to these before the Committee, in a weighty and
pointed manner, and effectively bring them also before the ministers and
people of Scotland. He fixed upon Dr. Thompson, and the letter in which
he wrote to the Doctor to prepare for becoming a witness was the
beginning of a ten years' copious correspondence, the first in a series
of many hundreds of very lengthy letters, in which Mr. Childs, with great
shrewdness, sagacity, and vigour, and with perfect confidence of always
being in the right, acted as universal censor, pronouncing oracularly
upon all ecclesiastical and political men and organs, expressing
unqualified contempt for the House of Lords, and very small satisfaction
with the House of Commons, showing no mercy to Churchmen, and little but
asperity to Dissenters, and denouncing all British journals as base or
blind except the _Nonconformist_.' Only two of these letters are
published in Dr. Thompson's biography. I give one, partly because it is
interesting, and partly because it is characteristic. Unfortunately, of
all John Childs' letters to myself, written in a fine, bold hand, exactly
reproduced by his son and grandson, so that I could never tell one from
the other, I have preserved none. Childs thus wrote to Dr. Thompson,
July 15th, 1839:

'MY DEAR FRIEND,

'You will be happy to know that I went into Newgate this morning with
my friend Ashurst, and heard their pardon read to the Canadians.
They were released this afternoon, and Mr. Parker and Mr. Wixon have
been dining with me, and are gone to a lodging, taken for them by Mr.
A., where they may remain till their departure on Wednesday. I have
just sent to Mr. Tidman to inform him they will worship God and
return thanks in his place to-morrow, if all be well. How
wonderfully God has appeared for these people! My dear friend, when
I first saw them in January all things appeared to be against them,
but all has been overruled for good.

'At the time you left on Monday evening, Lord John was making known
to the House of Commons, in your own words, the plan proposed by
yourself, and adopted by him, to my amazement. Most heartily do I
congratulate you on the termination of the event, so decidedly
honourable to yourself in every way. I do not expect you will
approve of all that I have done, but I felt it to be my duty to
address a letter to the _Pilot_ on the subject, calling attentio