The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1822-08-16
From The National Intelligcncer1

From The National lntelligcncer
Mr.. 1dem's Rcjoiader 10 Mr. RUSSELL
CoHCLuDED.
took the letter 10 the President, and
expr' ssing To him my suspicion, that the
above passage particularly had never been
written at ParL', requested him 10 cause
search To be made among his private, pa
pers for the original letter, il there ever
had been ONE. The search was according
~ made, and the letter was found. On
comparing them together, | inmedately
perceived that the original was Inarke cd pri-
cate which TIE duplicate was not.
turned immediately Ia the prophcsies OF the
duplicate IN the original they were not.
| looked To the passage in the duplicate,
Which represents the fishing privilege, not
only as utterly insignificant, and trining in
value, but as having been proved to be- so
by the best information 81" IRE the plenipo-
tentlarcs at Ghcnt) could obtain on the
subject" There was whole system OF
misrepresentation in these words gre could
Obtain for they represented the incorrect
estimate OF the rGine ofthe fishing pIs> re
which thcy introduced, as the result Of m
formation obtained by the whole mission
nj Shent, AZ having been there discussed,
and as agGraYating the wrong OF the ma io-
riy, III olierng SO cNtra,agant an cQuiya-
lent, for what they knew, upon thoir own
enqurlca, 10 be of so little value. knoW-
ing, as dill, that the information was all
transformation that no information con-
corning the value Of the privilege had been,
Or could have been, obtained by the Joint
MISSION and that, excepting some doubts
as to its value, expressed Not by Mr.. Rus
sell, II had never been even u subject of
conversation IN the mission turned to
the real letter from Paris, to SCI how the
writer had expressed himself there. and
found ht had writtrn, according to the
best information that I can obtain on the
subject" ! saw Immediately that all that
tale about the obscurity and humidity of
the atmosphere, in the high rorthcrn lati-
tndcs, TO degrade the value of the Labra-
dor fishery, was not in the original even
pretended 10 have been information sought
or obtained by the oint mission that the
discovery which il disclosed was not pre-
tended To hav" been ever made known to
the mission that the iogs, 80 prrncious 10
the curing of the fsh, were in tie original
letter, ii NOT merely the vapors of Mr.. Rus
sells Imagination, at least no more than
the result of the best information THAT he
could obtain. And | instantly saw, too,
the motives for the substitution of the
words ne 'colGd in the duplicate, for the
words ! can, IN the original. As the orr
gmai had been written, the bill Of indict-
ment which il virtually contained against
the majority of the mission, left thcm al
liberty to say, in their defence, that if the,
had Overrated the value of the fishing liber-
~, IT had been AT least an honest error. Ii
leit them ut liberty to inquire, why AIr
Russell, IN their discussion upon the fishery
question:, had not revealed to them this
great discovery OF obscurity and humidity
and nccssaut fogs, which lcssened so much
the value Of the fishing liberty The zee
could OF the duplicate took from them all
such means of defence. Ii represented
them as having wilfully simed against their
better knowledge as having sought mlor-
nation ofthc value ofthc fishing liberty
as having obtaircd proof of its worthless
ness--dnd vet as having persisted in offer
my for IT an equiv alent which was to let in
British smugGlCrs, British cmis.arcs, and
al the horrors of Indian warfare, upon the
hnoDthdiag inhabitants of the west. Was
TINS one OF those corrections which Mr.
RnsseH believed himselfpernitted TO make,
which appeared TO him proper, to exhibit
his case most advantagiousiy before the tri-
bnnal of the public ?
Proceeding in the comparison between
the two papers when came to that sub
ilme pancgyrs upon the fishermen to atone
for the absolute surrender and eager sacri-
ice OF their liberties !; to that cheering cup
oil consolation doled out to them as a peace
Offering for the eXtngIishment, as far as
Mr.. RusseiPs labors could avail, of their
means OF subsistence" that the essential
" security and prosperity of the many, must
" be preferred 10 the convenience and mi
nor interests of the few :" to that swelling
peal OF self applause, for early PROPOSES
SONS siicnced, and local predictions sub
dned-all substituted in the duplicate for a
mere postscnpted trust, in the Original, that
ms oTghmemto demonstrate ahrogation of
the treaty OF 1898, by the war, and the con
sfqucnt d, scontinuance of the fishing Esi,,i-
tege, would not be ascribed 10 any bosfiii-
" to those interested in 1.-THE mingled e.
lnolions at the bottom of the soul of the
writer, betrayed by these self-aecusing and
se!l-cXt0iunS variations from his letter as
II had been originally written, excited in
my mind sentiment too much chcer,d
WIN merrlment, and too much mitigat-