Star. — 1819-04-20 (London, England)

ADMIRALTY ADJOURNED SESSIONS.  • Yesterday these Sessions commenced at nine o'clock at the Old Bailey, before Sir WILLIAM SCOTT, Mr. Justice RICHARDSON, and Mr. Justice BtsT, the Jury, after being sworn in, retired for some rl.--4, and again came into Court, and brought in a True Bill against Henry Wells, who was indicted for the wilful murder of Joseph Martin, on the Bth of A'sgust, 1815, between Deal and the French coast, in company with John Whim and William Brock, _ _  both.of whom were executed for the said offence in  December, 1815. It appeared in evidence, that the prisoner was in company with Gillam and Brock, on board the Fox revenue cutter, at the time the mur..  der was committed.  The case stated by Sir CHRISTOPHER Rolm:spit; the King's Advocate, to the Jury, and which w afterwards clearly proved, was, that the prisoner in company with others whilst the crew of the Fos Revenue cutter was employed in a boat belonging tp the said cutter, in the month of August, to look out for smugglers; that, on the Bth of that month, they observed a boat of considerable length, with masts, and several persons on board of her, steering North-. west, when the deceased observed a number of ma  in the smuggling boat, and did not think proper then to attack them, and therefore endeavoured to sheer off, when they instantly received a volley from the smugglers, which wounded the deceased and others, and the firing was so dreadful, that the Fox boat tell on one side, and was necessitated to make signals to the crew of the cutter to come to their assistance,  The crew of the smuggling boat called out--,, We shall sink every 'soul of you." The deceased was most dreadfully bcat on tho head wit the end of el, fireloik, and at last fell into the sea. It appeared that the prisoner, by the testimony of an accomplice of his, named Atkins, of the smuggling boat, after this circumstance, went to Boulogne for brandy,  when they left it on the Bth of August; that on their returning to the English coast, they passed several beds of oysters, between Calais and Dover, and observed a boat employei, the crew of which were oyster-dredging, and one of whom he knew to be John George, and from whom they got a basket of oysters, for which they gave three bottles of brandy,l that about two hours after this they fell in with the boat of the Fox Revenue cutter, the crew of which tired only one shot, as if for the smuggling boat to come to, but this was not complied with, and they then returned the fire and wounded many of the Revenue cutter ; after this they steered off towards Gravelines, and for some time lodged there; that he and his brother, with some others, left Gravelines, leaving part of the crew ; that the prisoner, Henry Wells, was one of the crew on board the smuggling boat at the time the murder was committed ; that when they left off firing at the boat of the Revenue cutter, they in proceeding towards the French coast threw overboard muskets and other deadly weapons, which were afterwards found on the tide leaving the shore of the French coast. The testimony of Atkins was completely confirmed by the evidence of other witnesses, who positively proved that the prisoner, at the time the murder•was done, was in the boat. The prisoner, it a pßeareri, was apprehended at Dover on the 3d of November last, and was brought to Town; that on his• Way hither. he said to the Officer—"" Oh! if I had that 'b —y fellow Atkins here, I should die happy;" saying at the same time—" I blame nobody but mysel4 for coming back, after having escaped entirely from the business." The case being now closed, the prisoner said in his defence—" My Lord, I am Lot guilty; let them, say as they like." Mr. Justice BEST, in a very eloquent address, recapitulated the evidence to the Jury, who retired out of Court for about half an hour. When they again came into Court and returned a verdict of Not Guilty. There were other indictments against the prisoner, but the