The Sun.
London, England, 1829-03-30 00:00:00

A NAVAL EXECUTION.

" The fatal morning came. It was eight o'clock.
The gun fired—the signal for punishment flew at our
mast-head. The poor men gave a deep groan, ex-
claiming Lord have mercy upon us I—our earthly
career and troubles are nearly over 1' The master
at arms came in, unlocked the padlock at the end
of the bars, and, slipping off the shackles, desired
the marine sentinels to conduct the prisoners to the
quarter deck.
" Here was a scene of solemnity which I hardly
dare attempt to describe. The day was clear and
beautiful; the top-gallant yards were crossed on
board of all the ships; the colours were flying;
the crews were all dressed in white trowsers and
blue jackets, and hung in clusters, like bees, on
the side of the rigging facing our ship; a guard
of marines, under arms, was placed along each
gangway, but on board our ship they were on
the quarter deck. Two boats from each ship lay
off upon their oars alongside of us, with a lieu-
tenant's and a corporal's guard in each, with fixed
bayonets. The hands were all turned up by the
boatswain and his mates with a shrill whistle, and
calling down each hatchway, ' All hands attend
punishment !' _

" You now heard the quick trampling of feet up
the ladders, but not a word was spoken. The
prisoners stood on the middle of the quarter-deck,
while the Captain read the sentence of the court
martial and the order from the Commander-in-Chief
for the execution. The appropriate prayers and
psalms having been read by the chaplain, with much
feeling and devotion, the poor men were asked if
they were ready; they both replied in the affirma-
tive, but each requested to have a glass of wine,
which was instantly brought. They drank it off;
bowing most respectfully to the Captain and Officers,
•

" The arms of the prisoners were then pinioned,
and the chaplain led the way, reading the funeral
service; the master-at-arms, with two marine sen-

tinels, conducted them along the starboard gangway
to the forecastle; here a stage was erected on either
side, over the cathead, with steps to ascend to it ;
a till block was attached to the boom iron, at the
outer extremity of each fore-yard arm, and through
this a rope was rove, one end of which came down
to the stage. The other was led along the yard into
the catharpings, and thence down upon the main-
deck. A gun was primed and ready to fire, on the
fore part of the ship, directly beneath the scaffold.
" I attended poor Strange to the very last mo-
ment ; he begged me to see that the halter, which
was a piece of line, like a clothes' line, was properly
made fast round his neck, for lie had known men
suffer dreadfully from the want of this precaution.
A white cap was placed on the head of each man,
and when both mounted the platform, the cap was
drawn over their eyes. They shook hands with me,
with their messmates, and with the chaplain, assur-
ing him that they died happy, and confident in the
hopes of redemption. They then stood still while
the yard ropes were fixed to the halter by a toggle
in the running noose of the latter; the other end of,
the yard ropes were held by some twenty or thirty
men on each side of the main-deck, where two lieu-
tenants of the ship attended.
" All being ready, 'the captain waved a white
handkerchief, the gun fired, and in an instant the
poor fellows were seen swinging at either yard-arm.
They had on blue jackets and white trowsers, and
were remarkably fine-looking young men. They
did not appear to suffer any pain, and at the expira-
tion of an hour, the bodies were lowered down,
placed in coffins, and sent on shore for interment."
—From the Naval Officer.

The trustees on the Dalkeith district of roads
have resolved to build a splendid new bridge over the
Tyne, near the valve of Pathead, on the great Lauder
road. It is to consist of five arches, each fifty feet in
span, and as there is a steep declivity at the spot selected
for the erection, it is intended that the arches shall be of
suck a height as to render the passage across the river
quite level.—Edinburph Paper.

A lithographic caricature has appeared under
the title of •' The True Holy Alliance storming the For-
tress of Superstition," in which the ducal and mitred par-
tisans of "No Popery" are endeavouring, with their ar-
tillery, to make a stand against the assault of the cham-
pions of emancipation. Though strongly fortified, and
supported by the great Cumberland bomb, they seem to be
in dreadful dismay at the formidable and evidently irre-
sistible attack of their assailants. The design is clever and
well-executed. In the back-ground are the shades of some
of the former advocates and opponents of the great work of
political justice now about to be accomplished. Thus this
piece may he said to contain portraits of both the dead and
the living who have taken any distinguished
part in this
measure.