Wheeling times and advertiser. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1839-1849, 1843-11-27
MARRYATr's LITERARY LARGE

the glazing conduct OF Capt. Marryatt
IN Pur;oining from hima large rortiou
OF his forth coming work. SO lar as
MI. Kendall - concerned, ITS only effect
wit be 70 increase the anxiety of the
pubic % obtain possession Of work /,
which we predict will be the most pops
lar and Interesting pubiicalian of the
ysar.-Ed Couy q Eng.
AsToR iiousR, Nov. 10. 1919.
Cot. J. w. WEBB, Dear Sir: No, a
little as.onished, aud may say amused,
too, have been within the threes past
days while reading the most wonderful
narrative OF the Travels and Adven-
lures OF Monster Violet, in California,
Sonora, and Western Texas, as written
by Capt Marryatt, c. b
Were il not that I have been attack Al
personally In this book, and my We raci>
~ wantonly impeached, I might not
Trouble either you or the public, with a
line; but as have been assailed. and to
show heextent Of Marryat,'s offenuins.
IN justice to myself ] am compelled to ex :
pose the boldness oil one Of the grossest
hterary humbugs that have ever been
imposed upon reading community.
Ia his preface, Marryatt asserts. after
stating that It Is unnecessary 10 inform
MS reader IN what manner he became
acquainted with the party from whose
notes and memoranda he had compiled
the volume, that .'Of their authenticity
and correctness (Marrya;D have no
doubt, as he Monsieur Violet has Leen
with me during the whole lime it has
taken me to write the work. In The
lace oil this grave assertion, think that
extremely we'll founded doubts exist as
10 the truth of some of the Incidents
TO tear of the veil OF probability with
which the author has attempted 10 clorhe
the adventures OF his hero, 10 exuose
the fiimsiness aud transparency of this
mendacious mask, | have but to refer
10 one or two events in the narrative.
Monsieur Violet, according to Capt.
Marryatt, is young French Royalist
banished from hIs country when Charles
= y lost has throne In hundred league
ooots--not seven, as they would be a
lew sizes too small-Monsieur stalks
through the world. We hear Of him, rs
per Narrative" in Scotland-next in
tho Holy Land and Rome suddenly ne
IS In CaliforRia-next among The Snake
Indlans-by and by ie Texas. [, was
while travelling between Montery. ON
the Pacific coast, and Santa Fe. thai
VIC et came upon q community of prai.
Tie dogs an account Of which is given M
the close of the eleventh chapter of the
"Narratiye.o
NOW, am not inclined 10 dispute
that there IS a settlement ofthesa strange
animals between Montery and Santa Fe
lar from IL. only intend to ooint
oui the truly wonderful coincidence.
inat precisely such settlement as the
Monsieur visited, | myself saw so ne
hundreds of miles east Of his dog CON
inonwealth, and what is more, that de.
scrl bed in precisely the same Language
as Capt Marryatt has put into the mouth
OF Inc young royalist, in the New Or
leans Picayune Of July I843. Unfortu.
nately Tor Capt Marryatl's last work, il
also happens that my account was cop.
lee INTO the Courier and Enquire rof the
zVth OF July, l642-by comparing them
You VIII be struck with the remsrka Bile
coincidence that the same worda. verba-
TIM, were used some fifteen months az.
Ter by the great English writer. This
commonwealth OF prairie dogs | claim
as mine-mi by right Of previous dis
covery and first possession,
In a series Of hastily thrown off
sketches, published IN the Picayune dur.
rag the summer OF 1912, | gave a mar
ratlye OF the march Of the Santa Fe ex.
PednIon through Western Texas. To
my great surprise / find that Marvat,
conducts Mons. Violet over the same
road-he sees the same sights. mentions
'he same incidents, uses precisely the
same language that had previously re
Soroeo. lie encountered the same dan
gers, endured the same priva.ions, cbas-
cd the same buffaloss that we did. and
"nat Is even more remarkable. the
young Frenchman travelled with two of
my particular friends, one Of whom he
names Fitzgerald. This latter circum-
stance | never could have believed. had
not seen IL in this we'll authenticated
W narrative, and even uow / entertain
serious misgiyIngs az TO its truth. ines
mueh as can net believe that either of
my friends ever had the hardihood 10
travel the same road twice. certainly
was With them the fret time they jony
noysd toward Santa Eel know Thar
they thon saw enough and suffered en-
ough 70 make them extremely wary Of
travelling the road second time, even
though the daring Mons. Violet was
ready 70 accompany Them.
But % be serious. In this Narrative
either nons Violet or Capt Marrvatt
has stolen, literally aud bodily stoies
portions of my sketches rs published in
lo4z, lacking now and then . falsehood