Memoirs of the Rev. Samuel Parr
Ch. XXII. 1794-1795
Samuel Parr to Joseph Gerrald, May 1795
“Dear Joseph,—I
hear with indignation and horror that the severe sentence, passed upon you in
Scotland, will shortly be carried into execution; and remembering that I was
once your master, that I have long been your friend, and that I am your
fellow-creature, made so by the hand of God; and that by every law of that
religion, in which I hope to live and die, I ought to be your comforter; now,
dear Joseph, I am for the last time writing to you. Oh! my
dear friend, at this moment my heart sinks within me; and, with a wish to say a
thousand things, I am hardly able to say one. But you shall not leave this land
without one sincere—one affectionate—one solemn farewell.
Joseph, before we meet again, that bosom which now
throbs for you, and the tongue which now dictates, will be laid in the cold
grave. Be it so. Yet, my dear friend, I must cherish the hope, that death is
not the end of such a being as man. No! Joseph, ![]()
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no! there is a moral government going on, and in the
course of it our afflictions will cease, and compensation will be made us, I
trust, for all our unmerited sufferings. There is another world, and a better;
and in that world I pray to God, that I may meet your face again. Bear up, I
beseech you, against the hard and cruel oppression, which the evil spirit of
these times, and your own want of discretion, have brought upon you. Mackintosh has informed me of that which is
about to happen, and I have done all that I can in your favour. Let me conjure
you to conduct yourself, not only with firmness, but also with calmness. Do
not, by turbulence in conversation or action, give your enemies occasion to
make the cup of misery more bitter. Reflect seriously upon your past life, and
review many of those opinions which you have unfortunately taken up; and which
you know, from experience, have little tended to make you a happier or a better
man. I do not mean, Joseph, to reproach you. No!—such an
intention, at such a crisis, ought to be far from my heart. But I do mean to
advise you, and to excite you to such a use of your talents as may console you
under the sorrows of this life, and prepare you effectually for all that is to
follow. I will send you a few books, in addition to other matters. They will
cheer you, in the dreary hours, you will have to pass upon that forlorn spot,
to which the inhuman governors of this country are about to send you. Some time
ago, I saw your dear boy, and depend upon it, that for his sake and yours, I
will show him all the kindness in my power. I shall often think of you. ![]()
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Yes, Joseph! and there are moments,
too, when I shall pray for you. Farewell, dear Joseph
Gerrald, and believe me your most unfeigned and afflicted
friend,
Samuel Parr.
Hatton, May, 1795.
“Pray write to me—God Almighty bless you, Joseph—farewell.”
Joseph Gerrald (1763-1796)
Political radical and member of the London Corresponding Society; born in the West
Indies, he was a pupil and friend of Samuel Parr who was convicted of sedition and died in
Botany Bay.
Sir James Mackintosh (1765-1832)
Scottish philosopher and man of letters who defended the French Revolution in
Vindiciae Gallicae (1791); he was Recorder of Bombay (1803-1812) and
MP for Knaresborough (1819-32).
