The Sun.
London, England, 1831-04-09 00:00:00

EXECUTION OF JAMES AND ALEX.
STEWART-DREADFUL ACCIDENT !

(From the Derry Sentinel of April 4. )
These unfortunate but guilty men under Went the awful
.enicnee of the law at the front of Lifford-gaol, on Satur-
day evening last. From nine o'clock in the morning,
Towels were to be seen hastening, from every part of the
-ountry, to the scene of death. At half-past three o'clock
'the Judges having left the town for Derry), the horse
trul foot Police, together with the military doing duty
here, were drawn up in the large square opposite the
zaol. Not less than 12,000 persons were there assembled.
Every preparation having been made, at four o'clock the
hour of the fatal crop-roots was opened, and in a few
minutes after the wretched culprits, dressed in white robes,
appeared. They entered into prayer with their confessor,
-he Rev. Mr. ill'Hugh (Roman Catholic Chaplain of the
prison), and his Curate, and very fervently responded to
their prayers to the Saviour. They seemed quite penitent,
and resigned to their fate, but markt no public confession.
Having been paced under the beam, they drew down
their caps over their eyes, and, With fervent call, for
,nerey on their lips, the drop fell. James died witiaout
struggle—but, melancholy to relate,, the rope by which
Alexander was suspended broke, and ,he was precipitate :I
o) the pavement, a distance of neatly forty feet! He
fell with the side of his head on his own coffin, which was
broken, and rebounded off it a few feet. He was in-
oanzly carried in (supposed to be dead) by two officers
If the gaol. The executioner, also dressed in white,
with the part that covered his face daubed over with
black, by the assistance of a ladder, seen put another and,
a stronger rope over the block, and with some difficulty
again raised the dr,p—in doing which the unforuntte
culprit, then suspended, was pushed, as much a+ possible,
to the one side, and lowered a little farther, In about
twenty minutes from the time he fell, to the astonishment
:if the assembled multitude, Alexander again appeared,
and walked out on the trip more firmly than before, an-
swering to the prayers of tie Clergy. He took his place,
rod the signal being given, the drop was again slipped,
but it rested on the shoulder of James, who was again
pushed aside, and Alexander was launched into eternity,
hut not suddenly. The board slowly moved down, sliding:
along James's body. The knot of the rope had APIA
round under the chin of-Alexander, and he suffered (1, ead-
ray for several minutes. Hie whole body was convulsed
during the strangulation he several time; put his feet to-
the wall, and pushed himself from it wi,h great force—
his clothes burst open, so that his naked breast was-
seen—and the cap not being altogether over hist face, blood,
was seen flowing from the wooed which he had received,
on the cheek in the fall. The feelings of the beholders,
cannot be described they were most agonizing. At length::
his hands fell—his hotly was seen to stretch—and he hung
motionless alongside his brother. After hanging the usual
time, they were cut down, and their bodies handel over
for dissection.

Their relatives were permitted to vis►t them in Friday
morning : they then ee.4ned quite indifferent. Up to that
time they betrayed no signs of penitence. Inan hour after
receiving sentence they were asleep in their beds. Ja►e,es
was about 25 years of age—Alexander 22 they were
both mmi.d. The mother and sister, and Alexander's.
wife, were among the spectators during the execution..
Before the door of ►he press-room was opened, their cries
were most distressing: from the moment the unforr,nate
men appeared, their voices were sill. The 11.:v.
M'llugh, with several other of the Clergy, remained with
the wretched culprits during the whole of Ftidav night,
and up to the hour of execution, and succerded in bringing
them to a full sense of ther awful situation,

For the last three mon•hs their unfc,ritinate parent and
their families were forced to live at a ditch side: the
country people levelled their trout:: tr, the ground, and no
individual would give them sk:iter—sueb was the it:dips:l-
-eo:I against them.

DRURY.LANE 'hi EATRE.-A new tragedy
was acted for the first time last night under the title of
The Pledge, or Castilian Honour, and met with
complete and deserved success. Hernani, the tra-
gedy by Vicrox. Huota, excited about a year ago in Paela
so much interest and attention, that the experirmaat of
producing it before a London audience was thought Worth
the trial. For the present translation and atir,ption the
theatrical public are indebted, we believe, to kr. SHERI-
DAN KNOWLES, WhO has done ample justice to his subject,
and accomplished his task with equal jt!.gment and
The plot afforded many strikingly affecting and highly
dramatic situations. These a'acuatiens received adequa.ae
justice from the performers, who seemed all fuily pris...,essed
with the spirit of their parts. nacaeaeov, WALLACE,
and COOPER, have seldom, we think,
_performed better,
not excepting their acting in Werner, while l'slisa Pom-
mes was certainly never seen to greater advantage. Be-
aides the applause which accompanied the striking points
that occurred in nearly every scene, there were long-aaatt-
tinued plaudits at the conclusion of each act ; and at the
filial 1,11 of the curtain and announcement of the piece for
repetition, the favourable verdict was decided and una-
nimous.
CITY, FRIDAY EVENING.-.The opinion
that Ministers will not he able to carry the Reform Bill
without a dissolution of Parliament, appears to be gaining
ground in the city, We are inclined to think that a disso-
lution will not take place ; but there can be little doubt that
it would give the Government a much greater majotity
tla.n they will be able to obtain in the present House.—
Still a majority is a majority, and, 30 far as the Commons
are concerned, one would be as goad es one hundred. The
Bill, however, if carried in the Lower House, will have to
stand the ordeal of the Peers, and the question is whether
they might not venture to throw it out in case it should
he brought before them unsanctioned by a large majority.
If our opinion were asked whether they will do ao—es.a
would answer no. It would indeed be a most tinseentl2,-
thing for the House of Lords to put a veto upon the reso-
lution of the Commons, by which they had voted their
own incompetency. The Commons themselves ought to
be considered the best judges of the character and consti-
tution of their own House. Besides, as we have before
observed, the great majority of the Lords are not interested
in keeping up the borough system, hut on the r;ontrary.---
Not more than one in ten of the Peers possesses borough
influence ; and as such influence gives greater power to
the individuals who possess it, one would naturally suppose
that the majority, who have it not, must lock upon the
minority with jealousy anti distrust, and consequently be
desirous of abolishing it. But he this as it may,tbe
people ought to be prepared for the woist. They ought
to make arrangement* for a dissolution of Parliament,
whether it should eventually take place or not.—
Taking this view of the subject, several gentlemen in
the city recommend that the example of Mancliesta
should be followed in the metropolis, and a subscription
entered into to defray the expences of all those candidates
favourable to the Bill, and who have not the means of
supporting a contest against a rich anti-reformer. This
proceeding would be very desirable. But it would be
even more desirable that the Reformers should come to;
good understanding with each other, in case of an election,
hhey should take care that their means and time are not
lost by any fruitless contests amongst themselves. Thus,
for instance, the Liverymen of London should so arrange
matters as to avoid a contest, in ease no anti reformer
should oiler himself for the city, For this purpose, a
meeting should be held previous to the Election, in order
to decide upon the merits of the different candidates--
that is, providing more titan four favourable to the Bill
should come forward. The decision of this meeting
should be considered final ; and we are quite sure it would
be so considered, even though it might not he the most
desirable, by all those who, laying aside private views,
look only to the carrying of the great measure in question.
What would he proper in London would be equally so in
every county, city, and borough, in the United Kingdour.
For our part we are quite satisfied that, if it was generally
understood that. such a plan would be acted upon, we
should have very few contests, and none among the Re-
formers themselves. It would be calculated, too, to pre..
vent the eoetnies of the Bill from coining forward, feeling,
as they must, that, in every place where there was any
thing like a real election, their only chance of success
must be in a division amongst the Retortnera themselves,
As for such sheer and impudent impertinencies as " Par-,
liamentary Candidate Societies," they ought to be scouted
on all hands. If the people have not sense enough to
choose their own Representative., they ought not to be
repreeentectiat. all. Besides, ita the present in ;ranee, all
that is required from the electors is wiedom, enough to
ask the quest whether the candidate wit: vote for the
Bill or not,'and sense enough to understaael.the difference
between yes and no.—Morning Herald.
On Friday an old mall, upwards of sixty
years of age, was found in Bridgegate in an extreme state
of destitution;ilnd taken to the police office, where he re-
ceived every conafeert which his unhappy situation demanded.
He was found to be in a most pitiable state of disease, the
fruit of his own folly, and was visited several b
Mr. NEILSON, surgeon to the establishment.
the night, however, he liecante very
Sa-
turday morning at eight
i nin is world vices
often and another proof that
was
at
o'clock—a *millet;
often meets its !Iwo punish, trse.nctii. i
s iadi
tancee, brit has latterly
one time in very respectab e cur
Idled and mistrabbs rcu-
salt .the most vrre
brought him
r 1; ; Glasgow Chronicle.
and
ple afwretelt-