The Sun.
London, England, 1842-05-31 00:00:00

UE EN'S LIFE.

LATEST PARTICULARS.
(Tills DAY.)

The name of the assassin is John Francis, and the
following is the description of his personal appearance :
He is about five feet six inches in height, rather stout,
but exceedingly well proportioned, dark complexion,
small black whiskers, dark, sparkling, and rather ex-
pressive eyes, and his countenance and general appear-
ance are handsome and prepossessing. He wag
dressed in a black dress coat, black waistcoat, and
dark mixture trousers. After he was conveyed
to Tothill-fields Bridewell last evening, he was sullen
and silent, refusing to enter into conversation ; in-
deed Lieutenant Tracy, the Governor, very properly
abstained himself from questioning the prisoner, and
gave strict orders. that others should be prevented

from doing so.
At a quarter before twelve this morning the pi-l-
one?, accompanied by Lieutenant Tracy, the Gover-
nor' of Tothill-fields, and guarded by two of the
wardsmen of the prison, was taken in a hackney- coalb
to the Home-office. The coach drove up to the
principal entrance in Whitehall, and Lieutenant
Tracy having alighted, and ascertained that all was
prepared for the prisoner's reception, gave a sig;ial,
when the prisoner, in custody of the two wardsm,m,
who each held him by an elbow, alighted from the
coach and was conveyed up the stairs of the .Home-
office to the Council Chamber. We attempted to
gain admittance, but were refused by the police of the
A division, who were stationed, in the lobby o f the
Home-office, and who stated that their orders were
imperative to refuse admission to all except Members
of the Privy Council, witnesses, and those immedi-
ately concerned in the examination. Strict orders had
also been given to afford no information whatever
on the subject.
As early as ten o'clock the witnesses against tile
prisoner began to assemble at the Home-office, an d
were accomodated with seats in the lobby. At the
time of the prisoner's arrival there must have beer at
least twenty waiting in the lobby ; among them was
the soldier in the Scotch Fusilier Guards, who arrested
the prisoner. The prisoner cast a hasty, unconcerned
glance round the lobby as he was being conveyed to
the stairs. He looked well, and did not appear in the
least haggard or care-worn as he was reported to
have looked when taken into custody last evening. In-
deed, a spectator who had been ignorant of the cir-
cumstances of the case, would never have iriagined
that in the handsoMe. intelligent looking youth before
him, he beheld a traitor, and all but a regicide.
It had evidently not been expected that the exa-
mination would take place at so early an hour, for
there were not ten persons at the door of the Home-
office at the time of the prisoner's arrival.
A crowd, however, soon collected, the arrival of
the Ministers and the other authorities having given
notice that the examination was about to commence.
Mr. Hall, the Chief Magistrate of Bow-street, ' ac-
companied by Mr. Burnaby, his clerk, had been in
attendance at the Home-office from a very early hour
At about twelve o'clock, the Attorney-General, ao-
companied by Mr. Maule, the solicitor to the Trea-
sury, arrived at the Home• office, and the crowd began
now rapidly to collect.
Among the members of the Privy Council who ar--
rived. by the principal entrance in Whitehall, we oh-,
served the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Earl of
Ripon, the Earl of Jersey, the Duke of Buccleuch,
and Lord Wharncliffe. The Solicitor-General arrived
shortly after twelve o'clock.
Sir James Graham had been in attendance at an
early hour in the morning, and Sir Robert Peel, as
we understand, had been early at the Treasury, and
passsed into the Home-office: by the private entrance
leading to the Treasury. The Duke of Wellington
arrived on horseback at about ten minutes after twelve.
The crowd immediately divided a line for his Grace
to approach the door, and all present took off their
hats. The Duke acknowledged the compliment,
with which he seemed to be much pleased. The
Earl of Aberdeen, the Lord Chancellor, and Colonel
Wylde, Equerry to his Royal Highness Prim* Al-
bert, arrived shortly afterwards.
At half-past twelve o'clock, the Cabinet Minister,
having arrived, the prisoner was taken before the
Council, and the examination commenced.
The Council chamber looks into the Park. It is
the room on the second floor, whichis lighted 1... y three
French Windows, reaching to the floor. An ex-gellent
view of the assembled Council was obtained frcni' the
parade in the Park, fronting the Horse Guards, which
was crowded with spectators. Mr. Maule, :the
Solicitor to the Treasury, was seated in the recc ss
formed by the windows and was busily engaged in
taking notes of the proceedings.

We understand that the pistol was actually dis-
charged, and that when the prisoner was taken the
barrel was discovered to be warm and fouled,
exhibiting every appearance of having been recently
discharged.

The lodgings occupied by the prisoner have been
searched, but nothing suspicious has been discovered.
The Police of the A division distinctly stated that
no reporters would be admitted even into the lob--y-
-of the Home-office. The conduct of the authorities
was polite in the extreme, and the sentinels who were
on duty up to a quarter after twelve, also performed
their duty with great forbearance, but yet with ex-
cellent effect. At that hour, however, the sentinels
were changed, and the one stationed at the door of
the Home-office (a tall, stupid-looking fellow,
with a long nose, the redness of which,
emulating th 9 colour of his coat, betokened that the,
man behind it was better acquainted with the smell of
gin than of gunpowder) waxed valiant, and com-
menced treading on the toes of one the bystanders ;
instead Qf remonstrating, the gentleman thus assaulted
lau,ghed at the fellow's impertinence, observing that
he should as soon think of reasoning with a loco-
motive, or any other piece of mere machinery, as
with such a mere soldier as the sentinel who ha:

thus exhibited his Jack-in-office propensities. This
. .
had the effect of raising a loud laugh among the
crowd, at the expense of the officious sentinel who
seemed heartily ashamed of his conduct, and from
that time did his duty temperately, and therefore
effectively. The sentinel in question belonged to the
Grenadier Guards.

The neighbourhood 'a Buckingham Palace has been
crowded the whole day by persons anxious to ascer-
tain that the "Queen had not suffered from the fright.
As early r,s ten o'clock several persons had inserted
their names in the book at the Palace-lodge, as having
called to make inquiries after her Ma,esty's health.
We are happrin being able to state that her Ma-
jesty has sufiVretr no ill effects whatever from 'the
alarm occasioned ty the diabolical attempt of the

assassin.

The following particulars have been obtained by
one of our Correspondents, and their authenticity
may be completely relied upon :
The prisoner's real mime is John Francis, and he
is about twenty-five years of age. On the 14th of
January. last he engaged the second floor back room
at the house of Mr. Foster, a respectable master-
tailor, residing at 105, Great Titchfield-street, Mary-
lebone, and he occupied that room with another
young man, named William Elam, and they jointly
paid the rent. 'The prisoner was considered a good-
tempered inoffensive young • man, and came home
regularly to hip meals, and was never out late at
Ones.pctson, of a rather superior class of so-
ciety, from his dress and general appearance., has lat-
terly been, in the habit of visiting him, and remained
for; some time alone with him in his room ;
but no parcels were ever sent to him, as ap-
peared from very particular inquiry made
upon this subject by the police. During the
last few weeks the prisoner has been backward
in paying his r. it, but' Mr. Foster; from his good
opinion.of him, did not press him upon the subject,
and on Saturday last the arrears amounted to 1/. 14s.
The prisoner's conduct during the last few days ap-
pears to have been most extraordinary. He had all
along been getting his livelihood by working as a jour-
neyman carpenter, but on Monday week he engaged
a shot • and parlour, at 63, Mortimer- street, which
adjoins Great Titchfield-street, at the weekly rent of
twenty-four shillings, and expressed his intention to.
in the trade of a tobacconist. Ile then ein..!
a painter to put his 'name over the door, as it

open it
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