The Sun.
London, England, 1837-04-05 00:00:00

THE POLITICAL MARTYR.

The following lines (never before printed) were addressc
by Mr. Muir, of Huntershill, Advocate, to his friend and
agent Mr. Moffat, accompanied with a gold watch and
chain, on the eve of his departure to Botany Bay.

.s

It must be pleasing to those who can recollect the me-
morable proceedings in Scotland in 1794, and the conspi-
cuous part taken by Mr. Muir in awakening his country-
men, to contemplate the dawn of those'principles of Reform
which now so steadily and gloriously advance to their me-
ridian, and the disgraceful State prosecutions which subse-
quently consigned him, among others, to the land of felons,
to be put in possession of this slight memorial of his genius
and active gratitude.

" Surprise Transport, Portsmouth,
" March 12, 1794.
" This gift, this little gift, with heart sincere,
An exile, wafted from his native land,
To friendship tried, bequeathed with many a tear,
Whilst the dire bark still lingers on the strand.

" These sorrows stream from no ignoble cause ;
I weep not o'er my own peculiar wrong.
Say, when approving conscience yields applause,
Should private sorrow claim the votive song ?
" But, ah ! I mark the rolling cloud from far
Collect the dark'ning horrors of the storm;
And, lo ! I see the frantic fiend of War,
With civil blood, the civil field deform.
" Roll on, ye years of grief, your fated course,
Roll on, ye years of agony, of blood ;
But oh ! of civil rage when dried the source,
From partial evil spring up general good.
" Alas ! my Moffat, from the dismal shore
Of cheerle,is exile when I slow return,
What solemn ruins must I then deplore—
What awful desolation shall I mourn.

" Paternal mansion, mouldering in decay,
Thy close-bared gate may give no welcome kind ;
Another lord, as ling'ring in delay,
May harshly cry,—another mansion find I
" And, oh ! my Moffat, whither shall I roam ?
Flow, flow, ye tears ! perhaps the fun'ral bier
No ; flourish, Hope ! from thee I ask an home :
Thy gentle hand shall wipe an exile's tear !
" Ycs ; we shall weep o'er each lamented grave
Of those who join'd us in stern Freedom's cause,
And as the moisten'd turf our tears shall lave,
These tears shall Freedom honour with applause.
" I soon shall join the dim aerial band,—
This stream of life has little time to flow ;
Oh, if my dying eyes thy soothing hand
Should close—enough—'tis all I ask below.
" This little relic, Moffat, I bequeath,
While life remains of friendship just and pure—
This little pledge of love, surviving death,
Friendship immortal, and re-union sure.
(Signed) " THOMAS MUIR."

MURDER OF FOUR CHILDREN BY

THEIR FATHER.

The inhabitants of the village of Old Basford, two miles
north of Nottingham, were at seven o'clock this (Tuesday)
morning horror-stricken by a report that Thomas Green-,
smith had strangled his four children : the report soon
reached Nottingham. We went to the village, and on
arriving there the fearfully-looking countenances of the vil-
lagers told that some appalling circumstance had occurred ;
the house we found surrounded with persons eager to gain
admission, which it, became necessary to refuse to hundreds.
On being admitted into the house we proceeded up stairs,
and there in one bed lay the eldest child, and in another
the other three, their countenances having that remarkably
livid appearance peculiar to those who die a violent death.
There was not the calmness of innocency, but rather the
expression of horror written upon their countenances, which
appalled every one and that their's . had been a violent
death was evident, for the cord or whipthong with which it
was supposed they were strangled (one having been found
in the room) had not been prop"rly placed, and had nearly`,
separated one of the cars of the eldest child ; the neck, too,
of the youngest was very much lacerated ; indeed, they were
all so much marked that their sufferings must have been
horrible. From our inquiries it appeared that the father,
Thomas Greensmith, is a labourer employed in the bleach..
yard of Mr. George Brown, of Basford ; that his wife, after
being ill a considerable time, which involved him in debt,
some time ago died ; that last Tuesday he received about
five pounds out of a money club, and had since then been
very much harassed by persons to whom he owed money
that about eleven o'clock last night his landlord called upon
him and they went out together ; on his return he told the
woman who looked after his children she must not sleep
there that night, but get another place ; she accordingly lett
the house. This morning a neighbour went to call the_
eldest boy to go to work, and finding the door open went
within the house, shouted at the bottom of the stairs, and
not receiving any answer went up, and on turning down the
blanket which covered the face of the child, found it was
strangled, and on examining the other children found they
also were strangled, and the father gone. The neighbours
say he was remarkably fond of his children, but not of n
communicative disposition, keeping his sorrows to himself,
and that latterly he has been very fearful of coming to the
poor-house, which. he dreaded. The prevalent opinion ic n
that he has committed this dreadful act of infanticide .
consequence of distress of mind. The Coroner will to-
morrow hold an inquest, the result of which we shall lay be-
fore our readers. The names of the children are John Green-,
smith, aged ten in September next ; William, eight years
old next November ; Ann, five years old the 21st of this
month ; and another child two years old this month.

Licut.-Colonel Sir William Robert Clayton, Bart.,
M. P., Miss Clayton, and family, arrived at 79, Gloucester-
place, Portman-square, from their seat, liarleyford, near Marlow,
Yesterday a meeting of the proprietors of Bank
stock was held at the Bank of England, for the purpose of
balloting for a Governor and Deputy-Governor to serve for
the year ensuing, in the room of Mr. James l'attison and Mr.
Timothy Abraham Curtis, who retire by rotation. The can-
didates were, for Governor, Mr. A. Curtis, and for Deputy..
Governor Sir J. R. Reid, Bart. At 10 o'clock the Governer,
and a majority of the Directors entered the Court-room, and
after the Minutes of the last Court had been read, the ballot
was opened in the usual form. At 4 o'clock the glasses %%Tr°
closed, and the scrutineers having reported that the election
had fallen upon Mr. T. A. Curtis as Governor, and Sir J.
Rae Reid, Bart., as Deputy- Governor, each having 118 votes,
the Governor and Deputy-Governor elect were then sworn in,
and the Court was adjourned until to-morrow (this day), when
the ballot will be taken for 24 Directors to serve for the ensu-
ing year. No opposition is announced to the House List.

LADIES' BEST GOLD CHAINS,
The weight is given by comparison with the weight of Sovereign",
being more easily referred to than if stated in ounces and &Pits',
The quality of the gold is warranted equal to any that is worked
into articles of this description.
Price of the Cable Pattern, or Matted Ring Pattern. A
X s. d. X g•
Same weight as 3 soya. 4 4 0 Same weight as 6 sovs. 7 7
Ditto as 4 sovs. 5 5 0 Ditto as 7 sovs. 8 8
Ditto as 5 sovs. 6 6 0 Ditto as 8 soya. 9 9 `"
Price of the above Patterns, with bright star ornaments cut 011

every
s. d.
Same weight as 3 sovs. 5 5 0
Ditto as 4 sovs. 6 6 0
Ditto as 5 sovs. 7 7 0
TIIE NEW FLAT
The price in gold cases, with verti
Ditto, with well-finished horizontal

link.

d.
£ es•
Same weight as 6 sovs. 8 8
`'
Ditto as 7 sovs. 9 9 „
Ditto as 8 sovs.lo 10 v
TOLD WATCHES.
.cal movements .........£7
movements, in double-

bottomed engine-turned case, jewelled, silver dial, o
warranted

T. COX SAVORY'S,
Working Silversmith and Jeweller, 47, Cornhill, London• Jed
N.B. Tho Horizontal Construction is particularly recommends
for its superior accuracy.

BIRTHS.
On the 2d inst., at Ormond Grove, Bath, the lady of C.
Elves, Esq., of a daughter.
On the 2d inst., at Level Hill, Berks, the lady of G. D. Seed'
Esq., King's Dragoon Guards, of a son.
On the ith ult., at Florence, the lady of Bradford Wilmer, 8561'
of a son.
On the 22d ult., at Budapest, in Hungary, Mrs. Charles C.
Barton, of a son.

DIED. Oloa'
On the morning of Wednesday, the `29th of March, at 6%1 ,-;l4onv
tester-place, Edinburgh, Airs. Jane Wilson, wife of John I
Professor of Moral Philosophy in the University of Edinburr;rth,
On the 15th ult., Elizabeth, wife of the Rev.. J• P. Darby'
of High Layer, Essex, and eldest daughter of the Rev. T.
of Shelley, in the same county. 4., Re'
On the 31st ut., at the Rectory liartl Maudytt, ran' John
becca Louisa, `life, of the Rev. T. Bisslandy , and daughter of
White, Esq., late of Selborne. Mfr E' S.
On the 30th ult., at the Pigeon-house Fort, Dublin, 1)ri: 1r,,,, for
Wallis, Ordnaiice Store-keeper, in which service he had -
twenty-five years. ANN

ti
Londt n : Printed and Published by M U 1(1)0 Y •WO
112, Strand, at The Sun Office, No. 112, Straw!, Jo
of middieseK.—Wednesday, April 5, 1637.