it about a fortnight, Mr Van Buren found it was no use to try to dicker with me, and he 's cleared out and gone to New York to see what he can do there.

I never thought of getting in to be President so soon, though I've had a kind of hankering for it this two years. But now, seeing it's turned out as it has, I'm determined to make a bold push, and if I can get in by the free votes of the people, I mean to. The President says he rather I should have it than any body else, and if he had n't promised Mr Van Buren before hand, he would use his influence for me.

I remember when I was a boy about a dozen years old, there was an old woman come to our house to tell fortunes. And after she'd told the rest of 'em, father says he, here's Jack, you have n't told his fortune yet, and I dont spose it's worth a telling, for he's a real mutton-headed boy. At that the old woman catched hold of my hair, and pulled my head back and looked into my face, and I never shall forget how she looked right through me, as long as I live. At last, says she, and she gin me a shove that sent me almost through the side of the house, Jack will beat the whole of you. He 'll be a famous climber in his day, and wherever he sets out to climb, you may depend upon it, he will go to the top of the ladder. Now, putting all these things together, and the nominations in the papers, and the hoorahs for Major Downing,' I dont know what it means, unless it means that I must be President. as I said afore, I'm determined to make a bold push. I've writ to Col. Crocket to see if I can get the support of the western States, and his reply is, 'go ahead.' I shall depend upon you and uncle Joshua to carry the State of Maine for me; and, in order to secure the other States, I spose it will be necessary to publish my life and writings. President Jackson had his life published before he was elected, and when Mr Clay was a candidate he had hisn published. I've talked with the President

So,

about it, and he says, publish it by all means, and set the printer of the Portland Courier right about it.

So I want you to go to work as soon as you get this, and pick up my letters, and begin to print 'em in a book; and I'll set down and write a history of my life to put into it, and send it along as fast as I can get it done. But I want you to be very careful not to get any of them are confounded counterfiet letters, that the rascally fellers have been sending to the printers, mixed in long with mine. It would be as bad as breaking a rotten egg in long with the good ones; it would spile the whole pudding. You can tell all my letters, for they were all sent to you

first.

The President says I must have a picter of me made and put into the book. He says he had one put into his, and Mr Clay had one put into his. So I believe I shall write to Mr Thatcher that prints the little Journal paper in Boston, and get him to go to some of the best picter-makers there, and get them to do me up some as slick as they can. These things, you know, will all help get the free votes of the people; and that's all I want. For I tell you now, right up and down, I never will take any office that does n't come by the free votes of the people. I'm a genuine democratic republican, and always was, and so was my father before me, and uncle Joshua besides.

There's a few more things that I want to speak to you about in this letter, but I'm afraid it will get to be too lengthy. That are story that they got in the newspapers about my being married in Philadelphy is all a hoax. I aint married yet, nor I shant be till a little blue-eyed gal, that used to run about with me, and go to school and slide down hill in Downingville is the wife of President Downing. And that are other story, that the President give me a Curnel's commission jest before we started down east, is n't exactly true. The President did offer me one, but I thanked him, and told him if he would

excuse me, I should rather not take it, for I had always noticed that Majors were more apt to rise in the world than Curnels.

I wish you would take a little pains to send up to Downingville and get uncle Joshua to call a public meeting, and have me nominated there. I'm so well known there, it would have a great effect in other places. And I want to have it particularly understood, and so stated in their resolutions, that I am the genuine democratic republican candidate. I know you will put your shoulder to the wheel in this business and do all you can for me, for you was always a good friend to me, and, jest between you and me, when I get in to be President you may depend upon it you shall have as good an office

as you want.

But I see it's time for me to end this letter. The President is quite comfortable, and sends his respects to you and uncle Joshua. I remain your sincere friend, MAJOR JACK DOWNING.

LETTER LXVI.

In which Cousin Ephraim describes the method of putting 'dimocrats' over on to the federal side.

Downingville, State of Maine, August 12, 1833.

To Cousin Major Jack Downing, at Washington city, or else gone long with the President down to the Rip Raps. To be sent privately in the Portland Courier.

DEAR COUSIN JACK.-I've got something pretty heavy on my mind that I want to tell ye about, and ask your advice, and may be I shall want you to lend me a hand a little. I've been watching politics pretty snug ever since I was a little boy, and that's near about forty years;

and I believe I know most as much about it as uncle Joshua, although he's twenty years older than I be. Now about this republicanism and federalism, I've minded that it always keeps changing, and always has, ever since I can remember. And I've minded tu it most always keeps going round one way; that is, the young federalists keep turning dimocrats, and the old dimocrats keep turning federalists. What it's for I dont exactly know, but that's the way it goes. I spose a man, on the whole, is n't hardly fit to be a dimocrat after he gets to be fifty years old. And here is old uncle Joshua in the Post Office, he's got to be about sixty, and he's hanging on to the dimocratic side yet, like the tooth-ache; and it begins to worry me a good deal. I think it's high time he went over. You know Downingville has always been a genuine republican town, and I want it should always go according to the usages [I think that's what they call it] of the dimocratic party.

over.

When it gets to be time for an old dimocrat to go over on the federal side, I believe the Argus always puts 'em You remember there was old Mr Insley in Portland, and old Gineral Wingate in Bath, as much as a dozen years ago, were some as big republicans as there was any where about. Well, they got to be considerable old, and had been in office sometime, so the Argus took and clapt 'em right over on to the federal side. And you know there was Mr Holmes, he was a whapping great republican. But he begun to grow old, and so the Argus put him over. And there was Mr Sprague; he was such a nice dimocrat every one said it was a pitty to put him over. But bein he'd been to Congress sometime, the Argus would n't hear a word, but shoved him right over.

And this summer the Argus is putting of 'em over considerable younger on to the federal side. It has put Judge Preble over, and Judge Ware, and Mr Mitchell the Post Master at Portland, and he is n't near so old as

uncle Joshua, and it has put Mr Megquier over, only think, such a young man as Mr Megquier, that's only been in the Sinnet three or four years. Now dont you think, according to dimocratic usage, it is high time old uncle Joshua was put over. I wish you would jest write to the Argus and have it done, for I feel a good deal worried about it.

And as soon as it comes out in the Argus that he is fairly over, I want you to tell the President that uncle Joshua is a federalist, and have him removed from the Post Office, for it would be an everlasting shame to have the Post Office in Downingville kept by a federalist.

N. B. If uncle Joshua should be removed I wish you would use your influence to get the President to give the office to me; for next to Uncle Joshua I spose I've done more for the republican party than any man in Downingville. I can have a recommendation from Sargent Joel and all the company. By attending to this you will much oblige your friend and cousin,

EPHRAIM DOWNING.

LETTER LXVII.

In which the President begun to say something about ME and DANIEL.

Washington City, Sept. 14, 1833.

To the Editor of the Portland Courier, away down East, in the State of Maine.

MY DEAR OLD Friend, Its got to be a pretty considerable long while now since I've writ to you, for I never like to write, you know, without I have something to say. But I've got something on my mind now, that