Q. Who was prefent when Mrs. Rudd had the converfation with you?

Adair. Nobody, only her and myself. Q. For what purpofe did fhe come to

you:

Adair. She knows a gentleman that I know in the North of Ireland. Court. That cannot be evidence.

Counsel for the Prisoner.

My lord, it has already been given in evidence, that Mrs. Rudd took it upon herself, and declared the prifoner totally innocent. The letter is exactly to the fame purport, and the letter is written, as I understand, the day after fhe was at Mr. Adair's. The expreffions all along go not only to acquit the prifoner of an abfolute forgery; but that he was perfectly innocent in the matter.

Court. Can her letter be stronger evidence than her own perfonal declaration? Both the Mr. Drummonds declare the took it upon herfelf; that he did it; that the whole was her's; and he was innocent; that is certainly ftronger than her writing it down upon a piece of paper.

Counsel for the Prisoner.

I am perfectly fatisfied with your lordfhip's declaration.

Arthur Jones, Esq;

Q. Be fo good as look at that bond; is the name Arthur Jones, one of the attefting witneffes, your hand-writing. Jones. No.

Q. You know nothing at all of it? .
Jones. No.

Q. Is it like your writing?
Jones. Nothing like it..

Q. Look at the name Thomas Hart, or Start, have you a fervant of that

name?

Jones. No, I never had to my remembrance.

Q. You know nothing of that figna

ture?

Jones. I never heard of the name. The forged Bond was read in court, and was exactly as fet forth in the indi&iment, The letter produced by Mr. Drummond, read.

"Dear Sir, Tuesday Evening. "I am more obliged to you than I can exprefs for the friendly trouble you take to get me accommodated; hitherto I have only in words expreffed my fenfe for your kind attentions and fervice; a little time will afford me occafion to give you folid proof of my regard; to-day's bufinefs vexed me greatly, but the refult is hazardable to all, but you will infinitely add to your favours by going to Sir T. F. either fixing twelve o'clock to mor

row, to pay the money to him or the banker: my reafon for it is truly this; that I have in cafe of neceffity fixed with Crofts to let me have this evening 5000l. but as I really have ufed my credit there, even more than I ever did before, or like, and feeing it the fame to use the money for the payment, I wish to fpare my taking cafh from C. if practicable, but in cafe ought fhould delay or prevent the money from D. S. to-morrow, in that cafe you will go to Harley-street, where you will find my draughts upon Crofts, to receive from him five-thousand pounds. fo that half an hour cannot be loft either way. If you do not meet with Sir T. F. leave an explicit letter to the purpose, or fend to the banker's, and say you will be with them to take up your bond, to prevent its coming out in the morning. Yours, W. A." Directed to Mr. Perreau, Golden

My Lord, and Gentlemen of the jury, If I had been wanting in that fortitude, which is the refult of innocence, or had found any hesitation in fubmitting my proceedings to the ftricteft fcrutiny, I need not at this day have ftood before my country, or fet my life upon the iffue of a legal trial. Supported by the consciousness of my integrity, I have forced that tranfaction to light, which might elfe have been fuppreffed; and I have voluntarily fought that imprisonment, which guilt never invites, and even innocence has been known to fly from; ardently looking forward to this hour, as the fure, though painful means of vindicating a character, not diftinguished indeed for its importance, but hitherto maintained without a blemish. There are many refpectable witneffes at hand, and many more, I perfuade myself, would be found if it had been necessary to fummon them upon a point of notoriety, who will inform your lordship and the court, how I have appeared to them to act, what truft has been repofed in me, and what credit I had in their opinions for my diligence, honesty, and punctuality. In truth, my lord, I am bold to fay, that few men in my line of life have carried on their business with a fairer character, not many with better fuccefs. I have followed no pleafures,

nor

nor launched into any expences; there is not a man living who can charge me with neglect or diilipation. The honeft profits of my trade have afforded me a comfortable fupport, and furnished me with the means of maintaining, in a decent fort, a worthy wife and three promiling children, upon whom I was labouring to beftow the propereft education in my power; in fhort we were as happy as affluence and innocence could make us, till this affliction came upon us by furprize, and I was made the dupe of a tranfaction from whofe criminality, I call God, the fearcher of all hearts to witnefs, I am now as free as I was at the day of my birth.-My lords, and gentlemen of the jury, men who are unpracticed in deceit, will be apt to credit others for a fincerity, which they themselves poffefs. The most undefigned characters have at all times been the dupe of craft and fubtilty. A plain story, with the indulgence of the court, I will relate, which will furnith ftrong inftauce indeed of credulity on one part, which at the fame time will exhibit a train of fuch confummate artifices, that are not to be equalled in all the annals of iniquity, and which might have extorted an equal confidence from a much more enlightened undertanding than I can claim.

"The prifoner then stated many circumftances of impofition practifed upon him by Mrs. Rudd.-That he was conftantly converfing about the intereft the had with Mr. William Adair. That among other things Mr. Adair had by his intereft with his majefty obtained the promife of a baronetage for Mr. Daniel Perreau, and was about procuring him a feat in parliament,-That Mr. Adair had promifed to open a bank, and to take the two Perreau's into partnership with him. That he received many letters figned William Adair, which he did not doubt really came from Mr. William Adair. That Mr William Adair had promifed to give them a very confiderable part of his fortune during his life; and was to allow Mr. Daniel Perreau two thousand four hundred pounds per ann. for his houshold expences, and fix hundred pounds per ann. for her pin-money. That Mr. Daniel Perreau purchased a houfe in Harley-fireet for four thousand pounds, which money Mr. William Adair was to give them. That when Daniel Perreau was preffed by the perfon he bought the houfe of for the money, the prifoner understood they applied to Mr. William Adair, and that his anfwer was, That he had lent the king feventy thousand pounds, and had purchased a houfe in

Pall-mall at feven thousand pounds to carry on the banking business in, therefore could not fpare the four thoufand pounds at that time. And that Mrs. Rudd told him, (the prifoner) that Mr. Adair defired be would get a bond for five thoufand three hundred pounds filled up, as he had done once before, and Mr. Adair would execute it. That after Wilson had filled up the bond, he delivered it to Mrs. Rudd, who gave it to the prifoner a day or two after executed. That he borrowed the four thousand pounds upon this bond, which was dated the 20th of December, of Sir Thomas Frankland, and delivered SirThomas's draught to Mrs. Rudd. That about the roth of March, he told Mrs. Rudd that Mr. Adair's bond that he had given to Sir Thomas Frankland in November, was nearly due, and Mrs. Rudd told him the next day, that Mr. Adair defired he would once more borrow for him five thousand pounds. That he had made many objections to being employed in fo difagreeable a bufinefs; but at last fuppofing he fhould oblige Mr. Adair, he confented, and accordingly got a bond filled up by the tiationer for seven thoufand five hundred pounds, payable to himfelf. That he delivered it to Mrs. Rudd on Saturday the 4th of March, in the prefence of his wife, his brother, and Mr. Caffaday. That Mrs. Rudd returned it him executed on the Tuefday following, and that he never had the leaft fufpicion but that the bonds were really executed by Mr. William Adair. That when he took the bond to Mr. Drunimonds, he did not fay that he had himfelf feen it executed by Mr. Adair, but that he knew it was Mr. Adair's hand-writing, as he had often feen letters from Mr. Adair to Mr. Daniel Perreau and his wife. That when he informed Mrs. Rudd of the obfervations Mr. Drummond had made upon the fignature to the bond, the went out, and upon her return fhe told him he had feen Mr. Adair, just as he was going out a riding, and that Mr. Adair told her that the alteration in the fignature was merely the difference between age and youth, and that it was his handwriting, and that he told Mr. Drummond fo, and that he knew nothing of its being a forgery till the interview with Mr. Adair."-Having ftated the above circumilances, the prifoner concluded his defence to the following effect:

My Lord, and gentlemen of the Jury, I have now faithfully laid before you, fuch circumstances which have occurred to my memory, as neceflary for your information, in the order as they happened

during

during my acquaintance with Mrs. Rudd, under the character of my brother's wife. Many have been the sufferers by artifices and impoftors, but never man appeared, I believe, in this, or any other tribunal, upon whom so many engines were fet at work to intereft his credulity. It will not escape the notice of this fplendid court, that my compaffion was firft engaged by the story of Mrs. Rudd's fufferings, before my belief was invited to her representations. Let me have credit with you for yielding up my pity in the firft inftance, and you cannot wonder I did not with-hold my credulity afterwards. It is in this natural, this neceffary confequence, I reft my defence. I was led from error to error by fuch infenfible degrees, that every step I took ftrengthened my infatuation. When Mr. Drummond first hefitated at the handwriting at the foot of the bond, I tendered in the name of William Adair, if it did not fo far alarm me as to fake my belief in this artful woman, from whofe hands I had received it, let it be confidered that I had been prevailed upon to negociate other bonds of this artful wo man, depofiting them in the hands of bankers who had never spied any defect, or raised the leaft objection. Thefe bonds had been punctually and regularly paid in due time. The letters fent to me, as if from William Adair, critically agreed with the hand-writing of the bond. Mr. Adair did not keep money at Mr. Drummond's: opportunities of comparing his hand-writing for many years, had not occurred, and the helitation upon his part, appeared to me no more than the exceptions and minute precautions of a banker, which could not fo fuddenly overturn the explicit belief that I had annexed to all that was told me in Harley fireet. Can any greater proof be given, than my own propofal to Mr. Drummond of leaving the bond in his hands till he had fatisfied his credulity? Can your Lordship or the gentlemen of the jury for a moment fufpect, that any man could be guilty of fuch a crime, whofe proceedings were fo fair and open? that fingle circumftance I am fatisfied, will afford my total exculpation. The resort to Mr. Adair was as eafy to, Mr. Drummond, as to the books in his compting house: It does not come within the bounds of common sense, much lefs does it fall within the poffibility of guilt, that any man living fhould voluntarily, with his eyes open, take a step fo directly and abfolutely centering in June, 1775.

his certain conviction. But this circumfiance, ftrong as it is, is not all my cafe. I blefs God, the protector of innocence, that in my defence, proofs arife upon proofs, the leaft of them I truft, will be thought incompatible with guilt: it should feem impoffible that a guilty perfon would propofe to Mr. Drummond to retain the bond for the fatisfaction of his fcruples: but that the fame perfon, fhould after so long a time for confideration, had paffed after my leaving the bond, which was full twenty-four hours, openly and in the face of the day enter the shop of Mr. Drummond, and demand if he had fatisfied all his fcruples: unless a man from meer defperation had been weary of his life, and fought a diffolution, this I humbly apprehend would be an abfolute impoffibility; but, my lords, and gentlemen of the jury, I had neither in my breast the principle of guilt to commit that high offence against society, which would accompany the act; nor had I that defperate loathing of exiftence, as fhould bring a fhameful condemnation upon my head; it is true, I have invited this trial, but it is equally true, I have done it in the consciousness of my integrity, because I could not otherwife go through the remainder of my days with comfort and fatisfaction, unless I had the verdict of my countrymen for my acquittal, and refied my innocence upon the pureft teftimony I could have on this fide the grave. It is plain I had an opportunity of withdrawing myself: how many men are there with the cleareft intentions, yet from the apprehenfions of being made the talk of the public, and above all the dread of imprifonment, and the terror of a trial, would have thought themselves happy to have caught at any opportunity of faving themselves from fuch a series of diftrefs. Greater confidence can no man be in of the integrity of his cafe, and the justice of his country. When it was found neceffary to the defigns of Mrs. Rudd, that I and my family fhould be made the dupe of her connections with the house of Adair; it may well be believed, that nothing but the ftrongest interdictions would prevent my endeavours to obtain an interview. In fact, this point was laboured with confuminate artifice, and nothing lefs than ruin to my brother and his affairs, was denounced upon my breaking this injunction; it was part of the fame er ror to believe her in this alfo; a respectable witnefs has told you, and I do not controvert his evidence, that my confiBb b

dence

dence in her affertion, and in the teftimonials that the exhibited under the hand, as I believed, of Mr. Adair, were fuch, in my mistaken judgment, as to be equal to the evidence of my own fenfes, preffed by the forms of business, to say to Mr. Drummond that I had feen Mr. Adair myfelf, but I neither went to Mr. Adair, nor difclofed thofe preffing motives which prevented me: no lefs free to confefs my faults, than I am confident to affert my innocence, I seek no palliation for this circumftance, except my temptation and my failings, and I truft it will rather be a matter of furprize, that in the course of a negociation, thro' the whole of which I was acted upon by the most artful of impoftors, that this only deviation was to be found, and yet this very circumftance carries with it a clearer conviction of my being the dupe of Mrs. Rudd's intrigues, than any I have to offer in my defence, and if my fubfequent proceedings, and the alacrity I thewed in going with Mr. Drummond to Mr. Adair, together with my conduct before this gentleman, is, as I apprehend it is, abfolutely irreconcilable with a consciousness of guilt, the circumftance above mentioned will ferve to fhow with what degree of credulity the artifices of Mrs. Rudd had furnished me.-Upon the whole, if in the above detail no circumstances are discovered in which an innocent man, under the like delufion with myfelf, might not have acted as I have acted, and, at the same tim, if there be very many particulars in which no guilty man would have conducted himself as I conducted myself, I fhould be wanting in refpect to your lordfhips and the jury, if I doubted the juftice of their verdict, and which is infeparable from it, my ho nourable acquittal.

(For the Prifoner.) George Kinder, Efq;

Q. You was, Sir, an intimate acquaintance, I believe, of Mr. Daniel Perreau and the perfon who paffed for his wife; but that fince appears to be Mrs. Rudd? Kinder. I never knew her by that name; I only knew her by the name of Perreau. I was fome months at their house upon a vifit.

Q. Was you intimate with Mr. Robert Perreau ?

Kinder. I was. Mrs. Rudd told me fhe was a near relation of Mr. James Adair, that James Adair look'd upon her as his child, and promifed to make her fortune, and establish her in life; and that he recommended her to Mr. William Adair, a near relation and intimate friend of his

Q. Do you know any thing of letters being delivered by Mrs. Rudd to Robert Perreau, as letters from Mr. Adair ? Kinder. Mr. Robert Perreau shew'd me fome letters from Mr. William Adair, and I think I faw Mrs. Rudd more than once give him letters, as from Mr. Adair to him: and I remember one in particular, he fhew'd me; I told him he would do well to preferve that letter; because it would justify him in cafe Mr. Adair fhould draw back from his promises. Mrs. Rudd has told me that it was the intention of Mr. William Adair to set them up in the banking business.

Q. Has he told you this in the prefence of Mr. Perreau ?

Kinder. Yes, in the prefence of both the Perreaus, and fometimes in their abfence fhe has told it me frequently.

Q. Did you fee any reafon to question thefe reports?

Kinder. I believed them myfelf. Q. Did it appear to you that the Perreaus believed them?

Kinder. Certainly.

Q. In the courfe of the time you was at Daniel Perreau's, you might be able, probably, to make an obfervation of the art of this woman?

Kinder. She feemed to me rather artful in the conduct of her business; and the wanted the Perreaus to confider, that an obedience to her will, would be the only means in which these favours were to flow to them. Robert Perreau was three or four times a day at his brother's house. I think I have heard her fay, that her fortune was to be established in fuch a manner, that they were to have, I think, nearly three thousand pounds a year: that Mr. Perreau was to be allowed two thoufand four hundred pounds a year for his houfhold expences, and that the was to be allowed fix hundred pounds a year for pin money, which fhe was not to be accountable for the expenditure of, to any body but Mr. William Adair. I have likewife heard her fay, that Mr. Daniel Perreau was to be made a baronet; and he has told me very often fo and fo, when I am a lady, I shall do fo and fo.

Q. Has Robert Perreau been prefent when the has faid fo?

Kinder. I dare fay he was often. Court. How often did you fee Mr. William Adair there?

Kinder. I never faw Mr. William Adair there in my life,

Q. These representations were frequently the fubject of her converfation in the prefence of Mr. Robert Perreau?

Kinder,