Copy of letter from William Chambers to Hugh Williams, 28 August 1843 [page 1 of 2]

Description

Description by Evan D. Jones:

'He [William Chambers] regretted that the 'Welshman' should have noticed in the way it did Mr. Rees's amendment attributing motives which did not actuate him. As regarded the Rev. Dd Rees it was still more wrong. The latter only expressed an anxiety that the position should be understood by the parties from whom it professed to come, namely, a meeting of Welshmen. Although the writer thought that Mr. J. H. Rees had pushed his amendment further than was necessary, he thought the observations in the 'Welshman' were too strong and did not display the judgment which he had generally seen exhibited by the recipient. Williams was quarrelling with his own friends, he meant the people's friends. A heedless rabble would eagerly applaud anything that appeared to hit at those in authority and in those times magistrates were rather at a discount. He had thought him to be too old a soldier to be tickled by idle cheers. He feared that on the part of the editor there was some illfeeling towards the Rev. David Rees, than whom a more unflinching advocate of the people's rights and liberty did not exist. He prayed him to do what he could to put the matter right as between him and the magistrates and between the rival editors. It was a pity that the numberless enemies who were ready to pounce upon anything like a schism amongst the complaining and their advocates should have so good an opportunity placed at their disposal as that on Friday'.

Source: Evan D. Jones, 'A File of "Rebecca" Papers', The Carmarthen Antiquary: The Transactions of the Carmarthen Antiquarian Society and Field Club, Vol. I (3 & 4), 1943 & 1944, 29.