vour to get her into his possession as a gallant and spirited attempt to do himself a justice; and the death of the young lady as an accidental effect of an unjust resistance made against that attempt by those, who by superior power and influence would have overborne right. These notions, however erroneous and extravagant, had taken such possession of their minds, that there was not a carpenter to be found in the country about Strabane that would erect a gallows for his execution; nor could any person be procured to undertake it for hire. The sheriff, therefore, was obliged to look out for a tree which might serve for the purpose; and upon a tree he must at last have been executed, if the uncle of the unhappy young lady, and a party of gentlemen, who were moved with a just indignation at the thought of being reduced to the necessity of such an expedient, to execute a wretch who had committed a murder with every possible aggravation, had not themselves made a gallows and set it up. It was erected on a plain between Strabane and Lifford; and on the 15th of December, about one o'clock in the morning, Macnaghton, who had been fettered upon his condemnation, was brought down from his room in the prison, in order to have his fetters taken off; but there was not a smith to be found that would do it; and if one of those who had refused the

office had not been compelled by a party of the light-horse to perform it, the criminal must, contrary to law, have been executed with his fetters on; and the sheriff was obliged to send for the executioner, a very old man, from Cavan. Everything, however, being at last ready, he was carried to the place of execution, dressed in a very slovenly manner, and in the very coat which he wore when he committed the murder; declaring, but for what reason cannot be known, that "he would wear no other."

Even at this last trying moment, his courage did not fail him, only he asked if his head was to be stuck upon the gaol, and seemed much pleased when the sheriff replied in the negative. He refused to address the public, but assured some of his prosecutors then present, that he forgave them his death, although he himself did not ask forgiveness of any one. Ascending the ladder with a firm step, he placed the rope about his own neck, and threw himself off with great violence, in hope to break the vertebræ, and thus ensure a speedy and less painful death. The force, however, was such that the rope gave way, and he fell to the ground. Thereupon the sympathising crowd made an opening in their ranks that he might escape; but the executioner, and those determined that justice should be done, closed around, when, not

withstanding the pain he must have suffered, he remounted the gallows as calm as ever, declaring that Lord Ferrers was quite right in saying, the anticipation of death was much worse than death itself. He was again thrown off, and this time so effectually, that in a few minutes, he ceased to struggle.

Such was the fate of John Macnaghton, a man designed by nature for better things, but in whose mind the seeds of goodness were destroyed at an early period of life by a passion for gambling.

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THE TRUE ROMANCE OF EDWARD WORTLEY MONTAGUE.

It is a somewhat hacknied saying, that truth is often-times more wonderful than fiction; and of this, Edward Wortley Montague affords a very complete illustration. From his early days he was ever at tilt with the world's opinions; and, but that sufficient documents are at hand to prove the reality of our narrative, we might well expect to be set down amongst those who, to borrow Shakspeare's censure of certain players, "imitate nature most abominably." Certes, there is many a romance that less oversteps the modesty of nature than the simple reality of our chronicle, and yet more care has been taken to soften down, than to aggravate, the features in our hero's character.

Edward Wortley Montague was the son of the highly gifted but eccentric Lady Mary Wortley Montague, and while yet an infant was taken by her to Constantinople, whither her husband had been sent as ambassador from England. The child was then only three years old, and, it is very possible, may have imbibed the roving propensities of his manhood, from being thus early accustomed to travel. With a boldness that few mothers besides herself would have evinced, she tried upon him the experiment of inoculation for the small-pox, he being the first English child that had ever been subjected to it; and, luckily for the European world, the practice in this instance turned out so successful, that Lady Mary was afterwards enabled to introduce it amongst her own countrymen with a confidence that finally subdued all the opposition of prejudice and ignorance. The following account is given of this matter by Mr. Maitland, who attended the embassy to Constantinople in the capacity of surgeon.

"About this time the ambassador's ingenious lady, who had been at some pains to satisfy her curiosity in this matter, and had made some useful observations on the practice, was so thoroughly convinced of the safety of it, that she resolved to submit her only son to it, a very hopeful boy of about six years of age. She first of all ordered

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