The Autobiography of William Jerdan
Robert Gray to William Jerdan, [28 October 1816]
“October 28th, 1816.
“Dear Sir,—
“I had an interview for above an hour to-day with
Mr. Frederick Pollock, and the
inclination of his opinion is very strongly in favour of leaving all matters in
difference to some mutual friend. I represented to him ![]()
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that Mr. Heriot and Mr. Clarke had been successively named and
refused by Taylor, and that he had
offered an arbitration only on some particular points, which, of course, could
not be accepted. Mr. P. says, he thinks you stand at
present in a more imposing position than ever, from having obtained the
judgment against Taylor, and he does not seem to be very
sanguine as to large damages. Though he admits, if even moderate damages were
obtained, it would go a great way to settle with Taylor.
He says as you have received no special damage by the speaking of the words,
the damages will not be very great, but they would either stop his mouth, or
pave the way to a much larger sum on a second offence. He discourages an
indictment for perjury, and says it will utterly preclude, in his opinion, any
arrangements, as a defendant in such a case generally answers to such a
proposition, you have an indictment pending over me, and until that be fixed or
settled some way or other, I cannot treat with you at all.
“My father and myself are to see Mr. Pollock to-morrow. If you could
conveniently previously have an interview with my father (say two o’clock
precisely) it would be quite as well.
“I communicated to my father the result of my
consultation with Mr. Pollock, with whom he does not quite agree.
“I am, dear Sir, yours truly,
“W. Jerdan, Esq.”
Robert George Clark (1771 c.-1839)
Printer of the
London Gazette and editor of
The
Sun newspaper before 1811.
Robert Gray (1789 c.-1852)
Of Brompton Crescent and New Inn, an attorney and friend of William Jerdan.
John Heriot (1760-1833)
After education at Edinburgh University he served in the marines and pursued a
journalistic career in London writing for
The Times,
The Oracle, and
The World before becoming
editor of
The Sun (1792) and the
True Briton
(1793).
Sir Jonathan Frederick Pollock, first baronet (1783-1870)
The son of a saddler, he was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge and was MP for
Huntingdon (1831-44); he succeeded Lord Abinger as lord chief baron of the exchequer in
1844.
John Taylor (1757-1832)
Poet and Tory journalist; editor of the
Morning Post (1787),
purchased the
True Briton, editor and proprietor of
The Sun (1813-25); author of
Records of my
Life (1832).
