The New York herald., 1851-11-15
The Donaldson Correspondenoe-Mo
Light.

NEW YORK, Monday Evening, Nov. 10, lsjl.
TO THE EDITOR OF IHK NEW YORK HERALD.
have waited patiently until the smoke and con-
fusion of the past election should have cleared
away to be heard through your columns, in reply to
an article from d. Wcstcott, Esq. which appear
ed on the morning before the election In the
HERALD. The article referred to relates to the
noted Donaldson correspondence, and Mr.. West
colt, in a rambling, versatile, and very labored
epistle, endeavors indirectly to connect me with
the authorship Of the correspondence or kno Wedge
Of Mr.. Donaldson and Greer, either Of which
honors would most respectfully decline In the
first place, am not politician Of MIR. West,ott's
school, ner am cnvious Of the distinction OF being
added to the esbal already connected with this ex'
raCrdinary correspondence. i am not politician
by trade-l am only 80 as land reiermer-and
when that great measure OF reform shall have been
consun mated, which | trust will be in ls52, my
mission ceases Why Mr. Westcott sheuld covert
ly attempt TO drag me into notice ! cannot divine.
Certainly the mentisn Of my name In Mr. Merfi-
felos affidavit affords no ground for the imp1taiion,
ard Mr. w. brings no other proofs TO sgbstantiate
the feeble and unfounded accusation. However,
feeble az are the grounds for the accusation OF
Mr. Westcott, they are clearly retuted by the ex-
PLANTATION Of Mr. Mernheld which herein append,
and, after reading the statement, Mr.. W sill, Of
course, extend 70 me the justice that he claimed
fro m the Er,rirs Poi-thst Of clearing me wholly
even though the authorship of the correspondence
,hould rect more heavily on bis own shoulders.
NV Yonr. Nov :, 1851.
/ vss surprised en- seers my name used In the HFR-
AID under certificate yurporting 20 come from ard
relating 10 matter of which know nothing further
than this. person 90 ne IA September, calling
hims.lf wesicott think He accompanied BY some
other person lie @ksd questions ss to t tters len
my store TO be called for By Dir Donsldson and Greer
lie wrote What pUor 20 b. In the certificate signed BY
me exe.pt the Iert that implies SIR keyser's coming la
"a tnoufrp The letters keyasr knew nOfhtrr
OF the letters than that they lay In the store uut
called for He may have taken them up from the desk
and read directions did other, but asked ques
tions concerning them Nr Westcott may have inferred
this but was mistaken What stated TO Mr. westcott
was for publication and ely gratuitous and
r MERRIFIELD
Mr. Westc0tts letter, taken as a whole, is a poll
tcal curiosity. ltombrsces vide range ofsubjects,
and many Of them entirely foreign 70 the subject
matter OF the correspondence. lie defines his posi-
ton as clearly as modern rancendentalist ex.
plains metsphy ysics-dubs himself pure democrat,
ard broadly insinustes that be might be brought,
in an exgency, TO support Clay, Crittenden, or
Wcbster-vslunteers defence OF Ihurlow Weed
from beir connected with the plot, aud attempts
to fasten the charge upon the free soilers-asso
ciatipg with the charge the land reformers, as
their corfe ederates (~bich charge is malicious and
uufounded d. demolishes Msseachusetts-e eulogizes
Ifckinson-castigaie abolitionists and fugitive
slave law repeslers-hrg e at old hunkers, and dis
trusts the New York democracy, and, to sum up,
is satisfied with nothing But there is portion Of
Mr.. Westcott's letter which s worth considering,
as Offering key to the plot, If there be any plot
After weeks Of concern, and resolving himself into
an investigating committee to ferret out the
authors Of the "infernsl machine" Mr.. West
colt says, "some Of the letters, and particularly
. those Of the three or four 6rst named gentlemen
above, are, in my judgment, highly credtsole, and,
indeed, all the batch are useful: IL 80, Mr. West
eott. Why all this feeling, and assumed concernl
But hear the key" They must tend 70 satisfy the
southern democracy @ to the folly, vickedness,
and degradation Of countenapcng an amalgamation
with what 10 called the Northern democracy, In the