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AMERICAN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION.
which sometimes exist between men and which to me I hope will always be Sac-red however lightly and contemptuously they May be • t1·eated by others, and in order to do my utmost in the discharge of these duties I was induced to call on you to State to me when and how, I bad injured you, that I might make reparation if bound ns a man of honor to do so, or that an explination of your conduct might the better enable me to regulate my future deportment to- ward you, I applied to you Sir with these motives, with these views, and in the true Sperit of conciliation, and what was my answer~ that you had no verbal explanation to make which at that time I took for a total denyal to make any explination at all. The first im- pression which this declaration made upon my mind was Surprise, that you Should treat me with coolness bordering on contempt. And when called on be either afraid or unable to assign the cause, was certainly a matter of astonishment. this impression of surprise however was soon displaced by anothe1· which must naturally hn,·e arisen in the breast of every :Man of Correct principle under similar circumstances, the impression I allude to is Contempt. · the answer that you had no verbal explination to make at once convinced me that you either had no just and substantial cause for your conduct, and was therefore ashamed to assign the rediculous trifles which your suspicious imagination bad Magnified into injuries-or that your cowardly soul shrunk from taxing a Man to his face with acts which you knew he never performed, with intentions which you knew he never possessed-it was with regret I turned with scorn from a Man who I once esteemed, and who but a few moments before I conceived to be consistent and honorable, as I left you, you told me I should hear from you again before I left Town. I received this intelligence with real pleasure hopeing that in a written communi- cation, I should receive a full and complete development of the iffair, not doubting as I before observed but that an amicable under- standing must have accrued therefrom-therefore whe:q you handed me your letter this Morning, viewing it as a harbinger of peace, I received it with joy, the impression of contempt which youl_' first answer had forced upon my mind was Momentarily Suspended and I now hoped to find you that candid man of honor I had hereto- fore believed you to be, but however My pleasing anticipations, my hopes and my wishes disappointed and disapated, and with what re- newed force did the Suspended Impression of contempt fall upon my :Mind, on pe.mseing your letter, have you given Me the explina- tion I asked fod have you given me the least clue which will lead to Solution of the Mistery and to a discovery of the injuries I have done you? No sir, you have said nothing pointed, all is ambigu- ous, inconsistent, and unintelligable, and I am now compeled to
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