Volume 1 - Electric Scotland

THE LIBEL ON MARTIN. 393
in the Leslie trial, and generally for his friends in
turn. Maginn begins by a regret that he is the
only Irishman on the spot to tackle his angry
compatriot :
—
W. Maginn to W. Blackwood.
LoKDON, 20 Sept. 1825.
It is unlucky that this should have happened just now, when
all the Irish are out of town, else I should have found some
Galway acquaintance of Martin's. For myself, I don't care to
have it insinuated as broadly as possible that I am the author,
and shall certainly try to get the thing off Wilson : but his
style is too marked to have it much believed. Dunlop, for
instance, knew it at once, and that's very like a publication.
If you give me carte hlanche to act as I think fit, I may pull
you through. If I can get introduced to Martin, we Irish
know how to talk to each other, and we might settle it
amicably. Let me say that the thing was a warm joke, no
doubt; that it was, however, only suited for the warmer
persons who uttered it, and that an apology both serious and
jocular shall be given in the Magazine ; that you are personally
very sorry for it,—and I think that may do.
I shall promise that his Society (his greatest failing) shall be
praised to the stars in the Magazine. If you can rely on "W.'s
discretion, I should recommend him to come up to London.
M. is a gentleman who could be most safely trusted with a
secret given to him by a gentleman, and I daresay could be
made to laugh at the whole story. If W., however, is not to
be trusted, I shall take it all on my own shoulders.
It will be remembered that Wilson was not at all
to be trusted—so little that he had declared with
anguish that if he was made to go to London it
would be to throw himself into the Thames. He
was indeed quite hysterical, and had altogether lost
his self-control, so that on Maginn's shoulders the
burden had to rest. The manner in which he acted