This term, added to the defendant's imprisonment since his trial, will make the whole two years. GROSS PUBLIC FRAUD. THE KING 7. VALENTINE JONES. The attorney general stated, that this was an indictment against the defendant, charging him with a breach of duty in his character as commissary general in the West Indies, and superintendant and director of army provisions, appointed by his Majesty in 1795. The indictment stated, that the defendant, having the several allowances of 21. and 31. per day, and it being his duty to provide stores for his Majesty, and not to receive any part of the emoluments or gains arising from the provision of such stores, entered into a corrupt agreement with one Matthew Higgins, in pursuance of which he received to his own use a moiety of the profits arising from such provision. The right hon. G. Rose proved the appointment of the defendant, and that he had admonished him as to the duties of his situation; telling him that he was expected to derive no advantage from the situation but his pay, and certain allowances for provisions. The pay and half-pay had lately been increased, to insure the strictest fidelity. A letter from the defendant to Mr. Michael Sutton, dated 1796, acknowledging his consciousness of the terms of this agreement with Mr. Rose, was then proved, put in, and read. Mr. Matthew Higgins said, he was a merchant in the West Indies in the year 1799, and had a contract with Brig.Gen. Knox, when he had the command there, for supplying government vessels. Mr. Hugh Rose acted as deputy paymaster there. He first heard that the defendant was coming out as commissary in 1796, while his contract with Brig. Gen. Knox subsisted. Upon the defendant's arrival, the witness supposed his contract at an end; in consequence of this apprehension, he applied to Mr. Hugh Rose, as he was on terms of intimacy with the defendant, to ask him to speak to the defendant not to take the contract from the witness. The witness at length saw the defendant, and repeated to him the conversation between Mr. Hugh Rose and himself. After this, Mr. Hugh Rose told the witness he had arranged the business with the defendant, and that Upon examination by Lord Ellenborough, the witness said that he had no doubt of the agreement being understood by the defendant, and that the accounts were settled by it. Mr. N. Winter was in the house of T. Higgins and Co. merchants in the West Indies, at the time of these transactions. By the desire of Mr. M. Higgins, he informed himself from the books what Mr. Higgins's profits were; and Mr. Higgins told him if the defendant should call, to shew him the statement of the profits on the books; the defendant did call, and the witness gave him an account on paper, which he looked at, but the witness could not exactly recollect whether he took it away if he were called upon for a decided answer one way, he should say he did. Upon cross-examination, he said, the witness's house, that of T. Higgins and Co. purchased goods for Mr. M. Hig gins, at a commission: There were accounts rendered to the defendant from Mr. M. Higgins with false names. The witness had applied to persons to put false numes to such accounts. A letter, which had been before proved to be in the hand-writing of the defendant, was then put in and read, It was addressed to the acting commissa rygeneral of Barbadoes,and was written shortly after the West India Inquiries bad been instituted. It told the acting commissary, that if he were asked any thing about the defendant, he had time to make out any thing that was neces sary; and desired him to be circumspect, not to give answers on the defendant's general business, or to make a Insty or incautious statement of facts. It went on-" For heaven's sake, do not be unmodelling my accounts again, as they cost me more trouble than I ever had with any thing; and they desire no better than¡to perplex me. If you can better them, do so." Mr. Dallas in a long speech insisted, that the jury could not find the defendant guilty, merely from Mr. Higgins's evidence, whom he conceived an accomplice. The attorney general in reply, stated, that Mr.Higgins was not an accomplice. in as much as he was not a public othcer. He said, the money which had pass ed through the defendant's hands, in this nefarious agreement, amounted to nearly a million sterling the profits on this sum were 300,000l. so that a profit of 301. per cent. has been tacked on to the Sl. per cent. which the house of T. Higgins and Co. made on the purchases, and which, if the defendant had possessed common honesty, he might have rendered to goverment at that 51, per cent. Government had thus been defrauded of 301. per cent. upon an expenditure of nearly a million; and this in consequence of the corrupt agree ment between the defendant and the contractor, which had been so abundantly proved. After a charge from Lord Ellenborough, the jury found the defendant Guilty. On Monday June 17, the defendant was brought up to receive the judgment of the court, having been found guilty of fraud and peculation to the amount of 87,1791. being but a moiety of the sum of which the country had been defrauded by his collusion with Mr. M. Higgins. Mr. Justice Grose, after commenting upon the enormity of the of fence, said, that whatever other proceedings might be instituted, it was their duty to pass such a sentence as would be likely to prevent future peculation, annd then adjudged him to be imprisoned three years in his Majesty's goal of Newgate, and to be incapacitated from serving his Majesty in future. In the court of King's bench June 22, Townsend and Martin v. Pendock Gurray Neale, Esq -The Attorney general stated the plaintiffs were the Windsor Herald and blue mantle pursuivant at arms, who brought their action to recover 2811. for business done for the defendant, who was a gentleman of large fortune in the county of Nottingham. He was a country squire, with all the hospitality, and more than the ordinary share of vanity belonging to that class of the gentry of England. In September 1804, he came to the college of heralds, where Mr. T. and Mr. M. were in attendance for the day, and requested to have his pedigree drawn out, with the arms of all his ancestors emblazoned in a splendid manner, and gave instructions, from which it appeared that he was descended from royal blood. After tracing his ancestors for some time, it was found that the blood of the Neales, the Pendocks, and the Barrys, flowed from the ancient kings of Normandy, of Saxony, of Ireland, and of Scotland, besides being also descended from Fulke, king of Jerusalem, and from Cadwallader the great of Wales. The defendant was shewn a large pedigree upon one skin of vellum, but as there were more than would fill a skin of his ancestors, he said he would have two or more.Whenever any connections could be traced with blood royal he was most anxious to have the whole lineage inserted in his pedigree. The plaintiffs were employed a considerable time in drawing out this pedigree or family tree, and at various times supplied him also with a number of sketches of arms for paintings on his windows, which were to be executed by Messrs. Parker and Perry. While this was going on, the defendant was very anxious to see the plaintiffs at his home, and sent for them down to Allerton-ball, in. Nottinghamshire, where he feasted them on venison, claret, and champaigne, 46 6 10 10 Tracing out and sketching 426 coats of arms, at 5s. each. 106 10 Sketches of 181 coats of arms for the hall, at 5s. each, and 21 crowns and coronets, at 1s. each, &c. .. A painting of the arms of the defendant on vellum. . . Expences going to, and returning from, the defendant's seat in Nottinghamshire, at 2s. 6d. per mile. 32 0 Mr. Garrow, for the defendant, ridiculed the absurdity of this heraldic pedigree, in which it was stated that the blood of one of his client's fingers was that of an Irish king, of another that of a Welsh one, and of a third that of a Jewish one, as something too ridiculous even for a Windsor Herald, or a blue mantle to cram down his throat. "The gentleman looks at me," continued Mr. Garrow, " as if I did not treat him with proper respect; I assure him I respect him not less than a learned judge, the late Mr. Justice Gould, who seeing a Herald in Westminster hall, with his tabard on, all bedizened with embroidery, stumbled up against him, and begging his pardon, said, he hoped he had not offended him, but really he had taken him for a gilt arm chair, and was just going to sit down upon him." He had not the least doubt, but that, if any body were foolish enough to wish it, a herald could make him related in an equal degree, to either Shem, Ham, or Japheth. He remembered a learned friend of his, who came into court one day, prepared to trace his client's descent lineally from Adam. "Spare yourself half the trouble at least," said the judge who presided, "we'll be quite content to take it from the deluge." The fact was, that by the help of modern antiques, a herald could prove any thing.old deeds, old wills, or old tombstones, were the principal mate rials of his fabrications. There was nobody in the kingdom who might not have bis coat of arms whenever he pleased, and chuse to what great family he would be related; everry body knew the story of the pawnbroker, who, when upon going to the herald's college for his coat, was told to apply to the Rouge Dragon, ran away frightened out of his wits, declaring he would have nothing to do with any red dragon. The learned counsel contended, that the plaintiffs ought to have proved the quantum meruit of every item of their demand, and he particularly withstood the charge of 321. for travelling expences in their visit to the defendant, at whose house they were sumptuously entertained on a shooting party for a fortnight.-Lord Ellenborough summed up the evidence, and the jury gave a verdict for plaintiffs.-Damages 2681. 11s. allowing 20 guineas only for the journey. FACTS RESPECTING LOTTERIES The committee of the house of Commons, in a late report upon lotteries, say, that the foundation of the lottery is radically vicious, and. that parliament cannot adopt any system of regulations to make it an efficient source of revenue, and at the same time divest it of all the evils and calamities of which it has hitherto proved so baneful a source. All the punishments inflicted by the statutes upon offenders agamst the lottery acis fall only on the iguorant and the destitute, whilst the wealthy offenders hold them in ulter contempt. The effects of the lottery, under its present restrictions, idleness, dissipation, and poverty, -have materially increased; sacred and confidential trusts are betrayed; domestic comfort is destroyed; madness is often created; crimes, subjecting the perpetrators of them to the punishment of death, and even suicide itself, are committed; as fully appear by evidence submitted to the committee. Illegal insurance of lottery tickets is effected by Morocco men, as they are termed, in small green-grocers' shops, and other obscure places, for which their employers allow two shillings in the pound as a commission. One gentleman detected a milkman enticing his servants in the kitchen to advance money on the event of some numbers in the statelottery. The Morocco men, if imprisoned under the vagrant act, are allowed two guineas weekly till their liberation one fellow of the name of Ryan was imprisoned three times in 18 months. One of the police officers of Queen-square, Westminster, stated a deplorable instance of a family who were accustomed to insure in the lotteries. The husband cut his throat, the wife was reduced to the workhouse, and the daughter who still persists in the same practices, is in the utmost indigence.-Evidence was given of several gentlemen's servants absconded, and some of having been convicted of stealing and pledging their masters' property, for the purpose of speculating in the lotteries.-The Rev. Mr. Gurney, rector of St. Clement Danes, gave a remarkable instance of the infatuation which attends people who are accustomed to insure in the lottery. A respectable lady, who had a clear income of 4001. a year, was so reduced in her circumstances by this destructive propensity, that she at last sought refuge in the workhouse, where she died in four months. The committee conclude with their opinion, that the money paid to government by the contractors is not equivalent to the distress occasioned to many persons ultimately forced to apply for parochial relief.-For every 600,000l. gained to the state, the people lose 1,275,000l. FINANCE. The total amount of the public expenditure of Great Britain, exclusive of the charge of loans raised for the service of Ireland, for ten years ending the 5th of January 1803, comprising the whole period of the war terminated by the peace of Amiens, is about 503,578,5401.whereof 178,520,4541. arose from the charge of the public funded and unfunded debt, and 324,858,0861. from all other services; and about 241,909,9531. was raised by the ordinary revenue and incidental payments of different kinds; about 32,679,000l. by extraordinary war taxes, 220,095,6071. by additions to the public funded debt, 3,000,000l. by an advance from the bank without interest, in consideration of the renewal of the charter,and an advance of 3,000,0001. from the bank in 1798, of which 1,500,000l. was repaid in 1803. The total amount of the public expenditure of Great Britain, exclusive of the charge of loans raised for the service of Ireland, for six years ending the 5th of January 1809, being the six first years of the present war, is about 395,945,5991. whereof 166,445,0521. arose from the charge of public funded and unfunded debt, and 229,701,6471. from all other services, and about 224,433,2221. has been raised by the ordinary revenue and incidental payments of various kinds, 92,240,300l. by extraordinary war taxes, 81,168,4811. by additions to the public funded debt, and 3,500,000l. by an advance without interest from the bank. The mutiny amongst the local militia which lately broke out at Ely, was suppressed by the arrival of four squadrons of the German legion cavalry from Bury, under the command of Gen. Auckland. Five of the ring-leaders were tried by a court martial, and sentenced to receive 500 lashes each, part of which punishment was inflicted, and a part was remitted. A stoppage for their knapsacks was the ground of complaint that excited this mutinous spirit, which occasioned the men to surround their officers, and to demand what they deemed their arrears. END OF VOL. V. TO THE POLITICAL REVIEW. VOL. V. A. ABUSES, public, inquiries into, liii. Adultery, increases among the higher America, affairs of, xvi.lii.lxxxiii.— Austria, affairs of, lii.lxxii.lxxxi-whe- ther justifiable in going to war with B. Bankes, Mr. declines having any con- Bathurst, Mr. his motion respecting Beazely, Rev. Mr. his shameful con- Bonaparte, takes possession of the ca- VOL. V. |