CHRONICLE. 



103 



stairs, Mount Wise. About noon 

 the commander in chief, sir R. 

 Caider, accompanied by admiral 

 sir E. Duller, bart. and all the cap- 

 tains or commanders of his majes- 

 ty's vessels in commission at this 

 port, rowed off in procession, with 

 flags and streamers flying, passing 

 between the island and the main, 

 qnd rounding the eastern end of 

 Drake's island on their passage 

 towards the outer part of the 

 Sound. 



The mayor and corporation of 

 Plymouth also went in procession 

 to the Barbican-stairs, where they 

 took water, and also proceeded to 

 the sound. A vast number of 

 boats from t!ie shore were scatter- 

 ed over the Sound ; and the ships 

 of war were decorated with the 

 colours of different nations — the 

 Standard of the United Kingdom 

 flying over the whole. Towards 

 one o'clock the boats assembled 

 round the vessel that held the 

 stone (about four tons weight). 

 The Camel store-ship gave the 

 signal, by firing a gun ; and the 

 stone was lowered to its base, at 

 the western extremity of the 

 Breakwater, amid a royal salute of 

 cannon from the ships in Cawsand 

 Bay, Plymouth Sound, and Ha- 

 nio&zc. 



The scene, heightened by the 

 beauty of a fine day, was charm- 

 ing beyond description ; the grand 

 open bosom of the Sound was 

 crowded by an immense number 

 of pleasure-boats, cutters, barges, 

 &c. ; the men of war, in comme- 

 moration of the birth-day of the 

 prince, bearing the royal standard 

 at the main, were decorated with 

 numerous and variegated flags, 

 and formed a pleasing picture, 

 surrounded as they were by the 



numberless parties sailing around 

 them. 



13. At the late Lewes assizes, 

 James Robinson, who holds a mill 

 in the neighbourhood of Oswes- 

 try; John Hughes, landlord of the 

 Red Lion, and post-master at Rye ; 

 and William Hatter, fisherman of < 

 that town, were convicted before 

 the right honourable lord Ellen- 

 borough, of a conspiracy to efiect 

 the escape of general Phiilippon, 

 andlieutenant Gamier, two French 

 officers, who, in breach of their 

 parole of honour, absconded from 

 Oswestry, on the 30th of June 

 last. The evidence adduced in 

 support of this charge satisfied the 

 jury, not only that these men were 

 guilty of this conspiracy, but that 

 Robinson and Hatter had actually 

 conveyed the two Frenchmen to 

 the enemy's coast ; and the jury, 

 without hesitation, found them 

 guilty. His lordship, in a most 

 impressive manner, after expatiat- 

 ing on the enormity of this of- 

 fence, which he declared was 

 scarcely to be distinguished from 

 high-treason, adjudged Robinson 

 and Hughes to be confined in the 

 common gaol of the county of Sus- 

 sex, for the space of two years, 

 and within the first month to be 

 placed in and upon the pillory on 

 the sea-shore, near the town of 

 Rye, and as near as could be with- 

 in sight of the French coast, that 

 they migiit be viewed, as his lord- 

 ship observed, by those enemies of 

 their country, whom they had by 

 tlieir conduct so much befriended : 

 and Hatter, having been on the 

 same day convicted of an offence, 

 for which he had been sentenced 

 to be imprisoned for twelve calen- 

 dar moiitiis, was adjudged to be 

 imprisoned in the same gaol for 



the 



