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8vo., (octavo), [vi], 186 pages, half-title present, engraved portrait frontispiece engraved for the trial of Maurice Margarot, some occasional slight scattered spotting. Bound in good quality twentieth century half calf, gilt ruled spine in compartments with contrasting morocco title label. A VG+ copy of this rare work in an attractive binding. [Ferguson, 189]. Maurice Margarot, the son of a wine importer from France, was born in Devon in 1745. His father held radical political opinions and had been involved in the campaign to free John Wilkes from prison in 1769 and was a member of the Bill of Rights Society. Educated at the University of Geneva, Margarot was living in France during the French Revolution. Margarot moved back to England and joined the recently formed London Corresponding Society. At an open-air meeting held at Chalk Farm on 24th October, the London Corresponding Society elected Margarot and Joseph Gerrald as its delegates to the Edinburgh Convention planned for November. Before they left London, Margarot and Gerrald heard the news that two of the leaders of the Scottish Reformers, Thomas Fyshe Palmer and Thomas Muir, had been arrested and charged with sedition. Margarot and Gerrald arrived in Scotland in November 1792. They attended several meetings before they were arrested on 2nd December 1793, with William Skirving, secretary of the Society of the Friends of the People. At his trial, sixteen people gave evidence that they had heard Maurice Margarot make seditious comments at the convention. Margarot made a four hour speech in defence of his actions. When he had finished, Lord Braxfield, the judge, commented that "I would not allow you to be interrupted. If I had been a stranger I would not have heard one third of what you said, which was sedition from beginning to end." Margarot was found guilty and sentenced to be transported for fourteen years. Attempts to stop the men being transported failed and on 2nd May 1794, The Surprise left Portsmouth and began its 13,000 mile journey to Botany Bay. While the ship was at sea, a group of convicts, including Joseph Fyshe Palmer and William Skirving, were accused of being involved in a plot to kill the captain and crew. Later, Palmer wrote a pamphlet accusing Margarot of exposing the plot to the captain. However, an investigation carried out by Francis Place, found that there was no evidence to support Palmer's accusations. Soon after arriving in New South Wales, Maurice Margarot was joined by his wife. As a political prisoner Margarot enjoyed more freedom than other convicts and was allowed to establish a small farm. Margarot objected to the way that military officers controlled trading in New South Wales. He became very unpopular with the military when he wrote a letters to Parliament complaining about this profiteering. In August 1804 Margarot was arrested and charged with being involved in a rebellion that had taken place at Castle Hill, a penal colony about 20 miles from Sydney. Margarot was deported to Van Diemen's Land. Margarot was given twenty-five lashes but according to Charles Throsby, the commandant of the colony, he continued to make political speeches urging rebellion. Maurice Margarot was finally released on 7th April 1810. By this time, the other five Scottish Martyrs, Joseph Fyshe Palmer, William Skirving, Joseph Gerrald, Thomas Muir and George Mealmaker, were all dead. After raising the £450 to pay the cost of transport, Margarot and his wife travelled back to England. Margarot continued to be involved in the struggle for parliamentary reform. Maurice Margarot died in a poor hospital in St Pancras, London on 11th November 1815. Seller Inventory # 3534
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