THE MAGAZINE 



OF 



NATURAL HISTORY. 



NOVEMBER, 1831, 



Art. I. The final Statement of Mr. Stvainson, in Repli/ to Mr, 

 Vigors, By Willam Swainson, Esq. F.R.S. L,S.&c. 



Dear Sir> 

 AVhen a man, for defending his friend, receives abuse, he 

 justifies, not to the insulting party, but to the bystanders. I 

 address myself therefore, to you and to your readers. 



Violent and reiterated attacks have been made upon 

 M. Lesson and other French naturalists. These attacks have 

 been vindicated by one party, and deprecated by me. The 

 name of Mr. Vigors, either as author, abettor, or editor, is 

 attached to all. Of the last and worst, " published under 

 the superintendence of the secretary, and with the sanction 

 of the council, of the Zoological iSociety," Mr. Bennett steps 

 forward as the avowed author. This may be true: but I 

 have yet to learn the difference between the man who ori- 

 ginates, and the man who knowingly propagates, a calumny ; 

 who " superintends " its concoction ; gives it the public sup- 

 port of his name; and impHcates a set of gentlemen, as 

 sanctioners of the libel, who never saw it. When this differ- 

 ence is established, then will I publicly retract my accusations. 

 To do so before, with a conviction of their justness, would be 

 base and dishonourable. 



The editor of a journal, it must be confessed, is in a deli- 

 cate situation : he cannot, nor should he, reject controversial 

 papers. Science would be stationary without discussion, and 

 without the insufficiencies of its teachers ever being questioned. 

 But an editor, in my estimation, is bound to strike out all 

 passages of personal abuse ; all charges of base motives ; all 

 violent and unwarrantable expressions. Since his name is 



Vol. IV. — No. 22. i i 



