Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1835-10-08
IG NOMINATION.,
WING NOMINATION,
FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES,
DANIEL WEBSTER ,
Of Massachusetts.
MR.. ADAMS LETTER AS TO LlTERA
RY MERITS.
OF Massachusetts.

h1 MEhl -.
Mr.. Adams bad taste in style is incu-
rable; and the case must be given over
as RENE ediless. He cannot write any
thing, not even private letter, without
tincture more or less of affected or Pc
dantic phraseology; making a painful
though abortive effort to say something
striking. il is not strange, perhaps, that
MIR. Adams should not know that his
dull, phlegmatic temperament is wholly
unpropitious to ardent or brilliant expires
sion; but il is strange that he has not tie
discernment to perceive that his attempts
Of this hind are so many failures; and
that he should still persist to make them,
after all the ridicule they have drawn
down upon him.
Who ever heard the report Of COM
mitee, appointed to make it, being call
ed an euil report? Yet Mr.. Adams from
some quaint notion or other of his own,
and peculiar TO himself, has so denomi-
mated report made to a Missionary So
ciety in Massachusetts,. A report might
be favorable or unfavorable, correct or
incorrect; but why call it The eril report
of the committee Is it because the
things reported were evil things' Then
you might call Sallust's history Of Cata-
line and his conspiracy, all erit history.
Is it because the manner of the report
was in bad taste: Then We might call
Mr.. Adams letter al evil letter; and in
deed most of if not all his writings, evil
writings. Is it because the matter re-
ported was not true? Then false plea
in Court should be called an eril plea, =,
and false testimony erii,estimony. When
the report Of committee is called false
report we know what it means, but it it
il called an evil report the me aning is to
be guessed at.
Any writer might misapply a word BY
inadvertence: but this is not the case OF
inadvertence; for the ordinary word
could not escape the utmost carelessness;
but the ordinary word was evidently stu
diously avoided as being too ordinary
and the affected phrase was used as II
substitute rs being something better and
more striking. The sentence is as fol
lows:
81 enclose copy of the proceedings of the
town OF Quincy upon the erh report OF the
Rev. WIN. NJ. Cornell to the Massachusetts
Missionary Society"
Again; MIR. Adams wanted, it seems
to tell his correspondent that Parish 1T
Quincy had settled Colleague to thci'
old Pastor; "a piece of information by
the by, likely to be very interesting to
Dutee J. Pearce; about us much SC
probably as to tell him that the town oi
Quincy had appointed a new Pound
Keeper, if such an event had taker
place and he does it in this style:
81 ask your acceptance also of a pampblc
containing the proceedings OF the FIRST Con
pregatons Church and Society in the towr
upon the recent settlement of Colleague t.
their Pastor, after thirty-ive years OF faithful
service by him IN this land Of desol0homs."
Observe he is speaking Of Quincy
and Of service performed in his land q
desolaiions. Now we had not heard thai
Quincy had been wasted by the ravages
Of war, or pestlence, or by any Other
scourge Of the Almighty. il is true the
Rev. VIM. NJ. Cornell had represented
the people Of Quincy as being no better
than they should be; but he speaks o
no judgment Of God upon them for thei
manifold deficiencies; nor Of their no
being well of as TO all the good things o
this world. If the question were put Il
him, the Rev. gentleman we believt
would say, that the greatest calamity t'
that town, that ho knows Of, is what il
inflicted upon it by the unfortunate tenn
per Of Mr.. Adams; but as misery love.
company, it may be some consolation tc
him tbs, though Quincy is the.s seat Of this
calamity, the calamity itself is common
10 the whole country.
Ifhiis land Of desoioiions did not mean
Quincy, pray tell us Mr.. Adams wha,
land was meant, so marked with dcsola-
tons, in which this ,biry-fve years o
faithful service was pcrlornedi Where
10 it' What it's latitude and ngitude ?
Pray tell us