490 LETTERS OF A CITIZEN. 



days before the commencement of his blessed reign. But it wouldn't 

 do. He seemed to be on his warhorse that day, for he said he 

 didn't care if Southard had been in favour of it; indeed, he was 

 glad of it, for it proved that he had been in favour of one good 

 thing. So you see clearly that I had to let the preparations go on 

 or lose my place ; and, much as I hated tiie expedition, I loved my 

 place more. Indeed, if the old chief had not been so much indis- 

 posed towards the close of his term, 1 am really of opinion that 

 the commissioners and I would have had to walk the plank. Af- 

 ter the fourth of March, however, when the general was fairly off 

 to the Hermitage, I bounded up like an India-rubber ball. I knew 

 that Martin cared nothing about the expedition, and if he did, that 

 he would not stir me up as the general had done. 



Since that time you know pretty well how things have been 

 managed. You know all about our plan of sending five post cap- 

 tains, including the commissioners, to Norfolk, to prepare such a 

 report as would enable me to cut off the Macedonian. You know, 

 too, how they disappointed us ; indeed, we had a right to expect a 

 very different result. I always attributed their backing out, in a 

 good measure, to that confounded Reynolds, who attacked me at 

 that very time through the papers, and as good as told the com- 

 missioners what they might expect if they should report, as we an- 

 ticipated, in favour of reducing the squadron. The fact is, he told 

 a good many hard and unpleasant truths about me, though I did 

 deny most of them in the four letters I subsequently wrote in my 

 own praise, over the signature of U A Friend to the Navy." I 

 chose that nomme de guerre, because I thought it would be sure 

 to prevent any suspicion of my being the writer. But Reynolds 

 found me out and replied at me in such a manner that I could not 

 stand it ; so I addressed a letter to the editor of " The Times," and 

 begged him not to let any more of Reynolds's communications ap- 

 pear in his paper, and he did not. You may not be aware, for 

 you were not here, how I exaggerated the cost, with the hope of 

 influencing Congress against the appropriations ; but there, again, 

 that infernal Reynolds, or, rather, his backers, the Ohio dele- 

 gation, always defeated me. Remember the promise you gave 

 me : he must not go out in the expedition. 



Poinsett. Well, governor, you have really had some awful stum- 

 bling-blocks in your way ; but there is one thing I do not under- 



