The Sun.
London, England, 1842-09-10 00:00:00

GEORGE THOMPSON.

THE. CELEBRATED ANTI-CORN-LAW LECTURF.R, AND
LATE CANDIDATE FOR SOUTHAMPTON.

Perhaps, with the exception of Mendizabal, the ex-
Prime Minister of Spain, there are few men of the
present day who have so rapidly and deservedly risen
from a state of insignificence and indigence to that of
affluence and fame, as the above distinguished indivi-
dual. When I first became acquainted with Mr.
Thompson, little more than thirteen years ago, he
lived at a stay-maker's shop, in Cloth-fair, \Vest
Smithfield, London, and well do I recollect being
applied to by, one of the fair occupants of the establish-
ment to obtain Mr. Thompson a situation in an at-
torney's office, at eighteen shillings per week. He
subsequently' opened' a very small coffee-shop, in
Ray-street,'Clerkenwell and it was whilst residing.
in that watch-making and political parish, that
Mr. Thompson's extraordinary talents first deve-
loped themselves. The Clerkenwellites have long
been notorious for their violent party spirit, and
I have frequently been as much amused and
edified by their vestry discussions, as I have by
the more serious and important debate 3 in the House
of Commons. Mr. W. H. Bodkin, the Old Bailey
barrister, and now the Tory M.P. for Rochester, was
originally a furniture broker in the parish, end made
his first essay as a public speaker in St. James's
Church, Clerkenwell. It so happened that Mr.
Thompson, on one occasion, accidentally attended a
meeting of rate-payers, and after having attentively
listened to the speeches of the then great orators of
, the parish, viz., Messrs. Tindall,, Pascal!, Gregory,
Hewitt, Lieutenant-Colonel, Cseist, &c., he ventured
to open his mouth, and most effectually castigated and
silenced the clique. This necessarily aroused the ire
of the parish authorities, and Mr. Thompson was by
their tyranny—fortunately for himself and the world
—driven from the locality, and compelled to seek his
livelihood by the adoption of sonie other profession.
I remember meeting with the, now celebrated, lec-
turer, and his young wife,-in Middleton-street, wheri
they were themselves, for the sake 'of economy, ac-
tually carrying a portion of their household furniture.
Thompson may well say " tempera mutantur et nos
rautamur in illis." It so happened, that shortly
after his retirement from the coffee-dispensing
business, the society for the abolition of slavery re-
quired the assistance of certain lecturers, and under
the advice of Lord Brougham, Mr. Thompson was
most judiciously selected ; his heart-stirring appeals,
for the purpose of effecting the object of his engage-
ment, must be fresh in the recollection of many of the
readers of this sketch. He has been for the last few
years employed by the' Anti-Corn-law League, and
he is unquestionably one of the most powerful and ar-
gumentative speakers in favour of those principles of
free-trade. Mr. Thompson must now be about forty
years of age, is above the middle height, with an in-
telligent countenance ; a bold, fluent, and correct
speaker, although self-educated, and is always tho-
roughly conversant with his subjects. In private life
he is a most amiable unassuming man, and is univer-
sally. esteemed. It is somewhat singular that Mr.
H. C. H. Justins, the talented gentleman who was
employed to advocate the continuance of slavery, and
who has recently been engaged to deliver lectures in
favour of the Corn-laws, was, and I believe still is, a
most intimate acquaintance of Mr. Thompson.—Li-
verpool Mercury.