The Sun.
London, England, 1804-01-14 00:00:00

.
that proposal tantiot bt adapted, not is it .11,441 e t.ks
quiesce in the representation. which you have made in your
letter of the loth of August.
. First. As to the repair of the Church of Woburn by the
late Duke of Iledtiird (,y hick was unfit for the reception Of a
congregation) in which repair he had provided for his'own at-
,renclance it is a fad, which proves his sense of religion and•
his intention toattend public wbrship. • .• • •
'Secondly.. As to the payment of labourers on Sunday ; you
say that you admit wile& that was done it was without the
Duke's knowledge, but the documents Which. I transmitted
you prove that it ..is nc,t darre at all.. . .

• Thirdly. As the emptying of the pond ; I proposed in
'my letter of the isth of August, that the documents should
speak for themselves ; and 'if you will refer to that letter,
you wilt find that I proposed that Mr. Agutter's twu letters
and Mr. Mansell's answer should form part of the publiCa-
tion . It was unnecessary therefore fOr you to ask me to send
copies, and improper to treat the sulkjed as if that were your
suggestion and not my offer.
Fourthly. Mr. Mansell, in the account whicl,il sent you
on the isth of August, denies, lit ro7cc'the conversation with
Mr. Agutter ; he says, " he never said to any one that-the
late Duke of Bedford employed hundreds of labourers
emptying the greit pond at the Abbey on a Sunday :" and he
gives his reason •tor this, viz. " that no such •fact ever exist_
ed ; and that he never could have said so, because it was not
true, and whoever said so is a villain for bringing his name up
with so infamous a falsehood."

• •As you thought ;Nit% Alansell's letter to .Mr. Agutter con
tained internal evidence, from its didion, that it was not
and therefore to be discredited, I thoUght it right
'to take the very words that he used ; I see no reason after this
for interrogating him farther, but I have no doubt that .he' is
ready to state what he knows and recollects to any person. who
may wish to interrogate him.
Fifthly; I cannot admit that the manner in which yrod
received the information on which your statement is founded,'
justified you in the publishing it. . .
The principle upon which I controvert this asseition, can-
not be-better illustrated•than by this very case. • •
Upon the hearsay of Mr. Agutter yoir publish, as' fads,
matttr to make good, your charge, " that the late Puke of
`Bedford not only disregarded the obserVances of religiOn him--
self, but was the means of- preventing many others farm
keeping-the Sabbath holy.;" and when that Ltear,4), is probed
tolhe quick,' and the most anxious examination goneitito
respedini: it, there appears to have been no foundation for
upon'eartb. ,
Can there, then, be a doubt of the statement having been
rashly made, when it rested upon mere be,-2;-ra3l? and should'
it not be readily retracled when it is disproved?
.Lastly. As to the motive for your publication, it cannot
betaken into consideration here; the only objed of My com-
munication with you, was to vindicate the' Duke pf Bedford's.
reputation from the aspersion cast upon it in your pamphlet,
and in otber.publicatinns, which have continued to circulate
• what yog bi4tan; and if you decline, after all, to authorize
the contradittion by publishing the plain Statement and proofs
with which-I have supplied yOu, I shall, agreeably to my tbr-
mer letters, Isy the whole before the Public. •
With resped to your having omitted the note in your last
Edition, I do not think that sufficient, or indeedof any avail.
It is impossible to remove the impression except by'your
simple and unmixed retraction, or by an exhibition of the
proof by which thr matter both in your note and id the•teict
of your pamphlet is disproved. I sin, Sjr, •

Your
-- -,-,
obedient humble Servant,
WILLIAM ADAM.
. .
Jobs Bowler, Eq.

SIR,

Dultvirb Commwr; November 9; 1863

I have recently been favoured with two letter's from you ; ,
in the first of which you decline the proposal contained in my
letter of the zoth of last August, to publish she documents
• with which you had furnished me on the subject of our Cor-
respondence, together with a statement of the manner in.
which i received the information which appeared in any
pamphlet. • Instead of acceding to the offer, you require
from me the publication of the above-mentioned documents
unaccompanied with any observations. of „my own ; anu you
intimate that if I do not comply with this requisition, you
will lay the whole before the Public. NoW, Sir, as my
proposal was calculated to give the charader of the • late
Duke the full benefit of your inv:stigation, and at the same
time to do justice to. myself,. I cannot cousent.to bring the
rritter forward in any other way. 'lf you think proper tO‘
do so, I must claim a right to reply as I may see occasion.
am, Sir,
Your obedient Servant.
jOHN BOWLES.
William Adam, Esg. Lincoln': litn.•