month of June last, at
the Grand Rapid in the Indian Territories,
of Mr.. Shaw, Mr. NJ, lavish, MIR. Campbell.
Mr.. Frobisher and Mr. Macintosh, partners
of the North West Company, with several OF
their head canoe-men.
On the 29,ho of October, the court adjourn
ed till the cath OF January, 1890.