The Trial of Charles Random de Berenger, Sir Thomas Cochrane, commonly called Lord Cochrane, the Ho | Page 7

controul, or part of which he may have contrived for his own
security, is as clearly established as if deposed to by the testimony of
eye-witnesses.
Gentlemen, by the same sort of evidence by which in these, and various

other cases, the lives of individuals are affected, I undertake to bring
home this case to the Defendants upon this Record. I undertake to shew,
that such a conspiracy did exist as this Indictment charges; and I
undertake to prove every one of these Defendants acting in furtherance
and execution of the conspiracy, so as to leave no more doubt upon
your minds, when you have heard the evidence, that they were all
parties to this conspiracy, than if you had witnesses before you who
were present with them in consultation, and heard them assign to each
man the part which he was to act.
Gentlemen, in the security in which we now repose, in the triumph in
which we are now indulging, it is difficult to carry back our minds to
the state of agonizing suspense in which we were at the critical time at
which this conspiracy took place. At that time the empire of him for
whom Europe itself appeared too small, was not confined within the
narrow limits of the Isle of Elba; he had been driven back, it is true,
from the extremity of Europe into France.--France itself was invaded,
and our illustrious Allies had made considerable progress towards Paris,
but they had been more than once repulsed, and one army had, by
almost super-human efforts, preserved itself from destruction; but the
fortune of war was uncertain; in this age of miracles, no man could tell
what would be the final event; and every one was waiting in breathless
expectation for the destruction of him (or at least of his power) who had
been so long the destroyer of his species. Gentlemen, at that most
critical moment, when the funds were so liable to be affected by every
event of the war, when they were liable to be affected still more by the
Negotiations at Chatillon, which were then pending--at that moment
this conspiracy with respect to the Funds took place; and you will bear
this in mind, Gentlemen, that if the false news were believed but for a
single hour, the mischief to the public would be done--the object of the
conspirators would be accomplished.
Gentlemen, the first person whom I shall have to present to you, as
bearing a principal part in this conspiracy; the main agent in its
execution, will be proved to be the Defendant, Charles Random de
Berenger;--he was a fit person to be selected for the purpose;--he was a
foreigner by birth; he had resided long in this country; he would pass

very well for an officer; he had been for fourteen or fifteen months a
prisoner for debt in the King's Bench, or rather within the Rules of the
King's Bench; he would be a convenient man afterwards to convey
away; as he would prefer a residence in any other country, because his
creditors resided in this.
You will find that he made his appearance a little after midnight of
Sunday, the 20th of February--the morning of Monday, the 21st of
February; at Dover; he was first seen in the street, enquiring for the
Ship Hotel; he was shewn to it, he knocked loudly at the door, and
obtained admittance; he was dressed in a grey military great coat, a
scarlet uniform, richly embroidered with gold lace, (the uniform of a
Staff Officer) a star on his breast, a silver medal suspended from his
neck, a dark fur cap with a broad gold lace, and he had a small
portmanteau; he announced himself as an Aid de Camp to Lord
Cathcart, just arrived from Paris; that he was the bearer of glorious
news, that a decisive battle had taken place, that Bonaparte was pursued
and killed by the Cossacks, that the Allied Sovereigns were actually in
Paris, and that now (that most welcome news to the Inhabitants of
Dover) an immediate Peace was certain. He desired to have a sheet of
paper, that he might write a letter to the Port-Admiral at Deal, Admiral
Foley; paper was furnished, and he sat down to write, and soon
afterwards the letter was dispatched to the Port-Admiral at Deal. Upon
persons coming round him and importuning him with questions, he
pretended to be extremely fatigued. He said he had travelled two or
three nights. "Do not pester me with questions, you will know it
to-morrow from the Port-Admiral." He ordered a post-chaise and four
for London, and he offered to pay with some gold Napoleons; the
landlord of the inn did not know exactly the value of a Napoleon, and
scrupled to take them,