The Sun.
London, England, 1819-01-04 00:00:00

FOR THE SUN.

iVin. EDITOII,—The following extraordinary
I.4,!pend having been lately discovered, and having
perhaps more meaning than immed►ately meets
the eye, I am disposed to communicate it to the
world through the channel of your patriotic Paper.
0. S.

The History of the Giant Ocutos, who had ten
thousand Heads, and twice as many Hands, but
very few Brains.
Ocneos was a Giant of immeasurable size,
who resided every where, and was at borne no
w.bere. He had ten thousand heads, sometimes
more, sometimes less, but the great majority of
them entirely without brains, and not many in
the rest. Consegnently he was rather foolish,
but his strength was immense, and as he had al-
ways twice as many hands as heads, his power
would have been irresistible, had he poisessed
only one good bead to direct it. In that ease, he
would have been truly formidable, for lie had a
very tyrannical disposition. Happily he was apt
to forget his own strength, and while that for-
getfulness lasted, was naturally indolent, or suf-
fered his vast strength to be quietly directed by
those who had much better heads than any of his
own. In ibis quiescent state, there could not be
a more useful creature than he was ; insomuch
that few achievements of great magnitude or diffi-
culty were ever brought about without his assist-
ance. In this temper of mind he could be for a
long time extremely good-natured ; and would
huzza with all ,his mouths at works of Try
and milky, in which he had been actively em-
ployed ; fairly giving the credit to those heads
which had planned what be performed.
But who ever possesses power, in any shape,
will have base flatterers about hint, eager to di-
rect the employment of it to their Own advan-
tage. OctiLos was never free from the attempts
of these'creatures, whose machinations were the
more base, from being always cloaked with the
meanest hypocrisy. The pretences of public
spirit, of reforming the state of shings, of doing
the greatest good to poor OcisLos himself, these
were always in their mouths ; but in their hearts
was the most insatiate ambition, and the most
intolerant spirit 'of tyranny. Their cant always
tended to persuade the Giant that he was abomi-
nably ill-treated, that all the world was 'injuring
him and trampling upon hits, and that no one
thought of doing him any good but themselves.
The poor monster, cajoled by these-flatteries, and
having, as we observed, no great share of under-
standing, began by degrees to be fond of these
sycophants ; to open half his mouths in their
praises ; to be restless and uneasy in his mind ;
and much inclined to do something, though he
could not exactly tell what. ,The word Re-
form had a particular effect upon Oh, it
must be a fine thing to have matters reformed I"
This was muttered by all his mouths, :hough not
one of all his ten thousand heads knew in what
they wanted reforming, or what was the best way
to set about it, if they did.
Having thus worked him up into a good deal of
ill-humour, and impatience of things as they
were, the next business of his sycophants was to
remind him of his own amazing strength ; they
proved to him that his power was naturally irre-
sistible, which was true enough (though better
not told to him) ; and they argued very wisely
from that, but very falsely, that therefore it ought
not to be resisted. That might was right, and
vast power a kind of divinity. That, in short,
his collective voice, though proceeding front so
many empty heads, was the voice of a god ; and
that all who heard it were in duty bound to
tremble and obey; while those who resisted might
very justly be destroyed, in any way that his
Highness pleased.
['t'o,he continued.]

THE THEATRE.-Fladden Field was rather more
attractive on Saturday than on the pre-
ceding night, on account of sortie improvement
in the atmosphere. It wig well received through-
out, and having derived advantage from the per-
formance, as to what admitted or addition or of
ciirtailinent, was, on the whole, more interesting
as well as compact, and very well represented.
We, by mistake, on Saturday, made the Mar-
quis de DESSOLLES and M. de JAI COURT one and
the same person. It becomes necessary, there-
fore, to correct the error, by stating that they
are two different individuals.

Saturday the Hon. 'N. GORDON left town or
•* mission to Vitnna. Ile proceeds by the way 01
It is understood that he is gone to re.
16eve LOH STEWART, who will return to .Lng•
Lfiid for a short time.

Friday Mr. Mosuroc, the King's Messenger, ar-
rived in town with dispatches from Vienna.
Saturday ,Mr. VicKE, the King's Messenger,
arrived in•town with dispatches from Italy.
Yesterday Mr. DANIEL, the King's Messenger,
arrived in town with dispatches from Madrid.
Wednesday Mr. KROUSE, the extra Messe'nger,
employed by Lord STEWART, left Calais with
dispatches for Vienna.
THOMAS TURTON, Esq. Chief Magistrate at
the Hatton-Garden Police-Office, has resigned,
and Mr. Serjeant SELLON has been appointed to
till his situation, who on Friday took possession
or the late Air. LEACH'S apartments at the
Office.

EXECUTION. OF ROBEIIT JOHNSTON,
AND FIORRII;LE OCTItAtiE!

(From The EdinburghCourant, Dec.. 31.)
We have this day to record one of the most dis-,
graceful scenes that ever took place inn ahis city:
‘Ve shall not at present enter on the question as
to the precaution which might have been taken
to insure the due execution of the awful sentence
of the law, but simply detail the.hort'ible transac-
dons of yesterday, as -far as they fell under our
own observations.
The unfortunate man was convicted and sen-
tenced to die for robbing Mr. Charles, candle-
maker ; his two accomplices, Galloway and Lee,
were sentenced, the former to 14, and the latter
to seven years' transportation.
Day-light yesterday exhibited the new appara-
tus for the melancholy catastrophe. The place
fixed upon was before the notthmost window on
the west side of the New North Church, a tear
yards from the High-street. Numerous groups of
people continued to assemble about the fatal'
spot, to examine the dreadful preparation, and as
the hour approached the crowd was very great.
The onhappy etiminal Walked from the Lock-
up-house to the scaffold, which he ascended with
a firm step, at 20 minutes before three o'clock.—
After spending a quarter of an hour in prayer, he
shook hands with the Reverend Gentleman who
attended him, and mounted the platfornewith for-
titude.
The exeentioner ,occupying a longer time in
adjusting the rope than appeared to a great part
of the spectatots to be necessary, much disappro-
bation was expressed; the platform stink about
a minute before three. Unfortunately the rope
was ton long, or the height from the scaffold to
the beam trom which the sufferer was suspended
insufficient; in consequence of one or other of these
causes, or both, his toes rested on the floor of the
scaffold. Just at that moment ,it policeman in front, '
resisting the encroachment of tine crowd, wished
one with his baton, who cried out " Murder !"
It is probable those at a distance imagined
the exclamation to be occasionel by the pitiable
situation of Johnston, and therefore joined in it.
Stones In gait to fly towards the scaffold (of which
unluckily the state of • the ground afforded an •
ample supply), and the Magistrates and their at-
tendants were compelled to make a precipitate
retreat. It was \veil for the ecutioner that he
escaped at the same time, for at such a moment
the, curr!.equeitces to him must have been fatal.
The mob continued to throw stones, some of
which struck the unhappy object of punishment,
and others the church windows. At five minutes
past three, a person very deliberately stepped
from the crowd on the High-street, leaped on
the scaffold with a knife ready open, distinguish-
aide from its brightness (or, as we have,been in-
formed, a surgical instrument taken from a case
on the instant), cut the rope, and, with seeming
unconcern, returned to the crowd. The body fell
with the head to the front of the scaffold,—a
sight harrowing to the feelings of all possessed of
the least sensibility.
Missiles still continued to fly, chiefly directed
against the windows of the church, almost every
pane of which were destroyed. One large stone
struck the inanimate head of Johnston a heavy
blow. A lame person, with a crutch, next climb-
ed the scaffold, and then a gent ral rush took place.
The body was raised up, and the rope unloosed,
with which the lame man exultingly descended-5
the can was taken off, and thrown among the
crowd—at the same moment a cheer was given by
those around the body, meaning, it is supposed,
to announce that life remained, which was re-
ceived by loud clapping. The coffin, light in its
materials, was thrown among the crowd, and in
less than a minute broken to atoms. The
body was then borne off in the direction of
the Lawnmarket ; Bailie Paulson, who was
proceeding to the Castle, protected by a strong
body of the Police, to obtain the aid of the
military torce, caused the bearers of the body
to change their course, and they wheeled about
and arrived almost unperceived on the Opposite
side of • the street to tote Police Office, evidently
without knowing what to do with it ; here, oil
being attacked by the Police Officers, they dropped
the body, divested of clothes from the waist up-
wards in the process of carrying (the most,appall-
ing sight of the whole), which was then taken
into the Police Office.
A detachment of the 88th regiment arrived
soon after,
,followed by another headed by Major
Graham, which were posted across the Lawn-
market at the well, and in a similar manner front
the High Church to the Exchange.
Various reports were current about the state of
the unfortunate man as to his reanimation ; how-
ever, be was again carried to the drop, anti at five
minutes before four o'clock • was launched into
eternity. The military remained until the whole
apparatus was removed, and. we are happy 'to
state no farther diturbance took place. The
shops in the neighbourhood • were closed,
on the first disposition to riot, and many of them
were not re-opened that night.
We have not heard that any persons were se-
riously injured, but many inconsiderate women
with children in their arms 'were thrown down and
trampled on.
With feelings keenly alive to the character of
our metropolis, we do most sincerely regret the
acts of which the above is • but an imperfect ac-
count ; but to prevent improper statements at a
distance, we must declare that no appearance of
preconcerted riot was visible—on the contrary, it
arose we believe• from the untoward circumstances
of the instain. It will be long a matter of reeeet to
the country, and to the inhabitants, of Edinburgh
in particular, that so foul a stale should thus be
fixed upon us--butt we trust effectual measures
will be adopted on future occasions to prevent a
recurrence of scenes at once. disgraceful, and re-
pugnant to the feelings of humanity.
We sincerely hope also, that the propriety of
changing the hour and place, of pnnishmeni will
now be felt by those in whose hands lie the exe-
cution of tine law, and that immediate measures
will be taken to accomplish both of these desir-
able objects.
Since writing the foregoing account, we regret
to learn that the Rev. Mr. Porteous was severely
hurt and carried to the Royal Infirmary : also
that Lieutenant Bremner, of the Police establish-
ment, was seriously injured.