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Domestic News
March 20, 1800
The Kentucky Gazette
Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky
What is this article about?
On February 7, 1800, President John Adams transmitted to the U.S. House of Representatives a report from Secretary of State Timothy Pickering with documents on the requisition and delivery of Thomas Nash, alias Jonathan Robbins, to British authorities for piracy and murder on the HMS Hermione, confirming he was not American.
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Congress of the United States:
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
Friday, February 7.
Message of the president of the United States, transmitting a
REPORT
Of the secretary of state, and sundry documents relative to the requisition for
and delivery of Jonathan Robbins.
In pursuance of a resolution of the house
of representatives, of the 4th inst.
Gentlemen of the
House of Representatives,
IN consequence of your request to me,
conveyed in your resolution of the fourth
of this month, I directed the secretary of
state to lay before me, copies of the pa-
papers intended. These copies together
with his report, I now transmit to the
house of representatives, for the confide-
ration of the members.
JOHN ADAMS.
United States,
February, 7, 1800.
DEPARTMENT OF STATE,
February 6th, 1800.
THE secretary of state has prepared,
as directed, and now respectfully submits
to the president of the United States, co-
pies of the papers which probably were
contemplated by the house of representa-
tives, in their resolve of the 4th inst. al-
though no requisition, as the resolve sup-
poses, has ever been received, nor any
communication made to the judge of the
district court of South-Carolina, concer-
ning any man by the name of Jonathan
Robbins. But by the proceedings be-
fore that judge, as they have been pub-
lis hed, it appears that a seaman named
Thomas Nash, the subject of the British
minister's requisition, did assume the name
of Jonathan Robbins, and make oath,
"that he was a native of the state of Con-
necticut, and born in Danbury, in that
state." The secretary therefore, besides
the copy of the requisition and the co-
pies of his letter to the judge of the dis-
trict court of South Carolina, and the
judge's answer, has prepared and herewith
encloses copies of the certificates of the
selectmen and town clerk of Danbury,
and extracts of letters from admiral sir
Hyde Parker, satisfactorily proving, that
the Thomas Nash, calling himself Jona-
than Robbins, who on the requisition of
the British minister, was delivered up by
the judge aforesaid, with the assent of the
president of the United States, was not
an American citizen, but a native Irish-
man, who to his other crimes added per-
jury, in the hope, thereby to escape the
punishment due to piracy, and murder.
The original certificate of the selectmen
and town clerk, of Danbury, are in the
secretary's possession ; and he has compa-
red the extract of admiral Parker's letter
to Mr. Liston with the original, and the
extract of the admiral's letter to the
British consul at Charleston, with the pas-
sage as recited in the consul's original
letter to Mr. Liston.
All which is respectfully submitted,
TIMOTHY PICKERING.
[No. 1.]
[Copy of a note from Robert Liston, esq.
envoy extraordinary and minister plen-
ipotentiary of his Britannic majesty, to
Timothy Pickering, secretary of state
of the United States.]
R. Liston, presents his respects to colonel
Pickering, secretary of state.
A seaman of the name of Thomas Nash,
having been committed to jail, in
Charleston, (South Carolina) at the in-
stance of his majesty's consul there, on
suspicion of his having been an accomplice
in the piracy and murder committed on
board his majesty's ship Hermione, and
information of the circumstance having
been transmitted to vice admiral sir Hyde
Parker, a cutter was dispatched to Charles-
ton, with an officer on board, to whom
the man was well known, in order that
his person might be identified, and that
he should be carried to the West-Indies
for trial. But on the application of the
consul for the restoration of Nash, incon-
formity to the treaty of 1794, judge Bee,
and the federal attorney, were of opinion
that he could not with propriety be deli-
vered up without a previous requisition on
my part, made to the executive government
of the United States. May I therefore
request, sir, that you will be pleased to
lay this matter before the president, and
procure his orders that the said Thomas
Nash, be delivered up to justice.
Philadelphia, May 23d, 1799.
[No. 2.]
Letter from the secretary of state to judge
Bee.
DEPARTMENT OF STATE.
Philadelphia, June 3d, 1799.
SIR,
Mr. Liston, the minister of his Britan-
nic majesty, has requested that Thomas
Nash, who was a seaman on board the
British frigate Hermione, and who he is
informed is now a prisoner in the jail of
Charleston, should be delivered up. I
have stated the matter to the president
of the United States. He considers an
offence committed on board a public ship
of war, on the high seas, to have been
committed within the jurisdiction of the
the nation to which: the ship belongs.
Nash is charged, it is understood, with pi-
racy and murder, committed by him on
board the above mentioned British frigate,
on the high seas, and consequently " with-
in the jurisdiction" of his Britannic maje-
sty, and therefore, by the 27th article
of the treaty of amity with Great Britain,
Nath ought to be delivered up, as re-
quested by the British minister, provided
such evidence of his criminality be pro-
duced as by the laws of the United States
or of South Carolina, would justify his
apprehension and commitment for trial
if the offence had been committed within
the jurisdiction of the United States.
The president has in consequence hereot
authorized me to communicate to you
"his advice and request," that Thomas
Nath may be delivered up to the consul
or other agent of Great Britain, who
shall appear to receive him.
I have the honor to be, &c. &c.
(Signed)
TIMOTHY PICKERING.
The honorable Thomas Bee, esq.
judge of the district of South
Carolina.
[No. 3.]
Letter from Thomas Bee, esq. to the se-
cretary of State, dated Charleston,
South Carolina, 1st July, 1799.
In compliance with the request of the
president of the United States, as stated
in your favor of the 3d ult. I gave notice
to the British consul, that at the sitting
of the district court on this day, I would
order Thomas Nash, the prisoner charged
with having committed murder and pira-
cy on board the British frigate Hermione,
on such strong evidence of his criminali-
ty, as justified his apprehension and com-
mitment for trial, to be brought before
me on habeas corpus, in order to his being
delivered over, agreeable to the 27th ar-
ticle of the treaty of amity with Great-
Britain.—The consul attended in court,
and requested that the prisoner should
remain in jail until he had a convenient
opportunity of sending him away. I have
therefore directed, that he remain in pri-
son until the consul shall find it conveni-
ent to remove him.
I have the honor to be,
With great respect,
Your most
Obedient servant,
THOMAS BEE.
District judge of South Carolina.
Hon. T. Pickering,
Secretary of state.
[No. 4.]
Danbury, September 16, 1799.
We the subscribers selectmen of the
town of Danbury in the state of Connec-
ticut, certify, That we have always been
inhabitants of said town, and are from
forty-five to fifty-seven years of age, and
have never known an inhabitant of this
town by the name of Jonathan or Nathan
Robbins, and that there has not been nor
now is any family known by the name of
Robbins within the limits of said town.
Certified per ELI MYGAT.
EBENEZER BENEDICT,
JUSTUS BARNUM.
BENJAMIN HITCHCOCK.
Danbury, September 16, 1799.
The subscriber late town-clerk for the
town of Danbury, in the state of Connec-
ticut, certifies, that he kept the town re-
cords 25 years, viz. from the year 1771,
until the year 1796, that he is now fifty-
six years of age, and that he never knew
any person by the name of Robbins born
or residing in the said town of Danbury,
during that term of twenty-five years, be-
fore or since.
MAJOR TAYLOR.
[No. 5.]
Extract of a letter from admiral sir Hyde
Parker to Robert Liston, esq. envoy
extraordinary and minister plenipoten-
tiary of his Britannic majesty to the
United States, dated in Port Royal
harbor, Jamaica, 9th September, 1799.
" I have had the honor of re-
ceiving duplicates of your excellency's
letters, numbered 10, 11, and 12, and in
answer thereto acquaint you that in con-
sequence of Nash, one of the ringleaders
in the mutiny, murders, &c. on board the
Hermione being delivered up by the U.
nited States, to me, he has been tried at
a court-martial and sentenced to suffer
death, and afterwards hung in chains,
which sentence has been put in executi-
on. He acknowledged himself to be an
Irishman."
[No. 6.]
Extract of a letter from Benjamin Moodie,
esq. consul of his Britannic majesty
at Charleston, (South Carolina) to
Robert Liston, esq. envoy of his said
majesty, to the United States, dated
18th November, 1799.
In consequence of many obstacles I
had to encounter in obtaining the delive-
ry of Thomas Nash, late of his majesty's
ship Hermione, and of the numerous pub-
lications to the northward, and in this
place, I wrote to admiral sir Hyde Par-
ker, requesting he would be good enough
to send me minutes of the court-martial,
to which he answered under date the 13th
of September last :-" I am to acquaint
you that Nash has been executed agreea-
ble to the sentence of a court-martial,
and that he confessed himself to be an I.
rishman ; and it further appears by the
Hermione's books, that he was born at
Waterford; on the 21st of December,
1762, entered a volunteer on board the
Dover received 3l bounty money, and
was removed to the Hermione, 28th of
January, 1793. And with respect to
transmitting the minutes of his trial, that
is not in my power, but rests with the
lords of the admiralty only."
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
Friday, February 7.
Message of the president of the United States, transmitting a
REPORT
Of the secretary of state, and sundry documents relative to the requisition for
and delivery of Jonathan Robbins.
In pursuance of a resolution of the house
of representatives, of the 4th inst.
Gentlemen of the
House of Representatives,
IN consequence of your request to me,
conveyed in your resolution of the fourth
of this month, I directed the secretary of
state to lay before me, copies of the pa-
papers intended. These copies together
with his report, I now transmit to the
house of representatives, for the confide-
ration of the members.
JOHN ADAMS.
United States,
February, 7, 1800.
DEPARTMENT OF STATE,
February 6th, 1800.
THE secretary of state has prepared,
as directed, and now respectfully submits
to the president of the United States, co-
pies of the papers which probably were
contemplated by the house of representa-
tives, in their resolve of the 4th inst. al-
though no requisition, as the resolve sup-
poses, has ever been received, nor any
communication made to the judge of the
district court of South-Carolina, concer-
ning any man by the name of Jonathan
Robbins. But by the proceedings be-
fore that judge, as they have been pub-
lis hed, it appears that a seaman named
Thomas Nash, the subject of the British
minister's requisition, did assume the name
of Jonathan Robbins, and make oath,
"that he was a native of the state of Con-
necticut, and born in Danbury, in that
state." The secretary therefore, besides
the copy of the requisition and the co-
pies of his letter to the judge of the dis-
trict court of South Carolina, and the
judge's answer, has prepared and herewith
encloses copies of the certificates of the
selectmen and town clerk of Danbury,
and extracts of letters from admiral sir
Hyde Parker, satisfactorily proving, that
the Thomas Nash, calling himself Jona-
than Robbins, who on the requisition of
the British minister, was delivered up by
the judge aforesaid, with the assent of the
president of the United States, was not
an American citizen, but a native Irish-
man, who to his other crimes added per-
jury, in the hope, thereby to escape the
punishment due to piracy, and murder.
The original certificate of the selectmen
and town clerk, of Danbury, are in the
secretary's possession ; and he has compa-
red the extract of admiral Parker's letter
to Mr. Liston with the original, and the
extract of the admiral's letter to the
British consul at Charleston, with the pas-
sage as recited in the consul's original
letter to Mr. Liston.
All which is respectfully submitted,
TIMOTHY PICKERING.
[No. 1.]
[Copy of a note from Robert Liston, esq.
envoy extraordinary and minister plen-
ipotentiary of his Britannic majesty, to
Timothy Pickering, secretary of state
of the United States.]
R. Liston, presents his respects to colonel
Pickering, secretary of state.
A seaman of the name of Thomas Nash,
having been committed to jail, in
Charleston, (South Carolina) at the in-
stance of his majesty's consul there, on
suspicion of his having been an accomplice
in the piracy and murder committed on
board his majesty's ship Hermione, and
information of the circumstance having
been transmitted to vice admiral sir Hyde
Parker, a cutter was dispatched to Charles-
ton, with an officer on board, to whom
the man was well known, in order that
his person might be identified, and that
he should be carried to the West-Indies
for trial. But on the application of the
consul for the restoration of Nash, incon-
formity to the treaty of 1794, judge Bee,
and the federal attorney, were of opinion
that he could not with propriety be deli-
vered up without a previous requisition on
my part, made to the executive government
of the United States. May I therefore
request, sir, that you will be pleased to
lay this matter before the president, and
procure his orders that the said Thomas
Nash, be delivered up to justice.
Philadelphia, May 23d, 1799.
[No. 2.]
Letter from the secretary of state to judge
Bee.
DEPARTMENT OF STATE.
Philadelphia, June 3d, 1799.
SIR,
Mr. Liston, the minister of his Britan-
nic majesty, has requested that Thomas
Nash, who was a seaman on board the
British frigate Hermione, and who he is
informed is now a prisoner in the jail of
Charleston, should be delivered up. I
have stated the matter to the president
of the United States. He considers an
offence committed on board a public ship
of war, on the high seas, to have been
committed within the jurisdiction of the
the nation to which: the ship belongs.
Nash is charged, it is understood, with pi-
racy and murder, committed by him on
board the above mentioned British frigate,
on the high seas, and consequently " with-
in the jurisdiction" of his Britannic maje-
sty, and therefore, by the 27th article
of the treaty of amity with Great Britain,
Nath ought to be delivered up, as re-
quested by the British minister, provided
such evidence of his criminality be pro-
duced as by the laws of the United States
or of South Carolina, would justify his
apprehension and commitment for trial
if the offence had been committed within
the jurisdiction of the United States.
The president has in consequence hereot
authorized me to communicate to you
"his advice and request," that Thomas
Nath may be delivered up to the consul
or other agent of Great Britain, who
shall appear to receive him.
I have the honor to be, &c. &c.
(Signed)
TIMOTHY PICKERING.
The honorable Thomas Bee, esq.
judge of the district of South
Carolina.
[No. 3.]
Letter from Thomas Bee, esq. to the se-
cretary of State, dated Charleston,
South Carolina, 1st July, 1799.
In compliance with the request of the
president of the United States, as stated
in your favor of the 3d ult. I gave notice
to the British consul, that at the sitting
of the district court on this day, I would
order Thomas Nash, the prisoner charged
with having committed murder and pira-
cy on board the British frigate Hermione,
on such strong evidence of his criminali-
ty, as justified his apprehension and com-
mitment for trial, to be brought before
me on habeas corpus, in order to his being
delivered over, agreeable to the 27th ar-
ticle of the treaty of amity with Great-
Britain.—The consul attended in court,
and requested that the prisoner should
remain in jail until he had a convenient
opportunity of sending him away. I have
therefore directed, that he remain in pri-
son until the consul shall find it conveni-
ent to remove him.
I have the honor to be,
With great respect,
Your most
Obedient servant,
THOMAS BEE.
District judge of South Carolina.
Hon. T. Pickering,
Secretary of state.
[No. 4.]
Danbury, September 16, 1799.
We the subscribers selectmen of the
town of Danbury in the state of Connec-
ticut, certify, That we have always been
inhabitants of said town, and are from
forty-five to fifty-seven years of age, and
have never known an inhabitant of this
town by the name of Jonathan or Nathan
Robbins, and that there has not been nor
now is any family known by the name of
Robbins within the limits of said town.
Certified per ELI MYGAT.
EBENEZER BENEDICT,
JUSTUS BARNUM.
BENJAMIN HITCHCOCK.
Danbury, September 16, 1799.
The subscriber late town-clerk for the
town of Danbury, in the state of Connec-
ticut, certifies, that he kept the town re-
cords 25 years, viz. from the year 1771,
until the year 1796, that he is now fifty-
six years of age, and that he never knew
any person by the name of Robbins born
or residing in the said town of Danbury,
during that term of twenty-five years, be-
fore or since.
MAJOR TAYLOR.
[No. 5.]
Extract of a letter from admiral sir Hyde
Parker to Robert Liston, esq. envoy
extraordinary and minister plenipoten-
tiary of his Britannic majesty to the
United States, dated in Port Royal
harbor, Jamaica, 9th September, 1799.
" I have had the honor of re-
ceiving duplicates of your excellency's
letters, numbered 10, 11, and 12, and in
answer thereto acquaint you that in con-
sequence of Nash, one of the ringleaders
in the mutiny, murders, &c. on board the
Hermione being delivered up by the U.
nited States, to me, he has been tried at
a court-martial and sentenced to suffer
death, and afterwards hung in chains,
which sentence has been put in executi-
on. He acknowledged himself to be an
Irishman."
[No. 6.]
Extract of a letter from Benjamin Moodie,
esq. consul of his Britannic majesty
at Charleston, (South Carolina) to
Robert Liston, esq. envoy of his said
majesty, to the United States, dated
18th November, 1799.
In consequence of many obstacles I
had to encounter in obtaining the delive-
ry of Thomas Nash, late of his majesty's
ship Hermione, and of the numerous pub-
lications to the northward, and in this
place, I wrote to admiral sir Hyde Par-
ker, requesting he would be good enough
to send me minutes of the court-martial,
to which he answered under date the 13th
of September last :-" I am to acquaint
you that Nash has been executed agreea-
ble to the sentence of a court-martial,
and that he confessed himself to be an I.
rishman ; and it further appears by the
Hermione's books, that he was born at
Waterford; on the 21st of December,
1762, entered a volunteer on board the
Dover received 3l bounty money, and
was removed to the Hermione, 28th of
January, 1793. And with respect to
transmitting the minutes of his trial, that
is not in my power, but rests with the
lords of the admiralty only."
What sub-type of article is it?
Politics
Legal Or Court
Crime
What keywords are associated?
Jonathan Robbins
Thomas Nash
Extradition
Piracy
Murder
Hms Hermione
Treaty 1794
Charleston South Carolina
What entities or persons were involved?
John Adams
Timothy Pickering
Jonathan Robbins
Thomas Nash
Robert Liston
Thomas Bee
Hyde Parker
Benjamin Moodie
Eli Mygat
Ebenezer Benedict
Justus Barnum
Benjamin Hitchcock
Major Taylor
Where did it happen?
Philadelphia, United States
Domestic News Details
Primary Location
Philadelphia, United States
Event Date
February 7, 1800
Key Persons
John Adams
Timothy Pickering
Jonathan Robbins
Thomas Nash
Robert Liston
Thomas Bee
Hyde Parker
Benjamin Moodie
Eli Mygat
Ebenezer Benedict
Justus Barnum
Benjamin Hitchcock
Major Taylor
Outcome
thomas nash was delivered to british authorities, tried by court-martial, sentenced to death, executed, and hung in chains; he confessed to being an irishman born in waterford.
Event Details
President John Adams transmitted to the House of Representatives a report from Secretary of State Timothy Pickering with documents detailing the British requisition for Thomas Nash, who assumed the alias Jonathan Robbins and falsely claimed to be a native of Danbury, Connecticut; Nash was arrested in Charleston, South Carolina, for piracy and murder on the HMS Hermione, delivered under the 27th article of the 1794 treaty, proven not to be American via certificates and letters.