LETTERS OF A CITIZEN. 475 



tious ; so was the Theban who fired the temple of Ephesus, with 

 the hope of making his name immortal. He was successful ; and 

 you may perchance be rewarded with similar post mortem honours 

 for your wilful, deliberate, unprovoked attack on the science of 

 your country, in your final arrangements for despatching the expe- 

 dition. 



An able corps of savans had been organized long before you had 

 part or lot in the affair. Men whose zeal for science had patiently 

 withstood the ill-usage of your predecessor, and whose attainments 

 and competence to fill the several departments allotted to them 

 were unquestioned and unquestionable, stood ready to set forth at 

 the briefest warning. Your proclamation had told the world that 

 the expedition was " altogether scientific ;" that in scientific objects 

 its " naval character" had been merged. There can be no mistake 

 here ; because it is on this very ground that you seek to justify the 

 outrage committed on the feelings of the service by the selection of 

 a favourite, in violation of law, and in violation, too, of the pub- 

 lished regulations of the Navy Department, signed by the commis- 

 sioners, and approved by the Hon. Mahlon Dickerson, secretary 

 of the navy, before you were invested with a portion of his au- 

 thority ! 



Sir, after your proclamation had seen the light, considerable in- 

 terest was felt, and no little curiosity evinced to witness the final 

 movement on your part towards rendering the scientific organiza- 

 tion of the expedition more efficient. Was it your policy to be 

 somewhat more liberal, not to say just, to the members of the sci- 

 entific corps ? Was their number to be increased ? By what new 

 arrangement was the enterprise to be rendered more scientific in 

 character than it had been, when you deemed the rank of post 

 captain indispensable to the command ? Is it possible that all 

 this pretension was made on your part for the mean purpose of 

 misleading the public mind ; of concealing from public view the 

 littleness~~iQ use a mild term of the course resolved upon ? 

 Truly you must have held the public judgment in supreme con- 

 tempt, to suppose it could be blinded by such a gossamer subter- 

 fuge. If I were your personal enemy, I could wish you no severer 

 moral punishment than to live under the judgment which the sci- 

 ence and intelligence of the country has passed upon you. Know- 

 ing, as I well do, your vain wish to be regarded as a man of sci- 



