fol. 68.  MS. letter from James Darbishire, Bolton, to William Wood, Leeds, 29 January 1790.

[He is satisfied at the moment concerning the sending of delegates from the country to London for the meeting, but he is also suspicious of the London delegates dominating the country ones, and he recalls how this has happened in the past, because the agendas have not always been the same for the two groups, especially in loyalty and attention to the Crown.  They wish to make sure that their voices and concerns are given equal weight with the London delegates and their agenda.  He also mentions about the resolutions asking people to pay careful attention to the positions of the candidates in the upcoming general election concerning the repeal issue.] 

Revd Sir

         I am requested to thank you in the name of the Committee at Bolton, for the very obliging attention which you have paid to the questions which we took the liberty of proposing to you.  The free and ingenuous manner in which you favoured us with your sentiments entitles you to our esteem & confidence.  As it is our happiness to have the same views with you respecting matters of the first importance, we feel the less difficulty in stating the different apprehensions we entertain with regard to some points of a subordinate nature.

        We are aware that our grand object in sending provincial Delegates to London is to strengthen our interest in Parliament by means of those numbers, with whom our friends in the metropolis can have but little influence.  But in our conceptions this is, by no means, the only object. Another important end, it is presumed, is that of communicating to the Dissenters in London the sentiments of their brethren in the country, and of assisting them in their deliberations respecting the most proper time & manner of making their assertions in a common cause. Entertaining the highest respect for our friends in London; it would afford us the greatest concern, were we to lead you to imagine that we are insensible of their merits or ungrateful for their generous services on behalf of liberty & justice.  But you, Sir, as well as ourselves, must be sensible of the power of local views over the mind of man and that the different, contrary prejudices arising from different situations, when permitted to work together, will be mutually tempered & corrected.  We are far from meaning to insinuate that the present acting body of dissenters in the metropolis, have appeared to be under any foreign, partial influences.  But shall we say that there is no danger of its ever being the case in future?

        Does not the history of Dissenters in former periods forbid us to indulge the pleasing expectation?  The time has been when the Dissenters in London have viewed the interests & rights of nonconformists in subordination to the gaze of his Majesty’s administration; whilst Dissenters at a distance, not being within the influence of the court, or not feeling so strong an attachment to the administration, as to make them prefer its case to their own rights & interest, have not scrupled to say that they were betrayed.  (The Rights of Protestant Dissenters &c p. 29).  As it is possible that some future Walpole may arise; it seems to us to be nothing more than common prudence to arm ourselves against his artful and destructive machinations.  Viewing matters in this light, you cannot be surprized that we felt some degree of sollicitude respecting the footing upon which country Delegates are to be placed: Tho’ we wish to assure you that we are at present satisfied upon the point.

        With respect to the different conduct we have pursued in the anticipation of a general election; we take leave to say that in recommending to our dissenting brethren a marked attention to those candidates who are known to be friends of civil & religious liberty, we were far from wishing to encroach upon the right of any individual to follow the dictates of his own judgement.  We all know how blameably deficient the bulk of the people are in inquiring into the real merits of a candidate.  All we wish, is to call their attention to this matter; to make them think before they act.  When we consider how shamefully regardless our countrymen too often are of the grand end for which they choose representatives – with what servility they watch the nod of the great & powerful, – how lamentably they are influenced by any consideration rather than the desire of electing an upright & useful statesmen; we rejoice in having an opportunity of calling the attention of our fellow citizens to [paper torn] principles, of exhorting them to the right [paper torn] of those duties upon which depend the vigour & the worth of the British constitution.

        It will afford you pleasure to be informed that we have the pleasing prospect of a very numerous provincial meeting of Deputies at Warrington, who, we trust, will engage with one heart & soul in the defence of our rights & liberties.

                    I have the honor to be

                                Revd Sir     

                                            Your obedt humb Servt

James Darbishire