Ex Libris 
 C. K. OGDEN 
 
 V 
 
 &*
 
 '/ CXf 0-i* 

 
 AN 
 
 APPEAL 
 
 TO THE 
 
 KING'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY, 
 
 AND TO THE 
 
 BRITISH NATION, 
 
 WILLIAM CARMICHAEL SMYTH, ESQ. 
 
 THIRTEEN YEARS ONE OF THE PAYMASTERS OF EXCHEQUER-BILLS; 
 FROM WHICH OFFICE HE WAS REMOVED, ON TUB llth. OF JUNE 1824, 
 
 BY THE ARBITRARY, UNJUST, INHUMAN, AND ILLEGAL FIAT 
 
 OF THE LATE EARL OF LIVERPOOL, LORD VISCOUNT 
 
 CODKRICH, AND LORD LOWTHER; THREE OF 
 
 THF, THBN LORDS COMMISSIONERS OF HI8 
 
 MAJESTY'S TREASUUY : 
 
 NOT ONLY WITHOUT ANY INVESTIGATION OF HIS CONDUCT, BUT EVE* 
 
 WITHOUT BEING MADE ACQUAINTED WITH THE CRIMES OR 
 
 OFFENCES WITH WHICH HE WAS CHARGED; AND NOW 
 
 DENIED JUSTICE BY 
 
 THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 
 
 ' THK LIBERTY OF THE PRESS is OUT Only TCSOUrce ; 
 
 It will command an audience." Juniux. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR, 6, ADAM STREET, ADELPHI; 
 
 AND SOLD BV ALL BOOKSELLERS AND NEWSVENDERS IN TOWN AND COUNTRY. 
 
 L830
 
 
 
 
 PRINTED, BY G. SCHULZk, 13, POLAND STREET.
 
 o tbc Immortal fHcmoni of 
 
 THE MOST ENLIGHTENED STATESMAN OF THE MOST 
 ENLIGHTENED AGE, 
 
 f)c late* lAtgln Honourable 
 
 FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURY, CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER, AND A 
 
 GOVERNOR OF THE CHARTER HOUSE, 
 
 &C. &C. &C. 
 
 THE FOLLOWING PAGES 
 ARE HUMBLY AND REVERENTIALLY INSCRIBED, 
 
 AS A SINCERE TRIBUTE OF GRATITUDE, 
 AND WITH SENTIMENTS OF RESPECT, ADMIRATION, AND 
 
 REGRET, 
 THAT NEVER CAN CEASE, BUT WITH 
 
 THE AUTHOR. 
 
 " And artthou, Canning, ofthatsacred band? 
 Alas, for us too soon !" 
 
 " Sprung ardent into action : action that disdain'd 
 To lose in deathlike sloth one pulse of life, 
 That might be sav'd ; disdain'd for coward ease, 
 And her insipid pleasures, to resign 
 The prize of glory, the keen sweet? of toil, 
 And those high joys that teach the truly great 
 To lite for others, and for others die." 
 
 THOMSON. 

 
 PREFACE. 
 
 " A heavier task could not have been imposed 
 Than I to speak my griefs unspeakable; 
 Vet, that the world may witness that my end 
 Was wrought, by injustice, not by vile offence, 
 I'll utter what my sorrows give me leave". 
 
 Comedy of Error*. 
 
 The period having arrived, when it has become a duty in- 
 cumbent upon me to vindicate my character from the 
 disgrace and obloquy, which inevitable attaches to that of 
 an individual removed from the head of a public office of 
 great trust and responsibility, I shall not shrink from the 
 task ; however irksome and painful its execution may be to 
 myself, and however distressing and agonising the result 
 of my labors may, and no doubt will prove to several indi- 
 vidual whose conduct I have necessarily animadverted upon, 
 in the progress of my narrative. 
 
 Such of that number, who composed, either my official 
 equals, or my official inferiors, I consider too despicable to 
 waste another syllable upon them, or upon their conduct. 
 I shall consequently now leave those individuals to their 
 own meditations, to the reflections of the public, and to the 
 process of the LAW. 
 
 The Earl of Liverpool, one of that number, who composed 
 my former official superiors, has, since this pamphel was 
 put to press, been called into the presence of his Maker the 
 just, all-wise, and omnipotent Judge of the Universe ', 
 
 " There is no shuffling, there the action lies 
 In it's true nature ; and we ourselves compelled, 
 Even to the teeth and forehead of our faults, 
 To give in evidence." Hamlet. 
 
 I shall therefore abstain from making any further remarks 
 upon his Lordship's conduct towards me; but merely express 
 my hope, that God above will render unto him more JUS- 
 TICE in Heaven than he did unto me \ipon Earth. 
 
 Lord Viscount Goderich, and Lord Lowther, two of his 
 Lordship's quondam colleagues; and the Duke of Wellington, 
 whom I considered one of that number, now composing my
 
 VI PREFACE. 
 
 official superiors, being still upon the face of this transi- 
 tory Globe, I shall address myself to them in the language of 
 our immortal bard : 
 
 " How would you be 
 
 If he, which is the top of judgment, should 
 But judge as you do? O, think on that '."Mearurefor Measure. 
 
 And remind them that, for whatever observations there may 
 be in the following pages that give offence to their Lordships, 
 they have no one to thank but themselves, Had any one 
 of those Noblemen, when in power, rendered me the 
 slightest degree of JUSTICE, this pamphlet would never have 
 been published; and consequently those observations would 
 never have been made. But, if the ministers of a free coun- 
 try (or, at least of a country in which the LIBERTY OF THE 
 PRESS is, most assuredly, enjoyed to it's fullest extent) will 
 commit unjust ACTS, they must expect to hear zmpleasant 
 
 TRUTHS. 
 
 The LIBERTY OF THE PRESS is the palladium of all the ci- 
 vil, political, and religious rights of an Englishman, Jun. 
 That 1 have availed myself of this palladium, in the fol- 
 lowing pages, I am free to admit ; but, that I have not ex- 
 ceeded the bounds of the LAW, I atn bold to assert. As, how- 
 ever, every one of those individuals, on whose conduct I have 
 therein been compelled to animadvert in strong, daring, and 
 censorious language, may not be so well acquainted with the 
 law on this subject as I myself now am, (unfortunately by 
 dire experience,) I shall submit for their information, the 
 following extract from No. LXX. of the Quarterly Review, 
 on the law of libel: 
 
 " The law denounces as libellous all writings published with intent, and hav- 
 ing a tendency, to revile, or ridicule, or degrade the king and his govern- 
 ment, the houses of parliament, the courts of justice, the magistrates 
 or, in short, any private individual, however humble and obscure. There 
 must be, 1. a publication 2, a writing, or other sign, or representation 3. an 
 offensive tendency to vilify and lower in public estimation and, 4. a malicious 
 intent to produce such effect. When considered in the abstract, this definition 
 may appear, perhaps, vague and unsatisfactory ; but when applied in the 
 concrete, when the particular writing is brought to the test of the law, and 
 the question is to be decided, whether that be or be not marked by the re- 
 quired characteristics,. much of the difficulty vanishes ; and (except when pre- 
 judice or party-spirit warp the judgment) there are few cases wherein any 
 two intelligent men would long differ in deciding whether the libellous quali- 
 ties are made out or not. 
 
 " No publications, therefore being libellous, but such as are distinguished 
 by all the above criteria, a slight observation will at once show the wide and 
 multifarious field of free publications, which is left totally open from the re- 
 straints of the law. The noxious or defamatory tendency of the writing will 
 not alone constitute it libel, where the circumstances are such as to negative 
 a wicked or malicious, and to raise a presumption of an honest and conscientious.
 
 PREFACE. VU 
 
 motive in the publisher. On this principle, fairly and temperately, to 
 agitate abstract or even practical questions of government, policy, and 
 morals, receives no check from the law, so long as truth is the 
 real, and honest object of the writer, and the pursuit of it is not made a co- 
 lour for attacking and vilifying the existing government and institutions, or 
 for tainting the public mind with immorality or irreligion. So also with res- 
 pect to public men, and their measures and conduct, from the highest indi- 
 vidual in the realm to the lowest civil functionary. Their proceedings and 
 conduct in their public character may be made the subject of discussion, and 
 of censure even strongly expressed, provided the writer confine himself to their 
 public conduct, and clothe his remarks in a decent and temperate, though 
 censorious, style. In a prosecution for a libel on the highest person in the 
 realm, Lord Ellenborough thus expresses himself: " The information treats 
 " this as a libel on the person of his Majesty, and his personal administration 
 " of the government of the country. But there may be error in the present 
 <' system without any vicious motives, and with the greatest virtues on the 
 " part of the reigning sovereign. He may be misled by the ministers he 
 " employs, and a change of system may be desirable from their faults. He 
 " may himself, notwithstanding the utmost solicitude for the happiness of his 
 " people, take an erroneous view of some great question of policy, either 
 <{ foreign or domestic . I know but of one Being to whom error may not be 
 ' imputed. If a person, who admits the wisdom and the virtues of his Ma- 
 ' jesty, laments that in the exercise of these, he has taken an unfortunate and 
 ; ' erroneous view of the interest of his dominions, I am not prepared to say that 
 " this tends to degrade his Majesty or to alienate the affections of his subjects, 
 " lam not prepared to say that this is libellous but it must be with perfect de- 
 " cency and respect, and without any imputation of bad motives" The Kingr. 
 Lambert, 2 CampbeIVs Reports,4Q2. So also with respect to private individuals 
 though the statement of falsehood is punished both civilly and criminally, so 
 long as the writer keeps within the bounds of truth in his communications, his real 
 and effectual responsibility to the law is very slight. He is subject neither to a 
 civil action, nor a criminal information. It is true he may be prosecuted by in- 
 dictment ; but the serious disadvantages to which such a proceeding subjects 
 the prosecutor, render it of comparatively rare occurrence and inefficient ope- 
 ration. And it is to be observed, that neither this, nor any proceeding at all, 
 can lie supported^ where the publication is made under such, circumstances at 
 shon- the writer's motive to have been laudable, and the publication to be use- 
 ful or necessary for any fair objects in the ordinary relations of life.'''' 
 
 Having, in the body of this pamphlet, made all the obser- 
 vations 1 have, at present, to make in vindication of my own 
 character and conduct, as connected with my removal from 
 the office of Paymaster of Exchequer-bills; and having now 
 concluded the justification of the mode in which I have thus 
 vindicated my character and conduct, I shall, without far- 
 ther preface, introduce my readers to the narrative; in a 
 confident belief that, when they have perused the whole of 
 the following statement with that attention which, as I 
 humbly conceive, it unquestionably deserves, they will ONE 
 and ALL agree with me, that to avail myself of the " LI- 
 BERTY OF THE PRESS was my only resource," and that I 
 have not abused, but that have made a fair, proper, and legi- 
 timate use of that invaluable LIBERTY.
 
 " La raison du plus fort est toujours la meilleurp. 
 " Nous 1'alloiis moutrer tout-a-l'lieure." 
 
 LA FONTAINE. 
 
 " He who is strongest always argues best : 
 " Tliis truth my simple story shall attest." 
 
 THK Exchequer-Bill Office consists of a board of three 
 paymasters, of an accountant and six clerks. In conse- 
 quence of some irregularities alleged to have been committed 
 in this office, a committee of the House of Commons (of 
 which the late Samuel Whitbread, Esq., was chairman) was 
 appointedin 1810 to investigate the subject; and the report 
 of that committee was such as to induce the then Lords 
 Commissioners of his Majesty's Treasury, to oblige one of 
 the paymasters to retire upon a pension, and to degrade the 
 accountant, Mr. Palethorpe, to the station of that of chief 
 clerk. Mr. Edward Henry Nevinson succeeded the retired 
 paymaster, and the late Mr. William Waterfield, the de- 
 graded accountant. 
 
 On the 21st of April, 1811, Mr. Henry Jadis succeeded 
 Dr. Cudlipp, one of the paymasters, who died that year ; 
 and, two months afterwards, 1 succeeded my valuable friend 
 the late Joseph Planta, Esq., who retired upon a super- 
 annuation pension, for the express purpose of making a va- 
 cancy for me. 
 
 Soon after I had taken my seat at the board, Mr. Nevin- 
 son proposed that we should arrange our respective months 
 of attendance, or, perhaps more properly speaking, our 
 months of vacation. This being agreed upon, Mr. Nevin- 
 son made first choice, Mr. Jadis, second, and 1 third ; that is 
 to say, 1 had no choice whatever ; or, at all events, it must, 
 I think, be admitted that it was but, that which is usually 
 denominated " Hobson's choice." 
 
 1
 
 About three years after this arrangement had been made, 
 Mr. Nevinson, discovering that he had not selected those 
 months of vacation which were most convenient to himself, 
 applied to Mr. Jadis to make some alteration with him. 
 This, however, Mr. Jadis peremptorily refused. Mr. Ne- 
 vinson then addressed himself to me with the same view, 
 upon which the correspondence, given in the Appendix, took 
 place between us. 
 
 The original salary of the paymasters is 400 per annum, 
 each. About the year 1815, we presented a memorial to the 
 Lord Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury, praying for 
 some increase. Their lordships were pleased to take our 
 memorial into their consideration and granted us a periodi- 
 cal increase of 100 upon the original salary, after five 
 years, and a further sum of 100 after fifteen years service. 
 With this, I was perfectly satisfied, but this was not the case 
 with my colleagues ; with them it was " crescit amor num- 
 mi guantiimipsa pecunia crescit" and therefore, in or about 
 the year 1820, they prepared a second memorial for an ad- 
 ditional increase to our salaries. 
 
 Upon their submitting this memorial to me for signature, 
 1 declined signing it ; the memorial was accordingly trans- 
 mitted to their lordships with the signatures of only two 
 paymasters. No notice was ever taken of it ; which was of 
 course, attributed by my colleagues to the want of my sig- 
 nature, and their joint animosity (with individuals of their 
 stamp) was the natural consequence. 
 
 Persons who are acquainted with the nature of Exchequer 
 Bills, know that there are bills of the respective value of 
 100, 200, 500 and of a 1000. The 100 bills, being 
 easier negotiated, bear the highest premium in the market. 
 When these bills were brought into the Exchequer-Bill 
 Office to be exchanged, the holders of the ^200, 500, and 
 1000 bills would frequently request to have 100 bills in lieu; 
 but were invariably told by me and (as I believed) by my col- 
 leagues, that " it was contrary to the practice of the office to 
 give small bills in exchange for large ones, and therefore, that 
 their request could not be complied with." It having come 
 to my knowledge that certain individuals connected with the 
 Exchequer and other public offices were in the habit of en- 
 joying this accommodation, which, as I believed, was invaria- 
 bly refused to the public, I mentioned the subject to the ac- 
 countant, the late Mr. Waterfield. Mr. Waterfield, although 
 a most excellent man and an invaluable servant of the pub- 
 lic, was rather of a warm disposition ; he took me up very
 
 short ; said " he did not see any harm in the practice ; and 
 at all events that the paymasters could not, with any face, in- 
 terfere to put a stop to it, as they had received similar ac- 
 commodation themselves." I replied : " that I was not 
 aware of any paymaster having been so accommodated, and 
 that I was quite certain that I had not 5" and requested 
 him to inform me which of the paymasters he alluded to ; he 
 said, " Mr. Nevinson." 1 then mentioned the circumstance 
 to Mr. Nevinson, who acknowledged that he had had one 
 500 bill exchanged for five of 100 each. Upon this I repre- 
 sented to him the great length to which I understood some 
 individuals in the Exchequer had been accommodated in this 
 respect ; and the manifest injustice we should be guilty of, 
 were we to permit the practice to be continued, and, at the 
 same time, to deny the accommodation to the public ; and 
 as it could not be conveniently granted to every individual, 
 without greatly increasing the business of the office, I in- 
 vited him to join me in a minute, prohibiting the practice in 
 toto ; and, at the same time, gave him my opinion, that he 
 having had the accommodation in one solitary instance 
 himself, was not a sufficient reason that he should object to 
 join me in a minute, prohibiting the practice in future. Mr. 
 Nevinson, however, refused to join me in any such minute ; 
 I therefore, told him that " it was immaterial to me which 
 plan was adopted, viz. whether we strictly prohibited any 
 person from having the accommodation in future, or whether 
 we granted it to every one who wished to have it; But, that 
 I was determined, that some individuals should not enjoy 
 the accommodation which was refused to others ; and there- 
 fore, if he declined to join me in the proposed minute, that I 
 not only would grant the favor to every person who asked 
 it in future, but that I should inform every holder of a large 
 bill that he might have it exchanged for small ones if he so 
 desired." 
 
 This, my resolution, alarmed Mr. Nevinson not a little. 
 First, because he feared that we should, in consequence, have a 
 great increase of labour (and this gentleman like his prototype 
 Mr. Jadis, is mightily afraid of being overwhelmed with busi- 
 ness) ; and secondly, because he feared that the great increase 
 to the number of small bills would draw the attention of the 
 Lord Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury to the subject, 
 and be the cause of an investigation, when his peccadillo 
 would be brought to light. He therefore, at length, reluctantly 
 joined me in the proposed minute ; and thus ended this af- 
 fair, to the no small annoyance of Mr. Nevinson. 
 
 1*
 
 When Mr. Jadis received his appointment, and for 
 several years afterwards, he resided near Thirsk in York- 
 shire, he subsequently removed, first to Bishop Stortford, 
 in Hertfordshire, then to Croydon, in Surrey, and ultimately 
 to Bryanstone Square, London. Daring the whole of 
 this time, which embraced a period of 12 years, he con- 
 stantly applied to me to accommodate him, by taking his 
 turn of duty : sometimes pleading the hardness of his case 
 in being so frequently separated from his family, at other 
 times the sickness of his wife or of himself, and not un- 
 frequently the being obliged to attend other " very im- 
 portant business" in Courts of Law or elsewhere; as appears 
 by about forty of his letters given in the Appendix to this 
 pamphlet. Although I was frequently satisfied that these were 
 only idle pretexts, and that his real object was to go grouse 
 or partridge shooting, or to attend some horse-race, boxing 
 match, or bull-bait, I never once hesitated, still less did I ever 
 refuse, to accommodate him in the manner he requested, 
 whether it was for days, for weeks, or for months; 
 however inconvenient my so doing might be, and frequently 
 was, to myself or to members of my own family. On 
 Wednesday, August 6th 1823, 1 received the following 
 letter from him in his usual strain : 
 
 Wednesday. 
 
 MY DEAR SMYTH. 1 have particular business calls me 
 to the North next week, if we could make a little arrangement 
 about attendance. I wished to have left London on Friday 
 the 15th and to have been out of attendance till the end 
 of the following week ; I should return to town Saturday 
 the 23rd. If you will be good enough to attend the 15th, 
 18th, 20th, and 22nd for me it will enable me to effect 
 what I wish, and / will make it up to you in any way, or 
 at any time you ivish. 
 
 I have now been four months and a quarter in attendance, 
 and, in order to accommodate Nevinson, have consented not 
 to take my holydays till the 16th of September, so that I 
 shall have had a wearisome time of it nearly six months.* 
 However, as I now live entirely in town, I think the 
 
 * A shocking wearisome time of it! Six months, at 3fi hours per month!! 
 This individual holds another office of 500 per annum at the India Board, in 
 which he has a still more " wearisome time of it" than even at the Exche- 
 quer; for, at the India Board, he has literally nothing to do but to count his 
 finyers during 36 hours, not per mensem but per annum! !!
 
 less of it, but still long to breathe a week's free air in the 
 country*. Believe me, 
 
 Very truly your's,' 
 
 (Signed) H. JADIS. 
 To W. C. Smyth, Esq. 
 
 I answered this letter on the day following, but, not 
 having kept any copy of my answer, am unable to insert 
 it in this statement. I believe, I expressed a wish that 
 Mr. Jadis would not make such repeated applications to me 
 to attend for him, but did not refuse to comply with his 
 request. On Friday the 8th of August I received the 
 following. 
 
 EXCHEQUER, Friday 8th inst. 
 
 SIR. Whatever your determination might have been 
 with reference to the request I made to you, I think the 
 answer to my letter might have been, might have been\ 
 written with some degree of civility; a total absence of which 
 appears throughout the whole of it. As to the great favor 
 you seem to attach to any little exchange of duty, / deny 
 there being any, and will venture to say, that in no office 
 under government is there any official person but yourself 
 that would hesitate, for an instant, at affording the sort of 
 mutual accomodation I have desired. 
 
 I am in attendance all the spring, summer, and best 
 part of the autumn months, and it is surely little to ask of 
 one of my colleagues residing upon the spot, and in atten- 
 dance, to exchange three or four daysj duty with me; but, be 
 that as it may, I will permit no one in addressing me to 
 assume a style and language unwarranted by the common 
 courtesy of gentlemen one to another. 
 I am, Sir, 
 
 Your's a &c., &c., 
 
 (Signed) H. JADIS. 
 To W. C. Smyth, Esq. 
 
 * The reader will observe that, in the commencement of this letter, it was 
 " particular business called Mr. Jadis to the North," but, at the con- 
 clusion of it, the true cause is assigned, " the cat comes out of the bag" viz. 
 that he " longed to breathe a week's free air in the country." 
 
 f- This repetition is in the original, and, I think, is strongly indicative of 
 the state of Mr. Jadis's mind at the time. 
 
 J Upon reference to the before-mentioned forty letters given in the Appen- 
 dix, the reader will perceive that Mr. Jadis was iu the habit of " asking of 
 one of his colleagues, residing upon the spot (whether in or out of attendance) , 
 to exchange rather more than three or four days' duty with him ! ! !
 
 The following is my reply: 
 
 August 9th 1823. 
 
 SIR. Not having any copy of my note to you, I am 
 unable to say what the exact words were which seem to 
 have given you so much offence ; but 1 feel confident that 
 it was not written in u a style and language which would 
 (by an impartial person) be considered as unwarranted by 
 the common courtesy of gentlemen one to another ;" at all 
 events, I am certain that it was not intended to be so. 
 
 That I was displeased at being so repeatedly applied to by 
 you for exchanges of duty is certainly true, and consequently 
 the tenor of my note may have partaken of that state of 
 mind ; but the most effectual way to prevent any Unpleasant- 
 ness in future, is not to make any similar request to me, 
 except when obliged to do so by ill health. 
 Your's faithfully, 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To H. Jadis, Esq. 
 
 Notwithstanding Mr. Jadis " denies there is any favour in 
 the little exchange of duties required by him," still he did 
 not hesitate to accept of, " the sort of mutual accommodation 
 he desired;" and, after receiving my answer, off he set for the 
 North. 
 
 On Saturday 16th, when returning home from the Ex- 
 chequer on horseback, my horse fell to the ground, by which 
 accident I received a violent concussion of the brain. The 
 very evening of the day, on which this accident happened, I 
 sent my servant with a verbal message to the late Mr. Wa- 
 terfield, the accountant, to acquaint him with the circum- 
 stance, and to request that he would apprise Mr. Nevin- 
 son thereof, in order that he might attend to the duties of 
 the office, as Mr. Jadis was in Yorkshire. Mr. Waterfield 
 wrote me the following note, but, I imagine, did not send to 
 Mr. Nevinson, as the drafts and other official documents 
 were forwarded to me, for my signature, for several days 
 afterwards. 
 
 EXCHEQUER, }8th August, 1823. 
 
 DEAR SIR. I am very sorry for your accident ; however, 
 there is a happiness in its not having been more severe. Pray
 
 do not think of coming out any sooner than you find per- 
 fectly convenient. 
 
 I enclose two drafts for signature. 
 
 1 am, dear Sir, 
 
 Your's faithfully, 
 (Signed) WM. WATERFIELD. 
 To W. C. Smyth, Esq. 
 
 Finding that the injury I had sustained from the fall, \vasof 
 a much more serious nature than I at first conceived it to be, 
 I wrote myself to Mr. Nevinson requesting him to attend for 
 me, and received from him the following answer : 
 
 HAMPSTEAD, September 1st. 
 
 DEAR SIR. It is necessary I should inform you that I 
 am coming into attendance regularly in a few days, conse- 
 quently it will not be possible for me to undertake the whole 
 duty of the office, particularly as a payment is advertised, 
 which will render the attendance of two paymasters indis- 
 pensable. You had better, therefore, apply to Mr. Jadis to 
 take your place after Friday next, on which day, I begin to 
 attend on my own account. I am sorry to hear of your ac- 
 cident, though I had been informed you have been in public. 
 
 Your's truly, 
 (Signed,) EDWARD H. NEVINSON. 
 
 To W. C. Smyth, Esq. 
 
 After the before-noticed correspondence, which had taken 
 place between Mr. Jadis and myself, the reader will easily 
 perceive that I could not ask any favor of him ; I therefore 
 addressed the following letter officially to both my col- 
 leagues. 
 
 184, SLOANE STREET, CHELSEA, 
 September 3, 1823. 
 
 (A). GENTLEMEN. Finding that the accident which befel 
 me on the 16th ult. is of so serious a nature, as will, in all pro- 
 bability, prevent me attending my official duties for several 
 weeks to come, I deem it proper to forward to you a certifi- 
 cate from the medical gentleman under whose care I am, 
 and to request the favor of you conjointly to officiate for me, 
 until such time as my health is restored 
 
 I am, Gentlemen, 
 
 Your's faithfully, 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To Edward H. Nevinson, and 
 H. Jadis, Esqrs.
 
 8 
 
 (B). I hereby certify, that William Carniichael Smyth, Esq. 
 is under my care, labouring under the effects of a severe con- 
 cussion of the brain, and incapable of attending to the duties 
 of his office. THOMAS GASKELL, Surgeon. 
 
 September 2, 1823. 8, Wellesley Street, Chelsea. 
 
 The same day I received their answer, as follows :- 
 (C). EXCHEQUER, 3rd September, 1823. 
 
 SIR. We are obliged to doubt, not only the assertion in 
 your letter, of having received so severe a concussion of the 
 brain, on the 16th of August, as to prevent your attention to 
 business, but also the accompanying medical report, as we 
 have received positive information of your having been ac- 
 tively employed in public since that period, upon several oc- 
 casions, independently of your appearance before a judge at 
 his chambers, on Thursday, the 28th ultimo. 
 We are, Sir, 
 
 &c., &c., &c., 
 (Signed) H. JADIS, 
 
 EDW. H. NEVINSON. 
 
 To W. C. Smyth, Esq. 
 
 The whole of the foregoing letter is in the hand-writing of 
 Mr. Jadis.* On the receipt of it, I immediately addressed 
 the following letter to the Secretary of the Treasury. 
 
 184, SLOANE STREET, September 3, 1823. 
 
 SIR. I beg leave to acquaint you, for the information of 
 the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury, that, 
 when returning home from the Exchequer, on Saturday the 
 16th ultimo, on horseback, my horse going at full trot fell to 
 the ground, and flung me on the head, with such violence as 
 to render me completely insensible. 1 was taken up, and very 
 humanely treated by all the gentlemen and other persons 
 connected with the Penitentiary at Mill-Bank. 
 
 Mr. White, Surgeon of Parliament Street, a physician, with 
 whose name I am unacquainted, and Mr. Pratt, the House 
 Apothecary, all concurred in the necessity of my keeping 
 myself as tranquil as possible. Circumstances, not necessary 
 here to particularize, unfortunately occurred which hjve kept 
 my mind in constant agitation ever since ; the consequence 
 is, that 1 am still suffering very seriously from the effects of 
 the concussion which my brain received from the fall. 
 
 * It is worthy of remark that, Mr. Nevinson, who, fit is evident, from the 
 correspondence between him and me, given in the Appendix), is sufficiently 
 tenacious of his right of seniority at the Board, upon this occasion, submitted 
 to " play the second fiddle," which, I thiuk, it must be conceded was rather 
 in the nature of " a Base .'"
 
 9 
 
 Thus situated, I wrote a letter to my colleagues, of which 
 the enclosed (A) is a copy, accompanied with the medical certi- 
 ficate marked (B) from the gentleman who has attended 
 me since Mr. Thomson of Sloane Street left town, for 
 Edinburgh. To this communication, I received a few hours 
 ago, their answer marked (C). 
 
 I have now the honour to transmit to you a certificate 
 which Mr. Thompson gave me, previous to his leaving town, 
 corroborated by one from Mr. Gaskell ; and to request the 
 favour of you to solicit their Lordships' permission, that I 
 may absent myself from the duties of my office, until such 
 time as that gentleman pronounces me capable of attending 
 to business. 
 
 I have the honour to be, with the greatest respect, 
 
 Your most obedient and humble servant, 
 
 W. C. SMYTH. 
 To S. R. Lushington, Esq. 
 
 These are to certify, that Mr. W. C. Smyth is at present 
 confined to his apartment, in consequence of a fall from his 
 horse, which produced a severe concussion of the brain ; and 
 that he cannot, without considerable danger, venture to go 
 out, until the effects of the above accident be removed. 
 
 ANTHONY TODD THOMSON, Surgeon. 
 91, Sloane Street, August 25, 1823. 
 
 In consequence of the absence of my friend, Mr. Thomson, 
 Mr. W. C. Smyth has fallen under my care. I found him in 
 the state mentioned, in the accompanying certificate of Mr. 
 Thomson ; Mr. Smyth's mind has been much harassed by 
 domestic misfortunes, and his recovery materially retarded 
 thereby. On the 28th ultimo he did, contrary to my advice, go 
 into London, and in the evening of that day, his symptoms 
 became alarming. Since that time he has been confined princi- 
 pally to his bed. He is now slowly recovering, but tranquillity 
 of mind and body is absolutely necessary, to effect his cure. 
 
 THOMAS GASKELL, Surgeon. 
 8, Wellesley Street, Chelsea, 3rd September, 1823. 
 
 When this letter of mine, together with the documents 
 which accompanied it, was read at the Board of Treasury, 
 one would, I think, naturally have supposed that the Earl 
 of Liverpool, or the Right Hon. Frederick John Robinson, 
 (now Lord Viscount Goderich), or any man of common un- 
 derstanding, who happened to be present at the time, would 
 
 2
 
 10 
 
 immediately have perceived " that there was something 
 more in this business, than what met the eye. That 
 Messrs. Jadis and Nevinson must have some private pique 
 against Mr. Smyth ;" and that he, or they, or one of them, 
 possessing the slightest degree of common humanity, would 
 instantly have directed that an immediate answer should 
 have been transmitted to me, intimating that " I had their 
 Lordships' permission to absent myself from the duties 
 of my office, until such time as Mr. Gaskell, pronounced 
 me capable of attending to business." But, gentle reader, 
 what was the fact ? A Board, composed of such men as the 
 Earl of Liverpool and Lord Viscount Goderich men 
 famed alike for their intelligence, their honor and their hu- 
 manity permitted me, (who had transmitted certificates from 
 two as respectable medical men as the profession can boast, 
 and from one as eminent as, perhaps, ever graced it) " to 
 whose recovery from a serious and alarming accident, tran- 
 quillity of mind and body was absolutely necessary " I say 
 such men as these, under such circumstances as I have des- 
 cribed, permitted me to remain in painful suspense and 
 in distressing mental anxiety, during a period of nearly 
 two months ! ! ! 
 
 In the interval, the following correspondence took place 
 first, between me and Mr. Nevinson, and then between me 
 and both of my colleagues. 
 
 EXCHEQUER, 9th September, 1823. 
 
 SIR, Mr. Jadis being absent, it will be impossible for me 
 to get through the business of receiving the bills, on the 
 1/th and 19th instant, (the 18th being a holiday) without 
 assistance, the amount with the public being upwards of 
 10 millions, exclusive of what is held by the Bank. It is 
 therefore necessary 1 should be informed, whether it is your 
 intention, to be present on those days, in order that I may 
 know how to act, 
 
 I am, Sir, 
 
 Yours, &c. 
 
 (Signed) E. H. NEVINSON. 
 
 To W. C. Smyth, Esq. 
 
 184, SLOANB STREET, September 9th, 1823. 
 
 SIR, In reply to your's of this day's date, I beg to refer 
 you to my letter of the 3rd, addressed to yourself and Mr. 
 Jadis, and request that it, together with the medical certifi-
 
 11 
 
 cate which accompanied it, ag well as your answer, may be 
 entered on the Records of the Office. 
 
 I am, Sir, 
 
 Yours, &c. 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. " 
 
 To E. H. Nevinson, Esq. 
 
 Exchequer-Bill Office. 
 
 Not having been honored with any reply whatever to the 
 letter I had addressed to Mr. Secretary Lushington on the 
 3rd of September, I began to entertain fears, (and, I think 
 not without some cause), that the Earl of Liverpool and Lord 
 Viscount Goderich, instead of viewing the conduct of my 
 colleagues in the proper light, had lent but too-willing an 
 ear to their false and base representations ; and that, instead 
 of crushing their foul conspiracy in embryo, their Lordships 
 were rather disposed (if not by active, at least by passive 
 measures) to give it encouragement. I therefore deemed 
 it prudent, as J found myself somewhat better, to return to 
 my duty, with as little delay as possible. In order, how- 
 ever, that I should not take my worthy, humane and accom- 
 modating colleagues by surprise ; but, on the contrary, 
 being anxious to afford them an opportunity " of manning 
 the sides,*" (should they feel so disposed) to receive me, on 
 the 27th of September, I addressed them as follows : 
 
 184, SLOASK STREET, September 2Jth, 1823. 
 
 GENTLEMEN, Although I am by no means recovered from 
 the distressing effects of the severe accident, which I met 
 with on the 16th ultimo, yet, finding myself considerably 
 better, I beg to acquaint you, that it is my intention, should 
 I not have any relapse before Thursday next, the 2nd of Oc- 
 tober, to resume my seat at the Board, at ten o'clock in the 
 morning of that day. 
 
 I am, Gentlemen, 
 
 Yours, &c. 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To E. H. Nevinson, and H. Jadis, Esqrs. 
 Exchequer-Bill Office. 
 
 * A mark of respect always shown to a Captaiu of a man of-u-ar, when he 
 returns to his ship.
 
 12 
 
 On the 30th I had the honor to receive their reply, to wit : 
 
 EXCHEQUER, 30th September, 1823. 
 
 SIR, The notorious transactions you have been concerned 
 in rendering it out of the question for us, as gentlemen, to 
 transact business, or associate with you, we have come to 
 the resolution of stating our reaspns for not doing so, to the 
 first Lord of the Treasury, at the same time we think it right 
 to apprize you of this intention. 
 We are, Sir, 
 
 &c. &c. &c. 
 
 (Signed) H. JADIS, and E. H. NKVINSON.* 
 
 To W. C. Smyth, Esq. 
 
 If this is not a libel, and a malicious libel, I know not 
 in what libel and malice consist. If this is not a conspi- 
 racy, and a conspiracy of the blackest die, I know not in 
 what foul conspiracy can " show its dangerous brow/'f or 
 " mask its monstrous visage." ! ! ! 
 
 But, gentle reader, let us dispassionately enquire, First, 
 what " the notorious transactions" were " in which I had 
 been concerned, and which rendered it out of the question 
 for any gentleman to transact business, or associate ivith 
 me?" Secondly, what was the character of one of these 
 most fastidious individuals ? And lastly, what was the 
 conduct of this par nobile fratrum in this very transaction 
 towards me. 
 
 First then, the only " notorious transaction" in which I am 
 conscious of having been concerned (and, if publicity being 
 given to a transaction constitutes notoriety, 1 certainly must 
 admit that this transaction of mine was sufficiently noto- 
 rious) was in putting a lunatic wife under the care of Dr. 
 Burrows a gentleman alike eminent for his humanity, and 
 for his skill in the treatment and cure of disorders of the 
 mind: or, if Mr. justice Park, and Mr. zw-justice Jadis, 
 will still have it so ; " of having been concerned" in 
 putting a sane wife into a wzfl</-house. 
 
 Now, supposing, for the sake of argument, that I had 
 knowingly and wittingly been guilty of this last most cruel 
 and inhuman act, is it an act which ought to put a man " out 
 
 * The whole of this production, like that given in page 8, is also in the 
 hand-writing of Mr. Jadis ; and Mr. Nevinson, it will be observed, here 
 again submitted " to play the second fAorOKjrJk'BAiB" ! ! ! 
 
 f Julius Caesar.
 
 13 
 
 of the pale of society?" Could not I have been sufficiently 
 punished by the strong arm of the Law without Mr. Jadis' s 
 interference as " a Knight Errant?" 
 
 Secondly, let us consider who this Mr. Jadis is ? what 
 is his character ? and what " notorious transactions" he 
 has been concerned in, during his eventful life ? 
 
 His birth, education and parentage, we will pass over, 
 as, " least said on this subject is soonest mended." His 
 character is however tolerably well known to be that (to say 
 the least of it) of " a Gentleman of the Fancy," and " the 
 notorious transactions in which" (almost every one knows) 
 " he has been concerned" are first, in debauching the wife 
 of Lord, then Captain, Gardner (for which a Jury of his 
 countrymen condemned him to pay ONE THOUSAND 
 POUNDS damages) and then, putting forward his own son, 
 by the unfortunate victim of his debauchery, to maintain a 
 claim to that Peerage to which he knew well, the legitimate 
 son of Lord Gardner, by his second wife, a daughter of 
 my Lord Carrington, was justly and lawfully entitled ! ! !* 
 
 These, gentle reader, are two of " the notorious tran- 
 sactions in which one of these most fastidious individuals 
 has been concerned." An immaculate individual, whose 
 sacred person was to be contaminated " by transacting busi- 
 ness or associating with me." 
 
 Should Mr. Jadis feel himself aggrieved by this expost of 
 mine, I will answer him as his connexion, my Lord Vis- 
 count Goderich did some members of the House of Com- 
 mons, as reported in the Courier of the 14th of March, 182/, 
 viz : " Those gentlemen, who were so very tender on the 
 subject of Mr. Flanagan's character, should remember that 
 he has not been very nice with the characters of others," 
 and beg to add my own confirmation of his Lordship's re- 
 mark, that " men who live in glass houses, ought not to 
 throw stones !" 
 
 Lastly, let us consider " what was the conduct of this par 
 nobile fratrum in this very transaction towards me." The rea- 
 der will observe that in their joint letter of the 3rd of Septem- 
 ber," they were obliged to doubt, not only the assertion in my 
 letter, of having received so severe a concussion of the brain, 
 on the 16th of August, as to prevent my attention to business, 
 but also the accompanying medical report, as they had receiv- 
 ed positive information of my having been actively employed 
 
 If this was not adding insult to injury, I know not what it can be called.
 
 14 
 
 in public, since that period, upon several occasions, inde- 
 pendently of my appearance before a Judge at his Chambers 
 on the 28th ultimo." Humane, unwilling and sagacious 
 sceptics ! ! ! It is perfectly true, that, between the time of 
 my accident and the transmission of this doubtful medical 
 report, (rather a novel appellation for a certificate) I was 
 twice in public, independently of my appearance before a 
 Judge at his Chambers on Thursday the 28th of the same 
 month of August. The first occasion was to humour a de- 
 ranged wife by driving her out in a gig, at a time when I 
 could scarcely hold the reins, or hold up my own head. 1* 
 
 The second " occasion in which 1 was in public," was 
 the very next day when I ought to have been tranquil in 
 bed, but was obliged to run out into the street for about 
 five minutes to prevent the said lunatic wife escaping from 
 the custody of the nurses of Dr. Burrows, under whose care 
 J had been advised, by a humane and sensible young me- 
 dical practitioner to place her, as well for the safety of 
 myself and my domestics, as for her own benefit. These 
 were the two memorable " occasions on which I was in 
 public" subsequent to the period of the accident but prior 
 to my transmitting to these humane, unwilling and saga- 
 cious sceptics, this doubtful medical report ! ! 
 
 But, gentle reader, you have been told by these worthies 
 that, " independently of these occasions, when I had been 
 actively employed in public, I had made my appearance 
 before a Judge at his Chambers on the 28th of the same 
 month,"f and you have, in this instance, been told the truth ; 
 for sceptics are not always liars. 
 
 After I had, on the 21st, put my wife under the care of 
 Dr. Burrows, there was a levfe en masse of KNIGHTS of the 
 garter and LADIES of the bedchamber, of Mad-oocrons 
 and of sawe-LAWYERS to liberate this unfortunate Lady : 
 first, from the crimes and horrors to which she was sub- 
 jected in Kelly House ; and secondly, to separate her for 
 ever from that monster in human shape, her cruel and 
 
 * Upon my return home I was again taken so ill, that Mr. now Dr. Thom- 
 son ordered me to bo cupped (although I had been copiously bledxbut three 
 days previous) and a blister to be applied to the back of my neck. I was 
 cupped on that very evening, but, owing to the confusion which my lunatic 
 wife created at that time in the house, I never had an opportunity of having 
 recourse to the eqnally necessary relief of the blister. 
 
 f My two former sorties were made respectively on the 20th and on the 
 21st of August.
 
 15 
 
 barbarous husband William Carmichael Smyth, the worth- 
 less Paymaster of Exchequer- Bills !!! 
 
 Unfortunately for me, unfortunately for the unfortunate 
 lady herself, * and unfortunately for the individuals com- 
 posing the motley groupe of this heroic band, the learned 
 Judges Park and Richardson (or, at all events, the learned 
 Judge Park) lent as willing an ear, to the false and male- 
 volent representations of these, my private and domestic 
 enemies, as the Earl of Liverpool afterwards did to the 
 equally false and malevolent representations of my public and 
 official calumniators. A writ of Habeas Corpus was im- 
 mediately granted j . the lady was brought into the pre- 
 sence of the two before-mentioned learned Judges, on the 
 27th, and, notwithstanding six or seven as credible witnesses 
 as ever gave evidence in a Court of Justice swore, point blank 
 to numerous acts, which proved her to have been of deranged 
 mind for some months previous to my putting her under Dr. 
 Burrows's care, and to acts and conduct of hers on the night 
 of the 20th, which proved her to have been, at that time, 
 raving-mad, 1 understood that the learned Judge Park pro- 
 nounced her to be perfectly sane, and that the learned 
 Judge Richardson ob reverentidm senioris, in despite of his 
 own better judgment, was to join his brother Park in or- 
 dering her liberation the next day. 
 
 Under these circumstances, gentle reader, I did, " con- 
 trary to the advice of my medical attendant, Mr. Gaskell," 
 at the risk of incurring a brain fever at the hazard of my 
 life, make " my appearance before a Judge at his Cham- 
 bers, on the 28th of August 1823," and these acts of mine to 
 which I was driven, I may truly say, by desperation, are 
 assigned by these humane, unwilling and sagacious sceptics, 
 as a sufficient cause <k to oblige them to doubt, not only 
 the assertion in my letter, of having received so severe a 
 concussion of the brain, on the 16th of August, as to pre- 
 vent my attention to business, but also the accompanying 
 medical report" of as conscientious and respectable a prac- 
 titioner as the profession can boast ! ! ! 
 
 But, gentle reader, let us now consider, what was the 
 consistency of this par nobile fratrum, in this noble, ge- 
 nerous and manly transaction towards me. 
 
 Mr. Nevinson, it will be observed by his letter of the 
 9th September, (being, for the before- mentioned reasons, 
 obliged to doubt my inability to attend to business,) called 
 upon me, in rather peremptory and threatening language, 
 " to inform him, whether it was my intention to be present
 
 16 
 
 on the IJth and 19th instant, in order that he might know 
 how to act" ! This was, at least, consistent. But, says our 
 immortal bard, 
 
 " Between the acting of a dreadful thing-, 
 
 And the first motion, all the interim is 
 
 Like a phantasma, or a hideous dream: 
 
 The genius and the mortal instruments, 
 
 Are then in council : and the state of a man, 
 
 Like to a little kingdom, suffers then 
 
 The nature of an insurrection." Juliu.i Ccesar. 
 
 This phantasma this hideous dream of Mr. Jadis's, to 
 bring about my dismissal from office, (which, to the eter- 
 nal shame and disgrace of the Earl of Liverpool and of Lord 
 Viscount Goderich, has been but too-fatally realised,) 
 induced that base conspirator, finding that the ground he 
 had taken up the charge of having transmitted a false 
 certificate, as to the state of my health, was not tenable, 
 to assume another position, viz : the vague and undefined 
 charge of " my having been concerned in notorious trans- 
 actions." In this tergiversation poor, hollow-hearted Mr. 
 Nevinson (equally anxious to effect my removal from 
 office) not adverting to his peremptory and threatening letter 
 of the 9th September, heartily joined him, on the 30th of the 
 same month by " playing the second thorough-VASK." ! ! ! 
 
 Faith, 
 
 " 1 had rather be a dog, and bay the moon, 
 Than such a Roman." 
 
 In conformity with the intimation I had given to my 
 worthy colleagues in my letter of the 27th September, and 
 in defiance of their threat " not to transact business or asso- 
 ciate with me," I returned to my official duties, on the 
 day I had appointed. Mr. Nevinson entered the office at 
 the same moment as myself. " We transacted business, 
 and associated together" that day not certainly, as two 
 loving brothers, but, at least, without his attempting to 
 offer me any gross insult. 
 
 As the Lords Commissioners of his Majesty's Treasury 
 had not thought proper to honor me with any reply what- 
 ever to the letter I addressed to them, through Mr. Se- 
 cretary Lushington, on the 3rd of September, I took the 
 liberty to construe their Lordships' silence into consent, 
 and therefore considered it my duty to thank their Lord- 
 ships for " the sanction they were pleased to give to my
 
 17 
 
 absenting myself (from office) during my severe illness," and 
 also to report to their Lordships my return to my duties ; 
 which 1 did in the following words : 
 
 EXCHEQUER-BILL OFFICB, October 6th, 1823. 
 
 SIR, I have the honour to report to you, for the informa- 
 tion of the Lords Commissioners of his Majesty's Treasury, 
 that, although by no means recovered from the distressing 
 effects of my accident, yet finding myself considerably 
 better, I returned to my duties at the Exchequer, on Thurs- 
 day last ; and, with the help of God, hope to be able to con- 
 tinue to perform them. 
 
 I beg you will do me the favour of offering my grateful 
 thanks to their Lordships, for the sanction they we're pleased 
 to give to my absenting myself during my severe illness. A 
 sanction I should not have been under the necessity of troub- 
 ling their Lordships for, but for the malevolent, and ungentle- 
 manly conduct of my colleague, Mr. Jadis. 
 I have the honour to be, Sir, 
 
 with the greatest respect, 
 Your most obedient, humble servant, 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To S. R Lushington, Esq. 
 
 Secretary to the Treasury. 
 
 Of this letter, neither was any notice taken, during a 
 period of three weeks. At the expiration of that time, 
 my mind began to be perfectly at rest. I concluded that 
 my original fears were groundless, that I had at 
 length put a proper construction upon the former silence 
 of their Lordships, and that, whether Messrs. Jadis and 
 Nevinson had, or had not put their threat into execution 
 " of stating to the First Lord of the Treasury the reasons 
 which rendered it out of the question for them, as gentle- 
 men, to transact business or associate with me," both the 
 First and the last Lord treated their representations with 
 that sovereign contempt which, 1 feel convinced, every ho- 
 norable and upright man, who reads this statement, consi- 
 ders they deserved. 
 
 Judge then, gentle reader, of my astonishment and mor- 
 tification, when, on the night of the 27th October, I re- 
 ceived the following letter from Mr. Secretary Lushington : 
 TREASURY CHAMBERS, 27th October, 1823. 
 
 SIR, The Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Trea- 
 sury having had, under their consideration, your letters of the 
 
 3
 
 18 
 
 3rd of September and the 6th instant, relative to your ab- 
 sence from the office of Paymaster of Exchequer-Bills, and 
 also representations from the gentlemen acting in the same 
 office with you stating that, " at the time when you repre- 
 ** sented to this Board, your incapacity to attend to your of- 
 " ficial duty, you were actively employed in public, on several 
 " occasions," My Lords thought fit to direct certain en- 
 quiries to be made on this subject; and I am commanded to 
 acquaint you, that the result has been so little satisfactory, 
 that unless it shall be in your power to submit to their Lord- 
 ships sufficient proof of the truth of your former assertion, 
 My Lords will feel it their duty to remove you from the 
 Office of Paymaster of Exchequer-Bills. 
 I am, Sir, 
 
 your obedient servant, 
 (Signed) S. R. LUSHINGTON. 
 
 To W. C. Smyth, Esq. 
 
 As the fact that " the water of which the lamb drank, 
 ran down the stream from the wolf to him," should have 
 convinced that ferocious animal that, (although " the lamb 
 was quenching his thirst at the same clear, silver brook)", 
 it was physically impossible that he should " disturb the 
 water and make it so muddy that the wolf could not drink," 
 so, do I humbly conceive, my assertion, as an hono- 
 rable man, coupled with the testimony of Dr. Anthony 
 Todd Thomson and Mr. Gaskell, should have convinced 
 the Earl of Liverpool and Lord Viscount Goderich, that 
 (although " I had been actively employed in public, on 
 several occasions,) it was morally impossible, but that, 
 " at the time 1 represented my incapacity to attend to my 
 official duty," I had received " a severe concussion of the 
 brain." Instead, therefore, of insulting my feelings, and of 
 harassing my mind by requiring " additional proof of the 
 truth of my former assertion," 1 should have imagined that 
 their Lordships would have rested satisfied with the ample 
 proof already in their possession ; and, adverting to my latter 
 assertion, viz : " that I was by no means recovered from 
 the distressing effects of the accident", that their Lordships 
 would (so far as in their power lay) have afforded me that 
 " tranquillity of mind and body which was absolutely neces- 
 sary to effect my cure." 
 
 But alas ! it was now manifest that my official superiors 
 were as anxious " to pick a quarrel with me" as the wolf 
 was with the lamb j and, says my revered benefactor, in
 
 19 
 
 one of his eloquent speeches, delivered in the House of 
 Commons, on the subject of the Silk Trade, " when a 
 stick is wanted to beat a dog, very little consideration is 
 paid to the selection of that stick." 
 
 However, of the two charges made against me by my 
 colleagues, the reader will observe that the Lords Com- 
 missioners of his Majesty's Treasury deemed it expedient 
 to call upon me to answer only one ; and, what is extraor- 
 dinary, it was that very one upon which my colleagues had 
 laid the least stress, if not wholly abandoned. But, " on 
 this subject," says Mr. Lushington, " my Lords thought 
 fit to direct certain enquiries to be made." From whom, 
 I should be glad to know were these " certain enquiries 
 made?" Not, most assuredly, from Dr. Thomson or from 
 Mr. Gaskell not most assuredly from Mr. White not most 
 assuredly from the physician referred to by me, in my letter 
 to Mr. Secretary Lushington, of the 3rd September not 
 most assuredly from Mr. Pratt, the House Apothecary at 
 the Penitentiary ; as little were these enquiries made from 
 the clergyman of that institution, or from the Venera- 
 ble the Archdeacon J. H. Pott, M.A. or from G. P. Hoi- 
 ford, Esq. M.P. all of whom, as I have been informed, 
 saw me at the time of the accident, " treated me very hu- 
 manely," and took considerable interest in my welfare. 
 Such, I apprehend however, would have been the indivi- 
 duals from whom their Lordships ought to, and would have 
 directed the enquiries to have been made, had They been 
 desirous that they should be bond fide enquiries, made with 
 a view of ascertaining the truth. 
 
 From whom then were " these certain enquiries made?" 
 Why, gentle reader, I will tell you: from, as I verily believe, 
 four of my mortal and implacable enemies, from the Rev. 
 D'Arcy Haggitt*, then, Curate of St. John's, Westminster ; 
 noiv, either Curate, or Vicar, or Rector of Pershore upon 
 Avon, in Worcestershire, from Mary Haggitt (formerly 
 Martinf) his wife; from James Houliston, swindler, now 
 or late of the tread-mil/; and from Henry Jadis, whose 
 birth, education, parentage and character, I have already 
 
 * The reader is particularly requested not to " confound thit 
 with the Rev. Dr. Haggitt, Chaplain at Chelsea Hospital ; they being very 
 different personages, and, as I believe, no relations whatever. 
 
 f This is not the same personage who was lately murdered by William 
 Corder; though, for aught 1 know to the contrary, she may be related (on her 
 mother's side) to the Martins of Polstead in Suffolk. Her father's name, 
 however, I know is not Martin!!! 
 
 3*
 
 20 
 
 given you, in tolerably plain language, in page 13 of this 
 pamphlet. ! ! ! 
 
 These, gentle reader, I assert were the impartial and 
 immaculate personages from whom " these certain en- 
 quiries were made on this subject, the result of which was 
 (as it might well be expected) so little satisfactory, as to 
 induce the Earl of Liverpool and Lord Viscount Goderich 
 to threaten to remove me from the office of Paymaster of 
 Exchequer-Bills, unless it should be in my power to sub- 
 mit to their Lordships additional proof, of the truth of my 
 former assertion." ! ! ! 
 
 If this be not the fact, then let my Lord Goderich come 
 forward, like a man, and say from whom " these certain 
 enquiries were made." 1 can assure his Lordship that " all 
 I ask, is that to which I have a right, a fair field, no fa- 
 vor ; and I will abide by the result, whatever it may be/'* 
 
 Having been apprized that Mr. Jadis, immediately upon 
 his return from the North, commenced (as a proof of his 
 readiness " to make it up to me in any ivay or at any lime 
 I wished^,} plotting against me for the express purpose of 
 endeavouring to get me dismissed from my office; and per- 
 ceiving, from Mr. Nevinson's answer to me, " I am sorry 
 to hear of your accident, though I had been informed you 
 have been in public," that he had not got an unwilling co- 
 adjutor in our worthy colleague ; I deemed it prudent (like 
 an old sailor,) as I saw " the storm was gathering," to 
 prepare for the gale. I therefore wrote a letter to Mr. 
 White, requesting him to grant me some certificate as to 
 the nature of the accident which had befallen me, and of 
 which he was almost an eye-witness ; and, on the same day, 
 addressed a letter to Lord Viscount Goderich, informing 
 him, " that 1 understood that Mr. Jadis either had endea- 
 voured, or intended to endeavour, to prejudice his mind 
 against me, but, I would fain hope, that 1 was too well 
 acquainted with his character, both from general report 
 and from my own knowledge of it, when serving him as a 
 fag at Harrow School, in the year 1J98 91), to suppose 
 for one moment, that he would prejudge, still less condemn 
 any man unheard." 
 
 * These were his Lordship's own words, when defending himself in the 
 House of Lords ; let him now follow the advice of his late colleague Lord 
 Liverpool, and " do unto others, as lie would they should do unto him."!! ! 
 
 f See his letter of the 6th August, as given in page 4.
 
 21 
 
 Mr. White immediately favored me with the reply here- 
 after noticed. My Lord Viscount Goderich, however, 
 treated his old school-fellow with silent contempt ; and the 
 subsequent conduct I experienced from him, will prove how 
 far my confidence in the honor, integrity and impartiality 
 of his Lordship, was or was not misplaced. 
 
 On the 28th, 1 replied to Mr. Secretary Lushington's 
 letter as follows : 
 
 184, SLOANK STREET, October 28/A, 1823. 
 
 SIR, I last night had the honour to receive your letter 
 of yesterday. 
 
 The length of time, now nearly two months, which has 
 elapsed since I solicited their Lordships' permission to ab- 
 sent myself from the duties of my office, on account of ill 
 health, induced me to hope, that the medical certificates with 
 which that solicitation was accompanied, were so completely 
 satisfactory to their Lordships as to render any further 
 proof of the truth of my assertion totally unnecessary. 
 
 Fortunately, however, having heard that my colleague 
 Mr. Jadis was doing everything in his power to misrepre- 
 sent my conduct, and the state of my health, for the avowed 
 purpose of getting me dismissed from my appointment, 1 
 wrote a letter, of which the enclosed (marked ^f.) is a copy, 
 to Mr. White, consulting surgeon to the I'enitentiary, who 
 saw me and administered to me, a few seconds after my ac- 
 cident, which was the cause of all my misfortunes. To this 
 appeal, Mr. White had the benevolence to send me the 
 answer, which I have also the honour to transmit herewith. 
 
 I now beg leave, most humbly and respectfully, but ear- 
 nestly to submit to their Lordships, that the truth or false- 
 hood of my representation, should depend entirely on the 
 respectability of the medical men who have attested the 
 then state of my health. Mr. Thomson of Sloane Street, 
 and Mr. Gaskell of Chelsea, must be well known to Mr. 
 Hoblyn of the Treasury, and Mr. White must be equally so 
 to their Lordships. If these are ignorant, unskilful, or 
 worthless characters, then let me be dismissed my ap- 
 pointment ; but if, on the other hand, these are gentlemen 
 of acknowledged talent, honour and probity, then I trust 
 their Lordships will not deprive one of his bread, whose 
 only crime is to have met with " an alarming and serious 
 accident" of which every undue advantage has been taken
 
 22 
 
 by a worthless Queen's mob ;* almost to drive him to distrac- 
 tion. 
 
 I have the honour to be, Sir, 
 With the greatest respect, 
 
 Your most obedient, humble servant, 
 
 (Signed) W. C.SMYTH. 
 
 To S. R. Lushington, Esq. 
 Sfc., %c., Sfc. 
 
 (A.} 184, SLOANE STREET, Sept. 4, 1823. 
 
 SIR, A malevolent report having been circulated by some 
 evil disposed persons, that the calamity which befel me on 
 Saturday the 16th of August, was not of so serious a nature 
 as I, and two medical gentlemen who have attended me have 
 represented, 1 should esteem it a particular favour, if you 
 would give me some kind of certificate, as to the nature of 
 the accident, which 1 may, if necessary, submit to the Lords 
 Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury. 
 
 I am. Sir, 
 
 With much gratitude for the kind attention you showed 
 me on that occasion, 
 
 Your obedient, humble servant, 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To A. White, Esq. Surgeon. 
 
 Parliament Street. 
 
 (B.) 5, PARLIAMENT STREET, Sept. 4, 1823. 
 
 SIR, I have not the smallest hesitation to affirm that 
 the injury you received on the 1 6th of last month, on 
 Millbank, opposite the Penitentiary was of a most alarming 
 and serious nature, being a violent concussion of the brain ; 
 the consequences of which are painfully felt in many in- 
 stances for a considerable time afterwards, and in some cases 
 throughout life. 
 
 1 am, Sir, 
 
 Your most obedient servant, 
 (Signed) ANTHONY WHITE, 
 
 Consulting Surgeon to the Penitentiary. 
 To W. C. Smyth, Esq. 
 
 When this letter of mine, together with the documents 
 
 * This may be considered to have been rather an extraordinary expression 
 for me to use ; granted. But it by no means follows, that it was therefore 
 an improper or inapplicable expression ; and I still maintain, that it was the 
 only correct appellation by which I could designate the motley groupe the 
 rag -tag and bob-tail lacanaille, sotte espece, I have enumerated in page 14.
 
 23 
 
 which accompanied it, was read at the Board of Treasury, 
 one would, 1 think, naturally have supposed that the 
 Earl of Liverpool, or Lord Viscount Goderich, or any man 
 of common understanding, who happened to be present at 
 the time, would immediately have perceived that their Lord- 
 ships had been most grossly imposed upon by the base ma- 
 chinations of Messrs. Jadis and Nevinson ; and by the false 
 representations of the individuals from whom " my Lords 
 thought fit to direct those certain enquiries to be made on 
 this subject ;" and that he or they, or any one of them pos- 
 sessing the slightest degree of common humanity, or of 
 common JUSTICE, would instantly have directed that an im- 
 mediate answer should have been transmitted to me, in- 
 timating " that their Lordships were perfectly satisfied of 
 the necessity of my absenting myself (from the duties of 
 office) during my severe illness;" and have thus exonerated 
 me and my medical attendants, from the serious and dis- 
 graceful charge of having submitted false certificates to their 
 Lordships. But, gentle reader, what was the fact ? A 
 Board, composed of such men as the Earl of Liverpool and 
 Lord Viscount Goderich men famed alike for their intelli- 
 gence, their honor, their humanity and their JUSTICE, per- 
 mitted me, who had transmitted " the requisite additional 
 proof of the truth of my former assertion," and who, by his 
 latter assertion " was by no means recovered from the dis- 
 tressing effects" " of an alarming and serious accident" I say, 
 such men as these, under such circumstances as I described, 
 permitted me to remain in painful suspense in distressing 
 mental anxiety, and under the grave and disgraceful charge 
 of having submitted to their Lordships false certificates, 
 during a period of upwards of six MONTHS. ! ! ! 
 
 Here ended the first ACT in this tragi-comedy of Errors j 
 and of arbitrary, unjust and inhuman conduct towards me 
 aye, and from men too who, as I had always thoughc, 
 would never have ill-used a dog. ! ! ! 
 
 A few days after I had answered the before-noticed letter 
 of Mr. Secretary Lushington, viz: on or about the 1st 
 November, Mr. Jadis and myself (" the two notorious 
 Paymasters") came in contact, for the first time, since I had 
 received his letter of the 8th August, already given in page 
 5 of this pamphlet. He was in the Board-Room when I 
 entered. The moment he saw me he turned as white as a 
 sheet ; his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth, so that 
 he could scarcely articulate :
 
 24 
 
 * My horrid image did unfix his hair, 
 
 And make his seated heart knock at his ribs, 
 
 Against the use of nature." 
 
 But, I say, 
 
 " The devil damn thee black, thou cream-fac'd loon ! 
 
 Where got'st thou that goose look ?" * Macbeth. 
 
 As soon as he had recovered the power of speech, he ex- 
 claimed : " 1 shall not associate with you, Sir. You have put 
 yourself beyond the pale of a gentleman." To which I replied, 
 " You are a pretty one to talk of gentlemen I think you 
 are a very pale gentleman. You must associate with me, 
 as far as is necessary to transact public business, until the 
 Lords of the Treasury think proper to remove me from my 
 office j and, God knows, any farther I am not ambitious of 
 the honor of your acquaintance." I then requested to know 
 on which days of the week he wished to attend, but as the 
 " phantasma the hideous dream," of effecting my dismis- 
 sal from office, was still floating in his treacherous ima- 
 gination, 1 presume he considered it quite unnecessary to 
 make any arrangement as to future attendance, with one 
 whom he hoped shortly to prevent entering the office at all. 
 However, be this as, it may, he would give me no 
 answer on this or any other subject. I therefore told him 
 that " I should hereafter attend on the Mondays, Wednes- 
 days and Fridays" and then 
 
 " Left him to heaven, 
 
 And to those thorns that in his bosom lodg'd 
 To prick and sting him." 
 
 From that day to the period of my removal from office, 
 I never saw that " cream-fac'd loon" again ; and therefore, 
 of course he can scarcely be said ever to have " tran- 
 sacted business or associated with me, " since his determi- 
 nation not to do so, as communicated to me in the me- 
 morable joint billet-doux of him and his brother conspi- 
 rator, already given in page 12 of this pamphlet. So far, 
 at least, this pale GENTLEMAN has been consistent. 
 
 But, although he was not " actively employed in public 
 since that period, on several occasions," was he not *' actively 
 
 * Query, was it from his Noble father, or from his Illustrious mother ? J
 
 25 
 
 employed in private since that period, on numerous occa- 
 sions" in harassing and insulting me ? ? ? I maintain that he 
 was ; and that, had I been granted " that to which I have a 
 RIGHT a fair field, no favor," I could have proved this, 
 as well as almost every other fact which I have asserted or 
 may hereafter assert in this pamphlet. 
 
 However, be this as it may, from that hour up to the pe- 
 riod of my removal from office, I was constantly thwarted, 
 harassed and insulted by several individuals therein ; and 
 I think, therefore, it is not too much to say, that their 
 conduct proceeded, if not by the precept, at least from the 
 example of that " cream-fac'd loon" the honorable, but 
 not the RIGHT honorable, Henry Jadis. 
 
 Thus situated, on the 14th May, I addressed Mr. Secre- 
 tary Lushington, as follows : 
 
 EXCHEQUER-BILL OFFICE, May 14, 1824. 
 
 SIR, More than six months having elapsed since I had 
 the honour of replying to your letter of the 2/th of October, 
 1 trust I may now conclude, that my answer, corroborated 
 as it was by the testimonials which accompanied it and my 
 former letter, was so completely satisfactory to the Lords 
 Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury, as to have in- 
 duced their Lordships to abandon all idea of removing me 
 from the situation of Paymaster of the Exchequer Bills an 
 appointment 1 have held during a period of thirteen years, 
 hitherto, as 1 hope, sans tdche et sans reproche. 1 therefore 
 feel confident, that, as their Lordships still deem me worthy 
 of their countenance, they will see, not only that their own 
 dignity, but also the good of the public service must be 
 compromised were I to remain under the imputation of one 
 who has made false representations to their Lordships; and 
 subjected, as 1 now am, to the taunts and insults of my 
 colleagues and of those over whom I am placed. 
 
 Mr. Jadis, I have not seen since the beginning of Novem- 
 ber ; but on that occasion, he behaved to me in the presence 
 of our clerks, in a manner so injustifiable and so unbe- 
 coming a gentleman, that his example has been followed 
 by several members of the office ; particularly by Mr. Pale- 
 thorpe and Mr. Waterfield,^V0r, both of whom have re- 
 peatedly given me rude and impertinent answers ; and the 
 latter, this day, told me iu the most contemptuous manner, 
 that " he would not obey me, unless I obtained the signa- 
 " ture of one of the other Paymasters, to the instructions 
 " 1 might give him." 
 
 4
 
 26 
 
 Under these circumstances, I am driven to the necessity 
 of requesting the favour of you to solicit their Lordships' 
 permission, that you may be "authorized to transmit a letter 
 to my colleagues, acquainting them, that it is their Lord- 
 ships' pleasure to continue me in my appointment, and, 
 moreover, that it is their Lordships' command, that they, 
 and the other gentlemen under them, behave to me with 
 that proper decorum and respect which is due to one of 
 their Lordships' representatives at this Board. 
 
 Whatever domestic troubles may have befallen me of late, 
 they were immediately occasioned solely, " by a serious and 
 alarming accident," the distressing effects of which I still 
 suffer from ; and although, I must confess, they were ori- 
 ginally brought upon me by my own act, viz : an imprudent 
 marriage, yet I have the satisfaction of reflecting, that no 
 moral turpitude can attach to me on that score, whatever 
 may be thought of those persons who debauch the wives 
 of other men ; a crime which, it is a notorious fact, has been 
 committed both by Mr. Jadis and by Mr. Palethorpe.* 
 
 1 have the honour to be, Sir, with the greatest respect, 
 Your most obedient, humble servant, 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To S. R. Lushington, Esq. 
 fyc., &>c., Sfc. 
 
 Ten days having elapsed without being honored with 
 any reply ; and the systematic insults, to which I was sub- 
 jected, increasing daily, on the 14th of the same month, 
 I again addressed Mr. Secretary Lushington, as follows : 
 
 EXCHEQUER-BILL OFFICE, May 24th, 1824. 
 
 SIR, 1 am sorry to be again under the necessity of 
 troubling the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Trea- 
 sury, on the subject of the insults to which I am so frequently- 
 subjected from several individuals, over whom I am placed 
 in this office. 
 
 Upon opening the door of the board-room about eleven 
 o'clock this morning, I observed Mr. Palethorpe standing 
 at the fire without his coat, 1 therefore, said to him, 
 " Mr. Palethorpe have not you got another coat to put on ? 
 
 * This individual debauched the wife of the late Mr. Walker, proprietor 
 of the Percy Street Coffee House, for which crime a Jury of his countrymen 
 condemned him to pay THREE HUNDRED POUNDS damages.! ! !
 
 27 
 
 For it does not look well for a gentleman in a public office 
 to be without a coat." To which he made reply : " No, Sir. I 
 have been wet to the skin, and am drying my coat." 1 then 
 said, " 1 think if you ride into town, or come on the outside 
 of a coach, so as to be liable to get wet, you had better in 
 future keep a dry coat in the office." Upon this, Mr. Pale- 
 thorpe (pointing to Mr. Eagleton who had shoes on), replied 
 in a most impertinent and insulting tone of voice, " You might 
 as well find fault with him for not wearing boots." I answered, 
 " Sir, don't tell me what I might as well do ; I tell you that it 
 is not decent, or proper that you should stand here with your 
 coat off, and therefore, desire either that you put it on, or leave 
 the office." To this he rejoined, " Sir, 1 shall do neither." 
 
 I shall not presume to make any comment on this beha- 
 viour of Mr. Palethorpe, but simply state that it is in 
 unison with the whole tenor of his conduct towards me, 
 since J returned to my duty in October last. 
 
 1 therefore request that you will be pleased to take the 
 earliest opportunity of soliciting their Lordships' attention 
 to this letter, and also to that of the 14th instant. 
 
 1 have the honour to be, Sir, with the greatest respect, 
 Your most obedient, humble Servant, 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To S. R. Lushiiigton, Esq. 
 
 No notice whatever having being taken of either of my 
 two (or indeed of my three) previous letters, and as it was 
 utterly impossible that I should transact business, either to 
 my own satisfaction or to the advantage of the public, in 
 the existing state of things, [ again addressed Mr. Secre- 
 tary Lushington on the 3 1st as follows : 
 
 EXCHEQUER-BILL OFFICE, May 3lst, 1824. 
 
 SIR, It is matter of very considerable regret to me, to be 
 obliged to intrude further on your valuable time with com- 
 plaints of the behaviour of certain individuals in this office 
 towards me, which, if not immediately and effectually put 
 a stop to by the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's 
 Treasury, must teiminate in a total want of subordination. 
 
 Mr. Waterfield, junior, after renewing his impertinent 
 behaviour on Monday, and on Wednesday last, did on 
 Friday crown all, by telling me with the most consummate 
 insolence, that my conduct had been infamous, and that he 
 would not disgrace himself by setting in my company. 
 
 4*
 
 28 
 
 I shall patiently wait their Lordships' decision, and con- 
 fidently hope that they will afford me that prompt and 
 ample redress, to which I humbly conceive I am most justly 
 entitled. 
 
 1 have the honour to be, Sir, with the greatest respect, 
 Your most obedient, humble Servant, 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To S. R. Lushington, Esq. 
 fyc., %c., Bfc. 
 
 On the day following, my regular vacations commenced ; 
 I therefore was, for a time at least, relieved from the un- 
 pleasant, degrading and degraded situation in which I was so 
 shamefully placed in my office, by the series of ill-usage 
 I had experienced from the then Lords Commissioners 
 of his Majesty's Treasury. On the evening of the llth of 
 June, I received the following reply to my several letters of 
 the 28th October, 1823, and of the 14th, 24th and 31st 
 of May, 1824. 
 
 TREASURY CHAMBERS, June 1 lth t 1824. 
 
 SIR, I am commanded by the Lords Commissioners of 
 His Majesty's Treasury, to acquaint you that, upon a full 
 consideration of the several letters and papers relating to 
 your conduct, their Lordships feel it to be their duty to 
 remove you from the office of Paymaster of Exchequer 
 Bills. 
 
 I am, Sir, 
 Your obedient Servant, 
 
 (Signed) S. R. LUSHINGTOX. 
 To William Carmichael Smyth, Esq. 
 
 As " the wolf, finding it to no purpose to argue any longer 
 against truth, fell into a great passion snarling and 
 foaming at the mouth, as if he had been mad, and drawing 
 nearer to the lamb, <f Sirrah I" says he, " if it was not you, 
 it was your father and that's all one," seized the poor inno- 
 cent, helpless thing, tore it to pieces and made a meal of 
 it," so did the Earl of Liverpool and Lord Viscount Gode- 
 rich, finding it to no purpose to argue any longer with me 
 against TRUTH, fall into a violent passion, snarling, and 
 foaming at the mouth, as if they had been mad j drawing 
 nearer to me, " Sirrah 1" said their Lordships,
 
 29 
 
 < As thou nrgest justice, be assur'd, 
 
 Thon shall have justice, more then thou desir'st." 
 
 Merchant of Venice. 
 
 and then robbed me of my freehold, of my character and of 
 my life,* as La Fontaine says, 
 
 " Sans autre forme de proces."!! ! 
 
 This said, they seiz'd, without more form of law, 
 The ready prize to glut their empty maw.! ! ! 
 
 After the treatment I had already experienced from my 
 official superiors, the reader, I have no doubt, will easily 
 believe me when I assure him that 1 was not in the least 
 surprised, but, perhaps will not so readily credit me, when 
 I assure him that I was not in the slightest degree dismayed 
 at the contents of this last letter of Mr. Secretary Lushing- 
 ton. Such, however, was the fact. I was conscious that 
 I had not committed any crime or offence whatever which 
 could possibly justify rny removal from office, either in a 
 Court of Law or of Equity ; therefore, my mind was per- 
 fectly at ease. I recollected that my revered benefactor 
 had said, in one of his addresses to his Constituents, at 
 Liverpool, on the 9th October, 1812, " There are but two 
 things desirable in any undertaking to be in the right> 
 and to succeed. Of success, 1 trust, we cannot be very 
 doubtful 1 let us take care that we keep ourselves, throughout 
 the whole of the struggle, in the right." Bearing in mind 
 this sound and wholesome advice, I resolved to proceed 
 with the utmost caution, deliberation and circumspection. 
 
 For me to attempt to reason with the Lords Commissioners 
 of his Majesty's Treasury at that awful crisis, I considered 
 would have been as vain as for the poor, innocent lamb to 
 have endeavoured to remonstrate with the blood-thirsty wolf, 
 when in the act of devouring him. I thought, however, 
 thatif" the small Noble Red -LiONf," made his appearance 
 in the field, it was just possible that the beasts of prey might 
 quit their hold, if not altogether, at least to that degree that I 
 might escape from their fangs with only a few broken bones. 
 
 But, to be serious. Having the honor and the good fortune 
 to be personally known to the Right Hon. George Canning, 
 
 " You take my life, 
 
 When you do take the means whereby I lire." 
 t See Mr. Canning's speech at Liverpool, on the 30th August, 1822.
 
 30 
 
 at that time his Majesty's principal Secretary of State 
 for Foreign Affairs, 1 resolved to have an interview with 
 him, before I took any further steps in this business; 
 confident that his liberal and noble mind would never 
 permit him to sanction such an act of manifest oppres- 
 sion and injustice being carried into execution towards 
 me, without endeavouring, at least, to prevent it. In this, 
 1 was not disappointed. 
 
 I repaired the next forenoon to Gloucester Lodge, and 
 was immediately admitted into the presence of my revered 
 benefactor. That inestimable man had, but a few months 
 previous, the generosity to promise me a nomination to the 
 Charter House, for a son of one of my brothers. 1 had 
 thanked him by letter for this act of benevolence ; but I 
 had not had the honor of an interview since he had made 
 me the promise. I therefore addressed him in the following 
 words : " I am happy, Mr. Canning, at this opportunity 
 of thanking you personally for the favor you have con- 
 ferred upon me, by a promise of a scholarship to the Charter 
 House for my nephew." Mr. Canning smiled, and bowed 
 assent ; but, before he had time to make any observation, 
 I continued, " I must confess, however, Mr. Canning, that 
 that is not the object of my visit. The object of my visit 
 is neither to thank you for the appointment you have 
 already been pleased to promise me, nor to ask you for 
 any other, but to request your kind offices with the Earl 
 of Liverpool, that I may be allowed to retain an office of 
 great trust and responsibility, which I have held for a period 
 of thirteen years with unimpeached character." Mr. Can- 
 ning immediately asked " What appointment is it?" I re- 
 plied, " Paymaster of Exchequer-Bills," " What, have you 
 been removed ?" rejoined Mr. Canning. " Yes," said I. 
 " What have you been about?" added Mr. Canning. " No- 
 thing," was my answer. Mr. Canning seemed much as- 
 tonished. I then explained to him that it was nothing but 
 a disgraceful conspiracy against me by colleagues, who, 
 owing me a grudge for certain measures, I had considered 
 it my duty to adopt in the office, had taken advantage of 
 some domestic troubles in which I had unfortunately been 
 involved; and prejudiced Lord Liverpool's mind against me, 
 so as to induce his Lordship to remove me from my appoint- 
 ment, not only without a hearing, but even without being 
 made acquainted with the crimes or offences, with which 
 I was charged and that all I requested of him was, to en- 
 treat of his Lordship only to suspend me until such tim e
 
 31 
 
 as I could clear up my character from any charge that might 
 be brought against me. Mr. Canning immediately took 
 pen and ink and made a memorandum of what I had told 
 him; desired me to send him a written statement of my 
 case to the Foreign Office, and promised to speak to Lord 
 Liverpool immediately upon the subject. I then gave him 
 a letter for Lord Liverpool, which I requested him to pre- 
 sent to his Lordship. Mr. Canning instantly read it, 
 then, locking it up in his official box, which was on the table, 
 assured me that he would do so that day ; I then bowed and 
 took my leave, highly gratified, but not in the slightest de- 
 gree astonished at the condescension I had experienced from 
 that truly noble-minded man, 
 
 " For his bounty, 
 
 There was no winter in't ; ao autumn t'was, 
 That grew the more by reaping." Antony Sf Cleopatra. 
 
 The following is a copy of the before-mentioned letter : 
 184, SLOANE STREET, June 12*A, 1824. 
 
 MY LORD, I last night had the honour to receive a letter 
 from Mr. Secretary Lushington, acquainting me " that, upon 
 a full consideration of the several letters and papers relating 
 to my conduct, their Lordships feel it to be their duty to 
 remove me from the office of Paymaster of Exchequer Bills." 
 
 Had 1 committed any offence towards His Majesty's govern- 
 ment, or been guilty of any dereliction of my public duty 
 as Paymaster, or even, My Lord, had I been convicted of 
 any base or immoral conduct in private life, then indeed I 
 should have submitted in silence to their Lordships' decision. 
 Sensible, however, my Lord, as I am that not one of these 
 charges can be substantiated against me, but on the con- 
 trary, that it is a devoted attachment to His Majesty's 
 Government, a firm and conscientious discharge of my 
 official duties, and a benevolent, though perhaps weak dis- 
 position which has brought upon me this host of enemies, 
 i must entreat of your Lordship to pause before you hurl 
 me into inevitable destruction. 
 
 1 have the honour to be, My Lord, 
 
 With the greatest respect, 
 Your Lordship's most obedient, humble and devoted Servant, 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To The Right Hon. the Earl of Liverpool,
 
 32 
 
 On my return home, I sat down with the intention of 
 writing out the statement Mr. Canning had desired me to 
 transmit to him j but, of my injuries, not knowing, 
 
 Which first, which last I should relate," 
 
 I addressed him as follows : 
 
 184, SLOANE STREET, June 12, 1824. 
 
 SIR, As a perusal of a recital of my domestic troubles 
 would occupy by far too much of your valuable time, I beg 
 leave most respectfully to suggest, that should the Earl of 
 Liverpool be of opinion that there are the slightest grounds 
 for removing me from my Office of Paymaster of Exchequer 
 Bills, 1 may be made acquainted with those grounds, and 
 should I not be able to give a summary and satisfactory 
 reply to those charges, then, that his Lordship would have 
 the goodness to direct two gentlemen, one appointed by 
 his Lordship, and one by myself, to investigate my con- 
 duct on those charges, and also to inquire into any counter- 
 charges which I may have occasion to make against my 
 colleagues or their clerks ; and report the same for his Lord- 
 ship's information and guidance. 
 
 1 have the honor to be, Sir, with the greatest respect, 
 
 Your much obliged and grateful, humble servant, 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To the Right Hon. George Canning, M.P. 
 
 On the 14th, I had the honor to receive the following 
 answer from Mr. Canning : 
 
 GLOUCESTER LODGE, June 14, 1824. 
 
 SIR, I have already spoken to Lord Liverpool in your 
 favour so far as I could do so, in utter ignorance of your 
 case ; but the proposal in your letter of to-day, that Lord 
 Liverpool should appoint one arbiter, and you another in 
 a case in which his Lordship is called upon to exercise his 
 responsible judgment as first Lord of the Treasury, appears 
 to me so preposterous that I cannot undertake to bring it 
 forward. 
 
 1 am, Sir, 
 
 Your obedient, humble servant, 
 (Signed) GEO. CANNING. 
 
 To W. Carmichael Smyth, Esq.
 
 Mr. Canning, not being aware of the wheel-within-wheel 
 that was working against me, nor of the extent of the arbi- 
 trary, unjust and inhuman treatment I had already expe- 
 rienced from Lord Liverpool, was naturally much astonished 
 at my apparent presumption, in requesting that the conditional 
 investigation 1 solicited, in my letter of the 12th instant, 
 should be conducted by " two gentlemen, one to be ap- 
 pointed by Lord Liverpool and one by myself." As I could 
 not explain to him my reasons for making such request, 
 without, at the same time, going more minutely into my 
 case, than Mr. Canning had leisure to hear, or than it 
 would have been prudent in me to make known, until I 
 myself was made acquainted with the crimes or offences 
 with which 1 was charged, and as I, at that period, still en- 
 tertained great confidence in the honor, integrity, humanity 
 and JUSTICK of the Earl of Liverpool, I thought that I 
 could not do better than leave my case in the hands of his 
 Lordship, and in those of my revered benefactor, I there- 
 fore replied to Mr. Canning as follows : 
 
 184, SLOANK STRKET, June 15, 1824. 
 
 SIR, I return you my grateful thanks for the honor you 
 have done me, in speaking to the Earl of Liverpool in my 
 favour. His Lordship is, I am convinced, as ignorant of 
 my case as you are, otherwise he never would have per- 
 mitted Mr. Lushington, to have written me his letter of 
 the 27th of October, still less that of the 1 1th instant. 
 
 Now, however, that his Lordship will, at your request, 
 take my case into his own immediate consideration, I feel 
 confident that he will afford me prompt and ample justice. 
 
 I have the honor to be, Sir, with the greatest respect, 
 
 Your much obliged and grateful humble servant. 
 
 W. C. SMYTH. 
 To the Right Hon. George Canning, M.P. 
 
 From that day to about the 8th of July, 1 remained in 
 anxious suspense, constantly expecting a summons to ap- 
 pear before some tribunal or other to answer the grave 
 charges contained in " the several letters and papers relating 
 to my conduct, upon a full consideration of which the Earl 
 of Liverpool and Lord Viscount Goderich, felt it to be 
 their duty to remove me from the office of Paymaster of 
 Exchequer-Bills, and thereby to deprive me of my bread, 
 of my health and of my character ! 
 
 5
 
 34 
 
 But alas ! my expectations were vain. My offences were, 
 I presume, in the estimation of their Lordships, of too 
 black a die to undergo even a delicate investigation ! 
 
 On, or about the last mentioned day, I repaired to the 
 Exchequer-Bill office (not to take my seat at the Board 
 nolens, volens, but) to draw my quarter's salary, and to 
 endeavour " to discover how the land lay." 
 
 I found the then accountant, the late Mr. Waterfield in 
 his own room. He saluted me very politely, in his usual 
 manner. I asked him whether he had paid my quarter's 
 salary, as he was in the habit of doing, into the hands of 
 Messrs. Drummond and Co. He said he had not. I then 
 told him that I would take it myself. When he was about 
 to pay me, he observed that I was only to receive up to 
 the llth of June. I then asked him if there had not been 
 any suspension of the order for my removal from office ? He 
 replied that there had not; but, on the contrary, he under- 
 stood that my successor had been appointed. After I had 
 received such portion of my salary, Mr. Waterfield observed, 
 that he was very sorry to hear of the unpleasant circum- 
 stances which had taken place in the office. That he re- 
 gretted his absence, at the time, extremely ; for, had he been 
 present, he did not think they ivonld have occurred.* He 
 said he felt much for me, that he was well aware that I 
 was involved in a variety of difficulties which my removal 
 from office would tend greatly to aggravate ; but that he 
 earnestly hoped, I should shortly get another appointment. 
 I thanked him for his expressions of sympathy (in which I 
 firmly believe he was sincere,) but assured him, as was the 
 fact, that of all my difficulties, my removal from office had 
 caused me the least uneasiness. 
 
 I then asked him which of the paymasters was in the board- 
 room, and upon being informed that it was Mr. Nevinson, 
 1 entered therein. Mr. Nevinson looked, as may easily be sup- 
 posed, not a little abashed and confounded. I opened my 
 drawer and said to him, that " I hoped I might be permitted 
 to take away my Bramah pen without being accused of 
 
 * Mr. Waterfield was at Boulogne during the whole of the period when I 
 was so grossly insulted by his son, and by Mr. Palethorpe. The above noticed 
 observation of Mr. Waterfield is, I think, tolerably conclusive that, even 
 from the account his son himself had given of his own conduct, he considered 
 it to have been reprehensible; and that had he been present, he would have 
 kept his son in proper order. This youth was, at the time, about 18, or 19 
 years of age : and had been nearly as many months a clerk in the office, as 
 I had been years, a Paymaster ! ! !
 
 35 
 
 peculation among my other sins !" He congratulated me on 
 having obtained, as he understood, another appointment. I 
 replied that, " I was glad to hear that such was the case 
 that I hoped that the salary would be larger that the duties 
 would be less and that he would have a pleasanter col- 
 league in my stead ; and then left him, as I formerly had 
 his brother conspirator, 
 
 " To heaven, 
 
 And to those thorns that in his bosom lodg'd, 
 To prick and sting him.' 
 
 Here ended the second ACT in this tragi-comedy of Errors ; 
 and of arbitrary, unjust, inhuman and illegal conduct towards 
 me aye, and, from men too, who, as I had always 
 thought, would never have ill-used a dog ! ! ! 
 
 As, when 1 saw " the storm gathering," 1 deemed it pru- 
 dent, (like an old sailor) to prepare for the gale ; so, now 
 that the storm was at its height, did I deem it prudent (like 
 an experienced seaman,) " to lay to" in order to allow the 
 storm to blow over. 
 
 With this view, as well as with the view of recruiting my 
 health, 1 repaired to Edinburgh, in which city, resided my 
 most amiable, affectionate and beloved sister, Mrs. Monro, 
 whom I had not seen for some years. 
 
 Soon after my arrival, I addressed Lord Liverpool and 
 Mr. Canning as follows : 
 
 EDINBURGH, July 21, 1824. 
 
 MY LORD, Permit me respectfully to inform your 
 Lordship, that finding myself much in need of that tran- 
 quillity of body and mind, as certified to the Lords Com- 
 missioners of His Majesty's Treasury, by my medical 
 attendant Mr. Gaskell on the 3rd of last September, -which 
 tranquillity of mind (so essential to my recovery from the 
 effects of the distressing accident that befel me on the 
 16th of the month previous,) their Lordships' inattention 
 to my application for leave of absence, added to Mr. Secre- 
 tary Lushington's letter on the 27th October, and his sub- 
 sequent indifference to the unpleasant situation in which 
 his letter had placed me in my official capacity as Pay- 
 master, did not most assuredly tend to increase, I left 
 London last Sunday week on a visit to my sister, who is 
 married to Dr. Monro, Professor of Anatomy at the Uni- 
 versity of this city.
 
 Not being conscious, My Lord, of having committed any 
 crime or even offence whatever, which could possibly jus- 
 tify so severe a punishment as my removal from office a 
 punishment which is necessarily accompanied not only 
 \vith a privation of the means of subsistence, but also with 
 the loss of character; and having, at the same time, the most 
 perfect reliance in the wisdom, justice and humanity of 
 your Lordship, I feel satisfied, that whenever your Lordship 
 has leisure to investigate my conduct on any charge which 
 the selfish interestedness or the inveterate malignity of my 
 enemies may bring against me, 1 shall be again restored 
 to the good opinion and confidence of your Lordship, 
 I have the honor to be, 
 
 With the greatest respect, 
 Your Lordship's faithful and humble servant, 
 
 W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To the Right Hon. the Earl of Liverpool, 
 8fc., 8fc., 8fc. 
 
 
 
 EDINBURGH, July2\, 1824. 
 
 SIR, Allow me respectfully to acquaint you, that finding 
 my health much impaired by the continued state of 
 anxiety and agitation in which my mind has been kept, first, 
 by domestic misfortunes, and then, by the false and male- 
 volent representations which have been made by interested 
 persons, to my prejudice, to the Lords Commissioners of 
 His Majesty's Treasury, I left London last Sunday week 
 on a visit to my sister Mrs. Monro, who resides in this 
 city. 
 
 In a perfect confidence that, whenever the Earl of Liver- 
 pool will be pleased to order an investigation of my con- 
 duct and that of my accusers, the result will be creditable 
 to me, 
 
 I have the honor to remain, Sir, with the greatest respect, 
 Your much obliged and grateful, humble servant, 
 
 W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To the Eight Hon. George Canning, M.P. 
 Sfc., 8fc., Sfc. 
 
 Not having been honored with any communication what- 
 ever either, from Lord Liverpool or from my revered bene- 
 factor, and having heard that intimation had been given 
 to some of my friends in London, that I might have an 
 office of 600 per annum in the Customs, if I would apply
 
 37 
 
 for it, on the 13th September, I addressed Lord Liverpool 
 as follows : 
 
 EDINBURGH, September 13, 1824. 
 
 MY LORD, Having heard from three distinct quarters 
 that your Lordship has been pleased to signify your willing- 
 ness to give me another appointment in lieu of that from 
 which I have been removed by your Lordship's commands, 
 I beg leave most respectfully to submit that the one which, 
 under all circumstances, would be the most acceptable to 
 me, is that of Consul at some port on the north or north 
 west coast of France. 
 
 I am aware that this is not within the compass of your 
 Lordship's own immediate patronage, but that it is in the gift 
 of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. As, however, 
 I was not removed from the Office of Paymaster of Exche- 
 quer-Bills by that Minister, 1 cannot possibly presume my- 
 self to solicit an equivalent from him ; but, I have the pre- 
 sumption to think that, were Mr. Canning applied to by 
 your Lordship, that gentleman would not be averse to any 
 just and reasonable method of promoting my interest. 
 
 I have the honor to be, &c. 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To the night Hon. the Earl of Liverpool. 
 
 Gentle reader ! one would, I think, naturally have sup- 
 posed that an honorable, upright, conscientious and humane 
 man, (such as Lord Liverpool bore the character of), would 
 at least have honored me with some sort of a reply to the 
 foregoing letter. But alas ! His Lordship, to his everlasting 
 shame and disgrace, treated me with the same silent con- 
 tempt as had already done his prototype my old school- 
 fellow Lord Viscount Goderich, Thus situated, I was 
 again driven to the necessity of troubling my revered 
 benefactor, to whom, (as I afterwards told him) 1 felt con- 
 fident that, so long as I never appealed but for JUSTICE, I 
 never should appeal in vain. The kind, humane and bene- 
 volent answers with which that inestimable man honored 
 me to my several letters of the 13th, 19th and 26th October, 
 will prove to demonstration that my confidence was not 
 misplaced. 
 
 The following is the correspondence which took place 
 between Mr. Canning and myself, after I had been turned
 
 38 
 
 out of office, after Mr. Canning had heard from Lord Li- 
 verpool's own mouth a detail of all the atrocious crimes with 
 which I was accused, and after I had been treated with si- 
 lent contempt by his Lordship and by his colleague my old 
 school-fellow, Lord Viscount Goderich ! ! ! 
 
 EDINBURGH, October J3, 1824. 
 
 SIR, On the 13th of last month, I took the liberty of ad- 
 dressing a letter, of which the enclosed is a copy, to the 
 Earl of Liverpool ; but not having as yet been honored with 
 any i-eply or even acknowledgment of the receipt of it, I 
 am induced to fear that his Lordship's mind is still pre- 
 judiced against me, notwithstanding your kind endeavours 
 in my favour. 
 
 While I acknowledge, Mr. Canning, that I have no claim 
 whatever on your patronage, either as a Minister or as a 
 private gentleman, I do think that I have a claim upon your 
 justice as a Minister, and on your humanity as an indivi- 
 dual; and, as the appointment which I now have to solicit, 
 through your intervention, though it will require your in- 
 terest to obtain, will not infringe upon your patronage, I 
 am induced to hope that I shall not make the application in 
 vain. 
 
 The utility of the study of the Hindoostanee language ta 
 a great proportion of British youth, being now so gene- 
 rally acknowledged, its cultivation has extended to this me- 
 tropolis where teachers are in great request j but although 
 there are two or three of this description of persons, there 
 are none who instruct under any kind of authority, nor have 
 any of them ever been in India. The appointment therefore 
 of a professor of that language at the University of this 
 city, cannot, 1 humbly conceive, be considered by the 
 greatest advocates for economy and retrenchment either as 
 one uncalled for, or as one likely to become a sinecure. 
 Should you, Mr. Canning, view my situation in the light 
 in which i am inclined to think you do, and do not see 
 any objection to the creation of such an appointment, I 
 respectfully, but earnestly entreat of you to use your in- 
 fluence, with the Secretary of State for the Home Depart- 
 ment, to obtain it for me. 
 
 I have the honor to be, Sir, with the greatest respect, 
 Your much obliged and grateful, humble servant, 
 
 W. C. SMYTH. 
 To the Right Hon. George Canning, M.P.
 
 GLOUCESTER LODGE, October 16, 1824. 
 
 SIR, When you say in recommendation of your request, 
 that it is not for any thing that 1 am to give myself, but 
 only for something that 1 am to ask of others, you put 
 forward exactly the one qualification of a request which 
 always inclines me to refuse it. 
 
 If what you ask were in my power, I would consider of 
 your request, and with a disposition to comply with it, if 
 practicable. 
 
 But I never solicit for myself and cannot for you, or any 
 one else. 
 
 I am, Sir, 
 
 Your obedient, humble servant. 
 
 GKO. CANNING. 
 
 P.S. If my testimony to your fitness, for the employ- 
 ment which you solicit were wanting, to that you have a 
 right. 
 
 c* c* 
 
 To FP. C. Smyth, Esq. 
 
 EDINBURGH, October 19, 1824. 
 
 SIR, 1 return you my grateful thanks for the prompt and 
 candid reply which you have been pleased to give to my 
 letter of the 13th instant. 
 
 Encouraged, as 1 humbly conceive 1 am, by the second 
 paragraph of your letter, to apply directly to yourself for 
 some appointment which is in your own gift, I now take 
 the liberty of soliciting the appointment of British Consul, 
 at one of the ports on the north or north-west coast of 
 France, when such may become vacant, either by death, re- 
 signation or promotion. 
 
 My reasons for preferring France are : first, that many 
 years ago, I resided nearly a twelvemonth in that country, 
 and am consequently well acquainted with the language 
 and manners of its inhabitants ; and secondly, that a hot cli- 
 mate does not agree with me. 
 
 Be assured, Mr. Canning, so sensible am 1 of the hand- 
 some and gentlemanly manner in which you have uniformly 
 behaved to me since I had the honor of being personally 
 known to you, that there is no earthly consideration would 
 have induced me to intrude myself again upon your notice, 
 were it not for the forlorn situation in which I am now 
 placed by the infernal machinations (for by no milder term
 
 can I possibly designate them) of my former colleague Mr. 
 Jadis. 
 
 I have the honor to be, Sir, 
 With the greatest respect and gratitude, 
 Your much obliged and faithful, humble servant, 
 
 W. C. SMYTH. 
 To the Right Hon. George Canning. M.P. 
 
 ICK WORTH, October 23, 1824. 
 
 SIR, During the two years that I have been in Office, 
 not a single vacancy of the sort you mention has occurred ; 
 nor do I foresee any ; and the number of candidates already 
 on my list (adopted in part from my predecessor's) with 
 more or less encouragement, is more than I can ever hope 
 to satisfy. I am sorry to hear that you have been (as you 
 think) so hardly used j but certainly the impression against 
 your side of the dispute (whatever it might be) was very 
 strong when I expressed my wish for a reconsideration of it. 
 1 am, Sir, your obedient, humble servant, 
 
 GEO. CANNING. 
 To W. C. Smyth, Esq. 
 
 EDINBURGH, October 26, J824. 
 
 SIR, Not being aware of any other appointments, than 
 those which I took the liberty of mentioning in my letter 
 of the 19th instant, which are at your disposal, 1 am unable 
 to avail myself of the disposition you have been pleased to 
 express, and I am confident do entertain of serving me. 
 
 With respect to the treatment I have experienced, I do 
 humbly conceive, Mr. Canning, that you yourself must, on 
 the face of it, consider me as ill used, when you know that 
 I, a gentleman, by birth and connections, by education, and, 
 I would fain hope, by conduct in life, have been deprived of 
 my bread, and of my rank in society, not only without a 
 hearing, but without even being made acquainted with the 
 crimes or offences with which I am charged. If, therefore, 
 you do not see any thing improper or unreasonable in the 
 requests contained in the enclosed letter to Lord Liverpool, 
 I humbly entreat of you to forward it to his Lordship, with 
 a recommendation that they may be complied with. 
 I have the honor to be, Sir, 
 
 With the greatest respect and gratitude, 
 Your much obliged and faithful, humble servant, 
 
 W. C. SMYTH. 
 To the Right Hon. George Canning. M.P.
 
 41 
 
 EDINBURGH, October 26, 1824. 
 
 MY LORD, Finding my health somewhat improved by 
 the solace and consolation I have received from the society 
 of my sister, and other friends and relations in Scotland, 
 and hoping that your Lordship has now time to turn your 
 attention to my case, 1 beg leave respectfully to request j 
 first, that your Lordship will be pleased to direct that J 
 may be made acquainted with the crimes or offences with 
 which I am charged, and which induced your Lordship to 
 order my removal from office ; and secondly, that your 
 Lordship will be pleased to order a full and impartial inves- 
 tigation of my conduct, on those charges j and also of the 
 conduct of my former colleagues and their clerks, on such 
 counter-charges as I may have occasion to bring against 
 them. 
 
 I have the honor to be, 
 
 with the greatest respect, 
 Your Lordship's most devoted and faithful servant, 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To the Right Hon. the Earl of Liverpool. 
 
 ICKWORTH, October 30, 1824. 
 
 Mr. Canning has received Mr. W. C. Smyth's letter of 
 the 26th instant, enclosing one to Lord Liverpool, which 
 Mr. Canning has this day forwarded to his Lordship. 
 
 Immediately upon the receipt of this communication from 
 Mr. Canning, 1 posted up to London with the utmost 
 expedition, in the confident expectation that 1 should at 
 length obtain that justice which had been so long, so cruelly 
 and so illegally with -held from me. On the 6th of No- 
 vember I reached the metropolis, and left my card, before 
 one o'clock on that day, at Fife House and at Gloucester 
 Lodge. A week or ten days afterwards I called again on 
 Lord Liverpool, but still no notice was taken, either of me 
 or of my visits. 1 then requested his Lordship to appoint a 
 time, when 1 might have the honor of an interview. But 
 his Lordship, I presume like Peter the Head-strong, in the 
 History of New- York, (Book 6, Chap 4.) " had a horri 
 ble antipathy to the countenances of unfortunate great men 
 like myself."! At all events, be this as it may, 1 never 
 could obtain an interview. As soon as Michaelmas term 
 in Doctors' Commons (in which court I was, at the same 
 
 6
 
 42 
 
 time, harassed with a groundless, vexatious and iniquitous 
 suit) was over, I determined, if possible, to ascertain what 
 Lord Liverpool intended to do, in consequence of this se- 
 cond application, of my revered benefactor, to grant me 
 that which, as an honorable, upright and just man, Lord 
 Liverpool ought to have ordered (without any application) 
 previous to my removal from office. With this view I ad- 
 dressed his Lordship as follows : 
 
 184, SLOANE STREET, December 9, 1824. 
 
 MY LORD, As I cannot, for one moment, suppose that 
 your Lordship would refuse to accede to the just and rea- 
 sonable requests contained in my letter of the 26th October, I 
 beg leave respectfully to solicit your Lordship that you would 
 condescend to direct that the investigation into my conduct, 
 and that of my former colleagues and their clerks, may 
 take place, at as early a period as may be convenient. 
 1 have the honor to be, 
 
 With the greatest respect, 
 Your Lordship's faithful and devoted humble servant. 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To the Right Hon. the Earl of Liverpool. 
 
 His Lordship at length condescended to direct the fol- 
 lowing reply to be sent to me, which, although dated the 9th, 
 waSj I suspect, written on the 10th; as it was not delivered 
 at my house until late in the evening of that latter day. 
 
 FIFE HOUSE, December 9, 1824. 
 
 SIR, I am desired by the Earl of Liverpool, to state to 
 you in reply to your letter to his Lordship of this day's date, 
 that he sees no ground for altering the decision which has 
 been taken by the Board of Treasury on your case; and, that 
 his Lordship makes it a rule to decline entering into a per- 
 sonal correspondence with individuals upon matters for the 
 consideration of the Board. 
 
 The proper official channel for all communications with 
 the Board being through the Secretaries. 
 I am, Sir, 
 
 Your very obedient, humble servant, 
 (Signed) T. C. BROOKSBANK. 
 
 To W. C. Smyth, Esg.
 
 43 
 
 Gentle reader ! was there ever a more cold, phlegmatic, in- 
 human and unjust composition issued from the pen of the most 
 unfeeling tyrant that ever disgraced the annals of ancient or 
 modern times??? "His Lordship sees no ground for altering 
 the decision which has been taken by the Board of Treasury on 
 my case." If his Lordship would not open his eyes, I do not 
 know very well how he could see ! Again, " his Lordship 
 makes it a rule to decline entering into a personal corres- 
 pondence with individuals upon matters for the considera- 
 tion of the Board." I should be glad to know, whether his 
 Lordship has uniformly adhered strictly to this golden rule ? 
 or whether he adhered to it only when convenient to serve 
 his own purpose at times when he was bent upon oppres- 
 sion ? I should be glad to be informed also whether he 
 adhered to this golden rule, when those base conspirators 
 Messrs. Jadis and Nevinson, addressed the First Lord of 
 the Treasury, in conformity with the threat held out in their 
 joint libellous letter to me, as already given in page 12 of 
 this pamphlet i ? ? His Lordship terminates this disgrace- 
 ful production with giving me (who had been thirteen years 
 at the head of an office, immediately under the Board of 
 Treasury) that information which every blockhead in Lon- 
 don knows, " the proper official channel for all commu- 
 nications with the Board is through the Secretaries" 1 ! ! 
 
 " Man, proud man, 
 Drest in a little brief authority, 
 Most ignorant of what he's most assur'd, 
 His glassy essence like an angry ape, 
 Plays surh fantastic tricks before high heaven, 
 As make the angels weep!" 
 
 Measure for Measure. 
 
 On the morning after 1 had received the before-noticed 
 letter of Mr. Brooksbank, I wrote and dispatched the fol- 
 lowing two letters, the first to Lord Liverpool, and the 
 second to Mr. Secretary Lushington. 
 
 184, SLOANE STREET, December 11, 1824. 
 MY LORD, In obedience to your Lordship's directions 
 as communicated to me by Mr. Brooksbank's letter of the 
 9th instant, received last night, I have this day made my ap- 
 plication for an investigation into my conduct, and that 
 of my former colleagues and their clerks to the Board of 
 Treasury, through Mr. Secretary Lushington. 
 
 6*
 
 44 
 
 Your Lordship is, I am convinced, wholly unacquainted 
 with the manner in which I have been treated, otherwise 
 you never would have suffered me to have been removed 
 from my office. 
 
 My Lord, I assert that I am the victim of a foul conspi- 
 racy, of which Mr. Jadis is the " pritmim mobile" and I 
 request that this conspiracy may be probed to the bottom. 
 I am aware that Mr. Jadis has many powerful friends. I 
 know that he is on terms of intimacy with my Lord Lowther, 
 and I am not ignorant that he is connected by marriage 
 with the present Chancellor of the Exchequer; but, My Lord, 
 from the first Minister of this country, 1 do expect even 
 handed justice, and I trust I shall find that in this, as in 
 every other transaction of your Lordship's public life, it will 
 be, " Tros Tyriusque mihi nullo discrimine agetur." 
 I have the honor to be, 
 
 With the greatest respect, 
 Your Lordship's most obedient, humble servant, 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To the Right Hon. the Earl of Liverpool, 
 fyc., $c. 9 Sfc. 
 
 184, SLOANB STREET, December 11, 1824. 
 
 SIR, Not being conscious of having committed any 
 crime or offence whatever, which could possibly justify so 
 severe a punishment as my removal from office, a punish- 
 ment which is necessarily accompanied, not only with a pri- 
 vation of the means of subsistence, but also with the loss 
 of character, I have to request that you will solicit the 
 Lords Commissioners of his Majesty's Treasury that their 
 Lordships will be pleased to direct, first, that I may be made 
 acquainted with the crimes or offences with which I am 
 charged j and secondly, that their Lordships will be pleased 
 to order an immediate, full and impartial investigation of 
 my conduct on those charges ; as also of the conduct of my 
 former colleagues and their clerks, on such counter-charges 
 as I may have occasion to bring against them. 
 
 I have the honor to be, Sir, 
 
 with the greatest respect, 
 Your most obedient, humble servant, 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To S. It. Lushington, Esq. M.P.
 
 45 
 
 The Lords Commissioners of his Majesty's Treasury, it 
 appears, took time to consider as to what answer they should 
 give to the foregoing ; at all events, I received none until the 
 morning of the 16th ; and, what is remarkable, contrary to 
 the usual practice, it was transmitted to me through the 
 channel of the unpaid three-penny post ! This might have 
 been accidental ; but, from the polite and considerate language 
 in which the answer is couched, I am rather inclined to 
 think that it was intentional. The following is the letter I 
 received, purporting to be an answer to mine of the 1 1th, 
 
 TREASURY CHAMBERS, December 15, 1824. 
 
 SrR, The Lords Commissioners of his Majesty's Trea- 
 sury having had under their consideration your letter* of 
 the llth instant, complaining of your removal from the 
 office of Paymaster of Exchequer-Bills, and soliciting an 
 investigation into your conduct and that of the other Pay- 
 masters and clerks in that department, 
 
 I am commanded by their Lordships to acquaint you 
 that the enquiries instituted prior to your removal from that 
 office, left no doubt upon their minds of the necessity of 
 that measure to the good order and peace of that depart- 
 ment. 
 
 And I am further to acquaint you, that it had been their 
 Lordships' intention to alleviate the personal sufferings 
 arising to you and your family from this determination, by 
 authorizing the Commissioners of Customs, to employ you 
 as a landing waiter, My Lords relying that the example 
 and superintendance of more experienced Officers would 
 
 Shave a due effect in controuling your future conduct and 
 in restraining you from proceedings similar to those which 
 led your colleagues and the clerks acting under you, to 
 make such frequent complaints to this Board. 
 
 My Lords see, however, with great regret, that the offensive 
 expressions contained in your letters, indicate no sense 
 of subordination or respect towards your official superiors, 
 and my Lords, therefore, apprehend they will be compelled, 
 by a sense of their public duty, to abandon their indulgent 
 intentions towards you. 
 
 I am, Sir, 
 
 Your obedient servant, 
 
 (Signed) S. R. LUSHINGTON 
 
 To W. C. Smyth. Esq.
 
 46 
 
 On this letter I shall take the liberty to make the following 
 remarks : 
 
 In the first place, it appears to me very extraordinary 
 that the Secretary to a public Board should be directed to 
 notice any private communication made to an individual 
 member of that Board. 
 
 Secondly, I am at a loss to know upon what principle 
 of JUSTICK " ex-parte enquiries should flash such conviction 
 upon their Lordships' minds of the necessity of the measure 
 of my removal (from the office of Paymaster of Exchequer- 
 Bills) to the good order and peace of that department ;" 
 particularly, as their Lordships, had (by not enforcing the 
 threat contained in Mr. Secretary Lushington's letter of 
 the 27th October,) tacitly acknowledged, that they were 
 satisfied they had already been once imposed upon by the 
 worthless individuals, from among whom " the certain (ex- 
 parte) enquiries" had been made, on the subject of the 
 extent of the injury my brain had sustained from " the 
 severe concussion," as certified by Dr. Anthony Todd 
 Thomson, in the medical report I had transmitted to the 
 Lords Commissioners of his Majesty's Treasury on the 3rd 
 of September, " through the proper official channel for 
 ali communications with the Board." 
 
 The " Audi alteram partem" has been considered, in 
 all ages, and in all countries, as the foundation-stone upon 
 which every true principle of JUSTICE is built. 
 
 " Qui statuit aliquid, parle inauditd altera, 
 
 ./Mijmim licet statucrit, hand aequus est." Sen. Med. A. 2. 
 
 " Who judgment gives, and will hut one side hear, 
 Though he judge right, is no good justicer." 
 
 * f It is an invariable maxim in our LAW, that no man shall 
 be punished before he has had an opportunity of being 
 heard."- Lord Kenyon, (Rex. v. Beun. 6, T. R. 189.) 
 
 " When a man is accused of offences, it was but right 
 to hear what he had to say in his defence." 
 Right Hon. Charles W. W. Wynn, Courier, 22 March 1827. 
 
 On the first portion of the third paragraph of this me- 
 morable epistle, I think it is not too much to say that it is 
 adding insult to injury, " it had been their Lordships' 
 intention to alleviate the personal sufferings arising to you 
 and your family from this determination, by authorizing the
 
 47 
 
 Commissioners of Customs to employ you as a landing wai- 
 ter." Kind, humane and considerate Lords ! supposing that 
 I had been abject enough to have accepted of this waiter- 
 ship, what security, gentle reader, should I have had for 
 the peaceful enjoyment of such a degradation ? Are there no 
 Jadises and Nevinsons in the Customs ? 1 hope not, among 
 the members of the Board ; but I am afraid there are, at all 
 events, old Palethorpes and young Waterfields in abundance, 
 on the different quays. 
 
 But, gentle reader, it was not a sufficient degradation to 
 be removed from the head of a Board and put at the tail of 
 a wharf, but the upright, just and humane Lords Liverpool 
 and Goderich, assert, that they condescended to grant me 
 this retrograde promotion, " relying that the example and 
 " superintendance of more experienced officers would have 
 " a due effect in controling my future conduct, and in 
 " restraining me from proceedings similar to those which 
 " led my colleagues and the clerks acting under me, to make 
 " such frequent complaints to the Board." Thus, gentle 
 reader, I was to be sent to the Customs, as a criminal is 
 sent to the hulks, with a halter round my neck ! 
 
 No one, I think, who reads this pamphlet, can doubt that 
 this elegant epistle was composed and transmitted to me 
 with the knowledge, the sanction and the approbation of 
 Lords Liverpool and Goderich. Now, notwithstanding it 
 emanated from such high authority, I assert that it con- 
 tains a gross and palpable falsehood; and I will prove, that 
 such is the fact from their Lordships' own conduct. 
 
 1 am therein given to understand " that my collea- 
 gues and the clerks acting under me, had made frequent 
 complaints of my proceedings to the Board of Treasury." 
 In the first place, I assert that this is not the fact that there 
 never was a single complaint made against me officially, 
 either by my colleagues or by the clerks acting under me 
 until subsequently to the d6m^l4 between Mr. Jadis and my- 
 self, as noticed in page 5, of this pamphlet ; and, since that 
 event, only one by my colleagues and not one, by the clerks 
 acting under me, unless, indeed, what Messrs. Palethorpe 
 and Waterfield Junior, may have alleged against me, 
 when called upon by the Lord Commissioners to answer the 
 complaints I had made against those two individuals in my 
 letters to Mr. Secretary Lushington of the 14th, 24th 
 and 31st of May, can be so termed. But 1 said, that I 
 would prove that such was not the fact by their Lordships'
 
 48 
 
 own conduct. If such frequent complaints had been made 
 to the Board of Treasury, by my colleagues and the clerks 
 acting under me, how, I ask, did it happen that their 
 Lordships (who certainly have not shown themselves very 
 backwards in listening to accusations against me,) how, 
 I ask, did it happen that their Lordships never once called 
 upon to answer these frequent complaints ? ? ? 
 
 " I am called on then, to decide between the conduct of 
 Mrs. Plumb, and the testimony of Mrs. Plumb, and I have 
 no difficulty in deciding to which I shall adhere. 1 am of 
 opinion, that these declarations could not have passed in the 
 manner in which she has described them." Lord Stowell, 
 (Haggard's Reports, vol. 1, p. 28J.) 
 
 On the last paragraph of this memorable epistle, I have 
 to observe : first, as Mr. Secretary Lushington was autho- 
 rised to advert to my private letter to Lord Liverpool of the 
 1 1th December, how does it happen that he never was 
 authorised to notice my several private letters to his 
 Lordship of the 12th of June, 21st of July, 13th of Sep- 
 tember, 26th of October of the same year ? ? ? Secondly, 
 how much more dignified would it not have been in Lords 
 Liverpool and Goderich, instead of wincing, like the Fox 
 in the fable*, at my offensive expressions to have ordered the 
 investigation I had solicited, and afterwards to have adminis- 
 tered JUSTICE between Mr. Jadis and myself, with an im- 
 partial hand and thus have proved to me and to the world, 
 that my surmises and suspicions were groundless. Such, 1 
 maintain, would have been conduct worthy of the character 
 those two noblemen have hitherto held in society. But 
 the soreness they evinced on this subject only confirmed in 
 my mind, as I have no doubt it does in the minds of my 
 readers, that my suspicions were well-grounded, and that 
 is what made my expressions offensive because they were 
 true ; and they were not likely to be the less offensive 
 because they were true ! 
 
 u Thou , thou , (the Dog reply'd) 
 
 The name is just take either side; 
 Thy guilt these applications speak : 
 Sirrah, 'tis conscience makes you squeak !" 
 
 GAY, Fable 1, Part 2. 
 
 * " At this, gall'd Reynard winc'd, and swore 
 Such language ne'er was giv'n before."
 
 49 
 
 Although the conclusion of this letter leaves me (as re- 
 gards the landing waitership) suspended, like Mahomet's 
 coffin, between Heaven and Earth, it contains, at least, 
 one assertion which gave me some consolation, viz : " that 
 my offensive expressions indicated no sense of subordina- 
 tion or respect towards my official superiors," thereby 
 evidently admitting, that their Lordships considered me 
 then, de facto, what I consider myself still, de jure, a 
 Paymaster of Exchequer-Bills ! ! ! 
 
 Upon the whole, such of my readers as were acquainted, 
 either from general report or from their own personal know- 
 ledge, with the liberal mind and noble spirit of my revered 
 Benefactor, will, I think, agree with me, that had Mr. 
 Canning ever seen the letter, the merits of which I have 
 just discussed, he would have returned it to Lord Liverpool 
 superscribed with his Lordship's own memorable words, 
 " This is too bad!!'." 
 
 The same day, I replied to Mr. Lushington, as follows : 
 
 184, SLOANE STREET, December 16, 1824. 
 
 SIR, I this morning had the honor to receive your letter 
 of yesterday's date. 
 
 The Lords Commissioners of his Majesty's Treasury 
 were, I have no doubt, satisfied in their own minds of the 
 necessity of the measure of removing me from the office of 
 Paymaster of Exchequer-Bills, when their Lordships au- 
 thorized you to address to me your letter of the llth of 
 June. But, I beg leave respectfully to remind their 
 Lordships that it was an exparte statement that was before 
 the Board, and that " the enquiries instituted prior to my 
 removal from that office," were made from among my ene- 
 mies ; and moreover, that 1 never as yet have been heard 
 in my own defence. 
 
 When the Lords Commissioners reflect on these circum- 
 stances, I feel confident that their Lordships will be pleased 
 to accede to my (as I humbly conceive) reasonable request, 
 and order an immediate, full and impartial investigation of 
 my conduct, and that of my former colleagues and their 
 clerks. 
 
 I have the honor to be, Sir, 
 
 With the greatest respect, 
 Your most obedient, humble servant, 
 (Signed) W.C.SMYTH. 
 
 To S. R. Lushington, Esq. M.P. 
 
 7
 
 50 
 
 Not having been honored with any answer whatever, I ad-- 
 dressed Mr. Lushington again on the 30th, as follows: 
 
 184, SLOANK STREKT, December 30, 1824. 
 
 SIR, On the 16th of this month 1 had the honor to 
 address a letter to you, expressive of my confident hope, that 
 when the Lords Commissioners of his Majesty's Treasury 
 reflected on the circumstances therein mentioned, their 
 Lordships would be pleased to grant my reasonable request, 
 and order an immediate, full and impartial investigation of 
 my conduct, and that of my former colleagues and their 
 clerks. 
 
 Not however, having received any reply, I take the li- 
 berty of writing again, to beg the favor of you to take the 
 earliest opportunity of bringing the same under the consi- 
 deration of their Lordships. 
 
 I have the honor to be, Sir, with the greatest respect, 
 Your most obedient humble servant, 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To S. R t Lushington, Esq. M.P. 
 
 Not having been honored with any reply whatever to 
 either of the two last letters I had addressed to Mr. Secre- 
 tary Lushington, (" the proper official channel for all 
 communications with the Board of Treasury ") on the 22nd 
 of January, I wrote to that gentleman the following pri- 
 vate communication : 
 
 184, SLOANK STREET, January 22, 1825. 
 SIR, Being desirous of having a few minutes conversa- 
 tion with you, I should esteem it a favor if you would ap- 
 point the earliest convenient hour, when I may do myself 
 the honor to wait upon you. 
 
 I have the honor to be, Sir, 
 Your most obedient and humble servant, 
 
 W. C. SMYTH. 
 To S. R. Lushington, Esq. M.P. 
 
 Although Mr. Lushington did not favor me with any 
 reply, I repaired to the Treasury Chambers on the 28th of 
 the same month, when I was honored with an interview. 
 
 I never, to the best of my knowledge and belief, saw 
 Mr. Lushington in my life before ; nor, do I believe, was 
 that gentleman in the slightest degree acquainted with my 
 person.
 
 51 
 
 I entered his presence, as I am confident he will do me 
 the justice to admit, neither as a bully, nor as a criminal. 
 He was standing at a table facing the door, reading, or pre- 
 tending to read a paper. He eyed me as I entered, from 
 head to foot. I bowed and said, " Mr. Lushington, I be- 
 lieve ?" he replied in a sharp tone of voice, " Yes, my name 
 is Lushington." I then said, " I took the liberty of waiting 
 on you, Mr. Lushington, to ascertain whether you had 
 received my last letter," upon which Mr. Lushington asked 
 quickly " What letter ?" I added, " My letter of 16th Decem- 
 ber," he answered " Yes, oh ! yes." 1 then said, " When may 
 I expect the honor of a reply ?" to which he answered in 
 the most haughty and overbearing tone of voice, " You have 
 got your answer, Sir, you will not get any other." 
 
 Being somewhat of a physiognomist, I thought, when I 
 first saw Mr. Lushington's countenance, that 1 perceived 
 certain noble, manly and generous traits therein. 1 there- 
 fore was determined not to be rebuffed by the manner in 
 which he had received me ; but resolved to put his heart to 
 the test, before 1 quitted him. Looking him, therefore, 
 mildly but firmly in the face, I said, " Is it possible, Mr. 
 Lushington, that the Lords of the Treasury will stigmatise 
 me as an infamous, outrageous character with whom no one 
 can associate and in whose company no one is to sit ; and 
 will not give me a hearing, or afford me an opportunity of 
 vindicating myself ?" This appeal had the desired and con- 
 templated effect. Mr. Lushington, I do not hesitate to say, 
 was completely thunderstruck at hearing so rational a 
 question put in such mild language and tone of voice by a 
 man who had been represented to him as something in the 
 shape of a wild beast a Bengal tyger au mains ! He 
 instantly replied, " You you you are quite mistaken Mr. 
 Smyth, their Lordships have no such intention whatever.* 
 
 * Mr. Lushiugton did not, certainly, in his letter of the llth June, 
 intimate to me, that their Lordships considered me to be " an infamous, 
 outrageous character, with whom no one could associate, and in whose 
 company no one was to sit;" but, after the communication I bad made to 
 their Lordships in my letter of the 31st May, (transmitted " through the 
 proper official channel for all communications vith the Beard") does not, 1 
 ask, their Lordships' conduct, in removing me from office, very much resemble 
 that of the quack doctor, noticed by Mr. Canning, in one of his eloquent and 
 humorous speeches delivered at Liverpool, on the 16th March 1820? 
 Thus " Young Waterfield preceded in the crowd, crying with a loud voice, 
 ' Mr. Smyth's conduct has been infamous, and it would be a disgrace 
 for me to sit in his company.' The Lords Commissioners of his Majesty's 
 Treasury, marched behind him with a sedate and solemn step, simply d- 
 
 " ri "'" n " yoi " h " J " r " e " ! 7.
 
 Sit down sit down, Mr. Smyth." I then seated myself, 
 and left Mr. Lushington to open the ball ; which, my 
 readers will, I have no doubt, readily believe me when I 
 assure them, he was greatly at a loss how to do. After 
 considerable hesitation, however, he commenced thus, 
 " The first eh ! communication eh ! Mr. Smyth, you had 
 on the subject, was eh ?" To which I, finding him com- 
 pletely at a halt, replied : " The first communication I had on 
 the subject was your letter of the 27th October 1823, con- 
 taining a threat to remove me from my office upon a charge 
 of having transmitted to their Lordships false certificates 
 as to the state of my health." To which Mr. Lushington 
 replied, " Ah ! very true, very true." I then said, " Had 
 their Lordships, instead of entertaining such a groundless 
 and malicious charge, granted me the leave of absence I had 
 requested in my letter of the 3rd September 1823, (and to 
 which, I humbly conceive, I was entitled upon every prin- 
 ciple of humanity and justice), they would have crushed 
 Mr. Jadis's conspiracy in embryo." To which Mr. Lushing- 
 ton replied hastily " What makes you think Mr. Jadis has 
 any thing to do with the business?" 1 answered that * e I 
 was certain he had; and could prove it, if their Lordships 
 would hear me ; but, if they would not hear me, I could 
 prove nothing." Not having made any memoranda 
 or notes of the conversation which took place between 
 Mr. Lushington and myself, 1 am unable to proceed re- 
 gularly any further with the dialogue. I had an in- 
 terview with him of, I dare say, half an hour, during 
 the whole of which he behaved in the most gentlemanly, 
 polite and humane manner, and appeared perfectly satis- 
 fied, that I had been shamefully traduced and unjustly 
 treated. Towards the conclusion, I told him " It was utterly 
 impossible that their Lordships could do justice to me, 
 without ordering the investigation I solicited." To which 
 he replied, " But you must be sensible, Mr. Smyth, that 
 should their Lordships grant the investigation and the 
 result be unfavorable to you, you will forfeit all claim 
 upon their future patronage." I told him, " That as for 
 the landing waitership, I never would accept of it ; that 
 I would rather scrape the streets first. That I was willing 
 to forfeit all claim to their Lordships' future patronage if 
 the result of the investigation was unfavorable to me j" 
 " but," I added, " it must be a bond Jide investiga- 
 tion, Mr. Lushington j the gentlemen who undertake it, 
 must not undertake it with minds prejudiced against me, 
 and with a determination of confirming what their Lord-
 
 53 
 
 ships have done." " No, no," answered Mr. Lushington, 
 u I understand what you mean, Mr. Smyth, you wish three 
 gentlemen, wholly unacquainted with the subject, to in- 
 vestigate the matter and make an impartial report to 
 their Lordships." " Yes," I replied, " that is what I 
 wish." Well," said Mr. Lushington, " if you think 
 proper to address a letter to me, to that effect, and stating 
 that you are willing to forego every claim to the indulgent 
 intentions their Lordships have expressed towards you, 
 provided the result of the investigation be unfavourable to 
 you, I shall undoubtedly submit your letter to the board." I 
 then told him, 1 certainly would address a letter to him, to 
 that effect, in the course of the next day ; thanked him 
 for his politeness and condescension, and took my leave. 
 The next day I addressed Mr. Lushington as follows : 
 
 184, SLOAXE STREET, January 29, 1825. 
 
 SIR, In consequence of the interview with which you 
 honored me yesterday, 1 am induced to trouble you with the 
 present communication, to request that you will be pleased 
 to signify, to the Lords Commissioners of his Majesty's 
 Treasury, that, so conscious am 1 of the integrity and pro- 
 priety of my own conduct in every transaction in which I have 
 been concerned in my late office of Paymaster of Exche- 
 quer-Bills, and so convinced am 1 that I can prove to the 
 satisfaction of every honorable man that I am the victim 
 of a foul conspiracy formed against my character by my 
 former colleague Mr. Jadis, as already suggested in my let- 
 ter to you of the 3rd of September, 1823, and also in a private 
 letter, I took the liberty of addressing to the Chancellor of the 
 Exchequer, on the fourth of the same month and year, if their 
 Lordships will condescend to direct a full and impartial in- 
 vestigation of the whole of the bearings of my case, should it 
 appear by the report of the investigators, that I am unable to 
 substantiate this fact, and that there are good and sufficient 
 grounds for visiting me with the severe punishment, held out 
 in your letter of the 2Jth of October 1823, and enforced 
 by your letter of the llth of June 1824, I shall submit 
 without a murmur to Their decision and forego every subse- 
 quent claim upon the indulgent intentions their Lordships 
 have been pleased to express towards me. 
 
 I have the honor to be, Sir, with the greatest respect, 
 Your most obedient and humble servant, 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To S. R. Lushington, Esq. Jlf.P.
 
 54 
 
 When this letter of mine, transmitted " through the proper 
 official channel Jor all communications," was read at the 
 board of Treasury, one would, I think, naturally have sup- 
 posed that the Earl of Liverpool, or Lord Viscount Goderich, 
 or any man, endowed with a proper sense of JUSTICE, who 
 happened to be present at the time, would instantly have 
 directed that an immediate answer should have been trans- 
 mitted to me intimating, that their Lordships would forth- 
 with comply with my request and direct an immediate, full 
 and impartial investigation of the whole of the bearings of 
 my case. 
 
 But, gentle reader, what was the fact ? a Board composed 
 of such men as the Earl of Liverpool and Lord Viscount 
 Goderich men famed alike for their intelligence, their 
 honor, their humanity and their JUSTICE, treated me, who 
 had asserted that I could prove, that I was the victim of a 
 foul conspiracy formed against my character by my former 
 colleague Mr. Jadis, and had offered to forego every sub- 
 sequent claim upon the indulgent intentions their Lord- 
 ships had been pleased to express towards me, if, (upon their 
 Lordships condescending to direct a full and impartial in- 
 vestigation of the whole of the bearings of my case), I was 
 unable to substantiate that fact, I say, such men as these, 
 under such circumstances as I have described, treated me 
 (as regarded any ivritien answer to this application,) from 
 that day up to the present hour with silent contempt. 
 
 Oh ! what a shame! ah! what a fault were this! 
 
 Henry VI, part 3. 
 
 No notice whatever having been taken of the foregoing 
 letter, I addressed the following private communication to 
 Mr. Lushington on the 2nd May. 
 
 184, SLOANK STREET, May 2, J825. 
 Private. 
 
 SIR, Three months having elapsed since I had the ho- 
 nor of addressing to you my letter of the 29th of January, 
 I trust you will not consider me importunate, if I now beg 
 to be informed either personally or by letter what determi- 
 nation their Lordships have come to, on the subject of my 
 reasonable request. 
 
 I have the honor to be, Sir, with the greatest respect, 
 Your most obedient and humble servant, 
 
 W. C. SMYTH. 
 To S. R. Lushington, Esq. M,P.
 
 Not having been honored with any reply whatever either 
 to my letter of the 29th January, which, as I have hefore 
 observed, had been transmitted " through the proper offi- 
 cial channel for all communications with the Board of Trea- 
 sury," nor to the before mentioned private note to Mr. 
 Lushington; and my health having become lamentably im- 
 paired from the distressing effects of the accident that had 
 befallen me on the 16th August 1823, added to the state 
 of constant perturbation, suspense and anxiety in which my 
 mind had been kept ever since that event, on the llth June, 
 I addressed Mr. Lushington, as follows : 
 
 184, SLOANE STREET, June 11, 1825. 
 
 SIR, Not having had the honor to receive any reply to 
 the letter 1 took the liberty of addressing to you on the 
 29th of January, and finding my health becoming daily 
 more and more impaired from the constant state of suspense 
 and of anxiety in which my mind has now been kept for 
 nearly two years, so as to render a change of air and scene 
 absolutely necessary for my recovery, as will appear from 
 the enclosed certificate ; and as, from your letter of the 15th 
 of December last, it appears that the Lords Commissioners 
 of His Majesty's Treasury do not, even upon the statements 
 of my accusers, consider me wholly unworthy of their Pa- 
 tronage, I beg leave respectfully to state, that if their Lord- 
 ships will do me the honor of appointing me Professor of 
 the Hindoostanee Language, either at the College of Edin- 
 burgh, or of Dublin, 1 will forego my right, (to which I 
 humbly conceive I am justly entitled) of an investigation 
 into my conduct. 
 
 I am aware that such an appointment does not at pre- 
 sent exist at either of the above mentioned colleges ; but, 
 as the study of the Hindoostanee Language has, of late years, 
 become so important a part of the education of a great pro- 
 portion of British youth, its utility I consider as self-evi- 
 dent ; and, as the greater part of the emoluments of the Pro- 
 fessors at both these Institutions, are, I believe, derived from 
 fees received from the students, the expense to Govern- 
 ment by its creation would be but trifling. 
 
 In the event of their Lordships being pleased to acquiesce 
 in this my suggestion, the Right Hon. George Canning has 
 permitted me to say that he is ready to bear testimony to 
 my fitness for the appointment. 
 
 I have the honor to be, Sir, with the greatest respect, 
 Your most obedient humble servant, 
 
 W. C. SMYTH. 
 To S. R. Lushington. Esq. M.P.
 
 66 
 
 These are to certify that William Carmichael Smyth, 
 Esq. of Sloane Street, in August 1823, met with an acci- 
 dent, the effect of which was a concussion of the brain; and 
 we cannot help thinking that the subsequent bad state of 
 his health, and a severe nervous affection under which he 
 is now labouring, are in a great degree connected with the 
 effect of that accident. 
 
 (Signed) ANTHONY WHITE. 
 
 ANTHONY TODD THOMSON, 
 SLOANE STREET, June 5, 1825. 
 
 In addition to what I have certified in conjunction 
 with Mr. White, on the subject of the general state of 
 health of Mr. W. C. Smyth, I have now to certify that his 
 present state of health is such as requires a change of air 
 and scene, without which his recovery will be greatly pro- 
 tracted, if not rendered altogether doubtful. 
 
 (Signed) ANTHONY TODD THOMSON. 
 
 SLOANE STREET, June 10, 1825. 
 
 When this letter of mine, together with the docu- 
 ments which accompanied it, (transmitted " through the 
 proper official channel for all communications") was read at 
 the Board of Treasury, one would, I think, have naturally 
 supposed that a Board composed of such men as the Karl 
 of Liverpool and Lord Viscount Goderich men famed 
 alike for their intelligence, their honour, their humanity 
 and their JUSTICE, would at least, have honored me with 
 some sort of a reply. But alas ! their Lordships would not 
 assign reasons, 
 
 " No, Hal ; not if reasons were as plentiful as blackberries." 
 
 Not having been honored with any reply to the foregoing, 
 in the beginning of July, being still extremely ill, 1 stag- 
 gered, the best way I could, to the Treasury Chambers. 
 Upon sending in my card, I was immediately admitted a 
 second time into the presence of Mr. Lushington. That 
 gentleman was evidently much shocked at the difference 
 which he then perceived in my appearance from 
 (comparatively speaking) the robust state of health I was in 
 when I had before waited on him, on the 28th January. 
 
 He addressed me in a mild, polite, gentlemanly and hu- 
 mane tone of voice and said, " Mr. Smyth, it is in vain 
 for you to remain in town, under the impression that their
 
 57 
 
 Lordships will grant an investigation. They won't grant any. 
 They were satisfied of the necessity of the measure of your 
 removal. The fact is, you unfortunately made yourself ob- 
 noxious in the office." I replied that " I was sorry for it, that I 
 had entertained a higher opinion of their Lordships' sense of 
 JUSTICE ; that, with respect to the charge of making myself 
 obnoxious, I humbly conceived, that that was a very vague and 
 undefined charge indeed ; that I was of opinion that a gentle- 
 man, in a public office, might make himself obnoxious by doing 
 his duty, as well as by not doing his duty ; and that, if a 
 firm and conscientious discharge of my public duties were 
 to render me obnoxious, I was afraid I should be obnoxious 
 wherever their Lordships thought proper to send me." Mr. 
 Lushington replied, " Well, Mr. Smyth, no benefit 
 can arise from discussing that subject; take my word 
 for it, that, although their Lordships will not grant the 
 investigation you have solicited, they entertained the most 
 favorable intentions towards you ; and will confer upon you 
 another appointment so soon as an eligible one offers. Take 
 my advice, go down to the sea side or to Edinburgh, and 
 recruit your health ; leave your address with my private 
 Secretary, and, you may depend upon it, you shall shortly 
 hear from me." I then bowed, and took my leave. 
 
 Here ended the third ACT in this tragi-comedy of Errors ; 
 and of arbitrary, unjust, inhuman and illegal conduct to- 
 wards me. Aye, and from men too, who, as I had always 
 thought, would never have ill used a dog ! ! ! 
 
 In the absence of all proof, all accusation, or even, I may 
 say, of bare assertion, let us, gentle reader, endeavour to 
 divine what offence I had committed, in the eyes of the 
 Lords Commissioners of his Majesty's Treasury, to induce 
 their Lordships to direct Mr. Secretary Lushington to ad- 
 dress to me his letter of the llth June, as given in page 
 28 of this pamphlet. 
 
 It most assuredly was not for having transmitted to their 
 Lordships false certificates, as to the state of my health, 
 or as to the extent of the injury I had sustained from the 
 accident which befell me on the 16th of August 1823; 
 otherwise, they must have stigmatised their own servant, 
 Mr. Anthony White, consulting Surgeon to the Peniten- 
 tiary, as being as worthless a character as they had already 
 done, by Mr. Secretary Lashington's letter of the 27th 
 
 8
 
 58 
 
 October, 1823. Dr. Anthony Todd Thomson and Mr. Thomas 
 Gaskell. Neither was it for " the notorious transactions in 
 which I had been concerned," and which (if Messrs. Jadis 
 and Nevinson had put their threat into execution) had 
 been brought to the notice of the First Lord of the Trea- 
 sury. Or, if it was, their Lordships did not dare to assign 
 such as a reason, because they knew well that their enlightened 
 colleague, the open, manly and liberal-minded Canning, 
 had publicly said in the House of Commons, when, I think, 
 defending the magistrate Mr. Kenrick, " God forbid, our 
 private characters should be gone into j otherwise, I am 
 afraid, there are none of us who would be found to be quite 
 perfect." 
 
 My relations, friends and the public naturally ask, then, 
 
 " What is his offence ? 
 
 Where is the evidence that doth accuse him ? 
 What lawful quest have given their verdict up 
 Unto the frowning judge ?" Richard III. 
 
 1 answer, 
 
 " Nil horum : Verbosa et grandis epistola venit 
 
 A-Capreis :" ! ! ! Juv. Sat. x y I. 71. 
 
 But, gentle reader, on a reference to the last sentence 
 in my letter to Mr. Secretary Lushington of the 14th May, 
 I think it will not be very difficult to discover in what con- 
 sisted my dire offence, in the jaundiced eyes of the Lords 
 Commissioners of his Majesty's Treasury. 
 
 Mr. Jadis married the ci-devant wife of Captain, after- 
 wards Lord Gardner. This lady was the daughter of a 
 widow Adderley, which widow Adderley was afterwards 
 married to the late Eari of Buckinghamshire. Lord Viscount 
 Goderich, then the Right Hon. Frederick John Robinson, 
 Chancellor of the Exchequer, and consequently a Lord of 
 the Treasury, married a daughter of the said Earl of 
 Buckinghamshire by the said widow Adderley. Hence Mrs. 
 Jadis and Viscountess Goderich are half sisters. 
 
 Every person who has any knowledge of Mr. Jadis (for 
 that individual never lets an opportunity escape of com- 
 municating to his acquaintances that he is hand-and-glove 
 with this Lord and a bottle-companion of that Lord) knows 
 well that he is on terms of intimacy with Lord Lowther, 
 at that time also one of the Lords Commissioners of his 
 Majesty's Treasury.
 
 59 
 
 Under these peculiar circumstances, gentle reader, 1 think 
 it is not too much to presume that my real offence was the 
 having dared to assert in my said letter of the 14th May 
 that " it was a notorious fact, that Mr. Jadis had debauched 
 the wife of another man." 
 
 ' A ces mots, on cria haro ! sur le baudet. 
 foer dire (/lie le Sieur JADIS a jadis debauch^ 
 
 La fcmiiie d'uutrui ! quel crime abominable ! 
 
 Rien que la raort u'etait capable 
 
 D'expier son forfait: On le lui fit bien voir. 
 
 SELON QUE vous SEREZ PUISSANT ou MISERABLE, 
 
 LES JUGEMENS DE COUR VOUS RENDRONT BLANC OU NOIR." 
 
 LA FONTAINE, Fable 1, Book 7. 
 
 " A general shout of indignation 
 Follow'd the donkey's declaration. 
 
 What ! crop the close ! the parson's* too ! 
 
 For this can less than death be due? 
 
 Wheu thorns and thistles grew so plenty, 
 
 Could nothing but the glebe content ye ? 
 
 Fcom such a sin but death can purge ye 
 
 Death without benefit of clergy !' 
 Quick execution followed sentence 
 And short the space for sad repentance, 
 The dying ass perceiv'd too late 
 (Let biped asses mark his fate) 
 
 TlIAT WEAKNESS IS OUR WORST OFFENCE, 
 AND STRENGTH THE SUREST INNOCENCE." 
 
 In conformity with that advice of Mr. Secretary Lushing- 
 ton, and with his assurance, as an honorable man, that 
 their Lordships entertained the most favorable intentions 
 towards me, and would confer upon me another appointment 
 so soon as an eligible one offered; on or about the 10th 
 July, I repaired a second time to Edinburgh. During the first 
 month, my mind being somewhat at rest, my health greatly 
 improved, so that I began to entertain sanguine hopes that 
 I should at length get the better of the distressing effects 
 of the accident which had befallen me in August 1823. And 
 it is my firm belief that, had the Earl of Liverpool fulfilled 
 the promise, which he must have authorized Mr. Secretary 
 Lushington to have made to me, as before mentioned, I 
 should permanently have recovered ; but, alas ! I never heard 
 any thing further on the subject of the promised appoint- 
 ment from that day up to the present hour. On the 15th of 
 
 * I have heard ( in the \orth") that Mr. Jadis wasformerly intended fora 
 Parson. I am afraid, he would have made but a torry Parson ; as he now, no 
 doubt, a Jade'nl
 
 60 
 
 August, I addressed a private communication to Mr. Secre- 
 tary Lushington as follows : 
 
 EDINBURGH, August 15, 1825. 
 Private. 
 
 SIR, I beg leave respectfully to remind you, that I have 
 not as yet had the honor to receive any reply either to my 
 letter of the 29th of January, or to that of the 1 1th of June j 
 notwithstanding the first was written with your sanction, if 
 not at your recommendation, and fromr the encouragement 
 you gave me, at the last interview with which you favoured 
 me, 1 had reason to conclude that their Lordships would 
 have done something handsome for me ere this. 
 
 In the confident hope that many days will not elapse be- 
 fore I have the honor to hear from you, permit me to sub- 
 scribe myself, with the greatest respect, 
 
 Your most obedient, humble servant, 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH, 
 
 To S. R. Lushington, Esq. M P. 
 
 To this communication, I never was favored with any 
 reply; but was still kept in anxious suspense, unable to apply 
 my mind to any pursuit, and unable to profit by the advice 
 so kindly and so liberally given to me by my medical friends. 
 
 At last, an opportunity offered of my obtaining some em- 
 ployment, in a manner congenial to my habits, in a public 
 Seminary about to be established in Edinburgh. 1 therefore 
 resolved to wait no longer for the promised appointment of 
 Lord Liverpool ; and accordingly tendered my services to 
 the directors of the contemplated Institution. The result 
 is detailed in the following official letter to Mr. Secretary 
 Lushington, 
 
 EDINBURGH, November 3, 1825 
 
 SIR, I beg leave respectfully to acquaint you, for the 
 information of the Lords Commissioners of his Majesty's 
 Treasury, that not having had the honor to receive 
 from you, any intimation of their Lordships' having been 
 pleased to confer upon me an appointment equivalent, either 
 in respectability, or in emolument to that from which 1 
 was removed by their Lordships' commands, on the eleventh 
 of June 1824, 1 offered my services, a few weeks ago, as 
 an instructor of Oriental languages, at the Scottish Military 
 and Naval Academy, about to be instituted in this City j 
 and, from the exertions of the numerous friends and rela- 
 tions, whom I possess in Scotland, had been strongly re- 
 commended to the Directors, so that my election was, I
 
 61 
 
 may say, certain; when Sir Henry Jardine, the King's 
 Remembrancer in this country, informed the Board that 
 I had been dismissed from an office of great trust and res- 
 ponsibility under government, and therefore that he consi- 
 dered me as ineligible, let my other qualifications be what 
 they may. 
 
 This circumstance, communicated from such a person, 
 had such an effect on the majority of the other members, that 
 they immediately rejected me, and appointed a man, com- 
 pared to myself, of low birth and connections, who never was 
 in India, and who has * * or * knowledge of the languages 
 he has taken upon himself to teach. 
 
 Sir, as I cannot as yet bring my mind to believe, that 
 just men will sanction unjust measures, I do still confidently 
 hope that their Lordships will, before it is too late, be"- 
 fore I am utterly ruined in fortune, in health, and in repu- 
 tation, I repeat, 1 do confidently hope that their Lordships' 
 will do me justice, and will treat me as a gentleman of un- 
 impeached and of unimpeachable character. 
 
 Under this impression, I now beg leave respectfully to so- 
 licit that you will have the goodness to submit, to the Lord 
 Commissioners of his Majesty's Treasury, my humble re- 
 quest, that their Lordships will be pleased to appoint me, 
 Distributor of Stamps for the city and county of Edinburgh, 
 an office which, I understand, is at present vacant, and 
 equivalent, if not in respectability, at least in emolument, to 
 that which I might now have been in the quiet and peace- 
 ful enjoyment, but for the foul conspiracy formed against 
 me by Mr. Jadis a man to whom I never gave any just 
 grounds of offence ; but on the contrary, a man whom I 
 constantly obliged, and uniformly accommodated during 
 the whole period of my acting as one of his colleagues, in 
 my late office of Paymaster of Exchequer-Bills. 
 1 have the honor to be, Sir, 
 
 With the greatest respect, 
 Your most obedient and humble servant, 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To S. R. Lushington, Esq. M.P. 
 
 Gentle reader, one would, I think, naturally have 
 supposed that, after the verbal assurance which Mr. Secre- 
 tary Lushington had given me, towards the beginning of 
 July previous, as already stated in page 57 of this pamphlet, 
 namely " that although the Lords Commissioners of his 
 Majesty's Treasury would not grant the investigation I had 
 repeatedly solicited, yet that their Lordships entertained
 
 the most favorable intentions towards me, and would confer 
 upon me another appointment so soon as an eligible one 
 offered," I say, after such an assurance, from such a 
 quarter, one would, I think, naturally have supposed, that 
 I should at least have been honored with some sort of a 
 reply to the foregoing letter, transmitted as it was " through 
 the proper official channel for all communications tvith the 
 Board." But gentle reader ! to the everlasting shame and 
 disgrace of the Earl of Liverpool, from that day to the 
 present hour, no notice whatever has been taken of that 
 letter, nor have I ever received any intimation of the 
 promised appointment. 
 
 Thus situated, I addressed an official letter to the 
 Honorable the Court of Directors of the East India 
 Company, soliciting an appointment from them ; the 
 following is an extract of my letter. 
 
 " As your honorable Court may have heard that 1 have 
 " been removed from an office of great trust and respon- 
 " sility under Government, 1 beg leave to refer you to the 
 " Right Honorable George Canning, (who has twice at my 
 " particular request done me the honor of speaking to the 
 " Earl of Liverpool on the subject of my removal), and 
 " also to Mr. Secretary Lushington, both of whom will, 
 " I am convinced, do me the justice of assuring your 
 " Honorable Court that there is no circumstance, connected 
 " with that event, which militates, in the slightest degree, 
 " against my character as a gentleman, or which would in 
 " any way render me ineligible for the appointment I now 
 " solicit from your Honorable Court." 
 
 Upon this occasion, the following correspondence took 
 place between my revered benefactor and myself. 
 
 EDINBURGH, November 26, 1825. 
 
 SIR, Permit me most respectfully to transmit to you 
 a copy of a letter, I have this day taken the liberty of ad- 
 dressing to the Honorable the Court of Director of the East 
 India Company. 
 
 Should you have it in your power, I humbly hope you 
 will assist me in obtaining the object of my wishes. 
 
 The present Chairman is Campbell Majoribanks, Esq. 
 and the deputy, Sir Geo. A.. Robinson, Bart. 
 
 I have the honor to be, 
 With the greatest respect and gratitude, Sir, 
 
 Your most obedient humble servant, 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To the Right Hon. George Canning, M.P.
 
 FOREIGN OFKICK, December 2, 1825. 
 
 Mr. Canning presents his compliments to Mr. Smyth 
 and acknowledges the receipt of his letter of the 26th ult : 
 together with its enclosure, which Mr. Canning returns to 
 Mr. Smyth, as it is not in Mr. C's power to make any use 
 of it, or to assist him in the object which he has in view. 
 
 EDINBURGH, December 5, 1825, 
 
 SIR, I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of the 
 communication with which you favored me in reply to the 
 letter 1 took the liberty of addressing to you on the 26th 
 ultimo. 
 
 In the postscript of a letter, I had the honor to receive 
 from you last October twelvemonth, you were pleased to 
 say, " if your testimony to my fitness for the employment 
 which I solicited were wanting, to that I had a right." 
 From the facts stated in the accompanying copy of a letter, 
 I addressed to Mr. Lushington on the 3rd of last month, 
 it must be evident to you, Sir, that I am much more in 
 want of your countenance at present, than I was at that 
 period ; but that will not, I am convinced, with you, Mr. 
 Canning, be a reason that 1 should have more difficulty in 
 obtaining it. 
 
 With this firm belief, I now most respectfully request 
 that you will have the goodness to grant me such testimony 
 as you may think I deserve, and of which, in the distressing 
 and unmerited situation in which I am placed, 1 stand so 
 much in need. 
 
 I have the honor to be, Sir, 
 With the greatest respect and gratitude, 
 Your most devoted and humble servant, 
 
 W. C. SMYTH. 
 To the Right Hon. George Canning, M.P. 
 
 FOREIGN OFFICE, December 15, 1825. 
 
 SIR, The * f testimony" to which I presume I must have 
 alluded in my letter of October 1824, as that to which you 
 were " entitled" on my part, must have had reference to 
 your " fitness" for teaching Oriental languages, as it is in
 
 that capacity that I had the pleasure of becoming acquainted 
 with you at the time when I was preparing to go to India. 
 
 That testimony I have great pleasure in giving. So far 
 as a very unapt scholar can bear testimony to the " fitness" 
 of (as it appeared to me) a very well informed and skilful 
 master. 
 
 1 am, Sir, 
 Your obedient humble servant, 
 
 Giio. CANNING. 
 To JF. C. Smyth, Esq. 
 
 EDINBURGH, December 22, 1825. 
 
 SIR, Permit me, most respectfully, to return you my 
 grateful thanks for the letter with which you were "pleased 
 to honor me on the 15th instant. 
 
 The very handsome and flattering language in which 
 that communication is worded, is particularly gratifying 
 to me ; as it conveys to my mind the most complete con- 
 viction, that not one of the numerous applications I have 
 been under the painful necessity of making to you, have 
 you considered as an impertinent intrusion. Having 
 now reason to hope that the Earl of Liverpool and the 
 Chancellor of the Exchequer, are no longer prejudiced 
 against me, I trust, I shall not be obliged to trouble you any 
 further ; but, at the same time, I cannot help expressing 
 my firm conviction that so long as I never appeal to you 
 but for justice, I never shall appeal in vain. 
 
 I have the honor to be, Sir, 
 With the greatest respect and gratitude, 
 
 Your most obedient and humble servant, 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To the Right Hon. George Canning, M.P. 
 
 I also took the liberty of addressing to Mr. Lnshington, 
 a private letter, on the same subject, as follows : 
 
 EDINBURGH, November 26, 1825. 
 Private. 
 
 SIR, Allow me respectfully to submit to you a copy of a 
 letter I have this day taken the liberty of addressing to the 
 Hon. the Court of Directors of the East India Company.
 
 65 
 
 Should you have it in your power, I trust you will not 
 fail to assist me in obtaining the object of my wishes. 
 I have the honor to be, Sir, 
 
 With the greatest respect, 
 Your most obedient, humble servant, 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To S. R, Lushington, Esq. M.P, 
 
 &>., SfC., SfC. 
 
 On the 16th or 17th of December, 1 had the pleasure and 
 the satisfaction to receive the following kind and friendly 
 reply, from Mr. Lushington. 
 
 Private. 
 
 NORTON COURT, December 14, 1825. 
 SIR, I have been absent for some time from the Trea- 
 sury, or your letter would have been earlier acknowledged. 
 
 It will give me sincere pleasure to be able to assist your 
 present views of becoming an Oriental Professor, and I 
 have, by this post, written to Sir G. Robinson to that effect. 
 I remain, Sir, 
 
 Your very obedient servant, 
 (Signed) S. R. LUSHINGTON. 
 
 To W. C. Smyth, Esq. 
 
 Unfortunately, however, l>oth Mr. Canning's certificate 
 and Mr. Lushington's letter to Sir G. Robinson, were 
 too late in reaching their destination to be of any avail. 
 
 From that period, up to the beginning of the April 
 following, I remained again in anxious suspense, and without 
 having been honored with any communication, either private 
 or official, from the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's 
 Treasury, on the subject of the promised appointment. 
 
 The anxiety, chagrin and mortification, I, in consequence, 
 experienced brought on another severe attack of illness, from 
 which, I can with truth assert, I never have to this day 
 recovered ; and, as my disease has now become chronic, I 
 shall, in all probability, suffer therefrom as long as I live. 
 
 Thus situated I again addressed Mr. Secretary Lushington 
 as follows : 
 
 EDINBURGH, April 8, 1826. 
 
 SIR, I beg leave respectfully to acquaint you, for the 
 information of the Lords Commissioners of his Majesty's 
 Treasury, that unless their Lordships very shortly do some-
 
 thing handsome and liberal towards me, J must sink under 
 the weight of the disgrace and the want of the means of 
 subsistence, to which rny removal from office has reduced 
 me. 
 
 I assure you, Sir, on the honor of a gentleman, who I 
 believe never uttered an untruth in his life, that I am now 
 again in the same distressing state of health in which I was, 
 when I had the honor of forwarding to you the medical 
 certificates contained in my letter of September 1823 and in 
 that of June 1825. 
 
 I humbly submit, that if their Lordships are not yet able 
 to confer upon me an appointment equal in respectability 
 and in emolument to that from which I have been removed, 
 (now nearly two years) under the peculiar circumstances 
 of my case, their Lordships might, in the interim, grant me 
 a portion of the salary and emoluments I then enjoyed. 
 The former at that period was 500 per annum and would 
 have been, from and after the 21st of next June, 600, and 
 the latter, from the handsome remuneration which I, in 
 common with other individuals engaged in the office, occa- 
 sionally received for the extra labour and responsibility 
 thrown upon us by the operation of the Funding of Exche- 
 quer Bills, cannot I think be estimated at less than another 
 100 per annum. 
 
 Were their Lordships pleased to order me to receive one 
 half of these joint sums as a maintenance, I could and 
 would wait with patience their Lordships' convenience and 
 pleasure; but, otherwise, it is impossible that I should any 
 longer be able to bear up against the mental and pecuniary 
 difficulties in which my removal from office has involved 
 me. 
 
 I have the honor to be, Sir, 
 
 &c., &c., &c. 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To S. R. Lushington, Esq. M.P. 
 
 To this appeal, Mr. Lushington had the humanity to 
 transmit to me the following private communication : 
 
 Private. 
 
 TREASURY CHAMBERS, April 12, 1826. 
 
 SIR, I am concerned that you continue to suffer so 
 much distress. 
 
 I thought your determination not to take the office pro- 
 posed for you in the Customs very unwise, and I have kept
 
 67 
 
 it open for you, in case you should at length be convinced 
 of this error. 
 
 You may still receive it, and I send you an order upon 
 my bankers for 200 of which I beg to receive an acknow- 
 ledgement by the return of post. 
 
 I remain, Sir, 
 
 Your obedient servant, 
 (Signed) S. R. LUSHINGTON. 
 
 PF. C. Smyth, Esq. 
 
 To this I replied as follows : 
 
 Private. EDINBURGH, April 14, 1826. 
 
 SIR, I beg leave to return you my best thanks for your 
 letter of the 12th instant, containing an order upon Messrs. 
 Drummond for 200, for which 1 shall consider myself 
 accountable, so soon as their Lordships enable me to repay 
 you. 
 
 Having been bled a few days ago and again this day, in 
 the hopes of preventing a brain fever, I am too ill at pre- 
 sent to write you in detail my objections to accept of the 
 office proposed for me in the Customs ; but thus much I 
 must say, that I never can, and never will accept of it. 
 1 remain, Sir, 
 
 With great respect, 
 
 Your much obliged and humble servant, 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To S. R. Lushington, Eaq. M.P. 
 
 On the same day on which I transmitted my last official 
 letter to Mr. Lushington, I also took the liberty of 
 again addressing my Benefactor, when the following cor- 
 respondence took place between Mr. Canning and myself. 
 
 EDINBURGH, April 8th, 1826. 
 
 SIR. I beg leave most respectfully to transmit, for your 
 perusal, a copy of a letter I this day took the liberty of 
 addressing to Mr. Secretary Lushington. 
 
 I make no request ; but leave you, Mr. Canning, to act 
 according to the dictates of your own heart, towards an 
 individual, who, you cannot but be sensible, is undeservedly 
 suffering under the severest mental, bodily, and pecuniary 
 distress. 
 
 I have the honor to be, Sir, 
 With the greatest respect, your obedient humble servant, 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To the Right Hon. George Canning. M.P.
 
 68 
 
 FOREIGN OFFICE, April \ I, 1826 
 
 SIR, On the receipt of your letter of the 8th instant 
 I wrote to Mr. Lushington, on the subject of it, and 
 I have received from that gentleman an answer in- 
 forming me that there is, and has been, for some time past, 
 a situation in the Customs at your option. 
 
 Had I known that fact, I certainly should not have 
 troubled Mr. Lushington with any application, and knowing 
 it, 1 must decline any further interference in your favour. 
 I am, Sir, 
 
 Your obedient and humble servant, 
 
 (Signed) GEO. CANNING. 
 
 W. C. Smyth, Esq. 
 
 EDINBURGH, April 17, 1826. 
 
 SIR, Were I addressing a gentleman merely of rank 
 and fortune to whom I had the honor of being personally 
 known, and from whom I had already received repeated 
 marks of favor, condescension, and approbation, I should 
 apologise for again intruding on his valuable time j but, Mr. 
 Canning, before you, as second minister of this country, and 
 as first Member of the House of Commons, i do think I 
 have a right to lay my grievances, and a right to claim 
 your justice and protection. 
 
 The series of arbitrary, unjust and inhuman conduct 
 which has been pursued towards me, by my official supe- 
 riors for nearly three years, at the instigation of that worth- 
 less individual Mr. Jadis, has now brought me to the brink 
 of the grave. You have taken up my cause, not because I 
 was any connection of yours, not because 1 had any parti- 
 cular interest with you, not because you were in any way 
 under obligations to me ; but because, as I humbly con- 
 ceive, you thought that I had been treated with injustice, 
 and all 1 ask of you, is not to lay me down hastily ; nor to 
 desert me until you can put your hand on your heart, 
 and say, 1 am now satisfied, that man has received ample 
 justice. 
 
 I have the honor to be, Sir, 
 
 With the greatest respect, 
 Your much obliged and grateful humble servant, 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To the Right Hon. George Canning, M.P.
 
 69 
 
 On the 6th of May, I again addressed the following private 
 communication to Mr. Lushington. 
 
 Private. 
 
 EDINBURGH, May 6, 1826. 
 
 SIR Being now somewhat recovered from the distressing 
 affection of the brain, under which 1 was labouring, when 
 I had the honor to receive your private communication, 
 dated the 12th ultimo, I beg leave respectfully to address 
 these few lines to you, to request that you will have the 
 goodness to solicit the permission of the Earl of Liverpool, 
 that I may be allowed to offer the appointment proposed 
 for me, in the customs, to any gentleman now holding that 
 of distributor of stamps in Scotland, who may be willing 
 to make the exchange. 
 
 Should I be able to effect this, as I understand the Par- 
 liamentary Commissioners have recommended that the 
 distributors of stamps in Scotland should be put upon the same 
 footing, as those in England, 1 humbly submit, that when 
 this arrangement is enforced, his Lordship will have it in 
 his power to make my appointment equal in emolument to 
 that from which I was removed by your letter of the 
 llth of June, 1824. 
 
 After the communications I had the honor to make to 
 you under date severally the 29th of January, and the 
 llth of June, 1825 j and after the assurance you made 
 me, at the interview with which 1 was favored towards 
 the end of the last mentioned month, viz. <* that although 
 the Lords Commissioners would not grant any investigation, 
 either of my conduct or of that of my accusers, their 
 Lordships entertained the most favorable intentions towards 
 me, and would confer an adequate appointment upon me 
 when such might become vacant," I confess I was not a 
 little surprized at being told " that you thought my refusal 
 to accept of that noticed in your letter of December 15th 
 1824, was unwise." 1 am however, convinced that, that 
 observation was not made from any wish on your part, to 
 hurt my already wounded feelings ; but from your anxiety 
 to alleviate my present sufferings, being sensible of the 
 inability of their Lordships, at the present moment, to carry 
 their favorable intentions towards me into effect : and 1 trust 
 you also will do me the justice to attribute my refusal to 
 accept of that office, not to any perverseness of disposition 
 nor to false pride, but to a proper sense of justice due to my
 
 70 
 
 own character, and from a consciousness of my total inca- 
 pacity to fill such an office, either with satisfaction to myself 
 or with due advantage to the public service. 
 I have the honour to be, Sir, 
 With the greatest respect, 
 
 Your most obedient humble servant. 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To S. R. Lushing ton, Esq. M.P. 
 
 Having served the public, during a period of thirteen 
 years, in that department, immediately under the superin- 
 tendance of the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's 
 Treasury, while 1 am well aware that " the proper official 
 channel for all communications ivith their Lordships is 
 through 'the Secretaries" so do I also know well that " the 
 whole of the immense patronage, nominally attached to that 
 Board, is vested immediately and exclusively in the person 
 of the first Lord; that the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
 even has not (as a matter of right), so much as the 
 nomination of a door-keeper, or a messenger." Hence it 
 follows, that the shame, disgrace and obliquy of having kept 
 me in doubt, anxiety and suspense, on the subject of the 
 promised appointment, from the beginning of July 1825, 
 to the end of May 1826, rests with Lord Liverpool, and 
 with Lord Liverpool alone, 
 
 Whoge promises were, as he then was, mighty ; 
 But his performance, as he now is, nothing." 
 
 Henry VIFL. 
 
 Gentle reader ! you must not suppose, by this quotation, 
 that it is my wish, or my intention to exult at the calamity 
 with which it has pleased the Almighty to afflict the Earl of 
 Liverpool. Such, I solemnly declare/ is the furthest from 
 my wish or my intention. But, I do wish, and I do intend, 
 if possible, to remind Lord Viscount Goderich, Lord 
 Lowther, and 
 
 " The gay, licentious, proud, 
 
 '* Whom pleasure, power, and affluence surround ; 
 " They who their thoughtless hours in giddy mirth, 
 " And wanton, often cruel, riot waste; 
 " How many feel this moment death 
 " And all the sad variety of pain." 
 
 THOMSON, 
 And that, 
 
 Pailida mors, sequo pulsat pede pauperum tabernas, 
 Regumque turres." 
 
 HORACE. Book, i, Ode. IV.
 
 71 
 
 Despairing, at length, of obtaining any appointment what- 
 ever, either from the Earl of Liverpool, or from any other 
 quarter ; and both my means and my health becoming daily 
 more and more impaired, my relations, friends, and medical 
 attendants, recommended (in the hope that such an ap- 
 plication would be immediately listened to; and thus, the 
 great obstacle to my recovery anxiety of mind, effectually 
 removed) that I should solicit ti retired, or, more properly 
 speaking, a compensation allowance. In conformity with 
 their advice, on the 29th May, I accordingly addressed to 
 Mr. Secretary Lushington, the following official, and private 
 communications. 
 
 EDINBURGH, Jfy29, 1826. 
 
 SIR, 1 beg leave respectfully to acquaint yon, for the in- 
 formation of the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's 
 Treasury, that finding my health so lamentably impaired 
 from the effects of the accident which befell me on the 
 16th of August, 1823, (as reported to you in my letter of 
 the 3rd of September of the same year), and from the 
 constant state of agitation, anxiety and suspense in which 
 my mind has ever since been kept, I now feel myself 
 unable to accept of any public office, which requires the 
 least mental exertion ; and therefore beg that you will have 
 the goodness to submit to their Lordships, the inclosed 
 medical certificates, and my humble request that they will 
 be pleased to grant me such a pension as, upon a mature, 
 deliberate, and dispassionate consideration of all the cir- 
 cumstances of my unfortunate case, may appear to their 
 Lordships consistent with humanity, with equity, and with 
 justice. 
 
 1 have the honor to be, Sir, 
 With the greatest respect, 
 
 Your most obedient humble servant. 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To S. R. Lushington, ^Esq. M.P. 
 
 I do hereby certify, that within these few months, I have 
 occasionally attended Mr. W. C. Smyth, while labouring 
 under repeated febrile attacks, accompanied with great 
 determination of blood to the head. These paroxysms are 
 attributed to an injury which Mr. Smyth sustained some 
 years ago by a fall from horseback, and to subsequent distress
 
 
 of mind j and are such as, in my opinion, to incapacitate him, 
 for the present, from any official duty requiring mental 
 exertion. 
 
 GEO. BALLINGALL, M.D. 
 
 (Signed) 
 EDINBURGH, 24th May, 1826. 
 
 Having examined Mr. Smyth, I concur in the certificate 
 given him by Dr. Ballingall. 
 
 (Signed) JOHN ABERCROMBIE, M.D. 
 
 EDINBURGH, 26th May, 1826. 
 
 These are to certify that Mr. William Carmichael Smyth 
 was under my care in the summer and autumn of the year, 
 1824, and again during the last three months, on account 
 of repeated febrile attacks, -which, in my opinion, were to be 
 imputed to the effects of an injury he received upon the 
 head, by a fall from his horse in 1823, and to the agitation 
 and anxiety in which his mind has been since kept ; and I 
 am of opinion, that he is, at present, incapable of discharging 
 the duties of any public office. 
 
 (Signed) ALEX. MONRO, M.D. 
 
 EDINBURGH, May 29, 1826. 
 
 Private. 
 
 EDINBURGH, May 29, 1826. 
 
 SIR, Not having received any reply to the private com- 
 munication, I took the liberty of addressing to you on the 
 6th of this month, and having, since that time, had 
 another severe attack of the distressing affection of the 
 brain, to which I have constantly been subject ever since 
 the accident which befell me in August 1823, I now beg 
 leave to transmit an application for a superannuation 
 allowance to the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's 
 Treasury, accompanied with the medical certificates as re- 
 quired by Sec. IV, Cap. 1 13, of the 3rd of George IV. 
 
 When their Lordships take my case into consideration, 
 I trust you will have the goodness to draw their attention 
 to the different Medical Certificates, I have submitted to 
 their Lordships, subsequent to that unfortunate event; which, 
 taken in conjunction with those accompanying my present 
 application, do, I think, shew a protracted suffering, both of 
 body and mind, seldom to be equalled. 
 
 I therefore do confidently hope that their Lordships will
 
 73 
 
 be pleased to consider my length of service as 15 years- 
 This will enable them to rate my salary at 600 per annum 
 and my emoluments at 100; and I do humbly conceive-that 
 if to have borne an unparalleled accumulation of injuries 
 and misfortunes, with exemplary patience, fortitude, resig- 
 nation and submission give an individual any claim to 
 have his case considered as a special one, I do possess that 
 claim. 
 
 I have the honor to be, Sir, 
 With the greatest respect, 
 
 Your most obdient, humble servant. 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To S. n. Lushington, Esq. M.P. 
 
 On the same day, I also took the liberty of addressing Mr. 
 Canning, as follows : 
 
 EDINBURGH, May 29, 1826. 
 
 SIR, Permit me respectfully to transmit for your perusal 
 the accompanying copy of a letter, and Medical Certificates 
 which I have this day forwarded to Mr. Secretary 
 Lushington. 
 
 I do not presume to make any request, and I am con- 
 vinced that you will not consider any apology necessary 
 for the liberty 1 now take. Indeed, Mr. Canning, were 
 1 not to submit these documents to you, I think 1 should 
 betray a want of confidence in your humanity, and in your 
 justice, ill becoming one who has received such marked, 
 and repeated proofs of both. 
 
 I have the honor to be, Sir, 
 With the greatest respect, and gratitude, 
 Your much obliged, aud most obedient humble servant. 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To the Right Hon. George Canning. M.P. 
 
 When the foregoing letter of mine, together with the docu- 
 ments which accompanied it, transmitted " through the pro- 
 per official channel for all communications," was read at the 
 Board of Treasury, one would, I think, naturally have sup- 
 posed that the Earl of Liverpool, or Lord Viscount Goderich, 
 or any man, endowed with a proper sense of humanity or of 
 JUSTICE, who happened to be present at the time, would in- 
 stantly have directed that an immediate answer should have 
 been transmitted to me, intimating, that their Lordships 
 would forthwith comply with the request therein contained,
 
 74 
 
 and, availing themselves of the power vested in them, by the 
 5th sec. cap. 113. of 3rd Geo. 4th, make a special case of 
 mine, and thereby grant to me, a sum equal to the whole 
 amount of my salary and allowances, from the day of my 
 removal from office, up to the 5th of the ensuing July, and a 
 retired allowance of 300 per annum, to commence from the 
 latter period. 
 
 But, gentle reader, what was the fact ? a Board composed of 
 such men as the Earl of Liverpool, and Lord Viscount Gode- 
 rich, men famed alike for their intelligence, their honor, 
 their humanity, and their JUSTICE, permitted me, whom they 
 had already insulted, harassed, racked and tortured in the man- 
 ner previously set forth in this pamphlet, I say, such men as 
 these, under such circumstances as I have described, per- 
 mitted me again to remain in painful suspense, and in dis- 
 tressing mental anxiety, during another period of no less a 
 duration than four months ! ! ! 
 
 " O shame ! where is thy blush ?" 
 
 But, 
 
 " You might as well 
 Forbid the sea for to obey the moon, 
 As or, by pity move, or symp'thy shake, 
 The fabrick of their tyranny. Winter's Tale. 
 
 During the interval, viz. on the 3rd and 15th of July, I 
 addressed" two private letters to Mr. Secretary Lushington, 
 and to my revered Benefactor, respectively, as follows : 
 
 EDINBURGH, July 3, 1826. 
 Private. 
 
 SIR, I beg leave respectfully to state, that, since I had 
 the honor of addressing you on the 29th of last May, I have 
 had another severe attack of illness ; and, it is my firm 
 belief, that should my mind be kept much longer on the 
 rack, I shall shortly have another return of the same com- 
 plaint; and moreover, that these repeated attacks will 
 ultimately deprive me, if not of my existence, most assuredly 
 of my reason. A mind conscious of its own innocence, and 
 putting implicit faith in the humanity and justice of those 
 to whom it appeals for relief, can certainly bear much ; but, 
 Mr. Lushington, there is a degree of suffering beyond which 
 the human mind cannot support, and I think you must be 
 sensible that my mind has almost reached that degree. 
 
 1 am aware that, for the first fortnight after the receipt of 
 my last application to the Lords Commissioners, your time
 
 75 
 
 Was too much occupied to give it that attention which was 
 necessary ; but now that your own election is over, and 
 that you are returned to the Treasury, 1 humbly hope you 
 will take the earliest opportunity of submitting my letter 
 of the 29th of May, together with the Medical Certificates 
 which accompanied it and my letters of September and 
 October, 1823, and that of June 1825, to their Lordships' 
 most favorable consideration. 
 
 I have the honor to be, Sir, 
 With the greatest respect, and gratitude, 
 Your most obedient humble servant, 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To S. 21. Lushington, Esq. M.P. 
 
 EDINBURGH, July 15, 1826. 
 
 SIR, I trust you will believe me when I assure you, that 
 it is with the greatest reluctance, I again trouble you on 
 the subject of my unfortunate situation. 
 
 Six weeks have now elapsed since I had the honor of 
 addressing to Mr. Secretary Lushington my letter of the 
 29th of last May ; a copy of which I took the liberty of 
 transmitting to you. To that letter I have not as yet been 
 honored with any reply. 
 
 I am sensible that, for the first fortnight Mr. Lushington 
 was too much occupied to give it that attention it required ; 
 but now that his own election is over, and that he has 
 returned to the Treasury, I must confess, I did hope that I 
 should have been favoured with an answer ere this. That 
 not having been the case, I now humbly request that you 
 will once more so far intercede for me with the Earl of 
 Liverpool, as to induce his Lordship to direct that I may 
 shortly be honored with a favorable reply. 
 
 It is my confident belief, Mr. Canning, that unless their 
 Lordships do, very speedily, grant me^ the pension 1 have 
 solicited in my letter of the 29th of last May, (and to which 
 1 humbly conceive I am entitled, upon every principle of 
 humanity and justice), I shall not survive many months. 
 
 1 have the honor to be, Sir, 
 With the greatest respect, and gratitude, 
 Your much obliged and most obedient humble servant. 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To the Right Hon. Geo. Canning 31 P. 
 
 Being still without any reply, whatever, to any one letter, 
 either official or private, which I had addressed to Mr. Se- 
 
 10*
 
 76 
 
 cretary Lushington, since the receipt of his private letter of 
 the 14th April, (1826) as given in page 66 of this pamphlet, 
 on the 30th of August, I wrote to an old and valuable friend 
 of mine, then in London, who I knew was on terms of 
 intimacy with some members of Mr. Lushington's family, 
 requesting him to endeavour to ascertain, from that gentle- 
 man, what the present intentions of the Lords Commis- 
 sioners of his Majesty's Treasury were towards me. My 
 benevolent, and much respected friend, immediately com- 
 plied with my request ; and, on the 5th of September, wrote 
 me word, that he had transmitted my letter, enclosed in one 
 from himself, to a relation of Mr. Lushington's, and that, as 
 soon as he was favored with a reply, he would commu- 
 nicate the contents to me. On the 17th of the same month, 
 my valued and much esteemed friend, favored me with 
 another letter, in which he mentioned, that he had just re- 
 ceived a kind answer from Mr. Lushington's relation, by 
 which it appeared, that my letter to him having been 
 shewn to Mr. Lushington, that gentleman, (alluding to it,) 
 said, " These claims are attended to quarterly ; it is near six 
 weeks, I think, till they come on; I hope something in his favor 
 may be done. It is not in my power to say more." 
 
 On, or about the 24th of September, I had the indiscriba- 
 ble satisfaction and joy, to receive the following official letter 
 from Mr. Secretary Lushington. 
 
 TREASURY CHAMBERS, September 20, 1826. 
 
 SIR, Your petition for a retiring allowance will be 
 taken into consideration at the usual quarterly period, and 
 I hope be settled before the llth of October, so that it 
 may take effect for the current quarter. 
 
 In the interval, I wish to know whether you ever served 
 in the King's service, in any civil office other than the 
 Exchequer-Bill Office, and if so, for what period of time. 
 It is essential that their Lordships should know the exact 
 duration of your service ; and you must also transmit to me 
 a Medical Certificate of the state of your health at the present 
 time. 
 
 I remain, Sir, 
 
 Your obedient servant, 
 (Signed) S. R. LUSHINGTON. 
 
 To W. Carmichael Smyth, Esq. 
 Late Paymaster of Exchequer-Sills, 
 Edinburgh.
 
 77 
 
 On the 2jth I answered Mr Lushington's letter as 
 follows : 
 
 EDINBURGH, September 25, 1826. 
 
 SIR, I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your 
 letter of the 20th instant, and in reply, beg leave to acquaint 
 you, for the information of the Lords Commissioners of his 
 Majesty's Treasury, that I never did hold any other office in 
 the King's service than that of Paymaster of Exchequer 
 Bills, to which 1 was appointed on the 21st of June, 1811, by a 
 Constitution under the hand and seal of the late Right 
 Honorable Spencer Perceval, at the particular request of 
 the present Earl of Dartmouth, and of the late Sir Vicary 
 Gibbs. But that in 1823, a few weeks prior to the accident 
 which befell me on the 16th of August of that year, the 
 Right Honorable George Canning did me the honor of 
 recommending me to His Royal Highness the Duke of York 
 to be appointed Professor of Oriental Languages at the 
 Royal Military College at Sandhurst ; and although His 
 Royal Highness was, I understand, pleased to signify to 
 Mr. Canning his decided opinion of the utility of such an 
 appointment at that Institution, and his approval of me to 
 fill it, yet his disinclination to create any additional expense 
 to the establishment, at that period, prevented any further 
 steps being taken in the measure. His Royal Highness, 
 however, was pleased to direct me to repair to Chatham, 
 during my vacations, for the purpose of instructing the 
 Officers of the King's Regiments in the Hindoostanee 
 Language, previous to their embarkation for India j which 
 employment would no doubt have added at least 300 
 per annum to my income ; and in all probability would, ere 
 this, have led to my obtaining the Professorship at Sand- 
 hurst ; which, had I experienced from my Colleagues one 
 twentieth part of the accommodation I uniformly granted 
 to them, 1 could easily have held in conjunction with the 
 Paymastership. On the llth of June, 1824, I had actually 
 returned from Chatham, after having made an arrange- 
 ment with the Commandant of that garrison in order to 
 carry the wishes of His Royal Highness into effect, when 
 I received your fatal letter of that day's date. 
 
 Mr. Backhouse, Commissioner of excise, and Sir Herbert 
 Taylor can both attest the truth of this statement. 
 
 1* also beg leave to state that, when a boy at Harrow School 
 in the year 1799, I met with an accident which totally
 
 78 
 
 deprived me of the sight of my right eye. For the truth of 
 this assertion, I beg leave respectfully to refer their Lord- 
 ships to their own colleague, the Right Hon. Frederick John 
 Robinson, whowas at that time at the same school, and I am 
 convinced, has a perfect recollection of the circumstance. 
 
 The sight of my left eye, which was affected by a resi- 
 dence in a tropical climate, has, since the injury my brain 
 sustained from the concussion occasioned by the fall from 
 my horse in August 1823, become so lamentably impaired, 
 that, I can with truth assert, I have at times, (particu- 
 larly during the paroxysms of the disease) no useful sight 
 whatever. Any intelligent Medical Man can inform their 
 Lordships, that the intimate connexion between the brain 
 and the optic nerve is such, that this is not an improbable, 
 nor is it an unusual, consequence cf an accident of the 
 serious and alarming nature of that under the distressing 
 effects of which 1 have been labouring for upwards of three 
 years ; and from which I shall now, in all likelihood, suffer 
 as long as I live. 
 
 I have now the honor of forwarding to you another 
 Medical Certificate, as to the present state of rny health, 
 and beg leave to acquaint you that, since I had the honor of 
 addressing to you my letter of the 29th of last May, 1 have 
 had four repeated attacks of the distressing complaint to 
 which I have been constantly subjected, ever since the 
 accident that befell me on the 16th of August, 1823. 
 
 I have the honor to be, &c., &c. 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To S. R. Lushington, Esq. M.P. 
 
 
 This is to certify that W. C. Smyth, Esq. has been attended 
 by us in our professional capacities j and we are of opinion, 
 that the disease under which he is now labouring, and 
 under attacks of which he has repeatedly suffered for 
 upwards of two years, is the consequence of a concussion of 
 the brain, caused by a fall from his horse ; and that the symp- 
 toms are kept up, and augmented by agitation and anxiety 
 of mind. 
 
 (Signed) ANTHONY TODD THOMSON, M.D. 
 
 JOHN ABERCROMBIE, M.D. 
 
 r GEORGE BALLINGALL, M.D. 
 
 ALEXANDER MONRO, M.D. 
 
 EDINBURGH, 14th September, 1826. 
 
 By the same post, 1 also addressed the following private 
 communication to Mr. Lushington.
 
 Private. 
 
 EDINBURGH, September 25, 1826. 
 
 SIR, I beg leave to return you my best thanks for your 
 letter of the 20th, and I trust in God, 'that the grateful intel- 
 ligence it communicated has not arrived too late. 
 
 In addition to what I have already stated in the accom- 
 panying and the former official and private letters, I have 
 had the honor to address to you, I beg to inform you, that, 
 at the period of my removal from office, I had a clear income 
 of ^?150. per annum, from monies in the public funds, and 
 owed not a shilling to any man ; at present, if my debts 
 were all paid, I do not believe that i should have 50. per 
 annum left to myself. 
 
 You will perceive that Doctor Thomson, who wrote the 
 medical certificate enclosed in my official letter of this day's 
 date, has inadvertently mentioned two instead of three years 
 as the period of my sufferings. But, as I did not perceive 
 this mistake until he had left Edinburgh for Sloane Street, 
 I was unable to get it rectified. That gentleman will, how- 
 ever, I am certain, wait upon you at the Treasury, should 
 you think it necessary, (and request him by a note so to do) 
 and I think will not hesitate to assure you, that he does not 
 believe that the brain of one man in a thousand could have 
 borne the concussions, both moral and physical, which mine 
 has now supported for the long protracted period of upwards 
 of three years. 
 
 I have the honor to be, Sir, 
 
 With the greatest respect, 
 Your most obedient, humble servant, 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To S. R. Lushiitgton, Esq. M.P. 
 
 The foregoing official letter of Mr. Secretary Lush- 
 ington, t may truly say, transported me with joy. To use a 
 vulgar, but not inapplicable metaphor, I thought 1 had, 
 at length " hit the right nail on the head," and, although it 
 was at first, not very tractable to the hammer, now that it 
 had begun to move," I should have no difficulty in driving it 
 home to the desired goal. But, alas ! my expectations were 
 vain. 1 was fallaciously buoyed up, only to be again most 
 cruelly, and most unjustly, immerged in another whirl- 
 pool of suspense, anxiety, and disappointment, as will ap- 
 pear from the following letter of Assistant Secretary the late 
 Mr. Hill j and from the subsequent arbitrary, . unjust, inhuman 
 and illegal treatment 1 have experienced from the Earl of 
 Liverpool, Lord Viscount Goderich, and finally, from his 
 Grace the Duke of Wellington.
 
 80 
 TREASURY CHAMBERS, October 11, 1826. 
 
 SIR, I have it in command from the Lords Commis- 
 sioners of his Majesty's Treasury to acquaint you, that^upon 
 a review of all the ciirum stances which led to your removal 
 from the situation of Paymaster of Exchequer-Bills, and the 
 continued distressing state of your health, my Lords will 
 submit a vote to Parliament for granting to you a retired 
 allowance, at the rate of one hundred and sixty-six pounds 
 per annum, to commence from the 5th April 1826. 
 I am, Sir, 
 
 Your most obedient servant, 
 (Signed) W. HILL. 
 
 To W. C. Smyth, Esq. 
 
 Well may I exclaim with our immortal Bard: 
 " O Hamlet, what a falling off was there !" 
 
 Immediately upon the receipt of this communication, from 
 the late Mr. Assistant Secretary Hill, I addressed the follow- 
 ing official and private letters to Mr. Secretary Lushington. 
 
 EDINBURGH, October 14, 1826- 
 
 SIR, I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of a 
 letter from Mr. Secretary Hill, of the llth of October, ac- 
 quainting me " that upon a review of all the circumstances 
 which led to my removal from the office of Paymaster of 
 Exchequer-Bills, and the continued distressing state of my 
 health, the Lords Commissioners of his Majesty's Treasury, 
 will submit a vote to Parliament, for granting to me a re- 
 tired allowance of > 166. per annum, to commence from the 
 5th of April, 1826." 
 
 I beg leave respectfully to state, that I am fully convinced, 
 that had Mr. Hill been as intimately acquainted with all the 
 particulars of my case as you are, he would have placed it 
 in such a point of view as would have induced their Lord- 
 ships to have submitted a vote to Parliament for granting 
 to me, not only a much more considerable retired allowance, 
 but also a compensation for the loss of salary and emoluments, 
 since the period of my removal from that office. 1 there- 
 fore humbly request, that you yourself, will have the goodness 
 to take the earliest opportunity of submitting to their Lord- 
 ships the whole of the circumstances of my case ; when 1 feel
 
 81 
 
 confident, that my Lords will be pleased to cause it to be 
 intimated to me, that they will submit a vote to Parliament 
 for granting to me a sum equal to the whole of my salary 
 and emoluments, from the period of my removal from office 
 to the 5th of last July, and a retired allowance of at least 
 291. 13*. 4d. per annum, being five twelfths of 700. 
 which would have been the amount of my salary and emo- 
 luments at that period. 
 
 I have the honor to be, Sir, 
 
 With the greatest respect, 
 Your most obedient, humble servant, 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To S. R. Lushington, Esq. M. P. 
 
 Private. 
 
 EDINBURGH, October 14, 1826. 
 
 SIR, Permit me respectfully to address to you a few 
 lines on the subject of the official letter which accom- 
 panies this. 
 
 The mortification I experienced from the perusal of Mr. 
 Hill's letter, you, who are so well acquainted with all the parti- 
 culars of my case, and of my present situation, will I think 
 easily conceive. But, Mr. Lushington, I still hope through 
 your kind offices to obtain a more handsome, and a more 
 liberal treatment. 
 
 The public prints inform me that both the Earl of Liver- 
 pool and the Chancellor of the Exchequer were absent from 
 London on the 10th of October, and consequently, could not 
 have been present at the Treasury Board, when my case (so 
 long deferred) was at last prematurely submitted to their 
 Lordships. 
 
 Three years have now elapsed since 1 have been in corres- 
 pondence with you. No man, 1 will venture to say, was 
 ever more prejudiced against another, than you were against 
 me, previous to the interview with which you honored me in 
 January 1825. How, I would fain ask, Mr. Lushington, has it 
 happened, that now, that I have made a friend of you, and 
 a friend also I am confident of the Earl of Liverpool, and of 
 the Chancellor of the Exchequer ; how, I say, has it hap- 
 pened that my case is taken out of your department, and 
 brought before the Lords of the Treasury, when neither of 
 those members of the Board were present ? 
 
 I am afraid, Mr. Lushington, that Mr. Jadis is at the 
 bottom of this, and that he has, by some underhand pro-
 
 82 
 
 ceeding, succeeded in still thwarting my interest, and in again 
 marring my prospects j but. Sir, I do confidently trust, that 
 you, who have so long, and so warmly espoused my cause, will 
 not desert me, until you obtain for me the only redress 1 
 now ask at their Lordships' hands ; namely, my salary and 
 emoluments, from the llth June, 1824, to the 5th July, 
 1826, and a retiring allowance from that period adequate in 
 some degree, at least, to my support as a gentleman. This, 
 I humbly conceive, is but in conformity with the spirit, if not 
 with the letter, of the official communication with which you 
 honored me, at so recent a date as the 20th of last month. 
 I have the honor to be, Sir, 
 
 With the greatest respect, 
 Your most obedient, humble servant, 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To S. R. Lushington, Esq. M. P. 
 
 When the foregoing letter of mine (" transmitted through 
 the proper official channel for all communications,}" was 
 read at the Board of Treasury, one would, I think, naturally 
 have supposed, that a Board, composed of such men as the Earl 
 of Liverpool, and Lord Viscount Goderich, men famed alike 
 for their intelligence, their honor, their humanity, and their 
 JUSTICE, would at least have honoi-ed me with some sort of 
 a reply ; but, gentle reader ! will you believe me ? when I 
 assure you, that from that hour, up to the present moment, 
 no notice whatever has been taken of that letter, nor have I 
 ever received any official intimation of the promised retired 
 allowance having been granted me ! ! ! 
 
 Again 1 say, 
 
 " O shame ! where is thy blush ?" 
 
 But, 
 
 " You might as well go stand upon the beach, 
 And bid the main flood bate his usual height ; 
 You might as well use question with the wolf, 
 Why he hath made the eve bleat for the lamb ; 
 You might as well bid the mountain pines 
 To wag their high tops, and to make no noise, 
 When they are fretted with the gusts of heaven; 
 You might as well do any thing most hard, 
 As seek to soften that (than which what's harder?) 
 Their obdurate hearts .'" Merchant of Venice. 
 
 Not having been honored with any reply, whatever, to the 
 official letter! had addressed to Mr.'Lushington, on the 14th
 
 83 
 
 of October, 1 was again driven to the painful necessity of 
 appealing once more to the humanity and justice of my 
 revered, and ever-to-be-lamented Benefactor ; which I did in 
 the following words : 
 
 EDINBURGH, November 14, 1826. 
 
 SIR, Notwithstanding I am fully sensible of the multi- 
 plicity of important business with which your time is con- 
 stantly occupied, and must, more particularly, be so at the 
 present moment, still I feel confident, that you will always 
 find a few minutes' leisure to attend to the appeal of an injured 
 and distressed individual. 
 
 Under this firm conviction, I shall now take the liberty 
 of stating to you, as briefly as possible, not the injuries to 
 which 1 was subjected, previous to my removal from the 
 office of Paymaster of Exchequer- Bills, but what has oc- 
 curred to me since that event. 
 
 I need not inform you, Sir, that for the first six months 
 after niy removal, 1 endeavoured, by every means in my 
 power, to obtain an investigation of my conduct, as also of 
 that of my accusers. This, however, was withheld from me, 
 but I was given to understand, that the Lords Commission- 
 ers of his Majesty's Treasury might possibly be pleased to 
 authorise the Commissioners of Customs to employ me as 
 a Landing Waiter, an appointment, which (had I, unheard 
 and untried, been disposed to submit to such a degradation), 
 the regulations of the service precluded me from accepting. 
 But, Sir, I refused to accept of it, not because I was ineligi- 
 ble for the appointment, but because the appointment was 
 ineligible for me. 
 
 'After having been denied an interview with the Earl of 
 Liverpool, and after having made several fruitless attempts to 
 obtain one from Mr. Secretary Lushington, 1, at last, on the 
 28th of January, 1825, was admitted into the presence of 
 the hitter gentleman. At the close of this interview, 1 dis- 
 tinctly stated to him, what I think no one can deny, " That 
 their Lordghips could not do justice to me, without ordering 
 an immediate, full and impartial investigation of my conduct 
 and of that of my accusers," to which he replied, " That if 1 
 thought proper to address a letter to him, stating, ' that 
 should their Lordships be pleased to order the investigation 
 1 solicited, and that, in the event of its termination being 
 unfavorable to me, 1 was willing to forego every claim on 
 their Lordships' future patronage,' he would certainly submit
 
 84 
 
 my letter to the Board." In consequence of this, I the 
 next day addressed a letter to him, of which the enclosed 
 marked A is a copy. From that time, up to the llth June, 
 I never was honored with any written reply whatever, nor 
 with any further interview with Mr. Lushington ; but, upon 
 calling repeatedly at the Treasury, I received a polite verbal 
 answer, viz. " That as soon as any thing could be done in the 
 business, Mr. Lushington would write to me." 
 
 Worn out with ill health, occasioned by the distressing effects 
 of the accident which had befallen me in 1823, greatly in- 
 creased by disappointment, chagrin and anxiety; and convinc- 
 ed from the delay which had taken place, that their Lordships 
 did not intend to order any investigation, on the 1 Ith June 1 
 addressed another letter to Mr. Secretary Lushingttfn, en- 
 closing two medical certificates, (copies of which I have 
 already transmitted to you,) stating, " That if their Lordships 
 would be pleased to confer upon me an appointment in Edin- 
 burgh, (which I therein took the liberty of suggesting) I 
 would forego my right (to which i humbly conceived 1 was 
 justly entitled) of an investigation of my conduct." 
 
 To this communication I was not honored with any reply j 
 but towards the end of the month, I waited upon Mr. Lush- 
 ington, and was immediately admitted into his presence. 
 On this, as on the former occasion, he treated me in the 
 most gentlemanly and humane manner. He assured me 
 " That although their Lordships would not grant any inves- 
 tigation, they entertained the most favorable intentions to- 
 wards me, and would confer upon me another appointment 
 so soon as an eligible one became vacant." He ad- 
 vised me to repair to the sea-side, or to Edinburgh to re- 
 cruit my health, desired me to leave my address with his 
 private secretary, and assured me that I should shortly hear 
 from him/' 1 followed his advice, and immediately left 
 London for Edinburgh, where I have remained to this clay, 
 without having ever received any intimation of the promised 
 appointment. 
 
 With the disgrace, mortification, and ill health. I have 
 since experienced, and of my ultimately being reduced to 
 the necessity of applying on the 29th of last May for a re- 
 tiring allowance, you are already apprised. 
 
 It now only remains for me to transmit to you a copy of 
 two letters I have received, the one from Mr. Secretary Lush- 
 ington, and the other from Mr. Assistant Secretary Hill, since 
 that period, together with the answers, both official and pri-
 
 _^_ 85 
 
 vate, which 1 have taken the liberty of addressing to the for- 
 mer of these gentlemen. 
 
 Sir, although you are still wholly ignorant of the injuries 
 and insults to which I was subjected, either directly or in- 
 directly, from Mr. Jadis, prior to my removal from office, I 
 humbly conceive, that you are now sufficiently acquainted with 
 my case to be satisfied that, " Forfeiture has been inflicted 
 upon me without guilt and without compensation," conse- 
 quently, that I am an injured man, and moreover, that I have 
 supported my injuries with something more than human 
 fortitude. 
 
 Sir, I do not ask, and I do not expect that you will honor 
 me with any reply to this communication. But, Mr Can- 
 ning, 1 do humbly request, that you will intercede for me 
 with the Earl of Liverpool, that some more handsome and 
 more liberal compensation may be awarded me ; and, I do 
 confidently trust, that, when the vote is submitted to Parlia- 
 ment, I shall perceive that your intercession has not been 
 made in vain. 
 
 I have the honor to remain, 
 With the greatest respect and gratitude, Sir, 
 Your much obliged, and devoted humble servant, 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To the Right Hon. George Canning, M.P. 
 
 On the 17th I was honored with the following communi- 
 cation from Mr. Canning's private Secretary. 
 
 FOREIGN OFFICE, November 17, 1826. 
 
 SIR, I am directed by Mr. Canning to return you the en- 
 closed papers, and to assure you, that it is absolutely out of 
 Mr. Canning's power to find time to read them. 
 
 I am also to acquaint you, that it is Mr. Canning's fixed 
 determination not to take any further part in the business to 
 which they relate. 
 
 I am Sir, 
 
 Your obedient, humble servant, 
 (Signed) A. G. STAPLKTON. 
 
 To W. C. Smyth, Esq. 
 
 Convinced, as 1 was, that " Mr. Canning's determi- 
 nation not to take any further part in the business, to which 
 my papers related," proceeded, not from an unwillingness, 
 but from an inability to obtain for me that JUSTICE to which,
 
 he knew well, 1 was entitled ; and being confident, in my 
 own mind, that, as " He had ambition to prevail in great 
 things ; he had, likewise, honour, which hath three things 
 in it: the vantage ground to do good; the approach to Kings 
 and principal persons; and the raising of a man's own for- 
 tune ;"* the day was not very distant on which he himself 
 would be Prime-Minister of England, when my enemies, 
 persecutors, and slanderers 
 
 " Would hide their diminished'heads." 
 I resolved still further 
 
 " To suffer with a quietness of spirit 
 The very tyranny and rage of Lords 
 Liverpool, Goderich, and Lowther," 
 
 And therefore, acquiescing, to a certain degree, in " the 
 resolution my revered Benefactor had," I was confident, re- 
 luctantly " formed, of not interfering any further (at present) 
 in my favour," I addressed to him the following few 
 words words that I knew well, would speak volumes to 
 his humane and benevolent heart : 
 
 EDINBURGH, November 19, 1826. 
 
 "The Romans, Mr. Canning, drive me into the sea ; and the 
 sea, alas ! drives me back upon the Romans." 
 
 I have the honor to be, 
 
 With the greatest respect and gratitude, Sir, 
 Your much obliged, and most obedient, humble servant, 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To the Right Hon. George Canning, M.P. 
 
 Being still without any reply whatever to the letter 1 had, 
 on the 14th of October, addressed to the Lords Commission- 
 ers of his Majesty's Treasury, (" through the proper official 
 channel for all communications with the Board,"} on the 17th 
 December, I addressed two private letters to Mr. Lushing- 
 ton and to Lord Liverpool, respectively, as follows : 
 
 EDINBURGH, December 17, 1826. 
 Private. 
 
 SIR, Permit me respectfully to remind you, That two 
 years and a half have now elapsed, since I was removed from 
 
 ; , . ! 
 
 * Bacon.
 
 87 
 
 my late office of Paymaster of Exchequer Bills ; That one 
 year and a half has elapsed, since you assured me, that 
 " their Lordships entertained the most favorable intentions 
 towards me, and would confer upon me another appointment, 
 so soon as an eligible one.became vacant;" That seven months 
 have nearly elapsed, since I transmitted to you my application 
 for a retiring allowance ; That three months have elapsed, 
 since you officially intimated to me, that my request would 
 be acquiesced in ; That Parliament has sat upwards of a 
 month, and now adjourned for six weeks, without the subject 
 of my retiring allowance having been submitted to the 
 House of Commons ; and finally, That, during the whole of 
 this period, I have been labouring under the distressing 
 effects of an accident, ' for the recovery from which, peace 
 and tranquillity of mind were absolutely necessary." 
 
 I have the honor to be, Sir, with the greatest respect, 
 Your most obedient and humble servant, 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To S. R. Lushington, Esq.M.P. 
 
 EDINBURGH, December 17, 1826. 
 
 MY LORD, Had your Lordship ever experienced, or had 
 your Lordship ever even witnessed the distressing effects of a 
 concussion of the brain, I do not think, that your Lordship 
 would keep me so long in such a painful state of mental 
 anxiety. 
 
 I have the honor to be, 
 With the greatest respect, 
 Your Lordship's most obedient, humble servant, 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To the Right Hon. the Earl of Liverpool. 
 
 Immediately upon my being rejected by (the majority* of) 
 the Directors of the Scottish Military and Naval Academy, 
 
 * It is but an act of justice to the undermentioned gentlemen, who were 
 Directors at the time, to state, that the very Rev. Principal Baird, General 
 Stuart, of Garth, General Sir John Hope, Colonel Arch. Speus, and last, though 
 not least, Lieut. Col. M'Bean, one and all, remained staunch friends of mine, 
 throughout the whole of the iniquitous conspiracy which was formed against 
 me in Edinburgh, on that occasion. In the second edition of this pamphlet, I 
 shall, in all probability, " show up" the several worthless conspirators, in that 
 base transaction, in their proper colours, and in proprid persona ; but at 
 present " I only bite my thumb." 
 
 Having said so much, it is proper to add, that although I do not exonerate 
 Sir Henry Jardine from all blame, I distinctly ex-elude him from the number 
 of the conspirators.
 
 88 
 
 as set forth in the the official letter to Mr. Secretary Lush- 
 ington of the 3rd November, 1825, given in page 60 of this 
 pamphlet, J opened a private class in Edinburgh for giving 
 instruction in the Hindoostanee and Persian languages ; and, 
 I may truly say, met with a success beyond my most san- 
 guine expectations. The most honorable of the number of 
 those very directors who had rejected me (after every indivi- 
 dual, excepting two, had actually promised me his vote) 
 were so ashamed of their conduct, and so satisfied of my 
 superior knowledge of Oriental languages, that they sent 
 their sons and relations to me, to receive instruction in 
 that branch of education, rather than to him whom they 
 had (to my prejudice) nominated as teacher at that Institution; 
 and in October, 1826, ordered (rather a bitter pill for their 
 Noble Orientalist to gulp,) my publications to be used by 
 the pupils at the Academy. 
 
 Such, I say, was my success ; and so fast was I daily 
 gaining ground in the estimation of the most respecta- 
 ble portion of the community in Edinburgh, that had 
 Lords Liverpool and Goderich granted me the pension I had 
 solicited in my letter of the 29th May, (" transmitted 
 through the proper official channel for all communications 
 with the Board of Treasury ") in any reasonable time, I should 
 have recovered my health, been able to have earned, at least, 
 300. per annum, by my own exertions ; and thus have been, 
 comparatively speaking, a happy man, and a useful member of 
 society. But, alas ! the chagrin, mortification, and anxiety to 
 which my mind was still subjected, by the contempt to which 
 every overture, on my part,for an amicable ajustment of my le- 
 gal claims on their Lordships,was treated, brought on another 
 severe attack of illness, and obliged me to abandon my class, 
 to forego the society of my most amiable and affectionate 
 sister, and to seek health in a foreign country, in which, at 
 the period of my arrival, 1 knew not a living soul. 
 
 On the 25th of December, in conformity with the advice 
 of my much esteemed friend, and medical attendant Dr. 
 Ballingall, I reluctantly quitted Edinburgh for Boulogne-sur- 
 Mer ; but which place (my journey having been protracted 
 by severe illness,) I did not reach until the middle of 
 January. 
 
 So soon after my arrival as I was able to collect my ideas, 
 I again addressed the following official communication to 
 Mr. Secretary Lushington.
 
 
 
 BOULOGNE- SUR-MER, February 10, 1827- 
 
 SIR, 1 beg leave respectfully to acquaint you, for the 
 information of the Lords Commissioners of his Majesty's 
 Treasury, that, having had another severe attack of illness 
 towards the end of last December, 1 left Edinburgh, at that 
 period, in conformity with the advice contained in the en- 
 closed certificate of Dr. Ballingall. 
 
 Parliament having now re-assembled, I humbly hope, that 
 their Lordships will be pleased to take the earliest favorable 
 opportunity of submitting to the Legislature the vote for my 
 retiring allowance ; and, that many days will not elapse be- 
 fore I have the satisfaction of receiving an intimation from 
 you, that a just and liberal provision is secured to me. 
 1 have the honor to be, Sir, 
 
 With the greatest respect, 
 Your most obedient, humble servant, 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To S. R. Lushington, Esq. M.P. 
 
 I hereby certify, that W.C. Smyth, Esq. has suffered severely 
 from repeated attacks of determination of blood to the head, 
 and from stomach complaints ; and I am therefore of 
 opinion, that he should try the effects of a change of air 
 and scene. 
 
 (Signed) GKO. BALLING ALL, M.D. 
 
 EDINBURGH, December 23, 1826. 
 
 This letter, like every other official communication I had 
 made to that gentleman, since the base conspiracy 
 formed against my fortune, my health, and my character by 
 that worthless individual, Mr. Jadis, was treated with silent 
 contempt* 
 
 On the 17th, id est, that very day two months on which I 
 had addressed to Lord Liverpool my prophetic letter of the 
 17th December, it pleased Almighty God to afflict his 
 Lordship with " a concussion of the brain," the consequence 
 of which, though not proceeding from the same cause as 
 mine, is not less distressing, either to his Lordship, or to 
 his relations and friends. But, alas ! 
 
 "Sic transit gloria muudi." 
 
 Here ended the fourth ACT in this tragi-comedy of Errors j 
 and of arbitrary, unjust, inhuman and illegal conduct to- 
 wards me aye, and from men too, who, as 1 had always 
 thought, would never have ill used a dog ! ! !
 
 90 
 
 Gentle reader ! before entering upon the fifth and last ACT in 
 this tragi-comedy of Errors; and of arbitrary, unjust, in- 
 human and illegal conduct towards me, I shall take the 
 liberty of making some observations ; first, upon Mr. then 
 Secretary Lushington's letter of the 20th September, and 
 secondly, upon Mr. Assistant Secretary, the late Mr. Hill's 
 letter of the llth October. First then, with respect to Mr. 
 Lushington's letter, I maintain, that it was, in the strictest 
 acceptation of that word, official. It is true, the whole of 
 it was written with Mr. Lushington's own hand, and that 
 it did not commence in the usual official pompous strain 
 " I have it in command," but, on the other hand, neither the 
 letter itself, nor the envelope were superscribed with the 
 word private ; both of which were invariably done so, 
 when Mr. Lushington favored me with private communi- 
 cations. 
 
 With respect to the language and contents of that letter, 
 I maintain, that nothing could be more kind, more humane, 
 or more encouraging, The invitation therein given me, to 
 bring forward every claim I might have for length of ser- 
 vice ; and the anxiety Mr. Lushington therein evinced, to 
 ascertain every circumstance favorable to such claim ; and 
 finally, his requiring me to transmit to him another medical 
 certificate, as to the present state of my health, were, I 
 assert, as much as to inform me, in the most unequi- 
 vocal language, that " the Lords Commissioners of his 
 Majesty's Treasury intend to avail themselves of the 
 
 Fower vested in them, by Sec. V. Cap. 113 of 3rd Geo. 
 V, and making a special case of yours, thereby to 
 consider your length of service as 15 years, to grant 
 you a proportionate pension to take effect for the current 
 quarter ; and (as a matter of course) a sum by way of com- 
 pensation, equal to the whole of your salary and emolu- 
 ments from the period of your removal from office up to 
 the commencement of the pension." Such, I contend, is 
 the only fair construction which can possibly be put upon 
 the style and language of Mr. Lushington's letter* Again, Mr. 
 Lushington says, in the first paragraph of his letter, " Your pe- 
 tition for a retiring allowance will be taken into consideration 
 at the usual quarterly period" Now, as my petition had 
 been transmitted to their Lordships (" through the proper 
 official channel for all communications ivith the Board of 
 Treasury ;") so far back as the 29th of May, one of the " usual 
 quarterly periods," viz the 5th of July, had been permitted to 
 elapse, without my petition for a retiring allowance having
 
 been taken into consideration. What then, 1 ask, could 
 possibly justify such a delay, in deciding on my application, 
 but that their Lordships intended to give it the most favour- 
 able consideration ? And, what I ask, was the object of Mr. 
 Lushington, in desiring me to furnish him with another 
 medical certificate of the state of my health at the present 
 time, but that their Lordships might have in their posses- 
 sion one dated subsequent to my completion of 15 years ser- 
 vice, the former having been written and transmitted to 
 them, about a month previous to the expiration of that period ? 
 Secondly, with respect to Mr. Assistant Secretary, the 
 late Mr. Hill's letter, I have, in the first place, to ask, how 
 did it happen, that he (who was the well-known friend and 
 patron of the Waterfield family, from one member of which I 
 had received such gross and unprovoked insults, when his 
 " official superior,"} how, I ask, did it happen, that the 
 said Mr. Hill, had any thing whatever to do with my re- 
 tiring allowance ? Secondly, supposing, for the sake of 
 argument, that 1 had no claim to have my case considered 
 as a special one, and had received no encouragement from HIS 
 " official superior," to expect that it would be so considered, 
 still I maintain, that if 1 was entitled to any pension at all, 
 I was entitled to the arrears of that pension, not from the 
 5th of April, 1826, but from the llth June, 1824, the day 
 on which I was removed from office. 
 
 Thirdly, as the 1 1 Ird and Vth sections of the before mention- 
 ed Act authorise the Lords Commissioners of his Majesty's 
 Treasury, to grant superannuation allowances, in the first in- 
 stance, without any reference to Parliament, how did it 
 happen that the late Mr. Hill's letter did not communi- 
 cate to me, that their Lordships had granted to me the 
 therein mentioned retired allowance, instead of only acquaint- 
 ing me that " my Lords would submit a vote to Parlia- 
 ment for granting to me the said retired allowance ?" 
 
 Fourthly, there is one advantage, and that not an incon- 
 siderable one, which 1 have derived from that letter, viz. a 
 complete acknowledgement, on the part of the then Lords 
 Commissioners of his Majesty's Treasury, first, that / had at 
 length given them sufficient proof of the truth of my former 
 Assertion, respecting "the serious and alarming accident," 
 which had befallen me on the 6th August, 1823 ; and 
 moreover, that neither " upon a full consideration of the se- 
 veral letters and papers relative to my conduct," nor by " the 
 proceedings which led my colleagues and the clerks acting un- 
 der me to make such frequent complaints to the Board 
 
 12*
 
 of Treasury, nor by " the offensive expressions contained in 
 my letters of the llth December, 1824," nor by any other 
 ff of all the circumstances which led to my removal from the 
 office of Paymaster of Exchequer-Bills," had I, in their 
 Lordships' estimation, forfeited my claim to a retiring allow- 
 ance ! ! ! 
 
 Then, I ask, does it not follow, as a matter of course, that 
 I was unjustly and illegally removed by Mr. Secretary Lush- 
 ington's letter of the llth June, 1824, from that appoint- 
 ment ; and consequently, (as " it is never too late to do JUS- 
 TICE,")* that I have a right aye, AN UNDOUBTED RIGHT TO 
 
 BE RESTORED ? ? ? 
 
 Gentle reader ! It will not, I think, be denied me, that 
 every human being is liable to err ; and, that the best of men 
 are the most easily imposed on. The intelligent man can, 
 however, ultimately discover that he has been imposed on ; 
 the liberal-minded man does not hesitate to acknowledge his 
 errors, and that he is satisfied he has been imposed on ; 
 and the truly noble-minded man, " will not leave a stone 
 unturned," until he has endeavoured, by every means 
 in his power, to make ample reparation to him, who may 
 have suffei'ed by his errors, and by his misconduct con- 
 sequent upon those errors. 
 
 Such, I say, in this transaction, has it happened to, and 
 such, I say, in this transaction, has been the conduct of 
 the Right Hon. Stephen liumbold Lushington, now Governor 
 of Madras, then, one of the joint Secretaries of his Majes- 
 ty's Treasury. 
 
 After the calamity which had befallen the Earl of Li- 
 verpool, I remained in anxious suspense until it should 
 be known upon whom His Majesty would confer the 
 honor of the Premiership. In the beginning of April, I 
 had the satisfaction to learn that the King had been gra- 
 ciously pleased to confer it upon him whose kindness, 
 benevolence and humanity towards me, had been the main, if 
 not the only source of the small portion of comfort and conso- 
 lation I had enjoyed during the last four years of my life. 
 
 Before relating the particulars of the steps which I con- 
 fidently took to obtain JUSTICK from my revered benefactor, 
 at the period when he was Prime Minister of England, it is 
 necessary that I should inform my readers of the circum- 
 stance which led to my having the honor, the happiness, the 
 pleasure, and the good fortune to be personally acquainted 
 with that inestimable man. 
 
 * See Mr. Caaning's speech on the subject of the restoration of the Scotch 
 Peerages.
 
 93 
 
 " You, noble Canning! shall not be 
 The grave of your deserving ; Rome must know 
 The value of her own: 'twere a concealment 
 Worse than a theft, no less than a traducement 
 To hide your doings." 
 
 Coriolanui. 
 
 Learn then, gentle reader, that in 1822, when Mr. Canning 
 was appointed Governor General of India, that truly noble 
 and liberal-minded man was not above qualifying himself, 
 in the minutest degree, for the exalted station he was about 
 to fill. With this view, he determined to acquire some 
 knowledge of Oriental Languages, previous to his embar- 
 kation for that country ; and 7, gentle reader, I had the 
 honor, the pleasure, the happiness, and the good fortune to 
 impart that knowledge to the Right Hon. George Canning, 
 and to the other gentlemen, his personal staff, who were 
 about to accompany him to that distant region. Although 
 well-known circumstances subsequently intervened, that 
 rendered the knowledge of Oriental Languages, (which my 
 poor abilities had done their best to impart,) of no utility, 
 either to Mr. Canning, or to his suite, that inestimable man, 
 from that period, up to, I may truly say, the hour of his 
 death, seemed to think he never could sufficiently remune- 
 rate me for (what he considered) the trouble ; for (what 7 
 considered) the amusement and pleasure, I had experienced, 
 on that occasion. In conformity with this impression, in 
 1823, Mr. Canning was pleased to offer to procure for me a 
 cadetship to India, should I have a son or a near relation to 
 whom such an appointment might be acceptable. Not, how- 
 ever, having any relative for whom such an appointment would 
 be desirable, I declined, upon that occasion, availing myself of 
 the kind, liberal, and disinterested intentions Mr. Canning had 
 been pleased to signify of serving me. When, however, in 
 the beginning of 1824, Mr. Canning was elected one of the 
 Governors of the Charter House, I took the liberty of ad- 
 dressing a few lines to him, intimating that I had, under my 
 care, the son of one of my brothers for whom I was anx- 
 ious to obtain a nomination as a scholar on the Foundation 
 of that Institution. 
 
 Five days after I had thus signified my wishes to Mr. 
 Canning, I was honored with a reply from my revered bene- 
 factor, as follows:
 
 94 
 
 GLOUCESTER LODGE, January 28, 1824. 
 
 SIR, I could not answer your letter of the 23re/, without 
 previous inquiry at the Charter House, as to the extent and 
 nature of my patronage. 
 
 I have one positive engagement for a scholarship. I find 
 that I am likely to be able to fulfil this engagement easily 
 in next year. So that it will be out of the way before your 
 nephew could be eligible ; for there is no admission before ten 
 years of age. The next (if we all live) shall be at your 
 service. 
 
 I am, Sir, 
 
 Your obliged, humble servant, 
 (Signed) GEO. CANNING. 
 
 To W. C. Smyth, Esq. 
 
 From that day, up to the period of Mr. Canning's being 
 appointed Prime Minister, I never troubled him any further, 
 on this subject ; nor was I honored with any communication 
 thereon from my revered Benefactor. 
 
 Towards the end of April 182J, another brother of mine, 
 residing in Devonshire, (to whom I had, in consequence of 
 the ill-health and the accumulation of difficulties to which i 
 had been so long, so cruelly, so undeservedly and so illegally 
 subjected, been compelled to deliver over my little charge,) 
 wrote to me that he understood Mr. Canning had now an 
 opportunity of fulfilling his promise, on the subject of the 
 nomination to the Charter House; and requested me to 
 take some steps to remind him thereof. At first, I resolved 
 not to comply with my brother's request, but to rely en- 
 tirely upon Mr. Canning's own memory for the performance 
 of his promise. Upon further consideration, however, I re- 
 flected that my non-compliance might be interpreted by my 
 brother into a luke-warnmess in obtaining the appointment 
 for the son of our mutual relation ; and to a fear, on my 
 part, that my making any application to Mr. Canning upon 
 that subject might be the means of affecting my own 
 public claims upon his humanity and his JUSTICE, as 
 First Lord of the Treasury; I therefore resolved to 
 address a few lines to my valuable friend, Mr. Can- 
 ning's former private Secretary, Mr. Backhouse then and 
 now, Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, request- 
 ing that gentleman to take a favorable opportunity, when 
 Mr. Canning might have a few moments leisure, to acquaint 
 him with what I had heard, and to remind him of the pro- 
 mise he had been so kind as to make me, so far back as
 
 95 
 
 January 1824. The following is the very friendly reply with 
 which I was immediately favored by Mr. Backhouse ; 
 
 FOREIGN OFFICE, April 30, 182J. 
 
 MY DEAR SIR, I have great satisfaction in acquainting 
 you that Mr. Canning had anticipated your application. 
 A letter was sent to you at Edinburgh,* a day or two ago, 
 to apprize you that Mr. Canning had nominated your 
 nephew to the late vacancy at the Charter House. 
 I am, 
 
 My dear Sir, 
 
 Your obedient servant, 
 (Signed) J. BACKHOUSE. 
 
 To W. C. Smyth, Esq. 
 
 P.S. Is his name Charles Smyth only ? Immediate steps 
 should be taken for his entrance at the Charter House. 
 
 On the fourth of May, I replied to Mr. Backhouse as 
 follows : 
 
 BOULOGNE-SUR-MER, May 4th, 1827. 
 
 MY DEAR SIR, Many thanks for your prompt and friendly 
 answer to my letter of the 26th ultimo, and in reply, I beg 
 to acquaint you, that my nephew's name is Charles Carmi- 
 chael Smyth. 
 
 In consequence of the continued distressing state of health 
 in which I have constantly been kept, ever since the acci- 
 dent which befell me in August 1823, I was last summer 
 obliged to relinquish my young charge (whose father is in 
 India,) to my brother Henry. I have written to him by this 
 day's post, and have taken the liberty of enclosing the letter to 
 you, in the hope that you will have the goodness to forward it j 
 and should any information, as to my nephew's age, or any 
 other particulars be requisite to be furnished, that you would 
 do me the favour of communicating directly with my brother, 
 whose address is Larkbeare House, Ottery, St. Mary, Devon. 
 
 I now have to beg the favor of you, to return rny grateful 
 thanks to Mr. Canning for this distinguished mark of ap- 
 probation which he has been pleased to confer upon me ; 
 and, at the same time to request that you will have the 
 
 * This letter, which was from Mr. Canning's then private Secretary, Mr 
 A. G. Stapleton, ultimately reached me at Boulogne.
 
 96 
 
 goodness to take the earliest convenient opportunity of sub- 
 mitting the enclosed letter to Mr. Canning. 
 I remain, my dear Sir, 
 
 With much esteem, 
 Your obliged, and humble servant, 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To J. Backhouse, Esq. 
 
 SfC., SfC., SfC. 
 
 BOULOGNE-SUR-MER, May 4, 182/. 
 
 SIR, The All-wise Disposer of human events having, at 
 length, placed you in that situation of life in which you have 
 it in your power, I humbly hope you will now consider it 
 your duty, as I am convinced it is your inclination, to render 
 me justice. 
 
 Under this firm impression, I beg leave most respectfully 
 to request, that you will be pleased, at your earliest conve- 
 nience, to order a full and impartial investigation of all the 
 circumstances which led to my removal from the office of 
 Paymaster of Exchequer-Bills. 
 
 I have the honor to be, Sir, 
 
 With the greatest respect and gratitude, 
 
 Your much obliged, and most obedient, humble servant, 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To the Right Hon. George Canning, M.P, 
 first Lord of the Treasury, Sfc. fyc. fyc. 
 
 From that time up to the llth June, I never was honored 
 with any further communication, either from Mr. Canning, 
 or from Mr. Backhouse. On that day, I therefore again ad- 
 dressed my revered Benefactor, and transmitted my letter, 
 through the post, direct to himself. 
 
 The folio wing is a copy of my letter : 
 
 BOULOGNE-SUR-MER, June 11, 1827. 
 SIR, When I inform you, That three years have this day 
 elapsed, since I was removed from the office of Paymaster of 
 Exchequer-Bills, not only without any investigation of my 
 conduct, but, even without being made acquainted with the 
 crimes or offences with which 1 was charged ; That two 
 years have nearly elapsed, since Mr. Secretary Lushington 
 assured me, that notwithstanding my removal, the Lords 
 Commissioners of his Majesty's Treasury entertained the 
 most favorable intentions towards me, and would shortly 
 confer upon me an appointment, equivalent in respectability 
 and emolument to that from which [ had been removed ;
 
 97 
 
 That upwards of one year has elapsed, since, not having 
 received any intimation of the promised appointment, and 
 finding my health lamentably impaired, from the long pro- 
 tracted state of suspense, agitation, and anxiety in which 
 my mind had been thus kept, added to the distressing effects 
 of a violent concussion of the brain, occasioned by a fall 
 from my horse only a few months previous to my removal 
 from office, I solicited a retiring pension ; That eight months 
 have elapsed, since I received an official letter acquainting 
 me, " that upon a review of all the circumstances, which led 
 to my removal from the office of Paymaster of Exchequer- 
 Bills, and the continued distressing state of my health, the 
 Lords Commissioners of his Majesty's Treasury would sub- 
 mit a vote to Parliament to grant to me a retiring allow- 
 ance ;" That, since that communication, I have never 
 received any other whatever from my official superiors ; I 
 humbly hope that you will not consider me as importunate 
 if I now respectfully request that you will be pleased, 
 at your earliest convenience, to honor me with a reply to 
 the letter J took the liberty of addressing to you, on the 4th 
 of last month, through the medium of Mr. Backhouse. 
 I have the honor to be, Sir, 
 
 With the greatest respect, 
 Your much obliged and grateful humble servant, 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To the Right Hon. George Canning, M.P. 
 First Lord of the Treasury, fyc., fyc., Sfc. 
 
 On the 17th I had the pleasure to receive the following 
 letter from Mr. Backhouse : 
 
 FORKIGN OFFICE, June 15, 1827- 
 
 DEAR SIR, I duly received, about five weeks ago, your 
 answer to the letter in which 1 announced to you, that Mr. 
 Canning had nominated your nephew to a vacancy at the 
 Charter House; and I lost no time in writing, agreeably to 
 your request, to your brother in Devonshire. Not having 
 since heard anything to the contrary, I take for granted that 
 your nephew has been admitted. 
 
 A press of business has hitherto led me to defer, from 
 post to post, the writing to you upon another subject, 
 which the arrival of a second letter, from you to Mr. Can- 
 ning, compels me no longer to postpone. 
 
 A day or two after the receipt of your letter of the 4th of 
 
 13
 
 May, Mr. Canning's private Secretary brought to me your 
 letter of the same date to Mr. Canning, (which, in the regular 
 discharge of his duty, he had opened, in order that it might 
 be docketed and registered, before it was submitted to Mr. 
 Canning,) representing to me, his strong conviction, that it 
 would be highly inexpedient to lay it before him, especially 
 at that particular time ; and he begged of me, as a friend of 
 yours, to suggest not only an alteration in the expression of 
 the letter itself, but also a little delay in the time of pressing 
 the object of it upon Mr. Canning's attention. 
 
 A perusal of the letter, and my knowledge of the harassing 
 public concerns with which Mr. Canning was overwhelmed, 
 induced me to concur, without hesitation, in Mr. Stapleton's 
 suggestion ; and I undertook to write to you upon the sub- 
 ject, to recommend you to suspend the statement of your 
 official claims, until after the rising of Parliament. 
 
 Of this undertaking, I now tardily acquit myself. 
 
 The passages in your first letter, which we both thought 
 might prejudice rather than forward your object, were those 
 in which you express your hope that Mr. C. " will now con- 
 rider it his duty" to order &c. &c., and that he will do so at 
 his " earliest convenience." 
 
 We also regretted, that the letter should have contained 
 no acknowledgment of the act of favor, with respect to the 
 Charter-House nomination ; which acknowledgment must 
 have been more grateful to Mr. Canning, coming direct from 
 you, than through any third person. 
 
 Having given you this frank explanation, it is for you 
 to decide whether you still wish your first letter to be pre- 
 sented, or whether you will withdraw both the first and 
 the second, (a& the latter alludes to the first,) and make 
 your application notv, as if you had waited for a period of 
 less embarrassment, than that which immediately succeeded 
 Mr. Canning's nomination to the head of the Government. 
 I ain, with great truth, 
 Dear Sir, 
 
 Your's very truly, 
 
 (Signed) J. BACKHOUSE. 
 
 To W. C. Smyth, Esq. 
 
 To this I immediately replied as follows : 
 
 BOULOGNK-SUR-MER, June 18, 1827. 
 
 Mv DKAR SIR, I yesterday had the pleasure to receive 
 your very friendly letter of the 15th inst., and beg to return
 
 you my most grateful thanks for the trouble you have taken, 
 both on the subject of the nomination to the Charter- House, 
 which Mr. Canning had been pleased to give me for my 
 nephew, and also that of the application I am now compelled 
 to make to Mr. Canning, in his official capacity as First Lord 
 of the Treasury. I have not heard directly from my brother 
 in Devonshire, since you were so kind as to write to him 
 agreeably to my request, but I am informed, from another 
 quarter, that my nephew has been admitted, and is now ac- 
 tually enjoying the benefit of Mr. Canning's liberality. 
 
 An unqualified confidence in the sincerity of your friend- 
 ship towards me, and the very frank and considerate manner 
 in which you have been pleased to express yourself, added to 
 a perfect conviction, in my mind, of the force and propriety 
 of the suggestions you have been kind enough to make, leave 
 no alternative with me, but implicitly to adopt them. I 
 have, therefore, now to request the favor of you to cancel 
 my two former letters to Mr. Canning, and to submit to him 
 the enclosed, which I trust will, in every particular, meet 
 with your and Mr. Stapleton's approbation. 
 
 With my best respects to that gentleman, and with every 
 sentiment of esteem and regard towards yourself, 
 J remain, 
 
 My Dear Sir, 
 Your much obliged and grateful humble servant, 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To J. Backhouse, Esq. 
 
 BOULOGNK-SUR-MER, June 18, 1827. 
 
 SIR, Permit me respectfully to offer you my sincere and 
 grateful thanks for the distinguished favor you have recently 
 been pleased to confer upon me, by the nomination of my 
 nephew to a Scholarship at the Charter-House; a favor far 
 beyond that to which 1 had any claim; but, 1 am free to ad- 
 mit, not beyond what my knowledge of your character led 
 me to expect. 
 
 When you have sufficient leisure, from your numerous and 
 more important public avocations, to turn your attention to 
 the case of an individual who has been, during the long 
 period of upwards of three years, patiently, and submissively 
 labouring under the severest privations of fortune, of health, 
 and of character, I humbly request, that you will be pleased 
 to order a full and impartial investigation of all the circum-
 
 100 
 
 stances which led to my removal from the office of Paymas- 
 ter of Exchequer-Bills. 
 
 I have the honor to be, Sir, 
 With the greatest respect and gratitude, 
 Your most obliged and most obedient humble servant, 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To the Right Hon. George Canning. M.P. 
 First Lord of the Treasury, fyc., <3fc., fyc. 
 
 On the 53rd Mr. Backhouse favored me with the following 
 acknowledgment of the receipt of the before-given letters. 
 
 FOREIGN OFFICE, June 23, 1827. 
 
 DEAR SIR, I am glad to perceive, by your letter of the 
 18th inst., that you approved of the discretion which Mr. 
 Stapleton and 1 took the liberty of exercising, with respect 
 to your former letters. 
 
 That which you have now enclosed to me has been deli- 
 vered to Mr. Stapleton. 
 
 I am, dear Sir, 
 
 Your most obedient servant, 
 (Signed) J. BACKHOUSE. 
 
 W. C. Smyth, Esq. 
 
 Gentle reader ! let it not be forgotten, that this appoint- 
 ment to the Charter House was promised me by the Right 
 Hon. George Canning when I was in prosperity, and when he 
 was only second Minister of this country ; and that it was con- 
 ferred upon me when I was at the lowest ebb of adversity, and 
 when he was Prime Minister of England ; aye, and at a 
 moment too, when patronage was invaluable to him. But 
 he had said " (if we all live) my second nomination shall 
 be at your service," and 
 
 " His words were bonds, his oaths were oracles, 
 His love sincere, his thoughts immaculate ; 
 His tears, pure messengers sent from his heart ; 
 His heart as far from fraud, as heaven from earth." 
 
 Two Gentlemen of Verona. 
 
 Not having been honored with any reply from Mr. Can- 
 ning,* or favored with any further communication from 
 Mr. Backhouse ; and my health, (which had been in a very 
 precarious state, during the whole of the time that I resided 
 at Boulogne,) becoming daily more and more impaired, I 
 resolved to try again the effects of a change of air and 
 
 * From that period, the increasing pressure of public business, the bitter 
 political hosflity which pursued him, and his declining health, account suffi- 
 ciently (as I humbly conceive) for Mr. Canning's silence.
 
 101 
 
 scene, from which I had hitherto invariably derived consi- 
 derable benefit. 
 
 Being, however, (owing to the unwarrantable conduct of my 
 Proctor, Mr. Arthur Loveday,) still hampered, and harassed 
 with the groundless, vexatious, and iniquitous suit, which had 
 been then pending against me upwards of three years, in 
 Doctors' Commons, 1 was unable to repair to London. I 
 therefore determined to return again to Edinburgh ; there 
 to wait the convenieuceof my revered Benefactor, from whom 
 (" if we all lived!") I was as confident of ultimately obtaining 
 JUSTICE ; aye, ample and complete JUSTICE, as I should 
 have been from my own father. But, alas ! when 
 
 " I put forth 
 
 The tender leaves of hope, 
 And thought full surely 
 My greatness was a ripening, 
 There came a frost, a killing frost ; 
 
 And nipt my root, 
 And then I fell," 
 
 Henry VIII. 
 
 as you shall see, gentle reader, in the sequel. 
 
 I reached Edinburgh, for the third time, since my removal 
 from office, on or about the first of August. I had scarcely 
 time to recover myself from the fatigues of my journey, 
 when I received the sad intelligence of the severe illness 
 with which Mr. Canning was afflicted. And scarcely had I 
 heard of his illness, before 1 received the melancholy tidings 
 of his ever-to-be-lamented death. Judge, gentle reader, I 
 pray you, (if possible) of the indescribable grief with which 
 this appalling event overwhelmed me ! 
 
 Thus deprived of the countenance and support of my 
 revered Benefactor, a benefactor, who, I may truly say, 
 from the moment of my having had the honor to be intro- 
 duced to him in 1 82$, up to the very hour of his dissolution, 
 had heaped upon me repeated and unequivocal proofs of the 
 most marked favor, condescension and kindness, at a mo- 
 ment too, when I was ingulphed in an abyss of trouble, em- 
 barrassment and woe j and at a period, also, when he was 
 seated upon the pinnacle of power ; aye, and in that very 
 department of the Executive Government in which my long- 
 dormant claims for JUSTICE were to be considered, I ad- 
 dressed the following letter to niy valuable, and much es- 
 teemed friend, Mr. Backhouse, as the only individual who, 
 from knowing what I had already received, could value what 
 I had to expect at the hands of that upright, just, and
 
 102 
 
 honorable man ; and consequently the only individual who 
 could duly estimate the irreparable loss I had sustained 
 by the premature, and lamented death of the Right Hon. 
 George Canning. 
 
 EDINBURGH, August 18, 1827' 
 
 MY DEAR SIR, The awful dispensation of Providence 
 which has deprived his Majesty of the invaluable services of 
 the Minister of his choice ; a choice which met with, I may al- 
 most say, the universal approbation of his subjects, in every 
 part of the united kingdom, has deprived me also, as you well 
 know, of my benefactor, and effectually closed the door from a 
 chance of my ever obtaining, in this world, that full and impar- 
 tial justice, so long and so cruelly withheld from me by my 
 official superiors men who, as I had always thought, would 
 never have acted with injustice no, not even to the meanest 
 of their dependants. 
 
 Under these appalling, distressing, and unprecedented cir- 
 cumstances, I know of no person on this earth, (save your- 
 self) to whom I can look for assistance ; and I feel convinced, 
 that you will not suffer an individual to be sacrificed, who, 
 both in prosperity and in adversity, was honored alike with 
 the countenance and support of the ever-to-be-lamented 
 George Canning. 
 
 I remain, my dear Sir, 
 
 With great regard, 
 Your much obliged, and grateful humble servant, 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To John Backhouse, Esq. 
 
 Not having been favored with any reply from Mr. Back- 
 house, I addressed him again on the 18th September as 
 follows : 
 
 EDINBURGH, September 18, 1827- 
 
 MY DEAR SIR, On the 18th of last month, 1 took the 
 liberty of addressing a few lines to you, expressive of my 
 hope that, now that 1 had lost my benefactor, you would en- 
 deavour to obtain for me some justice. 
 
 Not having heard from you since, I feel confident, that you 
 are exerting your kind offices with my Lord Goderich for 
 this purpose ; as I am convinced, that you had not been able 
 to accede to my request, you would not have kept me so long 
 in unnecessary suspense. Under this firm conviction, I 
 now take the liberty of troubling you again with this com -
 
 103 
 
 munication, to request the favor of you to have the good- 
 ness to inform me, what success has attended, or is likely 
 to attend your friendly exertions in my behalf. 
 1 remain, my dear Sir, 
 
 With great regard. 
 Your much obliged, and grateful humble servant, 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To John Backhouse, Esq. 
 
 On or about the 24 September, I had the melancholy 
 satisfaction to receive the following answer from my kind, 
 humane, and benevolent friend. 
 
 LONDON, September 22, 182/. 
 Private. 
 
 MY DEAR SIR, It is not intentionally, that my reply to 
 your late communications (the last of which was dated the 
 18th inst.,) has been delayed, but literally from want of 
 time. 
 
 Unfortunately you apply to one, who, in a case of difficulty, 
 would now himself have to look around him for a protecting 
 friend, on whom he might feel that he had a right to rely. 
 Since the loss of my revered benefactor, in whom consisted 
 all the strength, as well as all the happiness of my official 
 life, 1 am myself in a situation to need support, not to give 
 it ; and I do assure you, that were the case that of my own 
 brother, 1 could not presume to apply to Lord Goderich 
 upon it. 
 
 1 am very sorry to have to return an answer which I fear, 
 from the tone of your letter, will disappoint you ; but it is 
 my misfortune to be now unable to return any other. 
 
 1 am, my dear Sir, 
 Your most obedient, and faithful servant, 
 
 (Signed) J. BACKHOUSE. 
 
 W. C. Smyth, Esq. 
 
 As soon as I had, in some degree, recovered from the 
 severe shock which my already- shattered constitution had 
 again received by this appalling calamity, I resolved not to 
 give myself up to despair. 1 reflected that my revered 
 Benefactor had said (see Mr. Canning's speech at Liverpool, 
 on the loth January, 1814.) " Times of trial and diffi- 
 culty are times in which the minds of men are brought to 
 the proof;" and that, from his 
 
 " Blindness to the future, kindly given,"
 
 104 
 
 Man ought never to despond j for every day's experience 
 in life shows us that those very events which, on the first 
 view, appear the most calamitous that could have befallen 
 us, frequently, in the end, prove to have been the most advan- 
 tageous that could have happened : such is the inscrutable will 
 of Heaven. 
 
 Being perfectly convinced that I could not expect to ob- 
 tain any JUSTICE from the immediate successor of my re- 
 vered Benefactor, unless I waited upon his Lordship with 
 a mandamus in my hand, and unable (while hampered 
 with the iniquitous suit which was still pending against 
 me, in Doctors' Commons,) to take any legal steps to en- 
 force JUSTICE, I determined immediately to arrange for 
 publication the whole history of those nefarious proceedings ; 
 in the hope, that by laying them before the public, I might 
 shame my opponents into a sense of their duty. 
 
 After three months great expense, labour, and fatigue, 
 I at last, towards the middle of November, published a 
 statement of my case, as connected with that suit. The ex- 
 citation to which my mind was necessarily exposed, by that 
 intense fatigue, brought on repeated attacks of illness. During 
 the prevalence of one of these attacks, I addressed the follow- 
 ing private letter to Lord Viscount Goderich, at that time 
 First Lord of the Treasury. 
 
 Private. 
 
 EDINBURGH, October 8M, 1827- 
 
 MY LORD, I beg leave respectfully to assure your Lord- 
 ship, upon the honor of a gentleman, who I believe never 
 told an untruth in his life, that I am at this moment suffering 
 as severely from the effects of the accident which befel me on 
 the 16th August, 1823, as I have been at any one period since 
 that unfortunate event. 
 
 I have the honor to be, my Lord, 
 With the greatest respect, 
 
 Your most obedient, humble servant. 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To the Right Hon. Lord Viscount Goderich. 
 
 No notice whatever having been taken of the foregoing, 
 on the 22nd of December, I addressed the following official 
 letter to my old and valuable friend, Mr. Joseph Planta, who 
 had succeeded Mr. Lushington, as Secretary to the 
 Treasury.
 
 105 
 EDINBURGH, December 22, 182/. 
 
 SIR, On or about the 13th of October, 1826, I had the 
 honor to receive a letter from Mr. Assistant Secretary Hill, 
 dated the 1 1th of that month, acquainting me, "that, upon a 
 review of all the circumstances which led to my removal 
 from the situation of Paymaster of Exchequer-Bills, and the 
 continued distressing state of my health, the Lords Commis- 
 sioners of his Majesty's Treasury would submit a vote to 
 Parliament, for granting to me a retired allowance, at the 
 rate of 166 per annum, to commence from the 5th of 
 April, 1826." Not having had the honor to receive any com- 
 munication, whatever, from my official superiors since that 
 period, I have now to request the favor of you to solicit 
 the permission of their Lordships, that they would be pleased 
 to authorise you to inform me, whether that or any other 
 retired allowance has as yet been granted to me. 
 
 1 have the honor to be, Sir, 
 
 With the greatest respect, 
 
 Your most obedient, humble servant, 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To J. Planta, Esq. M. P. 
 
 Although I was not honored with any official reply, Mr. 
 Planta had the benevolence to write me a. private note, in- 
 forming me, that the Pension of 166 per annum had been 
 voted to me, and that I had only to apply to the Paymasters 
 of Exchequer-Bills for payment thereof. A day or two after 
 I had addressed the foregoing letter to Mr. Planta, I again, 
 by the advice of my medical friends, quitted Edinburgh for 
 France in search of health. 
 
 I remained first in Paris, and then at Boulogne, until the 
 beginning of May, when, my proctor, Mr. Arthur Loveday, 
 still persisting in his illegal refusal to appeal my cause to the 
 High Court of Delegates, I returned to London with the 
 determination of either forcing him to do his duty, or to de- 
 mand my dismissal from that groundless, vexatious, and ini- 
 quitous suit. My presence over-awed my enemies. The ad- 
 verse Proctor, Thomas Dyke, rather than hazard the re - 
 suit of an appeal to that superior Tribunal, submitted to 
 forego his right to those costs to which, both Sir Christopher 
 Robinson, (late Judge of the Consistorial Court of London) and 
 Sir John Nicholl, Judge of the Arches Court of Canterbury, 
 decreed he was entitled ; and thus, after persecuting me 
 during Four years, was at length, on the 10th of last May,
 
 106 
 
 reluctantly obliged to permit me to be dismissed that suit. 
 The agitation, anxiety, and exertion caused by this last 
 effort of mine to obtain JUSTICE in those courts, though 
 successful, brought on another severe attack of illness, by 
 which I was confined to my room for nearly three weeks. 
 During this illness, I Avas again attended by my skilful, 
 humane, and liberal friend, Dr. Anthony Todd Thomson. 
 As soon as I had in some degree recovered, 1 resolved to 
 apply for JUSTICE to the Duke of Wellington, then, and (I 
 am sorry to say) now First Lord of the Treasury. Being, 
 however, much in want of money ; and unable at that pe- 
 riod to undergo the fatigue of an investigation, on the 24th 
 of May I addressed the following official letter to Mr. 
 Planta : 
 
 DEAN STREET, SOHO, May 24, 1828. 
 
 SIR, I have the honor to transmit to you a Certificate 
 from the medical gentleman who has attended rne on nume- 
 rous occasions, since the 16th of August, 1823; and beg 
 leave respectfully to acquaint you, for the information of 
 the Lords Commissioners of his Majesty's Treasury, that, not 
 having been honored with any reply to the letter I took the 
 liberty of addressing to your predecessor, Mr. Secretary 
 Lusnington, on the 14th of October, 1826, it is my intention, 
 so soon as my health is sufficiently recovered for that pur- 
 pose, to request from their Lordships a full and impartial in- 
 vestigation of all the circumstances which led to my removal 
 from the office of Paymaster of Exchequer-Bills ; as well 
 as of the different promises which have been held out, 
 and of the occurrences which have happened to me since 
 that event. 
 
 Having been informed that the arrears of a pension of 
 166 a year are now laying at my disposal with the Pay- 
 masters of Exchequer- Bills, I have to request, that you will 
 be pleased to solicit their Lordships' permission, that 1 may 
 be allowed to receive the same, without prejudice to the in- 
 vestigation, or to any claims either to office, or to increase 
 of pension, to which I may, in their wisdom and justice, 
 hereafter appear entitled, upon a full and fair consideration 
 of all the particulars of my unfortunate case. 
 
 1 have the honor to be, 
 
 &c. &c. 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To J. Planta, Esq. M, P.
 
 107 
 3, HINDE STREET, MANCHESTER SQUARE, May 24, 1828. 
 
 This is to certify, that William Carmichael Smyth, Esq. 
 is under my medical care, and 1 find it necessary to recom- 
 mend him to leave London for some time ; as rest and quiet 
 are absolutely necessary for the restoration of his health, 
 which is still affected by the severe accident which befel him 
 in 1823, and much anxiety and agitation of mind, which have 
 since supervened. 
 
 (Signed) ANTHONY TODD THOMPSON, M.D. 
 
 Member of the Royal College of Physicians of Loudou- 
 
 Not having been honored with any reply, on the 31st of 
 May I again left London for Edinburgh ; and, after remain- 
 ing there about a fortnight, I returned to the metropolis 
 with my health, in a slight degree, improved. 
 
 On the 23rd of June, J again addressed Mr. Planta as 
 follows : 
 
 DEAN STREET, SOHO, June 23, 1828. 
 
 SIR, With reference to the letter I had the honor of ad- 
 dressing to you, on the 24th of last month, I have now to beg 
 the favor of you to submit to the Lords Commissioners of 
 his Majesty's Treasury, my humble request, that their Lord- 
 ships will be pleased, at their earliest convenience, to order 
 a full and impartial investigation of all the circumstances 
 which led to my removal from the office of Paymaster of 
 Exchequer-Bills ; as well as of the different promises which 
 have been held out, and of the occurrences which have hap- 
 pened to me since that event. 
 
 I have the honor to be, 
 
 &c. &c. 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To J. Planta, Esq. M. P. 
 Secretary to the Treasury. 
 
 I must confess, that I did not make this application with 
 any the slightest expectation that it would (from the powers 
 that be) meet with that attention which it deserved ; but, 
 as three weeks had elapsed without my having been honored 
 with any reply, I began to entertain hopes that I was mis- 
 taken on this subject that his grace the Duke of Welling-
 
 106 
 
 ton was about to render me that JUSTICE which had been so 
 long, so cruelly, and so illegally withheld from me. 
 
 I however was not kept very long under this delusion. 
 I soon perceived to my cost, that, alas ! 
 
 " Old times were chang'd, old manners gone, 
 A soldier fill'd just CANNING'S Throne." 
 
 The vain expectation was, in fact, no sooner formed than it 
 was completely dispelled by the receipt of the following 
 official letter from Mr. George Dawson, the well-known 
 inveterate, implacable, and remorseless enemy of my re- 
 vered Benefactor the upright, the just, the noble-minded 
 CANNING. 
 
 TREASURY CHAMBERS, July 9, 1828. 
 
 SIR, Having submitted to the consideration of the Lords 
 Commissioners of his Majesty's Treasury your further letter 
 of the 23rd ultimo, on the subject of your removal from the 
 office of Paymaster of Exchequer-Bills, 
 
 I am commanded to acquaint you, that your case has al- 
 ready been fully considered, and decided on ; and that their 
 Lordships see no sufficient grounds for directing a reinves- 
 tigation thereof. 
 
 I am, Sir, 
 
 Your obedient servant, 
 (Signed) G. DAWSON. 
 
 To Win. Carmichael Smyth, Esq. Dean Street, Soho. 
 
 The day after the receipt of the foregoing, I replied to it 
 as follows : 
 
 No. 3, MANCHESTER BUILDINGS, July IJth, 1828. 
 
 " It is an invariable maxim of our law, that no man shall be punished before 
 
 he has had an opportunity of being heard." Lord Kenyan 
 
 <' Vested rights must be respected." Right Hon. Wm. Huskitsson. 
 
 " It is never too late to do justice." Right Hon. George Canning. 
 
 SIR, I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of 
 Mr. Secretary Dawson's letter of the 9th instant; which, 
 owing to my having removed from Dean-Street, reached 
 meonl y yesterday. 
 
 The whole of the correspondence with my official supe- 
 riors, on the subject to which Mr. Secretary Dawson's letter 
 refers, having (with the exception of one letter, I had the 
 honor to receive from the late Mr. Assistant Secretary Hill,)
 
 109 
 
 been with your immediate predecessor, Mr. Secretary Lush- 
 ington, 1 shall, with your permission, continue to address the 
 Lords Commissioners of his Majesty's Treasury, through the 
 same department. 
 
 Upwards of a fortnight having elapsed since I had the 
 honor of transmitting to you, my letter of the 23rd ultimo, 
 and the date of Mr. Secretary Dawson's answer, I must con- 
 fess, I began to entertain sanguine hopes that I should be 
 honoredwith a favorable reply, that the present Lords 
 Commissioners of his Majesty's Treasury were disposed to 
 render me that justice which has been so long, and so cruelly - 
 withheld from me. 
 
 But Mr. Secretary Dawson informs me, that he is com- 
 manded to acquaint me, " That my case has been already 
 fully considered and decided on ; and that the Lords Com- 
 missioners of his Majesty's Treasury see no sufficient 
 grounds for directing a reinvestigation thereof." 
 
 Had this been literally the fact, I myself should have seen 
 no sufficient grounds to solicit their present Lordships to 
 direct a reinvestigation thereof; but, as I deny the premises 
 so do I also deny the justness of the inference. I assert that 
 my case has never been fully considered ; but, that the Earl 
 of Liverpool, and the then Lords Commissioners of his 
 Majesty's Treasury, condemned me upon an exparte state- 
 ment, and acquitted me (not after having afforded me an 
 opportunity of being heard, but) simply upon a review of 
 that exparte statement of my accusers. But, Sir, although 
 virtually acquitted, I am still actually labouring under the 
 effects of condemnation. I am deprived of my fortune, of my 
 health, and of my character. 
 
 I beg leave respectfully to add, that I have letters in my 
 possession from their Lordships' immediate Predecessor, the 
 upright, the just, and the ever-to-be-lamented, the late Right 
 Hon. George Canning, which prove, beyond a doubt, that 
 that enlightened, and liberal-minded Minister considered 
 that I had not been treated with common fairness, ft in being 
 deprived of my bread and of my rank in society, not only 
 without a hearing, but even without being made acquainted 
 with the crimes or offences with which I was charged;" 
 and that, had it pleased the Almighty to have spared him life 
 and health for a few months longer, he would have granted 
 me that full and impartial justice 1 now solicit from his suc- 
 cessor, the Duke of Wellington. 
 
 I have therefore to request, that you will be pleased to 
 submit the before-mentioned facts to the notice of the Lords
 
 110 
 
 Commissioners of his Majesty's Treasury ; and to signify to 
 their Lordships, that if, they will do me the justice to 
 order the full and impartial investigation 1 have solicited in 
 my letter to you of the 23d ultimo, should it appear that 
 there were good and sufficient grounds for visiting me with 
 the severe punishment held out in Mr. Secretary Lushing- 
 ton's letter of the 29th October, 1823, and enforced by that 
 gentleman's letter of the llth June, 1824, I shall forego any 
 claim, either to office or to increase of pension, to which I 
 at present consider myself justly entitled. 
 
 I have the honour to be, Sir, 
 
 With the greatest respect, 
 
 Your most obedient, humble servant, 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To Joseph Planta, Esq. M. P. 
 
 Secretary to the Treasury r , Sfc. 3 Sfc. 
 
 My friend Mr. Planta having returned me the above, on 
 the 2 1st I addressed the Duke of Wellington, as follows : 
 
 3, MANCHESTER BUILDINGS, July 21, 1828. 
 
 MY LORD DUKE, 1 have the honor to submit to Your 
 Grace an official letter which 1 transmitted to Mr. Secretary 
 Planta, on the day on which it is dated ; but which that 
 gentleman returned to me with a request " that 1 would 
 address it to his colleague, to whose letter it was an answer, 
 and not to him, in whose department the business on which 
 I wrote was not included." 
 
 It is proper that 1 should inform Your Grace, that Mr. 
 Planta is one of the oldest and most valuable friends whom 
 I possess ; that our fathers were intimate, and united by the 
 strongest ties of mutual esteem and affection for no less a 
 period, as I firmly believe, than half a century ; and in proof 
 of the late Mr. Planta's regard, I have only to inform Your 
 Grace, that in the year 1811, he resigned the office of Pay- 
 master of Exchequer-Bills, expressly for the purpose of 
 making a vacancy for me. 
 
 The whole of my communication, both written and per- 
 sonal, with the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Trea- 
 sury, on the subject of my removal from that office, was, 
 from September 1823 to September 1826, uniformly made 
 through the medium of Mr Secretary Planta's immediate 
 predecessor, Mr. Secretary Lushington ; and, had it pleased 
 Almighty God to have spared the life of my revered Bene
 
 Ill 
 
 factor, the Right Hon. George Canning, to the present hour, 
 I do not entertain a doubt, but that my business would have 
 been continued in the same department. I therefore trust, 
 that, if Your Grace has sufficient confidence in the integrity 
 and impartiality of Mr. Planta, you will have the goodness 
 to permit that gentleman to continue to transact official 
 business with me. 
 
 I have the honor to be, 
 
 &c. &c. 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To His Grace the 
 Duke of Wellington, Sfc., fyc. 
 
 On the evening of that day, I was honored with the fol- 
 lowing note from his Grace : 
 
 LONDON, July 21st, 1828. 
 
 The Duke of Wellington presents his compliments to 
 Mr. Smyth, and has to acknowledge his letter of this day. 
 
 The Duke begs to inform Mr. Smyth, that it is impossible 
 to constitute the existing Board of Treasury as the reviewers 
 and correctors of all the acts of their predecessors ; and that 
 he must adhere to the decision of the Board, as communi- 
 cated to Mr. Smyth by Mr. Dawson. 
 
 The next day, I replied to his Grace, as follows : 
 
 3, MANCHESTER BUILDINGS, July 22, 1828. 
 
 MY LORD DUKE, I beg leave respectfully to acknowledge 
 the receipt of the communication with which I have been 
 honored, in reply to the letter I yesterday took the liberty of 
 addressing to Your Grace. 
 
 In that communication, Your Grace is pleased to say, 
 " That it is impossible to constitute the existing Board of 
 Treasury as the reviewers and correctors of all the acts of 
 their predecessors ; and that Your Grace must adhere to 
 the decision of the Board, as communicated to me by Mr. 
 Dawson." 
 
 On the first portion of this paragraph, I beg leave respect- 
 fully to remind Your Grace, that I do not ask, "that the 
 existing Board of Treasury should be constituted as the 
 reviewers and correctors of all the acts of their predeces- 
 sors," but simply, " that it would review all, and correct
 
 112 
 
 such acts of their predecessors as were manifestly unjust to- 
 wards me." I am aware that Your Grace may answer to 
 this, " that were I to do so, Mr Smyth, I might make a 
 precedent which would oblige me to entertain complaints 
 against the acts of my predecessors from, perhaps, numerous 
 other individuals." To this I should reply, " that if Your 
 Grace's predecessors have acted with the same degree of 
 injustice to numerous other individuals, holding appoint- 
 ments of such trust, respectability, and emolument, as that 
 which I had the honor to enjoy, with unimpeached and un- 
 impeachable character, for thirteen years ; and that the 
 tenure of their appointments was, not during pleasure, but, 
 as mine was, " quamdiu se bene gesserit," then 1 must 
 admit that Your Grace undoubtedly would, and most un- 
 questionably could not be better, and, I would fain hope, 
 more agreeably occupied than by rendering justice to the 
 oppressed. But, I firmly believe, that there is not the 
 slightest likelihood of Your Grace having any such task to 
 perform. I am convinced, that mine is an insulated case. 
 On the second and last portion of the same paragraph, I 
 beg leave respectfully to state, that I shall be perfectly sa- 
 tisfied, if Your Grace " will adhere to the spirit of the de- 
 cision of the Board, as communicated to me by Mr. Daw- 
 son." 
 
 Mr. Dawson's words are " Your case has been already fully 
 considered, and decided on; and their Lordships see no suffi- 
 cient grounds for directing a reinvestigation thereof." 
 
 Now, my Lord Duke, 1 humbly and respectfully submit, 
 that this sentence bears but one interpretation ; which J think 
 it cannot be denied is, "that had your case not been already 
 fully considered their Lordships would have seen sufficient 
 grounds for directing a reinvestigation thereof." By this 
 interpretation I am willing to abide. 
 
 If Your Grace can discover, " that my case has been 
 already fully considered," 1 will not ask "a reinvestigation 
 thereof;" but if, on the other hand, Your Grace is satisfied 
 that my statement is correct, viz, " that I never have, as 
 yet, had an opportunity of being heard," then I trust Your 
 Grace will accede to the request contained in my letter of 
 the 23rd ultimo, to Mr. Secretary Planta. 
 
 I have the honor to be, 
 
 With the greatest respect, &c. 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 To His Grace the Duke of Wellington, 
 First Lord of the Treasury,
 
 113 
 
 The Duke of Wellington not having condescended to 
 take any notice of the foregoing, on the 4th of August, I 
 addressed his Grace again, as follows : 
 
 3, MANCHESTER BUILDINGS, August 4th 1828. 
 MY LORD DUKE, I have the honor to transmit to Your 
 Grace a copy of a pamphlet I have lately been compelled to 
 publish, in vindication of my moral character and conduct ; 
 and request that Your Grace will be pleased to give it an 
 early and attentive perusal ; first, because I am anxious that 
 Your Grace should be apprised of the legal persecutions to 
 which I have been subjected during the last four yours ; and 
 secondly, because I think it right that Your Grace, as Prime 
 Minister of this country, should be made acquainted with 
 " the numerous blots that exist in the Ecclesiastical Courts, 
 with which England unfortunately abounds." 
 
 I have the honor to be, 
 
 With the greatest respect, 
 Your Grace's most obedient humble servant. 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To His Grace the Duke of Wellington. 
 
 On the evening of the same day, I was honored with the 
 following communication from his Grace. 
 
 LONDON, August 4th 1828. 
 
 The Duke of Wellington presents his compliments to Mr. 
 Smyth, and has received his letter of this day, and the 
 pamphlet. 
 
 To W. C. Smyth, Esq. 
 
 As my last note to the Duke most assuredly did not re- 
 quire any answer, I confess I was not a little astonished at 
 receiving the foregoing. I consequently began, once more, 
 to entertain sanguine hopes that his Grace had relented 
 of his letter of the 21st July, and had transmitted to me 
 his note of the of 4th August, merely for the purpose of giving 
 me an opening to address his Grace again, which I there- 
 fore did, as follows : 
 
 3, MANCHESTER BUILDINGS, August 8th 1828. 
 
 MY LORD DUKE, Feeling convinced, from the very polite 
 
 and condescending language in which the communication 
 
 Your Grace was pleased to honor me with, on the 21st 
 
 ultimo, is worded, that Your Grace does consider me as an 
 
 15
 
 114 
 
 injured man, and that you are disposed to render me justice, 
 I beg leave once more numbly and respectfully, but earnestly 
 to entreat that Your Grace will condescend forthwith to 
 order the investigation I solicited in my letter of the 23rd 
 of June, to Mr. Secretary Planta ; and to assure Your Grace 
 that, should you be pleased so to do, no one will have any 
 cause to repent or regret your determination, excepting 
 Messrs Jadis and Nevinson, the individuals by whose 
 false representations and base machinations, the Earl of Li- 
 verpool was imposed upon, deceived, and misled. 
 
 I have the honor to be, 
 
 With the greatest respect, 
 Your Grace's most obedient humble servant, 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To His Grace the Duke of Wellington. 
 
 But, alas ! I was again buoyed up only to be once more 
 subjected to further disappointment, as appears from the 
 following reply of his Grace. 
 
 LONDON, August 8th, 1828. 
 
 The Duke of Wellington presents his compliments to Mr. 
 Smyth, and has received his letter of this day. 
 
 The Duke, in reply, can only repeat, that he must adhere 
 to the decision of the Board of Treasury, as communicated 
 to Mr. Smyth, by Mr. Dawson, for the reasons stated in his 
 letter of the 21st of July. 
 To W. C. Smyth, Esq. 
 
 Resolved, however, to give the Duke of Wellington every 
 possible opportunity of rendering me JUSTICE, before 1 
 appealed to the strong arm of the LAW, I addressed his 
 Grace again, as follows : 
 
 3, MANCHESTER BUILDINGS, August 9th 1828. 
 
 MY LORD DUKE, I beg leave to acknowledge the receipt 
 of the note with which I have been honored, in reply to the 
 letter I yesterday took the liberty of addressing to Your 
 Grace. 
 
 As I now, with regret, perceive that Your Grace will not, 
 under any circumstances, order the investigation I have 
 solicited, I beg leave respectfully to ask, whether Your 
 Grace will be pleased to grant me any increase to my 
 pension, either by a vote from Parliament, or out of the 
 Civil list ? 
 
 The pension of l66 per annum, wlrch I understand has
 
 115 
 
 been voted to me, is barely sufficient to pay for the medi- 
 cines and medical attendance I now constantly require, and 
 (owing to the ill-usage 1 have experienced) shah 1 continue to 
 require as long as I live. 
 
 I have the honor to be, 
 
 With the greatest respect, 
 Your Grace's most obedient humble servant, 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To His Grace the Duke of Wellington. 
 
 On the evening of the same day, 1 had the honor to re- 
 ceive the following arid and laconic reply : 
 
 LONDON, August 9th, 1828. 
 
 The Duke of Wellington presents his compliments to Mr. 
 Smyth, and has the honor to inform him, in reply to his 
 letter of this day's date, that he has no intention of recom- 
 mending any increase to Mr. Smyth's pension. 
 To W. C. Smyth, Esq. 
 
 Not, however, being disheartened by these repeated re 
 pulses, I was determined to proceed " once more unto the 
 breach," and therefore addressed his Grace again, as follows : 
 
 3, MANCHESTER BUILDINGS, August nth, 1828. 
 
 MY LORD DUKE, I now beg leave respectfully to inform 
 Your Grace, that at a second interview with which I was 
 honored by Mr. then Secretary Lushington, towards the end 
 of June, 1825, (being at the expiration of one year, after 
 my removal from the office of Paymaster of Exchequer-Bills,) 
 that gentleman distinctly assured me, " That although Lord 
 Liverpool would not grant the investigation I had solicited in 
 my official letters of the llth and 18th of December, 1824, 
 and that of the 29th January, J825, yet, I might take his 
 word for it that his Lordship entertained the most favour- 
 able intentions towards me, and would shortly confer upon 
 me another appointment, equal in respectability and emolu- 
 ment to that from which I had been removed." 
 
 From that day to the present hour, I have never heard 
 any thing further, on the subject of the promised appoint- 
 ment ; I therefore now request permission respectfully to 
 ask Your Grace, if you will have the goodness to carry into 
 effect Lord Liverpool's favorable intentions towards me ? 
 
 In the hope that Your Grace will feel so disposed, I beg 
 leave to intimate, that the appointments of Receiver General
 
 116 
 
 to a County, and Distributor of Stamps are, as I believe, 
 equal in respectability and emolument to that of Paymaster 
 of Exchequer-Bills j and humbly to request, that Your Grace 
 will be pleased to confer upon me one of those appointments, 
 when such may become vacant, either by death, resignation, 
 or promotion. 
 
 I have the honor to be, 
 
 With the greatest respect, 
 Your Grace's most obedient humble servant, 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To His Grace the Duke of Wellington. 
 
 To this last application, I never have been honored with 
 any reply whatever ! 
 
 Here ended the fifth and last ACT in this tragi -comedy 
 of errors; and of arbitrary, unjust, inhuman, and illegal 
 conduct towards me ; aye, and from a man too, who, as his 
 adherents assert, is up-right, down -right ; and straight- 
 forward ! ! ! 
 
 Having concluded the narrative of the fifth and last ACT 
 in this tragi-comedy of errors ; and of arbitrary, unjust, 
 inhuman and illegal conduct towards me, by my successive 
 official superiors, 1 shall now take the liberty of making 
 some observations thereon. In the first place, the reader 
 will no doubt remember that in page 58 of this pamphlet, 
 I stated, that Mr. Jadis was on terms of intimacy with 
 Lord Lowther, at the time of my removal from office, one 
 of the Lords Commissioners of his Majesty's Treasury ; and 
 I hinted, in tolerably plain language, that, I strongly sus- 
 pected, that peculiar circumstance was one of the principal 
 causes of my being thus inhumanly and illegally deprived of 
 my bread, of my health, and of my character. 
 
 Every person, who has any knowledge of political cha- 
 racters, knows that the Duke of Wellington is also ori terms 
 of intimacy with Lord Lowther, and as (according to Euclid) 
 " things that are equal to the same are equal to one another," 
 it necessarily follows that Mr. Jadis and the Duke of Wel- 
 lington (1 beg pardon for putting the * before the *) the Duke 
 of Wellington and Mr. Jadis are also on terms of intimacy 
 with one another ; ergo I am still unable to obtain from his 
 Grace any redress against that base individual ; quod erat 
 dent nmtrandum .
 
 U7 
 
 Secondly, his Grace of Wellington stated publicly in the 
 House of Lords that, " he wished it to be distinctly under- 
 stood, that he was not either a political or a private enemy 
 of Mr. Canning's." What a fine opportunity his Grace has 
 lost, by refusing to render JUSTICE to me, (the well-known 
 protege" of this his political and private friend}) of proving 
 to me and to the numerous and incorrigible sceptics upon 
 this subject, the truth of that assertion. But to do a noble 
 and a generous act requires a CANNING'S head, and a CAN- 
 NING'S heart ! 
 
 Thirdly, his Grace of Wellington, having, on the trial 
 of Colonel Bradley for a libel, stated (on the oath of a Duke) 
 that, " he refused to answer Col. Bradley's letters, because 
 Col. Bradley published those of his Grace ;" i beg leave to 
 assure his Grace, (on the word of a Gentleman,) that, 
 " I have published his letters, because his Grace refused 
 to answer mine." ! ! 
 
 And lastly, the reader will perceive, that although the 
 Duke of Wellington has, in the before-given correspon- 
 dence, " cut the Gordean knot," (as he is wont to do, in 
 most matters) at all events, " I have had the last word ! ! !* 
 
 Every effort of mine to obtain JUSTICE, by fair and amicable 
 means, having thus failed, I resolved at last to have re- 
 course to other measures, which, although they may not please 
 " the powers that be," or the powers that have been, I feel 
 confident that I shall, in the opinion of every honorable, just 
 and liberal-minded man, stand fully justified in adopting. 
 
 The first step that occurred to me was to avail myself of 
 the LIBERTY OP THE PRESS ', a liberty which, thank God, 
 Britons do enjoy in the strict and proper sense of that term. 
 With this view, I immediately began compiling the present 
 pamphlet, in the determination of submitting it to the pub 
 lie, not only as a vindication of my own character, which 
 has been so long and so shamefully traduced with impunity, 
 but also, in the confident hope of subjecting those individuals, 
 by whom I have been so iniquitously treated, to the shame, 
 disgrace, obloquy, contempt and indignation, which base and 
 treacherous conspiracies, on the part of colleagues ; and 
 arbitrary, unjust, tyrannical and oppressive conduct, on 
 the part of men in power, towards an innocent, but helpless 
 
 * An answer given by Mr. Canning to an inquiry made by the Member 
 for Montrose, respecting the result of some political uegociation in which Mr. 
 Canning had been engaged as Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
 
 U8 
 
 individual, never yet failed to elicit from the generous, manly 
 and noble spirit of a British public. 
 
 My next determination was to seek redress in a Court of 
 Justice, first from my official superiors; and afterwards 
 from my official equals. 
 
 Offices are termed in Law " incorporeal hereditaments" 
 and " a man may have an estate in them, either to him and 
 his heirs, or for life, or for a term of years, or during plea- 
 sure only."* Most, if not all, offices which emanate directly 
 from the crown are held " during pleasure" (durante bene 
 placito) while, on the other hand, the greater number of 
 public offices are held " for life," i.e. Quamdiu se bene 
 gesserit. 
 
 Of the former description are all the appointments in his 
 Majesty's Household,f of Ministers, Ambassadors, Consuls, 
 the members of the different Boards of Revenue, and the 
 Commissions of Officers in the Army and NavyJ. The 
 
 * Blackstone, book II, chap. 3, page 26. 
 
 f So strongly impressed were the House of Lords in 1?02 
 with the justness of the invariable maxim of our law, " that no 
 man shall be punished before he has had an opportunity of being 
 heard," that that august assembly went even the length 
 of presenting an address to Queen Anne, ' beseeching 
 her Majesty would not remove the Bishop of Worcester from 
 the place of Lord Almoner, (which place his Lordship unques- 
 tionably held during pleasure} until he should be found guilty 
 of some crime by due course of law ; as it was the undoubted right 
 of every Lord of Parliament, and of every subject of England 
 
 TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE HIS DEFENCE BEFORE 
 
 HE SUFFERS ANY SORT OF PUNISHMENT." Smollet's conti- 
 nuation of Hume, Book 1. Chap. V. 
 
 I am not quite certain that I am correct in stating that the 
 Officers of the Navy hold their Commissions " during pleasure." 
 At all events it appears from the following fact, which 1 have ex- 
 tracted from the Naval and Military Magazine, vol. v. page 22, 
 that they can obtain some redress when dismissed from the ser- 
 vice in a summary and arbitrary manner. 
 
 Captain (now Admiral Sir) Isaac Coffin. 
 
 1788. This court-martial was held at Halifax, OH board his 
 Majesty's ship Dido. The charge against Captain Coffin was 
 preferred by some of the officers for bearing false musters, in 
 keeping on his books two sons of Lord Dorchester and his own 
 nephew, who, it appeared were not on board, conformable to the 
 rules of the service. The charge was proved ; but it appearing
 
 119 
 
 Constitutions or Commissions of all these different Officers 
 are either signed by the King ; or it is expressly stated, in 
 the body of their Commissions, that they hold the same 
 " during his Majesty's pleasure." 
 
 Of the latter description are all appointments which are 
 made by virtue of an act of parliament; such as the Commis- 
 
 to the court that it was grounded chiefly on private pique and 
 resentment against Captain Coffin, without any intention of de- 
 frauding- his Majesty, it sentenced him only to be dismissed 
 from the command of the Thisbe. Upon the arrival of Captain 
 Coffin in England, and the sentence of the court-martial being 
 made known to the Board of Admiralty, it was highly disapproved 
 of by Earl Howe, the then first lord, from its not being agreea- 
 ble to the spirit of the 31st Article of War, which says 
 
 " Every officer, or other person in the fleet, who shall knowingly make, or 
 sign a false muster, or muster-book, &c., upon proof of any such offence 
 being made before a court-martial, shall be cashiered and rendered incapable 
 of further employment in his Majesty's naval service." 
 
 The Board of Admiralty accordingly took upon them to give 
 an order for striking Captain Coffin's name off the list of Post 
 Captains. 
 
 This proceeding was considered so arbitrary, that Captain 
 Coffin had his case laid before his Majesty, who was pleased, 
 with the consent of his privy council, to direct the twelve judges 
 to give their opinion Whether the Admiralty have a power qf 
 setting aside the judgment of a court-martial* 
 
 The following was the opinion of the judges: 
 
 TO THE KING'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY. 
 
 May it please Your Majesty, 
 
 " In obedience to the order of your Majesty in council, we have taken 
 into our consideration the charge exhibited against Isaac Coffin, Esq., the 
 sentence of the court-martial, and also the resolution of the Board of Admi- 
 ralty thereupon. 
 
 " And we are of opinion that the said sentence is not legal ; and that the 
 punishment directed to be inflicted by an act of the 22d of the reign of his 
 late Majesty King George the Second, cap. 33, upon persons convicted of 
 the offence specified In the 31st Article of War, established by the said act, 
 cannot be inflicted, or judgment thereupon be pronounced, or supplied by 
 any other authority than that of the court-martial which tried the offender. 
 (Signed) " KENYOW, " LOUGHHOROUOH, 
 
 " EYRE, " DULLER, 
 
 " GOULD, " ABHURST, 
 " HOTHAM, " WILSON, 
 " GROSSE, " THOMPSON," 
 
 Captain Coffin was accordingly re-instated in his rank as 
 Post Captain in the Navy.
 
 120 
 
 sioners for Auditing Public Accounts, the Commissioners of 
 Hackney Coaches, the Commissioners of Lotteries, and 
 lastly the Paymasters of Exchequer-Bills, together with their 
 several Clerks, and subordinate Officers, as also many 
 others too numerous here to particularize. 
 
 On the 21st of June 1811, I was appointed one of the 
 Paymasters of Exchequer Bills, by a constitution or writing 
 under the several hands and seals of the late Right Hon. 
 Spencer Perceval, the Hon, Berkeley Paget, and the late 
 Snowden Barne, Esq. three of the then Lords Commissioners 
 of his Majesty's Treasury, by virtue of the power vested 
 in their Lordships, by the tenth section, of the first chap- 
 ter, of the 48th of George 3rd. 
 
 Blackstone, in book 3rd, chap. 4th, says : " The Ju- 
 risdiction of this Court (King's Bench) is very high and 
 transcendent." " It commands Magistrates and others 
 to do what their duty requires, in every case where there 
 is no other specific remedy." It therefore appeared to me 
 that I had only to move the Court of King's Bench for a 
 Mandamus directing the Lords Commissioners of His Ma- 
 jesty's Treasury " to hear and determine the cause of my 
 removal from the office of Paymaster of Exchequer -Bills" 
 and it would be granted immediately as a matter of course. 
 
 In the beginning of Michaelmas Term, I accordingly 
 directed an attorney to give instructions to Counsel to 
 make the motion forthwith. This, however, owing to the 
 negligence of the attorney, was not done until about the 
 last minute, of the last hour, of the last day, of that term, 
 when the counsel, without reading my affidavit, without 
 making any address to the Court on the law, as relating 
 to the subject of Mandamus, or without endeavouring to 
 make any, the slightest impression upon the mind of the 
 court, as to the importance of the application, simply made 
 the motion in words in which I myself or any other man, 
 having the power of articulation, could have done just as 
 well. 
 
 The motion was no sooner made than the court said, 
 that " It had no power in such a case;" upon which my 
 counsel (mindful of the interest of his client) immediately 
 sat himself down, without uttering another syllable. 
 
 Thus was this question a question of the most vital 
 importance, not only to me but also to every gentleman 
 holding a public appointment under the government of 
 this country, disposed of in this summary and unsatisfac- 
 tory manner.* 
 
 * The name of the Attorney, whom I unfortunately employed on this occa-
 
 
 121 
 
 The disappointment, chagrin, and mortification with 
 which this unexpected rebuff overwhelmed me brought on 
 another severe attack of illness, in which I was again at- 
 tended by my liberal, humane, and skilful friend, Dr. An- 
 thony Todd Thomson. As soon as 1 had in a slight degree 
 recovered from this indisposition, I was under the necessity 
 of prosecuting (in person) a suit which I had commenced, 
 in the Consistory Court of London, against my former proc- 
 tor, Mr. Arthur Loveday, for the purpose of having him 
 compelled to refund to me the whole amount of his several 
 bills of costs, and to be struck off the rolls of that court, 
 as a condign punishment for the dereliction of his public 
 duties as my law agent. 
 
 After I had been most unexpectedly foiled in this 
 endeavour at making a proper example of this legal delin- 
 quent, my time was fully occupied in attending the taxation 
 of his enormous and exorbitant bills of costs, for the mis- 
 management of the defence of the suit which had been 
 upwards of four years pending against me, in the Consistory 
 Court of London, and in the Arches Court of Canterbury, 
 nearly three years of which time, I was harassed and per- 
 plexed with that iniquitous suit, owing to the misconduct of 
 Mr. Loveday*. 
 
 As soon as I had got through the embarrassment in 
 which I was necessarily involved by these law proceedings, 
 I began again to turn my attention to the subject of my re- 
 moval from office, and on the sixteenth of April commenced 
 another correspondence with the Duke of Wellington, which 
 although, like the preceding one, unsuccessful, at least ter- 
 minated in my again having the last word ! 
 
 I then resolved to petition the House of Commons j but 
 several unavoidable circumstances intervened to prevent my 
 doing so before the 5th of June, on which day John Berkeley 
 Monck, Esq. one of the independent members for the bo- 
 
 sio, is Rob Maugham, of No 19, Chancery Lane; the name of his " Friend 
 and Riicher" the counsel whom he engaged and feed enormously to make the 
 motion, is Alfred Dowling, of the same Lane. Rob Maugham's bill, for mak- 
 ing this summary application to the court, amounted only to TWENTY TWO 
 
 POUNDS, NINETEEN SHILLINGS, AND TEN PENCE!!! 
 
 * I have already published " a Statement of my case," as connected 
 with that suit, in which Mr. Loveday's conduct is exhibited iu its proper 
 colours. This pamphlet will be found to contain much useful information 
 for members of parliament, and also for all individuals who may happen to be 
 persecuted in any of the ecclesiastical courts," with which (to use the words 
 of Joseph Philliinore, L.C.D. M.P.) England unfortunately abounds !!!" 
 
 It is sold by J. M. Richardson, 23, Cornhill. J. Limbird, 143, Strand. 
 J. Biggs, 54, Parliament Street, and all other booksellers in town and country. 
 
 16
 
 122 
 
 rough of Reading, did me the honor of presenting a pe- 
 tition to that august assembly, as appears by the following 
 extracts from the Morning Herald and Chronicle of the sue- 
 ceeding day. 
 
 HOUSE OF COMMONS, JUNE 5. HOUSE OF COMMONS FRIDAY. 
 
 Mr. MONCK presented a Petition 
 from a person of the name of Wililam 
 Carmichael Smyth, complaining that 
 he had been removed from his situa- 
 tion as one of the Paymasters of Ex- 
 chequer Bills, by the late Lord Li- 
 verpool, without cause or inquiry. 
 
 Mr. DAWSON explained, that the 
 late Lord Liverpool had not removed 
 the Petitioner without due cause and 
 full inquiry. He was so negligent of 
 his duties, that he remained away 
 from his office six weeks at a time ; 
 and when called upon to state why 
 he had absented himself, he gave a 
 false reason. Nevertheless, Lord 
 Liverpool had been willing to provide 
 for him in some subordinate situation; 
 but Mr. Smyth had refused to accept 
 it, as well as of any allowance in the 
 way of pension, to which he might be 
 entitled according to the length of 
 his service. Mr. Smyth had been 
 guilty of other misconduct, and since 
 his removal had been engaged in a 
 constant system of attack upon the 
 Government. The Right Honoura- 
 ble Gentleman promised to produce, 
 to the Honourable Member who pre- 
 sented the Petition^ the most satis- 
 factory proofs of Mr. Smyth's unfit- 
 ness for office, if he would call at 
 the Treasury. 
 
 Mr MONCK admitted that he knew 
 nothing of the facts, but from the re- 
 presentations of the Petitioner, and 
 undertook to call at the Treasury. 
 
 Mr. MONCK presented a petition 
 from Mr. W. C. Smyth, late a Pay- 
 master in the Exchequer, stating 
 that, during the administration of the 
 late Lord Liverpool, in the year 1824 
 he was dismissed from his appointment 
 without any reason being assigned for 
 his removal; that he had since re- 
 quested an inquiry to be instituted 
 into his conduct without effect, and 
 praying that a Select Committee 
 might be appointed to investigate the 
 circumstances of his case. 
 
 Mr. G. DAWSON was aware the 
 petition was to be presented, and 
 had inquired iato the particulars of 
 Mr. Smyth's case. He had ascer- 
 tained that the conduct of that gentle- 
 man was so obnoxious to his col- 
 leagues, and his behaviour in the 
 office so extremely irregular and im- 
 proper, as frequently to occasion a 
 suspension of the public business ; and 
 he was consequently dismissed after 
 a full investigation, which was di- 
 rected to be made by the late Lord 
 Liverpool. It was, however, hoped 
 that Mr. Smyth would be taught the 
 value of subordination by removing 
 him to an inferior office ; but he re- 
 fused the offer made to him, and has 
 since indulged himself by abusing, in 
 every place, every Member of his Ma- 
 jesty's Government, and otherwise 
 conducting himself with the most 
 violent and outrageous indecency. 
 He assured the House the petition was 
 not deserving its consideration. 
 
 The petition was ordered to be laid 
 on the table; but, on the suggestion 
 of Mr. DAWSON, the Hon. Member 
 who presented it consented not to 
 move for its being printed. 
 
 Notwithstanding the cjurteous treatment I had received 
 from my bosom friend, Mr. Secretary Dawson,* I was not 
 in the least disheartened ; and therefore requested my Lord 
 
 * Would to God that the noble-minded CANNING had been in the house 
 to have replied to the gentleman by one of his emphatic monosyllables.
 
 123 
 
 . Tenterden to present a similar petition to the House of 
 Lords. This his Lordship, in the mott polite and con- 
 descending manner, undertook to do, and accordingly, on 
 the 12th of the same month fulfilled his promise j as ap- 
 pears by the following extracts from the Morning Herald 
 and Post of the 13th of June. 
 
 LORD TENTERDEN presented a LORD TENTERDEN presented a 
 
 petition from Mr. W. C. Smyth, com- petition from W. Carmichael Smyth, 
 
 plaining 1 that lie had been unjustly de- who was a paymaster of the Exche- 
 
 jn-ivcil of an office he held under the quer Bill Office, praying an inquiry 
 
 Treasury, and praying for an enquiry into the circumstances attending the 
 
 into his case. loss of his situation. 
 
 The DUKE of WELLINGTON The petition having been read at 
 
 was understood to say, that the com- length, 
 
 plaints of the- petitioner were wholly The DUKE of WELLINGTON 
 
 unfounded. He would not i.ow enter was understood to say, that the peti- 
 
 into the details of the case, but con- tioner had misconducted himself, and 
 
 tent himself with stating, that thepe- had stated in his petition many things 
 
 tition was unworthy of attention. He which were untrue; nevertheless he 
 
 should not, however, object to its should not oppose the petition being 
 
 being laid on the table. received. 
 
 The petition was then laid on the 
 table. 
 
 I shall not insult the understanding of my readers by 
 commenting either upon the speech made by Mr. Dawson 
 in the House of Commons, or upon that of the Duke of 
 Wellington, in the House of Lords*, but simply refer them 
 to pages 8 and 9, 20 and 21 of this pamphlet, and ask them, 
 in the words used by the immortal Canning, on the trial of 
 the late Lord Melville, " whether it is fair to call on the. 
 House to convict the party without a hearing, which has 
 not yet been had j" " and therefore, it is from the nature 
 of things, absolutely impossible that he can have had a fair 
 trial, since indeed hitherto he has had no trial,"f 
 
 * Of these speeches of the minister and his tool, I think it may with 
 truth be said, that " they contain strong assertions without proof, declama- 
 tion without argument, and violent censures without dignity or modera- 
 tion." JUNIUS. 
 
 But, 1 will tell Mr. Secretary Dawson, that my Constitution is my bond ; 
 and, 
 
 " Till thou canst rail the seal from off my bond, 
 Thou but oftend'st thy lungs to speak so loud." 
 For, 
 
 " I'll have my bond ; speak not against my bond : 
 I've sworn an oath, that I will have my bond : 
 Thon call's! me dog, before thou had'st a cause; 
 But since I aw a dog, beware my fangs." 
 
 MERCHANT OF VENICE. 
 
 f See Memoirs of the Right Hon. George Canning, by Leman, J. 
 Rede, Esq. published by G. Virtue, Ivy Lane, Paternoster Row. 
 
 16*
 
 124 
 
 Tlie prorogation of parliament, which shortly followed, 
 left me no opportunity of having the subject of my pelitk*) 
 brought again to the notice of either of the houses, during 
 that session. 
 
 As, however, my application to the Court of King's 
 Bench had been made on so improper a day, at so improper 
 an hour, and in so inefficient a manner, I resolved once more 
 to apply for redress to that tribunal, and therefore requested 
 another counsel to make the motion for a mandamus afresh, 
 which he accordingly did on the 20th of June, as appears 
 by the following extract from the Morning Journal of 
 he 22nd. 
 
 EXPARTE WILLIAM CARMICHAEL SMYTH. 
 
 " Mr. Denman moved the court for a rule, calling upon the lords com- 
 missioners of the treasury to show cause why a mandamus should not issue, 
 commanding them to hear and determine the application of William C. Smyth 
 to be re-admitted to the office of one of the paymasters of exchequer hills, 
 from which he had been dismissed by them. An application of a similar 
 nature was made to the court on a former occasion ; but the court seemed to 
 doubt whether it was a public office, and that, therefore, they could not in- 
 terfere. He had now before him the act of parliament of the 48th Geo. Ill, 
 under which the office was appointed. A clause of that act enacted that the 
 commissioners of the treasury should, and might, from time to time, by 
 writing under their hands, appoint certain persons to be paymasters ot ex- 
 chequer bills. This act, therefore, made the office a public office. 
 
 " The Court inquired whether the act contained anything relating to the 
 duration of the leimre ? 
 
 " Mr. Denman said, that the tenure was not expressly mentioned, and 
 that, therefore, the office must be counted to be held during good behaviour, 
 The affidavit of the applicant stated, that on the 21st of June, 1811, he was, 
 by a writing or constitution, under the hands of the then commissioners of the 
 treasury, appointed, with two other persons, to be paymaster of exchequer 
 bills, at a salary of 400 per aunum. The period during which the office was 
 to be held was not mentioned. 
 
 " Mr. Justice Bayley said that then it was to be held during pleasure. 
 
 " Mr.. Denman sa'id that that was a principle which might be carried 
 very far. 
 
 " Lord Teuterden observed, that the office did not concern the adminis- 
 tration of justice. 
 
 " Mr. Justice Bayley said that the amount of payments might vary, and 
 that the public service might sometimes require such an officer, and some- 
 times not. 
 
 " Mr Justice Littledale said that he looked upon the office to be like 
 that of commissioners of excise, who held their offices during pleasure. 
 
 " Mr. Denman urged that in " Corny n's Digest" it would be seen that 
 a mandamus had been granted in the cases of much less important offices 
 than this 
 
 " Mr. Justice Bayley said that a man must have a freehold in an office 
 in order to be able to ask for a mandamus. Here the office was new, and the 
 act of parliament stated no time during which it was to be held. There was 
 an instance of a mandamus to restore a man to the office of yeoman of wood 
 walks; but there was an affidavit that it was an ancient office, and was a 
 freehold. 
 
 " Mr. Denman again urged that this was a public office. 
 
 " Lord Tenterden said that so were those of all the clerks in ajl the 
 public offices. 
 
 " Mr. Jusl ice Littledale said that all offices relating to the management 
 of the revenue were held during the pleasure of the crown. Rule refused.
 
 125 
 
 On the subject of this and my former application to 
 the Court of King's Bench, 1 shall take the liberty of making 
 the following observations : first, I apprehend that a writ of 
 marukimus lies against the commissioners of the Treasury, 
 as against any other public body " to command them to do 
 what their duty requires in every case where there its no 
 other specific remedy."* This being admitted, (and I think 
 the judges of the Court of King's Bench have tacitly ad- 
 mitted this, by permitting the merits of the case to be gone 
 into, on the second application to the Court), this therefore, 
 1 aay, being admitted, the next question is, whether mine 
 was a proper case, in which the Court ought to have exer- 
 cised that authority which it undoubtedly possesses. 1 trust, 
 before I leave the subject, to be able to convince every one 
 of my readers nay, even the learned judges themselves, 
 that it was. 
 
 To this end, the only question to be considered is the 
 nature of the tenure of my appointment as Paymaster of 
 Exchequer Bills ; that is, whether my said appointment 
 was held " during pleasure," or " during good behaviour." 
 Upon this pivot, and upon this pivot alone, does the propriety 
 of the interference of the Court of King's Bench by Man- 
 damns turn. 
 
 Now 1 maintain that I held my appointment " during 
 good behaviour." 
 
 First. Because, when an office is once established by an 
 act of parliament it cannot be abolished, but by an act of 
 parliament. Nor does parliament ever abolish an office so 
 established, without making an adequate compensation to 
 every individual therein j the compensation uniformly being 
 two thirds of their salary and allowances. This proves, in 
 my humble opinion, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that the 
 Legislature considers that every individual appointed to an 
 office, established by the authority of parliament, has a vested 
 interest therein j and " vested rig/its must be respected "\ 
 
 * Were this not the case, I beg leave respectfully to ask the judgres of 
 the Court of King's Bench, what remedy a servant of the public, claiming a 
 superannuation allowance, under the provisions of the IV sect, of 113 tap. 
 of the 3rd of Geo. IV, would have, if refused such allowance ? Surely their 
 lordships will not maintain, that these allowances are to be granted or with- 
 held " at the pleasure" of the commissioners of the Treasury ? Should 1 think 
 proper to relinquish the point of my restitution to office, 1 insist that I 
 still have a right to a mandamus to compel the commissioners of the Treasury 
 44 to hear and determine why my case should not be considered as a special 
 one j and waiving this, I have a right for a mandumus to compel the 
 commissioners of the Treasury to grant me the full amount of superannuation 
 allowance, which they are authorised to do by the said act of parliament. 
 
 f- About two or three years ago, upon an occasion when the member for 
 Moutrose made some observation, in the House of Commons, on the subject of
 
 126 
 
 2ndly. Because, the act of parliament, by the authority 
 of which I was appointed, to the said office, commences in 
 the following words: " Whereas it is expedient that perma- 
 " nent regulations should be established in relation to the 
 *' making out, issuing and paying off all Exchequer Bills, 
 " which may hereafter be issued for the raising of any money 
 " under the authority of Parliament." Now I apprehend 
 that it would be rather difficult to make any permanent regu- 
 lations for paying (^Exchequer Bills, unless the office of 
 Paymaster were permanent. 
 
 3rdly. Because, the said act of parliament does not 
 express that the Paymasters are to hold their appointments 
 " during pleasure j" and it is a maxim of law, " that all acts 
 of parliament, (excepting those which relate to criminal 
 matters), are to be construed liberally."* 
 
 4thly. Because, the XI section of that act express- 
 ly states : *' That the said Paymaster or Paymasters shall be 
 subject and liable to such inspection, examination, con* 
 troul, and audit, and to such rules in respect to paying, 
 accounting, and other matters relating to the execution of 
 the said office or trust of Paymaster, as the commissioners 
 of the Treasury shall think lit or reasonable to establish or 
 appoint from time to time, for the better execution of the 
 intent and end of this act and the satisfaction of the proprie- 
 tors of Exchequer Bills." Now as, (according to my appre- 
 hension), it would be utterly impossible for any sophistry to 
 pervert the authority given by the legislature, in this clause, 
 " to control a Paymaster in matters relating to the execution 
 of his office" into a power to prevent him " at pleasure" from 
 committing any execution therein; I think it cannot be 
 denied, that it militates completely in my favour; because 
 had the legislature intended that the Paymasters were to 
 hold their appointments " during the pleasure" of the 
 commissioners of the Treasury, tliis clause would have 
 been wholly unnecessary, not to say, a work of complete 
 supererogation, f 
 
 the pensions granted to soldiers, the Right Honorable William Huskisson is re- 
 ported to have made the following reply : " The soldier is entitled to his pension 
 by the authority of an act of parliament, and vested rights must be respected" 
 
 * This well-known and universally-acknowledged doctrine my Lord 
 Tenterden himself laid down, and acted upon in the case of Hex, v Hodgkinson, 
 as reported in the Chronicle of November 19th 1829. 
 
 f 1 will go further, and maintain that the Paymasters uot only hold 
 their appointments " during good behaviour," but that, if this clause were not 
 inserted in the act, they would be altogether independent of the controul of 
 the commissioners of the Treasury, as are the commissioners for auditing 
 public accounts, the commissioners of excise appeal, and many other servants 
 of l\ie public.
 
 127 
 
 5thly. Because, when the legislature intends that any ap- 
 pointment, the creation of which it may authorise, should be 
 held " during pleasure," it invariably provides for such an un- 
 usual tenure; as it did, in the XIX section of the 1 13 cap. of 
 the III of George the 4th : in the following words : " Provided 
 always, that it shall be lawful for the head officers or head 
 officer for the time being of any office or department wherein 
 any such appointment shall have been made, from time to 
 time, as often as they or he shall think fit or circumstances 
 may require, by any deed or instrument to be executed and 
 attested as herein-before is directed, to revoke any such 
 nomination or appointment as aforesaid, which shall have been 
 made either by themselves or himself, or by any of their or his 
 predecessors or predecessor in the office, and by the same 
 deed or instrument to make any new appointment for the 
 purposes and in the manner herein-before directed; and 
 every such new appointment shall, from the time to be spe- 
 cified therein, supersede the appointment then in force, and 
 shall from time to time, as the case may require, be pro- 
 duced at and deposited in the respective office of the com- 
 missioners for the reduction of the national debt in England, 
 or of the Vice-Treasurer in Ireland, in the manner herein- 
 before directed." 
 
 6thly. Because, my Constitution does not express 
 that I am to hold the same " during pleasure ;" and it is a 
 maxim of law, "that all deeds, grants and other legal instru- 
 ments are to be interpreted favourably to the holder" 
 
 7thly. Because, 1 am informed and confidently believe 
 that in the appointments of all those officers, who unques- 
 tionably hold their situations " during pleasure," such as the 
 members of His Majesty's Household, Ambassadors, Consuls 
 &c. it is expressly stated in the body of those appoint- 
 ments, that such is the nature of their tenure. 
 
 8thly. Because, if I held my appointment " during 
 pleasure" it must have been " during the pleasure" of that 
 identical board by which I was nominated; hence, upon the 
 death of Mr Perceval and upon every successive change in 
 the board of Treasury, my appointment must have laid in 
 abeyance, until the pleasure of his or their successors were 
 signified ; and, if they had thought proper to continue me in 
 my appointment, they must have given me a fresh constitution, 
 or in some other manner have intimated to me their pleasure 
 with respect to my continuance therein; whereas, although 
 there have been repeated new boards of Treasury, during 
 the thirteen years I acted as Paymaster of Exchequer Bills,
 
 128 
 
 my appointment \vas never questioned or renewed in any 
 manner whatever, nor was that of either of my colleagues. 
 
 9thly. Because, although our laws acknowledge the will, 
 the pleasure, and the prerogative of the Sovereign, these 
 words, as attributes of a minister, are decidedly repugnant, 
 both to the spirit and to the letter of the laws of England. 
 
 lOthly. Because, on reference to the letter with which 
 the late Right Honorable George Canning honored me, as 
 given in page 32 of this pamphlet, it will be observed that 
 that enlightened and noble-minded statesman gave it une- 
 quivocally as his opinion, " That in removing me from the 
 office of Paymaster of Exchequer Bills, Lord Liverpool had 
 exercised his responsible judgment,"* 
 
 1 1 thly . Because, it will be observed, on reference to the 
 letter dimissory from Mr Secretary Lushington (as given-in 
 page 28 of this pamphlet) that the commissioners of the 
 Treasury do not therein even assume or arrogate to them- 
 selves the power of removing me from my office " at plea- 
 sure;" for Mr Lushington expressly states 'thaty " it is upon a 
 full consideration of all the letters and papers relating to my 
 conduct that their Lordships felt it to be their duty to remove 
 me from the office of Paymaster of Exchequer Bills :" whereas, 
 had their Lordships considered that they had the power of 
 removing me " at pleasure," they would not have adverted 
 either to my conduct or to their own duty, but have used 
 royal language thus, " The Lords Commissioners of His Ma- 
 jesty's Treasury have no further occasion for your services." 
 
 Lastly. Because, (that which the reader will scarcely 
 credit) their Lordships have not as yet had the courage, or 
 rather the temerity, to put their pretended power legally into 
 execution. They have not revoked or determined my appoint- 
 ment as Paymaster of Exchequer Bills ; but in the Coustitu^ 
 tion of Mr Latham (which is dated on the 5th of July 1824) 
 the late Earl of Liverpool, Lord Viscount Goderich and Lord 
 Lowther have actually put their name to a gross, wilful and 
 palpable falsehood. Their lordships have had the effrontery 
 therein to state that"/ had resigned" my said office!!! 
 Well may 1 say, in the language of Junius that " their pro- 
 ceedings upon this occasion are a strong proof that a deci- 
 sion, in the first instance illegal and unjust, can only be 
 supported by a continuation of falsehood and injustice," 
 
 * Had I been remoTed by the King-, I do not think Mr Canning would 
 hare written me word that in removing you from your office, His Majesty has 
 exercised his responsible judgment !"
 
 129 
 
 Now, with all due deference to the superior judgment of 
 the three* learned Personages, who have twice refused to 
 grant me the before-mentioned writ of mandamus, I humbly 
 conceive that twelve more cogent and undeniable reasons, in 
 support of any one fact, were never adduced, than those 
 which I have just assigned, as proof that the office of Pay- 
 master of Exchequer Bills is held " during good beha- 
 viour ;" and if so, my readers will, I think, one and all agree 
 with me, tf that mine was a proper case in which the 
 Court of King's Bench ought to have exercised that au- 
 thority which it undoubtedly possesses." 
 
 After this second unsuccessful attempt to obtain the 
 interference of the Court of King's Bench, to compel the 
 Duke of Wellington to render me JUSTICE, I resolved to 
 memorialize His Majesty ; and therefore, late on Saturday 
 evening, the llth of July, I transmitted my memorial (a 
 copy of which is given in the Appendix), to the Right 
 Honorable Robert Peel, Secretary of State for the Home 
 Department, with a request that, if he saw nothing im- 
 proper or unreasonable therein contained, he would have 
 the goodness to lay it before the King ; and to recommend 
 it to His Majesty's most favourable consideration. 
 
 On Wednesday evening the 15th, 1 had the honour 
 to receive the following communication from the Home 
 Department: 
 
 WHITEHALL, July \bth t 1829. 
 SIR, 
 
 I am directed by Mr. Secretary Peel, to acquaint you, 
 that your memorial, praying " that the twelve judges may 
 be directed to give their opinion, whether the Lords Com- 
 missioners of His Majesty's Treasury have the power of 
 removing a Paymaster of Exchequer Bills from his office," 
 &c., &c. has been laid before the King, and that His Ma- 
 jesty has not been pleased to signify any commands there- 
 upon. 
 
 1 am, Sir, 
 
 Your obedient Servant, 
 (Signed) WILLIAM PEBL. 
 
 To W. C. Smyth, Esq. 
 
 From a paragraph in the Times newspaper of the day 
 following, it appears that Mr. Secretary Peel left London on 
 
 * Mr. Justice James Parke was not present, when my first application 
 was made to the Court ; and, if present on the second occasion, it does no 
 appear, by any one report which I have read in the public journals, tli, 
 his Lordship made a single observation on the sobjcct.
 
 130 
 
 Monday morning for Brandon, in Norfolk ; my memorial, 
 therefore, could not have been laid before His Majesty by 
 that minister, nor is it at all probable that he read or even 
 saw it before he left town ; and, I must needs say/that it 
 appears to me very questionable whether the King of Great 
 Britain knows any more of my memorial than does the 
 Emperor of China. 
 
 By the Bill of Rights, Stat. 1, William and Mary, st. 1. 
 c2. s. 1. and by the Act of Settlement, (stat. 12 and 13 
 William, 3. c 2.) it is declared that, " It is the right of the 
 subjects to petition the King." Now, where there is a 
 right, I apprehend there must be a mode of enjoying that 
 right ; but, to assert that I have enjoyed the right of pe- 
 titioning the King would be an insult to the understand- 
 ding, and a mockery of the laws. I therefore maintain, that 
 one of the first and most essential principles of the British 
 Constitution has been grossly violated, by my memorial not 
 having been bond fide brought to the notice of His Majesty. 
 But the fact is, that the name of the noble-minded CANNING 
 appears too conspicuous, and in too favourable a light 
 therein, to make it palatable for Mr. Peel, or his colleague 
 the Duke of Wellington ; and the reasonableness of the 
 prayer of my memorial is too self-evident; and the innate 
 sense of JUSTICE which pervades the Royal Heart is too 
 well-known for that document ever to reach the eyes of 
 His Majesty.* 
 
 Having thus failed in every attempt at obtaining 
 JUSTICE from my official superiors, and having been thus 
 unjustly deprived of my constitutional right of laying my 
 grievances at the foot of the throne, I resolved to try 
 my fortune in a court of law, against one of my official 
 equals the instigator of all my wrongs ; and therefore 
 directed my solicitor to commence an action against Mr. 
 Jadis, for the libellous letter addressed to me by that in- 
 dividual, on the 30th of September, 1823; and also to re- 
 cover the value of that appointment of which i had been 
 deprived by his false and base representations to my official 
 superiors. 
 
 * If a Briton must submit to be deprived of his constitutional rights, 
 in the arbitrary and unjust manner in which I hare been thus deprived of 
 my right of petitioning the King, then I say, let that Bill of Rights which was 
 framed in the seventeenth century be reformed (to meet the march of in- 
 tellect) in the nineteenth century ; and for the words " It is the right of 
 the subjects to petition the King," let there be substituted, " It is the right 
 of the subjects to transmit their petitions to the King, to the Secretary of State 
 for the Home Department, who may exercise his irresponsible judgment 
 whether the same shall, or shall not be laid before His Majesty !"
 
 131 
 
 As, however, in order to enable my special pleader to 
 lay my damages for consequential injury, it was absolutely 
 necessary that I should furnish that gentleman with authen- 
 tic copies of the various libellous documents, which had 
 been submitted to my official superiors by that individual 
 and his worthy colleague Mr. Nevinson, (" upon a full con- 
 sideration of which," their Lordships had acknowledged 
 they considered it to be their duty to remove me from my 
 office," on the 10th of August, I addressed a letter to Mr. 
 Secretary Dawson as follows : 
 
 6, ADAM STREET, ADELPHI, August 10M, 1829. 
 SIR, 
 
 I have the honour to acquaint you, for the information 
 of the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury, that 
 having, since the insults and injuries which I have received, 
 either directly or indirectly from my former colleague, Mr. 
 Henry Jadis, done every thing in my power to induce my 
 successive official superiors to afford me redress, but in 
 vain, 1 have at length been reluctantly compelled to com- 
 mence legal proceedings against that individual. 
 
 I have sufficient evidence to ensure a verdict, and also 
 considerable damages ; but, in order to show to the Jury the 
 whole extent of the injuries which I have experienced by 
 the machinations of Mr. Jadis, it is necessary that I should 
 have in my possession authentic copies of all the letters 
 and papers referred to in Mr. Secretary Lushington's several 
 letters to me of the 27th October 1823, of the 1 1th of June, 
 and the 15th of December 1824, " upon a full consideration 
 of which (Mr. Lushington, in his said letter of the llth 
 of June 1824, informed me) their Lordships felt it to be 
 their duty to remove me from the office of Paymaster of 
 Exchequer Bills." 
 
 I therefore beg the favour of you to submit to the Lords 
 Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury my humble re- 
 
 ?uest, that their Lordships will be pleased to direct that 
 may be furnished with the same. 
 
 I have the honour to be, Sir, 
 
 With the greatest respect, 
 
 Your most obedient humble Servant, 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To G. B. Dawson, Esq. M.P, 
 
 On the same day, 1 also addressed the Duke of Wel- 
 lington again, apprising him of my official letter to Mr.
 
 132 
 
 Dawson, and ended my communication with these words : 
 " As your Grace has delivered to the world, in your pub- 
 lished letter to the Earl of Winchelsea and Nottingham, 
 dated the 19th of last March, your unqualified opinion, that 
 * No man has a right, ivhether in public or in private, by 
 speech or in writing, or in print, to insult another by attri- 
 buting to him motives for his conduct, public or private, 
 which disgrace or criminate him,' I trust that your Grace 
 will feel disposed ' to do unto others, as you ivould others 
 should do unto you,' and will accordingly be pleased to 
 grant my (as I humbly conceive) reasonable request; and 
 thereby enable me to obtain reparation from my former 
 colleague, Mr. Henry Jadis, for the false and scandalous 
 libels contained in those letters and papers, which I have 
 good reason to know, not only * attribute to me motives for 
 my conduct, both public and private, which disgrace and 
 criminate me,' but which were also the cause of my removal 
 from the office of Paymaster of Exchequer Bills ; whereby 
 I have been, unconvicted, untried, and unarraigned, de- 
 prived of my fortune, of my health, and of my character." 
 On the 25th of the same month, I was honoured with 
 the following reply from the Hon. Mr. Stewart : 
 
 TREASURY CHAMBERS, August 2oth, 1829. 
 SIR, 
 
 In answer to your letter of the JOth instant, request- 
 ing copies of certain letters and papers referred to in Mr. 
 Lushington's letters to you of the 2/th of October, 1823, 
 and of the llth of June and the 15th of December, 1824, with 
 the view to a suit instituted by you against Mr. Jadis, I am 
 commanded by the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's 
 Treasury to acquaint you, that their Lordships cannot 
 furnish you with copies of the documents to which you 
 allude. 
 
 I am, Sir, 
 
 Your obedient Servant, 
 (Signed) J. STEWART. 
 
 To W. C. Smyth, Esq. 
 
 On this transaction I shall take the liberty of making 
 the following observations : 
 
 My readers will perceive that my official superiors have 
 accused, and do still accuse me (not of their own knowledge 
 but avowedly upon the exparte representations of my 
 colleagues and my official inferiors) of misconduct and 
 offences which disqualify me for filling the office of Pay-
 
 133 
 
 master of Exchequer Bills. During a period of six years 
 I assert my own innocence, accuse my accusers, and endea- 
 vour, by every legitimate'means in my power, to obtain, that 
 to which the greatest criminal is entitled, a hearing. This 
 although withheld, is never denied me by the late Lord 
 Liverpool ; but it is expressly denied me by the Duke of 
 Wellington aye, and under a subterfuge, or rather a false 
 assertion, that I have had a hearing*. 
 
 I then request that, as my official superiors will not 
 themselves grant me any redress, they will afford me the 
 means of obtaining redress against my traducers, in a court 
 of law. This act of JUSTICE is also peremptorily denied me j 
 and by whom ? By the Duke of Wellington, who, only a 
 short five months before, had, when traduced himself, pub- 
 lished to the world his unqualified opinion that " No man 
 has a right, whether in public or in private, by speech, or in 
 writing or in print, to insult another by attributing to him 
 motives for his conduct, public or private, which disgrace or 
 criminate him !!! 
 
 But his Grace will no doubt endeavour to screen him- 
 self under the cloak that the representations given in against 
 me " by my colleagues and the clerks acting under me" were 
 confidential communications. Let us therefore see what 
 one of the highest legal authorities in this country has said 
 on the subject of confidential communications made to the 
 prejudice of others. 
 
 Lord Chief Justice Tyndal, when charging the jury in the 
 case of Rutherford v. Evansf "left it to them to say whether 
 'the communications made by the defendant were confidential, 
 'bo)idjide, andhonest cautions, intended to put theCompany 
 " upon their guard against abuses which he had reason to 
 ' believe to have been practised; or whether they wereinsimi- 
 tl ations made for the purpose of gratifying private spleen or 
 gaining some personal purpose to the injury of the plaintiff* 
 As a general principle, if a person thought fit, by letter or 
 otherwise, to make statements injurious to the character of 
 another, that injured party was not obliged to bring actual 
 "proof of malice to support his claim to compensation for the 
 " wrong sustained. But this rule did not apply where the 
 " communications were authorised by the station in which the 
 "parties stood. But again, it was necessary to observe that 
 
 " Your case has already been fully considered and deckled on, and their 
 Lordships see no sufficient grounds for directing a rc-investigatioii thereof." 
 If this be not tantamount to a assertion that I \\n\-chada. hearing, 1 know uot 
 the meaning of words in Ihe English language. 
 
 f Vide Morning Herald of Thursday the 22nd Octoher, 1829.
 
 131 
 
 <{ ?2O man was justified in taking advantage of a confidential 
 "intercourse to disseminate charges which he KNBW to be false. 
 <l lt was certain that the language of Mr. Evans's letter was not 
 "to be justified it was strong, heated, and intemperate; but 
 "still, if he acted with zlondjide view, and intended to confine 
 "himself within the limits of that confidential disclosure 
 "which was j ustifiable, the warmth of his language was not what 
 " would deprive him of the consideration to which he was 
 "entitled. His Lordship then read over the evidence, and on 
 "the whole case left it to the Jury to say, whether the charges 
 "had been made with a view to inflict a malicious wrong upon 
 "the plaintiff, in which case they would estimate the amount 
 " of damages so as to give him a fair compensation, or whether 
 "they were honestly made in the course of a proper confidence, 
 "and if so their verdict would be for the defendant." 
 
 "The jury, after some deliberation, returned a verdict for 
 the plaintiff Damages 150/." 
 
 Now I maintain that it was the bounden duty of an 
 uprightand conscientious minister, if he did not think proper 
 to investigate the truth or falsehood of the charges which 
 had been preferred against me by Messrs. Jadis and Co. at 
 least to have afforded me the means of appealing to the laws 
 of my country ; and that having refused so to do is a distinct 
 act of injustice and oppression committed towards me, not 
 by the late Earl of Liverpool or his colleagues in office, but 
 by the Duke of Wellington. Such conduct, I say, is nothing 
 more nor less than introducing the vile principles of the 
 Spanish Inquisition into the British Constitution*. 
 
 Having been thus refused the means of proving conse- 
 quential or special damages, in my action against Mr. Jadis, 
 I was compelled to direct my solicitor to confine the decla- 
 ration, in that action, simply to the libel. In order, however, 
 to prove to the satisfaction of the jury, the extreme malici- 
 ousness of that document, it was necessary, if not to embody 
 in the declaration, at least, to produce on the trial the first 
 defamatory letter addressed to me by that individual, on the 
 3d of Sept. 1823, as given in page 8 of this pamphlet. I 
 therefore on the 25th of October addressed a letter to the 
 Hon. James Stewart, as follows : 
 
 * Had 1 preferred charges against Mr. Jadis which the Duke of Welling- 
 ton thought I was unable to have substantiated, I rather suspect that his Grace 
 would not have withheld those charges ; but have put me upon my proof, as 
 Lord Melville did Sir E.Codririgtou, when that officer made (nol indeed charges 
 but merely) observations prejudicial to the character of Captain Dickinson. 
 But with the Wellington Administration it is " shew me the man and I will 
 tell you the law!' 1
 
 135 
 
 6, ADAM STREET, ADELPHI, October %5th, 1829. 
 
 SIR, 
 
 1 have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter 
 of the 25th of August acquainting me that the Lords Com- 
 missioners of His Majesty's Treasury cannot furnish me with 
 copies of the documents to which I had alluded in my letter 
 of the 10th of the same month to Mr. Secretary Dawson. 
 
 As it is indispensably necessary that, while proceeding 
 with my action against Mr. Jadis,,! should have in my pos- 
 session the note written to me by that individual, and signed 
 by him and his colleague Mr. Nevinson, which note (marked 
 C) I transmitted to Mr. then Secretary Lushington, en- 
 closed in the letter I had the honour of addressing to that 
 gentleman on the 3rd of September, 1823, I have now to 
 beg the favour of you to submit to the Lords Commissioners 
 of His Majesty's Treasury my humble request, that their 
 Lordships will be pleased to direct that that note may be 
 returned to me. 
 
 I have the honour to be, Sir, 
 
 With the greatest respect, 
 Your most obedient humble servant, 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To the Hon. James Steivart. 
 
 On the 3d of November I was honoured with the follow- 
 ing reply from my old bosom-friend Mr. Secretary Dawson. 
 
 TREASURY CHAMBERS, November 3rd, 1829. 
 SIR, 
 
 In answer to your application for the return of a note 
 addressed to Mr. Lushington which accompanied your 
 memorial to this Board on the 3rd of September, 1823. I 
 am commanded by the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's 
 Treasury, to acquaint you that no document of this descrip- 
 tion can be found amongst the records of this office. 
 
 I am, Sir, 
 
 Your obedient servant, 
 (Signed) GEO. R. DAWSON. 
 
 W. C. Smyth, Esq. 
 
 Gentle reader ! was there ever a more shuffling, shirk- 
 ing, and evasive composition issued from the pen of Tippoo 
 Sultaun, the Dey of Algiers, or ("our ancient ally") the 
 Grand Signior, at Constantinople !!! 
 
 I requested to have returned to me "the note written to 
 me by Mr. Jadis, and signed by him and his colleague Mr.
 
 136 
 
 Nevinson, which note (marked C) I had transmitted to Mr. 
 then Secretary Lushington, enclosed in the letter I had the 
 honor of addressing to that gentleman on the 3d of Sept. 
 1823," and Mr. Dawson in answer acquaints me that no 
 such document as " a note addressed to Mr. Lushington^ 
 which accompanied my memorial to the Board of Treasury 
 on the 3d of September, 1823 > can be found amongst the re- 
 cords of that office," a note I never had asked for, and which 
 never had existence* Oh ! Derry Dawson, Derry Dawson, 
 what nuts will this not prove to your "private and political 
 friends" the Catholics of Great Britain and Ireland, who 
 (a propos debottes) are no more indebted to you, or to your 
 Patron, the Duke of Wellington, than is your humble, but 
 not obedient servant !! 
 
 Having been thus refused the means of proving the ex- 
 treme maliciousness of that libel for which I had commenced 
 an action against Mr. Jadis, I was forced to abandon the suit 
 altogether, for a criminal prosecution, which I shall shortly 
 commence. In this proceeding, although I shall not be able 
 to recover any compensation by way of damages, I shall at 
 least have the satisfaction of convicting him and his worthy 
 associate Nevinson of a base conspiracy j and, by going into 
 the witness box myself, shall be able to prove the extreme 
 maliciousness and iniquity of the whole of their conduct 
 towards me ; and, at the same time, give them an oppor- 
 tunity, by cross-examining me, of sifting to the bottom every 
 action of my life, both public and private ; and thus, of prov- 
 ing 1 to the world what " notorious transactions 1 had been 
 concerned in, which rendered it out ot the question for them, 
 as gentlemen, to transact business, or associate with me"!!!* 
 
 Having resolved to give the Duke of Wellington one 
 more opportunity of rendering me, if not complete, at least, 
 one act of partial JUSTICE, on the 9th of November I ad- 
 dressed the following letter to the Hon. James Stewart, and 
 at the same time, a few lines to his Grace, apprising him of 
 my having done so : 
 
 By the report of the Trial, which took place at Paris, on the 10th of April, 
 1828 (as given in the Appendix to this Pamphlet) it appears, that, although the 
 British Ambassador removed Mr. Roberts from his appointment of Apothecary 
 to the Embassy, much in the same summary and unjust manner as Lords Liver- 
 pool, Goderich, and Lowther did me from my Office of Paymaster of Exchequer 
 Bills, yet His Excellency did not (like the Duke of Wellington) follow up his 
 act of injustice by refusing to grant to Mr. Roberts a copy of the defamatory 
 Letter which had been addressed to his Lordship, by the thirteen disinterested 
 and honorable sons of jEsculapius!
 
 
 137 
 
 G, ADAM STREET, ADELPHI, November 9th, 1829. 
 
 SIR, 
 
 Having ascertained that the Lords Commissioners of His 
 Majesty's Treasury, who authorized Mr. then Secretary 
 Lushington to address to me his letter of the llth of June, 
 1824, have not revoked or determined my appointment as 
 one of the Paymasters of Exchequer Bills, but that their 
 Lordships, in the Constitution of Mr. J. H. Latham, dated 
 the 5th of July of the same year, have most erroneously 
 stated that I had resigned the said office, I have to beg the 
 favour of you to bring these facts to the notice of the pre- 
 sent Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury ; and 
 to submit to their Lorships my humble request that they 
 will be pleased to grant me permission to resume my duties 
 as a Paymaster of Exchequer Bills, on the 1st of February 
 next ensuing. 
 
 Although my health is still in an extreme bad state, as my 
 medical attendants are of opinion that 1 am not as yet 
 afflicted with any organic disease, and as both they and 
 myself are satisfied that a few weeks' peace and tranquillity 
 of mind would greatly tend to the restoration thereof, 1 
 feel confident that, if their Lordships would be'pleased at the 
 present time to signify their approbation to my returning to 
 my official duties three months hence, 1 shall, at the expira- 
 tion of that period, be perfectly able so to do, with satisfaction 
 to myself, and advantage to the public. 
 
 In the event of their Lordships condescending to render 
 me this act of justice, I beg leave respectfully to state that I 
 am willing to accept of the amount of pension (which I un- 
 derstand has already been voted to me by Parliament) as an 
 equivalent for my salary and allowances from the date of Mr. 
 Secretary Lushington's before mentioned letter to the 1st of 
 next February; to the whole of which salary and allowances, 
 as I humbly conceive, I am justly and legally entitled. 
 1 huve the honor to be &c. 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To the Hon. J. Steivart. 
 
 On the 25th of the same month, I was honored with 
 the following reply : 
 
 TREASURY CHAMBERS, November 25ih, 1829. 
 SIR, 
 
 Having laid before the Lords Commissioners of His 
 Majesty's Treasury your letter of the 9th inst. requesting 
 
 18
 
 138 
 
 permission to resume your duties as Paymaster of Exchequer 
 Kills ; I am commanded to acquaint you that my Lords 
 cannot hold out to you the least expectation of your being 
 again appointed to act as Paymaster of Exchequer Bills, from 
 which you appear, from a minute of their Lordships' Board, 
 to have been removed some time since, and for which office 
 the state of your health, independent of other circumstances, 
 appears to disqualify you. J am further to acquaint you 
 that three years have elapsed shice my Lords communicated 
 to you their intention, in consequence of the distressing state 
 of your health, as described in a medical certificate annexed 
 to your application to this Board, to grant to you a retired 
 allowance of 166 per annum to commence from the 3rd of 
 April, 1826. And I am to inform you that that allowance, 
 with any arrears which may be due upon it, will, like any 
 other retired allowance, be paid to you on application to the 
 Paymasters of Exchequer Bills. 
 
 1 am, Sir, 
 
 Your obedient servant, 
 (Signed) GEO. R. DAWSON. 
 
 To W. Carmichael Smyth, Esq. 
 
 On this letter of Mr. Secretary Dawson, I shall take 
 the liberty of making the following remarks. 
 
 First, 1 never requested " to be again appointed 
 to act as Paymaster of Exchequer-Bills ;" but only " to 
 be permitted to resume my duties as such." 
 
 Secondly, the Lords Commissioners of His Ma 
 jesty's Treasury therein tacitly acknowledge " that my 
 appointment, as a Paymaster of Exchequer-Bills, has not 
 been revoked or determined." 
 
 Thirdly, their Lordships assert that " I appear, 
 from a minute of their Board, to have been removed from 
 that office some time since." Now, in the first place, 
 I deny the power of the Lords Commissioners of His Ma- 
 jesty's Treasury to remove a Paymaster of Exchequer- 
 Bills from his office " not only without giving him an 
 opportunity of being heard, but even without making him 
 acquainted with the crimes or offences (if any) with which 
 he is charged," and, on the other hand, maintain that, 
 granting that he has been officially and fully made ac- 
 ' quainted with the crimes or offences (if any) with which 
 he is charged, granting that he has had a fair opportunity 
 of being fully heard granting that he has availed himself 
 of that opportunity, and granting that he has been con-
 
 m 
 
 victed, upon the clearest and most satisfactory evidence, 
 of the blackest crimes, or of the direst offences ; still, that 
 the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury have 
 no more the power of Removing a Paymaster of Exchequer 
 Bills from his office by a minute of their board, than they 
 have of originally appointing one by such a Document ; 
 but that he must be legally removed, and that the only 
 mode by which such legal removal can be effected, is by 
 revoking and determining his appointment. This mode 
 not having been adopted in respect to me, I maintain that 
 I am, at the present moment, to all intents and purposes, 
 in fact, in law, and in equity, a Paymaster of Exchequer 
 Bills ! ! !* 
 
 Fourthly, their Lordships next assert that " the state of 
 my health, 'independent of other circumstances, appears to 
 disqualify me for the said office." 
 
 1 admit that the state of my health, at present, does 
 disqualify me for that office ; but I assert, that, although 
 1 never shall enjoy that health I should now be enjoying, 
 but for the series of arbitrary, unjust, inhuman, and illegal 
 conduct pursued towards me for the last six years and 
 upwards, by my successive official superiors, still that, as 
 the office of Paymaster of Exchequer Bills (although one 
 of great trust and responsibility) is one of the easiest under 
 Government, were 1, (even at the present time) permitted 
 to enjoy a few weeks' peace and tranquillity of mind, I 
 should, * at the expiration of that period, be perfectly able 
 to discharge the duties of that office, with satisfaction to 
 myself, and with advantage to the public, f 
 
 But, their Lordships allege " that there are other in- 
 dependent circumstances, which appear to disqualify me 
 for the said office." 
 
 This I deny j and assert that we have here again 
 
 " The lie, BO oft o'erthrown, 
 " TV imputed trash aud nonsense not my own." 
 
 These " other independent circumstances" never had 
 
 1 submit to my readers that it is quite evident, that both the Duke of Wel- 
 lington and Mr. Secretary Peel are conscious that the opinion of the present 
 twelve Judges would be as favorable to me as that of their predecessors was 
 to Sir Isaac Coffin ; otherwise the latter gentleman would not have withheld 
 my memorial from the King, but instantly have recommended to His Majesty, 
 that the prayer of it should be complied with, and thus the extinguisher put 
 upon me for ever. 
 
 f In support of this latter assertion, I beg leave to refer my readers to 
 my reply to a letter addressed to the Editor of the Morniug Herald, entitled 
 '* Exchequer Bill Office Manoeuvre" The letter itscll its well a* my atww*i' 
 ar both given in the Appendix to this Pamphlet. 
 18*
 
 140 
 
 any existence, except in the treacherous imaginations of 
 Messrs. Jadis and Co. and were, I maintain, completely 
 abandoned, (by my former official .superiors) both by the 
 v/ords and by the spirit of Mr. Secretary Hill's letter of 
 the llth October, 1826; first, because he therein ex- 
 pressly states that " it is upon a re-view of all the cir- 
 cumstances which led to my removal from the situation of 
 Paymaster of Exchequer Bills, that the Lords Commis- 
 sioners of His Majesty's Treasury will submit a vote to 
 Parliament for granting to me a retired allowance :" and se- 
 condly, because the fourth section of the 1 13 cap. of the 3rd 
 of Geo. IV. (the only authority which enables the Com- 
 missioners of the Treasury to grant superannuation al- 
 lowances}, distinctly prohibits the granting of any such 
 allowance to a servant of the public, " unless he shall have 
 discharged the duties of his situation with diligence and 
 fidelity; and to the satisfaction of his official SUPE- 
 RIORS ;" and is as follows : " It shall not be lawful to 
 " grant any such superannuation allowance to any officer 
 " who shall be under sixty-five years of age, unless 
 " upon certificates from the heads of the department to 
 " which any such officer shall belong, and from two medical 
 " practitioners, that he is incapable, from infirmity of mind 
 " or body, to discharge the duties of his situation, nor unless 
 " he shall have discharged the duties of his situation with 
 " diligence and fidelity, to the satisfaction of the head 
 " officers or head officer of the office or department to which 
 " he shall belong, to be certified by any two of such head 
 " officers (if there shall be more than one) or by such head 
 " officer, (if only one), and in case the person claiming any 
 tl such superannuation allowance shall himself he one of the 
 " head officers, or the head officer, then such superannuation 
 " allowance shall not be granted, unless he shall have dis- 
 " charged the duties of his situation with diligence and 
 " fidelity, to the satisfaction of the Commissioners of the 
 11 Admiralty (if such head officer or person shall hold any 
 " office or situation under the control of that department), 
 " and in all other cases to the satisfaction of the Commis- 
 " sioners of the Treasury ;* and the said Commissioners of 
 " the Admiralty and Treasury respectively, shall express 
 
 * From these words it is quite manifest that the Legislature never con- 
 templated that one of the Heads of an office should be subject to the caprice of 
 his colleagues or official equals for a character. Such an idea would, I think, 
 have beeu (tealcd by the noble-minded CANNING as truly preposterous .'
 
 141 
 
 " such satisfaction in their minute recommending or direct' 
 " ing the grant of any such superannuation allowance" 
 
 Now, either their Lordships have expressed such satis- 
 faction of my conduct in their minute, recommending or 
 directing the grant of the superannuation allowance to me j 
 or, they have not. If they have, then I maintain that such 
 expression is a complete exoneration of all blame, or even 
 the slightest imputation against my character, and conse- 
 quently that the assertion in Mr. Dawson's letter is false, and 
 ought not to have been thrown in my teeth ; and if they 
 have not, then they have disobeyed the directions of the Act 
 of Parliament, and thus rendered their grant illegal, and 
 consequently of non-effect. 
 
 After all, perhaps, as the Duke of Wellington, at the 
 very moment when he penned his famous letter to Dr. Cur- 
 tis, informing the venerable Prelate that " he satv no pros- 
 pect of a settlement of the Catholic Question," actually 
 contemplated, in his own mind, the final settlement of that 
 Question by the immediate Emancipation of the Catholics, 
 so, is it possible (I had almost said probable) that, at the 
 very moment when he commanded Mr. Secretary Dawson 
 to address to me the before-given letter, acquainting me 
 " that their Lordships could not hold out to me the least 
 expectation of my being again appointed to act as Pay- 
 master of Exchequer Bills," his Grace actually contem- 
 plated, in his own mind, the final settlement of this Ques- 
 tion also, by my immediate restitution to that office ! ! !* 
 
 On the 27th, I replied to the before-given letter as 
 follows : 
 
 6, ADAM STREET, ADELPHI, November 27th, 1829- 
 
 SlR, 
 
 I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your 
 letter of the 25th inst. and have now to beg the favour of 
 you to submit to the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's 
 Treasury my humble request, that their Lordships will be 
 pleased to authorise you to transmit to me a copy of the 
 minute to which you therein refer ; and also to communi- 
 cate to me, in detail, " the other circumstances which (as 
 
 * As the Duke of Wellington is no doubt proud of the before-mentioned 
 memorable epistle; and, perhaps, may not have a copy at hand, at the mo- 
 ment he reads this pamphlet, I shall honor and accommodate his Grace by 
 iusertiug a copy thereof among my ERRATA !
 
 142 
 
 you state in your letter) appear to disqualify me for the 
 Office of Paymaster of Exchequer Bills." 
 
 Thave the honor to be, with the greatest respect, 
 Your most obedient humble servant, 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To Geo. R. Dawson, Esq. M.'P. 
 
 On the 14th of December, I was honored with the fol- 
 lowing reply from Mr, Secretary Stewart : 
 
 TRHASUHY CHAMBERS, December 14M, 1829. 
 SIR, 
 
 In answer to your letter of the 2/th ult. requesting 
 transmission of copy of this Board's Minute directing your 
 removal from the Office of Paymaster of Exchequer Bills, 
 and also to be informed of the circumstances which led to 
 your disqualification for the said office, 1 am commanded 
 by the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury to 
 acquaint you, that their Lordships do not think it proper to 
 furnish to any party copies of their minutes, and, with res- 
 pect to the other part of your letter, I am directed to refer 
 you to the communication you have already received* 
 
 I am, Sir, 
 
 Your obedient servant, 
 (Signed) J. STEWART. 
 
 To W. C. Smyth, Esq. 
 
 On the contents of this letter I shall take the liberty 
 to observe, that although I am not aware of any instance in 
 which the Commissioners of the Treasury have furnished a 
 party with a copy of any one of their minutes, I do not 
 entertain a doubt but that such has frequently been done. 
 At all events, I know for certain, that parties have been per- 
 mitted to read at the Treasury minutes made in respect to 
 themselves, aye, and that too during the Wellington admi- 
 nistration ; but, as I have before observed, with this pre- 
 cious conclave, the maxim evidently is " show me the man, 
 and I will tell you the law.*" 
 
 For the reason therein stated, I did not transmit my 
 answer to the foregoing until the 1 1th of February, on which 
 day I again addressed Mr. Secretary Dawson, as follows : 
 
 * I stop the press lo inform my readers thai I have this very day (March 
 5th) seeu in the Morning Herald the copy of a Treasury Minute, relating 1 
 to the State Paper Office. These valuable documents are therefore not uni- 
 formly considered as too sacred to be gazed ou by the eye of the vulgar!
 
 143 
 
 6, ADAM STREET, ADELPHI, February \\th> 1830. 
 SIR, 
 
 I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of the 
 Hon. Mr. Secretary Stewart's letter of the 14th of Decem- 
 ber, to Which I should earlier have replied, had I not been, 
 at the moment I received it, and for some time afterwards, 
 confined to my bed, by severe illness. Mr. Stewart therein 
 acquaints me that, " in answer to that part of my letter 
 of the 27th of November, in which I begged the favour 
 of you to submit to the Lords Commissioners of His Ma- 
 jesty's Treasury, my humble request that their Lordships 
 would be pleased to authorise you to communicate to me 
 in detail the other circumstances which (as you state in 
 your letter of the 25th of November), appear to disqualify 
 me from filling the office of Paymaster of Exchequer Bills, 
 he is directed to refer me to the communication which I 
 have already received." Having, since the receipt of Mr. 
 Stewart's letter, referred to every communication with which 
 I have been honoured by my official superiors ; and not 
 having been able to discover that any one of those com- 
 munications furnish me with that information, I have now 
 to beg the favour of you to submit to the Lords Commis- 
 sioners of His Majesty's Treasury my humble request that 
 their Lordships will be pleased to authorise you to inform 
 me of the date of the particular communication to which 
 I am referred, for the information requested by me, in the 
 letter 1 had the honour of addressing to you on the 27th 
 <jf November. 
 
 I have the honour to be, &c. 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To G. R. Dawson, Esq, M.P. 
 
 On the 23rd, I was honored with the following commu- 
 nication from Mr. Secretary Stewart : 
 
 TREASURY CHAMBERS, February 23rd, 1830. 
 SIR, 
 
 In reply to your letter of the 1 Hh inst. I am commanded 
 by the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury to 
 acquaint you that their Lordships decline any further corres- 
 pondence with you, on the subject of your removal from 
 office, my Lords having no further communication to make 
 to you on the subject. 
 
 I am, Sir, 
 
 Your obedient servant, 
 (Signed) J. STEWART. 
 
 To W. C. Smyth, ~
 
 144 
 
 Here we have got the Alexander of the age in his fa- 
 vorite character of the Gordian knot-cutter ! " Je n'enjmis 
 plus" exclaims this " HOMME BORNK," as Bonaparte is 
 said, not unaptly, to have designated his Grace. 
 
 However, as the Duke of Wellington assured the Ca- 
 tholic Primate of Ireland that, " if we could bury the 
 question of Catholic Emancipation in oblivion for a short 
 time, and employ that time diligently in the consideration 
 of its difficulties on all sides (for they are very great) he 
 should not despair of seeing a satisfactory remedy j" so do 
 I hope, now that his Grace " has buried" the subject of my 
 restitution to office in oblivion for a short time, that he 
 will employ that time diligently in the consideration of its 
 difficulties on all sides (for they are not at all great), and 
 then (from his Grace's universal talents) I should not des- 
 pair of seeing a satisfactory remedy ! ! 1"* 
 
 Two days after the receipt of the foregoing, I addressed 
 my ultimatum to Mr. Secretary Dawson, as follows : 
 
 6, ADAM STREET, ADELPHJ, February 2bth, 1830. 
 SIR, 
 
 I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of Mr. 
 Secretary Stewart's letter of the 23rd inst. acquainting me 
 that "the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury 
 decline any further correspondence with me on the subject 
 of my removal from office." As, however, my present ap- 
 plication does not directly relate to that subject ; but is 
 merely a collateral question of a private nature, I trust that 
 their Lordships will, not only be pleased to authorise you to 
 reply to this letter, but also, condescend to grant the request 
 herein contained. 
 
 By the contents of the letter with which you honoured 
 me on the 3rd of last November, it appears that their Lord- 
 ships did not fully comprehend the description of note, 
 the return of which I had solicited in the letter I had the 
 honour of addressing to Mr. Secretary Stewart on the 25th 
 of the preceding month, I therefore beg leave to explain, 
 that the note which I therein requested might be returned 
 to me was a note, not addressed to Mr. Lushington but, 
 addressed to myself, and was as follows : 
 
 * Being desirous of affording his Grace every assistance in my power, I 
 beg to suggest a very easy and (I would fain hope, in the opinion of every 
 honorable, upright, and just man, who may read this statement) a most sa- 
 tisfactory remedy; to wit, let the appointment of Mr. Henry Jadis, as a 
 Paymaster of Exchequer-Bills be revoked and determined forthwith ; but,
 
 145 
 
 " EXCHJQUKR, 3rd September, 1823. 
 
 " SiRj We are obliged to doubt, not only the asser- 
 " tion in your letter, of having received so severe a con- 
 " cussion of the brain, on the 16th of August, as to prevent 
 " your attention to business, but also the accompanying me- 
 (< dical report, as we have received positive information of 
 " your having been actively employed in public since that 
 " period, upon several occasions, independently of your ap- 
 " pearance before a judge at his chambers, on Thursday, 
 " the 28th ultimo." 
 
 We are, Sir, &c, &c, &c. 
 (Signed) " H. JADIS, 
 
 " EDW. H. NBVINSON. 
 To W. C. Smyth, Esq." 
 
 As 1 make no doubt that the before-cited note (together 
 with the other documents which accompanied it) has been 
 safely preserved amongst the records of the Treasury, I 
 have now to beg the favour of you to submit to the Lords 
 Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury my humble re- 
 quest that their Lordships will be pleased to direct that 
 that note may be returned to me. 
 
 I have the honour to be, 
 
 With the greatest respect, 
 Your most obedient humble servant, 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To G. R. Dawstm, Esq. M. P. 
 
 On the 10th of March, I was honored with a reply, 
 as follows: 
 
 " with a view of alleviating- the personal sufferings arising to him and his 
 " family, from this determination of their Lordships, let the Commissioners of 
 " Customs be authorised to employ him as a landing-waiter, my Lords relying 
 " that the example and superintendence of more experienced officers will have 
 " a due effect in controlling his future conduct, and in restraining him from 
 " proceedings similar to those which led his colleague (William Carmichael 
 " Smyth) to make such frequent complaints to their Board." (see pag'^ 45). 
 
 Let Mr. William Carmichael Smylh be permitted to resume his duties at 
 the Exchequer-Bill Office on the 1st of August next ensuing. 
 
 Should, however, the said Mr. Jadis be anxious of having an immediate, 
 full, and impartial investigation of his conduct, then, in God's name, let him 
 have it; but, at the same time, let him be apprized " that should their Lord- 
 " ships grant the investigation, and the result be unfavorable to him, he will, not 
 " only forfeit all claim upon the indulgent intentions their Lordships have beeu 
 " pleased to express towards him, (see pasjes 52 and 3), but also be removed 
 "from the 500 a year, laborious SINECURE, which he now enjoys at the 
 " Board of Controul." Such a remedy would, 1 maintain, be worthy of " a 
 private and political friend" of the immortal CANNING. ! 
 
 19
 
 146 
 
 TREASURY CHAMBERS, 10th March, 1830. 
 SIR, 
 
 In answer to your letter of the 25th ultimo requesting 
 the return of a note addressed to you by the Paymasters of 
 Exchequer Bills, which you state to have been deposited at 
 this office, I am commanded by the Lords Commissioners 
 of His Majesty's Treasury to acquaint you, that My Lords 
 have directed search to be made for the note to which you 
 allude, and it does not appear to be amongst the papers at 
 the Treasury.* 
 
 I am, Sir, 
 
 Your obedient servant, 
 (Signed) J. STEWART. 
 
 W. C. Smyth, Esq. 
 
 Having in the the early part of this pamphlet, assimi- 
 lated the treatment which I have experienced from my 
 official superiors to that which " the poor, innocent, helpless 
 lamb," in the fable, received from the rapacious and blood- 
 thirsty wolf, I shall now favor my readers with a perusal of 
 the application of that fable, verbatim from Dodsley's col- 
 lection ; prefacing the same with this simple observation, 
 that " those whom the cap fits may wear it." ! 
 
 THE APPLICATION. 
 
 " The thing which is pointed at in this fable is so obvious, that it will be 
 " impertinent to multiply words about it. When a cruel ill-natured man has 
 " a mind to abuse one inferior to himself, either in power or courage, though 
 " he has not given the least occasion for it, how does he resemble the wolf, 
 " whose envious, rapacious temper could not bear to see innocence live quiet- 
 " ly in its neighbourhood. In short, whenever ill people are in power, iuno- 
 " cence, and integrity are sure to be persecuted; the more vicious the com . 
 " munity is, the better countenance they have for their own villainous mea- 
 " sures. To practise honesty, in bad times, is being liable to suspicion enough; 
 " but if any one should dare to prescribe il, it is ten to one but he would be 
 " impeached of high crimes and misdemeanours; fortostand up for JUSTICE, 
 *' in a degenerate and corrupt state, is tacitly to upbraid the government, 
 " and seldom fails of pulling down vengeance upon the head of him that 
 '* offers to stir in its defence. Where cruelty and malice are in combination 
 " with power, nothing is so easy as for them to find a pretence to tyrannise 
 " over innocence, and exercise all manner of injustice ! .' .'" 
 
 Here ended, what I think may be truly designated, the 
 farce which followed this Tragi-Comedy of Errors ; and 
 
 * It is just possible that, " upon a rf-RE-view of the several letters and 
 papers relating to my conduct," and " of all the circumstances which led to 
 my removal from the situation of Paymaster of Exchequer-Bills, and the con- 
 tinued distressing state of my health," this first BASE note of Messrs. Jadis 
 and Neviiison mny " appear to be amongst the papers at the Treasury !"
 
 147 
 
 of arbitrary, unjust, inhuman, and illegal conduct towards 
 me aye, and this disgraceful drama, and this bare-faced 
 farce have been acted in England too a country long 
 famed alike, among the nations of Europe, for the freedom 
 of her Constitution, for the wisdom and the equality of her 
 Laws, and, for the honour, the integrity, and the JUSTICE 
 of her Rulers ! ! ! 
 
 Having now concluded the narrative of the bare-faced 
 farce which has followed this Tragi-comedy of Errors ; and 
 of arbitrary, unjust, inhuman, and illegal conduct towards 
 me, I shall take the liberty of making a few comparative 
 observations upon the conduct of one of the principal actors 
 in the farce, and of one of the principal actors in the 
 drama.* 
 
 In a speech which the noble Duke of Wellington made 
 in the House of Lords on the second day of May 1827, 
 his Grace is reported to have asserted that " the Right 
 Honorable George Canning was a vacillating politician/'f 
 
 We all know that the ostensible motives which induced 
 the Duke of Wellington to desert the banners of the im- 
 mortal CANNING, was his Grace's decided disinclination to 
 grunt any relief to His Majesty's Roman Catholic subjects, 
 to whose cause Mr. Canning, the then Prime Minister, 
 had been the strenuous, eloquent, and consistent advocate, 
 from his first entrance upon public life. 
 
 We all know likewise that the Duke of Wellington, 
 being at that period out of the Ministry, opposed the very 
 corn-bill which had been agreed upon by the late Lord Li- 
 verpool's administration, of which his Grace was a Member. 
 
 When his Grace, by the most calamitous event with 
 which England was ever afflicted, came into power, we 
 all know that one of his first acts was to pass the corn-bill, 
 almost in the identical state in which it had been proposed 
 to the Legislature by Mr. Canning ; and that his second act 
 was his grand political manoeuvre of passing the Roman 
 Catholic Relief-Bill. 
 
 So much for the political consistency of the Duke of 
 Wellington ! 
 
 * My readers will not mistake me. Of course, 1 do not mean here 
 to say, in " the arbitrary, unjust, inhuman, and illegal part of the drauia," 
 but in the only portion thereof which was acted with proper sentiments of 
 liberality, justice, humanity, and law. 
 
 f His Grace'i words were, " the principles of the noble Earl (Liver- 
 pool) were principles by which any man might safely abide ; the principles 
 of the Right Honorable Gentleman (George Canning) fluctuate every day."
 
 148 
 
 In pages 132 and 3 of this pamphlet, the reader has got 
 some specimen of the consistency of his Grace's conduct when 
 he is desirous of having JUSTICE administered to himself, 
 and when he is called upon to administer it to another. 
 
 Now let us see the consistency of the conduct of the 
 Right Honorable George Canning, when he was desirous 
 of having JUSTICE administered to himself or when he AVUS 
 called upon to administer it to another ; or, when the dic- 
 tates of liberality, humanity, and JUSTICE prompted that 
 benevolent man tiuice to use his utmost endeavours to 
 obtain it for another. 
 
 I find in page 467, vol. 3, of his speeches, as edited 
 by R. Therry, Esq. that Mr. Canning, when his own con- 
 duct was arraigned in the House of Commons, expressed his 
 hope, " that, in a case in which every thing that is dear to 
 " man, in character, in reputation, and in honor, is at stake, 
 11 they (the honorable members of that House) would have 
 " the fairness to give the accused an advantage which is 
 " not withholden from the meanest criminal, that of hear- 
 " ing the whole indictment to which he is to plead." 
 
 In page 14/ of the Memoirs of this Illustrious indivi- 
 dual, (by Leman T. Rede, Esq.) I find that that great and 
 good man, on the discussion in the House of Commons, 
 which preceded the trial of the late Lord Melville, is re- 
 ported to have said, that " the mode proposed by my Right 
 " Honorable friend is the true way to answer the purposes 
 " of JUSTICE, by instituting an inquiry, with all the cir- 
 (: cumstances of the case on both sides, which hitherto 
 " has not been done." 
 
 Again in page 149, " I believe the Right Honorable 
 " Gentleman cannot shew me any regulation of Parliament 
 " by which any individual has been condemned, without 
 " having had an opportunity of defending himself. And 
 " here the case is most singularly hard ; for it is the case 
 " of an individual knowing for the first time, from the report 
 " now said to be conclusive, the nature of the charge 
 " that is exhibited against him." 
 
 Again in page 150, " Lord Melville does not, I 
 " think, ask too much, when he begs this honorable House 
 " not to suffer itself, by prejudice within, or intimidation 
 " from clamour without, to take upon itself to decide, 
 " without full and competent information on the subject 
 " before them." 
 
 Again in page 148 of the same work, and on the same 
 occasion, " here the parties have not been heard, and all 
 u that is now asked is a, full hearing."
 
 149 
 
 I am aware that the Duke of Wellington and his ad- 
 herents may here observe, " Aye, Mr. Smyth, these are very 
 " fine sentiments ; but then they were expressed when Mr. 
 * f Canning was desirous of defending his ' private and po- 
 " litical friend,' Lord Melville." " What !" I answer, when 
 the Right Honorable George Canning saw " the noble 
 " Lord," who had been a fellow-labourer with him in the 
 public cause, and the friend of his early years, t{ made 
 " the theme of violence and invective j when he saw that 
 " noble Lord, no longer a Minister, pulled down from the 
 " high eminence on which he stood, and prostrate at the 
 " feet of the House of Commons, no longer formidable 
 " from power or dangerous from influence ; when he saw 
 " him, after his political existence had ceased, after the 
 " crimes of his political nature (be they what they may) 
 " had been severely visited upon him ; when he saw him 
 " in that defenceless state, persecuted and hunted down," 
 was it a proof of " a vacillating politician," that he should 
 give all his energies in support of his Lordship ? that the 
 friend of his early years should not be forgotten and de- 
 serted in the moment of adversity ? that he stood forward, 
 Atlas-like with the defence on his shoulders, to repel the 
 attacks of W T hitbread, Tierney, Grey, Fox, and Sheridan, 
 in an inquiry which was most assuredly conducted with a 
 severity and rancour that, except in the case of Hastings, 
 had no parallel ? If such be a proof of " a vacillating po- 
 litician ;" if these are among the qualities which determine 
 Mr. Canning's place in the first order of " vacillating po- 
 liticians ;" then I say, 
 
 " Mallem raehercule, cum istis errare, quam cum aliis rect sentire !" 
 
 When Mr. Canning, on the same occasion, was 
 called upon to inform the House, " whether he had dis- 
 " missed Mr. Trotter from the employment which he held 
 " under him in the Navy-Pay office ?" he is reported to 
 have answered the honorable member in the following 
 words : u I have told him I have done so. After the de- 
 IC cision of the House on Monday night, I could not have 
 " a moment's hesitation. Some gentlemen thought proper, 
 " on a former evening, to animadvert in terms of severity, 
 " on my having retained Mr. Trotter in office, after the 
 " accusations, relative to which the House have decided, 
 " had been published against him. But of my conduct,
 
 150 
 
 " in that instance, I trust every candid man will approve. 
 " Mr. Trotter I considered on his trial ; and, whatever my 
 " own opinion might have been of the nature of the charge 
 " against him, and the degree of his guilt, it struck me 
 * e that it would be extremely unfair to prejudice the public 
 " mind against his case, by dismissing him under such 
 " circumstances. He stood in such a situation that I 
 " could not feel it consistent with public justice, to fix a 
 " seal of infamy upon the man, by .dismissing him while 
 " his trial was pending. But the moment the sense of 
 " this House was known, when I no longer could prejudice 
 " a man whose guilt, till declared by a competent tribunal 
 <( I should have felt it unfair to prejudge by any act of mine, 
 " I removed Mr. Trotter ; and my reasons for not remov- 
 " ing him before that sense was known, will, I have no 
 " doubt, be deemed satisfactory by every dispassionate 
 " mind. Nay, I have little doubt, that although a learned 
 " gentleman (Mr. Ponsonby) remarked with such severity 
 " on my conduct on a former evening, that honorable 
 ff gentleman himself will, upon a little reflection, if he 
 " possess the feelings of a British lawyer, be ready to con- 
 " fess that he was wrong, and that to have taken a different 
 " course from that which I have pursued^ would have been 
 " unfair, tyrannical, and oppressive." 
 
 Again^ in page 155 of the same work, when that noble 
 minded individual was called upon by certain members of 
 the House of Commons to dismiss a Mr. Wilson from his 
 office ; he refused to do so, and is reported to have said, " I 
 <f have not, I cannot have any personal partiality for Mr. 
 " Wilson, whom I know only as a clerk in my office ; but 1 
 " will mete out a different measure of JUSTICE to this or 
 f( any other man whom circumstances may place in my 
 " power, to what the Right Honorable Gentleman seems 
 " disposed to shew to Lord Melville." 
 
 When urged again to discharge Mr. Wilson (see page 
 159) he replied : tf 1 cannot reconcile it to my ideas of 
 " JUSTICE to dismiss one against whom no decision of this 
 " House has taken place. I am sensible that in following 
 " this course I subject myself to odium and abuse. J shall 
 " endure it. When this House declares its opinion fairly, I 
 " shall submit to it; till that period arrives, Wilson shall 
 " not, in the absence of any proof of his guilt, be dismissed 
 "" from his situation. I shall never, either by my voice or 
 <( by my conduct, patronise the tyrannical, despotic prhici- 
 " pie oj' punishment previous to conviction." ! I !
 
 151] 
 
 Such were the noble sentiments ; and such was the li- 
 beral, humane, and just line of conduct pursued by the late 
 Right Honorable George Canning in the year 1806, " when 
 he was called upon to administer JUSTICB to another." 
 
 Now let us see what were the sentiments ; and what 
 was the line of conduct pursued by this u vacillating politi- 
 cian" when, in 1824 (nearly twenty years afterwards) the 
 dictates of liberality, humanity, and JUSTICE prompted that 
 benevolent man twice to use his utmost endeavours to 
 obtain JUSTICE for another. 
 
 An humble and obscure individual like myself, un- 
 connected with that liberal-minded Statesman, either pri- 
 vately or officially, " for whom he had not, he could not 
 have any personal partiality," to whom he was under no 
 obligation whatever, who had no earthly claim (save that 
 of commiseration) upon him, whose guilt had been pre- 
 judged by his official SUPERIOR, the First Lord of the Trea- 
 sury, dismissed from his appointment, traduced and ca- 
 lumniated for months previous, both by the public and pri- 
 vate press j I repeat, an humble and obscure iudividual like 
 myself, on the day of trouble, in the hour of adversity, un- 
 der this accumulation of difficulties and manifest disadvan- 
 tages, appealed to the humanity, and craved the protection 
 of the Right Honorable George Canning : and what was the 
 result ? that he instantly and cheerfully " stepped forward to 
 " raise the fallen, to sustain the oppressed, to interpose 
 " between the prostrate victim and the descending sword 
 " of the assassin !" and, adhering to the resolution he had 
 formed in 1806, he twice addressed his noble friend and col- 
 league, the late Lord Liverpool, saying, " My Lord, I shall 
 " never, either by my voice or by my conduct, patronise 
 " the tyrannical, dcsjwtie principle of punishment pre- 
 " rivns to conviction"! ! ! 
 
 " Such was CANNING ! Fiends, away ! 
 Ye, who brand the mighty dead ! 
 Can ye vex the silent clay ? 
 Can ye grieve the soul that's fled ?" 
 
 * At the end of the appendix to this pamphlet, I hare reprinted a collec- 
 tion of Poems occasioned by the death of the Right Honorable George Can- 
 ning, originally selected from the various periodicals of the day, by Charles 
 Wilson Baker, Esq. of the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden; and published in 
 1827, by that gentleman under the title of " A NATION'S TEARS." To the 
 relations, friends, and admirers of that great and good man, no apology will 
 be necessary for this intrusion. And, to bis enemies, persecutors, aud 
 slanderers, they will constitute a bitter pill, which I shall have infinite satisfac- 
 tion in forcing them to gulp!
 
 152 
 
 However, it is possible that the Duke of Wellington, in 
 the line of conduct which he has thought proper to adopt 
 in this transaction, may have been actuated by the fear lest, 
 had his Grace rendered JUSTICE to me, the public might 
 have accused him of an undue bias, an overstiained 
 partiality for the well-known protege* of his " private and 
 political friend," the Right Honorable George Canning. 
 If such were the motives which induced the Duke of Wel- 
 lington to assert that " my case had been fully considered," 
 when his Grace knew well that I had not been permitted a 
 hearing ; if such were the motives which induced the Duke 
 of Wellington " to adhere to the decision of the Board of 
 Treasury, as communicated to me by the letter of Mr. 'Se- 
 cretary Dawson of the 9th of July 1828," when his Grace 
 knew well, that that decision was " unfair, tyrannical, andop- 
 pressive;" if such were the motives which induced the Duke 
 . of Wellington " to refuse to recommend any increase to 
 my pension," when his Grace knew well that the dictates 
 of humanity, magnanimity, and JUSTICE ought to have 
 prompted him to have done so ; if such were the motives 
 which induced the Duke of Wellington to treat with si- 
 lent contempt the request which 1 made to his Grace, 
 " that he would have the goodness to carry the late Lord 
 Liverpool's favorable intentions towards me into effect, and 
 confer upon me another appointment equivalent in respecta- 
 bility and in emolument to that from which 1 had been re- 
 moved," when his Grace knew well that I had an equitable, 
 just, and legal claim upon his patronage; if such were the 
 motives which induced the Duke of Wellington to inform 
 the Members of the House of Lords that " my petition 
 was unworthy of their attention that I had misconducted 
 myself in office that my complaints were unfounded that 
 my petition to that august 'assembly contained falsehoods," 
 when his Grace knew well that the subject of my petition 
 demanded the most serious, and deliberate attention of 
 their Lordships that my conduct in office had been exem- 
 plary that "my griefs cry louder than advertisement" that 
 my petition to that august assembly (although it contained not 
 th'e whole truth) contained the truth, and nothing but the 
 truth; if such were the motives which induced the Duke of 
 Wellington to refuse to furnish me with the means of ob- 
 taining legal redress against Mr. Henry Jadis, the principal 
 individual by whom I have been so grossly insulted, libelled, 
 traduced, and calumniated " by his attributing to me motives 
 for my conduct both public and private which disgrace and
 
 1 
 
 153 
 
 triminate me," -when his Grace knew well, that " Ao man 
 " has a rig/it, whether in public or in private, by speech 
 " or in writing, or in print, to insult another by attri- 
 ' biding to Ititn motives for his conduct, public or private, 
 " which disgrace or criminate him ;' and, moreover, that 
 it was his bonnden duty, both as a man and as a Christian, 
 " to do unto others, as he would others should do unto him ;" 
 if such were the motives v/hich induced the Duke of Wel- 
 lington to refuse to return to me the first BASE note ad- 
 dressed to me by Messrs. Jadis and Nevinson aye, and 
 under a subterfuge too, that I had requested to have re- 
 turned to me a note which never had any existence, when 
 his Grace knew well, that there was not, and could not be, 
 any reasonable objection to his complying with my request; 
 if such were the motives which induced the Duke of Wel- 
 lington to assert " that there appear to be other circum- 
 stances, independent of the state of my health, which dis- 
 qualify me for the office of Paymaster of Exchequer-Bills," 
 when his Grace knew well, that that charge was false aye, 
 "false as HELL;" if such were the motives which in- 
 duced the Duke of Wellington to refuse me " permission 
 to resume my duties as a Paymaster of Exchequer-Bills," 
 on the reasonable conditions offered in my letter of the 9th 
 of last November, when his Grace knew well, that my re- 
 moval from that office (( was a mistake, can be a mistake, 
 and ought to be a mistake ;" if such were the motives 
 which induced the Duke of Wellington to refuse to grant 
 me " a copy of the Minute of the Board of Treasury," 
 whereby I had been, in the most arbitrary, unjust, in- 
 human, and illegal manner, deprived of my " incorporeal 
 hereditament," when his Grace knew well, that the dic- 
 tates of humanity, magnanimity and common JUSTICE 
 pointed out to him the propriety of my being furnished 
 therewith; or, at all events, that if that "minute ought not 
 to have been produced, it ought not to be quoted, still 
 less to have been the guide of his Grace's conduct towards 
 me ; and finally, if such were the motives which induced 
 the Duke of Wellington peremptorily to slam the door of 
 JUSTICE in my face, when his Grace knew well, or, as 
 Prime Minister of England, ot;ght to have known well, 
 that " it is an invariable maxim of our law, that, JVo 
 man shall be punished until he has had an opportunity 
 of being heard ;" and further that, " it is never too 
 late to do JUSTICK ;" if such, J repeat, have been the 
 motives by which the Duke of Wellington has been 
 
 20
 
 154 
 
 . 
 
 actuated in the line of conduct which he has thought 
 proper to adopt towards me in this transaction ; then, I say, 
 in the eloquent and manly language of him, whose " voice 
 of thunder" (thanks to his Grace'the Duke of Wellington, 
 and such his other " private and political friends'] can 
 now, alas ! no longer be heard in the British Senate,* that 
 " I cannot refuse to his Grace the praise of Spartan in- 
 " flexibility, of more than Roman virtue. But, while 
 " humbly and at a distance I admire the exertion of these 
 " high qualities in him, I pray to Almighty God to spare 
 " me the pain of being ever called upon to imitate his exam- 
 
 By the inscrutable will of Heaven, " good frequently 
 proceeds from evil." Hence the persecution, by men in 
 power, of temperate and moderate, but firm and resolute in- 
 dividuals, (however humble and obscure their station in life 
 may be) seldom fails of rendering an advantage to the pub- 
 lic. The history of our own country furnishes us with 
 numerous examples : " Whoever," says Sir William Black- 
 stone, " will attentively consider the English history, 
 " may observe, that the flagrant abuse of power, by 
 " the crown, or its ministers, has always been productive 
 (t of a struggle, which either discovers the exercise of that 
 " power to be contrary to law, or (if legal) restrains it 
 " for the future. This was the case in the present instance. 
 " The oppression of an obscure individual gave birth to the 
 "famous habeas corpus act, 31 Car. 11, c. 2, which is 
 fk frequently considered as another Magna Charta of this 
 " Kingdom." 
 
 Junius also reminds us that " had Mr. Hampden, 
 * * * * instead of hasarding his whole fortune in a law 
 suit with the crown, quietly paid the twenty shillings de- 
 manded of him, the Stuart family would probably have 
 continued upon the throne; and, at this moment, the im- 
 position of ship money would have been an acknowledged 
 prerogative of the crown." 
 
 Philo-Junius likewise observes that " although General 
 Warrants had been often issued, they had never been 
 regularly questioned or resisted until the case of Mr. Wilkes. 
 
 * ** I conceive it to be the office of the members of the House of Cotn- 
 4t inuus **** to watch over and control the ministers of the crown ; 
 " to speak the opinion of the people to speak it in a voice of thunder, if 
 '' their interests are neglected OK THEIR RIGHTS INVAUKD."! Speech of 
 the Kight Honorable George Canning, at Manchester, October 31st 1812.
 
 155 
 
 He brought them to trial ; and the moment they were 
 tried, they were declared illegal." 
 
 The extraordinary doctrine laid down by the late Lord 
 Mansfield, in the prosecution of Woodfall (the publisher of 
 Junius) for a libel, was the cause of the legislature having 
 passed a Bill declaratory of the powers of Juries, and of 
 the duties of Judges upon trials of that nature. 
 
 Until the famous decision of the Court of King's Bench 
 (of which Sir John Holt was Lord Chief Justice) in the case 
 of Lord Banbury, the subject of the privilege of peerage 
 Was not ascertained, with due precision. 
 
 Had it not been for the capacity, integrity, and cou- 
 rage of that incomparable Judge, and the resolute perseve- 
 rance of Mr. Richard Lane, the Post-Master General would 
 now be considered as paramount to the law.* 
 
 But for the intrepidity of that great ornament of the 
 legal profession, whose character deserves to be held in the 
 highest veneration to the latest posterity, and the perse- 
 vering courage of one Ashby, a burgess of Aylesbury, re- 
 turning officers would now be considered as being entitled 
 to exercise " an irresponsible judgment," (so far as the 
 Courts of Law are concerned) as to whom they should, in 
 their wisdom, think proper to allow to vote for the return 
 of Members of Parliament. f 
 
 * In 1698, a remarkable cause was tried before his Lordship at Guild- 
 hall, wherein Richard Lane brought an action against Sir Robert Cotton and 
 Sir Thomas Frankland, as postmaster-general, for that a letter of the plaintiff's 
 being- delivered into the post office, to be sent by the post from London to 
 Worcester, by the negligence of the defendants in the execution of their 
 office, the said letter was opened in the post-office, and divers Exchequer- 
 Bills therein inclosed were taken away. In the course of the trial, some diffi- 
 cult points of law being started, the jury brought in a special verdict. 
 
 The case was several times argued at the bar; and three of the judges 
 were of opinion, that judgment ought to be given for the defendants ; but 
 Holt gave his opinion in favour of the plaintiff. He said, " It would be very 
 hard upon the subject, if the action, brought in this case, was not a good one; 
 for, as the crown had a revenue of 100, OOO/. per annum, for the management 
 of the post office, care ought to be taken that letters were safely conveyed, 
 and that the subjects should be secured in their properties." He offered many 
 other reasons to support his opinion ; but, the other judges having determined 
 otherwise, judgment was given for the defendants. However, a writ of error 
 was afterwards brought, and allowed, on the reason which had been ad- 
 vanced by Holt; so that the final determination of this affair was in favour of 
 the plaintiff." BRITISH PLUTARCH. 
 
 t " In the second year of the reign of Queen Anne, a very important 
 cause was agitated by the judges of what was then called " The Queen's 
 Bench," relative to the right of election for members of parliament; and on 
 this occasion, Holt greatly distinguished himself as a steady friend to the li- 
 berties of the subject. An action had been brought against the constables of 
 
 20*
 
 150 
 
 Friends, Britons and Countrymen ! " this is not the 
 cause of faction, or of party, or of any individual, but the 
 common interest of every man in Britain." What is my 
 
 Aylesbury, at the suit of one Ashby, a burgess of that town, for refusing to 
 receive his vote in an election of a member of parliament, the constables being 
 the returning officers in that borough. This was tried at the assizes, and it 
 was found there, by the jury, that the constables-had denied Ashby a right, of 
 which he was undoubtedly in possession ; and they were cast in damages. 
 But a motion was made in the court of Queen's Bench, in arrest of judgment, 
 it being alleged that no action did lie, or had ever been brought on that ac- 
 count. When the case came to be argued, three of the judges, Powel, Powis, 
 and Gould, gave it as their opinion, that no hurt was done to the man, or 
 at least none but what was too inconsiderable to deserve the notice of the 
 law; that the judging of elections belonged to the House of Commons; that 
 as this action was the first of its kind, so if it was allowed, it would bring 
 on an infinity of suits, and involve all officers concerned in elections in great 
 difficulties.. 
 
 Lord Chief Justice Holt differed totally from his brethren on this subject, 
 and expressed his surprise at some arguments which they had advanced. 
 He maintained, that the plaintiff Ashby had a right and privilege to give his 
 vote; and, if he was hindered in the enjoyment or exercise of that right, he 
 might legally bring an action against the disturber. " If the plaintiff (says 
 he), has a right, he must of necessity have a means to vindicate and main- 
 tain it, and a remedy, if he is injured in the exercise or enjoyment of it; and, 
 indeed, it is a vain thing to imagine a right without a remedy ; for want of 
 right and want of remedy are reciprocal It is no objection to say, that it 
 will occasion multiplicity of actions ; farifmenwi.il multiply injuries, ac- 
 tions must be multiplied too; for every man that is injured ought to have 
 his recompense. And if public officers will infringe men's rights, they ought 
 1o pay greater damages than other men, to deter and hinder other officers 
 from the like offences. To allow this action will make public officers more 
 careful to observe the constitutions of cities and boroughs, and not to be so 
 partial, as they commonly are, in all elections, which is indeed a great and 
 growing mischief and tends to the prejudice of the nation.^The right of 
 voting at the election of burgesses, is a thing of the highest importance, and 
 .so great a privilege, that it is a great injury to deprive the plaintiff of it. 
 A right that a man has to give his vote to the election of a person to represent 
 him in parliament, there to concur to the making of laws which are to bind 
 his liberty and property, is a most transcendent thing, and of an high nature, 
 and the law takes notice of it as such in divers statutes. The right of voting 
 is a right in the plaintiff by the common law, and consequently he shall main- 
 tain an action for the obstruction of it." He offered many other learned and 
 forcible arguments on the same side, and concluded, that the plaintiff ought 
 to have judgment ; but, the majority of the judges having given a different 
 opinion, judgment was given for the defendants. 
 
 On the 14th of January 1703, this judgment was reversed in the House 
 of Lords, and judgment given for the plaintiff, by fifty lords against sixteen. 
 Holt still maintained his opinion in the House of Peers, and observed, " that 
 whenever such a cause should come before him, he should direct the jury to 
 make the returning officer pay well for depriving an elector of his vote. It is 
 (said he), denying him his English right; and if this action is not allowed, a 
 man may for ever be deprived of it. It is a great privilege to chive such 
 persons as are to bind a.man's life and property by the laws they make." 
 
 BRITISH PLUTARCH.
 
 157 
 
 case to-d;iy, may be yours to-morrow.* The same arbi- 
 trary, unjust, inhuman, and illegal fiat which deprived me 
 of my bread, of my health, and of my character ; and the 
 same arbitrary, unjust, inhuman, and illegal dictum which 
 has refused to render me JUSTICE, may deprive you of your 
 freehold, or of your liberty, or of your life. 
 
 " Prudence and self-preservation will oblige the most 
 moderate dispositions to make common cause with a man 
 whom they may see persecuted in a way which the real 
 spirit of the laws will, not justify." 
 
 " An injury offered to an individual is interesting to 
 society. On this principle, (says Junius) the people of 
 England made common cause with Mr. Wilkes." On this 
 principle, the people of England, Scotland, and Ireland 
 will, 1 feel confident, make common cause with me." 
 
 I now beg leave to submit to my readers two additional 
 medical certificates granted to me by my most excellent 
 friend, Dr. Anthony Todd Thomson, for the purpose of 
 being laid before the Judge of the Consistory Court of Lon- 
 don, at the periods of their respective dates. To these I 
 shall subjoin some extracts from the eighth edition of Mr. 
 Abernethy's work entitled, te Surgical Observations on 
 the Constitutional Origin and Treatment of Local Diseases ; 
 including Directions for the Treatment of Disorders of the 
 Digestive Organs." From a perusal of these certificates, 
 in conjunction with those already inserted in this pamphlet, 
 my readers will be able to form some idea of my past and 
 present bodily sufferings ; and, from a perusal of the extracts, 
 they will be able to judge how far the several certificates of 
 Dr. Thomson, of Mr. Anthony White, and of Mr. Tho- 
 mas Gaskell, which I transmitted to the Lords Commis- 
 sioners of His Majesty's Treasury, on the 3rd of September 
 and on the 28th of October 1823, were or were noi false, /f 
 
 * This observation is peculiarly applicable to every individual (from a 
 Commissioner for Auditing 1 Public Accounts, down to a Messenger in the 
 Hackney Coach Office) who may have been appointed to his situation by 
 virtue of the authority of an Act of Parliament ; or, who may consider that he 
 holds his appointment " during 1 good behaviour," (Quamdiu se Lene gessc. 
 rit) or, as the Scotch Law designates the tenure, (Aut rittim, out cvl- 
 pam.) 
 
 + The reader will be pleased to recollect, that the charge of having 
 transmitted false certificates to their Lordships, as to the state of my health, 
 is the only one which has been prel'erred against me, in a tangible shape; 
 and this charge (although completely refuted by me, and wholly abandoned 
 by my former official superiors) was renewed, in the most wanton and ago- 
 ni/.ing manner, in the House of Commons, by Mr. George R. Dawsoii ! " Mr.
 
 158 
 
 91, SLOANK STREET, April 30th, 1825. 
 These are to certify that William Carmichael Smyth, 
 Esq. is at present under my medical care, for the cure of a 
 fever connected with an affection of the head, which ori- 
 ginated in a concussion, in consequence of being thrown 
 from a horse in the month of August, 1823, and which has 
 since that period rendered him liable to inflammation of the 
 membrane of the brain on taking slight cold, or on being 
 subjected to any great mental excitation. He is, at pre- 
 sent, incapable of transacting any business ; and could not 
 attend in the Consistory Court, without incurring consider- 
 able risk. 
 
 (Signed) \NTHONY TODD THOMSON, M.D. 
 
 3, HINDE STREET, February 13, 1829. 
 These are to certify, that W. C. Smyth, Esq. in Au- 
 gust, 1823, received a concussion of the brain, in conse- 
 quence of a fall from his horse. That he is still suffering 
 from the effects of that accident ; and I am of opinion, 
 that it would be extremely prejudicial to his health, to 
 attend, at present, to any business requiring much appli- 
 cation, or which is likely to produce any great excitement 
 in his mind. 
 
 (Signed) ANTHONY TODD THOMSON, M. D. 
 
 Member of the Royal College of Physicians of London. 
 
 " Whenever circumstances will permit, I recommend 
 " patients to take as much exercise as they can, short of 
 " producing fatigue ; to live much in the open air ; 
 " and, if possible, not to suffer their minds to be agitated 
 "by anxiety or fatigued by exertion." Page 101. 
 
 " When the disorders which have been the subject of 
 " this paper, have been long continued, they do not admit 
 " of a speedy cure ; hence attention to diet, air, exercise 
 " and mental tranquillity, are more decidedly beneficial 
 " than medicines." Page 104. 
 
 " The most judicious treatment will not remedy the 
 " disease if the existing cause continue to operate ; such 
 if as improprieties of diet, agitation of mind, sedentary ha- 
 " bits, or impure air." Page 96. 
 
 " Smyth was so negligent of his duties, that he remained away from his office 
 " six weeks at a time ; when called upon to state why he had absented himself 
 " he gave & false reason." '.!! See page 122 of this pamphlet.
 
 159 
 
 " 1 shall next speak of those cases in which local 
 " disorders of the head, produced by blows, are kept up and 
 " aggravated by affections of the digestive organs. After 
 " what has been observed respecting the reciprocal influence 
 " of the diseases of the brain, and of the chylopoietic visce- 
 " ra, it will readily be admitted, that an injury of the former 
 " may disturb the functions of the latter. Thus, concussion 
 " of the brain occasions vomiting as one of its immediate 
 " consequences, and will also be found to produce almost 
 " constantly, at a more remote period, that disturbance of 
 " the digestive organs which I have described in this paper. 
 " Jf the disturbance be only moderate in degree, but con- 
 " tinued, it will often re-act upon the head, so as to occa- 
 " sion an irritable state of the injured parts, and impede 
 " their recovery. 
 
 " In many cases of blows upon the head, a slow in- 
 " flammatory affection continues in the parts chiefly injured, 
 " and ultimately produces distructive diseases. The bone 
 " sometimes becomes diseased, or an exostosis grows from 
 " its internal table, the dura mater becomes thickened, or 
 " matter slowly collects on the surface. Such local dis- 
 " orders produce others of a more general nature, and 
 " destroy the patient." Page 133. 
 
 That this the history of my sufferings, and persecutions 
 will excite the sympathy of every individual, deserving the 
 name of a human being, who may read the preceding 
 pages, I do not entertain a doubt. " But," says the im- 
 " mortal Canning, " they who have suffered great privations 
 " have a claim not merely to consolation, but to something 
 " more. They are justly to be compensated for what they 
 " have undergone, or lost, or hazarded, by the conteiu- 
 " plation of what they have gained." 
 
 " Et genus, et virtus, nisi cum re, vilior alga est." 
 Birth and virtue, unless attended with substance, is viler trash than sea-weed. 
 
 Ruined in fortune, broken in constitution, and de- 
 prived of character, I have no longer the means of resis 
 tance : or the power of bearing up against the overwhelming 
 torrent of inhumanity and injustice, which has been, during 
 the long- protracted period of nearly seven years, rolling 
 down upon me, with incessant violence, from the foun- 
 tain-head of tyranny and oppression. I have therefore now 
 no resource left, but either to appeal (through the medium 
 of the press) to the generosity, the humanity, and the 
 JUSTICE of a British King, ;uid a British Public; or to
 
 160 
 
 succumb, and (making an ignominious surrender to my 
 implacable enemies), to kiss the rod of iron held out by 
 the insulting hand of arbitrary power. 
 
 I have chose the former ; and feel confident, that the 
 voice of my countrymen will approve of that choice. 
 
 I now publicly and gratefully acknowledge the receipt 
 of the following liberal donations, wMch have been made 
 to me, (in the most handsome and delicate manner) since 
 my removal from office. 
 
 The Right Hon. Stephen Rumbold Lushington, then, 
 Secretary to the Treasury, now, Governor of 
 Madras , ' 200 
 
 Charles Carmichael Smyth, Captain Bengal Cavalry. 200 
 David Carmichael Smyth, Bengal Civil Service. . . . 200 
 
 Subscriptions, from those individuals who may be de- 
 sirous of contributing to assist in extricating me from the 
 labyrinth of difficulties, in which I have been so long, so 
 cruelly, so unjustly, and am still so deeply involved, will 
 be received by Messrs. Drummonds, 49, Charing Cross, 
 London ; by Sir W. Forbes and Co. Parliament Square, 
 Edinburgh ; by Messrs. 
 Liverpool and by Messrs. 
 Dublin ; and gratefully acknowledged by me, 
 
 WILLIAM CARMICHAKL SMYIII 
 
 1 
 
 6, Adam Street, Adelphi. 
 April 23, 1830.
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 The Correspondence between Mr. Nevinson and myself 
 referred to in the second page of this pamphlet. 
 
 GRAY'S INN, April 3, 1815. 
 
 MY DEAR SIR, As it is my desire to accommodate you, as 
 far as lays in my power, I will relinquish to you one of my 
 months of vacation this year, provided you accept of it as an 
 accommodation, and not as a right. 
 
 Your's faithfully, 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH 
 
 To E. H. Nevinson, Esq. 
 
 SAVILK Row, Aprils. 
 
 DEAR SIR, Nothing could give me greater pleasure 
 than to accommodate matters amicably ; but the proposal 
 contained in the letter I have just received from you, would 
 only be a temporary remedy ; as, in the event of niy wishing 
 at any future season to be absent during what you are pleased 
 to call your months, we should only have a renewal of the 
 same unpleasant discussions. What I object to, is the un- 
 heard of principle you have declared, of always retaining 
 those months as yours, so contrary to what was expected by 
 myself, or even by Mr. Jadis ; and which 1 conceive you, 
 as Junior at the Board, cannot with any propriety demand. 
 Mutual accommodation, 1 conceive, should be practised 
 among colleagues situated as we are ; but this principle you 
 completely set at defiance by the declaration repeated in 
 your letter. I can only, therefore, appeal to our superiors
 
 2 APPENDIX. 
 
 to ascertain whether I must submit, though Senior at the 
 Board, to accept such vacation as you may think proper to 
 allow me. 
 
 I remain, 
 
 Your's faithfully, 
 
 (Signed) EDW. H. NEVINSON. 
 
 P. S. I shall defer my representation to the Treasury, till 
 I hear from you again, in the hope that you will think better 
 on the subject. 
 To W. C. Smyth, Esq. 
 
 ExCHKQUER-BiLL OFFICE, April 5, 1815. 
 
 MY DEAR SIR, Mr. Jadis said most distinctly, in your 
 presence, last year that " He did conceive the arrangement 
 we made of our months of vacation, in the autumn of 1811, a 
 permanent arrangement, and that he did not think that one 
 of us was at liberty to make any alteration, but by mutual 
 consent ;" and in support of that opinion, he was as unwilling 
 to cede to you any of his vacation months as I was ; and he 
 himself, although he frequently has had changes with me, has 
 never demanded them as a right, but requested them as a 
 favor. Upon the same ground, am I now willing to accom- 
 modate you. If you do not choose to accept of an accom- 
 modation, as I now offer it to you, but will appeal to the 
 Lords of the Treasury, all I have to request is, that you will 
 furnish me with an accurate copy of the letter you give in, and 
 on the day on which it is given in ; in order that I may be 
 enabled to answer it. 
 
 Your's faithfully, 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 P. S. I find it upon record, that it has been usual for 
 the Paymasters to fix their months of vacation ; and not for 
 the two Juniors to accept every year of such months as the 
 Senior thought proper to allot them ; as you are wishing to 
 establish a right to do. 
 To Edivard H. Nevinson, Esq. 
 
 GRAY'S JNN, April 18, 1815. 
 
 MY DEAR SIR, In consequence of your request to me, 
 to change one of our months of vacation for this year, I am 
 now about to make my arrangements accordingly ; therefore, 
 in order to prevent any misunderstanding, or disappointment 
 to either of us, I will esteem it a favour of you to let me
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 know, by return of post, whether you have finally made up 
 your mind to accept of the change upon the conditions I 
 mentioned to you in my note of the third instant. 
 
 Your's faithfully, 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To Edward H. Nevinsan, Esq. 
 
 April 18, 1815. 
 
 DEAR SIR, I hoped to have avoided all further unpleasant 
 discussion ; and that we had last week settled that you would 
 take the two following months; but, as I stated this morning,! 
 cannot consent to acknowledge as permanent the arrangement 
 you wish to establish ; no agreement of that kind having been 
 made at your first coming into the office. 
 Your's truly, 
 
 (Signed) EDW. H. NKVINSON. 
 
 To W. C. Smyth, Esq. 
 
 GRAY'S INN, April 2O, 1815. 
 
 DEAR SIR, You mistake the case widely. I do not wish 
 to establish any new arrangement, but only to adhere to the 
 one already established by mutual consent, in the autumn of 
 1811, and which we have acted upon ever since ; now three 
 years and a half. This, however, does not prevent us from 
 making any temporary arrangement to accommodate each 
 other ; and that 1 am still willing to do this year with you, 
 provided I hear from you before we meet on Monday, that 
 you accept of the change as an accommodation, and do not 
 exact it as a right. In order to prevent any unpleasant 
 discussion, I request the favor of you not to agitate the 
 question any more, viva voce, as I shall decline conversing 
 on that subject, although always happy to discuss any other 
 subject, whatever, with you. 
 
 Your's truly, 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To Edward H. Xevinson, Esq. 
 
 April 22, 1815. 
 
 DEAR SIR, In order to put a stop to this very unpleasant 
 correspondence, I accept the change upon ttye plan proposed 
 by you, viz. of occasional changes for mutual accommodation. 
 I have only to add, that Mr.' Judi*, whonOh^vc just seep,
 
 4 APPENDIX. 
 
 has no recollection whatever of the declaration imputed to 
 him, by you, in your letter of the 5th instant. 
 I remain, 
 
 Your's truly, 
 
 (Signed) EDW. H. NEVINSON. 
 
 To W. C. Smyth, Esq. 
 
 GRAY'S INN, April 23, 1815. 
 
 DEAR SIR, I congratulate you, and am no less gratified my- 
 self, at the amicable termination of our little difference ; and 
 I am sure, when you reflect coolly on the subject, you must be 
 convinced, that I had justice completely on my side. As this 
 is the first time we have had any difference of opinion, so do 
 I hope, and indeed feel confident, that it will be the last ; 
 and I beg you will believe me to remain, truly and faithfully 
 
 Your's, 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 1o Edward H. Nevinson, Esq. 
 
 April 24, 1815. 
 
 DEAR SIR, I had flattered myself our correspondence was 
 concluded ; but you assume an air of triumph in your last 
 which I cannot possibly pass over in silence. To put an 
 end to the dispute, I certainly accede to the proposal made 
 in your former letter of " occasional mutual accommoda- 
 tion" which, I have to observe, you refused to acknowledge 
 last summer ; but I beg to acquaint you, that I never will 
 admit, either that you had " justice on your side," or that 
 your statement of the question was correct ; and I am sup- 
 ported in this by what I have already stated, viz. that our 
 colleague does not acknowledge the declaration you imputed to 
 him. I am ready, however, to give you ample credit for 
 pertinacious adherence to your point. 
 
 In the hope this disagreeable correspondence may not be 
 renewed, I remain, 
 
 Your's, &c., 
 
 (Signed) EDW. H. NEVINSON. 
 
 To W. C. Smyth, Esq. 
 
 GRAY'S INN, April 25, 1815. 
 
 DEAR SIR, -/also had flattered myself, that our corres- 
 pondence was concluded, and am not sensible of having as- 
 sumed any "air of triumph" in my last. The sentence,
 
 APPENDIX. 5 
 
 which seems to have given you offence, was founded on a 
 conviction in my own mind, that I had " justice on my 
 side," and that from a knowledge of the liberality of your 
 mind, when you reflected coolly on the subject, you also 
 would be convinced of it. 1 refused to make any change 
 last year, because it was inconvenient ; but more particu- 
 larly, because you demanded it as a right, which I did not 
 then, nor do I now allow that you possess. I am at a loss 
 to discover how my statement of the case is otherwise than 
 correct, as you must admit, that both you and Mr. Jadis 
 chose your months of vacation before me ; consequently, that 
 I had no choice, but took what you left me. You must admit 
 also, that we have acted according to that arrangement ever 
 since it was made, now three years and a half ; and whether 
 or not, Mr. Jadis remembers having used the words I stated 
 he had, is immaterial, for you know well, that he acted ac- 
 cording to their spirit, in as much as, it being inconvenient 
 to him last year, he declined making any alteration. His 
 not having any recollection of the sentiments he delivered 
 on the occasion, is easily accounted for ; as, from your re- 
 linquishing all further demands on him, when you found 
 them in vain, it ceased to be a subject of any interest to him j 
 but not so with me, whom you did not so easily quit ; but, 
 in my humble opinion, it is you, who have shown on this sub- 
 ject, with respect to me at least, the very pertinacity you 
 profess yourself so ready to give me ample credit for. 
 I remain, 
 
 Your's faithfully, 
 
 (Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 To Edward H. Nevinson, Esq.
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 The L/etters* from Mr. Jadis to myself, referred to in page 4 
 of this Pamphlet. 
 
 EXCHEQUER, Monday. 
 
 DEAR SMYTH, You come into attendance the first of 
 February. Should it be convenient to you, I will attend the 
 whole of February for you, if you will attend either April or 
 May for me. In this case you must attend every day ; but, 
 as there are six holidays in both those months, it will not be 
 very irksome. 
 
 In haste, 
 
 Always truly your's, 
 
 (Signed) H. JADIS. 
 
 P. S. Should this not find you at home, will you send me 
 a line to Bensham house, Croydon ? 
 
 Friday. 
 
 DEAR SMYTH, I can appear at the Exchequer on Mon- 
 day next, and return you thanks for your attending the three 
 days for me. I will attend Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, 
 and Thursday next, and Saturday, when I shall remain one 
 day in your debt. 
 
 In haste, 
 
 Ever your's, 
 
 (Signed) H. JADIS. 
 
 DEAR SMYTH, I shah 1 attend on Saturday next week, 
 and will attend four days next week : Monday, Tuesday, 
 Thursday, and Friday, which will redeem the time, you was 
 so good as to work for me. Wednesday is a holiday, so you 
 will have the week to yourself, except Saturday. 
 
 Ever your's, 
 (Signed) H. JADIS. 
 
 P. S. If this will suit, don't trouble yourself to write. 
 
 * As the writer of these Elegant EPISTLES was generally in too 
 great a haste to date his communications, I have not been able to adhere to 
 their strict chronological order.
 
 APPENDIX. 7 
 
 Friday. 
 
 DEAR SMYTH, I am obliged to be at the Court of Arches 
 on Monday, and will therefore attend Tuesday instead. The 
 1st and 2d of November are holidays. I will attend the 3d ; 
 the 4th is a holiday ; Monday the 6th is also one. I will be at 
 the office on Wednesday 8th and Friday loth. 
 
 I had a tough job on the 25th, and a dirty one ;* I can- 
 celled nearly 3,000,000 of Bills, the greater part small ones. 
 
 Ever your's, 
 (Signed) H. JADIS. 
 
 INDIA BOARD. 
 
 MY DEAR SMYTH, / shall feel particularly obliged to 
 you, if you will attend at the Exchequer on Saturday and 
 Monday next. I had made arrangements with Nevinson to 
 be absent on those days upon most particular business ; but 
 he wrote to me this morning to say, he could not attend, a 
 most dreadful accident having taken place in his family; 
 namely, his brother's wife being run over and killed upon 
 the spot, yesterday evening. Will you send a line to Water- 
 field, at the Exchequer, to say if you will attend, as he will 
 be in the way, should I not be there ? 
 
 I write in haste, 
 Always truly your's 
 (Signed) H. JADIS. 
 
 EXCHEQUER, Saturday. 
 
 DEAR SMYTH, Will it suit you to attend Monday the 3rd 
 Tuesday the 4th, and Saturday the 8th of May ? and I will 
 be here the Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday in that week. 
 Do not trouble yourself to send an answer, if this arrange- 
 ment will do. 
 
 Ever your's, 
 
 (Signed) H. JADIS. 
 
 P. S. I have written thus early, as I believe I am going 
 
 from town. Next Monday Nevinson attends ; and you the 
 
 remainder of the week, except Saturday, which is a holiday. 
 
 Memorandum. 
 
 To attend for Jadis Thursday the 28th, the last day for 
 taking in the Bills. 
 
 On reference to page 13 of this pamphlet, the reader will perceive that 
 this was not the first DIRTY JOB in which Mr. Jadis has been engaged ! ! !
 
 8 APPENDIX. 
 
 Friday. 
 
 I should wish to attend Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thurs- 
 day of the following week. In haste. 
 
 Ever your's, 
 
 (Signed) H. JADIS. 
 
 Friday. 
 
 DEAR SMYTH, Nevinson wishes to be absent on the 10th. 
 I am obliged to go to the North on Monday, and I cannot 
 return till the end of the following week. Can you continue 
 to attend during that time ? I write in haste. 
 
 Ever your's, 
 
 (Signed) H. JADIS. 
 
 22d March. 
 
 DEAR SMYTH, I should much wish, when I come into 
 attendance, to attend Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. 
 I will therefore attend the first of those open days after the 
 21st. 
 
 Ever your's, 
 
 (Signed) H. JADIS. 
 
 EXCHEQUER, Thursday. 
 
 DEAR SMYTH, I have very urgent business to attend to 
 next week, and will, if it makes no material difference to 
 you, attend to-morrow, Saturday, Monday and Tuesday; 
 if you will be here Wednesday," Thursday and Saturday, 
 (Friday being a holiday) . You need not send an answer 
 should this suit your convenience. 
 
 Your's truly, 
 
 (Signed) H. JADIS. 
 
 EXCHEQUER, Friday. 
 
 MY DEAR SMYTH, I have received a notice to attend at 
 Durham with Sir John Paul, on Saturday the 1 1th, upon 
 a business of great importance to our trust. I shall be ab- 
 sent a few days only, and will feel myself much obliged 
 by your attending for me the intermediate days of the week 
 following; the llth, one of your own days in that week, 
 being a holiday. I applied to Nevinson, and he refused. 
 I should leave town next Friday morning, and I will attend 
 next Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday ; so that 
 you. will miss a day in the next week, and I will certainly 
 'be at my post on Monday the 20th. It is possible, after 
 all, I may not go, in the event of my deposition being taken 
 in this town instead of the Durham courts ; but this I will
 
 APPKNDIX. 
 
 let you know on Monday. It puts me to the greatest in- 
 convenience the going to the North at this time, inasmuch 
 as I may almost say, I am in the act of packing up and 
 leaving my residence in Surry, having taken a house in 
 town. After ah 1 , this is not the most civil note in the world, 
 as I ought to have commenced by wishing you joy of your 
 marriage, which I do very sincerely. I did not know it 
 till I saw it in my paper last Sunday. 
 
 Believe me, 
 
 Very truly your's, 
 (Signed) H. JADIS. 
 
 Monday. 
 
 My DEAR SMYTH, I shall feel particularly obliged by 
 your attending next Thursday and Friday. This will leave 
 me the alternate days of a week in your debt, and I will 
 attend this month out and from the 1st to the 7th of 
 August inclusive, which will give you a week more holidays ; 
 or I will even attend longer at that time, if it is any con- 
 venience to you, as I do not leave this part of the world 
 till September. 
 
 There never were such floods known in the memory of 
 man as there were on Saturday week in the North. When 
 I arrived at Ferrybridge, the whole vale of the Aire and 
 Calder was under water, and the hills covered with snow. 
 People going to York were detained two days at Bo rob ridge 
 by the overflowing of the Oose. It has done great injury 
 to the corn, as it was extremely cold at the same time. I 
 do not know if you are a genealogist, but there is a fac- 
 simile of a most beautiful manuscript of Sir David Lindsay 
 coming out at Edinburgh with the figures and arms of the 
 Scots Peerage ; it was discovered in the Advocates' Library. 
 Lyndsay was Lyon King-at-arms. I see the name of Car- 
 michael and Hyndford. I have subscribed to the work, and, 
 if you would wish to do the same, you must write to Mr. 
 Laing, No. 19, South Bridge Street, Edinburgh. I have 
 seen one of the sheets which is most beautiful, the arms 
 being emblazoned. 
 
 Ever your's, 
 (Signed) H. JADI?. 
 
 EXCHEQUER, Ttiesday. 
 
 DEAR SMYTH, As I wish very much to be absent next 
 month, 1 will, if you please, attend the remainder of this for 
 you ; and will arrange it with Nevinson, so you need give 
 yourself no further trouble in point of attendance till you 
 hear from me again. I am glad to hear you are in a state
 
 1O APPENDIX. 
 
 of convalescence, and hope, when we meet, you will be quite 
 recovered. I remain, 
 
 Dear Smyth, 
 Post mark, Truly your's, 
 
 Nov. 21st, 1813 or 15. (Signed) H. JADIS. 
 
 BENSHAM HOUSE, Thursday. 
 
 DKAR SMYTH, If it suits you, I will attend next Tues- 
 day, Thursday and Saturday. 
 
 I have not been out of the house since the 16th of Fe- 
 bruary but twice, and then only a few yards from the door. 
 
 I shall get you to take my duty for me a little later ; as, 
 after the business of my ward's peerage is settled in the 
 House of Lords, I shall be obliged to go to the North for a 
 fortnight. 
 
 Very truly your's, 
 
 (Signed) H. JADIS. 
 
 BENSHAM HOUSE, CROYDOX. 
 
 MY DEAR SMYTH, Having been prevented from going 
 into Sussex till this morning, it is possible I may not return 
 till Friday ; and will, therefore, thank you to attend on that 
 day. Should I get to London on Thursday, I will send a 
 message to your lodging on that evening. 
 Post mark. Ever your's, 
 
 Oct. 18th, 1819. (Signed) H. JADIS. 
 
 Wednesday. 
 
 MY DEAR SMYTH, / must, at last, be under an obliga- 
 tion to yon, as I find I am obliged to go to the North on 
 Friday morning after all. Will you therefore attend on 
 that morning and my days in the ensuing week ? 
 
 I must be in town again on Friday evening. It will be 
 only getting up an hour earlier on the Monday, Wednesday 
 and Friday, which perhaps, as a fortnight has elapsed, may 
 be just as convenient. 
 
 Ever your's, 
 (Signed) H. JADIS. 
 
 Monday. 
 
 MY DEAR SMYTH, I have got off my northern trip so we 
 will go on as usual. / thank you the same, as if you had 
 attended. I shall be here on Wednesday and Friday. 
 In haste, ever your's, 
 
 (Signed) H. JADIS. 
 
 INDIA BOARD, Friday. 
 
 MY DEAR SMYTH, I wrote to you a letter to-day, to re-
 
 APPENDIX. 11 
 
 quest your attendance for me on Thursday next, which I have 
 now recollected is not the day on which I was engaged ; 
 but if you will attend for me the next day, Friday the 16th, 
 / shall be most partidihirly obliged to you. I am quite 
 ashamed to make you pay so much money for my scrawls.* 
 
 Your's truly, 
 
 Post mark, (Signed) H. JADIS. 
 
 January 9th, 1818. 
 
 Monday. 
 
 MY DKAU SMYTH, / shall be much obliged by your at- 
 tending here on Wednesday next, and I will repay you at 
 any other time. I will be here on Saturday as you direct. 
 I write in haste, 
 
 Ever your's, 
 
 (Signed) H. JADIS. 
 
 P. S. Leave your direction in the box. 
 
 Friday , 11 o'clock. 
 
 DEAR SMYTH, I was from this place when your note 
 arrived. 1 have most urgent business (LAW) to-morrow. 
 / shall be much obliged by your attendance. 
 In haste, 
 
 Ever your's, 
 
 (Signed) H. JADIS. 
 
 DEAR SMYTH, I will attend to-morrow, perhaps you 
 would look in before one and settle our days. Mondays, 
 Wednesdays and Fridays would suit me best ; therefore, if 
 we do not meet, 1 shall take those days. 
 
 Ever your's, 
 
 (Signed) H. JADIS. 
 
 Thursday morning 
 
 MY DEAR SMYTH, Will you attend to-morrow, as I have 
 some very pressing business to attend to ? I will be here on 
 Saturday. In great haste, 
 
 Always truly your's, 
 
 (Signed) H. JADIS. 
 
 P.S. Send a verbal answer. 
 
 Tuesday. 
 
 MY DEAR SMYTH, Will you attend for me on Saturday 
 also. I will take care and make it up for with interest. 
 I cannot get to town till Saturday night. 
 In great haste, 
 
 ' 
 
 Modest youth ! 
 
 B 2
 
 12 APPENDIX. 
 
 BIRCH ANGHR, BISHOP STORTFORD, 
 
 Thursday night. 
 
 MY DEAR SMYTH, My wife was so exceedingly unwell 
 I could not leave her; this evening the turn seems to be 
 in her favor ; the fever has nearly left and she has borne being 
 moved from her bed to a couch. I shall certainly attend on 
 Monday at the Exchequer ; therefore you need not be there. 
 I intend being in town on Sunday. / am sure the necessity 
 of the case will, with you, plead my excuse for throwing 
 so much of the attendance upon your shoulders. 
 Believe me, 
 
 Always sincerely your's, 
 (Signed) H. JADIS. 
 
 Post mark, 
 October 6th, 1813 or 15. 
 
 EXCHEQUER, January 9,6th. 
 
 DEAR SMYTH, My holidays are in February and March. 
 If you wish it, I will work for you two or three weeks from 
 the 1st of February, or a little later, to be repaid in May, 
 or at all events, after March. 1 mention this, as I shall be 
 obliged to go to the North about that time, whether I will 
 or no, to attend some legal proceedings. I write in haste ; 
 send me a line to Bensham House, Croydon. 
 
 Ever your's, 
 
 (Signed) H. JADIS. 
 
 P.S. Your pupil has got into College. 
 
 EXCHEQUER, Wednesday morning. 
 
 DEAR SMYTH, I am obliged to leave town for the North 
 early to-morrow morning. 1 have requested Nevinson to at- 
 tend for me, but as there is a heavy payment, he wishes for 
 your assistance ; will you therefore have the goodness to 
 attend on the 19th and 24th, the last day of taking in and 
 the day of delivery ? 
 
 I find you have the son of a friend of mine under Oriental 
 instruction. It will be a great help to him when he goes to 
 Hertford. 
 
 Always truly your's, 
 (Signed) H. JADIS. 
 
 Thursday. 
 
 DEAR SMYTH, My holidays having nearly expired, if it 
 makes no difference to you, I should like to attend the 
 Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and will therefore mount 
 guard Monday next. 
 
 Very truly your's, 
 
 (Signed) H. JADIS,
 
 APPENDIX. 13 
 
 EXCHEQUER, Saturday. 
 
 DEAR SMYTH, If you have no objection, I will take the 
 Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, as my days of atten- 
 dance, and will be at my post accordingly on the next 
 Monday. 
 
 In haste, 
 
 Ever your's, 
 
 (Signed) H. JADIS. 
 
 STREATHAM CASTLE, BARNARD CASTLE, 
 
 Tuesday. 
 
 MY DEAR SMYTH, / have so much business upon my 
 hands that I may be detained here a short time longer than 
 I expected. Should I not be able to reach town by the 
 1st of October, will you have the goodness to take my duty 
 for a few days, and I will thankfully repay you when 1 
 return. I must put you to the expense of the postage. 
 I write in haste to save the post. 
 
 Always sincerely your's, 
 (Signed) H. JADIS. 
 
 Thursday. 
 
 MY DEAR SMYTH, I forgot what we settled about to- 
 morrow; but / much ivish you tvould attend, as I must be 
 with these CURSED LAWYERS often, and stay in town for that 
 purpose. I will be here on Monday, and either see you or 
 write on that day. If you have any curiosity to see a most 
 beautiful girl enact the part of Jane Shore, go to Drury 
 Lane 011 Tuesday next. It is her first appearance ; / know 
 her \vhole history and herself, and they have the highest 
 expectations of her. I cannot go myself and should like to 
 have an impartial report .'* 
 
 Ever your's, 
 (Signed) H. JADIS. 
 
 And / should like to have an impartial investigation II!
 
 14 
 
 TRIBUNAL DE PREMIERE INSTANCE. 
 
 Sitting of the 10th inst. 
 
 ROBERTS AND I.AUGEOIS Versus BOYTON, MORGAN, WILSON, CHERMSIDE 
 AND . 
 
 This action, in which the English and French physicians and apothecaries 
 of the capital were deeply interested, attracted a great number of auditors, 
 including many gentlemen of the faculty of both nations. 
 
 M. LATERRADE, Counsel for the plaintiffs, iu opening the case, spoke to 
 the following effect : The English have not only disorders peculiar to them- 
 selves, but they have medicines suited to them, and the preparation of them 
 d liters from the French. Mr. Roberts, an English surgeon, conceiving, from 
 the great number of his countrymen resident at Paris, that an English phar- 
 macy in the French capital could not fail to succeed, applied to the British 
 Ambassador, and having obtained an appointment as surgeon and apothecary 
 to the Embassy, opened at 23, Place Veudome, an establishment for dispensing 
 medicines. The arms of England were placed over the door, the title of London 
 Dispensary was given to the establishment, and numerous hand-bills and 
 advertisements were published, announcing that English medicines, prepared 
 with English weights, were to be had of Mr. Roberts. Some time after he 
 entered into partnership with M. Laugeois, a Frenchman. Their establish- 
 ment was prosperous, and the Embassy consumed a considerable quantity of 
 medicines &c. when M. Beral, a French apothecary residing in the Rue de la 
 Paix, who frequently bought drugs of Mr. Roberts, placed upon his door the 
 title of London Dispensary. From this moment the sale of Roberts and Co. 
 to the Embassy diminished. The plaintiffs inquired into the cause, and found 
 that the physicians of the Embassy had for some time been in the habit of 
 recommending M. Beral's pharmacy instead of theirs, and even upon occasion 
 going themselves for the medicines which they prescribed. The conclusion 
 which they drew from this proceeding was, that the physicians had a personal 
 interest in euch recommendation. The animosity of the English physicians 
 did not confine itself to depriving the plaintiffs of their sale of medicines, &c. 
 to the Embassy: on the 9th of June, 1827, a letter, signed by thirteen phy- 
 sicians, was addressed to his Excellency the British Ambassador, in which 
 Mr. Roberts was styled a retail druggist, and was charged with having ca- 
 lumniated the physicians, by representing that they received a per-centage 
 upon the medicines which were furnished to their recommendation. (Here 
 the Learned Counsel read the letter.) This denunciation being credited by 
 Lord Grauville, led to the appointment of the plaintiffs being withdrawn, and, 
 in consequence, they were compelled to take down the arms of England, 
 which did them great injury, not only at Paris but at Boulogne, where they 
 had a second London Dispensary, inferences being necessarily drawn against 
 their capacity or their integrity. It was in vain that they sought an audience 
 of the Ambassador in the presence of those accusers, the only reply given, 
 referring them to their accusers Their justification being thus impossible, 
 Messrs. Roberts and Laugeois resolved to bring an action. The majority of 
 those who signed the letter having been led away by the suggestions of the 
 others, the plaintiffs separated the tares from the wheat ; and the action was 
 brought against only five, namely, Messrs. Boyton, Morgan, Wilson, Cherm- 
 side and , and the damages laid at 20,000 francs. The defen- 
 dants, at a former sitting, had put in a plea of the incompetency of the Tri- 
 bunal, as the parties were foreigners, but this objection was overruled, on the 
 ground of Mr. Roberts' partner being a Frenchman. The Learned Counsel 
 then argued the point of law. The quasi dilictum was manifest, for the de- 
 fendants did not attempt to deny having signed the letter; and that this 
 denunciation was the cause of the appointment being withdrawn was equally
 
 15 
 
 clear from the letter of the Ambassador to the plaintiffs, assigning the reason 
 for which it was withdrawn. The injury suffered by the plaintiffs waa more 
 t'laii 10,000 francs a year, and consequently 20,000 francs could not be con- 
 sidered exorbitant damages. 
 
 M. DUPIN senior, Counsel for the defendants, in rising: to reply, main- 
 tained that the action was untenable. The prosecution, he said, was most 
 frivolous; it was merely intended to make a noise; the plaintiffs sought by 
 publicity to present to the auditors a new kind of Prospectus with a view to 
 recover their customers, who had fallen off by their own fault, and not through 
 any hostility on the part of the English physicians. It is true there are many 
 English at Paris. They bring with them their humours and their diseases, 
 and even amidst the gaiety of the French experience attacks of the spleen. 
 Their physicians and their apothecaries follow them as closely as they can. 
 They arrive with their remedies and their English medicines. Such was 
 Mr. Roberts, apothecary to the English Embassy. However, whether it was 
 that he had not every kind of remedy, or whether his medicines were not of 
 good quality, the English physicians allowed themselves to recommend the 
 drugs of French apothecaries. Roberts, therefore, who would not that a pill 
 should be bought out of his shop, endeavoured to give currency to a rumour 
 that the English physicians acted thus, merely, because there was an agree- 
 ment for a per centage between themselves and the French apothecaries. 
 The Learned Counsel iheu read an advertisement inserted in GAMGX.VM'S 
 MESSENGER; and an article of the Jfyyie, in which, under the form of a 
 dialogue between an English physician and a French apothecary, named 
 Rabel (anagram of Beral"), it was set forth that, for the trifling allowance of 
 200 guineas a year, the physician engaged to secure to the apothecary the 
 supply of medicines to 50 good patients a month. Thus, added the Learned 
 Gentleman, the denunciation made to the Ambassador was merely reprisals 
 for the calumnies spread against the physicians by the plaintiffs, who bruited 
 it about that the English doctors had a profit upon the medicines which they 
 prescribed, and that it was because they (the plaintiffs) refused to submit to 
 so disgraceful a traffic, that efforts had been made to deprive them of their 
 customers, in favour of a rival establishment. The physicians could have 
 brought an action for defamation, and have demanded 20,000 francs damages; 
 but they took a course more worthy of them ; they applied to their natural 
 jud;je, the Ambassador of England, under whose jurisdiction they came, both 
 as English subjects, and as being attached to his service. The step which the 
 Ambassador took was his own act ; he had granted the appointment, and he 
 had a right to withdraw it. The physicians could not be responsible. And from 
 hence an occasion has been takeu to bring an action for defamation ! You have, 
 says Roberts, done me immense injury; 1 have been forced to take down 
 from my shop the Arms of England! What an affront! and have you not 
 your natural arms left ? (Laughter.) Do not you retain that skill, which, 
 according to yourself, is unequalled, those drugs and specifics which are to be 
 found nowhere else ? Gentlemen, I shall dwell no longer upon such an action ; 
 it is ridiculous, and ought to be rejected. 
 
 Mr. BART ii F. rose to address the court in behalf of the plaintiffs. He 
 maintained that his clients were altogether strangers to the articles that had 
 appeared in the journals. As to .M. Laugeois, they were inserted prior to his 
 entering into the firm, and, with ri'spect to Mr. Roberts, there was no proof 
 that they had proceeded from him. If such insinuations had been thrown 
 out against the physicians, or those who called themselves physicians, for 
 their title to that character was not very manifest. . . . 
 
 Here M. Dupin held up two sheets of parchment, to each of which was 
 affixed a seal. 
 
 M. BARTHE. Oh, yes. I know that you have two diplomas, but you 
 are thirteen. The thirteen who signed the letter to Lord Granville, felt that 
 they were vulnerable upon this point, and therefore brought all the diplomas 
 they had. In an English calendar only one of them is found in the list of 
 physicians; and, upon application being made at the office of the Minister of
 
 16 
 
 the Interior, we learned that none of the pretended physicians were authorised 
 to exercise the healing art in France except one, and the diploma he has is an 
 Edinburgh one. Gentlemen, England possesses distinguished physicians; 
 but she is so ungrateful as not to keep them at home by recompenses of 
 every kind reputation and fortune ; and, whatever may be said, persons do 
 not always quit their country for the sake of carrying abroad the aid of real 
 science. I appeal to Dr. Boyton, one of the defendants. Besides diplo- 
 mas, unless they come from Oxford, Cambridge, or London, are not of great 
 value. One of Scotch or Irish origin may be had for 40 guineas, upon the 
 application being accompanied with a certificate from a physician of London, 
 Cambridge, or Oxford, attesting that the applicant had attended medical lee- 
 tures. One day a young English nobleman took it into his head to make his 
 horse a physician. He sent the sum required with a certificate attesting that 
 Mr. Goodfriend was a gentleman of an excellent disposition, mild temper, 
 and deep erudition. The Society of Physicians at Edinburgh readily asso- 
 ciated to themselves so distinguished a member, and immediately sent off a 
 diploma for Mr. Goodfriend, which was no other than Lord Chatham's horse. 
 As soon as his Lordship received the diploma, he wrote to the members of 
 the college a letter of thanks, in which he congratulated them upon the ac- 
 quisition just made by the faculty, and assured them that the young adept 
 would never endanger the health of his patients. But no matter the origin of 
 the diploma 1 Such are the physicians that Great Britain has sent us; but this 
 does not prevent several, who are strangers to this action, being entitled to the 
 public esteem. Thus, without any provocation on their part, the plaintiffs, 
 two men exercising an honourable profession, have been attacked by a false 
 denunciation. The object of the denunciation, without doubt, was to have 
 the arms of England placed over the privileged pharmacy, as they had before 
 figured over our's. The defamation was only half successful. When an 
 establishment to which confidence, was so necessary, was suddenly deprived 
 of a connexion in which it gloried, every one might feel that there was ground 
 for distrust. From hence very heavy losses have been suffered by the firm, 
 as the books of the pharmacy prove ; and it is but just that the authors 
 of the injury should be condemned to make reparation. 
 
 After a short deliberation, the Tribunal pronounced judgment to the fol- 
 lowing effect : Seeing that the defamatory imputations of the persons who 
 signed the letter are not supported by proof; that these imputations occa- 
 sioned the dismissal of the plaintiffs from their connexion with the Embassy ; 
 that the physicians prosecuted are responsible for the prejudice caused by 
 them, the Tribunal condemns them in nolido to pay 5000 francs damages, 
 with costs, and to have 25 copies of the judgment posted up in the capital.* 
 Galignanfs Messenger, April 12, 1828. 
 
 * A CAPITAL JUDGMENT 
 
 Printed by G Schulz, 
 13, Poland Street.
 
 TO THE KING'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY. 
 The Humble Memorial of W. C. Smyth. 
 
 HUMBLY SHEWETH, 
 
 That your Memorialist was appointed one of the Paymasters of Ex- 
 chequer Bills, by a writing or constitution, bearing date the 21st day 
 of June, 1811, under the several hands and seals of the late Right Hono- 
 rable Spencer Perceval, the late Snowden Barne, Esq., and the Honorable 
 Berkeley Paget ; three of the then Lords Commissioners of His late Ma- 
 jesty's Treasury, by virtue of the power vested in their Lordships by the 
 tenth section of the first chapter of the 48th of George the Third. 
 
 That your Memorialist gave the security as required by the said Act 
 of Parliament, and continued or kept the same up to the present time. 
 
 That your Memorialist diligently and faithfully performed the duties 
 of the said office of Paymaster of Exchequer Bills, from ,the period of 
 his having given such security, until the llth day of June, 1824, when he 
 was removed therefrom by order of the then Lords Commissioners of Your 
 Majesty's Treasury, not only without any investigation of his conduct, 
 but even without being made acquainted with the crimes or offences 
 (if any) with which he was charged. 
 
 That your Memorialist, having the honour to be personally known 
 to the late Right Honorable George Canning (at that period Your Majesty's 
 Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs), immediately requested 
 that minister to intercede for him with the late Earl of Liverpool (at that 
 time First Lord of Your Majesty's Treasury), that his Lordship would be 
 pleased to direct that your Memorialist might be made acquainted with the 
 crimes or offences (if any) with which he was charged; and further, that 
 his Lordship would condescend to order a full and impartial investigation 
 of the conduct of your Memorialist, upon such charges as might be pre- 
 ferred against him. 
 
 That notwithstanding the said Right Honorable George Canning did 
 first personally and afterwards by letter, request the said Earl of Liver- 
 pool to grant to your Memorialist such investigation ; and notwithstanding 
 your Memorialist did himself repeatedly solicit the same by official letters, 
 addressed to Stephen Rumbold Lushington, Esq. (at that time one of the 
 Joint Secretaries to Your Majesty's Treasury), the same was withheld from 
 him during the whole remaining period of the administration of the late 
 Earl of Liverpool. 
 
 That soou after the late Right Honorable George Canning was nomi- 
 nated by Your Majesty's first Lord of the Treasury, namely on the 18th of 
 June, 1827, your Memorialist addressed a letter to that Minister, soli- 
 
 c
 
 18 
 
 citing from him that investigation which he himself had twice, at the era- 
 nest desire of your Memorialist, requested the late Earl of Liverpool to 
 grant to him, your Memorialist. 
 
 That your Memorialist confidently believes that the late Right Honou- 
 rable George Canning would have ordered the said investigation had it 
 pleased ALMIGHTY GOD to have spared him life and health for a few 
 month longer. 
 
 That so soon after the lamented death of the Right Honorable George 
 Canning, as Your Majesty's Government appeared to be permanently 
 settled, namely on the 23rd of June, 1828, yerur Memorialist applied, by 
 an official letter addressed to Joseph Planta Esq. (who had succeeded the 
 aforesaid Stephen Rumbold Lushingtoo, Esq. as one of the Joint Secretaries 
 to Yonr Majesty's Treasury), requesting the present Lords Commissioners 
 to order the said investigation. 
 
 That on the 10th of last July, your Memorialist received a letter, 
 signed by George Dawson, Esq. (colleague to the said Joseph Planta, 
 Esq.) acquainting him " that his case had already been fully considered 
 and decided on, and that their Lordships saw no sufficient grounds for 
 ordering a re-iinvestigation thereof." 
 
 That your Memorialist, last Michaelmas term, moved the Court of 
 King's Bench, by Counsel, for a Writ of Mandamus, directing the Lords 
 Commissioners of Your Majesty's Treasury, " to hear and determine the 
 grounds of the removal of your Memorialist from his said office of Paymas- 
 ter of Exchequer Bills," but the Court refused to grant the Writ, alleg- 
 ing that no Mandamus lay against the Lords Commissioners of Your Ma- 
 jesty's Treasury. 
 
 That op the 5th day of the present month of June, John Berkeley 
 Monck, -Esq. (one of the Members for the Borough of Reading) did your 
 Memorialist the honour of presenting a petition to the foregoing effect to 
 the Honourable the Commons in Parliament assembled, and praying that, 
 that Honourable House would be pleased to appoint a Select Committee of 
 its Members to investigate the whole of the circumstances of the case 
 of your Memroialist. 
 
 That your Memorialist has learned, with astonishment and regret, 
 that upon that occasion George Dawson, Esq. (one of the Joint Secretaries 
 to Your Majesty's Treasury) alleged that, your Memorialist had been 
 guilty of a variety of misconduct during the period he filled the said 
 office of Paymaster of Exchequer Bills, and at the same time not only 
 objected to the prayer of the .petition being acquiesced in, but also to the 
 printing of the said petition, assuring that Honourable House, that it was 
 not worthy of its consideration. 
 
 That on the 13th day of this said month of June, my Lord Tenterden 
 . did your Memorialist the honour of presenting a similar petition to the 
 Lords spiritual and temporal in Parliament assembled. 
 
 That your Memorialist has learned, with no less astonishment and re- 
 gret, that upon that occasion, the present first Lord of Your Majesty's 
 Treasury made similar charges against your Memorialist, and at the same 
 time not only objected to the prayer of the petition being acquiesced in, but
 
 19 
 
 also assured that Right Honourable House, that the petition of your Me- 
 morialist was not worthy of its consideration. 
 
 That your Memorialist is wholly unconscious of having committed any 
 crime or offence whatever, which could possibly have justified so severe a 
 punishment as his removal from office; but, on the contrary, undertakes 
 to prove (if allowed a hearing) that his conduct in office was exemplary. 
 
 That your Memorialist is fully aware, that all offices (with the ex- 
 ception of those of the Twelve Judges) which emanate from the Crown, are 
 held during the pleasure of the reigning Monarch; but he humbly submits 
 to Your Majesty, that, as he was appointed to the office of Paymaster of 
 Exchequer Bills, by a writing or constitution under the several hands and 
 seals of three of the then Lords Commissioners of his late Majesty's Trea- 
 sury, by virtue of the power vested in their Lordships, by the authority 
 of an Act of Parliament, the tenure of his said office must be" during good 
 behaviour" (quam diu te bene gcsseritj, and not " during pleasure" 
 (durante bene placito) consequently, that it is an incorporeal heredita- 
 ment, in which he has (during good behaviour) a vested interest for life. 
 
 That by Stat. 25 Edw. III. st. 5. c. 4. it is enacted, that none 
 shall be put out of his franchise or freehold, unless he be duly brought 
 to answer, and forejudged by course of Law : and if any thing be done 
 to the contrary, it shall be redressed." 
 
 That the words of the Great Charter, c. 29. are. < No Freeman shall 
 be taken, imprisoned, or any way destroyed, unless by the lawful judg- 
 ment of his Peers, or by the Law of the Laud." Which words, " any 
 way destroyed," according to Lord Coke, include a prohibition uot only of 
 killing or maiming, but also of torturing and of every oppression by colour 
 of an illegal authority. And it is enacted by Stat. 5. Edw. HI. c. 9. 
 that " No man shall be attached of any accusation, nor forejudged of life 
 or limb, nor shall his Lands and Goods be seized into the King's hands, 
 contrary to the Great Charter and the Law of the Land." And again the 
 Great Charter, c. 29. has declared that, " No Freeman shall be disseised or 
 divested of his Freehold, or of his Liberties, or Free Customs, or be Out- 
 lawed, or Banished, or otherwise destroyed, but by the judgment of his 
 Peers, or by the Law of the Land." And by a variety of Ancient Statutes, 
 it is enacted, that, " No man's. Lands or Goods shall be seized into the 
 King's hands, against the Great Charter and the Law of the Land : and that 
 no man shall be Disinherited nor put out of his Franchises, unless he be 
 duly brought to answer and be forejudged by Course of Law; and if any 
 thing be done to the contrary, it shall be redressed and holden for 
 none effect." 
 
 That your Memorialist humbly submits, that from the foregoing ex- 
 tracts of the Great Charter and Statutes, it is manifest that, it is an invari- 
 able maxim of the Laws of England, that " no man thall be punished until 
 he has had an opportunity of being heard.''' 
 
 That it is an historical fact, recorded in Book I. chap. 5. of Srnol let's 
 continuation ef Hume, that so strongly impressed were the House of Lords 
 in 1702, with the truth and propriety of this maxim, that that August As- 
 sembly went even the length of presenting an Address to Queen Anne, 
 tl beseeching her Majesty not to remove the Bishop of Worcester from the
 
 20 
 
 place of Lord Almoner (which place his Lordship unquestionably held 
 " during pleasure"), until he should be found guilty of some crime by due 
 course oFLaw, " as it was the undoubted right of every Lord of Parlia- 
 ment, and of every subject of England, to have an opportunity to make 
 his defence, before he /suffers any sort of punishment." 
 
 That notwithstanding the Laws and Constitution of England, and the 
 feelings of the Subjects of Your Majesty's Dominions are evidently hostile 
 to every kind of oppression, yet it is an undoubted fact, that the ministers 
 of the Crown have, at different periods of our history, been guilty of Acts 
 of great injustice, tyranny, and oppression, 'towards many individuals; 
 but it is also a well-known fact, that no oppressed Subject ever appealed 
 in vain for Justice to His late Majesty, of revered memory. 
 
 That in or about the year 1765, the Ministers, who were then at the 
 head of the Government of His late Majesty, dismissed the Earl of Bute's 
 Brother, from the office of Keeper of the Privy Seal in Scotland, without 
 being able to assign any just cause. 
 
 That your Memorialist has been credibly informed and verily believes 
 that that Gentleman was reinstated by command of His late Majesty, and 
 actually died in the peaceful enjoyment of his said appointment. 
 
 That in 1788, the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty took upon 
 them to give an arbitrary order for stricking Captain (now Sir Isaac) 
 Coffin's name off the list of Post Captains. 
 
 That Captain Coffin had his case laid before His late Majesty, who was 
 pleased, with the consent of his Privy Council, to direct the Twelve 
 Judges to give their opinion, whether the Admiralty have a power of 
 setting aside the judgment of a Court Martial." 
 
 That the opinion of their Lordships being in the negative, Captain 
 Coffin was accordingly re-instated in his rank as Post Captain in the Navy. 
 
 That your Memorialist respectfully submits that he himself has now 
 no alternative left but to appeal for Justice to Your Most Gracious Majesty, 
 and therefore humbly but earnestly and confidently prays that, as the 
 subject of his removal from Office is not only of vital importance to his 
 Fortune, to his Health, and to his Character, but also one involving a ques- 
 tion of great moment to every Gentleman holding an appointment under the 
 authority of an Act of Parliament, Your Majesty will be graciously pleased, 
 with the consent of the Most Honorable the Privy Council, to direct the 
 Twelve Judges to give their opinion, Whether the Lords Commissioners 
 of Your Majesty's Treasury have the power of removing a Paymaster of 
 Exchequer Bills from his Office, not only without giving him an opportunity 
 of being heard, but even without making him acquainted with the crimes 
 or offences (if any) with which he is charged," and afterwards to afford 
 Your Memorialist such redress and relief as in the Humanity, the Wisdom, 
 and the Justice of Your Majesty, may seem meet. 
 
 And your Memorialist, as in duty bound, will ever pray. 
 (-Signed) W. C. SMYTH. 
 
 6, Adam Street, Adelphi, 
 June 30th, 1829.
 
 21 
 
 EXCHEQUER-BILL OFFICE MANOEUVRE. 
 
 The exchange of a certain portion of outstanding Exchequer Bills is 
 advertised for the 19th, instant ; the Bills must be taken in on or before 
 that day, or, by an inexplicable manoeuvre, the office insists on giving 
 money instead of Bills, whereby the holders lose thepremium. The premium 
 is now 68*- : that is, the holder of each 100Z Bill can go into the Market, and 
 get (besides interest due) 103* 8* for each 100/13111; whereasif he cannot 
 have his Bill renewed, he loses 31 8t on each 1001 ; and there are at each 
 exchange of Bills many persons holding Bills to the amount of thousands 
 thus circumstanced, or rather, give me leave to say, mulcted of their pre- 
 miums, if they should not deliver in their old Bills on or before the day 
 named so that you may deem the matter not altogether unworthy of notice 
 and timely warning. The amount of these lapses is immense sometimes 
 100,0001, for a limited period, I understand, being no unusual sums 
 giving a profit to somebody of 3,4001 ! ! and this is at the expense of the 
 holders of the Bills, they being refused new ones because the old ones had not 
 been presented on or before the 19th ! I was amongst the sufferers at the 
 last exchange, having deposited some trust-money in these Bills. I ven- 
 tured to complain of the transaction ; but I was told that the Government 
 gained nothing by it. Then, said I, " whodoes .'" Answer" NOBODY!" 
 Then I further took the liberty of remarking, and for which remark I 
 thought 1 should have had my nose snapped off by the officials " then 
 the more indefensible and unjust is the loss inflicted on me, since neither 
 the Government nor ' Mr. Nobody 1 gains by my loss." " Oh '." it was 
 remarked, " there was some foolish nonsense in the newspapers, about a 
 person similarly circumstanced. 1 ' " As to ' foolish nonsense 1 in the news- 
 papers, I know nothing about that ; only 1 never knew it to be admitted that 
 any sense was written when the complaints were against persons who 
 were so good as to exercise authority over us, and to receive our money. 1 ' 
 1 was then consoled with the statement that there had just been a person 
 holding 7,000* Exchequer Bills ; he had lost the premiums, owing to 
 having presented the Bills a day too late. 
 
 Now what becomes of the premiums ? New Bills are issued in lieu 
 of the old ones so that, if they insist to pay with money instead of the 
 Bills, how is the money got but by taking the new Bills to the Bank 
 or into the Market ? and, in that case, does " Nobody" receive the pre- 
 miums ? 
 
 Well, having suffered last time, I thought " Mr. Nobody" should not 
 benefit by me this time ; so, on Monday, down I posted to the office with 
 my Bills, when, lo ! and behold ! it was a holyday. " A holyday '.im- 
 possible ! I have looked into the Almanack, and it is no red-letter day." 
 " But it's a holyday !" Well, I looked into the Almanack again, and 
 found it was no red-letter day but ' Holy Cross" day. Then I determined 
 to go as to day (Wednesday), but that too I found to be a holyday a 
 red-letter day" Ember-week ;" and Friday is a holyday, though no red 
 letter day. What holyday ? Why, the Anniversary of the " Landing" of 
 Geo. 1. and II. ! So that Thursday and Saturday only remain. And the 
 office continues open when there is no holyday from eleven till one 
 o'clock (astonishing !) ; but how they would ever get on, without these 
 cessations from the fatigues of business, HEAVEN only knows. The Chief 
 
 Clerk, Mr. , has recently retired on his full salary of 1,000* a year : 
 
 he happens to be a hearty man, but how he contrived to keep well, is a 
 miracle. 
 
 However, it may not be unreasonable to say, respecting the ex- 
 cellent manuyement in the exchange of Exchequer-Bills, that if the Govern- 
 ment get nothing by refusing the Bills after a certain day, and if " Mr. 
 Nobody" is equally unimproved in pocket, it might be no very unreasonable 
 thing to ask, especially as the office labours occupy only from eleven till 
 one, that tho holders of the old Bills should be punished with the lots of 
 interest during the time they omit to exchange their Bills. That would 
 
 D
 
 22 
 
 sufficiently puuifeh each party for his neglect, and it is the only punishment 
 which most persons now think themselves exposed to in omitting to leave 
 Bills to be exchanged on the days officially named. If that course be not 
 pursued, then it ought not to be complained of it' very strict inquiries arc 
 instituted to ascertain what becomes of the lapsed premiums, since 
 " Nobody" gets them. C. O. 
 
 Sept. 16. 1829. 
 
 SIR, Your Paper of Friday last contains a long communication from 
 a Correspondent, inveighing, as the title imports, against certain servants 
 of the public, for some supposed " financial legerdemain" in the mode of 
 doing business at the Exchequer-Bill Office ; and as, in an article of your 
 own, you state that "you should like to have some explanation of the 
 matter," I beg to submit to yon the following observations, which I trust 
 you will insert in an early number of your journal. 
 
 In the first place, I must request the attention of your Correspondent 
 to the origin and nature of Exchequer-Bills. Exchequer-Bills are a species 
 of" note of hand" of the Government, issued under the authority of some 
 Act of Parliament, generally in anticipation of the aids and supplies grant- 
 ed by the Legislature for the current year. The Act of Parliament which 
 sanctions the issuing of these Bills always provides for the payment of the 
 principal and interest ; but is wholly silent on the subject of the exchange 
 of those already issued for new ones. This measure, therefore, is not a 
 matter of right, upon which the holders of those Bills can insist; but is 
 purely an indulgence granted at the discretion of the Chancellor of the Ex- 
 chequer for the time being. 
 
 In the next place, I must beg to call the attention of your Corres- 
 pondent to the words of the advertisement, as inserted in your paper of the 
 2nd instant, upon which alone he can found any right to have his old Bills 
 exchanged for new ones. 
 
 The advertisement commences thus " The Exchequer-Bills dated in 
 the months of July, August and September, 1828 viz * * * with the in- 
 terest due thereon, will be paid off', on the 30th day of September, 1829, 
 when the interest will cease." That is " the head and front" of the adver- 
 tisement; the remaining portion of the first paragraph of which, as well as 
 the whole of the second paragraph, merely details the forms to be observed 
 by the bearers and holders of such Bills, so advertised to be paid off". 
 
 The third and last paragraph of the said advertisement is the only one 
 which relates to the exchange of Bills, and is as follows : viz, " New Bills 
 * * * may be obtained * * * upon stating the required amount on the lists, 
 delivered on or before the said 19th day of September." Thus, it is to be 
 observed that, there are iwo acts necessary for the bearers of those Bills 
 (advertised to be paid off) to perform, before they can be entitled to the 
 Indulgence of having new Bills in lieu of money viz, 1st " That their 
 old Bills should be delivered in at the Exchequer-Bill Office on or before the 
 day appointed for receiving the same ;" and, 2dly, " That the amount 
 of new Bills required should be stated on the list they are directed to de- 
 posit in the office, at the time they leave their old ones to be paid off','''' 
 
 Had your Correspondent, on the occasion alluded to, complied with 
 both of those conditions, and still been refused his new Bills, he would have 
 had just cause of complaint, and, 1 apprehend, would have had an undoubted 
 right of action against the Paymasters of Exchequer-Bills for the amount 
 of the premium he had lost in consequence of their neglect of their public 
 duty ; but as, according to his own showing, he did not comply with either 
 I cannot think that he has any reason to be dissatisfied at being refused 
 that which, at most, was but a conditional indulgence. 
 
 Having now, as I think, shown that your Correspondent had no original 
 right to have his old Bills exchanged, and (in consequence of his non-com- 
 pliance with the conditions) no right founded upon the terms of the 
 public advertisement, it follows, as a matter of course, that he had no right 
 to the premium of 68* per cent, which the new Bills at present bear in the 
 market.
 
 I therefore do not know that he has any right to inquire who reaps 
 the advantage of his negligence whether these 68* are pocketed by the 
 Chancellor of the Exchequer, or by '* the officials" in the Exchequer-Bill 
 Office, or by " Mr. Nobody /" I will, however, endeavour to explain 
 to him who it is that gains by these laches of his, and persons si- 
 milarly situated of whom I know well there are many in the course of 
 every payment. 
 
 The Acts of Parliament do not authorise Government to issue a certain 
 number of Exchequer-Bills, but to raise a certain sum by the issuing of 
 Exchequer-Bills. Suppose, therefore, that, in consequence of the negli- 
 gence of the pei-sons in question, the Chancellor of the Exchequer requires 
 to raise 100,OOOJ to pay them the amount of their principal in money. The 
 new Bills bearing at the time a premium of 68* per cent, he directs 96 Bills 
 of 1,000 J each, and one of 500J, to be sold in the market, and the proceeds, 
 which (omitting fractions) amount to 100,000?, to be carried to the account 
 of the Paymasters of Exchequer-Bills. Thus the public has the principal 
 and interest of only 96,0002 new Bills to pay, instead of that of 100.000/, 
 with which it would have been burdened had the holders of the old Bills 
 availed themselves (to the fullest extent) of the conditional indulgence 
 offered them by the Chancellor ofthe Exchequer. 
 
 Hence, although I maintain that no individual profits by this transac- 
 tion, I admit that somebody does profit and that that somebody is no less 
 a body than the public. 
 
 It may then be asked, if the advantages of paying the holders of 
 Exchequer-Bills in money are so manifest, and so great to the public, 
 why does not the Chancellor of the Exchequer uniformly adopt this 
 measure ? The answer is obvious. Were this measure uniformly adopted 
 the Bills would never bear any premium, but always be at par; and if 
 the Bills were at par, then neither the holders nor the public would either 
 lose or gain by these transactions. 
 
 With respect to the holydays, there are certainly more observed in 
 the Exchequer than at the Bank, India House, or South-Sea House ; but 
 as the public are duly warned of them, in the Exchequer-Bill advertisement, 
 1 do not know that they have much cause of complaint on this head. 
 
 I now beg to notice two palpable mis-statements of your Correspond- 
 ent, which he has no doubt made from error. 
 
 The first is, that " the Exchequer-Bill Office is open only from clcrcn 
 till one o'clock," whereas it is open from ten till one ; a fact which is also 
 publicly announced in the advertisement. 
 
 The second is, that " the Chief Clork, a Mr. , has recently 
 
 retired on his full salary of 1,000/ a year ; he happens to be a hearty man, 
 but how he contrived to keep well is a miracle." 
 
 The whole of this paragraph is fraught with error. 
 
 No Chief Clerk has retired. No one has retired upon his full salary. 
 No one has retired upon l,OOOJayear. The person to Whom, 1 presume, 
 your Correspondent alludes, is not a hearty man ; but how he contrives 
 to keep alire, I (who am personally and intimately acquainted with that 
 gentleman) grant your correspondent is a miracle ! 
 
 A FRIEND TO JUSTICE. 
 
 Adelphi, Monday evening. 
 
 [The explanation as to what our Correspondent calls the " Exche- 
 quer-Bill Office manoeuvre," appears to us quite satisfactory. We published 
 the article for the purpose of drawing forth an explanation, as no doubt 
 many ofthe public who transacted business at the office were in the same 
 state of ignorance as our correspondent ; and it would have been as well if 
 the clerks in the office had either been civil or intelligent enough, to afford 
 some information on what could have been so easily cleared up. As to 
 the office hours, we think from ten to one but a short time to devote to 
 public business. Our remarks as to the number of holydays have not 
 been answered.] [Phase turn over.
 
 24 
 
 P.S. I now beg to explain that the office hours are from ten till three 
 o'clock ; hut, in order to afford the clerks sufficient time to make up the books 
 daily, by the latter hour, no Exchequer-Bill is received at the office after one 
 o'clock. 
 
 The Acts of Parliament, which provide for the payment of the principal 
 and interest of Exchequer-Bills, direct, that a certain number of days' no- 
 tice (I think fourteen) should be given in the public newspapers previous to 
 any such payment being made. The number of days' notice required by the 
 Act, (exclusive ofholydays) being uniformly given, although there are certainly 
 more holydays observed in the Exchequer, than at the Bank, India House, or 
 South Sea House, the public being duly warned of them In the Exchequer- 
 Bill advertisement, as I said before, I do not know that they have much (if 
 any) cause of complaint on this head. 
 April 10th, 1830. W. C. S. 
 
 ERRATA. 
 
 The following is his Grace's letter to Dr. Curtis-. 
 
 London, December 11, 1828. 
 " MY DEAR SIR, 
 
 I have received your letter of the 4th instant and I assure you that you 
 do me justice in believing that I am sincerely anxious to witness the 
 settlement of the Roman Catholic Question, which by benefitting the state, 
 would confer a benefit on every individual belonging to it. But I confess 
 that I see no prospect of such a settlement. Party has been mixed up with 
 the consideration of the question to such a degree, and such violence pervades 
 every discussion of it, that it is impossible to expect to prevail upon men to 
 consider it dispassionately. 
 
 ** If we could bury it in oblivion for a short time, and employ that time 
 diligently in the consideration of its difficulties on all sides (for they are very 
 great) I should not despair of seeing a satisfactory remedy.* 
 Believe me, my dear Sir, 
 
 Ever your most faithful humble servant, 
 
 (Signed} " WELLINGTON." 
 
 * This sentence has been noticed as involving an Irish Bull. We are 
 certainly still to learn how we can bury a subject in oblivion and debate on 
 it, at one and the same time. 
 
 NEWS, December 28th, 1828. 
 
 Page, line, 
 
 for 
 
 read 
 
 v, 10, 
 
 inevitable 
 
 inevitably 
 
 , 16, 
 
 individual 
 
 individuals 
 
 , 25, 
 vii, 51, 
 
 pamphet 
 that have 
 
 pamphlet 
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 15, 5, 
 
 groupe 
 
 group 
 
 29, 2, 
 
 then 
 
 than 
 
 47, 16, 
 
 controling 
 
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 48, 7, 
 
 upon 
 
 upon me 
 
 59, 45, 
 
 on 
 
 no 
 
 67, 5, 
 
 acknowledgement 
 
 acknowledgment 
 
 70, 20, 
 
 obliquy 
 
 obloquy 
 
 88, 29, 
 
 ajustment 
 
 adjustment 
 
 91, 41, 
 
 6th 
 
 16th 
 
 107, 9, 
 
 THOMPSON 
 
 THOMSON 
 
 110, 2, 
 
 would 
 
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 117, 20, 
 
 Gordean 
 
 Gordian 
 
 118, 32, 
 
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 128, 35, 
 
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 names
 
 TO THE 
 
 MEMORY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 RIGHT HONORABLE GEORGE CANNING. 
 
 TRANSLATION OF A GREEK EPICEDIUM. 
 
 YES, Canning! bless' d in thy lamented death, 
 Thy life is not extinguished with thy breath ; 
 Virtue records thee in her deathless page, 
 And bids thy name shine forth to ev'ry age, 
 Her chosen champion, high o'er all the rest, 
 In words and deeds, the bravest and the best. 
 The favor'd object of thy Sovereign's choice, 
 Well didst thou use thy all-persuasive voice, 
 To pour with zeal, into his willing ear, 
 Counsels a patriot King would gladly hear ; 
 Thou bad'st him freedom's galling chains unbind, 
 And prove the common patron of mankind ; 
 Telling the nations, " Ye no more shall be 
 What ye have been the sport of tyranny j 
 Of despots, viewing man but as a prey 
 To share, and bartering all his rights away." 
 Now hopes of better, brighter days inspire 
 The breasts that glow with freedom's sacred fire ; 
 Since first thy fostering and paternal hand 
 They saw stretch'd out to shed o'er every land, 
 Worthy to combat in the common cause, 
 The hallowM boon of equal rights and laws. 
 Thy latest, noblest aim was to release 
 From all her countless miseries, suffering Greece. 
 Nor this be all thy praise ; for sure, if e'er 
 Mortals may cherish in this checquer'd spherr, 
 A hope, at some bright period, to attain 
 All of perfection man on earth can gain, 
 The glorious triumph will be due to thee, 
 Thou friend of wisdom and humanity ! 
 Nor deem, blest shade ! that only feeble lays 
 Of mortal song shall celebrate thy praise ; 
 To higher realms thy virtuous fame shall rise, 
 And reap immortal glory in the -kir- 
 Clifford'* Inn. w. H. n \virt.s.
 
 18 
 
 ANOTHER. 
 
 STILL, tho' thy little dream of life is fled, 
 Thou liv'st, blest shade tho' lost, thou art not dead ; 
 For memory, ling'ring o'er thy virtuous dust, 
 Shall guard with faithful hand her holy trust, 
 And each fond age revere the won'drous plan, 
 Which all a master's mind alone can scan. 
 Zeal could no more : she gave his parting breath, 
 And seal'd the mighty scheme with CANNING'S death. 
 Patron at once of all that's great and good, 
 Firm to thy faith, tho' legion'd foes withstood ; 
 Soolh'd by the charm of thy persuasive tongue, 
 Enleagur'd kings in mute attention hung; 
 Thy voice was foremast then to aid the plan, 
 Which firmly urg'd the claims of man on man ; 
 Bade red Ambition totter on its throne, 
 And cease from spoils which justice must disown. 
 Thus musing fancy pours the deep drawn sigh, 
 In fond regret on all that cannot die, 
 Of thy bright spirit, whose unceasing aim, 
 (While all the Patriot urg'd his country's claim), 
 'Twas to disarm a Tyrant's lawless hand, 
 And shed soft peace o'er each devoted laud. 
 So shall not Greece alone pour o'er thy bier, 
 Departed shade, the sympathetic tear 
 Each distant clime, where virtue rears her throne, 
 In plaintive accents claims thee as her own, 
 Deeming her honors, with the hand which gave, 
 Must droop for ever in her CANNING'S grave. 
 Yet, tho' for thee thy country loves to mourn, 
 And nations vie to deck thy hallow'd urn, 
 A purer triumph, brighter blLss is thine, 
 Tho' weeping worlds their holiest tears combine, 
 For in that pang which clos'd thy mortal strife, 
 Thy soul was borne to realms of endless life. 
 
 Courier. c. H 
 
 ANOTHER. 
 
 THOU shalt not die, great CANNING ! o'er thy tomb 
 Deathless in death the Patriot's wreath shall bloom ! 
 Thy name shall still, undimmed by lapse or age, 
 Beam proudly forth on History's brightest page ; 
 As his, who all in wisdom's works outshone, 
 And soar'd to fame by virtuous deeds alone !
 
 19 
 
 Nations admir'd thy words, with counsel fraught; 
 Thy lips to Kings their sacred lesson taught ! 
 Inspir'd by thee, forth mighty Monarchs stood, 
 The common advocates of common good, 
 Join'd the great cause, 'gainst Error's former sway, 
 Broke Slavery's scourge, and cast her cords away ! 
 The wisdom in their hearts a temple found, 
 Spoilers were spoil'd, and nations' wounds were bound. 
 And foremost thou, at Freedom's generous call, 
 Didst a Father's love, a Father's care, to all ! 
 
 Lo ! 'neath thy care, see Greece revives and lives ; 
 More than a Saviour's name to thee she gives : 
 Her walls thy glorious monument shall be, 
 Founded anew, and rear'd again, by thee ! 
 
 Thrice euvied lot ! for unto thee is given 
 A Patriot's name on earth an Angel's throne in Heaven ! 
 
 Courier. A 
 
 ON THE DEATH OF THE RT. HON. GEORGE CANNING. 
 
 Non omnis moriar. 
 
 FAREWELL bright spirit, brightest of the bright ! 
 Concentrate blaze of intellectual light ! 
 Who shone aloue, or in the first degree, 
 Union so apt; such rich variety; 
 Taste guiding mirth, and sport enlivening sense ; 
 Wit, wisdom, poetry, and eloquence ! 
 Profound and playful, amiable and great, 
 Audjir.it in social life, as in the state ! 
 Not wholly lost! thy letter'd fame shall tell 
 A part of what thou was't ! Farewell ! Farewell! 
 
 Farewell great statesman ! whose clastic mind 
 Clung round thy country, yet embraced mankind; 
 Who (in the most appalling storms, whose power 
 Shook the wide world), was equal to the hour .' 
 Champion of measur'd liberty ! whence springs 
 The mutual strength of people and of kings, 
 Twas thine, like Chatham's patriot task, to wield 
 The people's force, yet be the monarch's shield ! 
 Xut wholly lost /for both the worlds shall tell 
 Thy history in theirs ! Farewell ! Farewell ! 
 
 Farewell dear friend ! In all relations dear, 
 In all we love, or honor, or revere ;
 
 20 
 
 SOD, husband, father, master, patron, friend! 
 What varied grief and gratitude we blend ! 
 We, who beheld when pain's convulsive start 
 Disturbed the frame, it could not change the heart : 
 We whose deep pangs to soften or console, 
 Were the last effort of thy flying soul ! 
 Not wholly lost.' our faith and feelings tell 
 That we shall meet again ! Farewell ! Farewell ! 
 Courier. 
 
 ON THE DEATH OF THE RT. HON. GEORGE CANNING. 
 
 COULD death then only buy thee a repose 
 Confederate colleagues had denied thee here? 
 
 They live : the foremost in their country's foes, 
 Mark'd with a nation's curse, a people's tears. 
 
 Mortality may bend beneath their hate 
 The assassin finds the blow he dealt in vain ; 
 
 For Liberty is strength'd in thy fate, 
 And Justice borrows splendour from thy name. 
 
 A country's tears, a monarch's grief is thine; 
 
 'Tie all, alas ! they now can offer thee 
 Unshackl'd nations, at thy sacred shrine, 
 
 Shall kiss the dust that taught them to be free. 
 
 Live on then, ye, whose ill-directed hate 
 
 Hath branded on your breast a deathless shame; 
 
 Thy name shall perish only with his fate, 
 Thy execration only with his name. 
 
 Morning Chronicle. F. 
 
 LINES ON THE MEDAL ORDERED TO BE STRUCK AT 
 PARIS, IN MEMORY OF MR. CANNING. 
 
 Too oft the sculptor's art has snatch'd from dust, 
 And on the medal stamp'd a guilty bust ; 
 With abject skill a statesman's name engrav'd, 
 Deck'd with the symbols of some realm enslav'd, 
 Some fetter'd nation he had help'd to bind, 
 Some succour lent to subjugate mankind : 
 Not such the tribute, Canning, paid to thee ! 
 The pure spontaneous homage of the free ! 
 This medal bears to future times the date 
 When fled the phantoms of " immortal hate.
 
 21 
 
 A rival nation wove its civic palms, 
 
 And traced that legend which her tear embalms; 
 
 A foreign tongue records thy glorious name, 
 
 And foreign crowds repeat a stranger's name, 
 
 Who mark'd for liberty no narrow spaee, 
 
 But meant the blessing for the human race ; 
 
 Shed on no scanty spot one partial ray 
 
 From the fall blaze of philosophic day, 
 
 But gave to moral good an ampler scope, 
 
 And called the drooping universe to hope ! 
 
 Not England, solely wrapt for him in gloom 
 
 Ah ! more than England weeps upon his tomb ! 
 
 Along the sunny shores the Tagus laves, 
 
 Or where pale Freedom kneels on Grecian graves ; 
 
 Or in the Western world where Slav'ry flies, 
 
 And, hail'd by him, its young Republics rise : 
 
 Man in each clime, triumphant or opprest, 
 
 Shall bind this medal to his beating breast 
 
 Clasp'd, as a shrine, where Franco her offering laid, 
 
 And first the sacred rite of Freedom paid. 
 
 HELEN MARIA WILLIAMS. 
 
 Morning Chronicle. 
 
 THE NATIONAL LOSS, 
 
 SUSTAINED IN THE DEATH OF MR. CANNING. 
 
 Quis desiderio, sit pudor aut modus 
 Tarn can capitis ? 
 
 IMMERS'D in tears, I fly to " catch the reed," 
 And give the well-earned tributary meed; 
 But ah ! how oft the man of feeling knows 
 The muse is barren when the heart o'erflows : 
 And where's the bard that ever hopes to find 
 Colors to paint a Canning's master mind? 
 In the dull verse, in vain, I seek relief 
 To mourn our loss, or sooth our common grief 5 
 With Shakapeare then I cry, and drop the pen, 
 When shall we " look upon hisJike again?" 
 
 Times. F. W.
 
 22 
 
 IN FERETRUM VIRI HONORATISSIMI 
 GEORGII CANNING. 
 
 Quod mortale sit, 
 Adhuc suffulciens. 
 
 SORTE sua confisa, exultct in ordine longo 
 
 Ducta, per iunumeros, Nobilitaa, atavos, 
 Exultet merito sed ne se extollat inani 
 
 Fastu, ne demens aspera corda gerat 
 Metam habet ipsa suam praescriptam conscia virtus, 
 
 Qua jubet officium, fortis inire viam. 
 Hanc non deterrent metuenda pericula mille, 
 
 Non procerftm livor, non populi fremitus. 
 lustanms memores ; et plurima, triste feretrum, 
 
 Te gemitu exornat lachryma fusa pio. 
 Quod pal hi portas, circumtectum indice mortis, 
 
 Plangimus id durse succubuisse neci. 
 Plangimus illam animam, cui contigit intima motus 
 
 Incutere hnic massa;, deseruisse domutn. 
 Illam animam hanc terra jam liuquere plangimus orain, 
 
 Nunc cum molis erit res stabilire novas. 
 Sed quid conquerimur ? Quis nos male destiuet error ? 
 
 Ardua moliri vix novitatis habet. 
 Civibus in promptu est patrium servare Britanuis, 
 
 In promptu est patriae proque salute mori. 
 Te tamen, ingenio simul eloquioque potentem, 
 
 Te fletu et lauro concelebrare decet. 
 Te puerum in cunis artes aludre decorse, 
 
 Te studia et mores edocure virum. 
 Fati tibi, quod restat adhuc, vetuere senectam, 
 
 At matura satis jam tibi fama viret. 
 Nobile pacis opus libertatisque serenee 
 
 Nunc paragant alii luus tamen ilia tua est. 
 Times. WESTMONASTERIENSIS. 
 
 ODE, 
 
 8UR LA MORT DU THES-HONORABLE MONSIEUR GEORGE CANNING. 
 Honor, nomen tuum, laudesque manebunt." 
 
 ON doute, on interroge, on prie ! 
 D'ou nait ce douloureux transport ? 
 Autour de moi chacun s'ecrie 
 Canning se meurt ! Canning est mort !
 
 23 
 
 Tel que le cedre tutelaire 
 L'orgueil et Pabri de la terre, 
 Tombe abattu par les autans 
 Ainsi lea vertus, le gnie, 
 L'espoir, Thouneur de la patrie 
 Succombent sous les coups du terns. 
 
 
 Muse, que la douleur inspire, 
 Noble interprete des regrets, 
 D'un crepe viens couvrir ma lyre 
 Et ceindre mon front de cypres 1 
 Montre-moi 1'enceinte funebrc 
 OA repose un homme c61ebre 
 De tout un peuple regrett6 ? 
 Ranime mon ame oppressed 
 Et viens offrir a ma pens6e 
 Ses droits a I'iramortalite ? 
 
 Ainsl qu'une terre fertile 
 Par des bienfaits sait se trahir, 
 De Canning 1'existence utile 
 Put un bienfait pour Favenir : 
 Ministre integre, ami sincere 
 Tol6rant, tendre 4poux, bon pere, 
 Qui le connut dut 1'admirer-, 
 Modeste, Eloquent, ferme, et sage- 
 Muse, n'en dis pas davantage ! 
 Ah ! nous aurioHs trop a pleurer. 
 
 Ne crains pas que la calomnic, 
 Qui s'irrite pres des tombeaux, 
 Jamais de ta cendre cherie 
 Parvienne a troubler le repos! 
 Sa rage impie et meurtriere. 
 Essaye encore sur ta poussiere, 
 Sa criminelle impunit ; 
 Mais en 1'ecrasant dans la fange, 
 La Justice protege et venge, 
 Le Genie et la Verite. 
 
 Deja la poignante souffrauce 
 Fixe le terme de ses jours; 
 En vain Hygie, et TEsperance 
 Veulent en prolonger le cours; 
 Soins superflus, destin severe. 
 Les larmes des grands de la terre
 
 24 
 
 Ne changent pas 1'arret du sort : 
 Le fil est tranchd par la Parque, 
 Et les vceux meme du Monarque 
 Ne sauraient d6sarmer la mort ! 
 
 Quel spectacle s'offre a ma vue ? 
 Oh ! mort, je reconnais tes coups ! 
 Je vois uue femme eperdue 
 Sur le corps glac6 d'uu t'poux, 
 J'entends les touchantes alarmes 
 De ses enfans baignes de larmes, 
 Vers le ciel elevant leurs mains ; 
 Et dont la fervente priere 
 Redemande un soutien, un pere, 
 Au Pere de tous les humains. 
 
 Pleurez, famille infortunee, 
 Le digne objet de votre amour. 
 Gemissez sur la destinee 
 Qui rompt vos liens sans retour : 
 Et dans votre douleur amere 
 Gravez avec moi sur la pierre 
 Qui couvre cet etre cheri : 
 " Son pays regrette son zele 
 Le Monarque un sujet fidele, 
 Et les malheureux un ami." 
 Times. LE COMTE DE I.A GARDE. 
 
 LINES SUGGESTED BY THE FUNERAL OF 
 MR. CANNING. 
 
 CANNING is dead ! I heard the sound, and said, 
 " Let pomp and splendour decorate the dead ; 
 " Let all the land he lived to serve and save, 
 " Heap gorgeous honors round his patriot grave." 
 
 I stood beside his tomb ; no choral strain 
 Pealed thro' the aisle above the mourning train ; 
 But purer, holier, seemed to rise above 
 The silent sorrow of a people's love. 
 
 No bannered scrolls, no trophied car was there 
 No gleaming arms, no torches' murky glare 
 The plain and decent homage best defined 
 The simple tenour of his mighty mind.
 
 His hard-earned, self-acquired, enduring fame 
 Needs not what wealth may buy, or birth may claim ; 
 His worth, his deeds no storied urns confine; 
 The page of England's glory is their shrine. 
 
 Are others wanting ? Mark the dawn of peace 
 That gilds the struggle of regen'rate Greece ; 
 On Lisbon's rock see Britain's flag unfurl'd, 
 See Freedom bursting o'er an infant world. 
 
 Ask ye, how some have loved, how all revere ? 
 Survey the group that bend around his bier; 
 Read well the heaving breast, the stifled moan, 
 Kings with their kingdoms could not win that groan. 
 
 Away ! a scene like this brooks no control : 
 Theme of my lyre, and master of my soul, 
 In dreams more wrapt than ever bard has sung, 
 How my young fancy on his accents hung. 
 
 Others, they tell, more terribly sublime, 
 Have hurled their thunder against fraud and crime ; 
 Could harping seraphs charm our earthly sphere, 
 While he but spoke, I had not wished to hear. 
 
 His was the high, indomitable zeal, 
 The judgment to devise, the heart to feel ; 
 The mind with every brilliant treasure stored, 
 So vast, so mild, so feared, and so adored. 
 
 Disease unnerved him, Calumny assailed, 
 His labors paused not, nor his spirit quailed ; 
 In the last tortures of its frail abode 
 His heart was turned to England, and to God. 
 
 Times. OXONIENSIS. 
 
 LINES ON THE BIER OF THE RT. HON. GEORGE CANNING, 
 SUPPORTING HIS MORTAL REMAINS. 
 
 PROUD of their birth, let titled grandeur trace, 
 Through a long line their ancestorial race ; 
 But let them not, puff'd up with high disdain, 
 A spirit haughty and severe maintain, 
 Whilst he that's humbly born, but brave of soul, 
 Will boldly press to honor's highest goal ; 
 Not envious clamour, nor the nobles' hate, 
 Can awe that soul unconquerably great !
 
 10 
 
 Canning, this praise is thine, and o'er thy bier 
 With sighs we weep the tributary tear ; 
 In Death's dark emblems veiled, to see thee borne- 
 Down to the silent grave, we deeply mourn ; 
 Deeply we mourn th' immortal tenant's flight 
 From that abode she filled with life and light : 
 Bereft, alas ! of thy gigantic mind, 
 To whom shall be the helm of State consigned ? 
 But why despond ? The prospect grows more bright, 
 Not arduous the task with England's might ; 
 Her noble sons will dare with ardent zeal, 
 Boldly to perish for their country's weal ! 
 And whilst we mourn thy splendid talents gone, 
 The laurel crowns thee which thy genius won. 
 Nurtured in science, cradled by the muse, 
 The graceful arts could not their aid refuse ; 
 Minerva on thy early genius smil'd, 
 And bade perfection crown her favor'd child ! 
 What, though the fates denied a ripe old age, 
 Mature thy fame shall live in history's page. 
 By thee fair Freedom's standard was unfurl'd 
 'Mid the wild mountains of the Southern world. 
 Still may her glorious light increasing shine : 
 Thine was the noble work the praise be thine. 
 Times. 
 
 LINES TO THE MEMORY OF THE RIGHT HONORABLE- 
 GEORGE CANNING. 
 
 WHY does Britannia bend with pensive mien, 
 
 And throbbing bosom o'er that sable bier, 
 To which yon melancholy group is seen 
 
 In mute affliction slowly drawing near, 
 Whilst weeping Genius, pointing to the sky, 
 In silent anguish heaves a plaintive sigh ? 
 
 She seems to take a lingering last farewell, 
 As down her cheek the pearly tear-drops flow, 
 
 Of some lamented spirit she lov'd well, 
 By Fate's inexorable shaft laid low ; 
 
 And thus half broken-hearted to complain 
 
 " When shall we look upon thy like again !" 
 
 Poor drooping maid she mourns the doom of one, 
 Whom at a time like this she ill can spare, 
 
 Her talented and patriotic son, 
 Whom art could not deceive, nor vice ensnare,
 
 11 
 
 T truth and sacred liberty allied, 
 
 His country's hope, her honor and her pride! 
 
 Yes he is gone, whose energetic mind 
 
 Upheld the pillars of a mighty state ; 
 Whose wisdom, worth, and eloquence, combined, 
 
 Earn'd the just tribute of the good and great; 
 Easur'd a deathless wreath for coming days 
 The poor man's blessing, and the rich one's praise ! 
 
 Relentless Death ! could no one else suffice ? 
 
 No less invaluable prize be found ? 
 But must he fall a noble sacrifice 
 
 And early victim to thy fatal wound ! 
 Thou stern and merciless destroyer! say, 
 Why didst thou blight his brief but glorious day '. 
 
 It is not Albion only who deplores, 
 All sympathising Europe wails his doom; 
 
 And bright-eyed Freedom hastes from Western shores 
 To drop a grateful tear upon his tomb ; 
 
 And fondly hovering round his slumbering shade, 
 
 Guards the lorn spot where her best friend is laid. 
 
 Now, stay niy muse for worthier hands than thine 
 Will twine the laurel round his hallow'd bust; 
 
 And raise in happier and more polish'd line 
 A splendid trophy to his sacred dust; 
 
 When thy untaught and unpretending lay 
 
 Shall be forgotten and have pass'd away. 
 
 Yet, ere thy chords are mute, oh, once again, 
 My trembling lyre let ine touch thy string ! 
 
 And in a humble, but a heartfelt strain, 
 Of him, the much-lov'd child of Genius, sing ; 
 
 And place this simple, unaffected verse, 
 
 With moisteu'd eye upon his plumed hearse: 
 
 " If all that virtue, all that fame holds dear, 
 Deserve a tribute stop and pay it here!*'' 
 Mirror. J. E. S. 
 
 THE FUNERAL OF THE 
 RIGHT HONORABLE GEORGE CANNING. 
 
 NOT an eye-lid was dry of the throng that attended, 
 Not a heart but heav'd sadly as if it would break ; 
 
 Tho' friends with opponents were mournfully blended, 
 Their bosoms were human, they could not but ache.
 
 12 
 
 What breast but must ache when a father untimely 
 Hath left his poor widow and orphans alone ? 
 
 Though the dead were a foe, yet compassion sublimely 
 Forgets all its wrongs at the sufferer's groan. 
 
 To see the mute gaze of the matron bereaved 
 Of him of whose being her own was a part ; 
 
 And a struggle by which the * child's pangs are reprieved, 
 To ransom, from breaking, her fond mother's heart. 
 
 To see, from his playmates, the lov'd boy rush madly, 
 For his parent's last blessing, aghast at his bier; 
 
 And wringing his hands in his helplessness sadly, 
 And crying " He's dead, and my f brother not here!" 
 
 Oh ! this were enough, in the lot of the meanest 
 To force from the proudest some signs of regret : 
 
 But the grief we then felt was the deepest, the keenest, 
 Lost greatness could raise, or lost goodness beget. 
 
 We felt, as our steps up the solemn aisles sounded, 
 Where the worthies of ages were buried below, 
 
 Their shades hover'd over the corps we surrounded, 
 And pitied our loss, and respected our woe. 
 
 Then a day-dream came o'er us, a vision of glory 
 As, dust unto dust, we committed the dead; 
 
 And the names that stand foremost and best in our story 
 Above us shone forth ere the vision was fled. 
 
 Ben Johnson was first of the poets to hasten ; 
 
 And Butler, the wit and philosopher join'd, 
 While Addison came, our repining to chasten, 
 
 The moralist, scholar, and classic combined. 
 
 Fox and Pitt, side by side, in pageant paraded, 
 When between them there glided a fresh form of light, 
 
 So like to the form that before us lay faded, 
 We own'd it was Canning reveal'd to our sight. 
 
 The hands of the rivals the phantom united, 
 
 And pointing to earth, with a smile seem'd to say, 
 
 " What is good I have cull'd, what is bad I have blighted, 
 " Of the parties that yonder acknowledg'd your sway." 
 
 * Alluding to the affectionate attentions of the Marchioness of Clanricarde. 
 t Mr. Canning's eldest son was abroad at the time of his father's death.
 
 13 
 
 " You surviv'd to complete the great task," they assented , 
 " And full in the blaze of its fame you have died :" 
 
 " My country is rescued, and I am contented, 
 " My King and my country !" the spirit replied. 
 
 At the moment a murmur of sorrowful token, 
 
 Like the moan of a wind-dirge, stole swift thro 1 the crowd, 
 And abruptly the spell of our vision was broken, 
 
 As the voice of lament waxed thrilling and loud. 
 
 Draw a veil o'er the last look the young orphan fixed, 
 
 Too piteous to paint, in the grave of his wire ! 
 Oh ! recount not the sobs with his sobs that were mixed, 
 
 Their anguish would jar the whole soul of the lyre. 
 
 But repeat, to the praise of the mighty deceased, 
 How strangers with strangers, in sympathy stung, 
 
 Exchang'd their wild looks of distress, and released 
 The tear from the eye, and the sigh from the tongue. 
 
 Record, to his fame, how his country deplor'd him, 
 And thousands on thousands his obsequies throng' d ; 
 
 How the true hearts of freemen, while living, ador'd him, 
 And how o'er his ashes their homage prolong'd. 
 
 Record, as a lesson to bigotry's dulness, 
 How Erin's whole isle gave a shriek at his fall, 
 
 And drank of the cup of dismay at its fulness, 
 And, craz'd with oppression, supported his pall. 
 
 Record, from the wide world the history gleaning, 
 The shock that it suffer'd at Canning's decease ; 
 
 And bid all its tyrants interpret the meaning, 
 While man, in their ears, to his manes shouts " Peace !" 
 
 Oh ! these were the thoughts at the sad scene prevailing, 
 
 As Erin's poor exiles with Italy's wept; 
 As Greece, by the sojourners here, was bewailing, 
 
 And either America* mourn'd that he slept. 
 
 " Then rest undisturb'd, the world's blessing befriends thee,'' 
 We cried, as we turn'd, with a last look, to go ; 
 
 " Thy fame, like a victor's in death, well attends thee, 
 ' Beyond diminution, as thou beyond woe. 
 
 This line must be understood in the sense of One preceding one.
 
 14 
 
 " Rest, rest, for thy ashes are nobly reposing, 
 
 " In holiest ground, mid'st the chief of thy clime; 
 " And the bright roll of glory still brighter unclosing, 
 " Emblazons thy name to the end of all time !" 
 
 J. JONES. 
 
 {King's Bench Walk, Temple J 
 Times. 
 
 ON THE DEATH OF MR. CANNING. 
 
 How vain ia life how vain is human pow'rs, 
 Opposed to hoary Time's untiring hours ! 
 Years roll along their desolating tide, 
 Levelling alike the purple and its pride. 
 Unknown the humble seeks the silent shade, 
 'Neath the same soil where the lowliest dust is laid , 
 And misery finds a halcyon home most blest, 
 Where dragg'd from home unwilling relics rest. 
 The bones of Folly here by Wisdom's sleep : 
 Here Knavery moulders in oblivion deep : 
 And Honesty and Virtue learn to feel 
 The solitude ofTimes's malignant seal! 
 Here worshipp'd grandeur now no more decays 
 Slumber the love of gain desire of praise : 
 Hero and Fool, high Majesty sublime, 
 Mouldering away, confess the pow'r of Time ! 
 Here too, alas ! lamented Genius lies, 
 As Canning sinks amidst a nation's sighs ! 
 
 Lamented Canning ! on the golden scroll, 
 Where Fame illumes the actions of the soul, 
 And from Oblivion steals each nobler part, 
 That speaks the spiritual portion of the heart, 
 Brightest amidst the bright, thy name shall be, 
 Passport itself to Immortality ! 
 Foe to all fools, thy brilliant wit, forsooth, 
 Made some few foes foes more in fact than truth 
 Who, wincing, fear'd yet, fearing, still fool'd on, 
 As curs well kick'd, still snarl when we are gone ! 
 Man is not perfect on this earthly ball, 
 And faults thou hadst, yet few they were and small, 
 Like those pale spots across the sun that stray, 
 Yet never shade the splendour of his ray, 
 And only seen in glorious summer hours, 
 As thine were midst thy plenitude of flowers. 
 Then let men rail, and the dead lion spurn, 
 Fearing not now the slumbers of thy urn,
 
 15 
 
 Who, while thou lived'sf, ev'n at thy shadow quail'd, 
 And in their hearts their lurking hatred veiFd. 
 Pride of thy Country ! meaner spirits' spite 
 May for a time essay to dim thy light, 
 Blacken the laurels that adorn thy brow, 
 Bare thy pure breast with vile unmanly blow ; 
 Vainly they strive transceudant genius clings 
 And plumes with glory thy upsoaring wings, 
 Rob'd with those beams that own celestial birth, 
 Thy lofty spirit springs inspired from earth, 
 Leaving for future ages to proclaim 
 Thy stainless lustre and thy deathless name ! 
 ("Abbey Cottage.) 
 Morning Herald. 
 
 ON THE DEATH OF THE RIGHT HONORABLE 
 GEORGE CANNING. 
 
 [ORIGINAL.] 
 WOULD you know the mind that's gone, 
 
 Would you mark each stage of thought, 
 As the spirit travell'd on, 
 With a vigour over-wrought 
 
 Trace the youth on whose young head 
 
 Neither wealth nor titlea shone, 
 But whose genius round him shed 
 
 Beams of splendour all his own. 
 
 But those favor'd years, tho' bright, 
 
 Brighter grew as manhood came, 
 And the soul's immortal light 
 
 Fed itself at Freedom's flame. 
 
 Trace him when, by secret spell, 
 
 Fancy to her bowers woo'd, 
 When with Wit he chose to dwell, 
 
 When he mused in solitude. 
 
 Thus he gather'd varied lore, 
 
 Thus he ponder'd Wisdom's scroll, 
 Learn'd, with rapture, to explore 
 
 All the caverns of the soul. 
 
 But if thus his early morn, 
 
 Own'd each best and brilliant boon, 
 Ah ! could Nature more adorn, 
 
 More effulgent make his noon !
 
 16 
 
 Speak, ye Nations of the Earth, 
 
 Ye, who heard his magic voice, 
 Bid young 1 Freedom join with Mirth, 
 
 And each Hemisphere rejoice. 
 
 Andes ! from the Western Star,* 
 
 Swell the triumph of his fame ; 
 Greece! uplift the scimitar, 
 
 Be your watch-word Canning's name. 
 
 Trace him wheref his soul inspir'd 
 " Thoughts that breathe and words that burn," 
 
 Patient, yet by ardour fired, 
 Meek in mien, in purpose stern. 
 
 There, amidst the hot affray, 
 
 In the war of mind with mind, 
 Held he undivided sway, 
 
 Still superior to his kind. 
 
 Yes ! a few brief days ago, 
 
 He, whose form is now but dust, 
 Felt his gen'rous bosom glow, 
 
 Zealous to discharge its trust 
 
 Zealous on a god-like plan, 
 
 Despots in their pride to awe, 
 And a charter gives to man 
 
 Reason ! Liberty ! and Law ! 
 
 Such was Canning ! Fiends, away ! 
 
 Ye, who brand the mighty dead ! 
 Can ye vex the silent clay ? 
 
 Can ye grieve the soul that's fled ? 
 
 JOHN AMBROSE WILLIAMS. 
 
 * "Andes!" Giant of the Western Star. Pleasures of Hope. 
 f House of Commons. 
 
 London : Printed by G. Scfwlze, Poland Street.
 
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