, -tNTRODUCTIO-N TO THE JOURNAL. 445 



856. In the year 1811 and 1812 the part of 

 the country, in which I lived, was placed under 

 a new sort of law ; or, in other words, it was 

 placed out of the protection of the old law of 

 the land. Men were seized, dragged to prison, 

 treated like convicts, many transported and put 

 to death, without having committed any thing, 

 which the law of the land deems a crime. It 

 was then that the infamous Spy-System was 

 again set to work in Lancashire, in which hor 

 rid system FLETCHER of Bolton was one of the 

 principal actors, or, rather, organizers and pro 

 moters. At this time I endeavoured to detect 

 the machinations of these dealers in human 

 blood ; and, 1 narrowly escaped being sacrificed 

 myself on the testimony of two men, who had 

 their pardon offered them on condition of thei 

 swearing against me. The men refused, and 

 were transported, leaving wives and children to 

 starve. 



857. Upon this occasion, my friend DOCTOR 

 TAYLOR, most humanely, and with his usual 

 zeal and talent, laboured to counteract the 

 works of FLETCHER and his associates. The 

 DOCTOR published a pamphlet on the subject, 

 in 1812, which every Englishman should read. 

 1, as far as 1 was able, co-operated with him. 

 We went to London, laid the real facts before 

 several members of the two houses of Parlia- 



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