21 
few days he set sail and harked back to Chester, his native county 
town. He was, however, arrested sixteen miles from Swansea, and 
brought through Keswick in irons, to be committed by Sir F. F. 
Vane, bart., at Armathwaite hall. 
The prosecution was taken up by the Post Office department, 
and the case opened by Mr. Scarlett®* at the Carlisle assizes, before 
the Honourable Alexander Thompson, knight. He was found 
guilty of forgery on three counts, the last of which was /ranking 
letters under the assumed name of A. Hope, M.P. 
From the G.P.O. I have been favoured with a remark of Lord 
Aucland (one of the Postmasters General in 1802) on a paper 
_ relating to the prosecution of Hatfield :— 
‘Mr. Hatfield has dealt so largely in frauds, perjuries, and forgeries, that I 
heartily wish we may succeed in bringing him to condign and exemplary 
_ punishment. 
‘Date Nov.’9, 1802.” 
___ Mary of Buttermere refused to take any part in the prosecution. 
_ The utmost she could be prevailed upon to do was to write to Sir 
Richard Ford, as follows :— 
_ **The man whom I had the misfortune to marry, and who has ruined me 
_ and my aged parents, always told me he was the Hon. Colonel Hope, the next 
brother of the Earl of Hopetoun. 
‘* Your grateful and unfortunate servant, 
‘“Mary ROBINSON.” 
Hatfield addressed the jury, and concluded with these words :— 
“Whatever will be my fate, I am content; it is the sword of 
justice, impartially and virtuously administered. But, I solemnly 
‘declare, that in all my transactions I never intended to defraud or 
_ injure the persons whose names have appeared in the prosecution, 
This I will maintain to the last of my life.” 
How he lied to the last will be seen by the concluding words of 
a letter from Hatfield to Mr. Freiling, secretary G.P.O., dated 
‘Carlisle, 30th July, 1803 :—‘‘ For you will not admit information 
from such sources to murder the peace and name of a truly venerable 
g 
Jamily for ever.” 
* Afterwards Sir James Scarlett, and eventually Lord Abinger, 
