The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1844-08-26
The Attack or M. M. Noah ON Governor Var
Ness Repelled.


Ness Repelled.
WILLIAMSBURG, L. I.,'Aug %. ls44
To THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD:
SR:-A very violent attack having been made
upon me by Nj. M Noah in his last Messenger,
which is in reality an attempt to censure Governor
Van Ness Tor an act OF the most dislnterested kind
ness to humble citizen. | shall feel greatly
obliged by an opportunity OF repelling It through
Without my knowledge, some highly respectable
friends had interested themselves to obtain for me
an inspectsrship in the customs. II offered TO
act OF kindness on behalf of the American people,
| TO an exile who had suffered much in defence OF
principles dear to every true American. | accept
ed the appointment-carried letter OF intr0duc.
ton to the collector, Mr.. Curtis. with an official
copy OF The vote the Institute had just passed in the
City Hall-was accompanied by one OF the Direc-
tors-and Mr.. Curtis received me very kindly, as
surfing me that he would at once send on the ap-
pointment 10 MIR. Spencer, Secretary Of the Trea-
sury. Instead OF doing this, he wrote to Washing
ton for permission to withdraw his offer to appoint
me. This was refused. He showed me the letter
OF refusal. Then he appointed me. His letter is
a rare curiosity. Mr.. Spencer's reply is net less
so. Some unfaiihful officer in Judge Bibb's de-
partment has sent extracts TO the Express, which
It's wrote to his friend, MIR. Spencer, begging him
10 veto the appointment as he could MT back out.
Mr.. Spencer obliged his friend, the Collector, by
declaring that although an American citizen, was
a
a friendly power, some Six years before. He shall
never hold an Office under the American govern
n,ent, II can help 1t, said the learned ]. G. Spen-
Ger unless, OF course, Queen Victoria were to
case.
If all the descendants Of American outlaws from
British justice, now in this Union were numbered,
presume they would be found to be a majority of
the nation. What was the venerable Doctor Ma
cheven, whom Messrs Seward, Weed and Spen-
Ger took pride in placing in Office here, in 1889
A British outlaw Colonel David Gibson OF To-
ronto, for whom, as an outlaw, with me in the
Canada outbreak, 81, 900 was offered by the wrong
headed Canadian Governor OF that day, was up
held In Office as surveyor several years on the
Erie Canal, by Mr.. Spencer and his friends, at
$l095 year. The venerable Thomas Trevor, for
whom one thousand guineas were offered by the
Irish government in l79S, and who succeeded Lord
Edward Fitzgerald treasurer Of the Unitedlrish-
men, was he not made an Inspector OF Customs
here by the express orders OF General Jackson,
and is not the noble old outlaw in office with us still
In the hour OF danger in 1872 who was the Attorney
General of New York! Thomas Adds Emmett
| prosecuted British outlaw Of '9S. When Lafay-
| cite escaped from "French JUSTICE" during the
revolutionary days of Robesplerre, the outlaw was
| placed in an Austrian dungeon. Would such have
been his fate here Even Mr.. Secretary Spencer's
brother, when caught in arms in Canada in the last
outbreak, was allowed by Sir George Arthur TO re-
turn home unharmed, while had close coDfine-
ment here tor twelvemonth, to please, as Mr.
| Noah informs us, friendly power.
One Of the most eminent and distinguished among
| the statesmen Of this great republic, to whom
| sent an account OF the usage had met with from
Messrs. Curtis and Spencer, sent me the following
| reply in letter dated the 9th inst:-
~ do not know Mr.. Van Ness, but what he has
done for you raises him very high in my estima-
ton; the higher in consequence of the shameful
treatment you received from others. When you
became citizen you stood upon an equal footing
as to appointments with any other citizen and the
fact thai despots had outlawed you, instead Of be-
ing an objection, ought to have given you claim to
L fpvn he nj m do IN v0u m NJ
an alleged political offence in Canada, was an in
| suit 10 the memory # Hancock, Adams, and every
other British .bj-ct upon whose heads price had
| been set in IT'S q Such men were rescued from
| gibbet mainly by foreign aid; and yet because
| GU and other mIaors Of them failed, because
you had no such ADD il seems you are to be out
awed mere also! II yon are criminal for daring to
do, unsuccessfnlly, in Canada, what Hancock and
others did IN the thirteen colonies, successfully
the latter were criminal: but if they successful de.
serve honor and gratitude, you unsuccessful have
but lost nothing. You risked, and lost every thing
II they trlumphed, thanks in part TO foreigners II
! you failed, the fault was not yours.
81 blush as think OF what must call a pro-
in which so many generous Englishmen treat the
exiled Poles. They open their doors and purses
to them, for the very that you are repealed
because they failed % release their country from
am delighted that there is man, Mr.. Van Ness,
who has the courage and generosity TO do what is
| right and humane. As to Mr.. Spencer's conduct,
am not at all surprised at it, but ! confess Mr.
whom have met with, have almost always deserv-
| ed my admiration They are frank andopen heart
| ed. 1 sorry Mr.. Bibb has pu, on Mr.. Spencer's
spectacles, and cannot but think he did SO by mis-
| take"
| Col Johnson, of Kentucy, expressed himself in
| language equally favorable in lSi0-and there are
| very many Of the noblest Of Americas sons, who
have writ to me in language the very opposite
of the Liberal Spencer and crooked Curtis.
As to Judge Bib, no blame can be attached 10
| him Governor Nan Ness, when he heard Of
| Messrs. Curtis and Spencer's correspondence, as
| sumed the responsibility of my appointment, and
| Noah, who, with his friends the Phillipses and
others, have had, as some think, larger share OF
to the country, having ascertalned that fact, SIAN
| ders me, that blame may attach to the government
and to the collector, for an appointment less vau.
able than'that which held In the City Hall, and
| from which have not yet derived one dollar
| Mr.. Noah, knowing that it was false, asserts,
that "ihrough his (Mackenzie's) counsel and ear
nest solicitation, several brave Americans were
led into an ambush, were taken and hanged-and
a number Of ourffellew citizens were tried. con-
demned, and are at work with convicts at
Van Dieman's Land" He goes on to speak OF
"our poor, betrayed countrymen. betrayed by
the events hat led to the death OF Van Shoultz and
others.
l arrived in New York in February. 1888, and
attempts to Iiberate Canada would be madness
the time had gone by. In June, the Short Hills
affair took place, near Chppawa. In November
and December the Windsor and Prescott affairs
followed, at Detroit and Ogdensburgh. solemny
declare that the persons who planned and executed
these three unfortunate movements, never once
consulted me. had declared my unqualified dis
appreciation Of such movements, and had no share
in them--nor has one human being of those en-
gagged ever laid it to my charge that planned,
instigated, or was in aught connected with them
was the while resident in New York.
sent to Noah's Office to buy his Messenger, that
might enable him TO justify his calumnes in
court of law, but the publisher refused TO sell
copy. Won ShouItz was in New York before the
battle but never saw nor had any correspondence
with him at any time. The Briggs, Monroes, Put