Lord Melbourne was very glad to hear of the marriage of Prince Augustus of Coburg with the Princess Clémentine, as he apprehends that the connection must be very agreeable to your Majesty.
Lord Melbourne begs to be respectfully and affectionately remembered to His Royal Highness.
Sir James Graham to Queen Victoria.
COMMITTAL OF MACNAGHTEN
Whitehall, 28th January 1843.
Sir James Graham, with humble duty, begs to inform your Majesty, that the prisoner Daniel MacNaghten was fully committed for trial this afternoon. He was not defended before the Magistrates; but in his manner he was quite cool, intelligent, and collected; he asked no questions, but he expressed a wish to have copies of the Depositions.
His trial will probably commence on Friday or Saturday next, and there is reason to believe that, at the request of his relatives in Glasgow, counsel will be retained, and that the plea of insanity will be raised in his defence.8
Every preparation is in progress to meet this vague and dangerous excuse. It will turn out that the pistols were bought at Paisley by MacNaghten on the 6th of August last; and information has reached Sir James Graham, which, he thinks, will prove that MacNaghten is a Chartist, that he has attended political meetings at Glasgow, and that he has taken a violent part in politics. He yesterday saw a Presbyterian clergyman, who prayed with him; who pointed out the atrocity of his crime, the innocence of his victim, the pangs of sorrowing relatives, and who exhorted him to contrition and repentance. Some impression was made at the moment; but his general demeanour is marked by cold reserve and hardness of heart.
Footnote 8: He was defended by four counsel, including Mr Cockburn, afterwards Lord Chief Justice.