circle round the gallows. His lordship walked up the steps of the scaffold with great composure, and having joined with the chaplain in repeating the Lord's prayer, which he called a fine composition, he spoke the following words with great fervency"O God, forgive me all my errors! pardon all my sins!" He then presented his watch to Mr. Vaillant, and gave five guineas to the assistant of the executioner, by mistake, instead of giving them to himself. The master demanding the money, a dispute arose between the parties, which might have discomposed the dying man, had not the sheriff exerted his authority to put an end to it. The executioner now proceeding to do his duty, lord Ferrer's neckcloth was taken off, a white cap, which he had brought in his pocket, put on his head, his arms secured with a black sash, and the halter put round his neck. He then ascended the raised part of the scaffold, and the cap being pulled over his face, the sheriff gave a signal, on which the raised scaffold was struck, and remained level with the rest. After hanging an hour and five minutes, the body was received in a coffin lined with white satin, and conveyed to Surgeon's-hall, where an incision was made from the neck to the bottom of the breast, and the bowels were taken out; on inspection of which, the surgeons declared. that they had never beheld greater signs of long life in any subject which had come under their no. tice. His lordship's hat and the halter lay near his feet in the coffin, on the lid of which were these words" Laurence Earl Ferrers, suffered May 5, 1760." After the body had remained some time at Surgeon's hall, for public inspection, it was delivered to his friends for interment. But it would be unjust to his memory, not to mention that, dur

ing his imprisonment, he had made pecuniary recompence to several persons whom he had injured, during the extravagance of those passions to which he was unhappily subject.

FIELD, WILLIAM, (HIGHWAYMAN,) was an accomplice of the notorious Hawke, (see HAWKE) and went by a variety of names, particularly that of GREEN. Not having learnt any trade, he entered into the service of a gentleman, with whom he lived three years, but was at length discharged on account of his character. However, he got another place, through a false recommendation; but his extravagance and ill hours induced this master likewise to discharge him. Being reduced to great poverty, he resolved on commencing highwayman; and, having hired horses at livery-stables, he committed such a variety of robberies, that he soon became the subject of public conversation. The money he acquired by his lawless depredations, he squandered among men and women of abandoned character. At length he was taken by the officers of justice, who carried him before a magistrate, by whom he was committed to Newgate. He was tried at the next sessions at the Old Bailey when the prosecutor gave his testimony against him in so favourable a manner, that though the jury found him guilty, they recommended him to the royal mercy; the consequence

that he was reprieved for transportation in the year 1770. On his arrival in North America he was sold as a slave, but soon finding means to escape with other slaves to New-York, they embarked on board a vessel bound for Pool, and landed in England. Field hastening to London, engaged with Hawke in the practice of robbing on the highway,

highway, and making large booties, he assumed the character of a gentleman; when, courting a girl who lived servant with a man of fortune, she consented to accept him for a husband. For some months after his marriage, he committed highway robberies about twice a week; but his wife had no suspicion of the life he led, conceiving him to be a man in good circumstances. It is said, that in five months he collected 10,000l. in bills of exchange and cash. He frequently committed four or five robberies on a night, sometimes on Finchley Common, and often on Shooter's-hill, Blackheath, and other places in that neighbourhood; when once, being closely pursued, he effected a difficult escape to town. After this he frequented Patney Common and its adjacencies, whence he brought considerable booties to London. Field, Hawke, and another, having robbed some coaches, dined and made merry at a public-house at Barnes, and staying till it was near night, they crossed Kew Bridge, and went to Acton, where they slept, being afraid of coming to London.Notice having been given at Sir John Fielding's office, persons were sent out on different roads, and the offenders being taken, were conveyed, handcuffed, to Tothill-fields Bridewell. On a subsequent day they were examined, and a great number of robberies being sworn against Hawke and Field, they were remanded to prison, whence the former made his escape in a few days. Though Field had returned from transportation, it was thought proper to indict him at the Surrey assizes for the subsequent robberies, when he would have pleaded guilty; but Lord Chief Baron Smythe advised him to put himself on his trial; and the jury

having given a verdict against him, the judge pronounced sentence, after addressing him in the most pathetic manner. Being conveyed to the New Gaol in Southwark, he was attended by the Rev. Mr. Dyer, to whom he acknowledged that the robbe. ries he had been charged with were far short of those he had committed, and appeared very penitent for his crimes. At the place of execution, he warned young people to avoid bad company, as it was the certain road to destruction. He suffered at Kennington Common, September 1, 1778. See POULTER, &c.

FISHER, MARGARET, (FELON,) was indicted at the Old Bailey, in Sept. 1722, for pri vately stealing thirteen guineas from the person of Dan. M'Donald, who gave his evidence in the following singular manner :

"And leek yer loardship, I had just taken my wages, thirteen guineas in goud, and was gawn alang King-strate, in Wasmanster, when I mat wi' this fow quean at the bare, and she speird where I was gawn; I taud her hame. She said gen I wad ga wi' hur tull Joanny Davis's hoose, she wad gi me a drame, sir, for, in troth, she tuck me for a poor gawkey, boss headed chiel, and leek yer loardship. Sa she tuck haud o'my haind, and lad me a gat I kenna' reet weel.

And when

we came tull Joanny Davis's hoose, she caud for muckle beer and braindy, and gerd me as bung as a swobe, and leek yer hoanour. I staid there wi' her a pratty while; and thane, sir, I`pit my haind intull my bricks, to feel for money to pay the rackoning; but the deel a bawbie could I find, for it was aw tint And when I speird about it, they glowred, and taud me, gen 1 wanna' tack myself

awaw,

awaw, they wad gar me ga, wi' a deel to me; and sa sir, they dang me su' sair, and turned me oot at the back door, intull the strate, and I rambled aboot, and cou' na' find the hoose agen: and the watchmen met wi' me, and carried me intull the roond hoose. And there I taud 'em hoo I had been roabed. The neist moarning I gade and food oot Joanny Davis's hoose, but she was rin away and the prasoner too. But at neet, about saven a cloke, I mat wi' this ampudent betch at the bare, and tuck her up. I ken weel enuh that she must ha' my goud, for na saul alse was wi' me but Joanny Davis, wha brote what we cawd for. Let her denee it an she can. Somebody (but I kenna' whaw it was) offered me sax guineas in my haind to make the matter up, but I wanna tack it."

In her defence the prisoner alledged, that meeting with a coachman and the prosecutor, the former asked her to drink; on which they went to the house of Mrs. Davis; but that she sat on the opposite side of the room that the prosecutor did, and had not robbed him; and that nothing was found upon her when she was searched. The jury not believing her allegations, and the prisoner having no persons to appear in behalf of her character she was found guilty, and received sentence of death. Having, however, pleaded pregnancy,

which

* In circumstantial evidence, a good character has great weight with the jury; and, doubtless, this woman would have been acquitted, had any one appeared in her behalf. The want of character, therefore,