ilwellmg-house, lie applied to Eligh's secretary for permis- sion to eiopluv Crossley iii his (lefence* Bligli, who had ulready begun to consult Crossley, asked^ Atkins, the Judfre- Advocate, for an opmion on Gore's l)ehalf, altlioiigh Atkins liad officially prepared the indictment against Gore. Bligh sent to Gore the opinion he obtained from Atkins {in whose office Crossley was employed), and Crossley went to the Conrt to defend Gore, hut was ordered out of the Court : the members of which declined to allow such an innovation as advocacy before them by any of the convict class.^ Gore was acquitted ; but was tried for fraud in twice obtaining payment for the same note of hand. Crossley in this instance drew the information : and, though the obtaining of the money was sworn to, the Court found that as the note was " made payable neither to order nor to 1 rearer" the obtainhig payment could not he chai'ged as fraud. Gore^ at the trial of Col, Johnston in 1811, swore to many things absolutely untrue. Coh Johnston called Lieut, Ellison, H.N,, of H.M.S. Porpohe, who deposed that from what he had heard of Gore he would uot believe liim on his oath. Such were the principal advisers of the passionate man who assumed the reins of government at King's departure. Though he allied himself closely with Crossley and Atkins, he described the latter to the Secretary of State in the following terms: — 1
- Accustomed to inebriety, the ridicule of the community, proriouncing
sentence of dealli in niotneuts of intoxication, of weak determinationt and rtoalitig and infirm opinions ; his knowledge of the law insignificant, Bub- jeet to private inclination, iind so conatitnted that confidential causBB of | tlic CrowTi, where due secrecy was required^ were not to be entrusted to him/' Bligh's demeanour in 1807 may be gathered from its description by Dr. Harris.^ Those who have been misled by the assumption that King did nothing to repress traffic in spirits have necessarily misinterpreted the events of Bligh's short rule. Imagining that Bligh arrested traffick-
- r1 Idem,passim, and in Blighs reply read to the Court by the Judge-Advocate.
- r2 To protect their position, the Court referred to section 4 of the Act 12
Geo, I., cap. 29, imposing transportation for seven years on any convicted perjurer practicing as attorney, &c., "in any suit or action." (Confirmed by 21 Geo, II., cap. 3.)
- r3 Supra, p. 392.
