

ALEXANDER WILSON. 31 



borne away with the prevailing liberty of sentiment 

 expressed at this crisis of our nation's history, when 

 the revolution in the French empire was at its 

 height, and our own executive was scarcely able to 

 restrain and repel the torrent which menaced the 

 social order of Great Britain. 



Wilson unfortunately entered keenly into the 

 stories of oppression then supposed to be inflicted 

 upon the operative classes, and was the author of 

 many political squibs condemnatory both of men 

 and measures, even the names of which it is now 

 unnecessary to enumerate. Suffice it to say, for one 

 of these he underwent a trial, was found guilty, and 

 sentenced, not only to imprisonment, but farther, 

 was subjected to the ignominy of publicly burning 

 the obnoxiotis production with his own hands, be- 

 sides finding security for his future good conduct. 



His confinement was the means of satisfying him 

 of having inflicted injuries by the conduct which led 

 to his punishment, although at the same time, when 

 again set at large, he distrusted his own power to 

 abstain from wounding others upon the next op- 

 portunity which might unfortunately present itself; 

 while an honourable fear of ruining those friends who 

 had interposed their bail, together with golden ex- 

 pectations of being more fortunate in the Western 

 Continent, determined him to try his fate in Ame- 

 rica, that land of boasted freedom and liberty. 



He was enabled to set out on this new ocean of 

 life by the kind assistance of friends, together with 

 his own extraordinary exertions at his loom; and 



