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loitering about the yard on the very day; and to others, that he was a painter, and had worked in the neighbourhood; and as he had never been seen there after the fire, á ftrong fufpicion arofe, that he must be fome way or other concerned in the mifchief that had already been done, and alfo in the diabolical defign which providentially had been defeated.

It were needlefs to take notice of the advertisement that followed, defcribing the perfon of the man, and under the name of John the Painter, offering him a reward of 50l. to furrender himself to examination, and the fame reward to any one who should apprehend him.

In the mean time other fires broke out, particularly at Bristol, which could no otherwise be accounted for than by fuppofing American agents employed to fpread fire and devaftation throughout the kingdom, wherever their malignant purposes could be executed with effect; an idea that favoured the prejudices of the vulgar, and therefore was the more eafily credited.

It was not long, however, before Sir John Fielding found means to trace this John the Painter out, and fome time about the beginning of February he was apprehended at Odiam, in Hants, for a burglary, and brought to town for examination.

The news of his commitment was foon fpread; and it having been reported that he had been in America, and had worked there as a painter, Earl Temple defired one Baldwin, a painter who had likewife been in America, and had done business there, to attend his

examination before Sir John Fielding, to fee if he could recollect him. But Baldwin, upon looking at the man, and being asked the queftion, frankly declared that he had never before seen him

in his life.

This open declaration, after others, as he faid, had borne falfe witness against him, prejudiced the prifoner in favour of Baldwin, and he expressed a strong defire to cultivate an acquaintance with him, which Baldwin did not decline, being encouraged to vifit him as often as opportunity offered, in order, if poffible, to bring him to confeffion. This had the defired effect, and brought the whole fcene of iniquity to light.

After a regular attendance on him for 15 days, fometimes once a day, and fometimes twice, the prifoner at length began to truft him, and to fpeak openly. He told him he had been in France; that he had there feen Silas Deane; that Silas Deane had given him fome money; had encouraged him to fet fire to the dock-yards at Portsmouth, Plymouth, Woolwich, &c. as the best means of distres fing Great-Britain; that he had promifed to reward him according to the fervice he fhould do to the American caufe; and that, as an earneft of what fhould follow, he had given him a recommendation to, and bills upon, a merchant in London to the amount of 3001. which, however, he had found it neceflary to burn, to prevent a dif covery; that, in confequence of this encouragement, he procured a paffport from the French king; which paffport he lamented that he had left at Portfmouth, with other things, in a bundle. That

from

from France he came to Canterbury, where he devised the machine which had been found in the hemp houfe, and had it there conftructed; that before he left Canterbury he had a quarrel with a dragoon; and that when he removed from thence he directed his courfe to Portsmouth, where he prepared the combuftibles with which he afterwards fet the place on fire; that he disclosed to him (Baldwin) the fecret of making the compofition, and the manner of his applying it; told him the circumftance of his being locked in the rope-houfe; of his quarrelling with his landlady, on account of the interruption fhe gave him in his operations; of her forcibly turning him out of her houfe of his taking another lodging; of the difficulty he had in lighting his matches; of his purchafing other matches; of his flight from Portfmouth in a woman's cart; with many other particulars, all of which were confirmed on his trial by the teftimony of the perfons, refpectively, who were any ways employed by him, or with whom he had any thing to do in the bufinefs. The boy who made the cannifter, the dragoon with whom he quarrelled at Canterbury, the woman at whofe houfe he lodged at Portsmouth, the man who let him out of the rope-houfe, the perfons who faw him in the dock-yard, the woman who fold him the matches, the woman who took him up in her cart in his flight from Portsmouth, and laft of all the bundle in which was his paffport from France, with the identical articles in it, which he had fpecifically mentioned to Baldwin; all thefe were produced against him, and,

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as the judge obferved, in fumming

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the evidence, that from a chain of circumftances attentively put together, fuch a body of evidence may be drawn, as would be abundantly stronger than where two or three witneffes fwear to a pofitive fact; it is no wonder, therefore, that the jury, without going out of court, pronounced the prifoner GUILTY; and he being asked in the ufual form what he had to say, why fentence of death fhould not be paffed upon him, replied he had nothing to Jay.

He had, indeed, in making his defence, obferved, upon the evidence of Baldwin, that from his, the prifoner's, name being publicly advertifed, and the kingdom fearched for charges against him, it might be eafy for Baldwin, or fuch a man as Baldwin, properly inftructed, to form fuch a ftory, and to bring fuch a number of witneffes as he has done to confirm it; nevertheless, faid he,

Be it a falfe accufation brought against me, or a betraying of truft through the treachery of the man's heart, I fhould like that your lordfhip would take it into confideration, whether fuch a perfon has a right, in the fight of God, and according to the laws of this kingdom, to give evidence against me; or, if he has, whether fuch evidence ought to be regarded." He obferved, likewife, on the witneffes from Canterbury, that one fays he was there about fix weeks before Christmas; another fays 6 or 7 weeks; another between Michaelmas and Chrifimas; another, before or after the 20th of November; yet his paffport is dated at Fontainbleau the 13th of November, fo that he could not be there and at Canterbury at the fame [2]4

time.

time.

He was afked if he refted his defence on thofe obfervations, or if he chose to call any witneffes. His answer was, For what end? 'till fomething is proved against me I intend no defence in the world. I am ready to live and die according to justice.

When the judge, in pronouncing fentence against him, faid, "You eannot be furprized that the law has thought fit to punish fuch a crime with death; you can as little be furprized if after you have been convicted upon the clearest evidence of this offence, I can give you no hope of pardon ;" he said, I do not look for any, my lord. And when in conclufion, his lordship added, "I have only now to pronounce the painful fentence of the law," the prifoner faid "joyful."

He was carried from Winchefter gaol on the 10th of March, to Portsmouth dock-gate, where, before he was turned off, he said, I' acknowledge the juftnefs of my fentence, and hope for forgivenefs, as I forgive all the world; I with fuccefs to his majefty, King George, and his family, and all his loyal fubjects; and I hope for forgiveness for all the tranfactions I have been guilty of.

He recommended flrict vigilance at the dock-yards of Chatham, Woolwich, Deptford, Portfmouth, and Plymouth; because, he said, it was in the power of any determined refolute man to do a great deal of mifchief,

After hanging the ufual time upon a gallows 60 feet high, he was cut down, and immediately hung in chains.

Before he was taken from Winchefter, he made a voluntary con

feffion, by which it appears, that his real name was James Aitken; that he was born at Edinburgh, September 28, 1752; that his father was a blackfmith, and he believes his mother is now living; that he ferved an apprenticeship to a painter; that curiofity led him to Virginia at the age of 21; that he left America in March 1775 ; in October he inlifted in the 32d regiment at Gravefend, under the name of James Bofwell, but foon deferted; in November he inlifted at Chard, in Somerfetfhire, in the 13th regiment, and foon after deferted. He never was in the

45th regiment, neither did he go to America in any regiment, as fworn against him by Baldwin; nor did he tell any one, that one Brooks, a prifoner in Newgate, would be hanged, or that he ever knew a man by the name of Brooks. That he never faid he had recommendations to any merchant in London, or that he burnt bills to the amount of 300l. He burnt his indentures, he faid, when he lifted for a foldier, to conceal his real

name,

to

At Birmingham and Warrington he followed the trade of a painter; as he did likewife at Titchfield, in Hants, where he conceived the firft idea of fetting fire to the dock yards. That he went France, and applied to Mr. Silas Deane, who told him, when the work was done, he fhould be rewarded. That, on his return to England, and after fetting fire to the rope-yard at Portfmouth, he went to London, and waited on Dr. Bencraft, to whom he had a verbal recommendation from Mr. Deane; but that the doctor gave him no countenance.

That he af, terwards

terwards wrote to him, and the day following met him at the Salopian coffee-house, and told him he would do all the, prejudice he could to this kingdom; but the doctor not approving of his conduct, he took his leave, hoping that the doctor would not inform against him, to which the doctor faid, he did not like to inform against

any man.

That from London he went to High Wickham, where he broke open a houfe from thence to Oxford and Abingdon, at which laft place he attempted to break into fome filversmiths fhops, but without effect. At Fairford, he broke into a house, and took a watch and fome money. At Ply mouth, he twice attempted to fet fire to the dock-yard, and twice reached the top of the wall for that purpofe; but the watchmen being within hearing, he defifted. He then went to Bristol, and in his way attempted to break into a houfe at Taunton. At Bristol he attempted to fet fire to the fhipping in the harbour, and afterwards fet fire to a warehouse in Quay-lane. He then left the town, and broke open Mr. Lowe's houfe at Calne. That he committed or attempted to commit feveral other robberies; particularly one at Norwich, where he ftole two filver table-spoons and a pair of filver buckles. He also committed a robbery on the highway between Portsmouth and Petersfield. By all which atrocious villainies, conceived and committed without any inftigator or accomplice, other than the promise from Mr. Deane, he appears to have been a moft abandoned mifcreant, capable of the most enormous crimes, and of

fuffering without remorse the most rigorous punishments.

Summary of the new A&t for granting his Majesty a Duty upon all Servants retained or employed in the feveral Capacities therein mentioned.

A

FTER a fhort preamble, the ftatute enacts: That, from and after the fifth day of July, 1777, there fhall be raised unto his majefty, his heirs and fucceffors, after the rate of twenty-one fhillings per annum for every male fervant, within the kingdom of Great Britain, who fhall then have been, or fhall afterwards be, retained or employed in the following capacities; (that is to fay) of maitre d'hotel, house-steward, mafter of the horfe, groom of the chamber, valet de chambre, butler, under-butler, clerk of the kitchen, confectioner, cook, houseporter, footman, running-footman, coachman, groom, poftillion, ftable-boy, and the respective helpers in the ftables of fuch coachman, groom, or poftillion, or in the capacity of gardener (not being a day-labourer) park-keeper, game-keeper, huntfman, whipperin, whether fuch male fervants fhall have been, or fhall be, retained in one or more of the faid capacities, or in any other business jointly with one or more of the faid capacities of a fervant; that every fuch mafter or mistress fhall be charged fifteen fhillings for every fuch fervant fo retained or employed within the time which fhall elapfe between the fifth day of July, 1777, and the 25th of March, 1778; and every fuch mafter or

miftrefs

mistress fhall be charged the fum of 21 fhillings for every fuch fervant which fhall be fo retained within every fubfequent year, ending on the 25th day of March; and the feveral fums herein before mentioned fhall be paid in every year, within fix months fubfequent to the 25th day of March.

Provided always, That this act fhall not extend to any fervant who fhall be employed, bona fide, for the purposes of husbandry or manufactures, or of any trade or calling by which the mafter or mistress of fuch fervant earn a livelihood or profit.

Provided alío, That the duty hereby granted for every coachman, groom, poftillion, or helper, let out to hire by way of jobb, shall be paid by the mafter or mistress for whofe ufe, and in whofe fervice, fuch coachman, groom, poftillion, or helper, fhall be employed respectively; and that the duty granted for every gardener, employed by any perfon who fhall contract for the keeping of any garden or gardens, fhall be paid by the perfon for whofe ufe, and in whofe garden, fuch gardener fhall be employed.

Provided alfo, That nothing in this act contained fhall extend to exempt any perfon from the payment of the duty impofed by this act, in refpect of any fervant employed in any of the capacities aforefaid, on account that fuch fervant is or fhall be bound as an apprentice to fuch perfon or perfons; fave and except fuch apprentices as are or fhall be imposed upon any matter or mistress, by virtue of the powers given to magiftrates, and parish-officers, by any act of parliament, fo as the number

of fuch apprentices, fo impofed upon any mafter or mistress, does not exceed two.*

Provided also, That this aft fhall not extend to charge with the duty hereby granted the butler or butlers, manciple, cook or cooks, gardener or gardeners, porter or porters, of any college or hall within either of the Universities of Oxford or Cambridge; or the Univerfities of Edinburgh, Glafgow, Aberdeen, or St. Andrew's, in Scotland; or of the feveral colleges of Westminster, Eton, or Winchefter; or to the fervants of his majesty or any of the royal family; or of any ambassador or foreign minifter refiding in the kingdom of Great Britain.

Provided always, and be it enacted, That nothing herein contained fhall extend to charge with the duty hereby granted any of the royal hofpitals of Chrift, St. Bartholomew, Bridewell, Bethlehem, St. Thomas in the city of London and borough of Southwark; or Guy's, or the Foundling hofpital. The duties to be collected by fuch perfons, and paid into the Exche quer, under fuch penalties, &c. as are appointed for the duties on houfes and windows by two acts of 20 Geo. II.

The commiffioners of the beforementioned acts fhall alfo put this act in execution, and shall appoint affeffors.

Affeffors to give notice in writing to mafters, &c. to produce lifts of their fervants employed within their diftri&ts, &c.

The commiffioners, on application, to grant relief to perfons who have been affeffed in different places for the fame fervants.

The mafters to be doubly rated

for

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