Alexandria Gazette & Daily Advertiser

To the Public.

In the Gazette of yesterday a publication has appeared, under the signature of Butts & Cawood, calculated to reflect on R. H., W. H: B. & David Smedley, in relation to a recent investigation before the Mayor, of certain highly penal charges which had been presented against them. Feeling conscious, on my part, of the falsehood of the accusation, that I had not wantonly and without necessity contributed to wound the feelings or expose the characters of men towards whom I have no hostility, and that I had not acted in a clandestine manner, to attain an illegal object, it cannot be expected that I will give sanction to the libel against me by my silence. A statement of all the evidence which was given before the Mayor and of his sentence, would in themselves be sufficient for my defence, and as B. & C have by their publication against me challenged investigation, I might perhaps be justifiable in going every length necessary for the development of the truth, but I have in view only my own justification and do not desire to wound their feelings without necessity --I therefore confine myself to the general outlines of the transaction. Before any judicial enquiry had been made, reports most unfavorable to the mercantile reputation of a certain description of traders in the town, had been in circulation; it became the duty of every one either to put them down by proving their falsity, or if true, to fix the charges on those who were guilty.--A clue to the discovery was accidentally acquired by me from persons residing in town who gave evidence before the Mayor. It was important to ascertain the truth--the subject was serious--the information might possibly be erroneous. The first examination was therefore necessarily private, but not clandestine, nor at a late hour of the night. The same experiment was made by others--the result was the same.--Nothing was done to impair the accuracy of the balance--the examination was made on Monday evening the 17th inst.--the scales were not altered. During the whole of the next day (Tuesday) no discovery was made, as B & C. insinuate, of the absence of a large piece of plaster, weighing upwards of 60 pounds, which they are pleased to call the "balance weight" belonging to "fixtures erected with all possible accuracy." On the 19th, and not on the day after the examination, the sale and delivery of the plaster was made, which led to the judicial enquiry before the Mayor. The result of this enquiry before a magistrate whose integrity and capacity have been always highly respected, was as follows:--A fine was imposed on B. & C. for a violation of law, which that magistrate did not consider accidental--that proof was given of more than one such violation--that there was not only an inequality in the weights of the scales of more than 60 pounds, but that a further difference was produced by an inequality in the length of the arms of the beam. Sentence of condemnation was therefore passed by the Mayor, not only on the scales, but on the beam also, and they were accordingly destroyed by the proper officer. This statement is not made with a view of criminating B. C. but is intended as already stated, only for my own defence, nor do I pretend to draw for the public any deduction from what has been stated-

jan 28

ROBERT HUME.