1800] MUorals and Manners; 372

WAS bowing to the audience with his uſual condeſcenſion,’ a perſon who ſat in the ſecond row from the orcheſtra, but towards the middle of the Pif, SOL upon the ſeat, and levelling a horſe-piſtol towards. the Ki g’s Box, fired it. It was lo inſtantaneous as to prevent all the perſons near him from ſeeing his defign in time to defeat it, though providentially Mr. Holroyd, of Sco:land- Yard, had the good fortune to raiſe the arm of the aſſaſſin, ſo as-to dire& the contents of the piſtol towards the root of the box.—His Majeſty ſhewed the moſt perfe compoſure, After the firſt moment of ſtupor, the pérſons around him and the muſicians from. the orcheſtra ſeized the man, and hurried him over the paliſades into the muſicians? room. Thé audience, as may be con=- ceived, after the firſt tonfulion had ſubhded, burſt, into the molt vi- olent emotions.— Terror, diſmay, and rage were marked‘on€very counte- NANCE, except that of his Majeſty, who ſat with the utmolt ſerenity; while the Queen, who was juſt near enough to hear the report and-ſee the flaſh,‘collected confidencefrom his magnanimity. The Princeſles were apprized of the event before they entered the box—they melted into tears: Mr. Sheridan, aſliſted by Mr. Wigſtead, the magiſtrate, proceeded immediately to examine the man in the room into which he had been conduCted, and where he had bcen ſearched to ſee if he had any other fre arms, or papers. He had none. Mr. Tamp- lin, a trumpeter in the band, who afſliſt-d in taking him over the orcheſtra, re- cognized the man to be a ſoldier, and pulling: oven his coat, found that he had on a military waiſtcoat, with the button of the x 5th light dragoons, It had been an officer's waiſtcoat.—On being queſtioned by Mr. Sheridan, he faid,€ he had no obje¿tion to tell who he. was.—TIt was uot over yet—there Was A great deal-niore and worſe to be-done.—His naine was James Hadfield =he had ſerved his time to a working hilverſinith, but had inlilted in the 15th light, dragoons, and fought for his king and country.” At thís time the Prince of Wales and Duke of York entered the room, to be preſent at the ex- amination. He immediately turned to the Duke, and faid—“ I know your Royal. Biglineſs—Zod bleſs you. You are a good fellow. I have ſcrved with your Highneſs, and(pointing to a deep cut over his eye, and another long ſcar on his cheek) ſaid, I get theſe, and more than thele, in fighting by Faun fide At Lincélles T was léft three hours among tue dead in a ditch, And was taken priſoner by the French. I had my arm broken by a ſhot, and eight ſabre wounds in my head; but T recovered, and here I am.” He then gave the following-account of himſelf, and of his condu&t.—He ſaid, that having been diſcharged from the army on account of his wounds, he had re- turned to London, and now lived by working at his own trade. Being weary of life bought a pair of piſtols from one W. Wakelin, a hair- „ in St. John-ſtreet.—He told him they were for his young » who would give him a blunderbußs in exchange. That he had bor- rowed a crown from his maſter that morning, with which he bad bought ſome Powder, and had sone to tl vue of Mrs, Maſon, in Red Lion-ftreet, to have lome beer; that be went backwards tothe yard, and there he trîed his piſtols, He found one of them good for n thing, and left it behind him. In his own trade he uſed lead, and'he caſt himſelf two ſlugs, with which. he loaded his piſtol, and. came to the theatre ,—At this part cf his narrative Sir William Addington, the ma took the chair; he went over the ex- Aminatction of the[ him, and who had ſeen the piſtol le- velled at his Ma id, it was moſt material to aſcertain that fat, whether tl acred perſon of his Majeſty, oc fi„the other not. He aſked Hadfield what had induced him to attempt the life of the beſt of Sove-

€ he had: not attempted to Lili the kir N o had fired his piſtol over the royal box. He wáas'as good a ſhot as any in Eng- land; but he was hi/ y vf life—he wiſhed for death, but not(o die by his own hands. He was defirons to raiſe az alarm; and wiſhed that the ſpec= tators might fall upn hün=He hoped that his life was forfeited,”—He was

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