EXPLOITS OF RICHMOND; EXPOSURE OF THE SPY SYSTEM, LETTERS OF ANDREW HARDIE, &c. "Far may the boughs of Liberty expand, For ever blasted be the impious hand That lops one branch from this illustrious tree! We now come to the last act of the tragedy. A Petition was prepared by some humane individuals in Glasgow, humbly entreating that the Royal Mercy should be extended to Hardie and Baird. This Petition was earnestly supported by Mr. Grahame of Whitehill-by Admiral Fleming, and through him by his noble and distinguished relative, the late Lord Keith, &c. It was also supported by the Rev. Dr. Chalmers, as to whom we cannot resist the temptation of recording the following particulars, so creditable to him as a Minister of Truth and Mercy, and which particulars have been communicated to us by Mr. John Goodwin, the cousin of Hardie:-" When I waited (says Mr. Goodwin) on Dr. Chalmers, respectfully to solicit his signature to the Petition, he told me that he was expressly enjoined by the authorities not to interfere, yet he assured me that he felt so much for this young man (Hardie) that he would willingly do any thing in his power to serve him, believing (as he said) that he was the victim of designing men. Upon this, Dr. Chalmers, who was in bed at the time, arose, and instead of merely giving his signature, he wrote a note to the Petition, which contained an attestation of Hardie's character, expressed in very high terms, and which also stated that he (Dr. Chalmers) had previously made personal inquiry regarding Andrew Hardie, and was fully convinced, that in his case, the ends of justice would be gained by mercy, and not by punishment. The only other 'established minister' (says Mr. Goodwin) who would sign this petition was Mr. Marshall, at the time minister of the High Church. amongst Dissenters, the Rev. Drs. Ewing and Wardlaw put their names to it readily, as well as some of the most respectable manufacturers, among whom were the Messrs. Brown." But "How different (adds Mr. Goodwin) was my reception with Henry Monteith, at the time Lord Provost. I called upon him, in company with Hugh Brown, jun. Esq., who introduced me to his Lordship. After respectfully stating the object of my visit, his Lordship declared that, for him, he would let the law take its course,' that Andrew Hardie justly merited its severest sentence,' and that he, the Provost,* His Lordship was once a weaver himself, as his father was before him. No. XV.] P [Price 2d. that would not interfere. I replied, that his Lordship must be aware, a system of espionage had been carried on, and that my unfortunate relative had been baited into the snare. Upon this, his Lordship stormed like a fury, and in the most ungentlemanly manner frowned us from his presence." The petition, however, accompanied by many testimonials of character from Elders and other respectable persons, who knew Hardie and Baird personally, was transmitted to Lord Sidmouth, as Home Secretary of State, and who had at that time the power of life and death in his hands; but Sidmouth, as might have been expected, turned a deaf ear to the petition, and, like Henry Monteith, he contented himself with saying, that "the law must take its course." This occasioned no surprise, or even disappointment, to Hardie and Baird, for they had long made up their minds for another and a better world. On the Wednesday before they suffered, amid the circle of his weeping family-an aged father of fourscore, three sisters, two brothers, two brothers-in-law, John Baird detailed, at great length, and with the utmost simplicity, calmness, and affection, his feelings and his hopes and called upon them to give thanks to God on his account, and instead of returning to mourn for his death, in the bosom of their respective homes, to assemble their friends around them, and declare what God the Lord had done for his soul. He then gave them many useful admonitions as his last farewell advice. He was aware, he informed them, that they had always been more attentive to the discharge of their duties, social and religious, than he, but brought now to feel all the value of the Gospel of peace, he could not see them depart, without requesting them to live more and more in close dependence upon God, and intercourse with him in faith through the Redeemer. Upon those of his relations who had children, he pressed the necessity of good example to their offspring, requesting them all to live so as to be ready to die, as they knew neither the day nor the hour when the Son of man cometh. While every one besides were dissolved in tears, he himself was firm and unruffled, and expressed himself in the softest and most soothing tone and manner. One idea alone seemed for the moment to overpower him. His aged father, whom he had not seen till now, since the day he was taken prisoner, was seated near him; he took out his snuff-box, which was a handsome horn mounted with silver, and put it into his trembling father's hands, saying,-"Let me offer you this-you will perhaps look at it, when you cannot look at me!" He parted with them with the greatest composure, on the mutual hopes of meeting, though not here, in a happier state. "From the period of their condemnation-(says an eye-witness who had attended them, and to whom we are indebted for the above and following information, which we beg to publish in his own words)— from the period of their condemnation they had been daily attended by the Rev. Mr. Bruce, and occasionally by the Rev. Drs. Wright, Heugh (now of Glasgow), and Small. "But such was the rapid advancemement which they had made in the Christian life, that some of these Rev. gentlemen declared, on the night preceding their execution," that they had come rather to learn: than to communicate instructions-rather to witness the triumph of divine grace, and to see the salvation of the Lord, than to perform any service." It was the wish of Hardie and Baird, to spend the whole of their last night on earth in private prayer to God; but .some. of their nearest relations had expressed a wish to be permitted to pass this night along with them. This request General Graham, the Governor of Stirling Castle, who invariably treated the whole of the prisoners with the utmost kindness, readily granted, and also ordered a serjeant of the garrison, a pious man, who belonged to the Methodists' connexion, to attend them with refreshments, &c. The night was spent alternately in reading the Scriptures, in prayer, and in conversation; and so cool and collected, nay, so happy and cheerful were they, especially while engaged in prayer and praise, that they appeared more like men enjoying a triumph, than enduring a trial, more like saints made perfect in bliss, than men about to undergo an ignominious death. During the intervals of conversation, Hardie inquired of his cousins, into every particular that could be interesting to them, to his other friends, or to himself. He wished to know all the arrangements that they had made regarding him, whether they had gotten a strong coffin made, how his corpse was to be conveyed to Glasgow, and he even examined his winding sheet, which they happened to have along with them! About four o'clock in the morning, Hardie and Baird lay down in bed together, and slept for two hours, apparently as soundly as ever they did in their lives. Agreeable to their own request, they were wakened at six, when they washed and dressed themselves, and felt greatly refreshed,-they sung the first four verses of the 51st Paraphrase, evidently with the spirit and with the understanding also; Baird then read from the 20th verse of the 15th chapter of 1st Cor. to the end. Then he engaged in an agony of prayer to God, the burden of which was, that he would strengthen their faith, and stand by them at the trying hour. This was, perhaps, one of the most powerful, comprehensive, and affecting prayers that ever was offered up. The Rev. Mr. Watson, from Edinburgh, and the Rev. Mr. Bruce, and Drs. Wright and Small, had entered the prison during these exercises; but in this prayer they were all in tears: indeed Hardie and Baird were the only individuals present that were not deeply affected. They appeared to have already obtained that strength of faith, and that divine aid, which they were so anxious to receive. About one o'clock they requested to be allowed to take farewell with the others who were taken prisoners along with them, which was also readily granted-and here a most interesting scene ensued: eighteen or twenty youths grouped around the window of their cell, the upper sash of which was thrown down, as the under was on a level with the ground. "From this window, both Hardie and Baird addressed their companions in the most affectionate and endearing, yet, in the most digni fied style. They congratulated them on the country to which they were going. They warned them of the company with whom they were about to associate. They exhorted them to read their Bibles, to search the Scriptures daily. They informed them of the good which they themselves had received, simply from reading the word of God with prayer. And they exhorted them so far from following the evil example, and falling into the vices of those around them, that they should rather act the part of Christian Missionaries, and preach the Gospel. They begged them to remember, that though they were suffering, that they were not evil doers; that the cause for which they suffered would sooner or later prevail, and that some little, perhaps, depended upon the propriety of their conduct. After these addresses were finished, they individually embraced each other, and took a most affecting farewell; the boys Johnson and White were particularly affected, and clung to Hardie until they were ordered away to their cells. About 1 o'clock Hardie and Baird left their cell with the utmost composure and magnanimity, which they manifested to the very last; Baird leaning on Mr. Bruce, and Hardie on Dr. Wright and Dr. Small. In this way, after pausing a little at the guardroom, they were conducted to the hurdle, which waited for them without the Castle-gate. Here were the Sheriffs and the Magistrates, in their badges of office. The prisoners now get into the hurdle, their backs to the horse, when the headsman, with the axe in his hand, took his seat opposite to them. Hardie bent forward, looked into his face, then turned round with a smile upon his countenance, and remarked to Mr. Bruce, that he was looking to see if he knew him, but could not recognise him; he thought him a young man about 20. Mr. Bruce remarked, what a painful task for so young a man. "I am not certain of that," Hardie remarked, "he seemed to look us stern in the face." They then of their own accord, when the procession commenced to move, began to sing the last hymn, which they continued to do with great animation till they reached the front of the jail, where the gallows was erected. The soldiery, consisting of six companies of the 13th foot, and a troop of the 7th dragoon guards, formed three sides of a square in front, and on each side the scaffold-the infantry were in front, supported by the cavalry-some of the soldiery were dissolved in tears. The shops in Broad-street, and in the streets leading immediately into it, were shut, but the windows in general were crowded; not fewer than 6000 individuals were witnesses to the distressing scene. A sight so appalling as the mangling of the bodies by decapitation, prevented many persons from attending;-they might be seen moving along the other streets, under feelings corresponding to the melancholy event which was taking place in Broad-street. About twenty minutes before two o'clock, the hurdle halted in front of the scaffold.—Hardie immediately got up, placed his right hand upon his breast-raised his eyes to the scaffold, and in the aspect of triumph, he exclaimed, "Hail! harbinger of eternal rest.”—He was followed by Baird, and afterwards by the headsman.-Hardie took the arm of the Rev. Dr. Wright,—Baird the arms of the Rev. Dr. Small and |