, on this the 65th anniversary of my birth, to assure you of my
hearty forgiveness of the personal wrongs which, I think, you have done
me in past years, and of my forgetfulness of them so far, at least, as
involves the least unkindness and unfriendliness of feeling.

To express free and independent opinions on the public acts of public
men, to animadvert severely upon them when considered censurable, is
both the right and duty of the press; nor have I ever been discourteous,
or felt any animosity towards those who have censured my official acts,
or denounced my opinions. Had I considered that you had done nothing
more in regard to myself, I should have felt and acted differently from
what I have done in regard to you--the only public man in Canada with
whom I have not been on speaking and personally friendly terms. But
while I wish in no way to influence your judgment and proceedings in
relation to myself, I beg to say that I cherish no other than feelings
of good will, with which I hope to (as I soon must) stand before the
Judge of all the earth--imploring, as well as granting forgiveness for
all the wrong deeds done in the body.

On the same day Mr. Brown replied as follows:--

I have received your letter of this day, and note its contents.

I am entirely unconscious of any "personal wrong" ever done you by me,
and had no thought of receiving "forgiveness" at your hands.

What I have said or written of your public conduct or writings has been
dictated solely by a sense of public duty, and has never, I feel
confident, exceeded the bounds of legitimate criticism, in view of all
attendant circumstances. What has been written of you in the columns of
the _Globe_ newspaper, so far as I have observed, has been always
restrained within the limits of fair criticism toward one holding a
position of public trust.

As to your personal attacks on myself--those who pursue the fearless
course as a politician and public journalist that I have done for a
quarter of a century, cannot expect to escape abuse and
misrepresentation; and assuredly your assaults have never affected my
course toward you in the slightest degree. Your series of letters
printed in the _Leader_ newspaper some years ago, were not, I am told,
conceived in a very Christian spirit, but I was ill at the time they
were published, and have never read them. Your dragging my name into
your controversy with the Messrs. Campbell--on a matter with which I had
no pers