APPENDIX TO CHRONICLE. 



179 



first time^ because it would be 

 most mischievous^, not merely to 

 the bar^ but to the public. The 

 words might overstep the bounds 

 of propriety, and be too severe, 

 but they were not ro be corrected 

 by such an action. Jf they had 

 been said elsewhere, if they had 

 been published, they could be pu- 

 nished. In the privileges of Par- 

 liament it was the same. The prin- 

 ciple was this — whatever is said 

 in judicial or legal proceedings is 

 not actionable. If published, it is. 

 Lord Abingdon was found Liable 

 in the King's Bench on this prin- 

 ciple, and was imprisoned. He 

 refused, on the same principle, to 

 maintain an action at Northamp- 

 ton, brought by a clergyman a- 

 gainst a parishioner, for letters 

 written to the bishop of the dio- 

 cese (Peterborough), because he 

 would not make courts of law an- 

 cillary to ecclesiastical courts, the 

 parishioner having a right to 

 make such representations to the 

 bishop. It had been said, some 

 limits must be set. His objection 

 to this action was the difficulty of 

 fixing limits. During one assize, 

 they could do nothing but try ac- 

 tions brought for wonis used by 

 counsel at the former assize. The 

 words might be too severe ; I 

 cannot say any thing of that. — 

 Plaintiff nonsuited. 



OLD BAILEY SESSIONS. 



Feb. IS. — Special Commission. — 

 irafficking in Slaves. — Captain John 

 Bean Hanway was indicted for 

 having, on the 10th of .January, 

 jin the 5Gth year of his Majesty's 



reign, cariied away, in a certain 

 vessel called a schooner, from Ca- 

 labar, in Africa, twenty persons, 

 to be dealt with as slaves, contrary 

 to the .51st of the King. — There 

 were eight other counts in the 

 indictment. 



The Attorney-general opened the 

 case to the jury. 



James Evans deposed, that he 

 shipped as seaman on board the 

 James, at Liverpool, in December 

 1814 5 J. Porter was at that time 

 captain : she was a ship of from 

 4 to 500 tons ; they left Liverpool 

 in December J they then had a 

 schooner on deck ; the ship's 

 company consisted of thirty-six j 

 the prisoner was chief mate ; they 

 were bound for Africa, and their 

 cargo consisted of salt, iron, guns, 

 powder, cloth, and rum ; they 

 went to Cork, thence to Madeira, 

 and from thence to the coast of 

 Africa. They came finally to Ca- 

 labar, where the captain died, and 

 the prisoner succeeded him. They 

 left Cork in January, and arrived 

 at Calabar in August. The James 

 went up Calabar river 80 or 

 90 miles : there Avas a river called 

 the Qua which branched from it. 

 Previous to their arrival at Cala- 

 bar, witness saw irons which an- 

 swered the purpose of handcuflFs 

 on board the ship : he saw five 

 pair put on board a Portuguese 

 schooner. The prisoner told him 

 there was a cargo of slaves for 

 him to carry from Duke Ephraim. 

 The schooner was put on board 

 when they commenced their voy- 

 age ; it was for the purpose of 

 collecting ivory and black wood : 

 but at Calabar she was altered by 

 the prisoner's direction, by knock- 

 ing the ship's fore bulk-head in, 

 and thereby making a bulk-head 



N 2 fff 



