440 
1806.—Six o’Clock in the Morn- 
ing. 
‘6 MY DEAREST BELOVED, 
¢* When you read these lines you 
are a widow, and our dear, dear 
children have no longer a father. 
My destiny is fixed; in five hours I 
cease to live. But though I diesthe 
death of acriminal, you know that 
I haye committed no crime; I fall 
a victim of the present calamitous 
times! times when an _ untimely 
death can neither dishonour a man 
whose whole life has been irre- 
proachable, nor throw a stain on 
his surviving family. In our mise- 
rable days what virtue has not ex- 
pired by the hands of the execu- 
tioner !—Do not let your affliction 
for the fate of a husband deprive you 
of firmness to support the duties of 
amother. Our dear, dear babies 
(Oh, my God! I shall never more 
press them or you to my bursting 
heart!) have now a double claim 
on your maternal love, as well as 
on your maternal tenderness. Im- 
plant on their tender minds all those 
virtuous sentiments’ which made 
their good mother so very dear to 
their unfortunate father. I advise 
you to collect, as soon as possible, 
the wreck of our fortune (if any,) 
and to retire with it to England or 
America. In those fortunate lands 
innocence is still secure, and pa- 
triotism is yet revered.—In my last 
fervent prayers I recommend you 
all to the protection of an Omnipo-. 
tent Providence, and to the com- 
passion of those contemporary pa- 
triots of all countries whose noble 
bosoms sympathise with my own 
feelings, and deplore, if not weep, 
over the destruction of liberty in 
wretched Germany. — Reward the 
friend who delivers this ; and for- 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1806. 
give, and teach our dear children ta 
forgive, my murderer. May hea- 
ven pardon him as muchas I do! 
I cannot—I dare not say more ;— 
my breast is too full. Oh, my 
God! never more to behold and em- 
brace them and you ! !!-Almighty 
Creator, bless and preserve you all, 
until we meet in another and better” 
world, to part no more! —With 
my last breath, your ever affectionate 
husband, 
Joun P, Paum. 
29th. The theatre. royal, now 
erecting at Manchester, was let ta 
Mr. M’Cready, at 1600/. a year, 
and an annual free benefit for a pub- 
lic charity. — 
Cooke, the aétor, brought an ac, 
tion, at the last Carrickfergus assizes, 
against Mr. Atkins, the manager of 
the Belfast theatre, for thesum of 1277, 
10s. asa balance due to him for an 
engagement in the year 1804. But 
it appeared in evidence, that Cooke 
(in consequence of his want of at- 
traction, and the consequent loss of 
the manager) agreed to give up the 
sum in question, upon condition of 
receiving a ring, in token of Mr. At- 
kins’ respeet ; which wasaccording- 
Jy given to him. The jury, of 
course, found a yerdict for the de- 
fendant with costs. 
The city of Bath was visited 
with a most tremendous storm of 
thunder, lightning, and hail, be- - 
tween the hours of two and four 
this morning. No accident in the 
town. A ball of fire fell on a house 
at Twerton, which was entirely con- 
sumed ; andit is reported that every 
inhabitant perished.—A stable be- 
longing to a farmer on the new 
Gloucester road was burnt, and six 
valuable horses. 
SEPTEMBER. 
