f
December; there were, I think, fourteen of us, some of them ladies. This
application was after he had sailed. When I went to Mr. Cochrane
Johnstone's, I was to have met Sir Alexander Cochrane, but he went to
dine somewhere else, and my Lord Cochrane came in after dinner; he did
not dine there, but a great many of the family did.

_James Stokes sworn._

_Examined by Mr. Park._

_Q._ I understand you are a clerk of Mr. Tahourdin, the attorney.

_A._ Yes.

_Q._ How long have you been so?

_A._ Between three and four years.

_Q._ Have you, in the course of those three or four years, had frequent
opportunities of seeing the hand-writing of Mr. De Berenger?

_A._ Daily.

_Q._ He has been a client of your master, and has been assisted very
much by him?

_A._ Yes.

_Q._ Have you seen him write, as well as seeing letters purporting to
come from him?

_A._ A great deal.

_Q._ Be so good as to look at that paper (_the Dover letter_), and tell
his lordship and the jury, whether in your judgment and belief, that is
the hand-writing of Mr. De Berenger?

_A._ Certainly not.

_Q._ Look at that, and say whether you think it is a feigned hand, but
still the hand-writing of De Berenger?

_A._ It certainly is not.

_Q._ Of course, a man can only speak to belief and judgment when he does
not see a thing written; do you believe, from your knowledge of his
hand-writing, that that is his writing, either feigned or real?

_A._ Not a word of it.

_Lord Ellenborough._ Look at the letter R in the signature?

_A._ It is not like it at all.

_Mr. Park._ I mean the large R.

_A._ The capital R is nothing like it.

_Mr. Park._ It is a singular R certainly, it looks as if it had been
intended for a P and made into an R.

_Lord Ellenborough._ It is not at all like that R, is it? [_shewing
another letter to the witness._]

_A._ No, I do not think it is any thing like that.

_William Smith sworn._

_Examined by Mr. Richardson._

_Q._ You are servant to Mr. De Berenger?

_A._ Yes.

_Q._ How long have you been his servant?

_A._ About three years and a half.

_Q._ Do you write yourself?

_A._ Yes.

_Q._ During the time you have been in his service, have you seen him
write, and become acquainted with his hand-writing.

_A._ A great deal of it.

_Q._ Is he a gentleman who writes a good deal?

_A._ Yes.

_Q._ Are you well acquainted with the character of his hand-writing?

_A._