ducks! I have done the baker out of his watch!' When they had proceeded a great way further, the coachman stopping to water, the ducks were falling out of the prisoner's pocket, and the coacliman said to him, Mr. Constable, if you do not take care you will lose the ducks you have stolen.' His reply was not a denial of that charge: 'No, no,' says he, I will take care, I will keep them fast.' naa expended three hundred pounds The prosecutor deposed that the prisoner came to Bedfout on the 22d of July last, about ten at night; Mr. Spurling and his servants were at supper. The prisoner came in, and looked hard at him, and said, Quack! Quack! Tick! Tick!' The coachman asked what he meant; the prisoner replied, I have done the baker out of his Do not you know me?' Spurling said No.' He said Is this all you have for supper ?' It was some bacon: he then sat down, and said he had a writ for the prosecutor from Mr. Allen. Spurling said if he sat down he might probably settle it, or give bail. The prisoner said he should have no bail, for there was no bail; but he should go to London directly, whether the horses had ate their victuals or not; he should go to Newgate, and that would cost him two guineas. Spurling then went into the house with the prisoner, and staid about an hour, when the prisoner took all the things: they then went into the bakehouse: the prisoner looked into the oven, and then he went into the wash-house: that was about half past five; he went out of the washhouse into the stable; he staid there seven or eight minutes; Spurling remained in the bakehouse, making his dough, and lighting his fire; he went out of the stable, and said In about half an hour after he was gone, the maid went in first, and the ducks, which were white ones, were gone. The prosecutor denied ever having made a present to the prisoner of a duck. He had given him a forty-pound note, and his lease, for security. The prisoner also had a great bason of halfpence, and the prosecutor's watch. On the 13th of August he came down to arrest him the second time upon another suit: he then brought a note which Spurling had given him before, for four pounds nineteen shillings, and,' says he, here is your note, it is good for nothing; take your balderdash note.' Spurling said, You have never been to see whether the man would take it or not:' says he, I will have none of your notes, nor your nonsense; pay me the money you owe me.' The prosecutor asked him, What do I owe you?' 'Why,' says he, now I must have nine pounds.' The prosecutor did not know then that he had stolen his ducks. He did not charge him with the offence till the 16th of August, when he came to give the bail-bond in London, as he did not know it for a certainty before. They then dined together in the city, at the Red Lion; and, when filling up the bail-bond, the prosecutor accused him of stealing his ducks; when the prisoner was very angry, and called him out of the room, saying, I did have your ducks; but, if you make any more piece of work, I will lock you up directly. Mr. Wager (the prose cutor's bail) said his friend should not be locked up, for he had fifty pounds by him, and he should not be locked up. Joseph Sadler, the coachman, swore that the ducks were white, which the prisoner boasted he had done the baker out of. William Wager, who keeps the Duke's Head at Bedfont, deposed that on the 16th of August he went to Mr. Scoldwell's house, who asked him where the baker was. The witness told him, gone into the city about some business; he said he wanted him there to lock him up. The witness asked him what he could want to lock him up for-was he not come to give bail? The prisoner said he must do his duty, and lock him up. The witness told him to come with him into the city, and they should meet him. The witness then asked him how he came to do the baker out of his ducks: his wife said What ducks? ger told her two ducks which the baker missed, and which Sadler told him he had. His wife said she was sure he had brought no ducks there. When the prisoner and witness came out, the former was very angry that mention was made of the ducks to his wife. Do you think,' said he, 'that I take every thing home to ny wife that I get? I had them dressed before I got home at night.' Wa After the examination of several other witnesses, the fact, as laid in the indictment, being clearly proved, the Recorder summed up the evidence; and the jury, after half an hour's consideration, returued a verdict of Guilty. The prisoner, who was aged forty-one, was sentenced to be transported for seven years. The abuse of power, when placed in the hands of the rapacious and ignorant, is not, unluckily, of rare occurrence. The stealing the ducks was only a part, and not altogether the worst part, of this fellow's delinquency; but so difficult is it to frame laws which shall meet every emergency, that, had it not been for that part of his conduct, he would probably have not only escaped punishment, but even reprehension. We trust that the present general diffusion of education will so operate on the minds of the inferior ministers of the law, as to induce them to exercise their authority with a due degree of mildness. THE magnitude of this man's offence, occurring at a period when the preservation of the state mainly depended on the exertions of the navy, threw the whole empire into consternation. Dissatisfaction had for some time existed, and a mutinous spirit evinced itself among the seamen, who, on this occasion, appointed delegates from all the ships at Sheerness and the Nore, and drew up a statement of grievances, dated 20th of May, 1797, requiring, among other demands, a more equal distribution of prizemoney, and some modification of the articles of war. These delegates assembled on board the Sandwich, of 28 guns, and not only superseded all the captains in their command, but elected Parker president of the convention, and his orders were implicitly obeyed as admiral of the squadron. Richard Parker had received a good education, was bred in the navy, and, about the conclusion of the American war, was an acting lieutenant in one of his majesty's ships. He soon came into the possession of a considerable sum of money, shortly after which he arrived in this country, and married a farmer's daughter in Aberdeenshire, with whom he received a decent patrimony. At this time, being without employment, he devoted himself to every species of dissipation, which soon finished his fortune, and involved him in debt, on account of which he was cast into the gaol of Edinburgh, where he was lying at the time the country was raising seamen for the navy He then entered as one of the volunteers for Perthshire, and was released from prison, upon paying the creditor a part of his bounty. He was put on board the tender then in Leith Roads, which carried him, with many others, to the Nore. On the passage the captain distinguished Parker, both by his acHe was tivity and polite address. known in the mutinous fleet by the appellation of Admiral Parker; for Captain Watson, of the Leith tender, before he sailed from the Nore, was ordered, by the crew of the Sandwich, to come on board, which he did, and was then introduced to, and interrogated by, Parker, whom he knew on first sight. Parker also recollected him, and from this circumstance he experienced great fa vour. Parker ordered every man board to treat Captain Watson well, saying he was a seaman's friend, and had treated him well, and that, if any man used him otherwise, he Here he should instantly be pointed to the rope at the yard-arm. Captain Watson took an opportunity of hinting to Parker the impropriety of his conduct, and the consequences that might follow; which seemed to throw a momentary damp on his spirits; but he expressed a wish to wave the subject, and Captain Watson proceeded on his voyage. The mutiny having been happily suppressed, and a considerable reward offered for the apprehension of Parker, the accounted ringleader, on the arrival of Lieutenant Mott, with the proclamations, &c. the crews of all the ships readily submitted. Parker himself could not oppose this spirit. In consequence of this, the Sand wich came under the guns of Sheer- Several of the officers of the Admiral Buckner's cockswain told the officers on deek his business, and claimed their assistance. The lieutenant drew his sword, and the party, consisting of eight or ten, went down below, where Parker was surrendered into their hands. They tied his hands together behind, and the officers conducted him into the boat, which had eight or ten rowers, and a party of the West York militia, seated in the head, with their faces towards the stern, and their muskets held upright in their hands, ready charged. Parker was seated near the stern, with his face towards the head; behind him was the cockswain, and before him the lieutenant of the Sandwich, holding a drawn sword over him. Parker, on landing, was much hissed, on which he said aloud, Do not hoot me. It is not my fault. I will clear myself.' Parker was then sent to Maidstone gaol, under a strong guard; besides which a rope tied his arms behind his back. Parker, after a long trial, which commenced soon after his apprehension, was found Guilty. His defence, which he had some time allowed him to prepare, he read from paper, but with much rapidity, and little feeling. a After a solemn pause, of near ten minutes, the judge-advocate rose, aud, with his head uncovered, read the awful sentence, viz.:- The Court adjudges Richard Parker to suffer death, and to be hanged by the neck, on board any one of his majesty's ships, and at such time, as the lords of the admiralty may think proper to appoint,' The prisoner listened to the sentence without emotion, and addressed the Court as follows: I have heard your sentence; I shall submit to it without a struggle. I feel thus, because I am sensible of the rectitude of my intentions. Whatever offences may have been committed, I hope my life will be the only sacrifice. I trust it will be thought a sufficient atonement. Pardon, I beseech you, the other men; I know they will return with alacrity to their duty.' The president then briefly addressed himself to the prisoner. He said that, notwithstanding the enormity of the crimes of which he had been found guilty, on the fullest and clearest evidence, yet the Court, in order to afford him the necessary time to expiate his offences, and to make his peace with God, would not then name any day for his execution, but leave that point to the determination of the lords of the admiralty. The prisoner then with drew, and was soon after put in irons. The time of Parker's execution was fixed for Friday, the 30th of June, 1797. At eight o'clock in the morning a gun was fired on board his majesty's ship L'Espion, lying off Sherness garrison, ViceAdmiral Lutwidge's flag ship; and the yellow flag, the signal of capital punishment, was hoisted, which was immediately repeated by the Sandwich, hoisting the same colour on her fore-top. The prisoner was awaked; a little after six o'clock, from a sound sleep, by the provost-marshal, who, with a file of marines, composed his guard: he arose with cheerfulness, and requested permission for a barber to attend him, which was granted; he soon dressed himself in a neat suit of mourning, (waistcoat excepted,) wearing his half-boots over a pair of black silk stockings: he then took his breakfast; talked of a will he had written, in which he had bequeathed to his wife a little estate he said he was heir to; and, after that, lamented the misfortune that had been brought on the country by the mutiny, but solemnly denied having the least connexion or correspondence with any disaffected persons ashore; and declared that it was chiefly owing to him that the ships had not been carried into the enemy's ports. At half past eight he was told the chaplain of the ship was ready to attend him to prayers upon the quarter-deck, which he immediately ascended, uncovered: at his first entrance on the deck he looked a little paler than common, but soon recovered his usual complexion; he bowed to the officers, and, a chair being allowed him, he sat down a few moments: he then arose, and told the clergyman he wished to attend him: the chaplain informed him he had selected two psalms appropriate to his situation; to which the prisoner, assenting, said, And with your permission, sir, I will add a third, and named the 51st. He then recited each alternate verse in a manner peculiarly impressive. At nine o'clock the preparatory gun was fired from L'Espion, which he heard without the smallest emotion. Prayers being soon after closed, he rose, and asked Captain Moss if he might be indulged with a glass of white wine;' which being granted, he took it, and, lifting up his eyes, exclaimed, I drink first |