I think it necessary to give some account of the debt of £60 for which Cook is now confined in the Fleet, at the suit of Mr. Henry Meux.

Cook had dealt with the house of Starkey and Jennings for many years; who, soon after his conviction, seized upon all his property, both at the Swan in Vere-street, and at the White Horse, Long Acre; the latter being kept by his wife separately, out of which she was forcibly turned; but, by what authority, remains involved in mystery to this day. His dealings with them appear to have been exemplary correct and just, and such as by no means could warrant the step they had taken;—there was no money due for any beer, for that in the cellar was over-paid:—the mortgage on the lease was reduced from £1175 to £116; and there was no debt of any kind at the time of the levy; for he did not owe ten shillings in the world.

Among the property seized under this levy in Vere-street, were six butts of porter, sent in by Mr. Henry Meux, the present plaintiff against Cook. Some days after the levy, Mrs. Cook learnt from the men in possession that all the effects were to be sold:—she thereupon sent to Meux, to take his beer back;—and to the Distiller, Mr. Temple: the latter of whom succeeded in getting away his property. But Meux’s claim was resisted; and in a manner that would have induced me (had Mr. Meux been my client) to have advised him to bring his action, against Starkey and not Cook; for it must be observed, this beer constituted the only debt due to Meux; whose cooper and servants will prove the struggle Cook made to have the beer returned: and I have no doubt but a jury will remunerate him sufficiently, not only to discharge Mr. Meux’s demand, but to recompense him for his imprisonment and other wrongs he has suffered from the transactions of Starkey’s house:—however, let my suspicions on the subject be what they may, this is not a time to promulgate them; as I shall reserve them for the contents of a council’s brief.—I have taken a vast deal of pains to sift the conduct of this brewing community; and the end of my research is, that no fault attaches to the Draymen, or horses! Knavery, as well as Folly, distinctly may accomplish much mischief; but a combination of both, generally destroys the effect of each other;—which may, perhaps, be illustrated in the present case.

The levy was made on the 18th July, 1810, the property all taken, and Mrs. Cook turned into the street; and on the 26th of September following, being a space of two months that Cook had received no account of his property; but the evening of the day previous to his standing in the pillory, he was visited by Mr. Batt, the fac-totum of Starkey’s Brewhouse, and some other persons, to finally settle the accounts with the house. It must be confessed it was an hour illy calculated to settle accounts—more especially such accounts. Cook, in the moment of distraction, expecting to meet a violent death in a few hours, had neither time or spirits to expostulate; he made no objection to any settlement; a cabbage-leaf would have been as satisfactory to him then as the following receipt.

£381 13s. 2d.

26th Sept. 1810,

Received of Mr. Cook the sum of three hundred and eighty-one pounds 13s. 2d. being the balance of his account, and in full of all demands up to this day, due to Mrs. Starkey.

WILLIAM BATT.

However Mr. Batt thought the account very satisfactorily settled; and if Cook had been murdered the next day, it might have remained undisturbed; but, in my opinion, this receipt will prove the fruitful mother of a monstrous progeny! It was a cunning trick for a Brewer! It is a pity he was so scanty of a few grains (I mean of common humanity and candor) but he is a Brewer!—As to myself it is conduct inexplicable! but time may mature this mis-shapen foetus of a mash-tub; and it may live to prove that the mutilated worm that is trod in the earth to day, may rise a scorpion to-morrow, and sting its oppressor to the heart.

After all, it is to be wished, for the sake of public, justice and common humanity, that Mr. Meux would, for the present, discharge a man from prison, of whose integrity and anxiety to do him justice he has had such convincing proofs; and I am not without a hope that he will do it, as I see by the writ his Attorney is one of those few men who disdain making a bill of costs out of the bowels of wretchedness. If Mr. Meux thinks the man possessed means of paying for a dinner when he was taken to a sponging house, he has been criminally imposed upon: for, from the moment he arrested him, to the present time, he has not had the means of procuring a two-penny loaf, but from the most mortifying mendicity. I do not wish to make any observations upon the unprovoked conduct of arresting him, for I firmly believe Mr. Meux is wholly ignorant of his wretched situation.

After Cook’s trial for the pretended assault, the public will be favored with the names and residences of the parties who are the principal objects of this publication; a great number of whom will be compelled to attend in Court, to give evidence on particular points connected with the trial.

I have only to add, in conclusion, that, as I begun with an apology for writing these pages at all, I now feel an equal inclination to apologize for having written them so ill, and so unworthy the pen of any man laying the least claim to literary abilities;—it has been an odious task; but my end is answered if it procures the injured man and his wife that justice I think them entitled to; and I hope the sale of it will afford them some relief.

HOLLOWAY.

6, Richmond Buildings, Soho.

N.B. Cook intreats me to say, that during the twelve years he was in business he dealt with the following persons, exclusive of Starkey and Meux; whose justice he now challenges, to say if his conduct has not been uniformly marked with integrity.

Does this man deserve the treatment of a cheat, a swindler, or a thief?

HOLLOWAY, PRINTER, ARTILLERY LANE, TOOLEY STREET.