6. PRINCIPAL OCCURRENCES In the Year 1786. JANUARY. ΤΗ HE Halfewell, Eaft Indiaman, capt. Pierce, failed through the Downs, on Sunday the ift in tant, and after experiencing a feries of extreme bad weather, ftruck, at two o'clock this morning, on the rocks of Purbeck, between St. Alban's Head and Peve el Point, near Portland. One hundred and feventy men got afhore, but from the darknefs or the morning, and furging of the fea, near 100 were difhed to pieces and drowned. Among the number fived were 18 officers, 30 feamen, and 25 foldiers. Capt. Pierce, a little while before the ship went down, called Mr. Meriton (the fecond mate) into the cud. dv, where his two daughters, two nieces, and three other beautiful young ladies, were clinging round him for protection, and on being told it was impoffible for the 1-des to efcape, Then my dear children," faid he, folding his daughters in his arms, "we will perith together." The ship disappeared in a few minutes. Mr. Meriton, who brought this fatal news to the India Hufe, escaped the fate of thofe who were dafhed to pieces on the rocks, by falling into a fiflure of one of thea, where he was, for fome time, up to his chin in water. The chief mate, a nephew of the captain's, refused to quit the fhip, declaring that he would die with his uncle and coufins. Mr. Thompson, the quarter-maf ter, was the first who climbed up the rock, and got on fhore: he faw a light, about a mile off, whither he went: the people very humanely came down with him to the fhore with ropes, which were the means of faving many lives, though feve ral, after having been drawn part of the way up the rock, from fatigue ler go their hold, and were dafhed to pieces. 11. The Swallow Packet, from Bengal, arrived in the Downs, on the 9th inftant, on board of which, lord Macartney came paffenger. His lordship was feveral days in Calcutta, previous to the arrival of the difpatches of the Court of Di rectors containing his appointment of governor-general of Bengal. Imediately on their arrival Mr. Macpherson difpatched his fecretary, announcing the appointment, and his readiness to relinquish the government. His lordfhip defired a few days before he gave an anfwer. The reafon affigned for his lordship's delay, was the carcleff nefs of the meffenger charged with the difp tches, who had left his lordfhip's private letters at Madrass. On the arrival of thefe, a few days after, his lordship fent his pofitive anfwer, that it was his determination not to accept the government. This packet brought advice, that there had been a meeting of the Britith inhabitants in Calcutta, which ended in their paffing feveral refolu(A 2) tions lutions expreffive of their difapprobation of the East India regulating bill of the 24th of his prefent Majelly. This packet alfo brought over a copy of the fentence of the court martial on major-general fir John Burgoyne, bart. which honourably acquits him of every part of the charge against him. if poffible, to identify his perfon. It feems that he had changed, his name; and his hand-writing of the fignature of the will, as teftator, is fo much altered, that the gentleman cannot fwear to it. [The body was actually taken up, and positively fworn to. The real name of the diceafed was John Cardell, and the Hopfactor be robbed was Mr. John Sanders, of the Borough.] 16. The feffions ended at the Old Bailey, when feven convicts received fentence of death. At this feffions was tried John Hogan, a Mulatto, for the murder of Anne Hurt, fervant to Mr. Orrell, of Charlotte-street. (See Vol. VI. page 41.) The manner in which this wretch was at lait detected is very remarkable. A fhort time before the murder, he had brought home fome chairs to Mr. Orrell's; and a perfon anfwering his defcription having been feen in the neighbourhood that day, fufpicion fell on him, and he was twice taken up, and twice difcharged for want of evidence. Chefer, Jan. 12. About a year ago, a perfon, took a houfe at Childer I hornton, a few miles from this city, which he furnished in a moderate style, and engaged a woman of this place to ferve him as housekeeper he had not been there more than nine months, before he was attacked by a violent indifpofition, which carried him off in about thirty days. Immediately on the approach of fickness he made his will, and left the whole of his properry to his houfekeeper, although an entire ftranger to him. A fhort time after his decease the woman came to this city, and lodged bank notes (amounting to 6401.) in the hands of a banker. Not many days after, one of the notes, value 1ool. On being taken to the body of reached London for payment, when the deceafed, he appeared not in a letter was directly fent down, the leaft agitated; but, putting his requesting immediate information hand on her breaft, he faid, "My from whom the faid note was receiv-dear Nancy, I do remember you ed, which being duly forwarded, "well; I never did you any harm with other particulars, it appears, that the deceafed had lately been clerk to a hopfactor in London; that about 15 months ago, he cloped with notes and call to the amount of 1200l. and notwithstanding repeated advertisements has never been heard of till this time. More than 500l. it feems has been diffipated. Seven weeks have elapfed, fince this perfon was buried, and a gentleman is just arrived from I.ondon, in order to have the corpse taken out of the grave, and in my life!" Thefe expreffions very forcibly added to the fufpicions of his guilt, because her face was fo exceedingly cut and mangl ed, that Mr. Orrell declared he he could not poflibly have known her, Two other circumstances, which tended to criminate him, were a spot of blood on a waistcoat which he wore, and fome flight marks of blood on one of the fleeves of his coat; which coat h..d been washed, though the blood on the fleeve remained; and an effort feem ed ed to have been made, but in vain, to rub out the spot of blood from the waistcoat. The prifoner was afterwards tried for a larceny, and Mr. Orrell reading his trial in the Seffions paper, it occurred to him to fearch at the pawnbroker's, where he had pawned the property ftolen, for which he was fo tried, to fee if any of his property, which was ftolen at the time of the murder, had been lodged with that pawnbroker; there he found a cloak of his wife's, pawned the morning after the murder, by the woman with whom the prifoner cohabited. The principal evidence against him was the woman with whom he cohabited; who depofed, that he brought her home a cloak, which he faid he had bought, on condition of paying for it at the rate of fo much a week. The cloak was produced in court, and Mis. Orrell fwore to it as her property. The deponent further faid, that after Hogan had been twice taken before a magistrate, he, at intervals, appeared to be very uneafy; that particularly he could not fleep in bed; that the faid to him one night, " For God's fake what is the matter with you, furely you are not guilty of what you have been taken up for:" that his anfwer was, "Yes I am :--I am guilty:-I did i." She then was much troubled in mind, and apprehended fatal confequences to herfelf, particularly, as he faid to her, "You must fay nothing; you must be quiet; for if I be hanged, you will be hanged with me." And on her asking him, why he had murdered the young woman, he answered, because he wanted to be great with her, and the refifted him. The prifoner being called on for his defence, faid, "I am innocent and if any body takes away my life, I will never forgive them." The jury brought in their ver diet guilty; and he was this day executed on a gibbet, erected oppofite Mr. Orrell's houfe. At this feffions also came on the remarkable trial of Meffrs. Goodridge and Evans, charged with forging the will of Mr. Thomas Sawrel, formerly a rallow-chandler, of Saffron-hill. The principal witnefs to prove the charge was an attorney, who fwore, that at the infligation of the prifoners he made the will in favour of one of the Goodridges, who was appointed in it executor and refiduary legatee. On his crofs examination by Mr. Erfkine he varied in many particulars; and he even avowed, that he had fworn directly contrary to the evidence he now gave, in a cause depending in Doctors Commons, to try the validity of the will. Several other witneffes, however, were called in confirmation of his evidence, and about half past ten at night the profecutor finifhed his cafe. The prifoner's countcl then began their defence, which lafted till past four in the morning, when the evidence given by the attorney and fome others was flatly contradicted in certain very material circumftances, and feveral witneffes were examined as to the relationfhip and affection between the deceafed and the wife of Mr. Nathaniel Goodridge, and a great number of refpectable perfons teftified the good character of the prifoners. The Judge, notwithstandiug his great fatigue, fully fummed up the evidence, with obfervations on it, and the jury, without going out of court, pronounced a verdict of, not guilty. 23. At a feffions of admiralty, (A 3) at at the Old Bailey, on Saturday, Wm. Shaw Hines was tried for piratically feizing, taking, and failing away with a cutter in the fervice of the customs, on the 6th of March, 1781. It appeared on the trial, that the prifoner belonged to a fimuggling yawl, commanded by one Knight, and being de cried by the Swift cruizer, on the coaft of Effex, was chafed by her, come up with, and taken; and the matter of the Swift proceeding to take the cargo of the yawl on board, was oppofed by the prifoner, who finding his men fuperior to thofe in the Swift, feized the mafter and crew of the Swift, took them out to sea, and putting them into a tmall boat left them to fhift for themfelves. He was found guilty. [He was executed on the 15th of February following.] At this feflions, the opinion of the judges was delivered, by Mr. Juftice Willes, on the cafe of George Coombes, who, in June laft, was convicted of the murder of Mr. William Allen. (See Vol. VI. page 4c.) The verdict had been left fpecial for the opinion of the judges, which being against the prifoner, he received fentence of death, and was executed this day. 25. The Coroner's inqueft fat on the body of Charles Price, who was lately committed to Tothill-fields Bridewell for feveral forgeries on the Bank, and who yellerday hanged himself in that prifon. They brought in their verdict felf-murder. This unhappy man, who was about 52 years of age, had been apprehended at Mr. Aldus's, a pawn broker, in Berwick-ftreet. He had pafled through three examinations previous to his fuicide. Great muft have been the horrors of his, mind before he could conclude upon his own deftruction; but the compofure and deliberation with which he perfected it gave the finishing ftroke to his character. About the Royal Exchange he was well known. His natural propenfity to difhonefly was the fpring of all his misfortunes; it made him fhitt from place to place to avoid the abuse of the mob, and the clamorous calls of lucky adventurers. His last office was the corner of King street, Covent-garden, whence he was driven about fix years ago, by a most unaccountable run of ill-luck, and esteemed himself happy in a private decampment. Driven thus to expedients, and having a family of eight children to fupport, he turned his thoughts to that attempt which proved fo fatal to him. His first attempt on the Bank was about the year 1780, when a forged note had been taken there, fo complete in all its parts, the engraving, the fignatures. the water-mark, &c. that it had paffed through various hands unfufpected, and was not difcovered till it came to a certain department in the routine of that office, through which no forgery whatever can pass undifcovered. This occafioned a Confiderable alarm, and notes upon notes flowed in about the lottery and Christmas times, without even the leaft poflibility of tracing out the first negociator. Various confult tions were held, and plans laid, but in vain. Had Mr. Price permitted a partner in his proceeding, had he employed an engraver, bad he procured paper to be made for him, with water-marks put into it, he must have been foon difcovered; but Price was himself alone: he engraved his own plates; he made his own paper, with the watermarks, and he was his own nego ciator, ciator, thereby confining a fecret to his own breath, which he deemed not at eafe in the breaft of another; even Mrs. Price had not the leat fufpicion of his proceedings. Having practifed engraving till he had made himself fufficient master of it, he then made his own ink to prove his own works having purchafed implements, and manufactured the water-mark, he next fet himself to counterfeit the hand writings, and fucceeded fo far, as even to puzzle a part of the first body of men in the world. 31. The long contefted caufe between the vicar of Odiam, plaintiff, and the chancellor of Sarum, and others, defendants, was lately fettled by the judges of the Exchequer, in favour of the plaintiff, by his having a prefcriptive right to all fmall tithes, though he could not produce an endowment. By this decifion that right of the inferior clergy to the tithes of clover-feed, turnip-feed, and all fmall tithes whatever, is finally fettled. Edinburgh, Jan. 20. The court of feffion this day determined a caufe of a very fingular nature:Some years ago, the rev. Mr. William Shaw, formerly minifter of Ardolach, published by fubfcription a Dictionary of the Gaelic Language. Previous to the publication, propofals were exhibited to the public, containing an enumeration of various particulars, which it was propofed fhould be inferted in the dictionary. After the dictionary was printed and publifhed, about four-fifths of the fubfcribers accepted of the book, and paid their fubfcription money; but feveral of the fubfcribers declined paying their fubfcriptions, alleging, that, as the author had not fpecifically filled the terms of his propofals, they were not bound to accept the book, which they alfo declared was a very bad performance, and in no view a proper Dictionary of the Gaelic Language. An action was brought by Mr. Shaw against the refractory fubfcribers before the court of feffion, in which a proof was led, as to the merit of the work; and all the witneffes agreed, that the author had not fulfilled the terms of his propofals, although one or two of the witneffes, at the fame time, thought the dictionary was an acquifition to the Gaelic language, and that they had derived confiderable benefit from it. The court were of opinion, that although the purfuer had not fulfilled the terms of his printed propofals, yet as the defenders could not inftruct that he had wilfully fuppreffed any of his materials, or been guilty of fraud or deceit in the execution of the book, the subfcribers were liable; and the court. alfo found the prifoner entitled to his expences. FEBRUARY. 3. Captain Raphel, of the brig Bafil, who arrived at Liverpool on the 27th inft. on her paffage from Dominica, on the 25th of December, lat. 26. 54. long. 66. 47. picked up the crew of the Charming Molly, from Bermudas to Turks Ifland, which veffel had foundered three days before, when the crew, ten in number, took to the boat, to the stern of which they tied a large log of wood, which ferved to keep her head to fea; in this fituation they waited in hopes of being relieved by fome veffel: when capt. Raphel took them up they had about one pound of bread, and two gallons of water, the latter of which they gave to each other in a wine glafs full to a mouthful of bread, once in 12 hours. The boat (12 feet in length) being fo very mall, one half of the crew were (A 4) obliged |