which, by the infinite mercy of God, I beseech of that God you may obtain. And as to you, other unhappy prisoners, the wretched victims of his seduction and example, to what a dreadful and ignominious fate have you brought yourselves, and what sorrow and affliction have been entailed upon your wretched families, by the atrocity of your crimes, and your purposed and sanguinary attempts to subvert that happy constitution and government, under the mild protection of which you might still have continued to pursue industrious avocations, and enjoy with comfort the fruits of your honest and peaceful labours; and the unexampled mildness and merciful tendency of whose laws you have this day experienced in a long, a patient, a fair, and most impartial trial, before that respectable and discerning jury, who have convicted you on the most uncontroverted evidence of your guilt. May the awful and impressive example of your untimely fate prove a warning to your wicked associates and accomplices in every quarter of this realm, and induce them to abandon those machinations which have brought you to this disgraceful catastrophe! May they learn to avoid your fate by cultivating the blessings of that constitution which you have calumniated and endeavoured to subvert, and by pursuing their honest and industrious avocations, and avoiding political cabals and seditious conspiracies, avoid also those dreadful consequences in which they themselves would most probably be amongst the first victims. The same earnest advice I have just given your unfortunate leader and seducer, I now offer to you, which is, to make the best use of the short period of life now remaining, to make your peace with an offended God for your crimes, and seek mercy in another life, which the interest of your fellow-creatures will not suffer to be extended to here! The only thing remaining for me is the painful task of pronouncing against you, and each of you, the awful sentence which the law denounces against your crime, which is, that you, and each of you (here his lordship named the prisoners severally) be taken

to the place from whence you came, and from thence you. are to be drawn on hurdles, to the place of execution, where you are to be hanged by the neck, but not until you are dead, for while you are still living your bodies are to be taken down, your bowels torn out and burnt before your faces; your heads are to be then cut off, and your bodies divided each into four quarters, and your heads and quarters to be then at the king's disposal; and may the Almighty God have mercy on your souls!"

On Saturday afternoon, Feb. 19, 1803, was received the information that the warrant for execution, to take place on the following Monday, was made out. It was sent to the keeper of the New Gaol in the Borough at six o'clock on Saturday evening, and included the names of Col. Despard, Tho. Broughton, John Francis, Arthur Graham, John Macnamara, John Wood, and James Sedgwick Wratten; the three other prisoners, Newman, Tyndal, and Lander, recommended by the jury to mercy, having been respited.

As soon as the warrant for execution was received, it was communicated to the unhappy persons by the keeper of the prison, Mr. Ives, with as much tenderness and humanity as the awful nature of the case required. We believe it was expected by all-by all it was received with resignation and fortitude, Col. Despard observed, upon its being communicated to him, that the time was short; yet he had not had, from the first, any strong expectation that the recommendation of the jury would be effectual. The mediation of Lord Nelson, and a petition to the Crown, were tried, but Col Despard was convinced, according to report, that they would be unavailing.

From the moment of his conviction, he had begun to prepare himself for that last moment that was to close all sublunary scenes upon him for ever! During the whole of the interval between the period of passing and the executing his sentence, he behaved with composure.-Much

of his time was employed in writing, some in reading, and the greater part with his wife, Mrs. Despard

Soon after the warrant was received, all papers, and every thing he possessed, were immediately taken from the colonel. He was strictly searched, to discover whether he had any knife or means of self-destruction concealed about him, and every thing that was thought might enable him to put an end to his existence, was conveyed out of his reach. There is no reason to suppose he had the slightest design of committing suicide; but these are the usual and necessary precautionary measures.

Mrs. Despard was greatly affected when she first heard his fate was sealed, but afterwards recovered her fortitude. Accompanied by another lady, she had a last interview with him on the sunday preceding his execution, about three o'clock. The lady wept bitterly, but first Mrs. Despard, and then the colonel, reproached her with her weakness. Mr. and Mrs. Despard bore up with great firmness, even in parting; and when she got into a coach, as it drove off she waved her handkerchief out of the window. The other prisoners bore their fate with equal hardihood, but conducted themselves with less solemnity than the colonel. Their wives, &c. were allowed to take a farewell of them on the same day, and the scene was truly distressing!

Five of these men attended on Sunday morning, a chapel within the gaol, used for its inhabitants only. Macnamara, being a Roman Catholic, did not attend; neither did the colonel, who had constantly refused the assistance of a clergyman.

At day-light on Sunday morning, the drop, scaffold, and gallows, on which they were to be executed, were erected on the top of the gaol. The erection of the apparatus of death gave full information of the approaching event, and great crowds continued to arrive and retire, viewing the place the whole day. All the Bow-street patrole, and many other peace-officers were on duty all day and night, and the military near London were drawn up close to it.

Mrs. Despard, after having taken leave of her husband at three in the afternoon, came again about five o'clock; but it was thought adviseable to spare the colonel the pangs of a second parting, and she was therefore not admitted into the prison. She evinced some indignation at the refusal, and expressed a strong opinion with respect to the cause for which her husband was to suffer.

After Mrs. Despard had left the colonel, at three o'clock, he walked up and down his cell for some time, seemingly more agitated than he had been at the period of taking leave of his wife. Between six and seven in the evening, he threw himself on the bed, and fell into a short sleep. At eight o'clock he awoke, and addressed one of the officers of the prison, who was with him, in these words:"Me-they shall receive no information from me-no, not for all the gifts, the gold, and jewels in the possession of the crown!" He then composed himself, and remained silent. These expressions might induce some to suppose that endeavours had been made to prevail upon him to make disclosures. Whether this was the case or not, we are not able to say.

Sir Richard Ford was at the prison on Sunday, and we believe saw the colonel and all the other prisoners-but we have not heard that his visit had for its object to induce them to make any confessions. In the course of the evening, the colonel was visited by his solicitor, who came to ask him where he wished to be buried? He was silent for some minutes-and at length replied, he believed several of his countrymen were buried at Pancras-he therefore desired to be buried there.

When Mr. Ives went to communicate the warrant for execution to two of the prisoners, Wood and Graham, thay said, they wished to have some conversation with him. On Sunday evening he went to them, attended by the clergyman, Mr. Winkworth.-Graham then entered into a long conversation with him, upon the motives of the meeting at the public-house where they were apprehended; but we do not learn that he threw any new light

upon the subject, or made any discoveries of importance. Macnamara spent the whole of the night in prayer. The Roman Catholic priest left him at a late hour of the night, and came again early in the morning. Graham, Wratten, and another (Wood we believe) were the greaterpart of the night engaged in a similar manner. They were dissenters. Broughton and Francis were protestants. Col. Despard slept from three to half past four; the remainder of the night he passed in walking up and down his cell. The rest of the prisoners slept about two hours.

All the arrangements for the execution were settled on Sunday by Sir Rd. Ford, and the sheriffs of Surrey, with the government and the magistrates. Sir Richard slept that night at a Mr. Smith's, in order to be near the prison.

At four o'clock the following morning, Monday, February 21st, the drum beat at the Horse-guards, as a signal for the cavalry to assemble. We understand that four regiments were on duty. Two troops of horse were stationed at the Obelisk; others patroled the roads from the Obelisk to the Elephant and Castle, and down the Borough road. The military occupied their station as soon as it was day-light.

It was not till past five o'clock that persons began to pour in any numbers along the Westminster and Cityroads to Horsemonger-lane.

At half past six the prison-bell rang, the signal for unlocking the cells. Mr. Winkworth, the clergyman, and Mr. Griffith, the Roman Catholic priest (the same gentleman who attended Quigley when he was executed), came to the prison, and were immediately admitted to the pri

soners.

At seven o'clock five of them, Broughton, Francis,Graham, Wood, and Wratten went into the chapel. They attended to the prayers with great carnestness, but at the same time without seeming to lose that firmness they had displayed since their trial. Before they received the sacrament, four of them confessed they had done wrong,