Villiers Pearce before the court, England, 1854

Thought the following report might be of interested. It appeared in The Times, Mon 27 Feb 1854.

"CLERKENWELL.- Villiers Pearce was put to the bar be- fore Mr. CORRIE on a remand, charged that he having been convicted and transported for felony, was at large without license before the expiration of his sentence. Seven years ago the accused was convicted of forging the signature of the Marchioness of Queensberry to a check, which he presented for payment at Messrs. Couttts's bank, where he was given in charge, the forgery being at once detected, and he was ordered to be transported for 10 years. Five months ago he came to London and was living in obsurity with his wife and children, when, through some family dispute, his hiding-place was made known to Sir Richard Mayne, the Commissioner of Police, and on Sunday he was apprehended by Sergeant Gunn of the G division, and remanded from the above court to procure his former conviction. That evidence was now given against him; and was asked by Mr. Corrie if he had anything to say, as it was his duty to commit him for trial at the ensuing Old Bailey Sessions, the pri- soner, who was extremely agitated and seemed overwhelmed with remorse, thanked the worthy magistrate, saying, "His history was a sad one, indeed, and he hoped the statement he was about to make might be placed on the depositions, so that the judge and jury by whom he would be cried should become aware of the severe sufferings and privations he had endured." The learned magistrate kindly informed him that his wishes should be complied with. The Prisoner then said,- At the period of the offence for which I was convicted, I was in the most acute pecuniary distress, with a wife and a large family of children. A series of misfortunes, the most heavy was the rest of my second wife, by which I lost an annuity of 150l., with a great falling off, notwithstanding all my exertions, of my occupation as a reporter to the public press, brought about mainly the distress in question. Previous to the commis- sion of the offence I had through life borne an irreproachable character. In early life, from 1818 to 1822, I held some most responsible appointments in Jamaica and other West India islands; from 1829 to 1834 I held the appointment of magistrate's clerk and post-master at Bong Bong, in New South Wales, and afterwards was superintendant of large farms at Bathhurst, over the Blue Mountains, in the same colony. At the latter period I had a wife and family of young children, the former a most amiable partner, whom I had the misfortune to lose in 1838, leaving me with seven young children. My connexions are most respectable; my late father was an officer of rank, and of very meritorious ser- vices, and my eldest brother is at present a major in the Royal Marine corps. I was convicted in October, 1846, was three months in the Millbank Penitentiary, in solitary con- finement, subsequently three years and two months in the Warrior convict ship at Woolwich, and I was sent abroad in March, 1850. At Milbank and at the hulks I had the best possible character. On my arrival at Hobart Town I had a ticket of leave, which I retained until I left the colony, never having forfeited the same for a day by any insubordination. My motive in leaving Van Diemen's Land, was to proceed to the gold-diggings, in the hope I might be successful and better the condition of my family at home, who are in very im- poverished circumstances, but although my exertions were great in California, Victoria, and New South Wales, I was unsuccessful. It is true, I made, occasionally, some money, but I was robbed of it on the roads by bushrangers, and was frequently illused and robbed at Melbourne and Geelong by the worst of characters. I was shipwrecked twice, and once burnt out at sea, the first time in Torres Straits, be- tween New Holland and New Guinea, on a reef of coral rocks. Upon this occasion I lost between 70l. and 80l., and all my luggage, 11 of us only getting ashore out of a ship's company of 27, chiefly Lascars, Malays, and Chinamen. After 30 days of great suffering and pri- vation we were picked up by an American whaler, and ultimately reached Sydney. I was subsequently wrecked in a brigatine called the breaston, going from Melbourne to Adelaide, and then lost all I possessed in the world, having had another narrow escape of my life. In returning from San Francisco to Melbourne, in a vessel called the White Squall, she caught fire, and we were obliged to abandon her and take to the boats; but a great number o the crew and pbuttengers perished by fire and water, the survivors in the boats reaching Tahiti in about eight days in a state of great exhaustion, many of whom afterwards died from the effects of the same. I again reached Mel- bourne, and, after recovering my health in the hospital, I went to Forest Creek and many other diggings, where I obtained some wealth, and in returning with it to Melbourne, the last time from Forest Creek, I was attacked by bushrangers, armed with re- volvers, most cruelly beaten, stripped and robbed of all I had. Eventually, while in Auckland, I saw a bark, bound for England, in want of hands. The temptation was too great, for I had long mourned to reach my dear family, and I shipped myself as ordinary seaman and buttistant steward, and we left the settlement in July with a miserable crippled ship's company, and made a very severe pbuttage round the Cape, losing masts, sails, rigging, boat, bul- warks, and many of the crew from the yard-arm, and finally we reached England in September last, after a most awful pbuttage of 4 months and 26 days. Under all these cir- cumstances of my present unhappy condition I humbly hope that the Legislature will humanely consider the long, severe, and various descriptions of punishments I have undergone since my conviction; and I would also most humbly and respectfully call the attention of the authorities to the fact that the offence for which I have so severely suffered was my first deviation from strict recbreastude, also that it was only required of me by the then regulation of the convict service that I should serve five years on the public works at Woolwich. If I had completed the remain- der 20 months I should have been discharged a free man. I will further add, that at the time I left Van Diemen's Land, six months after my conviction, I was enbreastled to a conditional pardon, which would have left me free to leave the colony, therefore, I fervently implore the Govern- ment to have compbuttion on me for the sake of my numerous and repectable family - for my great mental and bodily sufferings, and for my present weakly, worn out, debilitated state of health."

Regards,

Martin Elliget London (ex Brisbane)