An act for continuing the encouragement and rewards of perfons making certain discoveries for finding the longitude at sea, or making

other useful discoveries and improvements in navigation.

An act to exempt dairies, and cheese and butter warehouses, kept folely as fuch, from the duties on PRICES OF STOCK, FOR THE YEAR 1796.

N. B. The highest and lowest Prices of each Stock, in the Course of any Month, are put down in that Month.

Peter Taylor, block-maker W. West, brewer I. Dimsdale,

coach-maker.

Mr. Barlow read the indictment which confifted of two counts, including fourteen overt acts of treafon; charging the prisoner with traitoroufly confpiring with his brother John Hurford Stone (then in France) to destroy the life of the king, and to raise rebellion in his realms; with holding correspondence with the persons in power in France, and collecting the sense of the people of this country, in order to afcertain whether an invasion might be fuccessfully attemped, and with sending such information to the enemy. He was further charged with traitoroufly corresponding with the rev. Mr. Jackson (fome time fince capitally convicted of high treason, who died before the day of execution), in learning the probable success of invading Ireland; and with having fent intelligence and various useful articles to the enemy.

The attorney general then stated the circumftances of the cafe at full length; the leading features

of which appeared to be, that Stone had a brother, J. H. Stone, settled at Paris, who confidered himself, in fact, as a Frenchman; which appeared particularly from one of his letters, in which he said "We have declared war against you, Holland will foon be in our poffeffion, and England will afterwards follow." With this brother, by means of Jackson lately convicted of high treason in Ireland, Stone kept up a correspondence, and gave him all the information he could procure, to be communicated to the French government, as to the probability of success which might attend an invasion of England by France. In the course of this enquiry it appeared that Stone had communi cations with Mr. Sheridan, lord Lauderdale, William Smith, efq. M. P. and others; and that from the information he obtained he become fatisfied that from the general loyalty of the people here an invasion was by no means likely to fucceed. But that in Ireland success was more probable. Jackson was accordingly fent there, and supplied with money by Stone to obtain such intelligence, and to lay fuch plains as might tend to affift the views of the French. It appeared that Stone communicated to his brother the little prospect of the success of an invasion here, in order to diffuade those exercising the powers of government in France from undertaking a scheme likely to be so fatal to their interefts.

The attorney-general alluded to several letters between the prifoner under the fictitious name of Enots (Stone reversed), his brother, Jackfon (in the name of Popkins). Horne Tooke, and others; all tending to thew the criminality of

the

the prifoner; concluding a very able and argumentative speech by obferving, that the counsel for the prifoner might say, that he had acted for the interest of England, inafmuch as, instead of promoting, he had prevented an invafion! But how could that be faid? for if he knew of an intention of invation, and had not communicated his knowledge to those most bound and most competent to counteract it, he prevented his country from gaining a decifive advantage, by the lofs that would accrue to the enemy from their failure; and by forewarning them, he proved himfelf equally their friend, and the enenmy of England: if he had been for England, the way was very thort; but his conduct clearly thewed he had been for France. It therefore remained with the defendant to make his innocence appear. His property, his honour, and his life, depended now on his conviction or his acquittal. The jury were invested with a very folemn and very important duty. They were called upon to grant equal justice to the defendant and to fociety. As they must guard themselves against any impreffions which the misrepresentations of the profecutors might make upon their minds fo muft they have an equal guard against any false impreffions made by the counsel for the defendant. In the deliverance they were to make, if the evidence was inconclufive, they would readily acquit him; but if the proofs were fatisfactory, the country called for his conviction,

William Smith, efq. M. P. Mr. Sheridan, and lord Lauderdale, were called as witnesses to relate fome converfations they had with

Stone on the subject of the ftate of this country; the general refult of which appeared to be, that they confidered him as a weak enthufiaft, who was defirous of bringing about a peace, for the fake of favouring what he confidered principles of freedom.

Having proved the confpiracy between Jackson and Stone, seve, ral letters of the former were produced, particularly one which pointed out the particular parts of Ireland most favourable to an invasion by the French; and Mr. Cockayne, the evidence against Jackson in Ireland, was called, and flated the whole of liis connection with Jackson, nearly the fame as he did on that trial.

At half past ten the court, with consent of counsel, adjourned to nine o'clock the next day. And at nine on Friday morning, the court proceeded on the trial.

The first evidence produced was a parcel of letters from the prifoner to Mr. Pitt; in which Stone pretended to make some discoveries, as to the defigns of the French, by garbled extracts from his brother's letters, which were themselves produced, to shew the unfairness of the prisoner's conduct in this particular. A, letter from Mr. Pitt was read expreffing his doubts as to the authenticity of the prifoner's information.

The counsel for the crown then proved the correfpondence between the prisoner and Jackson in Ireland; which being read, closed the evidence for the profecution.

Mr. ferjeant Adair then rose to open the evidence for the prisoner, and to observe on that for the profecution. The former confifted only of evidence to character-on the