fine upon the native who had suffered by this almost unintentional injury. On the same day, two prisoners were brought to the bar, named Balloobhye, and Nuttia, women, to receive the judgment of the court, having been convicted at the last sessions of a robbery in the house of a neighbour. The prisoner Balloobhye was sentenced two years, and the prisoner Nuttia one year's imprisonment in the jail, and both of them to hard labour during those respective periods. On Wednesday the court, having re-assembled, proceeded on the trial of Kussell, woman, charged with having been guilty of wilful and corrupt perjury, while giving evidence on the former trial of Sheikjee and Buchee, for murder, inasmuch as her testimony was totally different from that which she originally gave before the coroner. The accusation having been fully proved, the jury felt no hesitation in finding the prisoner guilty. The judgment of the court was accordingly pronounced upon her, in a most correct and solemn manner, fully indicating the abhorrence which was entertained of so flagitious an offence, and their determination to inflict the most exemplary punishment in all similar cases which may come before them. The sentence was, that the prisoner should be imprisoned in the jail for the space of five years, during which period she is to stand once every year (on the first day of the October sessions) in the pillory, to be placed in front of the court house, with labels on her breast and back, explanatory of the crime of which she has been guilty, and of the resolution of the court to adopt the most rigorous measures for the extirpation of this pernicious offence. On the examination of this wretched woman, as a witness, one or two remarkable facts appeared, which are, we fear, but too charac teristic of the lower classes of natives. On being asked by the recorder, whether she thought there was any harm in false swearing, she answered, that she understood the English had a great horror of it, but there was no such horror in her country. According to her own account, she heard of the intention to commit the murder (as a sacrifice to discover hidden trea sure) many weeks before its perpetration; she saw it committed, and she neither made any attempt to prevent it, nor gave subsequent information of it till she was herself taken up. The reason of her silence, she said, was, that in her country (Ahmedabad) a fine of five rupees was imposed upon any one who spoke of a murder; and she was fearful that the same law prevailed here. On her trial, previous to the verdict being given, she confessed her guilt, and seemed so unconscious of its enormity, that she ventured to apply to the court for mercy, at the moment when she owned that she had perjured herself with a view to destroy the lives of Buchee and Sheikjee. It seemed indeed pretty evident, that, besides this last murderous perjury, she was also an accomplice, and probably the principal agent in the original murder. On the same day, the court proceeded upon the trial of William George Onesiferus Paul Mott, who was arraigned under a statute of Henry VIII. upon an indictment charging him with a misdemeanor, in having obtained certain goods, chattels, and money, from Mr. James Douglas Richardson, by virtue of a false and counterfeit letter or or bill of exchange. The circumstances of this case, we believe, to be nearly as follow: Early in the present month, the prisoner, who was school-master on board his majesty's ship Concorde, went to the house of Mr. James Douglas Richardson, (a gentleman who has been frequently in the habit of advancing money to the young men of the navy for bills, on their friends in England) and requested him to cash a bill for the sum of twenty-pounds, which Mr. Richardson, at that time, declined, not finding it convenient to himself to take the bills. The prisoner accordingly went away, and returned to Mr. Richardson's house on the 10th instant, again requesting him to cash the bills, in which he was more importunate than before, alledging that he had purchased a sextant from a merchant named Bhickajee Merjee, for the sum of 120 rupees, and which he was unable to pay for, until he had procured the money for the bills in question. The bills were signed by the name of W. Strong, (a midshipman on board the Concorde) and endorsed by captain Wood, commander of that ship. Upon the faith of this endorsement, and supposing that the prisoner's name was Mr. Strong, as he always answered Mr. Richardson, when addressed by that name, Mr. Richardson took the bills for twenty-pounds, which at 2s. and 6d. the rupee, amounted to rupees 160; he accepted a draft drawn by the prisoner (also under the name of W. Strong) in favor of Bhiccajee Merjee, for rupees 120, being for the sextant he had purchased, and delivered to the prisoner the remainder of the sum, viz. forty rupees in cash. This was done under the firm impression that the prisoner's name was Strong, an impression strongly corroborated by the additional circumstances of the bills having been drawn on Mr. William Strong, Cumberlandstreet, Portsea, Hants, and subscribed " your dutiful son W. Strong." And upon the transac tion being terminated, Mr. Richardson addressed the prisoner by the name of Strong, and asked him if he had advised his father of having drawn the bills, to which he replied in the affirmative. Thus matters rested until the 16th, when some suspicion having arisen as to the fraudulency of the transaction, measures were accordingly taken to develope the truth; when it appeared, that the bills which had been given to Mr. Richardson were fictitious, that both the signature of W. Strong affixed to, and that of J. Wood endorsed on them, were counterfeited; and which facts were positively sworn to before the court by captain Wood, and W. Strong, both of them affirming that their respective signatures had been forged. These were the principal facts brought forward on the prosecu tion, and which were fully and satisfactorily established by the most clear, and unequivocal evidence. Though the court had very humanely assigned professional assistance to the prisoner, he did not attempt to make any defence, other than an endeavour to discover some technical imperfections in the indictment which were over-ruled. The recorder thes summed up the evidence distinctly and elaborately, when the jury, after a short consideration, returned a verdict of "guilty." The sentence of the court was then passed, in a most pathetic manner, by the learned judge; who ably descanted upon upon the enormity and pernicious tendency of the offence of which the prisoner had been found guilty, an offence, which in his native country, he would most certainly have expiated only with his life; but fortunately for the prisoner, the statutes which made such forgeries capital, did not, in the opinion of the court, so certainly extend to the East Indies, as to make it fit to proceed capitally against him. The recorder alluded to the famous case of Nundcomar, and declared his own concurrence with the doubts thrown out during that trial by sir Robert Chambers, and the opinion since more strongly delivered by sir W. Jones.-He added, that he should always feel the strongest disinclination to carry into execution, in this country, laws which can be justified only by the peculiar circumstances of Great Britain. The judgment therefore was, that the prisoner should be imprisoned in the gaol for the space of two years: the recorder informing him, at the same time, that the court had been thus lenient, in consideration to its being the first charge of this nature that had come before them, and under the hope that the prisoner would employ the time of his confinement in that serious reflection which might lead to a reformation in his moral conduct, and render him hereafter a more worthy member of civil society.This hope the judge most seriously exhorted him to fulfil, adding, that if the example of this mild punishment should be found ineffectual, the court would be compelled to resort to others of such severity as would necessarily deter men from the commission of such crimes in future. Government Notification. Notice is hereby given, that the tolls on boats and goods passing the canal, called the Banka Nullah, formerly authorised by government to be levied by, and for the benefit of Mr. Page Ceble, deceased, the original projector of the said canal, have been since the 1st of November, 1801, and still continue (with certain modifications) to be collected on the part of government, under the superintendence of the Salt Agent for the Tumlook division; the public is therefore hereby informed, that all boats and goods, of whatever description, pas sing through the said canal, which forms a safe and short communica tion between the rivers Roopnarain and Huldee, or Tingracolly, are subject to the payment of the tolls, which have been sanctioned and fixed by government, the rates of which are now published for general information, as follows: Budgerows of twelve oars and less, with passengers or necessaries, each 4 0 0 Ditto of ditto empty,each 2 00 Do. of more than twelve oars, with passengers or necessaries, ditto 600 Ditto ditto, empty, ditto 3 0 0 Ships' pinnaces, yawls, jolly boats, paunsways, tow-boats, and all other small passage boats of whatever description, with passengers or necessaries, ditto Ditto ditto, empty, ditto 1 Burrs, Woollaaks, Ho lahs, and all other boats of burthen,not exceeding 200 maunds, empty, each Ditto ditto, above 200 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 and 200 4 and not exceeding 500 maunds, ditto Ditto ditto, above 500 and not exceeding 1000 maunds, ditto 3 Ditto ditto, above 1000 maunds, ditto Boats of the foregoing descriptions laden with household furniture, or necessaries, bona fide, for private use, to pay double rates on the burthen of the boat. No toll to be levied on boats laden with merchandise, but on the goods as follow, viz. cotton, or silk and cotton piece goods, in bales, half per cent. on the invoice. 0 O On wax candles and bees wax, one per cent. do. 0 0 On saul, sisse, and all other timber & planks, five per cent. ditto. On all other goods, not herein particularly specified, one per cent. on the invoice. Doubts having arisen whether boats belongsng to officers and other persons employed on the public service, and passing the said canal, are subject to the payment On salt, per 100 maunds, 1 1 0 of the established tolls, it is further On sugar, beetlenut,shell lack, stick lack, lump lack, cutch, sandal wood, wood oil, dam hereby notified to the public in general, and to such persons in particular, that all boats, without any exception, are liable to the payment of the tolls, agreeably to the rates here published, or such other mer, tobacco, dry gin ger, tumeric, and salt petre, per 100 maunds 4 0 0 rates as may hereafter be estab On goor, sun, paut, chu nam, and fire wood, per 100 maunds On paddy, per ditto On rice, per ditto On all other country grain per ditto On liquors in casks, viz. wine,of whatever kind, rum, brandy, gin, and vinegar, per pipe Arrack, per leager Beer, porter, and cider, per hogshead On liquors in bottles, viz. on wine, of all kinds, brandy, rum, gin, cordials, sweet oil, and sauces of all kinds, per dozen quarts On beer, porter, perry, cider, and vinegar, per ditto On raw silk, indigo, silk, lished by the authority of government, and that the officers in charge of the collections are not empowered to grant any exemptions from the regular demand, on any plea or pretence whatever. Published by order of the Board of Revenue, C. BUTLER, Secretary. The Ceded Provinces. The governor general in council is pleased to order, that the following papers submitted to his excellency in council by the honourable the lieutenant governor of the ceded provinces, be published. To the Honourable Henry Wellesley, 0 4 0 Lieutenant Governor of the Ceded Provinces. Hon. Sir, pany, who have acted under you in the ceded provinces, beg leave to express to you our grateful sense of your liberal and unwearied endeavours to give general satisfaction in every respect, both in your public and private character; and to assure you of the sincere regret which we feel at your departure. Such of us as have had the good fortune to be employed more immediately under you, think it but just to declare, that by your indefatigable personal exertions, in the arduous task of arranging the business of a newly-acquired territory, where every thing yet remained to be done, we have been encouraged to persevere with chearfulness, in the discharge of those laborious and important duties, which you, hon. Sir, shared with us. In witnessing such ready co-operation in you, the toilsome part of our duty was no longer remembered. Great and solid as are the advantages in point of commerce, revenue, and political security, which the honourable Company (and eventually Great Britain) must derive from the important acquisition of these provinces, still, we hesitate not to declare our fullest conviction, that their attainment has been greatly accelerated by the judicious exercise of the high discretionary powers of your elevated situation; and our own exertions were the more advantageously directed by the favourable and highly advantageous circumstance of acting under a power in full possession of the confidence of his excellency the most noble the governor general; a confidence essential in every point of view on the first acquisition of these territories, and which, as the result of a thorough personal knowledge, could not, for obvious rea sons, have been so completely bestowed elsewhere. Strongly impressed with those sentiments of respectful and affectionate attachment which such conduct must naturally inspire, we request your acceptance of our warmest, and most heartfelt wishes for your future prosperity and happiness. We have the honor to be, with the greatest respect, Honoured sir, Your most obliged and Most obedient servants,. (Signed).-M. Leslie, Archibald Seton, Richard Becher, J. Fombelle, George Webb, Rich. Shubrick, C. Russel, S. Swinton, W. Leycester, C. Dumbleton, R. Cunynghame, J. Wemyss, J. E. Edmiston, A.Welland, Rich. Ahmuty, H. Cornish, J. Richardson, W. Orton Salmon, W. P. Potts, T. Thornhill, J. Routledge, G. D. Guthrie, A. Ross. Bareilly, Dec. 29, 1800. |