Mr. Cobbett's Strictures on the Conduct of Mr. Sheridan, with respect to the above Correspondence.

At one of Mr. Sheridan's public dinners, that gentleman made, if it was truly stated in the Morning Chronicle, (see p. 128,) an assertion respecting an offer made by me, in Mr. Paull's name, to give Mr. Sheridan Mr. Paull's second votes, provided he (Mr. S.) would remain neutral with respect to Mr. Paull; than which an assertion more completely destitute of truth never was made. The speech, as reported in the Morning Chronicle of the 15th instant, was as follows: " Mr. Sheridan informed "the meeting that he should, to-morrow or Thursday, publish an offer by Mr. Paull and Mr. "Cobbett to him, if he would stand neuter, that "he should have all Mr. Paull's second votes. "This he had rejected with scorn; but the object "evidently was to give them an opportunity of blackening both Candidates, and of taking his

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run against that one which might latterly be "furthest behind."-I never was more surprized in my life than when I first saw this paragraph; no such offer having ever been made, or thought of, by me. There was a letter, indeed, from me to Mr. Sheridan, written the moment I came to town, on Sunday the 26th ultimo, and which was the only letter I had ever written to him; but, in this letter, no such proposition was made, nor any thing of the kind implied. The

case

case was this; a common friend of Mr. Sheridan and myself, had, about ten days before, written to me at Botley, telling me, that the parliament was just about to be dissolved; informing me that Mr. Sheridan was to stand for Westminster; and, expressing a hope, that no animadversions of mine would tend to prevent his success. The answer which I instantly gave to this letter was, that I was afraid that he far over-rated the force of my animadversions, but that, if it was in my power to prevent Mr. Sheridan's success, I certainly would prevent it. Nevertheless, when I came to town, not being sure that this answer had been communicated to Mr. Sheridan, and supposing it possible that he might have been informed of the application made to me by our friend, and might, in consequence, expect not to see me amongst his opponents, I thought it right to lose not a moment in apprizing him of my intentions; and, with the knowledge of Mr. Paull, I wrote him a letter, of which I kept no copy, but which was to the following effect:"Sir, as it is a rule with me always to be "fair and direct, I lose no time in informing you, "that I am this moment come to town for the

express purpose of rendering Mr. Paull, as a "Candidate for Westminster, all the aid which it "is in my feeble power to render him. But, at "the same time, I can take upon me to assure you, that I know, that if there should be du"ring the contest, any hostility between you and "Mr. Paull, the fault will be that of you, or your "friends."

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"friends." This last sentence was written at the suggestion of a third gentleman present, who had expressed a wish, that no foul personalities should take place. -With this statement before him, the reader will, I am sure, participate with me in the feelings excited by the speech ascribed to Mr. Sheridan. But, this is not all. Mr. Sheridan is represented as having said, that "he rejected the "offer with scorn." Luckily, I have a copy of his answer to my letter; which answer was in the following words:"Monday evening, 8 o'clock.— "Sir, on my return to town this evening, I recei"ved your note, which gave me the first intimation "of Mr. Paull's intention to stand for Westmin"stre. I admit your motives in making the "communication to be as frank and direct as you profess them to be, and I thank you for your attention in having made it."Now, if this was what he looked upon as a "rejection" of our "offer," as he is said to have called it, the reader will, I think, agree, that this was not a very "scornful" rejection. But, the truth is, that he looked upon it as no offer at all. I was satisfied, that he could not; and, therefore, the moment I saw the report of his speech in the Morning Chronicle before mentioned, I wrote him the following letter: [Here follows the letter which will be found in p. 189.] To this letter, I received at midnight the following answer from Mr. Sheridan:-"Sir; The bustle of an Election

day, and occupations fitter for me to attend to, "than to any communication from you, have pre

"vented

"vented my noticing the letter you have favoured "me with, till this moment. I am very much "amused by the folly of it, and very little provo"ked by its insolence. I shall not, however, be "deficient in gentlemanly respect to the call of

any man, and you will receive from me to-morrow "such an answer as I shall judge proper to give

to such a letter:-I have the honour to be,” &c. The "morrow" came; but, it brought no answer from Mr. Sheridan, either written or in print, though it was now Thursday, the latest day fixed on, in his speech, for publishing the letter on which the reported statement was said to be founded. When, therefore, he ventured to shew himself upon the Hustings in the evening of that day, and as soon as the hisses and groans, which his presence had drawn forth from the people, were a little subsided, I went up to him, and in the presence of Mr. Berkeley Craven and others, narrated in substance what I have here submitted to the reader, concluding with these words: "Now, sir, let me beg of you to give me a "direct answer, whether you did, or did not, make "the assertion which the Morning Chronicle has ascribed to you?" His answer was, I am really sorry to say it, a miserable subterfuge; a procrastinating evasion; nay, a downright shuffle." I will not," said he, "have an answer extorted from I will not be catechised. I will not make myself responsible for any thing published "in a newspaper as a speech of mine." In short, all I could get from him was, that "an answer should

"me.

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should appear in print to-morrow;" that is, to-day. "But the "morrow" is again come; and now it is Friday night; and no answer has appeared, though in all the daily prints, a paragraph has been published, intimating, that the answer will appear "to-morrow!" That is, when he knows that the Register is gone to the press, and when I shall, for another week, be deprived of the means of contradicting any statement that he may think proper to make; because, he well knows, that, while the daily prints are all open to him cost-free, they are all shut against me, except at an enormous expence; Mr. Perry of the Morning Chronicle, having charged Mr. Paull no less than eight guineas for his last advertisement! Does there, then, require any thing further as an exposure of Mr. Sheridan? Yes: one fact more; and that is this; that he made, on the day of his coalition with sir S. Hood; on that very day he made, through Mr. Rodwell, one of the principal persons of his Committee, a proposal to Mr. Paull to give him (Mr. Sheridan) his second votes, as the certain means of throwing out sir Samuel Hood! This fact 1, at the time before-mentioned, reminded Mr. Sheridan of, to his face, upon the Hustings; and the only answer he could give was, "I am not responsible for any thing that Mr. Rod"well has done." Much, however, as I dislike Mr. Sheridan as a member for Westminster, my dislike to the Commodore has always been, and still is greater. This latter I regard as a mere ministe