Wild November should our ships retire For Heaven itself is not unkind, If winter storms He'll sometimes send, 1705. In the reign of Queen Anne, a proposition was started for making a harbour in the Downs and of forming a new haven. By order of the Queen, Commissioners were appointed to make the necessary surveys and to report thereon. After the inquiry, they reported that such a Harbour would be a great public benefit; but nothing further was done in the matter, and the thing dropped. The engraved plan of that day shewed the proposed scheme to be in close proximity to Sandown Castle, and was precisely in the form of a horse-shoe. 1707. A fleet of fifty-five sail of merchant ships had been detained in the Downs waiting for convoy, bound to Portugal and the West Indies. The Admiralty appointed Commodore Baron Wylde, in the "Royal Oak," of seventy-four guns, accompanied by the "Grafton," Captain Acton, and the 'Hampton Court," Captain Clements, each carrying seventy guns. This fleet weighed anchor and proceeded down Channel on the first of May. The next day, after leaving the Downs, when near Dungeness, the fleet fell in with the Dunkirk Squadron, consisting of ten sail of the line, a frigate, and four stout privateers, commanded by M. Forbin. The Engish Commodore, finding it impossible to escape, drew five of the largest merchantmen into the line, and engaged the whole French Squadron for two hours and a half. But Captain Acton being killed, and his ship taken, and the "Hampton Court" sharing the same fate, after having sunk one of the enemy's ships, the commodore thought it requisite to save his ship if he could, and notwithstanding he had three of the largest of the French ships attacking him, and eleven feet of water in the hold, he found means to disengage his ship, and run her on shore, from whence he, by good luck, soon got her off, and brought her into the Downs. Twenty-one of the merchant ships fell into the Frenchmen's hands, which they carried into Dunkirk, with the two men-of-war. The most extraordinary thing that occurred during this engagement, was the conduct of a midshipman of the "Hampton Court," who while the enemy were employed in ransacking the ship, conveyed Captain Clements, (who was mortally wounded) into a long boat, into which he and seven sailors getting safe through the portholes, steered for Rye, arriving there all right. 1708.-A large squadron of men-of-war assembled in the Downs under the command of Sir George Byng, and Lord Diverley they received orders to lie off Dunkirk, to watch the motions of the French. When there a violent gale of wind set in, which compelled the English Admiral to return to the Downs with the fleet, to anchor. The French availing themselves of that circumstance got out of Dunkirk with the Pretender on board, and sailed for the coast of Scotland. The fleet under the command of Sir George Byng, which had put back to the Downs, being reinforced to forty ships of the line, set sail again for Dunkirk. On his way over, the Admiral received intelligence, by the master of a vessel from Ostend, that the Dunkirk squadron was steering northward. On this information, and believing the design to be an invasion, the Admiral dispatched Major General Cadogan to Brussels in order to ship off the English forces in garrison, in the Netherlands for England. After a council of war had been held, it was resolved to pursue the enemy. Admiral Baker with a squadron was detached, to convoy troops from Ostend to England. 1711, August 30.-A most lamentable occurrence took place this day. A man named Richard Partridge, a baker by trade, in a fit of drunkenness or when labouring under an attack of delirium tremens, wilfully killed his son by firing a loaded gun at him, the shot passing through the back of the head and out at the face. It appears that this wretched man got up about seven o'clock that morning, and before the hour of nine had arrived he was intoxicated. As he and his young son, Thomas Partridge, were walking together to the house of the eldest son, they chanced to meet Jacob De Haen, the son of Lewis De Haen, on his way to return a gun that belonged to the said Richard Partridge, which had been lent by the younger Partridge. On this the father picked a quarrel both with De Haen and his son Thomas, demanding, in an imperious tone, to know why he had lent his gun to Jacob De Hean, swearing at the same time that he would shoot him. The youth, aware of his father's irritable temper, moved aside, at which moment Richard Partridge took up a stone and flung at his son, but missed him. Without more ado he seized hold of the gun, which happened to be loaded, and in his rage he fired; but the gun snapping only, he cocked the gun a second time and fired. The poor young man, only twenty years of age, fell dead at his father's feet, the contents passing through the head. The murderer was at once taken into custody, and examined by Josiah Lane, Esq., Mayor of Deal, who at once sent him to Richard Solly, Esq., Mayor of the port of Sandwich-Deal being but a member of and under the jurisdiction of the said Port-where he was committed and tried, October 11th, 1711, and being found guilty he was sentenced to be hung. The culprit admitted the fact of killing his son, but pleaded in extenuation that he was ignorant of the gun being charged. Several witnesses deposed that he swore between the snapping and the firing that he would shoot his son, on which evidence the jury found him guilty of Wilful Murder. The Mayor of Sandwich, out of compassion, deferred his execution as long as he could, in order to allow time for the criminal to make his peace with his Maker before he was sent into eternity. At the scaffold he evinced the deepest contrition for his crime, warning all present to avoid the practice of drunkenness, under the influence of which it had caused him to commit the heinous crime of murder, and for which offence he was about to suffer death." Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed." The condemnation sermon was preached on Sunday, November 4th, 1711, at St. Peter's at Sandwich, in Kent, to Richard Partridge, of Deal, by Geo. De Gols, Rector of the said parish and Ordinary of the Court of Sandwich. 1713, December 13.-Lieut. Wye was tried for killing Capt. Carleton, of the "Gloucester" man-of-war, in a duel at Deal, and was found guilty of manslaughter, and received the next day his punishment accordingly. supposed CONVICTION OF A MURDERER AT DEAL UPON CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE. In the year 1723, a young man who was serving his apprenticeship in London to a master sailmaker, got leave to visit his mother, to spend the Christmas holidays; she lived in the neighbourhood of Deal in Kent. He walked the distance down home, and on his arrival at Deal, in the evening, being much fatigued, and also afflicted with a bowel complaint, he applied to the landlady of a public-house, who was acquainted with his mother, for a night's lodging. Her house was full and every bed occupied, but she told him that if he would sleep with her uncle, who had lately come ashore and was boatswain of an Indiaman, he should be welcome. He was glad to accept the offer, and after spending the evening with his new acquaintance they retired to bed. In the middle of the night he was awoke by violent pain, and awakening his bedfellow he inquired of him the way to the garden. He directed him to go through the kitchen, and as the latch of the door was out of order, he told him to take a knife out of one of his pockets, by which he could raise it. The young man did as he was directed, and after remaining upwards of half-an-hour in the yard, he returned to his room. Not finding his companion where he had left him, he was, as may be imagined, much surprised at his disappearance. Being somewhat desirous of seeing his mother as early as he possibly could, he got up and dressed himself, and set off on his way home, arriving there about noon. The landlady had been apprised over night of his intention to start early in the morning, and was not therefore surprised at finding him gone, but not seeing her uncle as she expected at the breakfast table, she went to his room to call him, and to her astonishment she found he was not there. On approaching the bed she discovered the bed-clothes besmeared with blood, which excited considerable alarm in her mind, and she took instant measures to discover, if possible, his whereabouts, but in vain. The alarm, as a thing of course, became general all through the town of Deal. Further examination led to the discovery of traces of blood from the bedroom, through the passages, into the street, and at intervals to the public quay and to the water's edge. Rumour, as is usual in such cases, was not long in fixing the crime on the young sailmaker who had slept with him, and in order to avoid detection, had, it was concluded, thrown the body into the sea, which in a short time by the set and run of the tide would take it into deep water and so disappear. A warrant was, without delay, issued for the apprehension |