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Letters to
{Dantzic.
{ Messrs Elliot, Barstow, & Elliot
{Riga
{ Messrs Thorley, Weston, & Co
{ Messrs Pat: & Geo: Renny & Co
From {
Pye, Rich, & Wilkinson {
{Petersburgh
{ Baron Fredericks
{ Messrs Wm Glen & Co
{ Messrs Atkins, Rigail & Cawley
{ + Messrs Sutherland & Co
{ Messrs R:& John Hay & Co.
+Sutherland is Grandson of the man who wrote the Shipbuilding book
and who as well as his son after him were Master Shipwrights in
the Russian Service. There is a brother a Merchant in London.
I forgot one to Frederick Cornish Esqr. at Copenhagen.
Wilkinson lived 3 or 4 years at Petersburgh at Baron Frederick's
house. There letters were as it were forced upon me whether I would or
no for I did not ask for them. He asked me what letters I had and said
he would give me one to every house of any note to which I had not already.
Groeningen Saturday Septr Oct 2d 1779.
I folded up my last letter to you just as I was going onboard
the Vessel to leave Amsterdam. If circumstances would have
permitted it I should have liked very much to have staid there
till the winter roads were settled. I breakfasted with Job
May yesterday and got a good deal of information about
the Timber trade. When I called on the other brother I
thought I would ask him about the existence of the
pump house, which brought on some Stories relating to the
police of this country which I could scarcely put an end
to and were near making me too late. As to the
house where a criminal must pump or such, there is
no such thing it is a story only to amuse and to get
money from Strangers He has been himself with Strangers
to see the Sharp house where a fellow has began pumping
and telling a pitifull story to them of the danger
he was in and begging of them: but it was entirely
a cheat. Their criminal laws stand the same
with a few additions as they were before the confederacy
of the states took place. Commissioners have been
given appointed from time to time to draw up a new Code
some of the most reputed lawyers have been commissioned
for this purpose almost without intermission
for I think these 100 years and there are some
at present but nothing has as yet been done.
As the law does not admit of any one's being
executed without his confession the torture is made
use of to obtain if he wont confess without, but never
till his guilt is firstly proved. The torture is
limited and if the criminal can resist bear it, they
cannot afterwards execute him or torture him any
more but they send him to the rasp house or
prison for they dont let him go free.
You see It appears then the torture is never used
to obtain a confession to serve as an evidence of
guilt, but merely on account of that old law
which forbids an execution without a confession.
Trials are carried on some parts in private, other parts
in public. The criminal is present to hear the whole
of the examination of all the witnesses witnesses.
No pains are spared to get at the truth and May
thinks the whole is conducted in a much better and more
impartial manner than in England. It is the Majority
not the unanimity of those who are left to judge of the
guilt that fixes it.
1779} S.B. Hamburgh
Oct.} to
12 } I.B. Linc. Inn
} Written at
} Groningen.
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Identifier: | JB/538/391/002 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 538.
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1779-10-12 |
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538 |
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391 |
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002 |
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Correspondence |
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Samuel Bentham |
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