The Sun.
London, England, 1824-02-10 00:00:00

PitOJECTED ESCAPE of BUO.NAPAR'rE

It is not genPrally known that a vefsel was
undertaken to be built at Battersea, by the renowned Johnson,
the smuggler, for the purpose of liberating BUONAPARTE
frtan the island of St.eflelena. The vessel was about 90 feet
long, and of the burden or 100 tons. •It was built of half-inch
plank ; the grain of two of such planks was placed in a vertical,
and the other two in a horizontal position. These planks were so
welicaulked and cemented together that the thickness of the sides
of the vessel did not exceed that of an ordinary washing-tub.--
Th e masts were so contrived that they could be lowered to a level
with the deck, and the whole vessel might be - Stink in shoal
water with the crew on board, without danger. AMple means
were provided for supplying the vessel with freli air. The
plan was, to sail -up at night, .within a short distance of St.
lieleaa, and sink the vessel until the next or some subse-
quent night, when Buonaparte would be enabled to make, his
e4cape to the beach, at which time the vessel was. to be raised,
Buonaparte to get on board, and sail away in the dark. 'lt hap-
pened, however, that Buonaparte_ died before the iessel was
quite finished ; and it is a curious coincidence that she was
to he coppered the very day the news of his death arrived.
Johnson was to have received 40,9001. as wen as the vessel had
got into blue water, exclusive of the reward to he 'given in case
the enterprise. succeeded. This Johnson had previously offered
hes services to the Admiralty, and affirmed that he could
blow up any ship without being hurt. Accordingly, a
trial was given him in the Thames, accompanied by a
boatswain of one of his Majesty's • ships, who had been
married only a week before, in a beat of a similar
onnstruction to the one before described, to a barge
moored in the middle of the stream. They sunk their boat,
made fast the torpedo of the bottom of the barge, and lighted
the match. Johnson then perceived that haa,„essetremanied
fest, having got (as the sailors express it) his cable athwart.
ii3WAit of the barge. Upon which lie pulled out his watch, and
having looked at it attentively, told the boatswain that he had
only two minutes and a half to live. Upon this the boats-
wain began to make grievous lamentations -,-- " Oh, my
poor dear Nancy. ;" said the botswain ; " what will she
• say ;"—A vast blubbering," said Johnson. " Doff your jac-
' ket, and-be ready to stuff it into the hawse-hole while I cut
the cable." Upon saying this, Johnson seized an axe, and
cut the cable. The boatswain stuffed his jacket into the hole,
aril-they got out of the reach of-the torpedo, which blew up
the barge.—( Morning Ilaraid.

Although there has been some micapprehen-
slot' of what the Minister said respecting the dis-
continuance of Lotteries, when he brought in the
last Lottery Bill, he certainly announced offi-
cially that Government did not intend to apply
to Parliament for another ; this some People
misconstrued, and imagined the Lottery then en-
suing would be the Last, Whereas the 20,000
Tickets now on Sale formed part of those allov-
ed by the previous Year's Act, but this is the
lest Part, and it seems, from the eagetness with
which People buy, they are fully aware of the
few opportunities which remain, and a brisk Sale
would probably- have occurred with one of the
usual Schemes, but when we consider the irre-
sistible attraction of SEVEN £20,000 Prizes
which Mr. SIEYWRIGHT has introduced, being
more than doable the number in the last, it would
really be surprising if there was not a brisk sale.