APPENDIX TO CHRONICLE. 279 



• the purpose of resisting the claim, 

 and had signed the treasurer's 

 book, convinced that Dann and 

 Crosland's bill had not been in- 

 cluded. Many witnesses who were 

 present at the vestry would swear 

 that no such sum as 925/. Is. 3d., 

 and no such names as Dann and 

 Crosland were ever mentioned at 

 that vestry. Such was the nature 

 of the charge against the defend- 

 ant — it was a misdemeanor of 

 the most serious kind — it was the 

 misapplication of funds intended 

 for the relief of the poor to the 

 purposes of the rich, and it was 

 fit that it should be established 

 by the clearest evidence : if the 

 testimony in support of it were 

 not unequivocal, and as positive 

 as the nature of the case allowed, 

 the learned counsel desired the 

 jury without hesitation to enter a 

 verdict of acquittal. 



Mr. Gude, the first witness, 

 produced two indictments against 

 the defendant; the one was against 

 him and William Cone, for a con- 

 spiracy, and dated m Michaelmas 

 term, 1813, for obtaining from 

 the parishioners larger sums than 

 were warranted by the rate : the 

 other was the same date for a 

 similar misdemeanor : it was 

 against the present defendant, and 

 a person of the name of Billington. 



Mr. Crosland proved theamount 

 of his bill, which was produced 

 to him ; the sum was 914/. 1 1*. 3d. 

 and not 925/. 1^. 3d., ten guineas 

 having been added subsequently 

 to the delivery of the bill. 



Mr. James May said that he 

 had been vestry clerk of St. Mat- 

 tliew's, Bcthnal-green, for 30 

 years ; the defendant was a ma- 

 gistrate, treasurer, and governor 

 pfthe poor: he had been treasurer 



about 30 years : his duty was to 

 receive money from the collectors, 

 and to pay such sums as the 

 vestry should order, or as the 

 governors under the act, or any 

 five of them, should direct in 

 writing. This witness detailed 

 the usual course of business 

 respecting the parish disburse- 

 ments. A vestry was held on the 

 16th August, 1813, and it was 

 adjourned until the 23rd August. 

 The witness was present, and the 

 declared object was, to elect a 

 poor-rate collector, but it had 

 nothing to do with the defendant's 

 accounts. The witness only re- 

 mained there half an hour, and 

 the resolutions were in Mr. Piatt's 

 hand-vi-riting, and were afterwards 

 copied into the vestry-book. The 

 •witness had signed the book, but 

 had not read the entries, nor did 

 he know of the i-esolution respect- 

 ing the conduct of Mr. Merceron, 

 and the payment of his expenses. 

 The vestry for the audit of ac- 

 counts was on the 6th April fol- 

 lowing ; but, in the mean time, 

 the resolution respecting Mr. 

 Merceron had been made known, 

 and had become the subject of 

 very general conversation. It 

 was not supposed that Mr. Mer- 

 ceron would bring forward his 

 bill. The audit vestry was very 

 fully attended ; and at the table 

 Mr. Piatt and IMr. Merceron sat 

 side by side, and close to them 

 was Mr. Wrightson. Opposite 

 the witness sat, and checked the 

 amounts announced by Mr. Piatt, 

 who held the treasurer's book. 

 Thomas Dann and Crosland's bill 

 was entered in Merceron's book 

 as one of the amounts paid by 

 him, yet it was not called out, 

 nor was any bill produced by Mr. 

 * MerccroB 



