Gentlemen, I asked the boy at first, whether, instead of going to search in request of Mr. Church, he and the potter, West, had not gone to search for thieves? and he answered me, “Yes.” But afterwards, he gave us some explanation, and said, “that he did not search the house particularly for thieves, but made a search to find if any body was about.” Now, Gentlemen, upon this subject I am also enabled to give you some evidence, because I understand that both the boy and West distinctly stated, when they were before the Magistrate, that they did go and search the house for thieves, and that they made no other search but for thieves. Now, if there was any search made for thieves—if there was any notion in the mind of this boy that thieves were in the house, it would be quite impossible that he could be correct in the story he has told you to-day. And whether he has not magnified the thing—whether something which he has supposed to have happened between sleeping and awake that never happened—whether he has not been giving you a connected account now of what he had a confused notion then—is for your consideration. But there is another circumstance respecting the case which is very important. The transaction, if it ever did take place, took place in the night of the 25th of September. On the 9th of October, and not until the ninth of October, does Mr. Patrick go to Mr. Church. There is a lapse of a fortnight. The witness whom I shall call to you will state, that after coming out from Mr. Church’s, Mr. Patrick expressed himself satisfied that Mr. Church was not implicated. Now let us try that by the conduct of Mr. Patrick and of this boy. This is the 9th of October, and until the 12th of November no charge before a Magistrate is made. I beg to ask you whether the conduct of Mr. Patrick, in forbearing to make any charge before a Magistrate until the 12th of November, is not the strongest evidence that what my witness will state to you is true? That he was then satisfied that Mr. Church was not implicated in this abominable, odious, and unnatural transaction. Gentlemen, such charges ought never to be slept upon. No, not for an hour. If there be such a charge as that, and if it be really true that such things have taken place, no man ought to rest on it for a single hour.—The charge ought to be made directly. But, what excuse is urged for this delay? “Oh,” says my learned friend, “At last the transaction reached the ears of the apprentice’s father.” Why, you wont suppose that the apprentice’s father had just returned from an East-India Voyage, and that the transaction coming to his ears on the 11th of November, he brought forward the charge. Gentlemen, there is no pretence for such an excuse. The boy slept at his father’s. He did not sleep at his master’s. Did he return to his father’s house? His father lived within a quarter of a mile of Mr. Patrick, and he was in daily intercourse with his father, and had