ed in St. Mary's parish: to constitute a settlement, there must not only be a binding, a sleeping and support, but there must also be labour. In the present case, the master had not had the latter. The boy was bound to him to learn practical navigation, but he had not done so he was sent to school, where he was taught theoretical navigation only; and there he went by his own choice, and not in consequence of any control exercised over him by his master. This was not such a binding and service as would settle the pauper, who still belonged to his original parish; and the order of sessions, settling him on St. Mary, Canterbury, was order. ed to be quashed.

COURT OF COMMON PLEAS,

TUESDAY, FEB. 16.

Christie v. Jones.-This was an action brought by Mr. Christie, the auctioneer, to recover from the defendant 509., which he alleged, being money belonging to him, was won by the defendant, at games of cards, of his clerk, at different times and places.

William Rickards said, he had been servant to Mr. Christie seven years. He was discharged at the end of July last. In his situation as clerk, he was in the habit of receiving money coming to Mr. Christie as an auctioneer, to a considerable amount. The various sums were paid on account of jewels, pictures and property, sold in Pall-Mall. The witness had known the defendant between one and two years. The defendant lived in Pall-mall and kept a billiard-table. The wit

ness had played with him, on many occasions, at cards. He played with him for money about the 22d of April last. The defendant knew he was a clerk, but did not know he received his master's money. The first time he played with him at cards, they played at the Star and Garter, Pall-mall. They played at crib. bage, and the witness lost 301. the money of his employer, Mr. James Christie. He met him again about 30th April, and playing again with Mr. Christie's money, lost 701. On that occasion they began with 57. a game, and increased it to 10. and 15%. He met the defendant also at Bedford's Rooms in Pall-mall, and played with him to a late hour. Two of the defendant's brothers were present, and he believed Mr. Bedford was there, but could not speak positively. The witness also played with a friend of Jones's, who was introduced to him. This friend pretended ignorance of the game, and it was understood that he was from the country. The defendant proposed his friend should play for him, and the witness should give him two holes at cribbage; leaving him, at the same time, at liberty to instruct him in his play. The witness was a winner on that occasion to the amount of 60/., part of which remained unpaid, but Jones paid it next day. On the 1st of June he played with the defendant's friend on the same principle he had played before. The stakes were made good by the defendant; he lost 1257., which was Mr. Christie's money. He was unable to pay 157. of the lost money

that

that night, but the next day he met the defendant, and paid him 15. out of Mr. Christie's money. He, upon another occasion, played with the defendant's friend at the sign of the Haunch of Venison, in Brook-street, for 150l. The defendant put down the stakes. The witness lost 80l., which was Mr. Christie's money. He remembered going with a 100%. bank-note, which he had taken at Ransom and Morland's, in payment of a check given by Mr. Woodburn, of St. Martin'slane, for property bought of Mr. Christie. He lost the note in question to the defendant.

John Langdon, another clerk to Mr. Christie, was at the Haunch of Venison, in Brookstreet; he went by invitation of Rickards, and met him there playing with the defendant. A Mr. Davidson was also present. Davidson was the friend of the defendant. About 12 o'clock Rickards went out for money and came back with a supply, which he lost.

Mr. Serjeant Vaughan addressed the jury for the defendant, and contended that no credit ought to be given to such a person as Rickards, who came into court as a witness, to avoid a prosecution for felony. He called no witnesses.

The Chief Justice drew the attention of the jury to the main features of the case; namely, the credit due to the principal witness. It would be dangerous, he said, to the public interest, to hold that a person who had been decoyed into a gaming house and led to commit crime, was not to be received as a witness. Transactions similar to that be

fore them in general took place at midnight, and persons who became dupes of the designing gamester were perhaps the best witnesses to bring offenders to justice. Independently of all other considerations, the jury would find the witness Rickards confirmed by other witnesses. If the jury had a doubt they would give the defendant the benefit; if they had not they ought to find a verdict for the plaintiff. If they did find for the plaintiff, they might rest on their pillows with the consolation that they had rendered a service to the public.

The jury without hesitation found a verdict for the plaintiff Damages 5091.

OLD BAILEY, FEB. 20.

On Saturday Phillippe Caday alias Philibert, Joseph Amand Tregrosse, and Louis Amand Cleransac, were indicted for having brought from Mosambique in Africa to the island of Mauritius, certain persons to be sold as slaves.

The Attorney General stated the case, and the law as applicable to the jury.

G. T. Brodley, in Feb. 1818, was a midshipman of the Magicienne frigate stationed in the Mauritius. On the 21st of that month was with the master in the tender, lying in port Jacotay. While there, they saw a schooner about two in the afternoon, standing off and on Souliac. The wind was against them, and Mr. Evans, the master, ordered Mr. Garrett and witness to go overland to intercept the schooner. They had about eight miles to go, and they took a party of seamen. They got to Souliac about

half

half past four, and saw the schooner trying to get out to sea. In beating out she ran on a reef, and witness and his party went on board of her, where they found twelve or fifteen persons, among whom were the prisoners. Mr. Philibert appeared to be the master. The other two appeared to be mates. Mr. Philibert presented the ship's papers to Mr. Garrett, and told the latter that they kept no log-book. Witness went into the hold, which was fitted up with a loose dock or platform about four feet below the upper-deck. Witness had only seen one other slave ship, and she had no platform. There was no cargo except water on board. He examined three casks, and two of them had salt water in them. Mr. Garrett returned Mr. Philibert his papers. He conceived the schooner was fitted for a slave-ship. He supposed there were upwards of twenty water casks on board, much more than necessary to supply twelve or sixteen men. The schooner went down. On the 24th of February witness searched a store, house close to the bank of the river Souliac, and found the yards and sails of the schooner, and about a dozen pair of shackles or irons of different sizes, fit for men, women and boys. They took them on board the Magicienne. He did not see the prisoners till they were in custody.

J. Sloughton, a seaman on board the Magicienne, confirmed the testimony of Mr. Brodley, and added, that while some of their party went down to board the schooner, others were firing at her from a hill, as they took her to be a slave vessel.

Lyse Victorine, examined through an interpreter, said, in February and March last she was a slave to Madame le Brun, at Hermitage, in the Mauritius; recollected a great number of blacks arriving there; there had been a hurricane about that time; there came with the blacks Messrs. Philibert, Cleransac, Tregrosse and Fontaine, accompanied by sailors; the blacks were put in a storehouse near Madame le Brun's house; there was a great many blacks, men and women and two or three children; she did not understand their language, nor could they speak French; they all appeared strangers to the island. They remained three days in her mistress's house, where the prisoners lodged during that time; they went away on the second day with about half the blacks, but returned with them the same day and put them in the store. M. Cuvillier came to her mistress's while the blacks were in the store; he brought servants, provisions and clothes for the new blacks. She remembered the soldiers arriving at her mistress's house at night; they knocked at the door but were not admitted; the prisoners and Cuvillier were there at the time. Her mistress told the soldiers she would not open the door unless the commissary came; the soldiers remained outside all night, and the commissary came the next morning, and the door was opened; the prisoners were taken away by the soldiers, and the blacks from the storehouse, except some who were ill; she had never seen the prisoners but that time at her mistress's house; she is married

and

and her husband's name is Polydore; he came to her mistress's while the blacks were there. Polydore confirmed this testimony.

C. M. Campbell, a lieutenant of the Bourbon regiment at the Mauritius, was aid-de-camp to general Hall the governor. On the 3rd of March last, by order of the governor, he went to Ma. dame le Brun's plantation with a detachment from the 22d. Polydore was their guide. He pointed out to them a wooden building and two small huts. They got there near eleven at night. Polydore told him the huts contained new blacks, and whites that brought them were in the wooden building. Witness divided his detachment, and with one party surrounded the huts, and with another the wooden building. He found the huts filled with blacks, male and female, to the number of 92. Greatest part were naked. One was dead, another dying, and nine so weak they could not be moved. Almost all were covered with. the itch, and appeared quite astonished when the soldiers surrounded the huts and came up to them and examined their clothes and arms. They appeared quite uncivilized, were all Mozambique blacks, and he was positive they were newly imported negroes. He secured the huts for the night and went to the wooden building. He knocked and requested it to be opened, when a woman's voice said she was with her two daughters, and that she would not open the door at that time of night. He molested her no farther, but desired

the soldiers to let no one escape from the house. He then went about the plantation and found another hut, in which were eight or nine blacks, who told him in French that they belonged to Madame le Brun. He returned to his detachment and found them where he had left them, and remained with them till next morning. The commissary came next morning; and when the noise of his palanquin bearers was heard, the people in the house opened the door, and they went in and saw the prisoners Cuvillier, Quanto, Madame le Brun, her two daughters and Victorine. Witness took the prisoners, but at the desire of the commissary he allowed Cuvillier to remain with Madame le Brun. It is 20 or 22 miles from Souliac to Madame le Brun's. There are large forests between.

Cross-examined. The island has been governed by the French laws since the capitulation.

The prisoners Philibert and Tregrosse put in long written defences, in which they denied the charge and asserted that they had been to Madagascar for a cargo of bullocks, which they were obliged to throw overboard in a storm, and that accounted for there being no cargo found on board the schooner. They wandered about the island and met Cleransac accidentally, who took them to the house of Madame le Brun. The defence went on to state, that their treatment during their voyage to England had been bad. Cleransac's defence was, that he was not on board the schooner at all; that he had been in the French navy, and was of

a re

1

a respectable family in Bourbon, but was out of employment; he only acted as a guide to the other two to bring them through the woods.

Baron Graham summed up the evidence, and the jury, after a quarter of an hour's consultation, found all the prisoners Guilty.

The Common Serjeant (the judges having retired) sentenced them all to three years' imprisonment in the House of Correction, and during that time to be kept to hard labour.

COURT OF KING'S-BENCH, FEB. 22.

Forged Bank Notes.

it in his pocket. Fish appealed to the magistrate, who said he could not interfere. Ransom then walked off with the note, and went to Mitchener's house and paid the 20s. A few days afterwards Ransom was summoned before Mr. Baker, one of the magistrates at Marlboroughstreet, when Fish made a charge in writing against him for having the note in his possession knowing it to be forged and counterfeited; and Mr. Baker committed him to Cold-Bath-Fields there to remain till duly discharged by law. He remained in that prison from the 23rd to the 27th of January, 1818, when he was again brought up,and Fish and Mr.Westwood his solicitor offered to dis

a Special Jury.)

Ransom v. Fish.-This was an action on the case brought by the plaintiff, an engraver, against the defendant, an inspector of the Bank, to recover damages for the injury sustained by the former under a false and malicious imprisonment, upon the charge of the latter. It appeared that Mr. Ransom had paid a 17. Bank of England note to Mr. Mitchener, who keeps the Hole-in-the-Wall in Fleet-street, which note was afterwards detained by the Bank on the ground of its being forged. Mitchener applied to Ransom to repay him the amount, but Ransom refused unless the note were returned to him. Mitchener then summoned him to the Court of Conscience in Fulwood's-rents, where the defendant attended and produced the note. Ransom asked to look at it, and then put

the note. He said he wished the question to be tried whether it were a forged note or not; and he would give it up to Mr. Baker if the Bank would undertake to try the matter. The defendant said he would consult the Bank. On a following day Ransom was asked to give up the note, but he refused. He said he had thought better of it, and he would not return it. Mr. Baker was then a little shy of sending him a second time to prison; and it was settled that he should give bail, himself in 2001. and two sureties in 100l. each, to appear on a future day.

Witnesses were called to prove the case on the part of the plaintiff.

Mr. Baker deposed, that he had committed Ransom on the evidence of Mitchener, of Fish the defendant, of Samuel Alsop, the register of the Court of Requests,