2316. DUTY, Administrative.—[continued].
It was my lot to be
placed at the head of the column which made
the first breach in the ramparts of federalism,
and to be charged, on that event, with the
duty of changing the course of the government
from what we deemed a monarchical
to its republican tack. This made me the
mark for every shaft which calumny and
falsehood could point against me. I bore them
with resignation, as one of the duties imposed
on me by my post. But * * * it was
among the most painful duties from which I
hoped to find relief in retirement.—
To Mark Langdon Hill. Washington ed. vii, 154.
(M.
1820)
