Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1828-1831, 1830-06-08
.scDsssotrU a1fbt0,
TIE late Collector at PETERSBURG

lee Hfe Collector at PeterSbuYg
On the eist May last, We published tho following
paragraph!
10 "o arc authorised to say, that Notwithstanding
tue Dpruaence and indscreon of the lute Collector
OF rrtersourg his accounts with oil the necessary
extracts and vouchers. WERE rcauary furnishcd tn
inc treasury Department, at the end OF each wear
ana that the bal lance claimed by the u States
!t"ousn somewhat exaggerated i'll the newspapcrsl
- taken from the last account current furnished by
ne Collector himself and which concludes his trans
ACTIONS and Liabilities. Ii is very evident that suit
mug nave oeeh brought Tor the amount of the oh
cial BOND, whatever may have been the deficit
1t probably occurred to the reader that this mar
aSraph was either suggested ndi,cd, by tho late
Collector OF Petersburg, himsolf In fact. it was
written by hlin and published at his urgent request
be claiming lis publication indeed, Us matter of de-
fcnsivo justice.
IL was not without reluctance that we copsontcd
opuo'sh IL not from any want OF disposition to afford
N0i hoocrtson, or any other accused individual uny
means or facility of doencc which our situation on
aoied US to extend, bat because as We understood
'he apology conveyed by the paragraph, i, was no
apo"gy ct all and because We wore unwillino 10
sand Godfathers to an explanation which had uiven
no satisfaction 10 our own minds. We Welded how
ever at his entreaty.
At tue time of publishing tho above paragraph
and until within 10 hours last past we understood
It's meunng to be this and nothing more: That the
dofa!catlon of COL Robertson had only occurred lust
previous To his last annual returns
II struck US with somc surpriAe that Col R. should
consider the circumstance lohcn his deficit had occur
red, as at all nlteral-and not only TINT hut tim,
lie should insist upon 1t apparently, as gong a qood
ways towards extCIuatng his fault. If he had an
proprated the public money, it didnot strike us as at
oH morally important, IN what year, under whose
administration, he had done so. The undcrs andins
ot our m MS, was that he deemed it Of consequences
because IN the first place, it seemed 10 argue that
inc adaptation had not bien systematic, which would
perhaps inter more hardened and mature dehbern-
lion, than It was confined to single act; and in
the second place. that hc desired it to be known
TINT he had not concealed his dofa cuion bat bv fir
nlshIng as ne says he did, all nccessary extracts md
Vouchers had appraised tie Government Of the eXs
tehce and extent o. his deficit These views
we're not cnt:yciy satisfactory to It's, but they
were the only reasons could t!.iuli OF explain
atoFy OF Col Rs great anxiety to have the above
paragraph published. We s,w tia. he relied
mucil npoa having made regular AL true re-
turns (Which ulicnted thu, he had not ATTEMPTED 10
conceal the deficit from governmeni because in the
planned Of our having used tie term detection" in
reference TO the first discovery Of his dedication;
compliant which we thought somewhat squearnsh, but
which our sincere COMMUNICATION fer himself and his
family, induced 70 receive without objection or re-
ply
We now understand that we hove been nnder
dcIuson as to Col, Robertson g viows in having the
above paragraph publishod tina, his object was to
10 - - Iii Al
crnmnnt in Mr. Adams Presidency Of his defcit that
1t had been virtually connivCE at by that admin;strs-
ton by lis falling to have him removed that in fact
as friend aud partisun, that Government viewed tho
money he had appropriated as a Ioun, which he vas
10 repay at his convenience; q state of thngs which
were it true, Col. r. to think would greatly
palliate hi' offence, b. nculpo'ing MIR Adams, and
hlr. Rush, and onng dram divide the responsibility
with rim. We learn with unfeigucd surprise, that
when the paragraph was fret published, it e,ss rem
orally understood by the public DC seeking to excuse
Col. r. in part nj Ic. ST. by inpu,n knowledge end
liberation Of his default 70 Dir. Adams and Mr. Push
md that he himself in corycrsnIion among his friends
and ncquainuncee, has uniformly thus spoken of IT,
aud produced a very general impression to that effect
somewhat TO his own advantage, and much 70 their
prejudice
This Information leaves us but ono course TO pur-
sr", and that is to discaim tho authorship Of the
above paragraph which first appeared in this paper
on tho 2st B1sy, eJioriaE u declare or rerroi Of,
haviog Suffered ourselves To be persuaded into giving
P0hlcliy; and to dsowD, pointody und Indignantly
all Knowledge or suspicion Of tho latont views flor
they DO not appear patent ous now) of the late
Collector Of Petersburg in addressing it to The pub
he. We respect aud vcneratc misfortune and IL is
painful to be obliged to rccn to theme fraught with
80 much unhaPpincss TO many amiable bosoms; but
we are leit without discretion IN yielding inoillty
to Col r. to oxtcnuae his offence, wo have most
ignorantly bccu made accessory 10 attack IN men
rs excellent we believe the country contains- we
mean the Into President Of the T. Stntcs and Socro
tary Of tho TreosUry--ond VIC mean TO repair that
injustice far VIC can. One word on this Inst