The life and writings of Major Jack Downing of
Downingville away down east in the state of Maine |
CONTENTS. |
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 | The life and writings of Major Jack Downing of
Downingville |  |
CONTENTS.
Page
MY LIFE.
In which I tell considerable more about my Grandfather, than I
do about myself, 13MY LETTERS.
Together with a few from Cousin Nabby, and Uncle Joshua, and
Cousin Ephraim, and so on; containing a pretty considerable account
of my public life, from Jinuary 1830, to November 1833, 35Letter I.—In which Mr Downing tells about choosing Speaker, 35
Letter II.—In which Mr Downing tells about poor Mr Roberts'
having to stand up, 40Letter III.—In which Cousin Nabby advises Mr Downing to
come home, 43Letter IV.—In which Uncle Joshua tells how he went to Boston,
and took dinner with the Gineral Court, 45Extracts from the Portland Courier, 52
Letter V.—In which Mr Downing tells what a hobble the Legislature
got into, in trying to make so many Governors, 55Letter VI.—In which Mr Downing describes a sad mishap that
befel the House of Representatives, 58Letter VII.—In which affairs take a more favourable turn, 59
Letter VIII.—In which Mrs Downing urges her son to come
home, 60Letter IX.—In which Mr Downing tells about trigging the
wheels of government, 61Letter X.—In which Mr Downing advises his Uncle Joshua to
hold on to his bushel of corn, because the Legislature had begun
`to rip up their duins,' 65Letter XI.—In which Mr Downing describes some queer duins
in the Senate, 67Letter XII.—In which Mr Downing hits upon a new idea for
making money out of the office-seekers that were swarming round
the new Governor, 70Letter XIII.—Cousin Ephraim in trouble, 71
Letter XIV.—In which Mr Downing describes a severe tug at
the wheels of government, 72Letter XV.—In which Mr Downing tells what it means to set
up a candidate for office, 74Letter XVI.—In which Mr Downing tells how the Legislature
cleared out, and how Elder Hall went home, 77Letter XVII.—In which Mr Downing hints to Uncle Joshua
that he has a prospect of being nominated for Governor, 79Letter XVIII.—In which Uncle Joshua discovers remarkable
skill in the science of politics, and advises Mr Downing by all
means to stand as a candidate for Governor, 82Letter XIX.—In which Mr Downing gives his opinion about
newspapers, 85Letter XX.—In which Mr Downing tells how to distinguish
one republican party from another, 87Grand Caucus at Downingville, 89
Letter XXI.—In which Mr Downing tells about the Portland
Town-meeting, 94Letter XXII.—Return of votes from Downingville, 97
Letter XXIII.—In which Mr Downing hits on a new plan to
get an office, 98Letter XXIV.—In which Cousin Sarah compares the Society
of Portland with that of Downingville, 99Letter XXV.—In which Mr Downing tells how Cousin Jehu
went to the Legislature, and had to go back after his primy facy
case, 101Letter XXVI.—In which Cousin Nabby describes the temperance
of Downingville, 104Letter XXVII.—In which Mr Downing gives a description of
the Ladies' Fair, 106Letter XXVIII.—In which Mr Downing tells how the Jacksonites
in the Legislature had a dreadful tussle to pour a `healing
act' down the throats of the Huntonites, 113Letter XXIX.—In which Mr Downing tells how the Jacksonites
at last got the `healing act' down the throats of the Huntonites,
117Letter XXX.—In which Mr Downing dreams some poetry, 121
Letter XXXI.—In which Mr Downing tells how he got a new
kink into his head, in consequence of the blow-up of President
Jackson's first Cabinet, 123Letter XXXII.—In which Cousin Sarah tells about Cousin
Jack's toes and elbows, 125Letter XXXIII.—In which Mr Downing tells about the talk
he had with the Boston Editors on his way to Washington, 127Letter XXXIV.—In which Mr Downing relates his interview
with Major Noah, 131Letter XXXV.—In which Mr Downing tells how he stript up
his sleeves and defended Mr Ingham on his front door steps during
the after-clap that followed the blow-up of the Cabinet, 135Letter XXXVI.—In which Cousin Ephraim tells about the
persecution of poor Mrs No-tea, 138Letter XXXVII.—Mr Downing receives a Captain's commission
in the United States' Army, with orders to go and protect the
inhabitants of Madawaska, 140Letter XXXVIII.—In which Capt. Downing describes his return
to Downingville, after an absence of two years, 145Letter XXXIX.—Capt. Downing's first Military Report to the
President, 147Letter XL.—Capt. Downing visits the Legislature of Maine
again, 151Letter XLI.—Progress of proceedings in the Legislature, 153
Letter XLII.—Capt. Downing is suddenly called to his company
at Madawaska, 155Letter XLIII.—Capt. Downing returns to Augusta. The value
of a bear-skin, 157Letter XLIV.—In which Capt. Downing tells about the Legislature's
making Lawyers, 159Letter XLV.—Capt. Downing is in a peck of trouble about the
Legislature's selling Madawaska to the General Government to
be given up to the British, and sits down and figures up the
price, 161Letter XLVI.—Capt. Downing declines the office of Mayor of
Portland, 165Letter XLVII.—In which Capt. Downing relates a confidential
conversation with President Jackson, while on a journey to Tennessee,
166Letter XLVIII.—In which Capt. Downing runs an Express from
Baltimore to Washington, and foots it through Pennsylvany
Avenue to the President's House, 169Letter XLIX.—In which Capt. Downing receives a Major's commission,
and is appointed to march against the Nullifiers, 172Letter L.—In which Uncle Joshua tells what a tussle they had in
Downingville to keep the Federalists from praising the President's
Proclamation against the Nullifiers, 175Letter LI.—In which Major Downing describes the arrival of
Sargent Joel, with the Company, at Washington, 178Letter LII.—In which Major Downing gives his opinion about
Nullification, and illustrates it with a lucid example, 181Letter LIII.—In which Cousin Ephraim tells the Major how
matters get along at Augusta, and gives a specimen of the value
of political promises, 183Letter LIV.—In which Major Downing goes up top the Congress
house and listens to see if he can hear the guns in South Carolina,
and also has a talk with the President about the slander of
the newspapers, 186Letter LV.—In which Cousin Ephraim explains the science of
Land speculation, 188Letter LVI.—In which Major Downing tells how Mr Clay put a
stop to that fuss in South Carolina, besides hushing up some
other quarrels, 191Letter LVII.—In which Major Downing gives the result of a
consultation amongst the Government on the question, whether
the President should shake hands with the Federalists during his
journey down East, 194Letter LVIII.—In which Major Downing defends the President
from the assault of Lieut. Randolph on board the steamboat Cygnet,
196Letter LIX.—In which Major Downing shakes hands for the
President at Philadelphia, while on the grand tour down East,
198Letter LX.—In which the President and Major Downing have a
very narrow escape at the breaking down of the bridge in New
York, 200Letter LXI.—In which Major Downing describes the visit of the
President at Boston, and also complains of the rascally counterfeiters
that write letters in his name for the newspapers, 202Letter LXII.—In which the President and the rest of 'em, turn a
short corner at Concord and set their faces towards Washington,
205Letter LXIII.—In which Cousin Nabby describes the unutterable
disappointment at Downingville because the President didn't
come, and tells what a terrible pucker Ant Keziah was in about
it, 206Nomination of Major Downing for the Presidency, 210
Letter LXIV.—In which Major Downing tells about going to
Cambridge and making the President a Doctor of Laws, 211Letter LXV.—In which Major Downing tells about the quarrel
that he and Mr Van Buren had at Concord, after they went up
chamber to bed; and also declares his intention to run for the Presidency,
215Letter LXVI.—In which Cousin Ephraim describes the method
of putting `dimocrats' over on to the federal side, 221Letter LXVII.—In which the President begun to say something
about me and Daniel, 223Letter LXVIII.—In which the President finished what he was
going to say about me and Daniel, 227Letter LXIX.—In which Cousin Nabby describes her visit to
Mr Maelzel's Congregation of Moskow, 231Letter LXX.—In which Major Downing concludes it is best to
put some of his poetry into his book, 233Major Downing's biography of Sam Patch, 235
APPENDIX.
In which are published some of Major Downing's letters, that he
never wrote, 240No. I.—Being the genuine letter of old Mr Zophar Downing,
`amost eighty three yere old', 242No. II.—The Bank Report, 244
No. III.—Giving some account of Peleg Bissel's Churn, 249
No. IV.—The public crib at Washington, 252
No. V.—Preparation of the Message, 256
No. VI.—Sir George Downing, 258
| The life and writings of Major Jack Downing of
Downingville | |