
          melancholy to see a fine country & the best government
 in the world, at the mercy of politicians.
 I would wish that the leaders of both sides were put
 under a strong government in Europe for six months
 and then they would be glad to let well alone.


 Do you know a Mr. or Prof'r. [Professor] Hedricks? He has been
 appointed an assist't. [assistant] Examiner here & has been
 detailed into my room, I suppose to learn some
 official duties. He says he has lived in N.Y. some
 years & is well known to you. Is he a gentleman
 & scholar and may we extend the right hand of
 fellowship to him. I will enclose to you in
 a few days a copy of the report of the
 engineer in charge of the Treasury Extension
 in which unfortunately my report on iron
 appears. The whole is a part of the report of the
 Sec'y. [Secretary] of the Treasury made to the last congress.


 I feel ashamed of my share in this report
 & doubly annoyed at the way it is printed
 & the way I have been treated. More than a
 year ago when I had completed all which
 now appears in that report, I applied through
 Major Burman to the dep't [department] for 600 or 700
 dollars for apparatus & means to go on
 which I never could get through him or from the
        