Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1899-03-30

would think be wiso to SEND on tne
Governors letter to the President. IL
is however q delicate matter and the
letter if it be sent on, should be very
cautiously written.
l have not time at present to add
more Yours sincerely,
Five days later Mr.. Ridgely writes
again us follows:
CONFIDENTIAL.
Washington, 10 April. 1872.
My dear Sir.
/ wrote you short letter on Tuesday
last, which l hope you have received
before now: and spent the evening OF
that day with MIR. Pleasanton.
In the course Of the evening, think
ing no person except myself and his
family present, Mr.. p. and | had a
good deal of conversation on the sub
ject of the appointment Of District
Judge for our State.
He thinks, from conversation he
had with the President a few days
before l saw him, that the office will
be offered to Mr.. Rodney, notwith-
standing he stated to the President his
firm conviction that Mr.. R. would not
accept it. Nothing, he thinks, but
Mr.. r. stands between you and the
appointment, and he expressed him
self quite confidentially that you would
be appointed, under the full impression
that Mr.. r. would not accept the office.
He advised the sending on the
Governors letter to the President.
With sincere wishes for your success
and tender OF my services so far as
they will avail you anything, re-
main, DR.. Sir,
Yours with much regard,
H. NJ. Ridgely.
John Fisher, Esqr.
Dover,
Delaware.
In answer to which Mr.. Fisher
writes as follows,
Dover, 10Th. April. 1872,
My dear Sir,
Your letters of the 14th and 10th
current have both been received by me.
For the contents, | beg you to accept
my sincerest thanks. | think, after
Mr.. Rodneys declaration, lately made,
| that he will not accept the appoint
ment of Judge, If offered to him. He
has declared, that should the com
mission be offered to him he would
not accept it, nor would he use any
influence in behalf of any applicant. !"
! This l have directly from the person to
whom tho declaration was made by
| Mr.. Rodney.
MIR. Haslet's letter TO the President
must long since have been received,
as he wrote it and put it in the hands
| of the Postmaster on the 9Th. instant
at Milford, az he told me, in fifteen
minutes after it was done. This letter
l al.sr ~ tsNI.,
worded, such in livery respect as it
ought to have been. j went down on
purpose to procure it and its purport
was fixed on, some days before it was
written. ! am quite astonished that
after all that has happened, it should
be iu contemplation to offer the APP
pointment in question to Mr.. Rodney.
The Chancellor has written, perhaps
twice, to Mr.. Bayard on the subject OF
Judge and much fear that his letters
have never been received by Mr.. Is. He
has authorized him to make any use OF
his first letter, which might advance
the appointment which it recommends.
l wrote at large to Mr.. Pleasanton by
the Mail of Saturday last, in answer
to letter received from him on the
18th inst, to which beg leave to refer
you, as / am just getting ready fol
Sussex, where l am going at an early
hour in the morning. The engineer is
at work relative to our canal-all Dover
taken the level from the mill to Sykes's
landing-fali is found to be III feet.
Your family are all in good health.
Fine lot Of timothy-good Andes grass,
Everything looks very well, Cub ex
| pantal ,php daOlinac rarv fact
When | return home will write you
again,
May Heaven bless you,
John Fisher.
This closes the correspondence on tn,
JudgeshiE. Il have reason to believ,
that the President, adhering to hi.
fl st inclination, offered the place tc
Mr.. Rodney and that he declined it
although l have not been able to verif,
this; at all events shortly afterward
John Fisher was appointed UniteC
States Judge for the District of Della
ware and continued as such during tn,
remainder of his life, period of abou
II years. Under date Of Sunday, Jun,
eth, 1912, few months later, he wrot
the following friendly letter to Mr.
Rodney, which indicates that he wa
then in the pleasant exercise as W,
will assume) Of the judicial functions
Sunday. June 7. 1912.
Wilmington.
My dear Sir,
Mr.. Duval and myself hav
been sitting as a Circuit Court a
; Newcastle since Wednesday last.
find we surprise the natives, by doin
, something like business. Tomorrow
! tho trial Of the eight sailors for
revolt comes OMIT will, am told, b
! an animated discussion. God sen,
! them a safe deliverance. hav
! nothing new to inform you of. Pleas
, to give me the Washington news
4 when you write and remember m
: affectionately to Mr. Horsey.
. l am, DIR. Sir, with the
utmost sincerity your
friend &c. &C.,
John Fisher.
Honble Henry NJ. Ridgeiy.
9 Under the first Act of Congress pre-
3 viding for the United States Courts
. the Courts we're held alternately a
New Castle and Dover. This con
tinued until 1852, when by specia
Act, it was provided that thereafte
they should be held at New CAST
u only; and after the erection of the ne
9 government building at Sixth and Kin
!, streets in the City Of Wilmington, u
u Act was passed June 18th, 1856, pre-
9 vidinR for the holding Of the Courts {
this District only at Wilmington.
u In John Fishers time, as Judge, tn
!; Courts were held at Dover and Ne
d Castle, and I presume that in thos
" days there was only limited amour
q Of business brought before them.
X John Fisher, while not a colleg
! man, was regarded as remarkab