Major Downing's account of the manner in which Mr.
Clay put a stop to the fuss in South Carolina, and his
pacification bill to hush up the quarrels of the nullifiers.

[figure description] Page 119.[end figure description]

Washington City, March 10, 1833.
To the editor of the Portland Courier, in the Mariners'
Church building, 2nd story, eastern end, Fore Street, away
down east, in the State of Maine, to be sent to Cousin
Ephraim Downing, up in Downingville, cause I spose he's
gone home before this time from Augusta.

Dear Cousin Ephraim,—I got your letter this morning.
It was a shame for them are Legislater folks to
skulk off without paying you for your apples. But
they are the worst folks about standing to their word
that I know of. They 've promised me an office more
than twenty times, but some how or other, come to the
case in hand, their votes always went for somebody
else. But I dont care a fig for 'em as long as I 've got
the President on my side, for his offices are as fat again
as the Legislater offices are. The President's offices
will support a man pretty well if he does 'nt do any
thing at all. As soon as Mr. Clay's Tariff Bill passed,
the President called me into his room, and says
he, Major Downing, the nullification jig is up. There'll
be no fun for you in South Carolina now, and I guess
you may as well let Sargent Joel march the company
back to Downingville, and wait till somebody kicks up
another bobbery some where and then I' ll send for 'em,
for they are the likeliest company I 've seen since I
went with my Tennessee rangers to New Orleans.
And as for you Major Downing, you shall still hold
your commission and be under half pay, holding yourself
in readiness to march at a moment's warning and
to fight whenever called for.

So you see, Cousin Ephraim, I am pretty well to live
in the world, without any of your land speculations or

[figure description] Page 120.[end figure description]

apple selling down east. I cant seem to see how 'tis
they all make money so fast in that land business down
there that you tell about. How could all our folks and
Bill Johnson and all of 'em there in Downingville make
a thousand dollars a piece, jest a trading round among
themselves, when there aint fifty dollars in money, put
it all together, in the whole town. It rather puzzles
me a little. As soon as I see 'em all get their thousand
dollars cash in hand, I guess I 'll give up my commission
and come home and buy some land tu.

But at present I think I rather have a bird in the
hand than one in the bush. Our Congress folks here
cleared out about the same time that your Legislater
folks did, and I and the President have been rather
lonesome a few days. The old gentleman says I
must n't leave him on any account; but I guess I shall
start Joel and the company off for Downingville in a
day or two. They 've got their clothes pretty much
mended up, and they look quite tidy. I should n't feel
ashamed to see'em marched through any city in the
United States.

It is n't likely I shall have any thing to do under my
commission very soon. For some say there 'll be no
more fighting in the country while Mr. Clay lives, if
it should be a thousand years. He's got a master knack
of pacifying folks and hushing up quarrels as you ever
see. He's stopt all that fuss in South Carolina, that you
know was jest ready to blow the whole country sky
high. He stept to 'em in Congress and told 'em what
sort of a Bill to pass, and they passed it without hardly
any jaw about it. And South Carolina has hauled in
her horns, and they say she'll be as calm as a clock
now. And that is n't the only quarrel Mr. Clay has
stopt. Two of the Senators, Mr. Webster and Mr.
Poindexter, got as mad as March hairs at each other.
They called each other some pesky hard names, and
looked cross enough for a week to bite a board nail off.
Well, after Mr. Clay got through with South Carolina,
he took them in hand. He jest talked to 'em about five

p378-136 [figure description] Page 121.[end figure description]

minutes, and they got up and went and shook hands
with each other, and looked as loving as two brothers.

Then Mr. Holmes got up and went to Mr. Clay, and
almost with tears in his eyes asked him if he would n't
be so kind as to settle a little difficulty there was between
him and his constituents, so they might elect
him to Congress again. And I helieve some of the
other Senators asked for the same favor.

So as there is likely, to be peace now all round the
house for some time to come, I'm in a kind of a quandary
what course to steer this summer. The President
talks of taking a journey down east this summer,
and he wants me to go with him, because I 'm acquainted
there, and can show him all about it. He has a
great desire to go as fur as Downingville, and get acquainted
with Uncle Joshua, who has always stuck by
him in all weathers through thick and thin. The President
thinks uncle Joshua is one of the republican pillars
of New England, and says he shall always have
the post office as long as he lives, and his children after
him.

I rather guess on the whole I shall come on that way
this summer with the President. But wherever I go,
I shall remain your loving cousin.