dead man; Examinant then, assisted by the maid, took him into the parlor; the maid, after some little conversation, went out for assistance; Examinant understood she jumped out of the kitchen window. Mr. Frost was the first person that came, and he went for Mr. Jones, the surgeon, who came and looked at Mr. Blight, and then went for Mr. Astley Cooper, after consulting with Mr. Younger, another Surgeon, who was present: Examinant attended Mr. Blight from the time of the accident until his death; Examinant asked him if he had any suspicion who could have done it, and he said he could not tell, unless it was Webster and Clark, the former of whom had been accused of robbing the yard of timber, and had his house searched; and with the latter he had had a violent dispute about the repair of a wharf; Examinant says, that Mr. Blight had, upon hearing of the attempt on the preceding Thursday, expressed himself in the same manner about those two persons. After the death of Mr. Blight, on Tuesday evening, Mr. Jones's assistant went, by the mail coach, to Margate, to acquaint Mrs. Blight with the accident, and they came to town together in a post chaise, on Thursday morning; Examinant, when he went to the privy, was so pressed, that he unbuttoned his breeches in going through the counting-house, and he seated himself and drew-to the door after him the moment he got into the privy, and had scarcely made a discharge when he heard the report and the maid servant scream; he jumped up, and with his breeches in one hand, and the candle in the other, made all the haste he could to the street door, which he saw the servant shut, so that he thinks she could not have got half-way back to the kitchen before he knocked and called (open the door, open the door) to be let in; to knock at the door he let go his breeches, but kept fast the candle in his other hand, and carried it with him into the kitchen, where, when he arrived, the fore part of his shirt was tucked into his breeches, but the hind part not, the breeches, were not buttoned at all, but he was obliged to keep

them up with his hand till he began to assist Mr. Blight back to the parlor, when, he believes, he contrived to get one of the buttons fast, but the shirt was still hanging out; Examinant led Mr. Blight into the parlor and sat down in a chair, taking Mr. Blight upon his knee, in which position they continued for about a minute, and then he placed him in a chair, still keeping hold of his hand; Mr. Blight grasped Examinant's hand very hard, and though he shifted hands, yet he held fast by one or the other until Frost knocked at the door; after letting Frost in, Examinant went back to Mr. Blight, who took him by the hand again, and continued to hold it fast till a bed was brought down to the parlor for him to lie on, at which time there were several people in the room. Mr. Frost's brother, a Mr. Matthews, and others, whose names Examinant does not now recollect.

"On the Thursday preceding the death of Mr. Blight, as Examinant was sitting in the front parlor of Mr. Blight's house (having sent Hester Kitchener for some oysters for his supper,) a gun or pistol was fired through the window, the ball, which the maid-servant found on searching the floor after her return with the oysters, came through the window shutter, broke the window and the Venetian blind. Immediately on hearing the report, Examinant got up and went on the wharf in front of the house as fast as possibly he could, having been struck on the head with a part of the Venetian blind. He was sitting at the table, with his head leaning upon his hand almost half asleep, when it happened, having had very little rest the night before, by reason of keeping awake to call up Mr. Blight to go to the Margate Coach. Examinant looked about upon the wharf, and seeing no one, immediately went to the gate, on opening which, a man and his wife came up; they were at the gate the moment Examinant opened it, and appeared to be coming from Grove-street; they were the first persons Examinant saw after hearing the report. Examinant asked them if they had

seen any one jump over the fence? They said No. Examinant asked them if they had seen any one running or seemingly in a bustle? They said they had not seen any one, or heard any thing but the report of a gun or a pistol, except a man lying, apparently drunk, just below the house. Examinant asked them where they thought the report came from? They thought, they said, it was quite close to them, and must be upon the wharf. The man said is there any thing the matter, Mr. Blight? taking Examinant for Mr. Blight. Examinant told him what had happened, and asked him to walk in; he said he would, and him and his wife came in: there was no person present at this conversation, nor did any one pass during the time after the man and his wife came in. Examinant described to them how he was sitting in the chair, and what had happened. The man asked him if he should call any one, as he thought Examinant had better have somebody with him? Examinant desired him to run and call Mr. Frost, being the nearest neighbour. He went, and Mr. Frost came back with him; the maid returned with the oysters just before the man went for Mr. Frost Examinant described to Mr. Frost how he was sitting, and told him what had happened. Mr. Frost said it was a very alarming circumstance indeed, and they then all went into the room.

"When Mr. Blight met with his accident, and talked over what the intent of the thing could be, some one observed they thought it must be with intent to shoot Examinant, and then rob the house. Examinant cannot recollect who made this observation. Examinant said he did not think it could be intended for that purpose, for they would not have alarmed the house first if they had intended to rob it, unless they had made certain of killing Examinant, for the ball was very well directed, and might have killed both Mr. Blight and Examinant if they had been sitting together as they generally did. This conversation passed in the back parlor, and Examinant then asked them to take some grog, which the

man and Mr. Frost did, and the woman took a little brandy; they all sat in the back parlour an hour or better in conversation after they came in. They then talked of going, and Examinant said he would immediately go to bed; the maid-servant said she had no candle in the house; Mr. Frost said if she would go with him he would lend her some for the night. They then rose to go, and Examinant said he would go with them for company for the servant; we then all went out together: Mr. Frost, the man and his wife, the maid, and Examinant. It was very dark, and rained much; it was very dark when the pistol was fired, and, except when it lightened, a man could hardly see his hand when he held it up before him; the rain did not begin until after the pistol was fired. Examinant sat down at Mr. Frost's and drank a glass of grog; the maid was present. Mr. Frost asked Examinant if he had any fire arms in the house. Examinant told him he had a brace of pocket-pistols, but no ammunition. Mr. Frost said he would lend Examinant some; Examinant said he would not have any for that night, but go home and go to bed immediately. Examinant knew that his pistols were not in good order, as he had not used them for two years before. Examinant then went home in company with the maid, and went to bed in a few minutes afterwards. Examinant slept that night in Mr. Blight's bed in consequence of what had happened. The bed room where Examinant generally slept is over the counting-house, adjoining Mr. Blight's dwellinghouse, and at that time there was no internal communication, but persons going from the dwelling-house to the counting-house were obliged to go into the yard. Since Mrs. Blight came home she had a door opened, which leads from the kitchen into the counting-house; it was a cousin of Mrs. Blight's that directed this door to be opened. The reason why Examinant did not have it done was, because he did not like to make any alteration; but when it was done he had no objection to it, as it was a convenience, and prevented them going out in the dark.

Examinant further says, that when he sat with Mr. Blight in the parlor, who grasped his hand as he has described, he took an opportunity of tucking his shirt into his breeches, pulling them up a little, and buttoning them, as Mr. Blight sometimes held one of his hands, and sometimes the other, and sometimes Examinant held him by the hand. Examinant further says, that the window-shutters of the parlor in which he sat on the Thursday night were not in general shut until bed-tinie, but as he was very tired, and intended to go to bed very soon, he told the maid to fasten the windows when she brought the candle, which was about half past six. Examinant then had his tea, intending to go to bed immediately, but Mr. Edridge, a coppersmith, from town, and a gentleman called upon hini Mr. Edridge and Examinant drank a glass of grog, and the other gentleman took a glass of wine and water; they stayed better than an hour; and when they went away Examihant found his stomach quite faint and empty, not having eat any thing with his tea, and after drinking the grog, which Examinant thought gave him an appetite, he fancied, and sent the maid for, some oysters." RICHARD PATCH.

Taken before me this 28th day of September, 1805. S

A. GRAHAM.

MIDDLESEX, The further Examination of Richard

to wit.

Patch,

Says, he sold an estate, called Knutwall, near Exeter, for 7851. that Messrs. Shorts and Barnes of Exeter, attornies, drew the conveyance which was made to one Parsons, and received the money forit; they deducted the mortgage money nearly 300l. and paid examinant the balance, about March last that he received about 701. or 807. more of Drake for corn and other