—I received directions at my own shop, from a person calling himself Mr. Jennings.
Mr. Serjeant Talfourd. Did you, in consequence of any directions you received, go on board the vessel?—He took me on board the vessel the same day, in the shipwright’s boat.
In pursuance of any directions you received, did you do any thing?—I numbered each cask, beginning at 1, 2, 3, and completing each.
Each stave?—Yes; and then took the heads off the staves, put them on the inside of the staves, put them up together, and formed them into stacks.
Mr. Justice Maule. When you went on board, you found some staves and heads of casks?—I found the casks.
Mr. Serjeant Talfourd. He found the casks, and took them to pieces.
Mr. Justice Maule. You found the casks in the state of casks?—Yes, they were stowed in the hold of the vessel, full of water.
How many casks?—I think of the larger kind there were about twelve.
Mr. Serjeant Talfourd. About how many smaller ones?—I should say there were about fifty of the smaller kind.
Mr. Justice Maule. What did you do with the large casks?—Razed the staves of the large casks. I numbered each stave, stave by stave, till I had completed the circle of thirty or forty staves.