know has been entertained against them by many persons who now in the words of the Poet,

"Like the Treason,

But hate the Traitor."

It would be difficult for any man, even though he was a hot-headed Tory Lawyer, fattening on that corruption, which, in the words of the Address, we do hope will soon be " swept from our shores ;" nay, it would be impossible, we think, for any honest Lawyer now to lay his hand on his heart and say, that for anything that has yet appeared against Andrew Hardie, we mean up to the Tuesday night when he unfortunately joined this party at Germiston, he deserved to be denounced as a Traitor to his King and his country, and to suffer death as such.

We shall afterwards consider how far his subsequent conduct, during the next twelve hours, ought to have put him beyond the pale of the law, or the attributes of mercy. Meanwhile, let us examine the words of Turner to Hardie on the eve of their departure at Germiston. Turner does not throw out any doubt to Hardie, or any of the party, about the success of the expedition. On the contrary, he invariably speaks of it in the most confident manner; and he directs them to return (with their capture) to Glasgow by a different road, RAISING KILSYTH. Now, mark the villainy of this advice on the part of Turner. He evidently, within his own mind, contemplated the possibility of their marching on the whole way to Carron;-of evading the military on their route, and of perhaps being more successful than he, or any of the local authorities, could have wished. Hence he directs them to return by Kilsyth, the place where the scoundrel well knew they could be overwhelmed in a minute by the strong military force there stationed; more than probable for the very purpose. This is not a mere idle supposition on our part, because we shall afterwards prove that the troop of 10th Hussars, which reached Stirling from Perth on the Tuesday evening, jaded though it was, was hurried on from Stirling to Kilsyth, at three o'clock on Wednesday morning, reaching Kilsyth about half-past five o'clock that same morning. And our readers will see that in a few hours afterwards this very troop of 10th Hussars surrounded the party of Hardie and Baird at Bonnymuir!

King arose out of Baird's bed at an early hour on the Wednesday morning, to superintend and encourage the arrangements that Baird, and a few others, were making to meet the party from Glasgow. We defer going into the transactions which occurred with that party, or the circumstances they encountered, on the road between Germiston and Condorret, till we come to examine the evidence afterwards adduced against Hardie and Baird, before the Grand Jury and Special Commission at Stirling, premising only in the meantime, that we shall shake to its foundation the evidence of one witness, at least, who, it is well for him, has taken his departure to another country, though the name of Hardie and Baird will yet perhaps haunt him in the wilds of America.

The party from Germiston, we have reason to believe, reached Condorret about five o'clock on Wednesday morning. Some individuals, originally belonging it, probably from an apprehension that it was not adequate to carry the object in view, resigned their connection with it, after going forward a mile or two, and retired back to Glasgow; so that when the party finally mustered at Condorret, there were only some twenty-four individuals belonging to it altogether.

On coming up to Mr. Baird's house, he was naturally surprised at the paucity of its numbers. For King, it will be recollected, had led Baird to expect that the party would amount to at least two hundred individuals, and this tallied with the previous expectation of Turner at Port-Eglinton, for there he thought (vide Flanagan's statement) he had already secured 100 volunteers, and be expected another 100 from Anderston. Therefore, this circumstance of itself almost demonstrates the intimate connection there was between King and Turner, of which, indeed, no rational person can now entertain the smallest doubt.

An energetic remonstrance was made by Robert Baird, as to the absurdity and rashness of going on to Carron, or any place else, with such a small party, which, even when joined with those called out at Condorret, did not amount to more than thirty-five individuals ! King, on being questioned why his representation as to the extent of the force coming from Glasgow had not been realized, excused himself by saying, that the stronger party, which was to have left Anderston, must have mistaken the road, and gone in some other direction. Still the Glasgow party thought there was force and plausibility in this excuse, since they knew, before leaving Germiston, that the Anderston party were expected to have joined them. And thus, up almost to the very last moment, the shadow of a suspicion had not entered the mind of Hardie or his companions, regarding the villainy of the Plot. They were literally led like lambs to the slaughter.

Hardie, it is true, was almost as much chagrined and disappointed as Baird was at the paucity of their numbers. For Hardie, in like manner, expected, that at least fifty or sixty individuals would have turned out and joined them in Condorret; whereas, not more than ten or twelve appeared. And now it was seriously proposed, whether, under all the circumstances, it would not be desirable to tarry at Condorret, to wait for the expected reinforcement from Anderston, or to break up altogether?

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THE proposal of breaking up the party at Condorret, for the reasons stated, was strenuously opposed by King. The wretch knew that the military were already on the scent, and that if he could only induce the party to abide together for an hour or two longer, till the military came up and surrounded them, the purposes of his mission from Glasgow would be fully answered, or carried into effect. Accordingly he fell upon this most cunning and effective expedient, for inducing the party to go forward, by representing that they would assuredly be joined by numbers of friends at Camelon and Falkirk; and he stated, that he would immediately proceed to these places, and get them ready before the party came up, which he would afterwards join, recruited, and refreshed. It was proposed that John Kean, one of the party who had come out from Glasgow, should accompany King to Camelon, and Kean certainly did accompany King a part of the way, from which circumstance, we are aware, that strong suspicions were once entertained against Kean, but judging from the information and evidence communicated to us, we are happy in having it in our power to vindicate John Kean, from the imputation that he was accessory to the betrayal of Hardie and Baird, or any of their companions. He was deceived like the rest, and if he then made his escape, it was not owing to the favour of the local authorities, who hunted after him for several weeks.

Before leaving the party at Condorret, King took the precaution to see that John Baird was elected the leader or commander of it; and Andrew Hardie next to him. This was only following up the design of Turner, &c. in Glasgow, as expressed by Turner on the departure of the party from Germiston, the night preceding. For our readers will remember the statement of Flanagan, p. 110, to this effect,-that No. VIII.] [Price 2d.

H

he "saw Turner take a card, or half a card, from his pocket, and give it to Andrew Hardie, saying, that the other half of it was before them, and that on their arrival at Condorret, the persons there would produce their half, and the reading of the two would correspond, and that they were to confide in the person producing the card at Condorret, AS THEIR CONDUCTOR TO CARRON. Turner then addressed Hardie (who was elected to the command from Germiston), and said, I hope, Hardie, you will act bravely, if necessary."

These details may seem unimportant, but, in truth, they enable us to expose the villainy that was employed to entrap these unfortunate men, a fresh proof of which we shall presently be able to lay before our readers.

King, as we have shewn, separates himself from the party at Condorret, on the pretext, which, at the time, it never entered their heads to doubt, that he would prepare their friends at Camelon and Falkirk to turn out, and join them; and in a little while afterwards, the party at Condorret, now under the direction of John Baird and Andrew Hardie, move on towards Camelon, one branch of the party taking the route by the banks of the Glasgow and Edinburgh Union Canal, the remaining branch of the party taking the route by the King's highway, lest, as King said, for be contrived the route, "they should miss any of their friends coming to join them."

Shortly afterwards the party that went by the highway, (and Andrew Hardie belonged to it,) met with a gentleman, on horseback, going to Glasgow. This fact is referred to, by Andrew Hardie, in his dying declaration; and we also refer to it now, for the purpose of saying that we attach the greatest possible importance to it. Our readers cannot see or comprehend the whole bearings of this matter, till we enter on the trial, and sift the evidence given on it. But in the meanwhile, we say, that if this gentleman, on horseback, had been known, or could have been found out by Hardie and Baird's agents, before their trial, or even before their execution, their lives MUST have been saved. At the distance of twelve years, and with some exertion, we have found him out. He was an English Traveller, and our souls are now burning with indignation at the tale we shall afterwards be obliged to tell. It must not be supposed by any body, that Hardie or his party attacked this gentleman on horseback, whose name and address, &c. we shall afterwards give, or that they even treated him with any thing like rudeness. On the contrary, they treated him with kindness and respect, and beseeched him not to prosecute his journey into Glasgow that morning, they believing, to use their own simple words, as wili afterwards appear, "that there was sad work going on there." He took their advice: he turned back: and it is to what he saw with his own eyes on turning back, that we shall afterwards, in the fitting place, feel it to be our bounden duty to direct the special attention of our

readers.

Within half an hour after they had thus met the gentleman above alluded to, they likewise met one of the soldiers belonging to the 10th Hussars. They were no way disconcerted at his appearance, -any

more, we believe, than he was at theirs, for this party on the high road, commanded by Hardie, scarcely amounted to a dozen of men, not one of whom were in military attire, and no two of whom were armed alike. Some of them, in fact, had no arms at all. They naturally accosted the Hussar, whose name was Cooke, and asked him where he was going? He answered, that he was going to Kilsyth, and on his asking them, in return, what they were wanting, or engaged about, they replied, that " they were seeking their rights," but would do him no harm, on which Cooke, if we can believe his own statement, assured them, that he was "a friend to their cause ;" and then, one of the party (not Hardie) pulled out a roll of hand bills from his pocket, and gave a copy of one of them to the Hussar, on which he was permitted to pursue his route, without the slightest molestation from them. Here we might well ask, whether if Hardie and his party had been the blood-thirsty scoundrels they were afterwards industriously represented to be, they would have allowed this Hussar to slip through their hands, without, at least, securing his arms, which they might easily have done? Surely there was no Treason in simply accosting him, and holding this slight parley with him; but it seems a copy of the Treasonable Address was put into his hands, not, we again repeat, by Andrew Hardie, but by another of the party, who had received a parcel of the Addresses from Turner in Glasgow, believing them, of course, to be genuine; yet our readers will also afterwards see how that circumstance was gravely construed, or urged, as proof positive against Hardie, on his trial at Stirling.

Observe now the conduct of King. He does not proceed straightway to Camelon or Falkirk, according to the assurance he had made to the party at Condorret, but we find him skulking about the banks of the Canal; and when the party of Hardie had proceeded along the road, about a mile and a half past Bonnybridge, they got a signal from their companions, then on the banks of the Canal, to join them, which they did; and King, who had here also joined them, and caused that signal to be made, now requested them to go up to the adjoining moor, and wait there till he came up with his promised reinforcement from Camelon. The whole of the party, with the exception of King, and one or two others, obeyed this direction. To the fatal field of Bonnymuir they went, fatigued and disappointed, but their hearts were no way downcast, for the thought had never yet penetrated them that they were already sold, and about to be slaughtered like bullocks.

The whole party did not now amount to more than thirty-two individuals! On reaching the moor, they adopted the unanimous resolution, not to proceed one single step towards Carron, or any other place, unless the reinforcement, so much talked of by King, actually joined them. And the whole individuals belonging to Glasgow, including Hardie, came to be of opinion, that it would be better for them to remain on the moor, during the remainder of the day, and to return to Glasgow, privately, in the evening, to ascertain distinctly what was doing there. That resolution, we say, was unanimously adopted, and would to God it had been allowed to be carried into effect!