The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-08-13
LEGATION OF THE U. 5. or AMERICA,
NAPLES. July ID 1880

TO the Editors of the Courier and Enquirer:
Permit me, in the absence Of Commodore Nor
gan, To contradict a false and i-natured charge
made against him in the Italian correspondence Of
the ". Y. Commercial Aduotiso, and commented up
in the Courier of June 18th. The statement that
eat the fiesta of St Januarus i'm Naples he knelt in
public at the cathedral, and kissed the phial con-
tanning the stuff they palm of as the miraculous
booa Of the martyr" has no foundation in truth
,phafeDc." At the tme-4th Of May-and prcvi
ously, for several weeks, to my personal know
ledge, Commodore Morgan was confined to his bed
by severe illness, and incapable of moving
from his chamber fact well known 20 all the Of
hcers OF the squadron. similar report appeared
in the ArGido, an obscure Neapolitan paper, but
was not contradicted because OFF manifest alsity
and absurdity.
Commodore Morgan is the last man to counte-
nance imposture, and he has too high a regard for
the honor Of the service, Of which he is gallant
an officer, TO prostitute it by any such degrading
conduct. IL will give him great pain 10 know that
ssch an atrocious fasebood should have been propa
gated in the United States, and that il should be
deemed credible by his friends. His absence on a
distant command must be my excuse for request
ing you TO do him the justice to make the above
correction.
Very respectfully, your obcdiont servant,
EDW'D JOY MORRIS.
We cut the above from the paper 10 which il il
addressed. To none will lie disavowal be more
welcome than to ourselves, and of free will as well
ns from desire TO do justice 20 gallant and mcr-
torious officer, we aid in giving il circulation.
We must be permitted, however, TO say word
or two about the tone of the communication. We
do not remember whether the Courier, the foun-
dation of its comments, quoted exactly from the
article in the Commercial. IL seems probable that
Mr.. Morris has read only the COmier's comments,
and has not seen the article upon which he animal
verts; and this infer from the expressions Gill
natured charge" "atrocious falsehood," &c, &c.
But more especially from the fact that the SEN
tenco distinguished by quotation marks never ap-
Peared In the journal. The words used by our cor
respondent were Of similar import but in somewhat
better taste. Neither does Mr.. Morris seem to be
aware that in dealing with our correspondents let
ter, we gave but two three short extracts from
IL, scattered through editorial Of a column in
length IN which we expressed freely doubts of the
authenticity OF our correspondents information,
and also our reluctance TO publish HE communica.
ton entire, because his comments were predicated
upon what might prove to be a false statement
false in the letter or in the spirit.-N y. Com.
FILrNe NFwsPAPERs.-One Of the many things
which regret when review my past life is that
did not, from earliest youth, at least az
was able 10 do IL, take and preserve q believe the
technical word lie "hle'') soino good newspaper.
How interesting IL would be 10 sexagensrian 70
look into the paper which he read when he was
twelve, or sixteen, or twenty years old How
many events would this call TO mind which he has
entirely forgottenl How many interesting associ
atoms and feelings would II revive What a view
II would give one Of past years. What know.
ledge It would preserve by assisting the memory
And how many valuable purposes Of a literary kind
even might IL be rendered subservient TO How
much wish could look into such record while
composing this article Cor, British Ban,