Crime & punishment > Notes of conversations with H. M'Donald, N. Sutherland, and H. M'Intosh, (who were executed at Edinburgh, April 22, 1812,) during the time they were under sentence of death

have been brought to this prison. I shouldhh
never otherwise, in all probability, have though#!’
any thing about my soul, but have gone on inti
the same way I did formerly.” M'Intosh addedira
“ I am sure I may say the same thing.” “ Andjk
what a mercy,” said M‘Donald, “ that I was noton
cut off in America, or in the West Indies.
remember one night, in a gale of wind, I waspv
on the top-mast, when my feet went from belowio
me, and I hung for sometime by a rope. 1
cried, ‘ God, have mercy on me !’ but so stupidfiq
was I, that when I got safely down again, I ne-en
ver thought of it more. Had I been lost at thalsd
time, I am sure I must have died in a miser-rei
able condition indeed.” Sutherland observed.^
that though they were to suffer death, heft
thought their situation was much more favour-jspi
able than that of their companions, who were tcit!
be transported to Botany Bay. “ I should bet!,
afraid,” said he, “ if I were exposed to the so-o&
ciety of wicked men, that I might not havevd
steadiness to oppose them.”
In the course of their reading, they met withi't
the expression. Gal. iii. 10. “ Cursed is everjm
one that hangeth on a tree.” The sound of such.) a
language alarmed them. They were startled alt f
the thought that it might be applicable to them.fca
from the way in which they were doomed tctf f
die. Under this impression, they asked me als s
one of our interviews to explain it. I showed^ *
them, that it was introduced in reference to the: t
language of the law under the Old TestamentJnl