letter, conveying the above intelligence, they had an opportunity of meeting the Lord Advocate in Glasgow; when Mr. Finlay told him, in a very decided manner, that he considered the OBLIGATION SACRED, on the part of the GOVERNMENT, to PAY the ANNUITY THEY had PROMISED, until they made some other arrangement more satisfactory to me. After hearing Messrs. Finlay and Reddie's opinion, it was agreed, that he should be furnished with a Memorandum of the services I had rendered, and that he and Mr. Finlay should, together, wait upon Lord Sidmouth, on their arrival in London, at the opening of the Session, which was to take place in a few days. Some delay took place after their arrival in London, in consequence of a more special statement being required from Mr. Reddie before a conference could take place. They did not, however, see Lord Sidmouth, but the representation was presented to Mr. Hobhouse, by the Lord Advocate and Mr. Finlay, about the middle of December, (1819,) accompanied with a strong recommendation and opinion, that the sum proposed as an indemnification was altogether inadequate. I did not learn the result of the representation until the 4th of January, 1820, when the Lord Advocate, who was in Scotland, sent me a note to call upon him, when he read me a letter he had received from Mr. Hobhouse to the following effect: That he had laid the written statement put into his hands, before Lord Sidmouth, and related the substance of the conversation which he had the honour to have with his Lordship and Mr. Finlay, relative to A. Richmond; and he was directed by Lord Sidmouth to say, that without throwing any reflection on the manner he (Richmond) came to be involved, the circumstances mentioned were not known to His Majesty's Government until a considerable time after they had occurred. Lord Sidmouth therefore cannot agree to allow more than the sum already specified.' I told the Lord Advocate, that as he disavowed being a party, and had apparently done every thing in his power, would make no remark upon the original merits of the case; but supposing the objection stated to be true, it was no reason why they should act unjustly, when the circumstances came to their knowledge; that, in point of fact, I had been led to believe it was altogether different, and I must therefore have recourse to those who had repeatedly assured me that Government had solemnly pledged themselves to see me fully indemnified. I "Against this decision of the Home Secretary, Mr. Reddie again strongly remonstrated, and Mr. Finlay, by a letter of the 20th of January (1820), informed me, that on learning the import of the answer to the former representation, he had waited on Lord Sidmouth the preceding day, and had stated his opinion in so decided a manner, that the matter was in a fair way of being adjusted by my being appointed to a place as originally stipulated. Notwithstanding all I could urge, however, I could obtain no information of the nature or locality of the situation proposed to enable me to make any domestic arrangement until the 11th of April; when Mr. Reddie wrote me, they had at last received a written assurance from the proper authority that the promises made me by the late Lord Advocate, would be, in every respect, fulfilled; and that, in the meantime, the annuity should be continued, no part of it having been paid from August, 1819. "I had now no direct communication with the Lord Advocate, nor could I ascertain any thing, but through the medium of Mr. Finlay, and although in letter after letter I pointed out in the most forcible. light the sufferings my family endured from being kept in suspense, he became so exceedingly reserved in his communications, that I could obtain nothing but evasive answers, until by a letter dated the 18th of June, I was informed he had had a conversation relative to my business; that he found the difficulties in the way of a permanent settlement fully as great as ever; and, if there were any difference, even greater; that the annuity would be regularly continued through his medium, until the situation promised was procured, but I could obtain no assurance when it would take place; it might occur in the course of a week, or it might not take place for years, unless the whole matter was terminated by an agreement to pay a specific sum of money in full of all demands. "This was the last personal conference held at the Home Department, Mr. Finlay at this period retiring from Parliament; all future correspondence was carried on by letter. The matter was now conducted entirely by Messrs. Finlay and Reddie; the Lord Advocate, disgusted with such vacillating conduct, having refused all farther interference; and, unable to obtain any kind of security which would enable me to put my family in any settled situation, I wrote them, that as the basis of an accommodation was laid by the principle of indemnification, by a sum of money, being recognised by both parties, the only difference which could arise must be respecting the amount; that as there was no appearance of obtaining a settlement upon other terms, I put it entirely into their hands; that they were perfectly aware of the difficulties I had to encounter, and the sufferings I had been exposed to-and that I would accept of any sum which they might consider reasonable. "The negociation was accordingly renewed upon that basis, and continued till the end of September, when Mr. Reddie apprised me, that after making every effort in their power, they were unable to induce Government to give any thing at all like a reasonable indemnification, even on the principle laid down; and that, after comparing it with the disadvantages attendant on remaining in a state of insecurity and uncertainty, I might draw my own conclusion. Mr. Finlay had, for a considerable time, exhibited more of the cold caution of the politician than the interest or warmth of a friend. It seemed to have been the object to tire me out. The patience of all was exhausted, nor did any hope remain that the moral sense of the Right Honourable Secretary of State was sufficiently acute to enable him to distinguish between my motives and the nature of my claims, and the transcendent virtue of the dignified moral agent his Lordship had employed for detecting the conspiracy of Thistlewood, &c. I therefore consulted with the gentlemen who, from time to time, had given me the benefit of their opinion and advice, and on the 9th of October I empowered Messrs. Finlay and Reddie to settle it on such terms as they were able to obtain. I considered these instructions would have brought the matter immediately to a close,—but some other demurrer was put in, which produced an aditional, though fruitless, delay of four months. At last, in February, 1821, his Lordship finally determined that a few hundred pounds was a sufficient indemnification for all my losses and sufferings, physical and mental. "When Mr. Finlay (says Richmond in a note, page 153) applied for my assistance in December, 1816, he had received two letters from the Lord Advoccate (Maconochy), autherising him to offer me a situation under Government of a certain specified value, as an inducement for me to lend my assistance. The precise amount of the value of the situation I did not know. Mr. Finlay, however, had preserved the two letters, and to bring the matter to a point, he had recourse to them on the above occasion. Lord Sidmouth expressed a wish to see the documents, not seeming to depend altogether on his word, but Mr. Finlay could not at the time produce them, he having them deposited in his private bureau in Glasgow, and could not produce them until he was there personally. On the adjourning of Parliament, in consequence of the death of the late King (George III.), he went down to Scotland about the end of February, when he sent the documents to the Home Secretary; Mr. Reddie accompanying them with a letter urging my claims, and stating, that whether the late Lord Advocate had exceeded his powers or not (as was once averred by Lord Sidmouth), the first Law Officer of the Crown in Scotland was at a very low ebb indeed, if he could not, in a state of emergency, guarantee a paltry situation. This produced the answer above stated, when Mr. Finlay returned to London in April." SECOND EDITION. PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY MUIR, GOWANS, & CO. 42, ARGYLL-STREET, (Opposite the Buck's Head); SOLD BY J. STEWART, 11, ST. JAMES'S STREET, PAISLEY; AND ALL THE BOOKSELLERS. EXPLOITS OF RICHMOND ; EXPOSURE OF THE SPY SYSTEM; LETTERS OF ANDREW HARDIE, &c. We've neither safety, unity, nor peace, The proud Priuli should be taught humanity, I dare not speak, but my heart bleeds this moment.-Otway. IT is necessary that we should clench the evidence against Messrs. Finlay, Richmond, and Reddie, with a few additional facts. We left him (Richmond) empowering his friends, Messrs. Finlay and Reddie, on the 9th of October, 1820, to settle the Blood money, for such only can we call it, which he was to receive from Government, "on such terms as they were able to obtain." And in February, 1821, we are tripping over a world of important events, that occurred in the interim, but some of which we shall on no account lose sight of,-in February, 1821, according to Richmond's own statement, Lord Sidmouth "finally determined that a few hundred pounds was a sufficient indemnification" for his (Richmond's) services. On or about the 9th day of that month, there being ample time afforded for deliberation, at which, however, Richmond frets sadly, apparently forgetting the words of the ex-Lord Advocate, that they courted delay, "as they wished the thing to be entirely blown over”– this gentleman, Mr. Alexander Richmond, made his last journey to Glasgow, and proceeded to his old quarters-to the house of James Reddie, Esq. Advocate, first Town-Clerk of the City. We now approach delicate ground. Richmond, be it observed, talks "of a few hundred pounds" quite contemptuously. He evidently expected a great deal more-perhaps a few thousands-something, in fact, commensurate with the "important State secret" confided to him by his Patrons. In the course of the evening of his arrival, (we had almost omitted to state that he came direct from Edinburgh,) he sallied out, in company with a person of the name of White, a warper in this city, in quest of some Bookseller's shop in which he could procure a receipt stamp, Mr. Reddie having, we suppose, previously told him, that the money was then ready, if a proper receipt was granted for it. Accordingly, they entered the shop of Mr. James Duncan, bookseller, at the head of the Saltmarket, a highly respectable gentleman, who has reNo. IV.] [Price 2d. D can, tired from business, and now resides on his estate of Mosesfield, near Glasgow, and to whom we confidently appeal in proof of our statement, if necessary--and then, and there, they asked for a TEN SHILLING receipt stamp. Mr. Duncan told them that he had no stamp of that description-and away they went. In a moment afterwards, a neighbour of Mr. Duncan came into his shop, and asked him if he knew the customers who had just left it. "No," says Mr. Dun"I do not."-" Well," says his neighbour, 66 one of them is Richmond the Spy." Mr. Duncan, thanks to his vigilance and activity, sprang from his seat-and, recollecting that he had directed the parties to go to the shop of Messrs. Brash and Reid, Booksellers in Trongate, where it was likely they would get the article they wanted, instantly proceeded in quest of them, to dog them, or watch them, if possible, to their rendezvous. He found them at the door of Brash and Reid. He then ran up as fast as he could to the Chronicle Office, almost adjoining, and after telling the circumstance which had just occurred, Mr. Robert Macdougal, then in the Chronicle Office, and latterly in the Scotsman Office at Edinburgh, but recently dead, at once agreed to accompany Mr. Duncan in further quest of Mr. Alexander Řichmond. They found him and White just leaving the shop of Brash and Reid, where the worthies had made their purchase; but here we must be a little more particular, because on this part of the Narrative, we desire to pledge the perfect truth and veracity of the whole of our statement. We here purposely throw ourselves open to the strong, the immutable tests of Truth. We scorn to say anything not resting on that foundation. We, therefore, boldly, but respectfully invite, nay, we hereby challenge the parties themselves more immediately concerned, to come forward, and deny, if they can, any of the minute facts we are now going to record against them. At Brash and Reid could not give Richmond a Ten Shilling Receipt Stamp entire. But they said they could give him two five shilling receipt stamps connected together, which in the eye of law serves the purpose required equally well. Richmond was satisfied with this explanation. He took the stamps, and paid the money for them. Little did he think he was watched in the admirable way he was.. that time only vague suspicions were entertained of his connexion with the local authorities. True, the great bulk of the inhabitants of Glasgow believed him to be a Government Spy. But still some tangible proof of the fact was awanting to bring it home to the conviction of every unprejudiced person. To James Duncan of Mosesfield, and Robert Macdougal, late of the Glasgow Chronicle Office, be ascribed all the honour of this noble, or, as some may be apt to term it, this ignoble discovery. For Richmond, it will be kept in view, did not publish his Narrative till 1825four years afterwards, and every body else was silent on the subject. On the evening of that same 9th of February, 1821, they followed Richmond from lane to lane, and from street to street, thinking that he would at last land in some low obscure habitation, worthy of his |