University of Virginia Library

6. LETTER VI.

To be printed by my old friend Mr. Dwight.

Dear Amos,—Not knowing where you be
exactly, I write you this letter through the
papers, for they go everywhere, and you'll
most likely git it that way soonest. The Gineral
is in some trouble; for since you left
Washington, he and I have been looking into
the Law Books, and the Bank Charter, and
he says he thinks we shall be snag'd, if we
don't look out pretty sharp how we meddle
jist yet with our money in the U. S. Bank.
And ever since I have been tellin him about
my examination of Biddle's Bank, he don't
seem to feel so wrathy agin it. And he is
plaguy fraid if he takes away any of our money
from Biddle, we shall have to take away all
the 'counts too; and we have enuff now to
make us stagger. The Gineral would like

you to ask Biddle if he won't keep the 'counts,
and let us have the money. If he won't do
that, then he thinks you best do nothin, for on
lookin into the Treasury and batin that batch
of state paper there, that ain't worth nothin,
and seein that them blasted Frenchmen han't
paid that bill yet, and a good many things a
little singed by the fire last spring—we han't
got quite as much cash as we thought on.

There is another thing too puzzles us considerable.
When the United States Bank was
chartered, it was agreed that seein it paid a
pretty considerable round sum for keepin our
money, we made'em also agree to do all our
business in the money way—receive and pay,
and take resates for all the old sogers, and pay
the interest on the public debt, and so on; and
then we agreed to take their money in payment
of all debts comin to us. The Gineral thinks
he can't well git round this; and we have
looked through all the Law Books, and regulations
of the army, and can't find nothin
there to help us. `So,' says he, `Major, we
shall be snag'd if we don't look out sharp;
for as soon as we put our 'counts in other
banks, that crittur Biddle won't let any thing
like a bank bill go out of his bank that we can

use where we want it. Now in York they'll
shell out New-Orleans, and St. Louis, and
Mobile branch notes to pay bonds with, and
away South we shall git Buffalo, and down
east branch paper, and we shall have to lug
them about ourselves to git the dollars for
them. And then,' says he, `arter all, Major,
we shall run the risk agin of gittin our wallets
filled with some more of them Safety Fund
notes. I don't like the looks of it at all—I
wish,' says he, `Amos was back agin in Washington,
and let Congress do with the Bank as
it pleases. I won't be pestered with it any
more, by the Eternal!' says he, (and he was
ony just beginnin to thunder), when I, just to
turn the cloud, tell'd him Calhoun was in
Georgia. And then I tell'd him I would write
to you, and tell you to come home. The
Gineral says you may go to Saratogue, and
talk over matters with Mr. Van Buren, and as
he got us into the scrape, tell him to git us
out of it as well as he can; but you must all
on you be in Washington pretty soon, for its
gittin kinder windy down here. Take care
how you write and talk to some of the Banks
in York; them fellers have got their eye-teeth
cut, and know plaguy nigh as well as we do
about most things.

The Gineral thinks that was a pretty considerable
of a cute move in Mr. Van Buren,
sending Isaac Hill along with Cass. He stuck
to him like a lamper eel till he got to Buffalo,
and then unhooked. I'll write to you agin in
a few days. Yours,