The Sun.
London, England, 1823-03-04 00:00:00

MR. O'MEARA.

The following lettter as far as it refers to the
conduct of Mr. O'MEARA, confirms the observa.
tions in The Quarterly Review, respecting his
professed devotion to BUONAPARTE; and, at the
same time, his intention to collect every anecdote
which he might transmit to this country, in order
to promote his own' interest. Mr. FINLAISON
also confirms the statement in The Quarterly Re.
view, of Mr. 011/IEARA having revealed circom.
stances of an indelicate nature, relating " to the
French Ladies and others," who probably ra ere
his Patients!!!

TO THE EDITOR OF VIE SUN.
30, Craven.street, March 3, 1323.
Sin—Mr. O'Meara has yiublished a letter in the British
Press, and also in the Morning Chrenicle, in which my name
is introduced with those of Lord .'Melville and Mr.'Craker, in I% -
way which renders it necessary that I should lose no tinit in
stating the facts as they really occurred.

Mr. O'Meara having been long an acquaintance of mine, we
kept up an occasional correspondence, and in the month of
July, 1815, I received a private letter from him giving several
particulars relatlie to Buonaparte and his suite. Some ex-
pressions in this letter led me to doubt the propriety of enter-
taining a correspondence bf the nature offered me by Mr.
O'Meara, without the authority of my official superiors. I there-
fore thought proper to communicate the letter to Mr. Croker,
who declined authorising such a correspondence without con.
sultink, Lord Melville. His Lordship, on being referred to,'
said that he saw no reason why I should not receive the let,
tern which Mr. O'Meara might choose to write to me, and thit
it even Might be advantageous to hear from an impartial and near
observer the 'situation of Buonaparte and his suite j but in order
that no duplicity should be practised on Mr. O'Meara, I was
desired to apprise him that his letters would be seen by the
Ministers. I presuMe that Mr. O'Meara could not have re.
ceived this answer from me before he wrote again a letter in the
same style as the find, but soliciting my friendship towards get.
Ong him confirmed in the situation of surgeon to Buonaparte,
and stating as an inducement to my doing so the following
reason :

" It is my intention to collect every anecdote I can from
Napoleon and those about him, and perhaps my being near hint
might not be of disservice to Government, especially if he en.
tertatned thoughts of escape ; at least my being constantly near
him would probably lead to a discovery of any plans he might
hereafter project."
I quote this passage to shew that I was not authorised to
originate any proposal to Mr. O'Aleara to give intelligence re-
lative to Buonaparte, and did not in fact do so, but that the
proposition came voluntarily from him.
When I received Mr. O'Meara's letters I handed them to
Mr.'Croker who had them copied for the perusal of 31inisters,
with the omission only of some occasional passages of an hide.
licate nature (some of them reflecting on the French ladies and
others), at which Mr. Croker expressed to me has disapproba..
don, and refused to permit any such passages to be copied.
It is right to add, that there were several of those letters,
particularly towards the last, which Mr. Croker did not set,
owing to his occasional absence ; some of them also I mysel:'
never read; but the greatest part, if not the whole of this cor,
respondence, is preserved, and may be referred to if necessary.
'Mr. O'Meara having stated in the latter part of his letter
that I oll'ered him the lucrative situation of surgeon of Green,
wick Hospital, I beg leave to state, in the most distinct man.
ner, that I never was authorised to make any such proposition,
and that theretbre it is but fair to presume I never could have
done so.

I think it only my duty to Lord Melville and to Mr. Croker
to state, that neither of them ever Nu w any of my letters to Mr.
O'Meara, and that they cannot therefore be responsible for my
expressions. Mr. O'Meara must be aware that I was not in
the situation of being an " amanuensis" to • either of them.
No doubt I should have paid more attention to my language its
I could have foreseen that notes thus written in Ole confidenc4
of private friendship were to be published without'my consent, '
' • I am, Sir,
• Your most obedient humble servant,
JOHN FINLAISON.