10 



Reply of J. D. Dana to the foregoing article by Mr. Couthouy. 



Mr. Couthouy in his preceding remarks, has made out a somewhat 

 plausible story, yet not to the total concealment of the truth. When an 

 opponent is reduced to such extremities as dwelling upon the use of the 

 pronouns "we" and " us," or quibbling about the phrases " abstract" and 

 " duplicate minutes" — when he finds it necessary for his case, to affirm 

 what he has before denied and deny his former affirmations, to twist and 

 torture his yielding phrases till they no longer look like themselves, we 

 may well question his conclusions, although " solemnly declared on his 

 faith and honor as a man." But not to deal in assertions alone, we may 

 glance at a kw particulars in the above reply. 



Perhaps its most striking feature is the subdued tone with which the 

 subject is approached. A second, no less prominent, is the implied ad- 

 mission of many points before forgotten : — for example, the reading of 

 my report — the agreement to cooperate in our observations, &c. Not to 

 dwell on these peculiarities, we may pass in rapid review a few of his 

 more cogent arguments and then dismiss the subject. 



For a reply to his observations upon " misused confidence," we need 

 only refer to his previous article. The many words on former friendly 

 deeds are quite wasted, as the friendship and confidence between us had 

 already been asserted and admitted on both sides. That his conscience 

 should have slumbered for a while is natural ; his own unkindness would 

 not banish at once the remembrance of the past. I may again ask, What 

 is that friendship that could publish at all on the subject of corals after 

 the understanding — now acknowledged — that we should cooperate in 

 our investigations and Report? What the honorable feeling that could 

 violate such obligations — sacred, at least, among professed friends? Sus- 

 picions might reasonably be aroused after such a friendly deed. 



It pains me thus to deal with one whose friendship once was valued, 

 with whom kind acts were long reciprocated. But, as the case stands, 

 there is little virtue in withholding the truth. I proceed then to notice a 

 fact which will serve as a key for interpreting the rest of Mr. Couthouy's 

 reply. 



In the course of the attack in Vol. xlv of this Journal, Mr. C. alludes 

 more than once to the " duplicate minutes" which contained "the most 

 important of his observations" at sea, and afforded the facts on the tem- 

 perature of the ocean inserted in his article on corals. In the preceding 

 reply, we learn more definitely that these "duplicate minutes" (which he 

 objects to having called an " abstract") " are scattered in disjointed frag- 

 ments through some 1400 pages of MSS." (p. 2) ; and, he adds, " such 

 an abstract as could be made, had already been brought forward in the 

 very article which has given rise to this discussion." Let the reader turn 

 now to the original article, 'which gave rise to this discussion,' page 77, 

 at bottom,* and read : " My observations in MS. on this subject are now in 

 the possession of the Navy Department at Washington ; but not being per- 

 mitted to have access to them, I am compelled in all the statements made in 



* Boston Journal, Vol. IV. 



