The Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1849-1855, 1850-03-20

have commenced clearings, and intend to
build on them next SUMNER" &c., &c.
So much for Mr.. H., who, by-the-way, l
hope will pardon me for not having seen
places and buildings which people intend
to have nert summer.
st. Croix announces in the same COM
placent vein, "We do not hesitate to
say that the water-power of the ST.
Croix Falls can be controlled" and he
calls me, with severity, scientific" be-
cause ventured to express fears of the
contrary. St. Croix adds, positively
we know something of hydraulics up
here" There is need to know a great
deal to justify this dogmatical style upon
the subject.
St. Croix proceeds thus: est. Croix
,could long ere this have caused the re-
splendent blaze Of your northern stars to
fall before it, was it not for &c.''-and
further "when our Hercules is unpin-
toned we ,riH make the dirt fly about
these Falls" sc. Now to all this self
laudation have nothing to say, except
that | protest against its being set up as
correction of my statements. In re-
atty, | should have let st, Croix' fault
finding pass, ''spicy and bold" as it is,
but for the occasion arising, to notice
his labor and more pretentious co-labor-
er--to which latter propose now to say
a few words upon another point.
Mr.. Fl. has chosen to favor the read
ers of the Pioneer with some corrections
Of my bad grammar. Iobserve, prelim-
inarily, that this was hardly called for
by the duty which Mr. H. had imposed up
on himself-nor do | think it very con-
siderate towards the Editor whose col
umns he was proposing to occupy, to tell
him that his correspondents could not
write grammatically. But let us exam
inc the matter.
had written land it is so printed in
my copy of the Pioneer) "The only Wis
ible habitations, to be seen as YOU jour
ney on the ice, are the Arcola, the Ma
rine and the Osceola mills" Mr.. II.
quotes the sentence after this fashion:
'"1'hc only visible inhabitants to be
seen" there is grammar for you, "be-
tween Saltwater and the Marine Mills
is the Arcola Mills" Gan Irish bulD -
There is an editorial star explaining that
inhabitants should be 'habitations; but
Mr.. HIS criticism is evidently indepen-
dent of that misprint The criticism
is based upon what Mr.. II. fancies to
be the tautology contained in the words
''vislble" and "to be seen," and | beg
here to remark to him that tautology
is not grammatical but a rhetorical
fault-not a sin against the rules ofsyn-
tax, but against the canons of STYLE
! But in fact there is no error here at all /;
The only visible inhabitants, visible as
/ You journey on the ice," or ''the only
habitations to be seen-to be seen as
you journey on the ice''-put, or mag
inc. a comma, or dash, or even believe
them both purposely omitted, (for pune
tuation is an arbitrary thing and there
is no tautology at ALL There is allowa-
bic repetition, and, for purpose; the
term of expression is that of narrator
careful not to express more than he ac-
tually saw-''to be seen as you journey
on the ice, i. e.: implicitly, there may
be more to be seen as you journey on a
steamboat; more from her upper deck,
than from the waters surface. Clearly
there is no error except in the sentence
as misquoted by Mr.. H., with an entire
material clause omitted. With such Ii
cense there is nothing more easy than
to prove a writer guilty of mistakes
and, let me add, nothing more unfair. l
here protest against the "Leriathan in
handouts, which Mr.. H. has quoted
for mine. The gentleman says he writes
upon my article from 'memory; | con-
slider the excuse insufficient, on the part
of so severe critic, for such misquota-
tons.
l will here close, Mr.. Editor, with the
remark that | do not propose to occupy
your space further upon Mr.. H., or St.
Croix; but in parting | desire to call the
attention of the former as he dislikes
'Irish bulls to the following, "The riv-
err is navigable at all seasons of the year
'rhen clear Of ice"-and to these verbal
elegancies Gas fine a soil as LAYS under
the canopy Of heaven;" "there is no
difficulty in holding as many logs as can
be manufactured in a season." "several
claims have been made on this tract,
and will be ,rorked in the spring." capa-
bic to make" ''over the above one
third of mile;'' &C., sc. l quit the
task which is not an agreeable one, nor
justiiable except in self-defence.
j. H. S.