INTRODUCTION. 
ix 
" Navy Department, 9th June, 1834. 
" Sir, 
"Your letter of the 5th inst. has been read; I shall be happy 
to oblige you with the inspection of any papers in this depart- 
ment which are ^ not confidential, and may be useful to you in 
your contemplated publication. 
"I am, very respectfully, yours, &c. 
(Signed) . "Levi Woodbury. 
" To J. N. Reynolds, Esq." 
The same facilities, in answer to a similar request, were 
politely proffered me by the Honourable John Forsyth, Secretary 
of State. 
One important object still remained to be accomphshed, and 
without which the work would be very defective ; and this was 
to obtain a copy of the official and public documents connected 
with the cruise. As there had been special, as well as general 
instructions from the department to Commodore Downes, I 
deemed it my duty to inform the latter of my application to the 
department for copies of these papers, and received from him the 
following reply ; a copy of which I enclosed to the Secretary of 
the Navy : — 
" Charlestown, 26th August, 1834. 
" Dear Sir, 
"In answer to your note of the 19th inst., I have to state, that 
your having undertaken to prepare a Journal of the Potomac's 
Cruise while on the Pacific station, with my knowledge and appro- 
bation, and so often having held free communication with me on 
the subject ; and knowing, as you do, my wish, that whatever is 
pubhshed should be authentic, I can of course have no objection 
that my instructions from the Navy Department, under which I 
acted while on the coast of Sumatra, with all official papers and 
reports made or received during the cruise, should be placed in 
your hands, with the sanction of the department, for the illustra- 
tion of your book. , _ 
" Yours, very sincerely, 
(Signed) "John Dovnras. 
« J. N. R0ynolds, Esq., New-York." 
