106 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1812. 



cordingly done, and ever)' thing I 

 had, taken from me — some were 

 for killing me, and some were for 

 preserving my life. Tiie next 

 morning the king seat an army to 

 a village called Boussa, near the ri- 

 ver's side — there is before this vil- 

 lage a rock, across the whole 

 breadth of the river — one part of 

 the rock is very high : there is a 

 large opening in this rock, in the 

 form of a door, which is the only 

 passage for the water to pass 

 through : the tide current is here 

 very strong, thearmy went and took 

 possession of the top of this open- 

 ing. Mr. Park came there after the 

 army had posted itself: he never- 

 theless attempted to pass. The 

 people began to attack him, throw- 

 ing lances, pikes, arrows, and 

 stones. Mr. Park defended him- 

 self for a long time : two of his 

 slaves, at the stern of the canoe, 

 were killed — they throw every 

 thing they had in the canoe into 

 the river, and kept firing ; but be- 

 ing overpowered by numbers and 

 fatigue, and unable to keep up the 

 canoe against the current, and no 

 probability of escaping, Mr. Park 

 look hold of one of the white men 

 and jumped into the water — Mar- 

 tin did the same, and they were 

 drowned in the stream in attempt- 

 ing to escape. The only slave re- 

 maining in the boat, seeing the 

 natives persist in ihiowing wea- 

 pons at the canoe, stood up, and 

 said to them, ' Stop throwing now; 

 you see nothing in the canoe, and 

 nobody but myseif; therefore 

 cease. Take me and the canoe, 

 but don't kill me. They took 

 possession of the canoe and the 

 man, and carried them to the 

 king. 



" I was kept in irons three 



months ; tlie king then released 

 me, and gave me a female slave. 

 I immediately went to the slave 

 taken in the canoe, who toid me 

 in what manner Mr. Park and all 

 of them had died, and what I have 

 related above.' 



21. Chester. — Wednesday, his 

 majesty's justices of assize, R. 

 Dallas and F. Burton, esqrs. ar- 

 rived at the Castle, and immedi- 

 ately opened their commission. 



This day they proceeded to the 

 trial of John Lomas and Edith 

 Morre3^ both of whom w-ere ac- 

 cused of the murder of her hus- 

 band. After the trial had occu- 

 pied the court nearly seven hours, 

 the prisoners were both convicted, 

 and ordered for execution on Mon- 

 day, the 24'th instant. On receiv- 

 ing his sentence, Lomas stretched 

 out his hand, and exclaimed — " I 

 deserve it all — I don't wish to live 

 —but I hope for mercy." He 

 maintained the greatest composure 

 throughout the trial. Mrs. Mor- 

 rey, the miserable widowj pleaded 

 pregnancy: a jury of matrons was 

 empanneled, and they returned a 

 true bill. Her execution, there- 

 fore, will most likely be put off till 

 the commencement of the ensuing 

 year. She maintained the same 

 composure on her trial which she 

 all along manifested ; and, with 

 the exception of the unusual heat, 

 did not seem at all incommoded. 



Another account. — The trial of 

 Lomas and Edith Morrey occupied 

 the court from eight in the morn- 

 ing till two in the afternoon. The 

 hall was crowded to suffocation, 

 and the heat was extreme. Edith 

 Morrey, the female prisoner, when 

 first brought to the bar, had a veil 

 before her face, but it was ordered 

 to be taken off. She covered her 



face 



