Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-04-17

in their way they now do should hold out lures for the
trade and alliance When hey get strength, which viii
sooner than most people cohesive mat will be the conss
qnence OF their having formed close commercial connection
with both either Of those Powers? 1t needs not in m
opinion, the gift Of prophecy to foretell"
In "Washngton's Writings this letter is printed iron
the etter-book, which the above paragraph word TO
word, as follows
II need TO you sir that the tanks and roar
the United States by other Powers and foda
BILE ones too hoS ecesy apply the cement of in
erest to bind all of the Union together by ndssoub
bonds especially that part Of which lies mmedsssy
us ct the Middle States FOR what ties let ask should
we have upon those peope How entirely
them shall be- and what troubles may apprehend
the SPannrds their right and Britain e their
left instead Of throwing sung blocks in their way they
now do should hold out lures for their trade Alliance
Whit when they get strength which will be than
people conceive rom the eyuon Of Foreigners, ,ske will
hare particular predcoa fosords u.s. ceA as from tie
emorai Of our omn cisen viii be the consequence Of their
having formed close connexions with both either of those
the gift of prophecy to foreelL"
Here are what may be considered important variations
Whence do they arise? It would be difficult to ascertain
or to decide what text decided by Judge Marshall
had no other than that in the letter. book
We may draw another illustration from letter to Rich
ard Henry Lee dated December 14th 1854 The follow
ing paragraph is taken from the original letter.
Individual States opposing the measures Of the United
States encroaching upon the territory Of another
ting old and obsolete claims verifying the predictions
our enemies; and IN reality is truly unfortunate If the
ern tribes well disposed with northern
Idas have BEEN and will cede competent district
oad be unexpected as pleasing to me for
was apprehended, they agreed to the latter all iroud
DC reuctan but the example Of the Sic Nations who if they
have not relnqushed their claim have preenons large
part OF those lands may have powerful influence the vest
gentry, and smooth the for the commissioners who
have proceeded to Fort Pitt"
The paragraph transcribed from the letter-book
Individual States opposing the Of the United
States encroachng upon the territory Of each other and
ting up old and obsolete claims verifying the predictions Of
are as well disposed to treat with the s Nations have
been and will cede competent district of land northwest of
the Ohio to answer present purposes it rH be crcum
stance unexpected pleasing for it apprehend
ed that they poud agree to the latter reluctantly Az but the
example of the indians who they have not relin
quished their claim have pretensons large part those
lands may have powerful influence the gentry
and smooth the for the commissioners who have
ed to Cuyahoga."
These specimens will serve to show the state of the
in large portion of Washngtons letters they
list In manuscript particularly those written Mount Yer
and others OF private nature written elsewhere The
originals sent to his correspondents seldom agree through
out in phraseoogy with the copies retained record
Moreover these copies constantly married by the blum
ers mistakes of terate careless ranscrbers For
the most part there for the editor but to
follow the Hence the text of many letters
in Washingtons Writings compared with other copies
whether found in print in manuscript necessarily
afford abundant materials for the kind of criticism in
which the writer in the EUng Post and Lord Mahon have
INDUCED themselves with much freedom of censure
Another example, still more striking, may be mention
ed. Washington kept copy of his official correspond
during his military services in the last French
before the Revolution written on sheets loosely stitched
together. Some twenty thirty years afterwards he
vised this manuscript making numerous ensures inter-
neatons and corrections in almost every letter This
corrected copy then transcribed into bound volumes
under his direction. Which is the genuine text
Which would Washington himself have printed
The one in the etter-beoks adopted, because 1t
seemed obvious that after the pains he had taken pre-
it, he intended that copy for permanent preservation
and USE would be easy to cav here, and say that
have not the precise language employed by Washington
convey his thoughts at the time the letters written
but garbed substitute introduced at much later day
Yet this of his own, and certainly editor
would be justified in disregarding It, In these letters
therefore, the kind Of discrepancies will necessarily
appear as in the alluded to above, betwssn tho
printed and that of the originals sent out to his
Before closing these remarks may perhaps be pardon
ed for adding few other particulars respecting the
,uton of the work.
General Washington bequeathed all his papers and
books his nephew Buhrod Washington by whom they
we're retained at Mount Vernon. 1t is well known that
Chief Justice Marshall had the free of these papers
While writing his Life of Washington" For many years
afterwards they consulted for any historical pur
se, although some progress was made by Judge Wash
hgton in selecting portion Of them for the press This
oesgn was abandoned, however and by contract with
those gentlemen the task of carrying similar design
larger scale than had been contemplated assign
ed to under certain regulations and conditions agreed
upon by the parties and defined in the contract Imme
dately after signing this contract in the city Washing
ton, engaged three months at Mount Vernon in q
general inspection and arrangement of the papers, which
we're ultimately transferred Boston They remained in
my possession ten years. till the publication Of the work
vas completed.
1t essential feature of the plan that the work
vas not to be merely compilation Of Washngtons let
ters but comprise additional and illustrative mat
gathered from various original sources which would
give value to the letters, and afford develop
mens Of the private and historical character the author
Fully Of the importance Of being prepared
cute the work thoroughly and faithfully according the
plan proposed by previous research and study visited
the public Offices Of all the old thirteen States and
inspected the papers in them relating to the Revolu
ton, and particularly such would illustrate Washing
tons letters and the events with which he
less connected Copies Of the valuable of pa
pers constituting rich collection Of historical materials
similar results sought out and examined the private pa
pes then remaining Of many Of the chief actors in the
Revolution
Having thus procured such aids my opportunities
would permit in this country, then made voyage to
Europe for the express purpose Of continuing my
searches there passed year in the public Offices Of
London and Paris, diligently employed in examining the
voumnous collections Of papers contained in them reat
ing to the American and treating both Of political
and military affairs. BY the courtesy and libernty Of
the Governments Of Great Britain and France was al
lowed to have free access to these papers, and to
copies Of such suited TO my object
These facts briefly stated show that the work was
not undertaken with estimate of its Importance
that neither time labor expense spared in
the preparation and that in these respects the editor
cannot be charged with haste negligence The original
materials thus collected from many and possess
ing the highest degree of authenticity furnished the notes
and appendices to the several volumes Good Judges have
not failed to see in them large body Of interesting facts
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