. If
you will hear me, I shall be much obliged to you.

My Lords; I have been tried for conspiring with other persons, to raise
the price of the public Government funds, and also for promoting
assistance to those measures, by the changing of notes, and various
other circumstances. I beg to assure your Lordships, that I do not
address you on the idea or wish of a mitigation of any punishment you
may think proper to inflict upon me; it is merely to express to you,
that my sole wish and desire is to claim the indulgence of the Court,
in permitting me to have a new and distinct trial, that I may clear my
character from the cloud with which it is now depressed, and which had
previously been without a blemish; as I am confident, if my case was
separated from other persons in the indictment, it would be the means of
my acquittal. It was my intention to have appeared in Court some days
since, to have made the same request which I now do of your Lordships,
had it not been for my Counsel informing me, that I should have been
committed directly I entered the Court; and that the defendants should
all appear before the Court could grant my request. This I found
impossible to accomplish; and I declare, that the defendants, Sandom,
Lyte, Holloway, and M'Rae, are all perfectly unknown to me; that I never
directly or indirectly had any knowledge or communication or ever saw
them in my life, neither did I ever see Mr. De Berenger more than two or
three times. I beg also to acquaint your Lordships, that the bank notes
which have been stated to have passed through my hands must, unavoidably
so have done, as I permitted, without thinking it any crime, at the
solicitation of my friends, that all drafts connected with the Stock
Exchange business should be paid in my name, whether I was in London or
not; and I did at any time change notes, or lend Mr. Johnstone money, as
a temporary accommodation, when he wished it; and yet it is a fact, that
I had never seen Mr. Johnstone till the 2d of January last. But it is
impossible for me, and certainly a case of hardship, that I should be
answerable for the manner in which those notes might be disposed of
afterwards. There appears no one witness on the trial, that can give any
extraordinary reason for my having paid the notes alluded to by Mr.
Johnstone; for I might, hundreds of times, have paid notes to an equal
amount to him, or to any other man.

My own conscience clears me of the offence laid to m