Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1820-01-29

Il II the Gazette OF yesterday puoPcation
4 has appeared, under the signature OF Butts
! 4 Cawood, calculated TO reflect on r. H.,
w. H. B. s. David Smediey, in relation to a
recent investigation before the Mayor, OF GER
tain highly penal charges which had been
presented against them. Feeling onsclous,
on my part, of the falsehood of the sccusa-
ton, that | had not wantonly and without
necessity contributed to wound the feelings
or expose the characters of men towards
whom have no hostility, and that | had
not acted in clandestine manner, to attain
an illegal object, il cannot be expected that
1 will give sanction to the libel against me
by my silence. A statement of all the evil
dence which was given before the Mayor
and of his sentence, would in themselves be
sufficient for my defence, and as B. & G..
have by their publication against me chal-
leRged investigation, | might perhaps be
justi6able in going every length necessary
for the development of the truth, but have
in view only my own justification and do not
desire to wound their feelings without ne
cessity - therefore con6ns myself TO the
general outlines of the transa action.
Before any judicial enquiry had been
made, reports most unfavorable to the mer-
camille reputation of certain description
of traders IN the town, had been in circula-
ton ltbecame the duty of every one either
to put them down by proving their falslty,
or If true, to TX the charges on those who
were guilty.--A clue to the discovery was
accidentally acquired by me from persons
residing in town who gave evidence before
the Mayor. 1t was important TO ascertain
the truth-the subject was serious-the in
formation might possibly be erroneous. The
first examination was therefore necessarily
private, but not clandestine, nor at late
hour OF the night The same experiment was
made by others-the result was the same
Nothing was done to impair the accuracy of
the balance--the examination was made on
Monday evening the 18th inst.--the scales
were not altered. During the whole ofthe next
day (Tuesday,) no discovery was made,
as B. & G. insinuate. of the absence of a
large piece of plaster, weighing upwards of
60 pounds, which they are pleased to call
the " balance weight" belonging to FIX
lures erected with all possible accuracy"
On the 18th, and not on the day after the
examination, the sale and delivery of the
plaster was made which led to the judicial
enquiry before the Mayor.
TIE result of this enquiry before magis-
tidlc SaPdSitN HdsC DCCb
always highly respected, was as follows -
A fine was imposed on B. T. c. for viola
ton of law, which that magistrate did not
consider accidental-that proof was given of
more than one such yiolation--that there was
not only an inequality in the weights of the
scales of more than 60 pounds, but that a
further difference was produced by an inc
quality in the length of the arms of the beam.
Sentence OF condemnation was therefore
passed by the Mayor, not only on the scales,
but on the beam also, and they were accord
ingly destroyed by the proper officer
This statement is not made with view oil
eliminating B. T. c. but is intended as alrea-
dy stated, only for my own defence, nor do
pretend to draw for the public any deduc-
tion from what has been stated
ian 2g ROBERT HUME.