Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: THK BLACK ACT S. A DIALOGUE BETWEEN A FREE-BORN-BRITON-INDIGO- PLANTER AND AN IMPARTIAL MAN. /. P.?Well Sir, ?I hope the Calcutta Meeting has disabused you of the impression, that the Anti-Black Act agitation was but at best a Press and Class movement, I. M.?It has not. It has confirmed me in the opinion I entertained. I find some score of names to the application made to the Sheriff, but I have not found a single gentleman coming forward to take part in the discussion, who may be considered to be personally disinterested. We have three or four Planters and as many Lawyers: the former are directly interested in perpetuating a system of European Mofussil irresponsibility, and the latter are, professionally, so accustomed to say what they don’t believe, that I cannot place much confidence in their orations. It was not a bad opportunity for a display of what is vulgarly called the gift of the gab, and young hands, on the look out for business, may be excused for making the most of the few opportunities that fall in their way. I. P.?Mr. Dickens is not a young hand, I presume. /. M.?I should say not; rather an old one: but I don’t think you can seriously believe he has done your cause good service! His original memorial showed an animus against the Company’s Government and the Company’s servants which justifies the greatest distrust. His speech at the Town Hall ill concealed his animosity, though concession to others had somewhat tamed him down. I. P.?It was a magnificent display, stamping him as a rnun of sound constitutional knowledge, great acuteness, unrivalled eloquence. I should like to have seen the man in Calcutta with the courage to oppose him. I. M.?So should I. With ability as well as courage the odds would have been in his favor. I. P.?How so ? …
