Report of ------- Harrison [George Harrison], of the Treasury Chambers on behalf...

Report of ------- Harrison [George Harrison], of the Treasury Chambers on behalf of the Commissioners of the Treasury, on 1 individual petition/memorial (prisoner) on behalf of Thomas Stevens Bursey, 'late Surveyor + Searcher + acting Collector of His Majesty's Customs at Cape Breton' [Canada], convicted at Cape Breton on 4 November 1797, for the misappropriation of a letter belonging to the Honourable A C Dodd, acting collector of HM Customs. Evidences supplied by the prisoner, Mark Crowdice, John Ley, Captain of the Sydney; John Hill and Daniel Murphy. The petition includes an account of the events and 'trial' including details of other inhabitants of Cape Breton. The prisoner had found illicit cargo on board the 'Sydney' and the prosecution had arisen out of a dispute about the cargo. Grounds for clemency: the whole of the proceedings 'are totally contrary both to Law + all judicial forms', the act for which the prisoner was tried on was not an offence, the place of confinement was condemned as 'unfit for any human being to be confined in' (the prisoner was confined in a room without a fireplace in temperatures where he was expected to die of exposure) and the entire jury was connected to the prosecutor. Initial sentence: 3 months imprisonment and a fine of 5/-. Recommendation: 'pardon for the purpose of removing the disability arising from the Effect of the Conviction'. Folios 249-258.