Newgate, 14th July, 1798. "Sir,―The dying father bids me take the pen he cannot hold; he bids me commend with his expiring breath, his little penniless Jane, as a participator with her sister Alicia, in your goodness and bounty, from which alone she can hope for support and provision. He sends his love and blessing to Alicia, and his sincerest wishes for yours and Mrs. Swete's happiness. To all these, add the prayers of your departing and sincere friend, JOHN SHEARES."

One of the most important of these letters to the character of John Sheares, is the following one, addressed the night before his execution to Dr. Dobbin, a pious and enlightened minister of the Church of England, who attended him in his last moments. The subject of this letter is the paper better known by the name of "The sanguinary Proclamation," written by John Sheares; and the suppression on the trial of a most important portion of that document, which would have placed the meaning of the whole paper in a very different light to that which the part of it produced by his prosecutors, has thrown upon it. 'Newgate, 12 o'clock at night. "13th July.

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"My dear Sir,-As tomorrow is appointed for the execution of my brother and me, I shall trouble you with a few words on the subject of the writing produced on my trial, importing to be a proclamation. The first observation I have to make, is that a considerable part of that scrawled production was suppressed on my trial; from what motive, or whether by

accident, I will not say. Certain it is, that the part which has not appeared, must have, in a great measure, shewn what the true motives were that caused that writing, had it been produced. To avoid a posthumous calumny, in addition to the many and gross misrepresentations of my principles, moral and political, I shall state with the most strict regard to truth, what my chief objects were in writing, or rather in attempting to write it, for it is but a wretched, patched, and garbled attempt. It was contained in a sheet of paper, and in one or two pieces more, which are not forthcoming-the sheet alone is produced. It is written in very violent revolutionary language, because, as it in the outset imports, after a revolution had taken place, could it alone be published, and the occasion of such an event I thought every day more probable. The first sentence that has produced much misrepresentation, is that which mentions that some of the most obnoxious members of government have already paid the forfeit of their lives-I cannot state the words exactlyfrom this it is concluded that I countenanced assassination. Gracious God! but I shall simply answer, that this sentence was merely suppositious, and founded on that common remark, oftenest made by those who least wished it verified, that if the people had ever recourse to force, and succeeded, there were certain persons whom they would most probably destroy. The next most obnoxious sentence-more obnoxious to my feelings, because calculated to misrepresent the real sentiments of my soul-is that which recommends to give no quarter to those

who fought against their native country, [unless they should speedily join the standard of freedom.] With this latter part of the sentence I found two faults, and therefore drew my pen across it, as above. The first fault was, that the word 'speedily' was too vague, and might encourage the sanguinary immediately to deny quarter-which was the very thing the whole sentence was intended to discountenance and prevent. The next fault was, that it required more than ever should be required of any human being-namely, to fight against his opinions from fear. The sentence was intended to prevent the horrid measure of refusing quarter from being adopted, or appearing to acquiesce in it at some future period, when the inhuman thirst for it should no longer exist. But, as the sentence now stands in two parts of the sheet, it must appear as if I sought to enforce the measure I most abhor. To prevent it was, indeed, one of my leading motives for writing the address; but I had three others, that are expressed on the piece or pieces of paper which made part of the writing, but which, though laid all together in the same desk, have disappeared. The three objects alluded to are these the protection of property, preventing the indulgence of revenge, and the strict forbiddal of injuring any person for religious differences. I know it is said, that I call on the people to take vengeance on their oppressors and enumerate some of their oppressions; but this is the very thing that enables me to point out the difference between private revenge and public vengeance. The former has only a retrospec

tive and malignant propensity, while the latter, though animated by the recollection of the past, has ever and only in view the removal of the evil, and of the possibility of its recurrence. Thus, the assassin revenges himself; but the patriot avenges his country of its enemies, by overthrowing them, and depriving them of all power again to hurt it. In the struggle, some of their lives may fall; but these were not the objects of his vengeance. In short, even the Deity himself is said, in this sense, to be an avenging Being:-but who deems him revengeful? Adieu, my dear Sir: let me entreat you, whenever an opportunity shall occur, that you will justify my principles on these points.

"Believe me, your sincere friend,

"Newgate, 12 o'clock

at Night, July 13.*

"JOHN SHEARES."

I now avail myself of the proper time and place for laying before my readers this paper, or rather this portion of the paper, written by John Sheares, and produced on the trial, and insert a copy of that document, as it was produced in court by the crown prosecutor.

At the onset, I acknowledge that paper appears to me to be indefensible, considered as the deliberate act and emanation of a composed, untroubled mind. I further admit, that the efforts of John Sheares to explain away its proscriptive character,

The above letter was written twelve hours before his execution.

on the ground of the difference between revenging a private wrong, and avenging national ones, are not satisfactory; and that the line drawn between. "private revenge and public vengeance," as to the difference between them, and the justifiable character of the latter, in contradistinction to the criminal nature of the former, is one which cannot be sustained on moral grounds, though it may seem to derive a sanction from public opinion; in legal language, in reference to the vindication of the laws, or in the employment of force with regard to the chastisement of treacherous or rapacious enemies. Those who were the ministers of public vengeance, in 1797 and 1798, on many occasions gratified the feelings of their private revenge, under a colourable pretext of public necessity, by persecuting those who were opposed to their views or interests. What distinction can be drawn between these forms of private and of public vindictiveness?

Before the unpublished and unfinished scrawl which bears the name of " John Sheares' sanguinary Proclamation," is referred to, it will be well to glance at a published and deliberately-concocted proclamation, bearing the name of James Napper Tandy, and stated to have been distributed by him and others of his party, when he made his well-known descent on the coast at Rutland, in the county Donegal: for violence of language, vindictiveness, and blood-breathing wickedness, I think it will be found to surpass any thing of the kind :