The Arkansas advocate., 1831-02-02

place the speech in the haIds ot the readers of the city papers, at the moment 1t Is transmitted to the TWO Houses. This year, as usual, the rough draft of the message, aud the reports of the Secretaries of the Navy and War Depart. ments, and of the Postmaster General, were 1 glpento the printer, and the revised proof sub imtted to the private Secretary ol the President, and to the Secretary of the Navy, 10 the Seere- tary of War, and to the Postmaster General, re- spectively, for correction. Alter the revise had been examined and corrected es ts.e:H, tie iiscs- sage and reports were put to press. Some few copies of tue report oi the Secretary oi War had been stricken of, when on yIoaduy morning, anotherrevise was sent to the office, with seye- rai alterations, chiefly verbal, marked on the margin, in the hand writing oi the Secretary, and part of an additional sentence on another paper. The public printer was standing by the foreman of hlS office when this correction was received; and being asked if the press should be stopped for the purpose, directed the alterations to be made, and gave particular instructions that the report, as preparing Tor the newspaper, should be made to conform with the corrections of the Secretary; and intended to be understood that the impressions stricken off should be can cel!cd and he was much mortified to learn, some days afterwards, that 1t had not been done. ln this way, a few copies of the report, as it was first put to press, was delivered.
 The practice of printing the message and the accompanying documents. which are part off the message, before it is delivered, is, as far as We are informed, as old as the Government it, sell. The practice oi altering and correcting the press, is as old as the press itself There is no composition so chaste, as not to be capable of improvement; and we recolectto have heard it said, of the late Mir. Coleman, the chaste and classic Editor ol the Eyening Post, that it was his habit to revise, and then revise, and ire qucntly revise again, an ordinary newspaper pa ragraph. We, ourselves, iHattentve as we are in these matters, have frequently made great CT alterations than these critics have discovered in the report in question:; and we venture to af- | firm, that each one oi the critics in question have done the same thing. The corrections and the report, were in the hand writing of the Secrc- tary and the facetious Editor of the Commer- cial may re-assumc all his self gratulations on account Of it's improvement.
 in some ot the papers 1t has been said, that there were three editions, of the report. issued
 This, so far it relates to the public printer is not correct. No other alterations than those named were made in tlle report. To the pub 1 lie printer, 1t was q source of deep mortitca- ton, to learn that the first impressions had not been cancelled. lie believed that they had been cancelled, and learnt, that they had not, some days after they had been distributed. It will tbus be seen that the blame of sending out the first edition, rests with the public printer; that the alteration was made by the Secretary on MoHday and thatit was before, and not after the report had been communicated to Congress. The public printer conceives 1t due to both houses of Congress, to the public, and to the Secretary, to state these facts, without having consulted the latter. He edges that the blame rests with him, because 1t was his duty to have been more explicit in his instructions to cancel the first edition. U. s, Iek
 American SiM.-The Flag of the II. States made Of American Silk, and presented to the Congress atits present session, by PETER s. DU PoNcEAu, Esq., an offering worthy of the rep resentative wisdom of the Republic, and of the distinguished source whence it emanated. This presentation of fabric of such beautiful and rich materials, must form an epoch in the annals of American industry.
 Whoever has seen the Flag now deposited in the Hall of Congress, must have been pleased with the report of the Committee on Agricul- ture, 50 honorable to Mr. Du Ponceau. This estitHdole tIlDute to patflOIc eXeTtlons, may have the effect of giving impulse to national en- terprize, in culture which promises inexhaust- ible wealth to our country.
 It may not be unacceptable to know, what has been the estimation of Mfr. Du Ponceau's liberal views in Philadelphia, where his Filature is established. The following extract from the. Report of the Franklin Institute, there held, is with that object submitted. The Report re- comments that the Sifuer Medal be awarded to MT. Homergue, who is the superintendent of the Fillature:--
 EXTRACT.
 ss4. But what attracted most our attention, as we'll as that of the visitors of our exhibition, 8 splendid Flag displaying our national colors, ,,.Jo b,y Mr. n:Jo,,oro,se eptirely of Amar