The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — 1803-03-23 (London, England)

PARKE. on behalf of the prisoner, addressed the Jury, in a strain of language and visible agitation, which, we observed, made a COOSidt`rablC impression upon every person xrho heard him. He said, he should produce before them two witnesses, whew charafters and eminence in their profession were so well known, that he need only mention their names, and the Jury would pay that deference to their testimony which it so deservedly merited. William Smith, butler to the prisoner, was exemiued by Mr D. Sykes, as to the commission of the fatal eel in question; and cross-examined by Mr. Parke, on the part of the prisoner. Front his Evidence it appeared, that he had known the prisoner 13 years in Lelia ; that in all that time ho had ne- • ver seen him .different front other men—Chearful, benevolent, and adive in all the duties of his station; hospitable and attentive to his friends, kind and communicative to his dependents. That after he had determined to conic to England, the witness agreed to accerupany him as butler; that he was remarkably cheerful for two iennths on board of • the ship ; but that before they reached St. Helena, he became all at once reserved and low-spirited ; that he avoided the company and all intercourse with his friends in the common room, and .kept close quarters in his own ap irtments ; tha' he never seemed to complain of any thing, but frequently sighed. That at St Helena, during, as be supposed, a sudden it of delirium, he threw himself from the leads of the house where he Indeed ; that he refused to come home in the ship in which he had taken his passage, and a&ually sent away the children; that he attct wards took his passage home in another ship, and, till arrived in London, continued in the same melancholy state of mind. After coming to Hull, he appeared something better, for a time, whilst under his uncle's roof; but that after he had pnrcha.ed a house for himself, he never gave any dire nuns either for what he should eat, where he should sleep, or even enquired how they were supplied with money, or who enabled them to go on with hoti,ekeeping ; that he never saw him take up a hook, or even set pen to paper, except once to answer two notes; that he usually walked about the room, or the passages of the house, during the whole time he was at home ; that at the period the aft was committed he appeared unusually fond of hie children. The prisoner's housekeeper and coachman corroborated the above evidence. 1:r. Wires was then c.c.:deed, who said, be remembered visiting the patient, and thought him labouring under a mental derangement, constantly occupied-by one train of thinking, which could not be eriven from his mind ' • or, at least, that he was not able to divert hint from it; and therefore he • him partially insane, liable to sudden fits • • • • • in whieh fits he night commit any ad of r. Nam. • e: e- eint,- was then interrogated. The prise,• ; eeee eve or six weeks at York, under his . • ,e saw nothing remarkable in his case at the 7 ; !hit he appeared not so cheerful as he had formerly been, but to be evidently depressed in his spirits; that cheerful society, he then thought, might perhaps restore him. Such a state of mind ceeteinlr often terminatee in suicide, but he had never known any one in a similar eituation commit violeace nn others. The learned Jus!g,• then n.l.iressi:d the Jury, and after expatieting tieon the enormity of the crime tor ivh;eh the iniiorivr cti,•A charged, he pointed out to them how the lief steed provided in such cases as the present ;—that where a pigeon took away the Fr cf Another pereien, hut at the time of doing so was in a state of insenite. he was not guilty of blurden—he (the learned Judge) wa. satisfied, tint, from the evidence given, the Jury woad. be fully cone:Aced tt the pnsouer was in a state of insanit at the time of committing this unfortunate erime of which be stood charged, and would therefore give their Verdia eteiudingly. . The Jury then retareetl their verdict of—Non Cathy, IN arreissfib:e heave", of tis. fine.  V  _ _ _. -3  Colonel Putt.trs has just been appointed Demur Adjutant General at Malta; an office which has been vacant nine mouth., and which it was supposed would never have been again filled up. Several other officers have been appointed to complete the staff of that islar.d, and hence it would appear there it no erpcaation of evacuat:ig it soon. Mr. 8 titer ros's Bull at Edinburgh, on Monday sennight, was extretne!y brilliant. Among the coniNnv who honoured it with their presence, were the Duchess of BLCCLLUGH, the Countess of Hoch, Ladier. CAROLIVIL and HARRIET MONTAGU, Ladies (71. elk, DOUGLAS, SrLwAKT several of the French Noblesse, the younger part of whom contributed much to the enjoyment of the evening, and, with their usual politeness, condescended to pia in the country-dances. The Duchess of lluceLkeGil remained until the dancing had concluded. About a.week :Ign, in the evening, a most desperate attack wae. m3,:e on the hcases of Mr. Byrne and Mr. Macd .nnell, residing at Dolphin's, Barn's Town, near Dublin, by a numerous gang of ruffians, who tieloperately wounded every body who opposed their entrance, and rubbed the houses of property to the Tp aunt of between 2 and so9ul. Many of the robers wore masks.  L.