iv
I had once before made up my mind to give to the Public my sentiments on this subject, but I am almost ashamed to confess that I was deterred, or rather restrained, by the conviction that the Editor of the Advocate, and his fellow laborer the Freeman, would represent me—as they had done before—to be acting under the direction, or with the knowledge or sanction of the Executive Government, and consequently, according to their doctrine, unworthy of belief; and, although I then felt, and do now feel,the perfect absurdity of such a charge, & strongly condemn any apprehension which may be by others pronounced very unworthy & unjust towards the Public, the currency which the foulest & the most unfounded attacks upon the character and reputation of some of our oldest and most respectable inhabitants seemed to obtain throughout the Province, and the avidity with which they were sought after and read, by those whose abilities & station in society might have taught them better, made me imagine that the time had not yet arrived when I could hope for a cool, dispassionate & unbiassed opinion of my conduct, and the motives which governed it.
I had sufficient experience of the uncompromising baseness of Mr. Mackenzie's disposition, and could not doubt that he would descend to the meanest and most contemptible artifices, and use the most strenuous exertions to paralize the effect which a candid and ingenuous relation of facts was calculated to produce on the minds of a generous and impartial Public; but as he appeared to think that he had already succeeded in establishing a belief, that the Government had incited a party of young men to commit a trespass on his property, it was not altogether improbable or unreasonable to suppose that a similar artifice would be practised by him on the credulity of the same persons, and with equal success.
Indeed, it is more than probable that, he will now resort to this stratagem to blunt the effect which the following pages may have upon his Subscribers; for I think they will find themselves not a little at fault, when they reflect upon and compare the statements
