The trial (at large) of James Hill; otherwise James Hind; otherwise, James Actzen: for feloniously, wilfully, and maliciously, setting fire to the rope-house, in His Majesty's dock-yard at Portsmouth. Tried at the Assize, at Winchester, on Thursday, March 6, 1777. Before the honorable Sir William Henry Ashhurst, knt. ... and Sir Beaumont Hotham, knt. ... / Taken in short-hand ... by Joseph Gurney. And published by permission of the judges.

John the Painter

Date:: [1777?]

Credit: The trial (at large) of James Hill; otherwise James Hind; otherwise, James Actzen: for feloniously, wilfully, and maliciously, setting fire to the rope-house, in His Majesty's dock-yard at Portsmouth. Tried at the Assize, at Winchester, on Thursday, March 6, 1777. Before the honorable Sir William Henry Ashhurst, knt. ... and Sir Beaumont Hotham, knt. ... / Taken in short-hand ... by Joseph Gurney. And published by permission of the judges. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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C ^7 ] Wafliington only wanted a few experienced officers, which he believed would be iupplicd from France; and Silas Deane was appointed for that purpofe at Paris, to fupply them with ammunition and Itores; but as fur cannon balls, he laid, they could procure a lufficiency to lerve all Europe, in America at a place near Annapolis in Maryland; that he himfelf had leen iikcwife pitch, tar and turpentine, d'his was what paffcd in the courl'e of a great number of vifits. 1 waited upon him from the ythofNov. to the 24th. I never milled but one day, and was with him twice on moll days. Prifoner. Remember that this witnefs fays he was with me twice mod days. Baldwin. The prifoner faid he arrived at Dover, from Paris, and went to Can¬ terbury ; that he went into a (hop, and fpoke for a machine to be made. Prifoner. At what particular place did I call in my way from Canterbury 1 I mud have called at fome particular place. Baldwin. He faid he went into a fhop, and ordered a tin machine to be made; which was by fome people called a caniiter; he (aid the mader was a dupid fellow, and did not underdand his dire<dions, but that the boy leemed to be more ingenious and underdood it, but he was obliged to dand by the boy while he was making of it to indrudt him, and he gave him fomething to get fome drink for his pains j that then he went into a publick-houfe, with the canider under the bread of his coat; that a Dragoon faw fomething under his coat, and opened his coat to fee what was under it, and faid, which of them are you for? The Prifoner afked, wffiat do you mean ? He faid, whether you are a Barber or a Taylor ? The Prifoner faid, that was no bufmefs to him, and called him an impudent fellow, and told him that he did not mind him, nor none of his Mailer’s men; he faid there was another foldier in the room, who was a civil man, and he drank with him ; that he went from thence to Portfmouth, where he took a lodging at one Mrs. Boxell’s. All this is the account that he gave you ? Baldwin. Yes; in all the converfations, as near as I recolledl, word for v/erd. He faid at Mrs. Boxell’s he tried his preparations, which were matches that he had made, by doubling a ffieet of whitiffi paper into ten or twelve folds; that then the paper w’as unfolded, in order to be done over with a compofition made of charcoal and gunpowder; he faid, if the paper was not doubled before the compofition was laid on it would caufe it to crack ; that the charcoal mull be ground very fine, upon a colour-ftone, in the fame manner as painters grind their colours; but the gun¬ powder did not require much grinding, he faid; that that might be malhed with a knife, in the fame manner as painters mix vermilion: but, he faid, they muft be very particular in mixing thefe two bodies together; that the charcoal is ground in water, and then mixed to the confiftence of new milk, and then with a fmall bruffi the paper muft be, painted over on both fides with this compofition ; he faid, tliat he had managed the matter fo well, that one match would laft twenty-four hours., He faid, he lodged at Mrs. Boxell’s one night, and that Mrs. Boxell was a very impudent woman, for Ihe had opened his bundle during his abfence ; he told me, that this tin machine was a very curious conftru£lion of his own invention, and that he had a •wooden box made which had a hole in the centre, in ordar to put a candle in, and in that box was tar, turpentine, and hemp; chat the tin canifter fitted this wooden box fo well, that when the candle was put into it no perfon could perceive any light. Fie faid, that on the 6th of December he went into Portfmouth Yard, and got into the Hemp-houfe; that there was a deal of hemp there, and it was matted fo together that he could hardly get it apart; he pulled his coat off, and then, after lightening the hemp, he placed this canifter over the box, with a fmall candle in it; that he fprinkled fome turpentine about the hemp that was round it; that he was fome time before he found his coat afterwards, and, when he found it, there was a deal of hemp (licking about it, which he endeavoured to take off; that he then went out of the Hemp'^houfe, and got into the Rope-houfe, and in the Rope-houfe he placed a quart bottle of fpirits of turpentine upon its fide, (lopped with hemp inftead of a cork, and clofe to the hemp he laid a piece of paper, and in this paper .was fome <}ry gunpowder. Prifoner. Did I go ftrait out of the Hemp-houfe into the Rope-houfe ?

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