The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-10-19
ter from Mr.. Gushing fully confirmed what had been
already my own conviction; and thought 1t worth
whle 10 take the trouble Of reading 10 Mr.. Lester
the following frop

ter from Mr.. Cushing fully confirmed what had been
already my own conviction; and thought 1t worth
Whie 10 lake the trouble Of reading 10 Mr.. Lester
the following passage from it,
My personal acquaintance with Mr. Lester began in
sS nosaon ast winter Without having any exac' kn'w
ecge OF MS anecedens felt interested in him. simply
from regard to cultivator of literature and that
continued to be felt in good faith until heard Vt his
attacks on the President in the London Times nave
never seen the letters in the Times but from what svs
heard of them could not fail of course to regret nd
condemn them. But had par tcpation in the pubv-
cations in question and them for the st time in
Int. The HERALD speaks of Mr. Lester having naipe
letters from Mr. Marcy and myself bell. ve in answer
to letter of request to from Mr. L. did write to him
brief letter while in Boston gentleman writes to
another ,uming the latter to be of honor Any
person may give annoyance by publishing private letters
but think the case of the letters published by Mr..
Mackenzie proves that such Injuries the betayer
letters If Mr. L. has any letter of mine know there is
nothing in it which might have been properly said
and his publication of it, under any circumstances would
go far to establish the accusations against him put forth
in the Post and the U,ioa.'
This extract, thus relating to Mr.. Lester thought
1t proper to read to him; and this is the simple cir
cumstance which has been converted into q cOncia
tory missiontO him from "the Cabinet | was par.
ticular to mention that while Mr.. Cushing would GER
tAnly not do thing to deprecate any mans threat
ened hostility or attack, myself thought it proper
as personal friend OF that gentleman, thus to cor
rect his apparent errors on the point of fact referred
To. VI the accompanying conversation (Which /
certainly did not suspect at the time to be destined
for the newspapers) will soy no more than that Mr.
Lester denied that lie had ever imagined Mr.. Cush-
ing to have been the wrer Of the articles in question:
but said he knew that Mr. G. had within few days
talked about him to several persons to similar pur
port On this may remark that having been sub
sequenty called to Washington on business / took
occasion to make further inquiry on this variation of
the former statement and was told that it too like
the other, was totally unfounded. 1t would thus
seem that Mr. Lser was determined to publish the
private letter which request of his own had ELECTED
from MIR. Gushing, any how, on one pretext Of pal
liating personal irritation another 1t happens
however to turn out that 1t contained nothing which
could make its author care straw whether it were
published or not.
confine my notice o. Mr. Testers publ cation to
this single points and this, repeat it, simply as
duty In regard to Mr.. Cushing. His unprovoked
abuse OF myself would certainly not have elioited
line of reply. II Mr Lester, after having been him
self speaker at free soil meetings in the day of
excitement that subject in 1S4S objects to me on
that ground as an abolitionist" and as fill
buster" after having within few months rendered
to me the columns OF the London Times to act upon
the English and European mind in furtherance OF
my well known views about Cuba, so far as he could
venture to go in leading the opinions of the Times
that way, ! can only say that l regard it as not
mole worth while for me to have any sort of public
dispute with him than he has proved it to be safe
for any gentleman to hold an unwitnessed private
conversation with him or to get led into writing him
q private letter. Neither of these imprudences is
likely to be hereafter committed by any one who
may remember the Horatian warning-FGnnm ha-
bet IN cornu; hunc tu, Romano, cavefo.
Respectfully, your obedient servant,
j. L. O'SULLIvAE.