Tidball, John C. (John Caldwell) (1825-1906) The Story of American Liberty as told by Ivan Ivanoff.

The Story of American Liberty as told by Ivan Ivanoff.
As the epoch of centennial celebrations of important events of the American Revolution is about to close with that of Yorktown, it may not at this time be uninteresting to give to the world some account of a most curious, if not most valuable manuscript discovered, or rather rescued from oblivion, at the time Alaska was formally transferred to the United States. This was in 1867, [struck: at least] more than ten years before [inserted: Commander] Beardslee, and his gallant crew of the Jamestown, re-discovered these in[illegible]spitatile wastes.
The manuscript [struck: in question was] [inserted: is] in [struck: the Russian, I do not mean Russia band, but written] in the Russian language and chirography; [struck: This], however, is not what makes it curious on valuable: [2] [struck: it was] Only after it was turned into good plain English [struck: that its] real merits [struck: could be] appreciated [struck: or even known] by those to [struck: whom] [inserted: in] its contents most concerned. These merits consisted in the [illegible], and evidently truthful, manner in which the current events of [struck: of the days of] '76 were [struck: recorded] noted and recorded. But the most singular [struck: of all] circumstances surrounding this valuable manuscript was the extraordinary chai[n] of [struck: circumstances] which gave the writer of it peculiar facilities for knowing what was going on among the mismortal statesman who were then, at Philadelphia, creating history faster than the Morse could record it. This knowledge was not confined to the [struck: high and mighty] of their characters, but extended to their every-day life.[3] and it is this [struck: circumstance], [inserted: feature] before all others, that gives instrinsic value to the record. Our literature, it is true, is rich from the pens of Irving, Bancroft, and others with accounts of these days abd if tge heroic parts played by the actors: but unlike this Russian M. S. they do not [struck: bring forth] the actors and place [struck: them] as men before their readers, but rather as demi-gods free from the ordinary attributes of fallible humanity.
It was at first thought best to give the manuscript entire, as translated, to the world; but upon more mature reflection it is deemed advisable not to do so, [struck: for the reason as it is that being] written in the form of a diary [inserted: therefore], much of it is simply personal matters relating only to the writer, [struck: and] [4] Besides, [struck: he] being a foreigner [inserted: and illegible in early and customs he often] jotted down things [struck: that] which at this time would be considered gross disrespect [struck: and] to the fathers of American liberty, and shocking to the average American citizen. All such matter has been carefully eliminated and that now given is of such a pure and simple character as to be inoffensive to even the most fastidious.
But before giving this notification, some account must be given of [struck: the manuscript itself and of its] another, which in a few lines may be stated as illegible: ___ When the Russians withdrew from Sitka, Prince Maksoutoff, the last Russian governor of Alaska, left behind a mass of what is generally termed [struck: olet] rubbish, in the shape of old account books, papers, minerological and fossil [5] specimins: the remnants of a library and many other similar objects. A mere glance at the whole outfit would [inserted: have] convinces anyone that the most careful search [struck: would] [inserted: would] discover nothing worth [struck: the] carrying away. Even the ubiquitous Hebrew, ever on the alert for such chances to ply his calling, could discover nothing from which to turn an honest penny. It is true that now and then an old Russian book would be carried off by someone whom attracted [struck: by] the quaint print and odd looking letters: and perhaps more frequently, a sliver of shale containing the fossil imprint of an antedeluvian fern, or a [inserted: fragment] [struck: lump] of rock... [6] But in a little while even this ceased and a party of soldiers was set to work [struck: to] clear away the trash. [struck: it was] During this operation [struck: that] the bundle of manuscript alluded to was poked from a corner on one of the upper shelves of a case where it had evidently lain for many years. It had been carefully tied up in seal-skin, which... weakened by age and the ravages of insects [struck: that] the bundle [struck: became] loosened [struck: by] its fall, and exhibited the writing, which was of that back somersault style peculiar to Russian chirography... [63 of manuscript] At the house of Mr. Beverly Robinson, where Washington was an honored guest, he met Miss Mary Phillipse, sister of and co-heiress with Wm Robinson [64] a young lady whose personal attractions are said to have illegible her reputed wealth.
We have already given an instance of Washington's early sensibility to female charms, A life, however, of constant activity and care, passed for the most part in the wilderness and on the frontier, far from female society, had left little mood or leisure for the indulgence of the tender [inserted: sentiments] but made him more sensible, in the present brief interval of gay and social life, to the attractions of an elegant woman, brought up in the polite circles of New York.
That he was an open admirer of Miss Phillipse is an historical fact; that he sought her hand, but was refused, is traditional, and not very probably. His military rank, his early laurels and distinguished presence, were all calculated to win favor in female eyes; but his sojourn in New York was brief; he may have been diffident in urging this suit with a lade accustomed to the [65] homage of society and surrounded by admirers. The most probable version of the story is that he was called away by his public duties before he had made sufficient approaches in his siege of the lady's heart to warrant a summons to surrender...