The Sun. — 1857-04-22 (London, England)

EXECUTION AT TAUNTON.  The execution of Thomas Nation, convicted at the late Somerset Assizes of the murder of John Alpin, near Wiveliscombe, in December last, took place yesterday morning in front of the county gaol at Taunton. The prisoner, who was only 22 years of age, has had good general health since his conviction, has taken his food .as usual, and, with the exception of an occasional depression of spirits, has not manifested much anxiety at his apprLaching fate. If any hopes of a reprieve or commutation of his sentence had existed, they were dispelled on Saturday last, when Mr. Taunton, the prisoner's legal adviser, received a communication from the Humeoffice, in reply to a memorial addressed on legal and other grounds for a mitigation of the punishment, in which Sir George Grey stated that he had conferred with Chief Justice Cockburn, before whom the prisoner was tried, and that he saw no reason fur interfering with the courspof justice. Since Nation's conviction, the ministrations of the Rev. R. Mant, thegaol chap!ain, have been unceasing, and at the prisoner's own desire he has been visited by the Rev. J. Bore, 1113 minister of Upton (Nation's parish) ; the Rev. J. Lewellen,;of Wiveliscombe ; and the Rev. F. J. Smith, incumbent of Trinity,Taunton. His father and brother also bad interviews with the culprit on Monday and Thursday last, but on none of these occasions could he be induced to make any confeSsiou of his guilt. He admitted that be deserved his fate for other crimes, but resolution denied that ho was the murderer of Aplin. On Sunday the condemned sermon was preached by the Rev. R. Mant, from Colossians i , 28. The prisoner paid marked attention to the discourse, and appeared to beimpressed by some portion.of it. Yesterday (Tuesday) morning the Under-Sheriff, Mr. J. Nicholets, attended at the gaol at 7 o'clock, and shortly afterwards, the convict, who had previously been visited by the chaplain, attended Divine service in the gaol chapel, at which all the other prisoners were present. After the service, and the other prisoners had been withdrawn from the chapel, the sacrament was administered, and, at a few minutes before 8, the culprit, accompanied by the chaplain, the governor (Mr. W. Oakley) and several officers, proceeded to one of the ward Twins, whore the prisoner was pinioned by Calcraft, the executioner.  The procession, headed by the chaplain reading the burial ser7ice, then moved towards the scaffold, which had been erected at the north-west end of the gaol. The prison bell announced that the last sentence of the law was about to be carried into effect. The turnkeys mounted' the platform, followed by Calcraft, next to whom came the prisoner (dressed in a gamekeeper's dark jacket, a crimson waistcoat, and drab breeches and gaiters), who walked to the drop with an unfaltering step. The plisouel's head and face were quickly covered with a white -cap he was placed under the beam, the rope was adjusted, iho executioner and his as Int 3 withdrew from the platform, the bolt was withdrawn, and, after several convulsive strugee., Thomas Nation was dead. Tho crowd who witnessed the execution was variously estimated at from 6,000 to 8,000, almost exclusively of the lower orders. Their behaviour was for the most part becoming, and after the wretched culprit ceased to exist they quietly dispersed.  The inauguration of the railway from Paris to Cha: mount, 81 kilometres (521 miles) in length, being "the first section of the Mulhaunen line, took place on BatorOPT.