Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1831-08-01
M. Berrien 10 Mr.. Blair.


| SIR have this moment received our note
III answer 10 mine oil this date. make no
| apology Tor continuing this correspondence
| hIthongh you intimate u wish 10 conclude il,
hecause II will be r-adly understood that il is
~ your character as a publ,c Journalist, az d
| not Ms an individual that address you. excr-
Csc right therefore, which, rs the Editor Of
public journal, you with no pfopriety
withhold, when claim he insertion OF this note
IN ihe same paper which conveys your own
communication 10 he public.
Irspeat the qno.alion from your note Of yes.
terdsy:
Wy sole object was al oncs 10 clear the skirts
o the President of "a charge, which YOU are
we'll aware ought moi 10 be at ached TO him Tor
you have, rs understand, declared thit he
dtsctd'med 10 you, al The tiue when you were in
communication With Co. Johnson, any design
| 'ike ihat now imputed 10 him
The first rtmark which ! have TO make
upon this quotation. with reference 10 your
observation that did ao seem TO conrovert
the first branch Of this statement, Is the follow
ing:
Your assertion that I Was yell dVarc that the
charge against the President, which you
ref reed, ought not TO he attached TO hi1i, was
made expressly 10 rest upoo your understand
ing that lhHu explicitly declared, that he
ihe Presideni) disctaimed 10 me any such de
sign When, therefore, told you that such
slatenIsn nj was not warranted by any decla'a-
lion ever made by me. nod OF course that yGsf
understanding WIS NOT correct, gave you q
very broad denial of my having any such
knowledge as that ~hiCh yoa had imputed 10
M. In mote distinct ierms. however, OF that
he possible,) now renew that declaration.
huue no such knowiedge. Nay, mre. Sir ::
have no knowledge of the paper, in the
baad writing of the President" TO which you
refer. No such paper was ever read 10 mt. or
shown 10 mp, or spoken Of TO me. II It had
been, shout mott certainly not now have
had occasion 10 address myself to the public
on this subject, through the columns oil your
paper.
Having thus disposed of the paper to which
you refer, aud ShOHn that this can turuish
no ground for your understanding % uhnl
! Wts0r lpas not aW1re Of, sluce IHecer s1W II,
aud its contents uere neper communicated ~
me, / advert next to your snggestloo, that this
understanding is warranted by Col. Johnson.
positive asirvetation. Uuon this subject
have already told the public, through you, that
consider myself bound by the implied under
standing resulting from my correspondence
with that gentleman, not 10 publish any slate
meni of to. conversation which occurred be-
t~ cen him Messrs. Branch, aud lngham, and
myself, uniil he snail have had reasonable
time 10 reply TO my Letter. told you, at
thu same ,Ime, that any departure from this u"'
Outstanding, which " as authorized ny that gen>
tleIuan, would ab Owe the i'om its Obligation.
[ It'll adhere 70 TN. Yiew, AID content myself,
AT prrsent with repeating, interference TO lidI
of which you suppose me 10 be well aware,
thd haze no such kIOt0itdgt. Ire ine must
speedily arrive when this loI0eaIanCe VIII ue
no louger necessary.
Your next reference is To letter OF mine
10 Mai. Eaton, which you say Is III your pos
session. As you have published an eItrdci,
you are bound to give the correspohae"ce-
even befo that is done - IS ven easy tosee thai
you have entirely misUndersood tue expression
which Noh have qauted-that disclaimer
oil an intention 10 prea teqnisihonhs whole
) /, different til ny ifum a denial OF ever having
Dl tde il; aud trat in using tn's expression
ceull not have had alIusion TO" written
| darl ai,on,n which had never seen or heaid
| OF.
Yon will perceive then, Sir. that you are
wholly unsJ.taned Ia all ths points OF your
statement. except by declaration which you
admtI that YOU have used without authority
and WHICH UilI he met IT II becomes
necessary, As a faithful journalist, you
will. OF course. seize tha occasion to cofiec'
! your erroI. ! ou can, no aodoi, 90 t'Is, IA 'e'
| Iaion 10 tuai paper on which you nave piacso
30 mach reliance, by direct appeal 10 'ns
President, VINO will not, thinH, au'hor'ze tue
statement that the paper was ever shown 10
a.. Ho.ever this may b., bear tins 'e'u
mony 10 the truth. Neither Inviting con'ro'
ve,sy, nor SET king political effect, h"d my
Sell in position, in which mus, either speak
or silently permit the public TO be m'slea'
| have sufficient sense OF what 10 due TO '1ch
not TO inlrude myself uncalled ui'on 'hsn no
nee and the consciousness OF what owe 't
mysrll will oot permit me TO shIink iron ti1s
performance Of my duty.
am, very respectfully, Sir,
yout eoh servant, .,,.,
in. MACPHERSON BERRlLS'
To FRAScls t. BLAIR, Lao.
LIiof of ths Gloje.