The Sun.
London, England, 1830-04-20 00:00:00

EXECUTIONS.

At noon, yesterday, Thomas Car, convicted on Fri-
th'', last of the murder of William Wicks, at Bisley, on the
28th of January last, expiated the offence by the forfeiture
of his life on the drop erected over the gateway of Glou-
cester gaol.

From the first moment of his commitment to prison,
the wretched, misguided man always persisted in de-
claring his innocence of all participation in, or knowledge
of, the dreadful crime of which lie then stood accused.
His son William, who was tried with him, but acquitted,
he has not seen since his return, o❑ the evening of his con-
viction, to the gaol, when they embraced and took an af-
fecting farewell of each other. The following morning his
son, against whom a detainer had been lodged for stealing
an iron pot, was tried, found guilty, and sentenced to six
months' imprisonment. On the night which ushered in
the last morning of his existence the prisoner slept tolerably
sound. He arose at an early hour, and was soon after
visited by the Rev. Chaplain, who remained with him till
the moment of his death. He still declared himself inno-
cent. After receiving the Sacrament, arid spending some
time in prayer, lie was delivered over to the Sheriff. He
walked firmly along the prison-yard, and having ascended
the fatal platform, the executioner fixed the rope, and then
asked him whether he wished to say any The pri-
soner answered, in a voice sufficiently loud to be beard by,
a large proportion of the vast concourse of persons as-
sembleal on the green in front of the prison gateway,
" What I have to say is, that I am as innocent of this
crime of murder as the child unborn. I urn innocent, so
help me God." Within a very few minutes after snaking
this awful declaration, the miserable being was hurried into
the presence of his Maker and his Judge, with, as there is
too much reason for fearing, a lie in his mouth. He
seemed to suffer greatly, his legs and ruins being convulsed
in a frightful manner for upwards of a minute. As is
usual in cases of murder his body is to he dissected, and
it is understood will, for that purpose, be delivered over
to the surgeons of the County Infirmary.
As the solemn dying declaration of the wretched man
may probably produce a strong impression of his innocence
in the minds of some, it may he right to state that, besides
the evidence adduced on the trial, there is a confession
made by his son, but which the rules of law would not
allow to be read on the trial, and which confession, if true,
places the question of his guilt beyond doubt. To suppose
it false would be supposing the son to be guilty of as hor-
rible un attempt at parricide as ever was recorded.
On Saturday, at Hereford, James Williams suffered
the last penalty of the law on the drop over the gateway of
the County Gaol, for robbing and violently beating Francis
Willington, on the 3d of November last.

The prisoner was convicted at the last Assizes, together
with Robert Floyd and John Roberts. The last-named
prisoner was only 17 years old, and it appearing he had
taken no active part in the outrage, his sentence was com-
muted to transportation for life. Floyd was to have suf-
fered with Williams ; but, in consequence of some circum-
stances which have transpired since the trial, tending to
raise a doubt as to the correctness of the verdict against
him, and as both Williams and Roberts have solemnly de-
nied that he was of the party, a communication was made
to Mr. Peel, who last week forwarded a respite of his sen-
tence to the 15th of May.
The unfortunate young man (Williams) is a tailor by
trade, and a native of Hereford. He was only 19 years
old. He had been before tried for robbery, and bore but
an indifferent character.

Since his condemnation Williams has displayed every ex-
ternal appearance of sincere repentance, paying a most be-
coming attention to the religious advice and assistance
which the Chaplain unremittingly afforded him. At time.
be was much affected, frequently bursting out suddenly
into tears. Having received the Sacrament, he was deli-
vered over by the Governor of the Gaol to the custody of the
Under-Sheriff, and the procession passed along the prison•.
yard to the fatal spot. Being lame, he was supported by
an assistant on either side, and placed under the drop,
where, the necessary arrangement. having been completed,
after a short period spent in prayer, the fatal bolt was
withdrawn, and, after a few convulsive heaves, time with
him became merged in eternity. He admitted the justice
of his sentence, but to the last persisted in declaring that
Floyd was not implicated in the crime. His dying decla.
ration on this subject becomes more important, as Roberts
has retracted the statement he made of Floyd's innocence,
and now declares that he was the original instigator and
principal perpetrator of the outrage.

FIRE IN Ross-SHIRE.---On Tuesday the
6th inst. the farm offices of Alilneraig, were burnt to the
ground. The conflagration was awfully impressive ; the
wind being at the time very high, and through a crowd of
persons collected, from the dry state of the house and other
causes, it was impossible to save any part of the buildings.
The loss of grain, (wheat, oats, and barley) burnt and da-
maged, (part of the wheat was saved) has been estimated
at about! 4001., and the loss sustained by the proprietor,
will exceed double that amount.,-.lnverness Courier.

INDIA.

ABOLITION OF THE SUTTEE RITE.

A regulation for declaring the habit of suttee,
or of burning or burying alive the widows of
Hindoos, illegal, and punishable by the Crimi.
nal Courts. Passed by the Governor in Coun-
cil, on the 4th December, 1829.
The practice of suttee, or of burning or burying
alive the widows of Hindoos, is revolting to the
feelings of human nature : it is no where enjoined
by the religion of the Hindoos as an imperative
duty; on the contrary, a Efe of purity and retire-
ment on the part of the widow is more especially
and preferably inculcated, and by a vast majority of
that people throughout India the practice is not
kept up nor observed : in some extensive districts
it does not exist; in those in which it has been most
frequent it is notorious that, in many instances, acts
of atrocity have been perpetrated which have been
shocking to the Hindoos themselves, and in their
eyes unlawful and wicked. The measures hitherto
adopted to discourage and prevent such acts have
failed of success, and the Governor-General in
Council is deeply impressed with the conviction
that the abuses in question cannot be effectually put
an end to without abolishing the practice altogether.
Actuated by these considerations, the Governor-
General in Council, without intending to depart
from one of the first and most important principles
of the system of British Government in India, that
all classes of the people be secured in observance of
their religious usages, so long as that system can be
adhered to without violation of the paramount dic-
tates of justice and humanity, has deemed it right
to establish the following rules, which are hereby
enacted to be in force from the time of their pro-
mulgation throughout the territories immediately
subject to the Presidency of Fort William.
2. The practice of suttee, or of burning, or bury-
ing alive the widows of Ilindoos, is hereby declared
illegal, and punishable by the Criminal Courts.
3. First, All Zemindars, Talookdars, or other
proprietors of land, whether Malguzaree, or Lak-
heraj ; all Sudder farmers, and Under-rulers of land
of every description ; all dependent Talookdars ; all
Naibs, and other local agents; all Native Officers
employed in the collection of the revenue, and rents
of land on the part of Government, or the Court of
Wards ; and all Munduls, or other head men of vil-
lages, are hereby declared especially accountable for
the immediate communication to the officers of the
nearest police station of any intended sacrifice of the
nature described in the foregoing section ; and any
Zernindar, or other description of persons above no-
ticed, to whom such responsibility is declared to
attach, who may be convicted of wilfully neglecting
or delaying to furnish the information above re-
quired, shall be liable to be fined by the Magis-
trate, or joint Magistrates, in any sum not exceeding
200 rupees, and in default Of payment to be confined
for any period of imprisonment not exceeding six
months.

Second—lmmediately on receiving intelligence
that the sacrifice declared illegal by this regulation
is likely to occur, the Police Darogah shall either
repair in person to the spot, or depute his Mohur-
hir or Jemadar, accompanied by one or more Bur-
kendazes of the Hindoo religion, and it shall be the
duty of the police officers to announce to the per-
sons assembled for the performance of the ceremony,
that it is illegal, and endeavour to prevail on them to
disl)erse, explaining to them that in the event of
their persisting in it, they will involve themselves in
a crime, and become subject to a punishment in the
Criminal Courts. Should the parties assembled
proceed in defiance of these remonstrances to carry
the ceremony into effect, it shall be the duty of the
police officers to use all lawful means in their power
to prevent the sacrifice from taking place, and to
apprehend the principal persons aiding and abetting
in the performance of it; and in the event of the
police officers being unable to apprehend them, they
shall endeavour to ascertain their names and places
of abode, and shall immediately communicate the
whole of the particulars to the Magistrate, or joint
Magistrate, for his orders.
Third—Should intelligence of a sacrifice declared
illegal by this regulation not reach the police officers
until after it shall actually have taken place, or
should the sacrifice have been carried into effect
before their arrival at the spot, they will, neverthe-
less, institute a full inquiry into the circumstances
of the case, in like manner as on all other occasions
of unnatural death, and report them for the in-
formation and orders of the Magistrate, or joint
Magistrates, to whom they may be subordinate.
4.- First—On the receipt of the reports required
to be made by the Police Darogahs, under the pro-
vision of the foregoing Section, the Magistrate or
joint Magistrates of the jurisdiction in which the
sacrifice may have taken place, shall inquire into
the circumstances of the case, and shall adopt the
necessary measures fur bringing the parties con-
cerned in promoting it to trial before the Court of
Circuit.
Second—lt is hereby declared, that after the pro-
mulgation of this regulation, all persons convicted
of aiding anti abetting in the sacrifice of a Ilindoo
widow, by burning or burying her alive, whether the
sacrifice be voluntary on her part or not, shall be
deemed guilty of culpable homicide, and shall be
liable to punishment by fine or by imprisonment, or
by both tine and imprisonment, at the direction of
the Court of Circuit, according to the nature and
circumstances of the case, and degree of guilt
established against the offender; nor shall it be
held to be any plea of justification that he or she
was desired by the party sacrificed to assist in put-
ting her to death.
Third—Persons committed to take their trial be-
fore the Court of Circuit for the offence above men-
tioned, shall be admitted to bail or not, at the dis-
cretion of the Magistrate or joint Magistrates, sub-
ject to the general rules in force in regard to the ad-
mission of bail.

5. It is further deemed necessary to declare, that
nothing contained in this regulation shall be con-
strued to preclude the Court of Nizamut Adawlut
from passing sentence of death on persons convicted
of using violence or compulsion, or of having as-
sisted in burning or burying alive a Hindoo widow,
while labouring under a state of intoxication or stu-
pefaction, or other cause, impeding the exercise of
her free-will, when, from the aggravated nature of
the offence proved against the prisoner, the Court
may see no circumstance to render him or her a pro-
per object of mercy.
CHINA.

The dispute between the Company's Factors and
the Chinese Government had not been settled so
late as the 11th of November, when the Sher-
burne sailed. A threat has even been made, o►' the
part of the latter, to retain the Hon. Company's
ship Bridgewater, which has been driven up the
river, by the severe gale experienced through the
preceding month; in consequence of which, SOO
men armed with cutlas-es, &c., had been sent up,
who brought off the ship without opposition.

A medal is to be struck in Paris to comme-
morate the Legislative Session of March, 1830, the ex-
pense to be defrayed by subscription.—Atheneum.
THE YORKSHIRE ASSIZES.—We understand
that must of the Members of Parliament connected with the
county, are averse to the removal of the Assizes for the West
Riding, from York to Wakefield ; but the wish for this
transfer among the public has been much increased by the
extreme inconvenience which many individuals suffered
from the length of the late Assize. Great complaints are
made by suitors, witnesses, jurors, and professional men, of
the unusual expence and inconvenience to which they were
subjected by the occurrence of the long will cause, which
occupied a whole week, and delayed for that period the
completion of the West Riding business. These complaints
appear to us to be perfectly just. It surely was most un-
reasonable, for the mere purpose (as it is said) of accoin-
dating one individual, who received upwards of five hundred
guineas for his services, to give precedence to a cause wholly
unconnected with the county, and which it was known
must consume a very large portion of the public time.
Such a cause ought clearly to have been postponed to all
the proper business of the couuty..—Leeds Mercury.