The Autobiography of William Jerdan
John Backhouse to William Jerdan, 7 December 1816
“India Board, December 7, 1816.
“Mr. Backhouse
presents his compliments to Mr. Jerdan,
and requests to be informed whether it is possible now to obtain a copy of each
of those two numbers of the ‘Sun’ which contain Mr.
Mulock’s excellent quiz on Hunt; viz., his committal to Bedlam, and Cobbett’s visit. They are for Mr. Canning’s perusal; these papers,
which Mr. Backhouse sent to Mr.
Canning in France, having crossed him on the road and gone on to
Paris.
“If copies of them are not to be obtained at this late
period, would it be in Mr.
Jerdan’s power to favour ![]()
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Mr. Backhouse with the loan of those
particular numbers for the above purpose? They should be punctually
returned.”
John Backhouse (1784-1845)
He was private secretary to George Canning and afterwards permanent under-secretary to
the Foreign Office.
George Canning (1770-1827)
Tory statesman; he was foreign minister (1807-1809) and prime minister (1827); a
supporter of Greek independence and Catholic emancipation.
Henry Hunt [Orator Hunt] (1773-1835)
Political radical and popular agitator who took part in the Spa Fields meeting of 1816;
he was MP for Preston (1830-33).
William Jerdan (1782-1869)
Scottish journalist who for decades edited the
Literary Gazette;
he was author of
Autobiography (1853) and
Men I
have Known (1866).
Thomas Samuel Mulock (1789-1869)
Born in Dublin, was secretary to George Canning and a satirical writer for
The Sun; he became a Baptist minister; his daughter Dinah Maria was
a well-known writer.
The Sun. (1792-1876). A Tory evening paper edited by John Heriot (1792-1806), Robert Clark (1806-07), William
Jerdan (1813-17). The poets John Taylor and William Frederick Deacon were also associated
with
The Sun.
