The Sun.
London, England, 1864-06-04 00:00:00

Original Letters of Daniel Defoe.

It will be seen, by a reference to their dates, that
they apply to a period of Defoe's life of which no,
thing has been hitherto known. In the reign of
Queen Anne he had been sent, by the instrumenta-
lity of Harley, into Scotland to watch and report
measures touching the Union. He committed his
observations to paper, and they are full of that
peculiar talent in which Defoe excelled—pithy and
pointed descriptions of the chief actors who took
part in those momentous debates. In the course of
his observations the writer had represented the
party of the Cavaliers in favourable colours; he had
even ventured to present his patron, Godolphin,
and the Duke of Marlborough, in an odious light,
as eclipsing the dignity and authority of the Queen.
The Work was not ready for publication until
1714, when George I. had ascended the throne; the
Tories were now in disgrace, and the Wiaigs had
monopolized the King's favour. With a baseness,
happily singular in the annals of literature, Defoe
printed his work and published it anonymously, for
reasons which will appear afterwards. But in order
to neutralize any favourable impressions on behalf
of the party by whom he had been employed and
make his peace with the Whigs, he prefaced it with
an introduction, written in the spirit and tone of a
Whig, professing the utmost abhorrence for "a set
of men in both kingdoms, who had the felonious in-
tentions towards their country, " and been a con-
stant dead-weight upon the Revolution." He pre-
tended that the book had come by accident into the
possession of the publisher, and had been designed
by some Tory high-flyer " for the triumph of another
day," when liberty and the Protestant religion
would have been extinguished; and, therefore,
every expression favourable to the Tory and High
Church party wad the servile praise of an euthor
hostile to the real interests of his country. Next
year (1715) appeared a defence of Defoe's public
conduct, evidently emanating from himself, though
ostensibly given to the world by his publisher, left
incomplete, and so artfully worded, that whilst it
defended his intimacy with Harley, the Whigs and
dissenters were led to believe that Defoe had re-
mained faithful to their principles. It concluded
with this solemn appeal —" I cannot doubt but some
time or other it will please God to open men's eyes. A
constant steady adhering to personal virtue and to
public peace, which, I thank God, I can appeal to Him
has always been my practice, will at last restore me
to the opinion of sober and impartial men, and that
is all I desire." With this solemn protest on his lips,
Defoe continued not only a Tory ostensibly, but, as
such, was the conductor of a journal in the interest
of the Tories. As such he offered to sell himself
and his principles to Walpole and Townshend, then
omnipotent in royal favour. His own account of
his interview with the latter exposes a piece of ras-
cality we will not trust any other words than his
own to describe :—" In considering, after this,
which way I might be most useful to the Govern-
ment, it was proposed by my Lord Townshend
that I should still appear, as if I were
as before under the displeasure of the Govern-
ment, and separated from the Whigs, and
that I might be more serviceable in a kind of dis-
guise than if I appeared openly." On this under-
standing, alike discreditable to Defoe and his
employers, he was to manage the Tory paper in
such a way as that the style should continue Tory,
" the party be amused, and the sting of it taken
out." So, whilst to his employer and his readers
Defoe represented himself as an enemy to the
Government, and estranged from the Whigs, he
engaged to do all in his power as editor to bring all
attacks upon the Government into contempt, and
betray the secrets of the paper he was employed to
conduct. In his own words, "Whilst the journal
should pass as a Tory paper, it should be disabled
and enervated, so as to do no mischief or give any
offence to the Government,"—London Review.

SINGULAR CHARGE OF STEALING NEWSPAPERS.
—At Blackburn, yesterday, Nathaniel Eccles, yarn
agent, of Hoddlesden, near Blackburn, was charged with
stealing two newspapers—the Manchester Guardian and the
Times—from the Exchange News-room. The prisoner, who
has been a member of the news •room for about three months,
was seen to handle the papers somewhat suspiciously by the
secretary, who, owing to the theft of a number of papers
from the room during the past six months, had secreted
himself so that he could observe what passed in the news-
room without being seen. Yesterday morning, about eleven
o'clock, he saw the prisoner and another member in the room.
The prisoner took up a copy of the Manchester Guardian,
and, after looking around the room, ho put the paper in
his pocket. He then took a copy of the Times, and the
other member having left the room, the prisoner put the
Times into his pocket and followed. When at the door he
was stopped by the secretary, who told him he believed he
had some papers which did not belong to him. " Weil,"
he replied, "I have got the Manchester Guardian," and
gave that paper to the secretary, who told him that he had
another paper, lie then produced the copy of the Times,
remarking that he was going to Colne, and wished to read
the paper as he went. He was given into custody, and
when charged, replied, "I brought the papers out with
me, but I did not know that I was doing wrong, I am only
a new member." The defence was, that it was the custom
for members of the Darwen news-room to take papers
away with them, and that the prisoner had done so without
any felonious intent, tAr. Clough objected that the bench,
who were also members of the news. room, had no jurisdic-
tion, and that the prisoner could not be charged with steal•
ing his own property. The bench, however, committed
him for trial, but admitted him to bail,—.3lattehester
Guardian,