, 1872-10-30
To THE EDITOR OF THF "Sr. CRo1x AVIS.

oAN AO ONNAA ASdOo 0I0
establishment to see the letter from Mr..
Branch, published in your issue for Satur-
day last it has afforded me pleasure to
find that although he is warm and enthu-
siastic enough in his attack on my letter,
published in your issue for Saturday the
10th inst, he has not been able to find
more important and grosser defects therein
than the single one he dwells on ;-and it
has astonished me to see him point out
just that defect, especially when | notice
how bare his W contrary assertions are
of all proofs except indeed we are to seek
them in the writer's honest face,-and
then it would only be those persons who
have the pleasure Of knowing it.
Mr.. Branch offers a little Beverage
("Berridge-Beveridge") Story around to
the readers of the St. Croix Avis. I am
sorry I cannot partake of it, and l am
doubly sorry that l cannot recommend it
to others for the Beverage contains
something spurious in it, and l have, be-
sides, other more substantial refreshments,
which / would beg the public to taste first.
Shortly after the long talked-of idea of
getting a SchooI-Inspector in the Island
was carried into effect, and an Ordinance
had emanated for the purpose, the Com
munity heard of Mr.. Quin of Antigua be-
ing destined for the situation. Every
where you turned, you heard talk of it;
and the family connection between that
gentleman and those persons at present
at the head of the Administration here,
was confidently asserted to be the princi-
pal motive for his employment. The
grade of relationship or affinity was accu-
rately, and to all appearances reliably, de-
fined but no one ever mentioned or allud-
ed to the connection proceeding from the
Berridge-Beveridge beverage Line. Be-
fore closing my letter to you, l made it
my particular business to inquire into that
family connection [ heard 1T stated by no
less than S persons, two of whom are old
inhabitants Of the place, we'll posted in all
family connections here, in Westend, st.
Thomas, and also in some OF the foreign Is
lands, that a distinct family connection ex-
listed between the Stakemann family and
Mr.. Quin. One of those 5 persons further
moro stated, that Mr.. Stakemann himself
had been heard to acknowledge the SAID reLa-
tionship and to cypress has agreeable surprise
at having found that 1elati0e.-CertaInly,
these are very speaking evidences surely
Mr.. B. must admit the force of Mr.. Stake
mann's avowals surely Mr.. B. must ad-
nit that his bare and unsupported asser-
tons to the contrary must stand back in
the face Of such forclble proof surely Mr..
B. won't call Mr.. Stakemann's avOwal a
mares nest. But it is true, Mr.. B. only
says the "coqtusion Of names" (Berridge-
Beveridge) was that which brought his
boyish recolIections to life again, with all
the concomitant mare-nest chuckles, etc
etc.
Mr.. Branch says, the School Inspector,
Mr.. Quin, "is a relative, neither ofthe Gov
ernor nor of any of his belongings" He
has, however, only attempted to shew that
there is no relationship through the Ber-
ridges but there he has failed. His as
s~ertions are so loose, that they certainly
can have no decisive effect to destroy the
assertions of other persons, backed by Mr..
Stakemann himself. And then, again,
the relationship could have arisen through
some other line. And if it do not exist at
all (which l and others still believe it does,
Notwithstanding Mr.. BIS letter., that would
only be an additional proof of the confused
ideas and mental associations prevailing In
certain quarters. Even if it should not be
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