Letter from Thomas Willis White to William Scott

Richmond Sept. 23, 1836 My Dear Sir, Indisposition forces me to be brief. I tender to you my most sincere thanks for having procured and forwarded to me the first act of Balwin's Cromwell. Except Shakespeare, I have read nothing to compare with it. I would have mentioned in the Messenger the agency you had in procuring it, except that I thought you could not speak so freely of its wants, or of my periodical, [was, now ?] the fact known to the discerning reading public. I forward you all the sheets of my [draft ?] No. I cannot assure it till Thursday next - consequently you will not notice it till Wednesday week. I hope you will spare no pains in your review of this No. The mechanical assertion is equal, if not really superior, to any of its predecessors. Every article in it strikes me as first-rate, except the reply to Judge Hopkinson, - and even that is plausible - though I think its [ ?] has failed to shake, in the slightest degree, any one of the objections [urged ?] by the Judge against the Right of Instruction, as interpreted by our Van-Buren Virginia Democrats. I shall say nothing about an agent till I see you in New York - which will be in a fortnight. By the packet which leaves here tomorrow I shall send you Act I. Truly your friend, T. W. White

RICHMOND VA SEP 23 Mr. William Scott, Office of the "Weekly Messenger", New York City. [Schr. ?] Hornett, Capt. Pitts.