The wild fury of Mr. Mackenzie’s opponents may be conceived. They declared him to be a false and malicious calumniator. They published counter-statements, assumed the aspect of injured and of innocent men, and instituted separate actions against him for £12,000 damages. One of the agents had been in London, and had the audacity to state, on his return, that the deputy-governor of the Bank of England had personally assured him of the respectability of the association. Mr. Mackenzie, however, procured and published a denial from that gentleman; and this increased the hatred of the accomplices. Two thousand pounds were placed at the disposal of their law agents, to destroy Mr. Mackenzie, who appears to have been one of those not easily moved from a righteous purpose. He continued his articles, he continued to warn the public; and though, when the actions brought against him in 1839 were dismissed in 1840, they raised new suits, he persisted in his bold defiance, and did not hesitate one moment in the task he had undertaken. They could not, however, long conceal their practices; and one fine morning, the entire gang absconded, taking with them from the premises every article of furniture, after having realized, in four years, a booty of £250,000. The distress which pervaded the middle and the lower classes was great. Applications to magistrates were frequent. Aged men, who had invested their all, went to the workhouse; servants, who had bought annuities with the savings of a life, were obliged to commence anew. Parents, who imagined they had provided for their children, were half broken-hearted. Day by day brought some new case, and day by day evinced the importance of being contented with a fair and legitimate percentage. There is no knowing to what extent the evil might have reached had not the boldness of Mr. Mackenzie induced him to attack the Independent West Middlesex Company. The longer such an association lasts, the more numerous are its constituents; and to the above gentleman the thanks of the entire country are due, for performing, at a personal risk, and at a personal sacrifice of £700, a great public service. The following extract from a letter, evincing the amenity of disposition and choice of language of the person who conducted the delusion, may prove an interesting close to the above narrative:— “Thou art a scoundrel, and thy son no better. I give you and your lying rascal of a ——— notice, that if you or he should dare to publish any slander relative to my character, I shall instruct my solicitor to prosecute you, perjured scoundrel. You base wretch, swear against your own handwriting! What! swear you never borrowed any money of me for the office. O wicked wretch! I have your signature, and my solicitor has seen it. Base, base, base, base! Hang thyself with thy friend! “P. S. I have heard you have again plundered the office. O, how many times, you wretch!” FOOTNOTES: