The writings of George Washington; being his correspondence, addresses, messages, and other papers, official and private, selected and published from the original manuscripts; with a life of the author, notes and illustrations. By Jared Sparks.

506 WASHINGTON'S WRITINGS. [APPENDIX.
support of it? This.may be thought the most proper and effectual
way of refuting misrepresentation and removing all suspicion. The
propriety of the objections suggested against submitting them to
inspection may very well be questioned.' The various reports circulated concerning their contents' were perhaps so many arguments
for making them speak for themselves, to place the matter upon the
footing of certainty. Concealment in an affair, which had made so
much noise, though not by my means, will naturally lead men to
conjecture the worst; and it will be a subject of speculation even to
candor itself. The anxiety and jealousy you apprehended from revealing the letter; will be very apt to be increased by suppressing it.
"c It may be asked, Why not submit to inspection a performance
perfectly harmless,'and of course conceived in terms of proper caution
and delicacy? Why suppose, that'anxiety and jealousy would have
arisen in the breasts of very respectable officers, or that they would
have been unnecessarily disgusted at being made sensible of their
faults, when related with judgment and impartiality by a candid observer'? Surely they could not have been unreasonable enough
to take offence at a performance so perfectly inoffensive,'blaming
actions rather than persons,' which have evidently no connexion with
one another, and indulgently'recording the errors of inexperience.'
" You are pleased to consider General Conway's letters as of a
confidential nature; observing that'time and circumstances must
point out the propriety or impropriety of communicating such letters.'
Permit me to inquire whether, when there is an impropriety in communicating, it is only applicable with respect to the parties, who are
the subjects of them. One might be led to imagine this to be the
case, from your having admitted others into the secret of your confidential correspondence, at the same time that you thought it in
eligible it should be trusted to those'officers, whose actions underwent its scrutiny.' Your not knowing whether the letter under
consideration'came to me from a member of Congress, or from an
officer,' plainly indicates that you originally communicated it to at
least one of that honorable body; and I learn from General Conway,
that before his late arrival at Yorktown, it had been committed to
the perusal of several of its members, and was afterwards shown by
himself to three more. It is somewhat difficult to conceive a reason,
founded in generosity, for imparting the free and confidential strictures of that ingenious censor on the operations of the army under
my command, to a member of Congress; but perhaps' time and
circumstances pointed it out.' It must indeed be acknowledged, that
the faults of very respectable officers, not less injurious for being the