334 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1818. 



clearly understood by all parties. 

 My Lord, I think the prisoner 

 did not understand your lordship. 



Prisoner. — They had some 

 paper which I have signed, but I 

 did not understand it ; I did not 

 agree to it. 



Mr. Baron Wood. — Where is 

 that paper ? 



Prisoner. — I don't know, I do 

 not M^ish to abandon my plea. 



The memorial which Mr. 

 Bro^vn, keeper of Newgate, had 

 presented to the Court from 

 these individuals who had pleaded 

 guilty to the minor offence, was 

 then handed to his Lordship. 



Mr. Sergeant Bosanquet. — I 

 earnestly wish that there may 

 be no mistake or misapprehen- 

 sion : that is the petition to the 

 Court which these persons have 

 signed. 



Mr. Baron Wood Who is 



the person by whom it was pre- 

 sented to the Court. 



Prisoner. — I did not want to 

 have any thing to do with the 

 matter. I put my name to a piece 

 of paper. 



Mr. Brown here stated to the 

 Court, that the day after the late 

 verdicts, eight or nine of the pri- 

 soners who had pleaded guilty 

 to the minor offence, solemnly 

 applied to him and requested that 

 he would apply to the Court to 

 allow them to retract their pleas. 

 The answer he gave to this soli- 

 citation was, that he could do 

 no such thing. On Thursday 

 last a paper was given to him by 

 these prisoners, and the next 

 morning he took it to the Common 

 Sergeant. On Saturday he was 

 asked whether that petition was 

 intended to come from all tl)e 

 parties. At that time he said 



he did not know. Upon ap- 

 plication to the prisoners, the 

 answer was, that it was sent from 

 all of them. 



The Prisoner. — I did not want 

 to sign any paper. I did put my 

 name to a paper ; but I did not 

 understand what it was. 



Mr. Baron Wood Do you 



confess j'ourself guilty of having 

 in your possession a forged note, 

 knowing it to be forged? 



Prisoner. — I did not know it 

 to be forged. 



]Mr. Baron Wood. — Then j^ou 

 ought not to have pleaded 

 guilty. 



Prisoner. — I would plead guilty 

 again. 



Mr. Baron Wood.— To the 

 whole charge? 



Prisoner. — I did not know it 

 to be forged. 



Mr. Baron Wood. — Withdraw 

 your plea then. 



Prisoner. — I will not withdraw 

 my plea, but will lay myself 

 entirely upon the mercy of the 

 Court. 



Mr. Brown. — In consequence 

 of a letter which I- received from 

 the Bank- Solicitor, I stated the 

 case to them as clearly and as 

 well as I was able. It is entirely 

 their own act. 



Mr. Sergeant Bosanquet re- 

 quested that the letter alluded to 

 by Mr. Brown might be pro- 

 duced. He wished every thing 

 to be seen. 



Mr. Baron Wood. — "WTiere is 

 that letter ? 



Mr. Brown said he had it in 

 his possession, and that he would 

 immediately produce it. He 

 then left the Court, and returned 

 v.'ith the letter, which he handed 

 to the Bench. 



Mr. 



