ed by Mr. Allen, that he had received a
letter from Sir Patrick Ross, stating that he also had used his best
endeavours in the affair, but equally without effect. Sir Patrick at the
same time inclosed a letter, addressed by Mr. Wood to his Secretary, Mr.
Taylor, assigning his reasons for persisting in this extraordinary course.
This letter requires our special attention. Its tenor is as follows:--

"My dear Sir,

"In reply to your note relative to the woman Molly, I beg
you will have the kindness to oblige me by assuring his
Excellency that I regret exceedingly my inability to comply
with his request, which under other circumstances would
afford me very great pleasure.

"There are many and powerful reasons for inducing me to
refuse my sanction to her returning here in the way she
seems to wish. It would be to reward the worst species of
ingratitude, and subject myself to insult whenever she came
in my way. Her moral character is very bad, as the police
records will shew; and she would be a very troublesome
character should she come here without any restraint. She is
not a native of this country, and I know of no relation she
has here. I induced her to take a husband, a short time
before she left this, by providing a comfortable house in my
yard for them, and prohibiting her going out after 10 to 12
o'clock (our bed-time) without special leave. This she
considered the greatest, and indeed the only, grievance she
ever complained of, and all my efforts could not prevent it.
In hopes of inducing her to be steady to her husband, who
was a free man, I gave him the house to occupy during our
absence; but it appears the attachment was too loose to bind
her, and he has taken another wife: so on that score I do
her no injury.--In England she made her election, and
quitted my family. This I had no right to object to; and I
should have thought no more of it, but not satisfied to
leave quietly, she gave every trouble and annoyance in her
power, and endeavoured to injure the character of my family
by the most vile and infamous falsehoods, which was embodied
in a petition to the House of Commons, and would have been
presented, had not my friends from this island, particularly
the Hon. Mr. Byam and Dr. Coull, come forward, and disproved
what she had asserted.