Star.
London, England, 1818-04-09 00:00:00

ATTEMPT TO 4SSASSINATE LORD
PALMERSTON.

Yesterday the Horse Guards was a scene of the
utmost confusion, caused by the report of fire-arms
in the War-Office, and from the rumour that Lord
'FALsteasron had been assassinated by an Officer.—
About one o'clock Lieutenant David Davis, of the
62d Regiment of Foot, went to the War office, and
inquired of Lord PALMERSTON'S messenger if his
Lordship was in the Office. The messenger informed
him that he was no., that he expected him in every
moment; he desired him so walk into the waiting-
room, and write his name on the list of visitors, as
is usual. Lieutenant -Davis declined doing so, and
waited about the lobby, frequently asking if his
Lordship would soon come ? A little before two his
Lordship arrived at the War-office, alone, and was
going up the stone, stairs whe.. the messenger in-
formed Lieutenant Davis, that " he was lucky, for
his Lordship .was come? and there was no visitor
before him.' Lieutenant Davis immediately followed
gis Lordship up the second pair of stairs, and taking
n pocket pistol from under his coat, fired it at his
Lordship, who immediately fell. The assassin ran
down stairs with the pistol in his hand, saying, " I've
done for him,". and threw the pistol down in the
lobby. The Messenger immediately seized him, and
with the assistance of others, secured him, until a
Constable of St, Margaret's .Parish, Westminster, ar-
rived, and conveyed him to Queen-square Police Of-
fice. Hii Lordship was taken into the office, his top
coat Was taken off, and he was in great agitation.—
Mr. Astley Cooper was immediately sent for, he very
soon arrived, and examined his Lordship's wound,
which, we are happy to say, is not dangerous. The
pistol was loaded with ball, whieli lacerated his Lord-
ship's right side ; the ball did not lodge in the flesh,
but passed through it, and Ml on the stone stairs.—
Mr. Cooper attended Lord .Palmerston to his home,
in his carriage. In the mean time Lieutenant Davis.
had been conveyed to Queen-square by the Constable,
assisted by the messengers, where he was examined
before Mr. MARELAhD, the Magistrate. Crowds of
persons collected round the Office.
The prisoner being placed at the Bar, appeared very
wild in his looks ; he ts, we tmderstandi not more than
23 years of age. He is rather sheet in stature, and
was dressed in black.

Mr. William Owen, of the War-Office, stated, that
he is a Messenger in the War-Office. That between
one and two o'clock yesterday afternoon, he saw pri-
soner in the passage of the War-Olice, at which time
Lord Palmerston wan going tip stairs into his own
room. Witness heard the' report of a pistol, and
looking immediately round, saw one in prisoner's
hand. Heard Lord Pedmerston groan heavily, on
which he seized prisoner's hand which held the pistol,
and prisoner dropt it. Witness took it up, and saw
it had been just fired off. Prisoner then cried out,
" You know me, and you know my wrongs; I have
killed him." Witness said, he knew nothing ; and
asked whoin he meant as having killed. Prisoner
asked, "Is not that Lord Palmerston?" Witness
answered, " Yes."
Daniel William Bird, Lieut.-Colonel of the 2d West
India Regiment, stated, that wishing to see Lord
Palmerston yesterday morning, he went to the War-
Office, and mentioned his wish to last witness, who
answered, he was very lucky, for Lord Palmerston
was just then going up stairs. Witness rose to go cut
of the room, and at the moment heard the report of
a pistol, and coming into the passage saw last wit-
ness have hold of prisoner's band, and a pistol lying
at prisoner's foot, who said to Mr. Owen, " You know
my wrongs; he has killed me."
On the prisoner's being searched at the War-office,
no other fire-arms were found upon him : he had in
his pocket a small sized paper parcel, sealed with
three seals, eleven bank-notes of 1/. each, 225. in sil-
ver, an official letter from the War-Office, and two
or three trifling memoranda, which were all deliver-
ed to Lavender, and by him now produced.
Mr. Lawrence Samuel, a-Gentleman belonging to
the War-Office, stated, that, having heard Lord Pal-
merston was wounded, he weut to his room, where
he saw Mr. Astley Cooper examining the wound.—
At first he seemed to doubt whether the ball remain-
ed in, but after more particularly pressing with
his finger, he said the ball had passed, and added,
that from present appearances he had hopes the
wound was not dangerous.
The 2.lagistrate now sent Charles Dew, the Mes-
senger of Queen square, to theWar-Office, to request
some Gentleman to come to the Police Office, and
inform him of the situation of his Lordship ; and
Dew was ordered to bring his Lordship's coat.
About half-past two o'clock Dew returned with
the coat, accompanied by a Gentleman of the name
of Sullivan, a relative of his Lordship, who said, thit
his Lordship was too unwell to attend that day ; that
his side was badly lacerated ; but he was not consi-
dered by his Medical Attendant to be in any imme-
diate danger.
Dew then produced the coat. The Magistrate re-
marked, elat it was almost a miracle that his Lord-
ship had not been fatally wounded. The ball struck
his Lordship on the'back, about_ three inches above
the waist buttons, and passed towards his right side
in an oblique direction ; it tore his coat and waist-
coat from the centre of the back to the front buttons.
Had the ball gone straight fbrward, it must certainly
have passed directly through his Lordship's body:—
The coat was viewed by the Magistrates and, Gen-
tlemen in the Office.
The prisoner viewed the coat, and heard the re-
marks of the Magistrate, without the least concern ;
he remained silent, until the Magistrate ordered him
to be committed to Tothill-fields Prison until Wed-
nesday nest, when he said that " he intended to shoot
his Lordship, and that either himself or his Lordship
could not live." The Magistrate asked the prisoner
where his friends lived, that he might inform them of
'his situation, and procure from them every assistance.
The prisoner said his family lived at Monmouth ; and
he had a brother in the navy. The prisoner was
taken from the bar, and ordered to be brought up for
re-examination on Wednesday next, when it is sup-
posed his Lordship will be able to attend. The Ma-
gistrate ordered that he should have every comfort'
the place of his confinement would afford, but that,
he must never be left alone.
Information was immediately sent to the Office of
the Secretary of State for the Home Department of
tJat attempted asbatination; and Perry, the Dow-