Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1845-03-28
From he .Ncr Orleans Picdyunc.


The necessity under which editors Of newspa-
pers live of reading public documents, gives them
some right 10 ask the manufacturers OF this spc-
cies Of literature that they spin their lucubra-
lions Of a texture more palrablc than the woot OF
phanons ball.dress. We have had occasion,
before now, 10 speak OF Senator Archers report
en- annexation as rather a specimen Of nehulous
composition than State paper; vet the SUBJECT
matter OF j; demanded the plainesl phraseology
that the dictionaries could furnish. In perusing
, This document, we confess thai we forgot all about
Texas annexation, war, treaties and protests in
getting Al the phi.osoph: embedded in such EXPIRES
siuns
"Inslitulions have no exemption from This law
of dispensaion Of nfexible rigor in all the pos
sib!e notifications OF contingency
This sentence, read backwards, is quite as in
tellieible as when read forwards; for example:
contingency of notifications possible The all
in rigor ntexblc Of dis3ensation Of law, this
from exemption no have institutions"
Barring the ealcsm Of the negalion, The ex-
preston is quite az orcible and correct read either
way Alter a deal of examination in;o the hid
den meanins of the author, il occurred 10 US 10
rcat. il backwards and We think we have disco
veIcd thereby The object OF our researches. The
Chairman Of The Committee on Foreign Rela-
lions wished 70 incuca,e the idea that by law
OF nature, what goes up must come down; and
that If institutions are brought within The ri
COR" OF this 'dispensaiion," tint circumstance or
contingency" will not a,nodify" the 'innexibili-
IL" of The rule The mode of enforcing this law,
by laying it down in terms that read both ways
was ingenious in The extreme, as the return OF
"wha goes up" through the very space before ira
Yelled when il .must come down, is happily H.
lusiraled BY turning "backwaId,' and reading the
same law OF nature that is contained in the same
sentence when read "icrwan." The perpcndicu-
lar action of gravity is thus beautifully cxempli-
fed By horizontal exercises in reading.
After giving Mr. Archer all due credit for the
admirable conceit of suiing 'thc action 10 The
word" or rather Of arranging his words so as 10
display the action Of the great law oil nature cited
we vet objec, 10 The propriely of his introducing
such ingenious verbal exercises into report OF
The character under consideration. We much
question il one man in hundred has found The
key which opens The intent OF the passage quoted ;
and documents Of this sort are designed 10 i'm
press public opinion and illuminate the masses
This style of composition is especially hard upon
editors, as it is as much as they can do to read
public documents foT,rdyd, so voluminous have
they become of late. To put "a double labor upon
them, and compel them TO read them backwards,
too, is cruelty II is tyranny 10 force US 10
read such terribly long reports two ways.
lnsa,iate Areher! will not enc sufiice?
The discovery Of the Editor Of the Picayune,
that Mr.. Archers report must be read two ways
TO be Observation-Disclosures and jormards-not
only does credit TO the penetration Of the interpre
ter, but rebounds TO the immortal honor OF the
author OF this remarkable production. The learn
ed diplomat-who, as chairman Of The Committee
Oh Foreign Relations, had held all Congress and
the country, with suspended breath, awaiting, for
months together the report on the greatest and
most interesting question Of the times-who had
worn himself 10 tenuiiy in the effort, which
made him look, on his return to the Senate, like
the ghost OF some metaphysical idea-was observ-
ed with somewhat Of the suspicion which attend
ed the knight of La Mancha, when the volume
he heraded was found 10 be incomprehensible-
But what injustice was done 10 MIR. Archer on this
first impression, is now seen; no man had ever
a more difficult task 10 perform, and no man ever
accomplished one with such perfection Of diff
Guilty Mr.. Archer had, at the preceding session,
laid down and established, with the most absolute
logic, lha, the admission Of Texas into the Union