24 CHAP. II. Jacob Pattisson. Acquaintance at He had a wife whom he married late 1790-1795. in life—a cousin, deformed in person and disfigured by the smallpox, but there was a benignity and moral beauty in her face which rendered her a universal favourite. Mr. Pattisson had only one child, who became my most intimate friend for many years, and our regard has never ceased. He is a few months younger than myself. His education had been much better than mine; when young he was at Mr. Barbauld's school. But his Dissenting connections had not been favourable to his forming acquaintance superior to himself, though his own family were wealthy. So that when he and I met at Witham each thought the other a great acquisition. Being of the same profession, having alike an earnest desire to improve, and being alike ignorant how to set about it, we knew no better expedient than to become correspondents, and I have preserved a formidable bundle of his letters, with copies of my own. I have glanced over those of the first year-we began to write in the Spring-I had hoped to find in them some references to incidents that occurred, but there is nothing of the kind. They are mere essays on abstract subjects, mine at least very ill-written and evincing no original thought whatever; law questions are discussed and criticisms on style fill many a dull page. There are also occasional bursts of Jacobin politics. It was this friend who drew my attention to the Cabinet, a Norwich periodical, and set me on fleshing my maiden sword in ink. First Printed Essay. It was in December, 1794, that my vanity was delighted by the appearance in print of an essay I wrote on Colchester. Spies and Informers. It was published in the Cabinet, which had been got up by the young liberals of the then aspiring town of Norwich, which at that time possessed two men of eminent abilities-William Taylor and Dr. Sayers. They, however, took very little, or no part, in the Cabinet. Charles Marsh, Pitchford, Norgate and Amelia Alderson were its heroes. My essay is very ill-written, only one thought rather pompously expanded, viz., that the shame of being an informer ought to be transferred to the Law; for the detection of the breach of good laws ought to be honoured. My friend Will Pattisson was also a contributor to this periodical, under the signature of Rusticus. Another friend of this period, with whom I have ever since retained an intimate acquaintance, was Thomas Amyot. At the time of my beginning a correspondence with Pattisson he was already the correspondent of Amyot. He communicated the letters of each to the other, and from first writing on Pattisson's letters we began to write to each other directly, and became correspondents without having seen each other. Amyot's letters are far the best of the whole collection, as in ability and taste he was far the superior of the three. He was the son of a watchmaker in Norwich, and clerk in the house of some eminent solicitors in that town. Our correspondence had led to an invitation to visit Amyot, and Pattisson joining me in the visit, we met at the house of Amyot's father on the 5th of December and remained there till the 9th. Within a few years of this time, Amyot married the daughter 25 CHAP. II. 1790-1795. Thomas Amyot. CHAP. II. of Mr. Colman, a Norwich surgeon. He was fortunate 1790-1795. enough to become the law agent of Mr. Windham, and Mrs. Clarkson. The Taylors of Norwich. Dr. Alderson. Trials of Hardy, Tooke, and Thelwall. when the latter became War and Colonial Minister, he offered Amyot the post of private secretary. This was readily accepted, and when after the death of his patron this place was wanted for some one else, he was appointed Registrar in London of the West India Slaves, an office which still remains, though slavery has been long abolished. Why this should be I could never learn. He became an active F.S.A., and is now (1846) Treasurer of that learned and very dull body. My visit to Norwich made me also acquainted with Mrs. Clarkson, and that excellent couple Mr. and Mrs. John Taylor, the parents of a numerous family, among whom is Mrs. Austin. With several of the sons I am now in very friendly, not to say intimate relations. I was also very civilly received by Dr. Alderson, the father of Amelia, who afterwards became Mrs. Opie. I even now retain a lively recollection of this young lady's visit to Bury, and of the interest excited by her accomplishments and literary celebrity. Another person with whom I became acquainted was William Taylor, of whom I shall have occasion to write hereafter. The perusal of my Journal for the year 1794 has brought a few facts to my recollection that deserve to be briefly mentioned. The chief of these are the famous State Trials of Hardy, Horne Tooke, and Thelwall. I felt an intense interest in them. During the first trial I was in a state of agitation that rendered me unfit for business. I used to beset the Post Office CHAP. II. early, and one morning at six I obtained the London paper with "NOT GUILTY" printed in letters an inch in 1790-1795height, recording the issue of Hardy's trial. I ran about the town knocking at people's doors, and screaming out the joyful words. Thomas Hardy, who was a shoemaker, made a sort of circuit, and obtained, of course, many an order in the way of his trade. In 1795 he visited Bury, when I also gave him an order, and I continued to employ him for many years. His acquaintance was not without its use to me, for his shop was one in which obscure patriots (like myself) became known to each other. Hardy was a good-hearted, simple and honest man. He had neither the talents nor the vices which might be supposed to belong to an acquitted traitor. He lived to an advanced age and died universally respected. Thomas Hardy. Thelwall, unlike Hardy, had the weakness of vanity, Thelwall. but he was a perfectly honest man, and had a power of declamation which qualified him to be a mob orator. He used to say that if he were at the gallows with liberty to address the people for half an hour, he should not fear the result; he was sure he could excite them to a rescue. I became acquainted with him soon after his acquittal, and never ceased to respect him for his sincerity, though I did not think highly of his understanding. His wife, who was his good angel, was a very amiable and excellent woman. He was many years a widower, but at last married a person considerably younger than himself. Thelwall's two sons, Hampden and Sydney, became clergymen. AFTER leaving Colchester at Midsummer, 1795, I re- |