306 ANNUAL REGISTER, 18l6. 



Mr. Francis Creswell, first mate 

 of the Thames East Indiaiuan, 

 for being concerned in the unship- 

 ment of a considerable quantity of 

 China silks from on board the said 

 ship into boats belonging to smug- 

 glers off the coast of this country, 

 contrary to the revenue laws : and 

 the penalties sought to be recover- 

 ed amounted to three times the 

 value of the said goods. 



Edward Roche deposed, that in 

 April, 1814, he was quarter-mas- 

 ter on board the Thames East In- 

 diaman. She had sailed for Chi- 

 na, but he could not tell when she 

 arrived there. The defendant 

 was the chief mate, and Mr. Hen- 

 ry Ladd was third mate. When 

 at China, several small boxes 

 were taken on board by the di- 

 rection of Mr. Ladd. There w ere 

 from 17 to 20, weighing about 

 50 pounds each : they looked like 

 sea boxes. Witness was called 

 out of his hammock by Mr. Ladd 

 to take them out of the Chinese 

 boat. This was betAveen two and 

 three in the morning. One half 

 was carried into Mr. Creswell's 

 cabin, and the other half into the 

 gun room. There was a bit of 

 tin on each corner of the boxes 

 put into the gun room. There 

 was an iron mark on the others. 

 Mr. Creswell was on board at 

 this time, but he did not appear 

 during the transaction. The ship 

 arrived in England in August 

 last ; when off Scilly, a pilot boat 

 came towards the ship, a small 

 boat was launched from her, 

 whichcame alongside the Thames, 

 and some men came on board 

 from it. Witness, by the desire 

 of the boatswain, went to call the 

 gunner; he passed Mr. Creswell's 

 cabin, and saw some silks lying 

 on his table, which were taken 



from a box standing on the floor* 

 The box looked like one of those 

 which witness took in at China. 

 The silks consisted of shawls and 

 handkerchiefs. Mr. Creswell, 

 Mr. Daniel, one of the mates, 

 and Mr. Ladd, were in the cabin, 

 as were the men who had come 

 on board, smugglers he believed 

 them to he ; he saw these men in 

 conversation with Mr. Creswell, 

 and pay some bank notes, which 

 they laid on the table. After this 

 the men, six or seven in number, 

 took the silks and wrap})ed them 

 round their bodies and legs, un- 

 der their clothes^ and went off. 

 There were still more silks le- 

 maining, and one of the men said 

 these were to be left till they 

 came back again for them. The 

 bo\ from which the silks had been 

 taken, w as sent to the. cook to 

 burn. Before the men went off 

 in the boat, four boxes were 

 brought upon deck, wliich were 

 the same witness took in at Chi- 

 na. The lid of one of the boxes 

 was loosed, and witness saw it con- 

 tain silks and shawls : he believ- 

 ed Avitness was ordered to put 

 them into the boat alongside. 

 The boat was then rowed off. 

 The boat came alongside in the 

 morning, and went away between 

 two and three in the afternoon. 



George Lancaster, a seaman on 

 board the Thames, corroborated 

 the testimony of the last witness, 

 as to the smugglers coming on 

 board off Scilly, going down into 

 the cabin, and going away again 

 with the silk. The boxes put into 

 the boat might contain about six- 

 ty pieces each. The boat came 

 alongside at four in the after- 

 noon. 



William Eckloffstein was also a 

 seaman on board the Thames : 



was 



