Lancashire and Yorkshire, particularly know, but I think you have acted very wrong

at Leeds. You will see what use THE LIAR made of his having got into Mr. DIDDAMS's house; and I told my other correspondent in Hampshire that this would be the case; and that, therefore, I must cease all correspondence with him.

MR. DIDDAMS'S FIRST LETTER.

Sutton Scotney, Dec. 6, 1831. SIR,-Hunt call'd on me munday week past. You wish to know what he said to me and how I received him. I do not know a better way to explain it to you than to relate the whole of the conversation that passed between us as far as I can recolect. He stoped at the Wicket in his gigg, I went out to him, I did not know who he was, he call'd me by name, and asked me if I was not a grower of Cobbett's corn, I said yes, he said he should like to see some. I said walk in Sir, I will help you to the site of some Directly. I showed him my corn what I had in the ear and also what I had shell'd. He said it was very fine, never saw any riper or better, he asked me what I meant to do with it; I told him, that in the ear I should save for seed, the other I should have ground, he asked me what it was good for then, I told him it would make very good pudings I was sure as I had tasted of it in that way, and I had been told it would make Bread, but I did not know that, but I should try itaud then I should know. He said his opinion was otherwise. He then asked me if there was many that planted the coru in this neighbourhood, I told him a great many in small quantity. Did it ripen well, I told him yes, in every instance. Did I think it would auswer to plant a whole field. I told him yes, uuder proper cultivation it would pay better than any thing else. He thought it would not. Then he asked me how Mrs. Mason's Crop was, I told him very good. He said he had heard that this corn would kill the pigs fed with it by giving them the murrin, and by making pudings and bread with it it would give people the yellow jander's. I told him that was not very likely in my opinion. Then he asked me if I did not know him. I said no. He said his name was Hunt, be asked me if I did not know what the people said of him. I told him most people said he had sold himself to the Torys. He asked me if I thought so. I told him I did not know, but if he had I was sorry for it. I thought at this time particularly every man ought to do his duty. He said he had not nor never would. I told him I did not wonder at his speaking against the corn now I knew who he was, as I had a letter by me which he sent last april saying it would not ripen and that it was a fraud, he did not seem to recolect any thing about it. I said it appears that you and Mr. Cobbett have a quarrel between you, but the nature of the Quarrel I do not know neither do I wish to

in Speaking against the corn as you have and do now, when you see it will ripen well, and I as well as many more in this part of the country are sure it will answer a good purpose and prove to be a great good. And I said

would not talk any more on that subject. Then we began talking about the Reform. He said the Bill would do no good. I told him Mr. Cobbett's opinion was it would do much good, I mean the first Bill. He said he had a quarrel with Mr. Cobbett, but nevertheless : he Esteemed him highly as a publick man. I told him if so how wrong it was in him to try to set the naition together by the ears through a personal Disspute; then he asked about the masons, and Cook that was hanged, and asked me if I did not recolect he made a motion in the house about the men that was transported. I told him yes. He said he had been about to get information on that subject, and he meant to face the Attorney General again when the parliment met. He said he was going to Wallop and could not stop longer. He said he knew the corn would ripeu, but did not think it would come so fine in this country. This is all that passed between us as far as I can Recolect now. This is the substance of it at any rate, and I believe he went away some, what Disoppointed, he gave me three Little papers somthing about his Speech at Leeds, some time past, but I have not had time to Read it, I heard he was at Whitchurch I think he was the day after he was with me. with me about half an hour. I hope you and your good family are well, and I remain, Sir, Your obedient servant,

i.

E. DIDDAMS.

SECOND LETTER.

Sutton Scotney, Dec. 13, 1831. SIR,-When I wrote last to you I told you. all I could recolect about Hunt's visit to me since that time I have thought the matter over more particularly to myself, and what I have heard since fully confirms me in the belief that he is a and that the object of his Journey to this part of the country, and his visit to me in particular was for no good; before he made himself known to me he asked me many strange questions. Such as did I know the Barings, what I thought of them, what I thought of the state of people's minds, and if they ware Quiet, and did I think they would continue Quiet, and many such like Questions, but to all of them I gave no positive answer, or made no reply, for I asure you I received him as I allways do those that are Strangers, with great caution. Before he made himself known to me and was at the door he asked me if I had any fire within, as his feet was very cold, I said yes, he went in aud warmed his feet, and then he asked me if I had any Bacon in the house, which I thought was a very Strange Question. He said he should like some fat Bacon and Bread, at these words

Your obedient servant,

ENOS DIDDAMS.

Extract of a Letter from Mr. DIDDAMS, dated
Sutton Scotney, Jan. 21, 1831,

I was very much surprised. I thought surely said if I was in that mans place I would lie if there is something wrong. I said I had none I did lie as some one could lie with me, for that but a piece of lean Bacon which was not fit to lie was too bare faced. I will go to Longparish be Brought out to him nor did I offer to do it, soon and get all the particulars about his foolthough I had a nice peice of Bacon in the ishness. I hope the Reform Bill that was to House that we dined off the day before (which be brought forward munday evening will be was Sunday) with some of the cabbages that satisfactory to the country, for I asure you those plants I had of you prodused. And then we are in a dreadful Situation, the Fires are he asked me how far it was to Wallop, I told Blazing almost every night, aud on Sunday him about eleven miles, he said he could night last Cokham farm in the parish of reach there in time for dinner, and when he Barton Stacey was Burnt, Barus Ricks Stables found he could get no Bacon of me he left and every thing but the House and a Rick or directly. He never asked me to correspond too that stood at a Distance from the farm with him, only after he was up in his gigg, and yard, if you have a paper that you have done got as much as ten yards from the wicket with and can spare that give the particulars where I was standing he looked round an said of ministers plan of Reform, I should be much good buy, I should be glad to hear from youoblig'd if you would send it me, as I want to at any time. I noded my head but made no know how it is like to be and so do many of answer. I have not wrote to him nor had I my neighbours particularly the Chopsticks ever any intention to do it, for as soon as he that gets no news but what they gets from me, was gone, my wife and me talked over the and we want to know if possible before Satur nature of his visit and we concluded between day. I hope you and your good family are ourselves that there was somewhat of a mis- well. tery in it, and you must know Sir that it is And I remain, Sir, not likely but I have been visited by many persons that I have had every reason to believe was, and that is the reason I receive all Strangers and allso many other persons with great caution, and I know he cannot do me any harm if it was his intention. When i wrote to you about the corn I had forgot to tell you that I had sent a good parsel of coru to LONGPARISH, to another person (besides Hunter and Froom). Last Sunday I heard from him, he distributed it to several of his neighbours, he sent word to me they all of them had excelent crops, and are going to plant a considerable Quantity next year, and So are several about this place, 1 believe there will be some acres planted in this parish next year. Hunt went also to Longparish the day after he was with me, and tryed to persuade them that the corn would give them the Jaundice and the pigs the murran, but they laught at him, but whether he got any Bacon there or not I do not know; one more thing I forgot to tell you in my last letter about the murrian. He said that you killed a great many pigs with the corn at Barn elm farm, they all died with the murrian, which I said was very strange if true, seeing you so strongly recommended the use of it in the same way to other people; then he told me a good round lie to finish with which I thought not worth telling you about in my last letter, but I will tell you now Just to make you Laugh, he asked me if I thought the corn was better than potatoes, I said yes a great deal, he said he Now observe, the words put in italics thought otherwise and Mr. Cobbett may say are so put by me, in order to point them what he pleased about it but he once dined with Mr. Cobbett and other Gentelmen when out to you as worthy of particular notice; there was all sorts of meat and every thing that and I have left out two words, which it was good. But he saw Mr. Cobbett take a great was not necessary to insert. But, ob Quantity of potatoes on his plate he thought serve, in the extract from the letter of the half a gallon, with some butter, and he made

Respecting my letters relating to Hunt and the Corn, there is nothing in them but what is strictly true, and you are welcome to publish them if you think proper. For I think Hunt has used me very ill, for, since he was with me, he has sent me another Circular with two of his penny papers enclosed, No. 8 and No. 9, where he has thought proper to publish a part of our conversation, and some of it is not true by a great deal. If ever you should see this paper, he reports that I told him my opinion was that the Corn was too bad to give to pigs alone without something with it. He was talking about the murrain, and that the Corn would give it to pigs, particularly young oues. Now what I did say was this, I had been told the Corn was too Strong, to give to young pigs aloue. And I thought the best way would be to have it ground and mix it with some pollard, particularly for young pigs, and if you should publish my letters, I wish you. to put this mistatement with it, for I do not like his conduct towards me, and I should like for him to know it, and to know that I want no more of his letters, nor any thing to do with him, as he has not confined himself to truth respecting me.

his Dinner on that and nothing else, and after 21st January, the danger of even being Dinner saw him Drink as much as three Bottles where THE LIAR is! Mr. DIDDAMS. of wine. And as soon as he was goue my Wife said, that he had been told that the comm

was too strong, if given alone, for young ford-street payments; his account of the pigs: that is, too rich, or too good; and cost of the processions; his story of the this fellow publishes, that Mr. DIDDAMS ten-pound trip to Liverpool; and, above said, that it was too bad for young pigs! all, his account of the subscription to the The lie suited him for the moment; it Catholic charity ball; all these taken seemed as a momentary gratification to together, and especially when viewed in his malignity, and that was enough. the same picture with the asking for Now, people of Preston, I do not state bacon at Mr. DIDDAMS's, do indeed these things to you for the purpose of present us with the "beau ideal of a preventing you from sending this fellow sturdy beggar;" but this is not enough. to Parliament again; for that I know We want from Mr. Mitchell's pen, not to be impossible. I lay them before you, reflections, not censure, not sarcasm; but in order to show you what a false thing a dry and plain statement of sums paid, it is; what a shameless LIAR it is; how to whom, and for what, or under what clearly everybody sees this; and with pretence. This is what we want: the what just scorn your letter-franker is whole is, in this case, a mere matter of treated by those chopsticks of the South, money. Put down the "lodgings," and whom some of you consider as ignorant in short every disbursement, and to whom people. "The people at Longparish paid; into whose hands paid. This is laughed at him.' Do you not feel a what is wanted; and it would be more little ashamed at reading these words? amusing than any farce or novel that ever They laughed at your Cock: those "ig-was published. There was, in consenorant clod-thumpers laughed at so barefaced a LIAR; and they wondered, I dare say, what sort of people those must have been who could choose such a fellow a second time!

quence of the appeal of the people of Preston, a good sum instantly raised in the City, and I had a sum sent from Lynn. But when we found the channel into which it was going, we held our hands, and I sent my money back to Lynn. We saw how the money would go; and we wanted it to go to the people of Preston, who, we soon discovered, would never get a farthing of it.

But now let us view him as the traducer of Mr. MITCHELL. For years one of his charges against BAINES OF LEEDS was, that he had designated Mr. MIT CHELL to have been a government spy in the days of Oliver; and now, he himself However, to come back to the SPYcalls Mr. MITCHELL a spy. And when LIE. For more than ten years THE did he change? Up to the month of LIAR had called this a false and inAugust, 1831, or thereabouts, Mr. Mit-famous charge against Mr. Mitchell, and chell was, in his letters, his" dear friend Mitchell," he was to him "as the apple of his eye;" and always concluded his letters to him with " may God bless you and your family." What, then, caused

now he makes the charge himself. Mr. Mitchell was put into jail two years by the Government, after the charge was made. No new proof has arisen to support the charge: so that THE LIAR has been calling Mr. Mitchell his " DEAR FRIEND and 66 THE APPLE OF HIS EYE," for years, while he believed him to be a government spy; or he now, when the subscriptions are exhausted, calls him a spy, and does not believe him to be one.

99

him to see that Mr. Mitchell had been a spy? Why, read Mr. Mitchell's history of the finances, published in the PRESTON CHRONICLE of the 26th of November last, and then you will know. You will know that Mr. Mitchell became a spy precisely at the time when the subscriptions became exhausted, and when he When at Leeds, on the 4th of March would give or lend no more money out of last, I put Mr. MANN to the test upon his own pocket. Mr. Mitchell has not this point. I said to him, "THE LIAR done his duty, his hounden duty, either" calls Mitchell a spy; do you believe to himself or to the cause of reform. His" that he was one? Mr. MANN anaccount of the expenses of the travelling swered, "Well." Oh! no "well," said of THE LIAR; his account of the Stam- I. Two years ago, when I was here at

66

Leeds, one of your grounds of reproach me to have been hatched up for no other against BAINES was, that he had falsely purpose than that of injuring a petition and basely called Mitchell a spy of the which every good man in the country Government; and do you now hesitate approved of. He did not tell me what "Well, upon the subject? said he, ground; but said that he believed the "ask Mr. JOHNSTONE, of Manchester." charge to be true. When I asked Mr. "I have asked him," said I; "that SMITHSON about it, he treated it as a "matter was fully discussed when I was vile lie, invented for the occasion. But 66 at his house. At the very utmost no- now finding MANN, whom I have long "thing but indiscretion was ever brought known for a very honest and punctual "home to Mitchell; and after hearing bookseller, and SMITHSON, who is a everything, Mr. Thomas Smith of Li-joiner, and also keeps a beer-house, and verpool was of opinion, that no proof who I had not known before, but of "whatever was ever produced to make whom very worthy men gave a good "out treachery in Mitchell. But," added character; finding these two at daggers I," the worst of it is, that YOU could drawn, and causing great division amongst "not discover any proof, or presumption, the working people, I wished to come at "of this sort, till it was wanted to uphold the bottom of their quarrel, in order that "the brazen assertions of THE LIAR; I might produce reconciliation if possible. "and he could never discover any pre- I began by asking MANN what deadly "sumption of guilt in Mitchell, as long offence Smithson had committed against the funds lasted! However, this him; because I was not to be made to "I know, that when I was here last, believe that the Bible-roasting was his "YOU called BAINES ‘a black-hearted | real offence. MANN told me, that "scoundrel' for having called Mitchell SMITHSON had accused him of having a spy; you have been upon the most been accessory to the death of Thistle "intimate terms with Mitchell since that wood. Here was something indeed to "time; and now, when the Preston funds ground hostility upon. I then saw "fail, you have, all of a sudden, found SMITHSON, and besought him to retract "out that he was a spy; and, what is the charge, which appeared to me to be very curious, YOU and THE LIAR absurd. SMITHSON said, that he never "make the discovery just at the same made any such charge; but that seven "time!" pounds and some odd shillings had been collected by some persons (whom he named) to send MANN to London, early in 1820, or late in 1819, to caution

as

With regard to Mr. SMITHSON the charge is just as groundless and just as malignant. You are aware, that when Lord MORPETH presented the petition THISTLEWOOD against placing any refrom Leeds for applying the tithes in Ireland to the relief of the poor, a base LIAR published in the newspapers, that the meeting at which this petition was passed was got up by one SMITHSON, a man who had roasted the Bible.' Smithson contradicted this by petition to the House; but his petition could not be received. This was clearly an attempt, on the part of this MALIGNANT LIAR, to throw discredit on this important petition; and this too in order to favour the notorious Tory, SADLER. When therefore I got to Leeds, I was resolved to get at the bottom and at the motive of this malignant lie. I asked Mr. MANN (the declared enemy of Smithson) what ground there was for the story, which seemed to

liance on support from the country, and to beseech him not to attempt anything desperate or unlawful; that Mann took the money and never returned it; that he never went near Thistlewood to caution him; and that, if he had done it, that unfortunate man might have been restrained from making the attempt that cost him his life. When I asked MANN for his answer to this, he acknowledged that he took the money; that he had never returned the money; said that he went to London for the purpose of executing his mission; but that he was advised not to go near Thistlewood; and that he did not go near him. When I asked him WHO it was that advised him thus, he said "Major Cartwright

for one." I reminded him, that I was in | MANN, in his attempt to cram the great London at that time; that I frequently CORN LIAR and FOOL down the saw him there and frequently conversed throats of the people of Leeds and SADwith him; and yet, that he never even LER along with him! But now for the mentioned to me this mission to Thistle- proof of this lie. wood, much less did he ask my advice, and that if he had I most assuredly should have advised him to execute his mission faithfully.

You will bear in mind, that a petition was agreed upon at Leeds, founded on a motion of Mr. JOSHUA BOWER; that SMITIISON having supported that motion, Now, men of Preston, honest and sincere MANN opposed it, though the very best as I believe you, I pray you to attend to petition ever presented in our day; that what I am now going to say. MAJOR when the petition came before the House, CARTWRIGHT is dead; and dead men a BASE LIAR published, in his newsare not witnesses. MANN did not ask paper the next day, that the Leeds meetMY advice in this case; and I am alive. ing had been got up by one SMITHSON, What other live man's advice he asked who had roasted the Bible; thereby sayI know not; but he named nobody but ing, in fact, that those who petitioned the dead Major. But there was another against tithes were INFIDELS. When man, with whom he was almost con- therefore I got into Yorkshire, and was stantly, while in London at that time; met by Mr. MANN, at Halifax, and afand that was HUNT. Now MANN did terwards at Dewsbury, I asked him what not tell me that this was one of his ad- foundation there was for this charge visers in the case aforesaid; and I do not against SMITHSON, which had been atknow that he was; but take the follow- tempted to be turned to so mischievous an ing undeniable facts, and then judge for account. He said, that he believed the yourselves. 1. That when Mann was in charge to be true; but he did not mention London, at that time, he was almost any proof that he had. SMITHSON constantly with HUNT. 2. That Thistle-treated the charge as a base calumny, wood had called Hunt a coward for his invented for the purpose of throwing disconduct at Manchester in the preceding credit on the meeting and on the petimonth of August. 3. That, when This- tion. Both MANN and SMITHSON sold tlewood and his associates were taken in tickets for the Lectures, and I had to see Cato-street, Hunt published in the news-them both frequently. On Friday, the papers, that they meaned to assassinate 24th February, my servant, who had been him and me as well as the ministers. 4. at Mann's shop for something, brought me That I published a paragraph expressing word, that he had seen an old man my disbelief in this, as far as related to there, who had a Bible in a handkerchief, myself. 5. That, while Thistlewood and and who said that " he saw Smithson the others were waiting their trial, Hunt" roast the Bible, and that he wanted, said, that, if nobody else could be found" the Saturday before, to roast that which to hang Thistlewood, he would do it with" he had in his handkerchief; that, upon his own hands; "aye, and that b- "hearing this relation, Mr. Mann CRIED; his wife too, for she hates me as much" that the old man said he would make as he does." an affidavit of it; and that MANN You will observe, that all these facts" took him away to make the affidavit." can be proved upon oath; and you, like Soon after hearing this wonderful story, just and sensible and humane men, will the old man came to see me, having consider them well; and the good and large thing, in form of a book, in a handhonest and deceived RADICALS at Leeds kerchief. My servant I kept in the room ought to consider them well. They ought all the time he was there. He said nothing to see the true object of MANN's recent about Bible-roasting; but, told me, that mission to HUNT at Manchester. They he was about ninety years old, that he onght to see that the Bible-roasting lie lived eight miles off, that his name was is the offspring of this old accusation, WALKER, and that a kind friend always now revived by the provocation given by gave him a bed when he came to Leeds,