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MEMOIR
To this friend, Mr. Maclean says, that he has stated his case at its worst, on the principle that a man is a fool if he do not tell his solicitor or physician the real state of affairs, "the whole truth."*[1]
In both letters he professes his desire for the institution of a most rigid inquiry, and his readiness to bear the whole expense of it; adding to this, the expression of his deep anxiety to return to England, to meet every charge, and to enforce investigation. But finding this to be impracticable, he has subsequently authorized an offer to be made in his name—to pay the entire expenses, including, of course, the passage out and home, of any one whom the friends of his late wife might appoint to
- ↑ * Lest any testimony, in addition to the declarations of Mr. Maclean, should be deemed desirable—lest in a narrative designed to exhibit to the world a faithful picture of the conduct and character of the wife, we should be supposed to be indifferent about the question of justice or injustice to the husband, we close this statement, by citing in Mr. Maclean's behalf, the opinion of the Rev. Mr. Freeman, of the Wesleyan Missionary Society. This gentleman, whose letter relative to the death he lamented, and the verdict of the jury, was supposed to have supplied the first grounds of prejudice against Mr. Maclean, in this country, when appealed to by that gentleman to state "Whether you have ever observed anything in my conversation, manners, or conduct, which could induce you to think me capable of behaving cruelly or unkindly to any one," ..... hastened to explain the object of the letter referred to, and to declare, "I have never seen anything in your conversation, manners, or conduct, either in public or private, which would induce me to consider you capable of harsh or unkind treatment to any one, under any circumstances whatever, nor have I ever seen anything which would lead me to suppose or suspect you of being careless of the feelings of others, or capable of any ungentlemanly conduct." "I saw nothing whatever in your behaviour which could create in my mind the slightest suspicion of your being unkind to Mrs. Maclean during her life. I have seen you as a gentleman at the head of your table, and I have witnessed your conduct, both as a husband and as a widower; it is upon this intimate knowledge of your deportment that I have made the preceding statements."
