Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1855-03-15
For Ae Eauetteulls Obserrer.

For the Fayetteville Observer.
Ar. ~ O. Wall0se:-In the OBJ
server Of 18th Of January, ! see a
very unkind reply to some letters I
published in your paper last winter,
By Alaehua, ef Micanopy, Florida.
And but for the fact that he makes
a merciless attack upon my yeracity
without cause, and that people who
know nothing about me may suppose
thatmy silence would be tantamount
to an acknowledgment Of the base
part he has described, his article
might pass. But as have nothing
worth defending in comparison with
an unblemished reputation, / should
forswear the very best feelings Of
my nature were | not to attempt a
defence. Iwould like, however, to
conduct my defence in the spirit Of
a man-~and not in the language Of
1.-THE afish market, = or IN the coarse
low strain Of hate that might other
wise destroy a readable article. MIR.
Alachua has assumed that | was pref
ndiced against that country-that ]
was an unfair or false man, and has
concluded from these premises that
my testimony about that country
was not to be believed. So far as
the prejudice is concerned, ! cansbut
ignore all consciousness of the ale
CATION, and assert that / visited the
tcountry with the intention of moving
to it if pleased, which does notebook
much like ant:pathy or prejudice
against the country. i-tsas
). AS to his other assumption, that !
Twas an unfair or false man whose ties.
timony was not reliable, / have a right
to ask for single example of unfair:
ness or falsehood in my past life-or
am to take the facts be misrepre.
SCENTS or garbles from my letters in
his article as examples? Now, sir, ii
will be well if in the sequel it do not
appear that you are as unfair a writer
: as j. You begin by complaining
misrepresent the truth, as to.the zap
parent dead level of the earth's sur
face, and play upon words in very
poor way, and wind up your para
I graph in sort of ad captapdam vul-
gus effort, the design Of which is to
leave the impression upon ignorant
minds that Florida is full of Rail-
roads and Canals, whose construction
had demonstrated the falsehood Of
my assertion as to its apparent dead
level by considerable variations in the
grade. Aud why this flourish, about
the Engineers Tripod, Railroads and
Canals, etc., if not to try and make
Ignorant people believe you have all
such facilities in that country. than
which nothing can be more absurd?
Now, sir, ! submit whether there be
more falshood in my saying that the
country exhibited an apparent dead
level surface, than in this Railroad
land Canal stuff Of yours, when we all
know you have neither one nor other
lin your State. Do you not know
that nature has done all for Florida
in all these respects that ever has,and
for what appears to the contrary all
that ever will be done for your State?
Your other illustration of the inc
Qualities of the earth's surface, by
"lakes" and .sponds" and for the most
part tide .riyers" and Greeks is
selected with 80 much good sense and
bad nature that it rather proves the
absurdity Of yours than my posi-.
ltion.
Your next paragraph about "Pine
Barrens" and their uses serves a sort
of filing in purpose, and keeps you
from falling in that tremendous stride
|yeu make from Railroads and Ca
mails to 'fogs and mists,' when you
TRY to deny with one breath the ex-
|istence Of "fogs and nists' as | as
serted, and admit in the next that
you fare occasionally visited by
them" You know that l said, in
balancing the disadvantages of that
country with those Of this, merely that
I supposed planter would as soon
climb a hill as feel through mist Tor
fog) to see what his hands we're do
ing" I had never thought that fogs
were a serious disadvantage to that
country till your effort to demoIish
both me and them has changed my.
opinion. Now / think they must be
a serious Inconvenience or you would
not. have tried so hard to prove me
false in asserting they existed. If the