Virginia advocate. [volume] (Charlottesville, Va.) 1827-1860, 1830-07-09
co NJ NJ U 2rEO TOM.

g o VI NJ U2TIO.A TON.
To THE EDIroRs OF TUE VIRGINIA ADVOCATE.
1t seems that the publication which YOU did us
the favor to insert in your paper oil the 23th.
May, has been deemed so far worthy of notice as
to call forth, from the President and directors of
the Rivanna Navigation Company, a very ami
mated and spirited rcply.--We certainly could
not have supposed that publication of the char
acter OF the one alluded 10, intended for the sole
purpose OF exhibiting to the public plain and
candid statemen, of the facts and circumstances
connected with question ofdeep public ip,e,es,
accompanied with a few remarks in the way of
Illustration ,inoffensve in character as we conceiv
Gu 70 any individual or individuals whomsoever
could possibly have resulted in arousinq into ac
ton the feelings displayed in the publication in
your paper o! the llth June, and of bringing
upon our heads SO much asperity and harshness
OF animadversion as we find dealt out to MS in
that very singular production. We are charued
oy those gentlemen with wish to try our gladi-
a'o'iai skill III the tactics OF paper war. than
"h'ch certainly nothing could have been more
Foreign from our purpose design. We con.
sioeted that ours was course entirely defensive
a.
inanded by the peculiar circumstances in which
We were placed, and necessary in order to relieve
ourselves, as far as practicable, from the conse.
quehces and inconvenience of an unjust excite
ment and prejudice produced in the public mind
against US, from what we conceived to be mis-
taken views or misconceptions of our motives
una conduct in relation to the contemplated i'm
ProVement OF the navigation of the Rivanna riv-
ef at Shadweil mills. We contend therefore
that the tOcsin of war was not irst sounded ON
QUIZ part, but that 1t has come from the opposite
s'oe The gentlemen President and Director
having, therefore, as conceive eroundlesslv
charged US with giving a challenge, which thew
say they cannot in honour decline, with flourish
OF drum & trumpet" forthwith take the 6s,d ond
uttering severe threats of what thew intend to do
aAo 'heir lits at pleasure and retire no doubt in
the conscious triumphs of fancied victory "witb
all their blushing honour blooming thick pnon
the'h' Now we say, on our part, that we pro
iess not 70 DC accepts in the gladiatoral art and
as our opponents say they cannot in honour do.
o'''e tha contest, we beg leave on orr part IN
edy ."a' we cornot In honour consent to enrape
!" any such tournament, especially if our oppo
nents haveSgiven proper specimen of the man
ner IN which it is TO be conducted We shall M,
therefore, IN our reply trouble the public with h
lew remarks on parts of the genllemens produc
ZION which We consider rather of a personal mr.
''e'e'ahI chaTacter, but endeavuur to conf;pe
ourselves chiefly To subjects of public interest
in the first place we would remark that. &C tho
gentlemen admit that our representation of rac,s
"aa some effects on the public mind by alaying,
IS we suppose, IN some degree the excitement
and prejudice previously existing against us. we
may III charity hope that the gentlemen we,o
Hot y" much mortified at the circumstance nc N
cause them to complain so sorely as thew have
u"he OF our resorting to a public news.paper ne
''o "'ost effectual means of bringing the facts
a"u circumstances of tho case fairly before the
pubic And again, while the the gentlemen com.
pam so much of being forced or drarqed into
discussion in the public prints SO much ag,i,s,
"eir wil!' on single topic only, that ofthe Sb,d.
wen controversy, being the only one touched I'm.
." oy us IN our publication, and at the same fine
introduce themselves so many various other ,or;cs
"ol al all connected with the Shadwell ouos,;o,
OF necessary to IFS calculation and also feel ,bo,,
lives constrained, as they say, TO give publicity
=" many things which, passing only between
'''"'Sc''os and tho older membcr of the FIN,
Of 'he onion, might seem more entitled to he the
S"oJect OF private communication than of be;,o
o'a1oned forth in the columns of a widely .c;rcn.
'a"ng newspaper" with vaIi ,us ideas. and color-
sS Vi 'oeaS, necessary to elucidate those many
'h'ngs' The result no doubt, of the exertion #
MUG" ingenuity. We may be allowed in charity to
nope that the gentlemen in all this wero ,ct,o,od
rom no mo'ivoor desire to re.excitc and in6ame
'"o PUBIC mind, and instil new preiudices into il
os"'nS' US after We had happily succeeded in re.
moving them in some degree as thew admit. lint
80, "''" acluated by the sole and laudadle
motive and desire of enligbtenipg tho rnblic
"'iu I'D matters Of deep public interest And
'sa'n as the gentlemen in their outset nromised
''Ee'al ho' contradictions to ststensr,. H.,
'ciore the public, abiding no dopb, 70 ,,,,o,a,.
'"soe oy us, and afterwards failed in III. 49,,
nance OF thar promise, We may in cbarifv nrs.
sumo Ihat tho promise was inadver,e,tl,, r,odd
expected the will to be taken for tl,e dood
nero are somo clauses or sentsncos :, a.
Eon''omcns publication intended no,l,,ns
e"ooil5hmeD's to their composition ,yhint, 49,.
"'"'' mol interfere with but leave r,- ,bo 49,.