n the navy, nor spunge the national
debt. Finding his mind made up as to the usurpation of the government by
the President of the Senate, I urged it no further, observed, the
world must judge as to myself of the future by the past, and turned the
conversation to something else. About the same time, Dwight Foster of
Massachusetts called on me in my room one night, and went into a very
long conversation on the state of affairs, the drift of which was to let
me understand, that the fears above mentioned were the only obstacle to
my election, to all of which I avoided giving any answer the one way
or the other. From this moment he became most bitterly and personally
opposed to me, and so has ever continued. I do not recollect that I
ever had any particular conversation with General Samuel Smith on this
subject. Very possibly I had, however, as the general subject and
all its parts were the constant themes of conversation in the private
tete-a-tetes with our friends. But certain I am, that neither he nor
any other republican ever uttered the most distant hint to me about
submitting to any conditions, or giving any assurances to any body;
and still more certainly, was neither he nor any other person ever
authorized by me to say what I would or would not do.

*****

*****

[The following official opinion, though inadvertently omitted in its
proper place, is deemed of sufficient importance to be inserted here.]

The bill for establishing a National Bank, undertakes, among other
things,

1. To form the subscribers into a corporation.

2. To enable them, in their corporate capacities, to receive grants of
land; and so far, is against the laws of _Mortmain_.*

* Though the constitution controls the laws of Mortmain, so
far as to permit Congress itself to hold lands for certain
purposes, yet not so far as to permit them to communicate a
similar right to other corporate bodies.

3. To make alien subscribers capable of holding lands; and so far, is
against the laws of Alienage.

4. To transmit these lands, on the death of a proprietor, to a certain
line of successors; and so far, changes the course of Descents.

5. To put the lands out of the reach of forfeiture or escheat; and so
far, is against the laws of _Forfeiture_ and _Escheat_.

6. To transmit personal chattels to successors in a certain line; and so
far, is against the laws of Distribution.

7. To give them the sole and exclusive right