The Virginia Gazette

THE conscientious Elkanah Deane, doubting of his own integrity and veracity, has got an officious monitor, who makes bold to admonish me by telling me to be honest: How justly he may be authorized so to do I leave to the determination of the public; however, I thank him kindly for his unasked for admonition. But it is to you I address myself, not your monitor. You urge me to declare, what I have yet never denied, that is, my not having been in Europe. I thought I had sufficiently given you to understand how it came about: but, since you will have a public declaration, it was a mistake of the person who wrote the advertisement for me; because I had mentioned to him that my father had served his time there, he did not know but what I had also. I hope you will no longer accuse me of not coming to the point. I think your monitor has led you astray by introducing the cant term pettifogger; a query that is neither resolvable by him or you. No matter where this Canadian has learned his trade; though you falsely will have it, in your shop. But let us come to the point, which shall be, since you will have it I am not a workman, to make, each of us, a coach, and stipulate any certain sum, to be depending on the best finished of the two, in every respect, as well for the goodness of the work as the ornamental part, which shall be decided by those who are judges, that they and every one may impartially say THE WORK HAS CROWNED THE WHOLE. Farewell. From yours,

CANADIAN.