Reports of Lord Ellenborough on William Codling, Master; John Reid, Officer or mariner;...

Reports of Lord Ellenborough on William Codling, Master; John Reid, Officer or mariner; William MacFarlane and George Easterby, merchants and owners, all of the vessel Adventure, tried at the Admiralty Session of the Old Bailey 26 October 1802 for wilfully and feloniously procuring and conspiring to sink and destroy the vessel Adventure and her cargo, on 8 August 1802, to defraud Robert Sheddon, Joseph Marryat and others, underwriters of £700 insurance on the vessel and £10,250 in cargo. Holes were made in the 'Larboard Run' by Codling and Thomas Cooper, mate, on the instructions of MacFarlane and Easterby. There is a dispute over the ownership of the vessel, it was claimed the Adventure was owned by Alexander Giddes at the time of the sinking and was only assigned to William MacFarlane. The vessel sank off the coast of Brighton, Sussex. The prisoners were tried on various counts, [all detailed here]. The cargo was claimed for in full, but it was proved that part had already been sold. The cargo was recovered and found to be of £3,231 in value. There were 2 parts of the case that were reserved for the opinion of the 12 judges. A copy of the free pardon extended to MacFarland and Easterby is also included, they received a pardon because they should not have been tried by the Admiralty Sessions, as they did not commit an offence under the jurisdiction of the Admiralty. Evidence supplied by ---- Cooper and ------ Stoviow[?]. Grounds for clemency: in the case of MacFarlane and Easterby there was doubt that the offence was covered by statute. Initial sentence: Codling: death. Recommendation: Codling: no mercy, MacFarlane and Easterby: free pardon, Reid: acquitted. Folios 41-55.