History above mentioned, or in other words, as long as I was permitted, I was in the habit of assisting Miss ADAMS and her aged father in their various literary pursuits, as she herself has acknowledged, and was numbered among her friends. In making the publication of the Compendious History, my only alleged offence, I had not the remotest intention to interfere with any of her plans or interests; her plan of abridging her history was, as already stated, wholly unknown to me; nor am I now convinced, that she has ever had any reason to complain of my conduct toward her on this, or any other account. I know I have never intentionally given her the slightest occasion of offence. I think her complaints altogether groundless, and that she herself would have long ago been of the same opinion, had she permitted herself, or rather had her advisers permitted her, to be made acquainted with the real state of facts. I rest this opinion with entire confidence, on that of three very respectable gentlemen, REFEREES, in this affair, who have had a full view of the subject, and on the opinion given by men, equally respectable and impartial, on the written opinion or award of these Referees.

I am constrained, with real reluctance, to communicate to the public another, and to me a very important fact; because no other way is left me to vindicate my character against a secret attack, a knowledge of which has very recently been obtained, and the effects of it are known to be extensive, and wounding in no common degree. The fact is this. Early in the year 1805, a few months only after our Compendious History was published, Miss ADAMS, at the request of WILLIAM S. SHAW, Esq. addressed to him a letter, which is now in my possession, containing a sketch of her own life, particularly of her sufferings; in which she relates, among other things, in her own way, the circumstances in which the forementioned works were made and published. This narrative, written expressly for the purpose of being privately circulated among my respectable acquaintances; and which has been so circulated, to what extent I know not, contains declarations, representations, and insinuations, which impeach my honour, my integrity and my veracity, and calculated, of course, as far as they shall have obtained credit, to destroy my character and usefulness. This narrative, after eight years SECRET operation, has lately,* for the first time, come to my knowledge, and, after much difficulty,† into my possession. Having called on Miss ADAMS by a letter, which she received the 2d inst. to do me justice for the injury she has thus done me, and, I am sorry to add, called in vain, I am compelled, in self defence, to declare, that the narrative aforesaid, so far as it relates what passed at an interview between Miss ADAMS and myself, and describes my conduct toward her, is a glaring misrepresentation and mistatement of facts, and contains insinuations that are false and highly offensive.

* Oct, 1812. † Nov. 1818.

I further, and finally declare, without fear of contradiction, that all the complaints and statements of Miss ADAMS, contained in the aforesaid narrative, or in any other way made by herself, or her friends, which have any injurious bearing on my character, so far as relates to the transaction in question; are destitute of any substantial foundation, and in their nature slanderous. JEDIDIAH MORSE.

Charlestown, Feb. 22, 1814.

ANSWER TO THE REV. DR. MORSE'S APPEAL, IN THE LAST CENTINEL.

The Rev. Dr. MORSE having exhibited a number of charges, which deeply affect my character, I am constrained to ask the attention of the public to a brief reply. If it shall appear, that his accusations are all unfounded, it will not be thought a slight aggravation of his original injury, that he compels a feeble woman to take a step so foreign to the feelings and habits of her sex. He begins by declaring, that a report has been and is now in circulation among my friends, which charges him with a breach of confidence, in making an improper use of manuscripts confided by me to his care. He could not, however, be ignorant, that this is not the fact: 1st, because he knows, that when I was informed many years ago, that such a statement of his conduct had been made, I instantly disavowed it by a letter, to which he refers, in the strongest terms possible; 2dly, because he knows, that nothing like this charge was made in the statement exhibited to the Referees: 3dly, and especially, because he knows, that in the statement, which he accuses me of privately circulating for eight years past, not the least hint of such a charge is given. This report, now that he has published it, I find to be wholly new to most of my "supporters and particular friends." Why. then, has Dr. M. brought it forward? Those who are familiar with the resorts of controvertists, will understand the convenience of setting up and contradicting an erroneous statement, to keep out of sight the real one. * The circumstances which occasioned this controversy with Dr. MORSE are these: I published a History of New-England in 1799. The public were pleased to regard my humble attempt with some degree of favour. The book however was too large for the use of the young: and I was employed, in the course of the year 1804, in abridging it,

*Though I disclaim any agency in bringing forward a charge against Dr. M. in the form in which he states it. yet I cannot absolve him from blame in regard to the use he made of my published work, taken in connection with the manner in which he mentions it in the Preface to his History. The injury done me in this respect made part of the statement given to the Referees, which was noticed in their award in terms satisfactory to me.

when I heard that my labours were to be rendered useless, by the publication by Drs. M. and P. of their Compendious History. As the expected profits of my abridgment were at that time essential to my support, I conceived that the publication of Dr. M. would be a severe injury to me. He says, that he was ignorant of my intention. But might not he, who had abridged his own work on Geography, and again abridged that abridgment, have supposed, that I too might wish to avail myself of a similar privilege? I stated to Dr. M. my feelings on this subject. He tells the public, that he assured me of his perfect willingness, that I should publish my abridgment also. Of his regard to consistency in this representation, the public will form an opinion from the following extract of his letter, Sept. 26, 1804, received soon after the conversation, to which he alludes, and of which he suppresses all mention in his appeal: "I have since mentioned the subject of our conversation to my partner, Rev. Mr. Parish, who appears not altogether pleased with the idea, as it will look too much like rivalship, and might PROVOKE to an abridgment of ours."* This menacing letter overpowered my faculties for a time; and it was not till then I asked the aid of a most generous and noble friend to support me against oppression, which I was too timid to attempt alone to resist. He gave me the desired aid. He adopted my cause; and by his personal exertions as well as munificence, in conjunction with others, whom pity prompted to similar efforts in my favour, I have been placed beyond the reach of want, though not, as the public see, beyond the reach of persecution.

At the request of Dr. M. the subject was submitted to Judge Dawes, Judge Davis and Hon. Mr. Dexter, Referees, all of his own nomination. These gentlemen treated Dr. M. with so much delicacy, in their award, that he affected then, as he even now does publicly, to construe it in his favour. He called on them to sanction his construction, and was answered, "We did mean to say, that Drs. M. and P. equitably owed to Miss Adams,

A SUBSTANTIAL AND VALUABLE RECOMPENSE FOR THEIR IN

TERFERENCE WITH HER WORK.' They used these terms, they remark, in contradistinction from "kind treatment, courteous language, respect, &c. &c. which Dr. M. seemed to apprehend as the whole amount he owed her." In the face of this award Dr. M. has the boldness to say, that upon it he "rests with entire confidence" his conclusion, that "the complaints of Miss A. are altogether groundless.'

The public will by this time be able to judge of the degree of credit to be given to Dr. M's representation, and of the justice of his complaints. I must, however, say one word of the statement

*This threat was afterward put in execution by the publication of a large edition at a lower price, not however called an "abridgment."

made by me to Mr. Shaw. Dr. M. affects great surprise at his recent discovery of its existence. What will the public say, when they know that every fact of the least importance, in that paper, was contained in a statement given to the Referees, after being shown to Dr. M. himself, and by him not then contradicted in any particular? I am ready to answer in any court of earthly justice, as I could do at the bar of heaven, for the truth of every particular fact in this statement, which in any degree affects Dr. M's. character.*

Instead of complying with the award above mentioned, he has persecuted me with letters, and endeavoured to amuse me with talking of offers of compromise; and to this injustice he now adds the cruel injury of dragging me before the public, and compelling me to publish these shameful truths, of one who bears the name of a minister of that Gospel, which I reverence. For this he can

not allege any unreasonable opposition, on my part, to an accommodation, for I have repeatedly told him, that I will accept any thing whatever, if he will only suffer me to live in peace. It is true, that in his appeal to the public, he affects to throw on my friends the blame of my conduct, when he says, "that if my advisers had permitted me to be made acquainted with the real state of facts, I should myself long ago have known, that my complaints were altogether groundless." Yet in his letter to me, 31st Jan. last, mentioned in his appeal, calling on me "to do him justice, for the injury I had done him," he says, "I have no wonder, since reading this letter of yours, written on purpose to be circulated privately, that all who have seen it, and believed your representations of my conduct, should have thought me a kind of monster, and have shunned me as such. Were your representations true, they would be justified in doing it." The public will here see, with what an antagonist I am called to contend. When his object is to terrify a feeble woman into concessions, he throws all the blame on me: In the next breath, when he wants to awake the sympathies of the public in his favour, he represents me as the mere instrument of others! I cannot trust myself to comment on such conduct in the language it merits. The original wrong, which he did me, proves perhaps only his selfishness and disregard of the interest of another. Whether this last public attack, upon an unoffending female, does not imply a want of the common feelings of a man, the public must judge.

HANNAH ADAMS.

*In reply to the charge of circulating this Letter privately with a design to injure the reputation of Dr. M. I need only say, that I trusted to the integrity and judgment of Mr Shaw, that he would make no improper use of the letter. I understand from him that he furnished Dr. M. with a copy, as soon as it was asked for.

Dr. Morse says "recently," and "lately for the first time," the sketch of Miss Adams's life come to his knowledge. In a letter to the Referees he mentions that in October 1812, seventeen months ago, he "was informed by a friend, that Miss A. was circulating a sketch of her life drawn up by her at the request of some of her friends."

P.S. It has been my wish to give to the public all the Documents respecting this affair; but Mr. Russell declines publishing them; I am, however, willing, if Dr. M. agrees to it, to have a pamphlet published, containing all the correspondence on this subject in chronological order, from 1804 to this day, including Dr. MORSE'S elaborate letter of ten pages, to the Referees of August last, and his letter to me of twelve folio pages, dated Jan. 31, last, with a short answer thereto, which I will write; it being understood that if the sale of this publication do not cover the expense, one half of the deficiency shall be paid by me.

BRIEF REMARKS ON THE FOREGOING REPLY OF MISS ADAMS.

1. I am charged with "compelling a feeble woman to take a step foreign to the feelings and habits of her sex." I plead innocence, as to this charge. I have only vindicated my character against her attacks, in the only effectual way in which she would permit me to do it. On this point I trust every candid reader of the following pages will be satisfied. [See my letters addressed to her, from Nov, 1812, and following.]

2. The story of the MS. she admits did once exist, and that she contradicted it; but denies, that it "has been and is now in circulation among her friends," and assigns three reasons, in neither of which, can I perceive the least weight; except so far as they go to show that she has not circulated this story herself; with doing which she has not been charged; though there are some facts, relative to this point, which have an unfavourable bearing on Miss A's conduct, and which are particularly alluded to in my letter to her, of the 31st. of January last. But the origin and progress of this story, which constitutes a prominent feature in this controversy, are given under another head.

3. Miss A. thinks me in fault for not presuming that she intended to abridge her history, because I had abridged my Geography. It is very singular that I should be blamed for not possessing the spirit of divination. I did not before know that because I abridged my Geography, every historian and other author would of necessary consequence, and for a like purpose, abridge their works. The unreasonableness of such a ground of offence, must be obvious. And yet this is the sole ostensible cause of the doubts, which existed in Miss A's mind whether I "respected her rights," and which prompted the insidious question at the interview.*

4. But, says Miss A. "I stated to Dr. M. my feelings on this subject." Here we are at issue. Her feelings, in the sense here meant, were not expressed to me by Miss A. at this interview. I solemnly aver, that I was ignorant of them for a long time after this. She came to me at the Thursday lecture, for * See Extract from Miss A's letter to Mr. Shaw, and my letter of 31st, Jan. to Miss A.