made by Mr. Slick, recorded in this
chapter.

On this subject every man has a right to his own opinions, but any
interference with the municipal regulations of another country, is so
utterly unjustifiable, that it cannot be wondered at that the Americans
resent the conduct of the European abolishionists, in the most
unqualified and violent manner.

The conversation that I am now about to repeat, took place on the
Thames. Our visits, hitherto, had been restricted by the rain to London.
To-day, the weather being fine, we took passage on board of a steamer,
and went to Greenwich.

While we were walking up and down the deck, Mr. Slick again adverted to
the story of the government spies with great warmth. I endeavoured, but
in vain, to persuade him that no regular organized system of espionage
existed in England. He had obtained a garbled account of one or two
occurrences, and his prejudice, (which, notwithstanding his disavowal,
I knew to be so strong, as to warp all his opinions of England and the
English), immediately built up a system, which nothing I could say,
could at all shake.

I assured him the instances he had mentioned were isolated and
unauthorized acts, told in a very distorted manner but mitigated, as
they really were, when truly related, they were at the time received
with the unanimous disapprobation of every right-thinking man in the
kingdom, and that the odium which had fallen on the relators, was so
immeasurably greater than what had been bestowed on the thoughtless
principals, that there was no danger of such things again occurring in
our day. But he was immovable.

"Oh, of course, it isn't true," he said, "and every Englishman will
swear it's a falsehood. But you must not expect us to disbelieve it,
nevertheless; for your travellers who come to America, pick up here and
there, some absurd ontruth or another; or, if they are all picked up
already, invent one; and although every man, woman, and child is ready
to take their bible oaths it is a bam, yet the English believe this one
false witness in preference to the whole nation.

"You must excuse me, Squire; you have a right to your opinion, though
it seems you have no right to blart it out always; but I am a freeman,
I was raised in Slickville, Onion County, State of Connecticut, United
States of America, which _is_ a free country, and no mistake; and I have
a right to my opinion, and a right to speak it, too; and let me see the
man, airl or comm