In the course of their efforts they erred through exaggeration
and brought an unwarranted charge against Sir John Cowans, but it warms the heart to think that in the cause of justice they were invincible and undismayed. It must be remembered -that in pitting himself against Mrs. West, Mr. Birch was in effect taking up arms against his employer. And for all he knew he was in a fair way to offend a large part of the landowning class from whom he derived his means of living. Is it not splendid to be able to reflect to the eredit of human nature that when a defenseless person seems to be the utter butt of arbitrary persecution some one- generally arises • who out of the passion for right, out of pure knight-errantry, risks everything to secure justice 2 This is what. Mr. and Mrs. Birch did. They placed themselves, in this minor cause, in line with the immortal Granville Sharp, who fought and defied all. the powers of English law in the interests of the unhappy slave Somersett. But for them Mr. Barrett might still be under a cloud of foul and false aspersion.
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