For
the Spy
Under
the head 'Earthquake,' in last Liberty Hall, the fears
of its editors appear to be 'tremblingly alive' to
consequences that may result to the good name of their
foster town Cincinnati; - - 'We feel it a duty' say
they, 'to advert to a publication in the Western Spy of
Saturday last, in which it is stated, that for three
weeks after the 16th ult. one or more earthquakes were
felt every day; and that, with intervals of one or more
days, they had been constant down to the 25th inst.
during which one occurred and "others were
expected!" They next confidently announce that 11
shocks, only, have been felt here since the earthquake
commenced. - - Now, Messrs. Printers, I have no
hesitation in appealing to the discerning part of this
town for the general truth of your statements and
whether they have not, in the aggregate, experienced
more than thrice that number of shocks. Citizens
of Cincinnati, and its vicinity, respectable for their
number of intelligence, their diligence and accuracy of
observation, and not less anxious for 'the truth to be
told' than the editors of that paper, all concur (with
slight shades of difference inseparable from the
peculiarity of the subject) in believing your statements
to be generally correct. But, Messrs. Printers, I
well remember, that, at two different times, when yellow
fever appeared in N. York and Philadelphia, its
existence was strenuously and fatally denied for some
weeks together - - aye, and by many of the healing
faculty too - - fearful the character of their darling
cities might suffer, and themselves become unpopular - -
til at length it could no longer be concealed.
Thus were wantonly sacrificed hundreds of lives, which
might have been saved by a timely flight from the seat
of pestilence - - and thus narrow prejudice, fortified
by avarice and self interest, warred against
humanity. Do not imagine, for a moment, that I am
impressed with a sense of imminent danger to this town,
or its inhabitants, from any convulsions that may
threaten it at this time; believing as I do (and as
every mortal, blessed with common sense and reflection
must believe) that Cincinnati is not 'in the focus of
this grand operation.' Facts already known are
opposed to it.
In regard to three words above-"OTHERS WERE
EXPECTED"-and which the editors have sneeringly selected
and enclosed between double quotation marks, it is only
necessary to say that the expectation has been realized.
As the charge of exaggeration, on your part, appears to
be one of the objects of the publication in view, let us
now see on whose side the exaggeration lies. In Liberty
Hall of hte 29th January, there was given an account of
the Earthquake as it appeared, on the Mississippi betwen
N. Madrid andthe Chickasaw Bluffs, taken from a letter
to this place, of which that account professed to be the
substance. Millions of trees are made to start
from thebottom of the river during oen of the
concussions. - - Now, sirs, I myself have perused that
same letter, and can positively affirm the word millions
is not to bound throughoutt he whole of it. - - But I am
not disposed to cavil. You ahve alrady published
an abscract of that letter, methodically digested and
correct in substance.
VINDEX.
January 30, 1812
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