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TO DUNCAN MACLEAN, Esq., M. P. P.)quote your own happy phrases as often as I can) of a political apostate, who shall not, as in his assaults on Mr. Rae, walk the course, and riot in his vulgarity.

By the gods You shall digest the venom of your spleen, Though it do split you; for, from this day forth, I’ll use you for my mirth, yea, for my laughter, ‘When you are waspish,

Sir;

veniently say in the easy and familiar style of a letter,

you might be put to the trouble of borrowing your neigh-

confess, which you do not now deserve.

For some years you have been looked upon, I believe, as a sortof literary ‘““raw head and bloody bones”—a

writer, in fact,of the “ tomahawk and bowie knife” school, 'reluctance to utter a “lie” in an important affair. ‘The

whom it would be safe forno weak man to engage—who_ was always sure tocarry off the scalp of his adversary in

every contest. Possibly long Jim Pickering or Jim (Copx.)

Whiteside, or some other of your delectable neighbours on the banks of the South West, may even till this hour -entertain these awful conceptions-of your literary prowess —possibly the Islander people have a vivid recollection of the castigations you inflicted upon them, after your recantation of Canadian Toryism, when you first buckled on your armour to fight the-enemies of Escheat, and the promoters of Compact ascendancy, and, having taught them to fear you, you have compelled them to respect. In former years it was my fortune--either good or ill) —to know you well,—at first I fell into the common) error, that you were a very great man—on nearer and} more frequent approaches, I found you superior in no-' thing to the common race of bipeds, but (if it is a) cuality deserving praise) in an aptitude for scribbling or, grunting severe thoughts in harsh and severe words. | An offensive and ferocious animal is an object of dread et the first sight—learn its peculiar habits and conciliate them—approach it frequently, and you feel as perfectly at home as in caressing a favorite dog. Van Amburg tamed the lions, not because he was superior to them in physical strength, but because he learned their nature, and by dint of his learning subdued them. 1 am sure, however, you are not “ the lion” you would wish to be, and I aseure you it will be utterly useless to attempt to convince me to the contrary, ae I care as little for your roar as for the bark of an ill-natured dog, or the bray of | an obstinate ass. The vulgarity with which I am treated in your com- municatien printed in last week’s Jslander—(that paper’ which, three or four years since, had so rank an odour in | your virtuous nestrils)—is, I perceive, the result of a refusal on my part to answer an impertinent question | put by you as a postscript to @ former communication. |

a ye tt

IL] CHARLOTTETOWN, P. E

orto me whether you believe THe Examiner to be conducted by “two half editors.” In this respect you JuLius C&sar, Actde~Scene 3. | must confess it to be superior to your present pet journal : the Islander, which cannot boast of even one “half

{ address you individually, because the quarrel | editor ;” and it will be a source of joy to your philan- you have commenced is personal, because I have many thropic heart to learn, that the Examiner—whether it things to say to you, which I can, perhaps, more Con- has « two half editors,” or two and twenty—gives satis- than in the formal character of an editorial; and lest — A aaah hn th ae

4 cation was made to the Assembly for a remission of the bour’s paper, I enclose you a copy of Tue EXAMINER |imnost duty on the press and printing materials of the

for your own especial use—a “consideration,” you will) Framiner ; but I was informed that enough transpired

ceedings of the House of Assembly, last Session, and

~— Che Examiner.

“THIS IS TRUE LIBERTY, WHEN FREEBORN MEN—HAVING TO ADVISE THE PUBLIC, MAY SPEAK FREE.’ —Euripipes.

. ISLAND, MONDAY, AUGUST 28, 1848.

[No. 56.

It is a matter of little consequence either to the public

You say :—“ J was not present when an appli-

to satisfy members that they were the property of George Coles and Captain Swabey.” A man who will wilfully propagate a falsehood in a small matter, will have no

following note from Mr. Preedy will show what little value you put upon your own veracity : “Saturpay, Aug. 19. “ Dear Sir; Will you oblige me to refer to your Notes of the pro-

inform me whether Mr. Duncan Maclean was in his

I am quite disposed to humour you to the fullest extent. How would you like to see a paragraph such as the fol- lowing, gravely published in an Island newspaper: “ A certain gentleman now resident at New London, came to this Colony a few years since, and proclaimed himself an eminently wealthy man—the depositor, in fact, of a very large sum of money in the bank of Scotland. It appears, however, that the gentleman’s wealth was merely visionary, and that not only does he not own a sum ‘of money in the bank of Scotland, but, fearful of retaining, in his own name, the farm which he now cultivates, he has made it over to another.” \f 1 were to copy your style of writing which deals 80 largely in in- ferences, hearsay stories, and beliefs, I should say at once, “fam informed, and I believe, ‘that this is the predicament in which Mr. Duncan Maclean is placed ;” and, after all, if you do cultivate a farm, legally the pro- perty of amother, you are not in a worse position than the great‘body of your fellow-colonists, who, like the printer with his press, de net own the soil from which they get their living; but, let me give you this advice (and I dare say I shal] have many more lessons to teach you before I have done with you),,;ever insinuate that your neighbour is not independent in his pecuniary cir- cemstances, when it is notorious you are not so yourself. If, in thus dealing with you, I sometimes extend my in-

place, when my petition, praying fora remission of

discussion ? “ Yours truly, “ Epw. WHELAN.

4

“ Mr. Thomas Preedy.” (Copr.) “Mr. WHELAN;

“ Sin—in reply to your note of this date, I beg to state, that I have referred to my Notes of the 17th of April last, and find, that the matter therein alluded to, was, im the afternoon sitting of the House, in Supply, under con- sideration—it was briefly debated, and lost by a majority of 10 to 8;—that Mr. D. Maclean was present, and that he took part in the debate, I need only transcribe the concluding sentence of his remarks to convince him: he said, ‘the printers regard the public as a good milch cow.’

“T am, Sir, yours truly, “ Tnos. PREEDY.

“Saturday Evening, Aug. 19, 1848.”

You imagine, I presume, that you discovered some- thing very odious and detestable against me, when you were informed (if every any such false and absurd in- formation was communicated to you) that the printing materials of the Examiner “were the property of George Coles and Captain Swabey.” Ifyou had any inclination to tell the truth, you could state that Mr. Coles denied, on the floor of the Assembly, when my petition was under consideration, the alleged proprietorship of the Examiner press; and what it was which “satisfied members” to the contrary, is more than I can guess, or you, notwithstanding your unblushing impudence, can

quiries into personal and private ‘matters, you will

duties on Printing Materials was under consideration , remember that | have your illustrious example to plead

and whether Mr. Maclean, if there, took any part in the!

in extenuation.

I shall now proceed to investigate the “high crime and misdemeanor” perpetrated by me against the ma-~ jesty of the glorious Triumviri, Duncan Maclean, Donald Montgomery, and Nicholas Conroy, Esquires- Jt is amusing enough, Duncan, to observe so wise ana witty a writer—so profound a philosopher as you pretend to be—coolly and dispassionately giving utterance on paper to the most stolid nonsense and absurdity. Iam told by you, that frem the “ offence” I have committed, “there is no retreat but withdishonour,” und at the close of your communication you politely inform your infel- lectual friend, John Ings, that “if Mr. Whelan do not extricate himself from the stigma of the meanest and mest contemptible offence that a man can be guilty of,” you shall not “ pay the slightest attention to anything he (Mr. Whelan) may write.” Let me cram your logic in anut-shell, and see what it is worth: I can’t “ extri- cate” myself frem this “ offence,” (so you say) “ without dishonor,” and if I don’t extricate myself from it, you shall not “pay the slightest attention to anything I may write !” So in either case, I presume the heavy affliction of your silence, is to be the punishment of my sin against your mightiness! Woe is me!—what direful cala- mity, that Duncan, the loquacious and sarcastic—the mighty champion of the “ grey goose quill”—the spokes- man of the Triumviri—is to wrap himself up in his own virtue, and consign to the silence of oblivion the refrac- tory editor of the Examiner! Againyousay: “I shall

Where you formed your estimate of the duties ofa public assert. But, supposing a negative—supposing “ Captain;prove a negative which I am not bound te do; and I am

journalist, is not my business to enquire, but T am fully eonvinced that no honourable man charged with the management of a Press would let himse!f fall “so low an the scale of journalism,” as to answer any Tom, Dick or Harry who might put the question to him through the ‘column of an opposition paper, whether he did or did ‘jot write the articles published .in his own periodical. Siace a young man must teach an old ene, I will instruct you even in this matter. You should have sought the snformation by private nete; had [ refesed it, (which I) might if I pleased.) you had sense enough to know where ‘o find your remedy. Under the circumstances, [ had no- thing to give you but a sneer of contempt; and to the communication which [ am now about to answer, | would accord the same reply, but that you consider yourself wonderfully big as a Newspaper writer—but «hat [have a leisure hour togpare, some columns of space ‘to appropriate—a desire to expose the “ rascality” (1 will)

Swabey and George Coles” to be the owners of the

eonfident that Messrs. Conroy and Montgomery would—

Examiner office—what would the fact prove against me Artes ?)--do the same, had Mr. Whelan not fallen so

Thousands of papers are printed in the American States, in the Colonies, and in Europe, by printers who have no share or interest in the apparatus Which they use—a Parson, a Lawyer, or 2 Minister of State may purchase a Press, and no printer would deem it a disgrace to work itfor him. Take-a walk through Queen Street the next time you honor the metropolis with your presence—ask the shopkeepers ifthey own the goods upon their shelves and in their storehouses,—théy will answer yes, no doubt, though they will confess they are not paid for: so it is with newspaper property, the printer may call it his, but like the merchant’s stock, it may not be all paid for: if you ask your friend John Ings, I presume he will not scruple to tell you that such is the case with him. Your impertinence in finding owners for my printing materials is so much in keeping with your character, that

low inthe scale of journalism as to be unworthy of notice 2” I hope Mesers. Conroy and Méatgomery will duly acknowledge the compliment you have paid them in this sentence: the compliment is two-fold, namely, first, that they can write and “ prove a negative,” second, that they are too much of the gentleman to notice any thing written by a person “fallen so low in the scale of journalism” as “Mr. Whelan.” I apprehend, then, that you are conscious of your own want of dignity and gentlemanly feeling when yau will endertake to do that from which Messrs. Conroy and Montgomery would shrink. The ‘ negative’ you promised to ‘ prove’ for self and fellows is simply this: that you have not abandoned certain political principles—have not betrayed the con- fidence reposed in you by your constituents—-that you have not sold yourself to the Compact party in this

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