CHRONICLE. 



31 



a lighted candle, where, stumbling 

 with it, she set fire to a quantity of 

 dry heath, which burnt so furious- 

 ly, that it was impossible to arrest 

 its progress. 



21. Mr. Dupre's villa, at Bea- 

 consfield, the seat of the late Mr. 

 Burke, was entirely consumed by 

 fire. The loss isestimatedat 30,000/. 



Nine waggons, loaded with 

 gold dust, bars, and silver bullion, 

 worth upwards of half a million, 

 arrived at the Bank from Ports- 

 mouth. This valuable cargo was 

 brought by the President frigate 

 from the Cape of Good Hope, to 

 which it had been conveyed at dif- 

 ferent times from the East India 

 Company's possessions in India. 



23. Execution of Edith Morrey. 

 — On this day, at 12 o'clock, this 

 wretched woman was delivered by 

 Mr. Hudson, constable of Chester 

 Castle, into the hands of Messrs. 

 Thomas and Bennett, the city she- 

 riffs, for execution. 



She walked from the Castle to 

 Glover's Stone, having hold of Mr. 

 Hudson's arm, with the utmost 

 firmness, amidst an unusual pres- 

 sure from the immense crowd as- 

 sembled ; she then got into the 

 cart, and immediately laid herself 

 down on one side, concealing her 

 lace with her handkerchief, which 

 she had invariably done when in 

 public, from her first appearance 

 before the judges to her final dis- 

 solution ; and no person obtained 

 a view of her face out of the castle 

 since her commitment, except the 

 ordinary, &c. 



Upon her arrival at the city gaol, 

 she continued in prayer with the 

 Rev. W. Fish till one o'clock, 

 when she ascended the scaffold 

 with a firm and undaunted step, 

 I with her face covered with a hand- 



kerchief, and she immediately 

 turned her back to the populace. 



After continuing in prayer a 

 short time, the clergyman with- 

 drew, and the executioner prepar- 

 ed to finish the awful sentence of 

 the law. At this period, when the 

 clergyman had recommended her 

 to dismiss all worldly thoughts, and 

 fix her whole soul on her Re- 

 deemer, through whom alone she 

 could hope for mercy, she twice 

 called for the turnkey (John Ro- 

 binson) to bid him farewell — he 

 came at the second call, and hav- 

 ing taken leave of her, she re- 

 mained about half a minute, when 

 she dropped the handkerchief, and 

 was immediately launched into 

 eternity. 



She was very much convulsed 

 for a few minutes, when her pangs 

 ceased in this world. After hang- 

 ing the usual time, her body was 

 delivered to the surgeons for dis- 

 section, and was open to the public 

 inspection during all Saturday. 



"There appeared an apathy in this 

 woman which is truly astonishing. 

 When the judges came into the 

 town she asked permission to go on 

 the terrace of the castle to see the 

 procession, though she knew their 

 coming was the signal of her fate. 

 On the morning the Rev. Mr. Fish 

 preached what is usually denomi- 

 nated the condemned sermon, she 

 was suffused in tears, and her con- 

 vulsive sobs were heard throughout 

 the chapel : yet, an hour after, the 

 impression seemed entirely erased. 

 She slept very sound the night pre- 

 vious to the morning of her exe- 

 cution, and ate a hearty breakfast 

 upon her awakening. 



It is worthy of remark, that on 

 the 23rd day of April, 1763, one 

 Mary Hcald was strangled and 



