ng with his hand, and walking very leisurely
toward me. Thinking he was despatched with some message, I halted, but
as he walked on as slowly as if deeming I ought rather to go to him than
he come to me, I forthwith returned to meet him; but on reaching close
enough, what was my astonishment on his holding out the halfpence in his
open hand, and addressing me in a loud, grumbling, demanding tone
with--"Why this is not enough to buy a loaf! you must give me more."
"Then buy _half_ a loaf," said I, wheeling about and resuming my walk,
not without a good many hard epithets in return from my
kettle-boiler.--_Cunningham's Two Years in New South Wales_.

* * * * *

CONFESSION OF THE EXECUTIONER OF CHARLES I.

There have been great disputes about the person who beheaded Charles I.
Mr. Ellis says, "it seems most probable that the person who actually
beheaded the king was the common executioner." And then adds the
following valuable and interesting note, which seems to us to settle the
question.

"Among the tracts relating to the civil war, which were given to the
British Museum by his late majesty King George III. in 1762, there are
three upon this subject. One is entitled, 'The Confession of Richard
Brandon the Hangman (upon his death-bed), concerning his beheading his
late Majesty. Printed in the year of the hangman's downfall, 1649.' The
second is entitled, 'The last Will and Testament of Richard Brandon,'
printed in the same year. The third is, 'A Dialogue or Dispute between
the late Hangman (the same person), and Death,' in verse, without date.
All three are in quarto."

The following are the most important paragraphs of the first tract:

"The confession of the hangman concerning his beheading his late majesty
the king of Great Britain (upon his death-bed) who was buried on
Thursday last in Whitechapel church-yard, with the manner thereof:--

"Upon Wednesday last (being the 20th of this instant, June 1649),
Richard Brandon, the late executioner and hangman, who beheaded his late
majesty, king of Great Britain, departed this life; but during the time
of his sicknesse his conscience was much troubled, and exceedingly
perplexed in mind, yet little shew of repentance for remission of his
sins, and by past transgressions, which had so much power and influence
upon him, that he seemed to live in them, and they in him. And on Sunday
last, a young man of his acquaintance going to visit him