ROBERT HILL < no role > was then put to the bar.

Mr. Recorder. You have acknowledged at the last sessions, that you was the same Robert Hill, who was convicted of stealing goods in a dwelling house, and received sentence of death; what have you to say now, why execution should not be awarded against you, upon that sentence.

Robert Hill then stated to the court, the defence made for him by council, last sessions, when he was called up to shew cause, &c. (See page 19 and 20, of Numb. I. Part I. of the former Sessions Paper) and added, because he had refused to go on board the African ship, the captain ordered him out of the cabbin, and another person, and said, we wanted to scuttle the ship, and I don't know what they mean by that; they had a shim sham court marshal, we were tied up, and I received 175 lashes, after the order came down to remove me from his ship; then we were put on shore at the White house at Portsmouth, and we were sixteen weeks there, without so much as a bit of bread or drop of water to subsist on, we could not get water without paying a penny for it, necessity made us get away, and we did it without force, we got over the wall.

Court. A great part of what you have stated is true, I know an order was sent from the secretary of state, which I obtained, for removing you from that ship which you had illegally been put on board of, the condition of your pardon being to go to the East Indies; with respect to the escape from prison, what you have urged in vindication of that, rather goes as a matter to obtain compassion from your sovereign, than any justification in the court; the court orders that you remain a respite during his Majesty's pleasure.