
          Hall of Tammany  N. York Nov. 4th [18]35


 My dear friend,


 Have I not a small cause of complaint? Let me
 say why, in my own style.


 Had you said to me what Mr. [Asa] Gray said-- yes, ten
 fold more severe-- all would have been acceptable,
 and even pleasant to my feelings. Your
 long experience, your almost unequalled strength
 of intellect, and our habits of unreserved correspondence
 -- (above all your kindness to me
 when perjury and bribery had the foot on
 my neck)-- all are calculated to make
 any liberty taken with me most acceptable.
 But ought you to have countenanced
 Mr. Gray in his vituperative and consummately
 impudent course with me? I will
 not call him a conceited "upstart"; because
 he has obtained your  patronage.
 Had he told me, that my erroneous views
 would be discouraging to his efforts-- had
 he questioned me in his pedagogue-like
 style, &c. under any other circumstances
 he would have met his reward. But it
 was in your presence, in your house;
 and seemed to be, in a measure, countenanced,
 at least tolerated, by my
 most valued friend. I was questioned
 by him, in lofty style, like a poor
 trembling urchin, cringing under 
 the birch. Pehaps I felt it too
 much from you-- but I beg you
 not to believe that I could be
 brought to resent any thing from
 Mr. Gray, after he had given me 
 a small specimen of his urbanity.
 -- Contempt was my highest [added: emotion]
 as to him personally; though I was predisposed
        