Page 57 - Reading Mercury

change countenance, but with a steady composure which baffles all description,.
Spoke comfort to all around, and especially to his passengers the ladies, whom he
took first care of, handed and placed them in the longboat before he would suffer
anyone else to go into it, and then went in himself, when all the ship’s crew were
following him, which he opposed, saying they would sink the boat; but now all
command was over, and they swore they would come in, for their lives were as dear
to them as his to him. The captain then asked if any of them would come to him into
the pinnace, the small boat, which lay next to the long boat, and some answered they
would, when the humane gallant captain jumped into the pinnace, and five or six of
the sailors followed him, who were all drowned on the French shore, the boat being
turned keel upwards by the violence of the surge. The poor captain was thrown on the
beach near Calais; where, though he was stripped naked was hardly cold when some
of the French Admiralty came to view the body, which lay guarded by his dog, who
swam on shore with his master, and never forsook the body till it was buried. This
Captain Suttie was the brother to Sir George Suttie, of Balgovan, who is a member of
Parliament for Haddingtonshire, in Scotland; and this relation is given by a lady who
was one of the passengers that escaped in the long boat.

Last Saturday night, between ten and eleven o’clock, two highwayman, well
mounted, robbed Miss Reynolds (sister to Lord Ducie) in her carriage facing his grace
the Duke of Buccleugh’s house in Grosvenor square, and afterwards rode towards
Oxford-street; several carriages and people were passing in the square at the same
time.

The following are some particulars relative to the unfortunate circumstances which
happened on Monday night at the Golden Lion in the Strand, Mess Hunt and Smith,
two paymaster Sergeants of the first battalions of the regiment of foot guards, in the
Tower, called at the above house where being elevated with liquor a quarrel ensued,
and they both drew their swords, and exchanged a few passes; Smith then desired to
wave the decition till another opportunity, and pointed his sword downwards; some
aggravating words were at this uttered, when Hunt stabbed Smith in the right side, of
which wound he expired in about half an hour. The deceased has left a wife and 4
children.
Yesterday Sergeant Hunt was examined at the Rotation office in Bow-street, for the
st
murder of Sergeant Smith, both of the 1 regiment of foot guards, at the Golden Lion
facing Exe Strand and committed to Tothill fields bridewell for further examination.
At the time of Sergeant Hunt’s examination the crowd was so very great in Bow-
street to hear the examination, that several people were much hurt and many lost their
watches and handkerchiefs.

WOKINGHAM, December 8.
Sunday last three deserters belonging to the 32d regiment of foot, (ordered to
embark for America) were brought here, and lodged in the town gaol, from thence
they were to be escorted to their regiment; but early on Monday morning one of them
found means to get off his handcuffs and by breaking a hole through the wall, made
his escape, leaving his fellow prisoners in confinement, who deemed it more prudent
to throw themselves upon the mercy of the court martial, than by a second
transgression, run the hazard of being retaken and severely punished.

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