TRINIDAD I THEN AND NOW. 



95 



with an illustrious man's life, and yet able to find out 

 that ' ' he has a sister married to a peddling broker V s 

 M 'Galium could not find out that this illustrious man 

 was the son of Thomas Picton, a man of considerable 

 position in Wales, and the nephew of the Colonel of 

 the 12th Regiment, who had been specially thanked 

 by the King for a great act of bravery, yet, took in- 

 finite trouble to find out that he had a sister married 

 to a peddling broker in New York. 



Look at the pains this veracious writer took to 

 find out something about Picton 's sister (poor 

 woman) and yet not able to say one favourable word 

 about her brother, who was beginning to write his 

 name deep in history. 



Were it not that I intend to convict this scurri- 

 lous writer from his own writings, which so often 

 cruelly vilify Picton, and that I may be the better 

 able to clear him from his foul aspersions, I would not 

 quote any more of his book. Here is another false- 

 hood which I quote : — " yet instead of being res- 

 pected he was the reverse/ 1 Eead what Joseph says 

 on this point* 



' 1 It is a fact scarcely known in England, even 

 by Picton ? s biographer, that he was, with all his 

 faults, the most popular governor that ever ruled in 

 Trinidad since its capitulation ; he was truly feared 

 and loved by all ; his enemies, although active were 

 never numerous, and far from popular. I mention 

 this not as proving anything, for men may be popular 

 and unpopular without being good or bad. I merely 

 state the facts." (Joseph, page 283). 



