The National Register.
London, England, 1812-05-17 00:00:00

308

Lord COCHRANE has had several long interviews with
Lord MEI.VILLE at the Admiralty. His Lordship, it is
said, is ::bout to be employed on the coast of Spain.
A Bill is brought into the House of Commons for rev-
lating the Trade of Victuallers. All publicans in the
country, as well as those in town, arc to be obliged to sell
tHir ale, er, or porter, by the full ale measure ; • and on
account of the loss in town by sending out porter in pew-
ter pots, victuallers are to be allowed to send out ale, beer,
or porter in vessels made of wood, earth, glass, tin, or
other metal, of full ale measure; provided that no beer,
ale, or porter shall be sent out in pewter vessels of less size
than ore gallon.

ASSASSINATION OF THE
Rif-111T LION. SPENCER PERCEVAL.

It is with the mot deep-felt sorrow we have to record, that in the
sour-e ot Monday e ?ening, an act was perpetrated, exceeding in atro-
city any which has ever before stained the annals of this country.
A fe‘.... minutes after five o'clock on Monday afternoon, Mr. Perceval
pr.iceed< don foot and alone from his residence in Downing-street to the
lions' or o,:r.tvenii. On entering the lobl:y, a man, who had been
some 6rne there, held a pistol over him on his left side, fired, and shot
him through the left breast, near his heart. Mr. Perceval walked for-
t three or tear yards, as if nothitz bad happened, and had
reached the midway between the door of the lobby and the immediate
door of :he House, when he staggered, and sunk on his knees, exclaim-
in in a faint voice, "I am murdered !" or " murder !" Mr. Francis
Phillips, a gentleman from the neighbourhood of. Manchester, who hap-
pened t- be in the lobby, instantly rushed forwards, raised, and sup- I
ported hm. Mr. Perceval groaned twice very deeply, and was carried
into the Speaker's .:-.,eretary s room, where he bled profusely, both from
tin : wound arid from his month, and in about five minutes, without ut.
•r ;Lig a sin 'le word, expired in the arms of Mr. Phillips. 'I he lobby
w eers; thin, not above twenty persons being in it. The assassin, as
50011 au he had perpetrated this diabolical act, made no attempt what-
ever to es.--are, but retreated to a bench near the fire-place in the lobby.
A gentiemac, of the name of Jerdan, who had followed Mr. Perceval
into the lo UN'. immediately seized him, and never quitted his grasp
until he was tifce,l Olio the House of Commons. While held securely
th„ vie Burgess, the Solicitor, of Curzon-street, Mayfair
(who was also 'n the h.,''bY), wrenched the pistol which he had just dis-
charged, and which was yet warm, from the right band of the assassin.
soon after-:his General dascoigne entered the lobby from above stairs,
and oa seeing the assassin, anti hearing what a dreadful occurrence It .d
taken place, was w izh difficulty prevented from doing him a serious mis-
chief. I'he General, and Mr. Vincent Dowling, who had entered the
lobby with him, proceeded to search the villain. Mr. Dowling took
from his breeches teh..ket an opera glass, and a loaded pistol. General
Ga-coi.oie drew from another pocket a bundle of papers, which he
band <i to Mr. liatrie, :eJcniber for Weymccuth. Mr. Burgess also took
from him a guinea in gold, a one pound note, a five and sixpenny token,
two eiAteeo peony tokens, some keys, and a den-knife. By this time
the lobby bad become a scene of the utmost contOsion- The alarm had
been circulated through every adjoining part. Members came rushing
in from the Flouse, Peers from the House of Lords, strangers from
ressions the
ex
gallery, and witnesses front the Committee rooms, ant. p
of horror, grief, and indignation, resounded from ever)* side. Two of
the messengers proceeded to drag the assassin into the House, where the
utmost confusion and anxiety prevailed. The Speaker had quitted the
Chair, the H iuse having resolved itself into the Committee On the Or-
ders inn Council, but on hearing the afflicting intelligence, he returned
and re-limed his seat. Order having been restored, General Gascoigne
said, in an audible voice. " I think I know the villain," and walking up
to the : s-assin, aiid looking in his face, inquired, " is not your nano
13, Ili! gh rn ?" Ile returned no answer, but by shaking his head, and
srsod aiter wards motionless, and apparently composed, resting his
hands upon the Bar, and looking directly forwards to the Chair.
The Speaker then proposed, in a firm voice, that the criminal should
be conveyed to the prison-room, and that a Magistrate should be sent
for to receive the examination of the witnesses of the shocking transac-
tion. This was agreed to, and the prisoner was accordingly conducted
to the prison-room (which is at the top of the House of Commons),
guarded by the Serjeant at Arms, and several of the Messengers, pre-
ceded
and followed by Mr. Alderman Combe, Mr. M. A. Taylor, Mr.
Whitbread, Mr. l'ieruey, Mr. Roes, Lord Castlereagh, General Gas-
coigne, and a great many other Members of the House of Commons.
After an examination of various witnesses, among whom were Lords
Ossulsiton and Francis Osborne, General Gascoigne, Mr. H. Summer,
the Othcers of the House, and several strangers, he man was fully
committed to Newgate for trial. A hackney-coach was brought to the
iron-hates in lower Palace-yard • but the crowd, which was at first
omposed of decent people, had gradually swelled by a concourse
of pickFockets acid the lower orders, who mounted the coach, and were