Thibodaux minerva. [volume] (Thibodaux, La.) 18??-1858, 1853-12-31
MIR. Thackerav and Mr.. washington )

The following letter addressed by Mr.. Thack-
cray to the London Times, is an ample and
satisfactory explanation of the passage in the
first number Of his new story, which seemed to
some members of the American press to convey
a slur and sneer at the memory of Washington,
| and the Revolutionary struggle: FL
SIR-Allow me word of explanation in an
swer to strange charge which has been brought
against me in the United States, and which your
New York correspondent has made public in
this country.
In the first number of q periodical story
which am now publishing, appears sentence,
in which / should never have thought of finding
any harm, until it had been discovered by some
critics over. the water. The fatal words are
these q
"When pigtails grew on the backs Of the
British gentry, and their wives wore cushions
on their heads, over which they tied their own
hair, aud disguised it with powder and poma-
tum; when Ministers went in their stars and
orders to the House of Commons, and the
orators of the Opposition attacked nightly the
noble lord in the blue riband when Mr.. Wash
lington was heading the rebels, with a courage,
it must be confessed, worthy of better cause
there came to London, out of q northern coun-
u as
This paragraph has been interpreted in Amer
lea as an insult to Washington and the whole
Union; and, from the sadness and gravity with
which your correspondent quotes certain of my
words, it is evident he too, thinks they have an
insolent and malicious meaning.
Having published Sie American critics com
ment, permit the author of faulty sentence to
say what he did mean, and to add the obvious
moral Of the apologize which has been SO oddly
constructed. am speaking of young appren-
tice coming up to London between the*years
l770-80, and want to depict few figures Of the
last century. (The illustrated head letter of
the chapter was intended to represent Hogarth' S
industrious apprentice / fancy the old society
with its hoops and powder-Barre OF Fox thun-
dering at Lord North asleep on the Treasury
bench-the news-readers at the coffee-room
talking over the paper, and owning that this
Mr., Washington, who was leading the rebels,
was very courageous soldier, and worthy of a
better cause than fighting against King George.
The images are at least natural and pretty con-
secutive. 1776-the people in London in 80
the Lords and House of Commons in '76-Lord
North ashington-what the people thought
about Washington,-I am thinking about 70
Where, in the name of common sense, is the in
suit to 1858? The satire, if satire there be, APP
plies to us at home, who called Washington
"Mr. Washington as we called Frederick the
Great "the Protestant Hero or Napoleon ssthe
Corsican tyrant," or General Bonaparte!''
Need I say that our officers were instructed
until they were taught better manners) to call
Washington "Mr. Washington and that the
Americans were called rebels during the whole
Of that contest Rebels !-of course they were
rebels; and | should like to know what native
American would not have been rebel in that
cause! ..... 5.h.t. tss.2 f.s. ~! .ia.-l
AS irony is dangerous, and has hurt the feel
ings of kind friends whom l would not wish to
offend, let me say, in perfect faith and gravity,
that think the cause for which Washington
fought entirely just and right, and the champion
the very noblest, purest, brayest, best Of Gods
men. / am, Sir, yours very faithful servant,
co. ,%'" - .<.1 W. NJ. THAcKERAY.