Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1833-12-14
MAJOR DoWNING's CORRESPONDENCE
WASHINGTON, 9th Dec. 1888.
To my old friend Mr.. Dwight, of the New. York
Daily Advertiser


To my old friend Mr.. Dwight, of the New York
Daily Advertiser.
NV last letter teli'd YOU about that discovery
made IN the na,ur Of the Gineral's specks-and
that the Message had been TO work on for
some time was jest fnlshed-but the very next
day We had to take it all TO bits, aud spring to
write anymost the bull of new one, for we
found we had gone TOO much into particulars,
especially about the counts; and letters FROM
M Van Buren, advised Us to say as btle about
such matters as possible, tor Congress would ony
make Us tell pretty murh the hull ont over
agin and the best mav was to say little al first,
aud trust TO luck and chance afterwards. As
snOn as the Ginera cone 10 know OF this, says
he, - Major, you must look out and keep in that
latin about the Bank any how" So we kept
that in, but it was plasy trosblesom to make it
work we'll with the rest ont, tor when you come
to make English ont, it reads that the Ginerai
would have taken the Bank by the throat right
off, it he thought he could make that latin
pill operate afore the charters expre-and then
again he says the Bank does wrong in bringing
its business to close SO rapidly as it is now do.
ing. There Is one thing however that's true
eunf, for seem tbat Judge Martiall Is stubborn
know no'hln Kind of crltur. aud would have a
finger in Twin the Bank that pl, the GineraI
operate before the chatter expired, il il had 40
years more tn run--so there is more Wit and
cunun in what the Gnera SAYS than folks think
for.
There was another thing puzzled US tn tri-
he about the Bank. Last year when we thought
II bad no rail chink IN It, tn. Gineral thought
best to take the deposits away from it; but since
| teli'd the G,neral in nv Bank Report there
was more than 100 cords of The rale GRIT
we had to saw IN the Message they had too much.
The past offiCe account was the next bother;
and that puzzled all on US peskiy But we
got round that b, avery lucky diskoverv; and
you see bv the Message there has been an
error in keepn the counts in the post Office ever
since Gineral Washington's time. and every
post master Gnera. up to Major Barry's time,
never found it out; and it was so curious that he
took nigh upon 5 years TO git at it. But its all
clear now, for he il an amasin sharp fellow at
siferin. We struck out all about the grand tc,o.
err. for Clay has been over the same ground,
and Mr.. Van Buren, thought il was best to say
no,hin about It. And it was thought best too to
say no,hin about the Nulers, for some of Mr..
Van Buren, friends 10 Georgia headed By Craw-
ford are getting up notification there, worse
than Calhoun's last winter; and it makes all the
difference in the world when you come to see
| that ones own friends are doin what our enemies
did aforO
As soon as We sent the Message to Congress,
we set about gittin up q supper for all our folks
who had been to work ont, and we had grand
time, oil our Majors was there. The Gineral
was so beat out. be dind't stay loog; but some on
'em kept II up till nigh day light
We had some real good songs tu; and one Of