From William Ginty   Monday afternoon, August 14th 1843

Monday afternoon Liverpool

August 14^th 1843

Dear Tyndall

Your two letters¹ came to hand in due time. The Yorkshire incognito’s council² thoughts are too late. The Editor³ feasted his bewildered optics on the grand Coup de Grace⁴ this morning before either he or you feasted on the best ‘Mocha’.⁵ Just for the sake of unanimous agreement I hope he will advise the proceeding – if not he may stand alone in his inglorious forbearance!

I posted it last night, accompanying it with a letter reminding him of his promise to take such a thing into consideration, showing him the benefits that must arise from its publication, and after bladdering⁶ ‘summat’⁷ about the gratitude of our honorable (?) community I told him if he required any questions answered or alterations made before next Friday, either by interview or letter, I would feel happy in attending to and defraying the expenses of any communication with which I might be honored. I would have went and seen him if I could; but in the first place he is not there in my time for the first 2 or 3 evenings of the week, & it is nearly 2 miles from the office, so that I could not go at dinner time. But confound this bladdering – could I do it any better or more complete? – NO!!! (d’ye hear that?)

I will write to the London cove⁸ this evening!

Mr. Short⁹ has written another letter to the M.G.,¹⁰ reporting Hamley for uttering a falsehood, in that he said to O’Neill that he (Mr S) delivered up his name with a view to trick him into a confession (which was unnecessary), when Mr Short actually refused most emphatically to do so. He also sent him a copy of the vexata questio¹¹ – lest Hamley should not – and added that he requested Mr H to give him his answers to each – which he did not. ‘Thermophylea’¹² expects to walk! So he may I think, we must however remunerate him for his invaluable services, if such should take place! As brother Johnathan says, ‘I calculate they are at a tarnation hard fix’.¹³ This day Hamley called up another investigation about the ‘Time’ to know if it was really the case that the hours in Preston and other places were so much better than ours – 7 or 8 gave up their authors for the fact (of course) he is to write to Tucker about it. Now what is all this for? Just to ‘Conciliate’ and to give no room for an improved edition of the vexata questio. Lord pity his ignorance, and the devil help his distress, and may both lend their aid to crush the despotism of vagabonds like his Royal Corps!¹⁴ I wish to the fact of their being corpses it is a matter of course to expect a damned strict investigation on Friday! I will of course deny point blank – To the winds with all fanaticism and conscientious scruples – it is a Christian maxim that says ‘do evil that good may come’!¹⁵ What a very accommodating thing pure Christianity is! Oh! my elastic conscience!!! Yes! again I repeat the propriety of petitioning & forwarding it thro’ an M.P.,¹⁶ giving them due notice, to save appearances and to gag them! Let them prevent us at their peril. We can have all ready before they get notice and then wing it heavenwards (!) before they can cancel (the game!)? This however wont do just now! Let us raise the wind! Agitate! Agitate! Persevere! Persevere! And then – crash goes the haughty edifice from its rotten butments!¹⁷ Let us cannonade¹⁸ it with letters! When O’Neill’s sentence comes we will undoubtedly get an insight into what they call the ‘proper channel!’ and in that channel I’ll go neck and ears ….

There will of course be a general order maybe we wont drive a coach and six through it! They must speak out! And surely we will find out the ‘soft place in their heads’ we will have the rascals from the pinnacles of their naughty heedlessness! And instead of ‘war to the knife’¹⁹ and ‘blood! blood! blood!’ our battle cry will be ‘War to the steel nib’ Ink! Ink! Ink! Sir J. B. Y. Buller Bart.²⁰ it was that handed in Short’s letter to Sir Geo. Murray. This fellow is no joke! He it was that moved the ‘want of confidence’ measure that threw out the late ministry!!!!²¹ Among the interest that Short can command is that of the lone member for Montrose – the incorrigible democrat Joe Hume!! I never spoke to O’Neill about the letter. It can do no good at all events until it is published. I never seen Short!

As for the ‘deputation’ I ‘by myself I’ dont admire it! It is expensive! and again I think few would have anything to do with it (I dont include myself among the majority) and I think Petition would do as well with the additional advantage of forcing them to investigate! If spoken of at all in the Parliament! Such must take place!

How is it you write such short letters? cant you curse them awhile? anything – so you but write a long one

Yours | Ginty

If the Editor of the Mercury should be any way scrupulous about inserting it, I’ll regulate him! and coerce! Coerce! Coerce!

You dont know the effect the presence of an enraged Irelander has upon one of these John Bull Gents!²²

Corpl. Scott²³ – Hamley’s locum tenens²⁴ – ‘K.T.E.’ (Knight of the Tyrannical Espionage!) goes about like a roaring jack ass offering his ‘calm and collected opinion’ that ‘the Colonel²⁵ will be down on this Division’²⁶ I have his measure he had better ‘look out’ for squalls! The fact is these fellows imagine they can intimidate us into forbearance!

‘Heigh! Diddle diddle!’²⁷

He is cunning rascal and with his villainous commandant they form a very admirable and perfect compound of tyranny and trickery!

For pity’s sake steer clear of methodists, they are so devilish conscientious in answering questions! You can tell friend Geo.,²⁸ if he asks you about the letter, to guess, and you can laugh – anything at all to let George off safe!

Damn you and your ‘N.B.’²⁹

RI MS JT 1/11/3608

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