day to see how that ended, my keesers! before night they'd all be higgeldy piggle in a worse hobble than they'd ever been in afore. So if I wait to tell you how it comes out, I believe I shall have to wait till haying time. Another thing I've been waiting for, was to tell you who was Governor.— But, O dear, I cant find out half so much about it now, here in this great city of Portland, where all the Governors live, as I could six months ago among the bear traps and log houses in our town, way back in the woods. Last August, you know, according to the papers we were going to have two Governors right off, sure as rates; Mr Hunton and Mr Smith. Well now its got to be the first of February, and we haven't got one yet. And although the governormakers have had four or five under way for a month past, some think it very doubtful whether they will get one done so as to be fit to use this year. There's Mr Hunton, and Mr Smith, and Mr Cutler, and Mr Goodenow, and Mr Hall, have all been partly made into Governors; but when in all creation any of 'em will be fin⚫ished, I guess it would puzzle a Philadelphy lawyer to

tell. I stated in my letter to uncle Joshua, that there were two very clever parties in the legislater, the democratic republikans and the national republikans; and they are so, and very industrious, and try to make things go on right; and I really believe, if the confounded Jacksonites and Huntonites didn't bother 'em so, they'd make us a Governor, as quick as I could make an ax handle. It is enough to do any body's heart good to see how kind and obliging these democratic republikans and national republikans are to each other, and how each party tries to help the other along; and its enough to make any body's blood boil to see the Jacksonites and Huntonites, jest like the dog in the manger, because they cant eat the hay themselves, snap at these two clever parties the moment either of 'em sets out to take a mouthful. I'll jest give you an instance of the kindness

that these two clever parties show to each other. - You know the constitution says when we haven't any Governor the President of the Sinnet must be Governor, and when we have 'nt any President of the Sinnet, the Speaker of the House must be Governor. So when Governor Lincoln died Mr Cutler was Governor for awhile, because he was last year President of the Sinnet. Mr Goodenow is a national republikan, and when he was elected Speaker of the House, the democratic republikans told him as there was no President of the Sinnet elected yet, it belonged to him to be Governor, and tried as hard as though he had belonged to their own party, to encourage him to go right into the council chamber and do the governor's business. But the national republikans didn't dare to let him go, for he was elected by only one majority, and they said if he should leave the chair, it wouldn't be five minutes before a Jacksonite would be whisked into it, and then the two clever parties would all be up a tree. Well, jest so twas in the Sinnet after Elder Hall was elected President, only the bread was buttered on tother side. Elder Hall is a democratic republikan, and there was a great deal tougher scrabble to elect him, than there was to choose the Speaker of the House. But as soon as he was elected, the national republikans went to him very kindly, and said, 'Elder Hall, by the provisions of the constitution you are now fairly Governor of the State till another governor is qualified. Dont be bashful about it, but please to walk right into the Council chamber, and do the governor's business.' But the democratic republikans said, that would never do, for if he should, the Sinnet Board would be capsized in an instant and the Huntonites would rule the roast. -So there was a pair of Governors spoilt when they were more than half made, jest by the mischief of the Jacksonites and Huntonites. And the consequence is, that Mr Cutler has to keep doing the Governor's business yet, whether he wants to or

not, and whether it is right for him to, or not. They say the poor man is a good deal distressed about it, and has sent to the great Judges of the Supreme Court to know whether it's right for him to be Governor any longer or not. If the Judges should say he mus 'nt be Governor any longer, we shall be in a dreadful pickle. Only think, no Governor, and no laws, but every body do jest as they're a mind to. Well, if that should be the case, I know one thing, that is, Bill Johnson will get one good flogging for calling me a mean puppy and a coward last summer; I've longed to give it to him ever since; and if the Legislater don't make a governor this winter, I shall come right home, and Bill must look out. What a pity 'tis they should waste so much time trying to make so many governors; for, if they should make a dozen, we shouldn't want to use but one this year; and it is thought if they had all clapt to and worked upon one instead of working upon so many, they might have had him done more than three weeks ago. Your lovin cuzen til death,

JACK DOWNING.

LETTER VI.

In which Mr Downing describes a sad mishap that befel the House of Representatives.

[Note by the Editor. After a stormy debate in the House in relation to forming a Convention of the two branches to fill the vacancies in the Senate, the national republicans finally carried the day; whereupon the democratic republicans, having remonstrated to the about last, took their hats and marched out of the House in a body, sixty in number, headed by Mr Smith of Nobleborough. The national republicans of the two branches, however, held the Convention, and filled the vacancies in the Senate, and the next day the democratic republicans returned to their seats.]

Portland, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 1830.

DEAR COUSIN EPHRAIM, I have jest time to write you a short postscript to a letter that I shall send you in a day or two. We have had a dreadful time here today. You know the wheels of government have been stopt here for three or four weeks, and they all clapt their shoulders under to-day, and give 'em a lift; and they started so hard, that as true as you're alive, they split both Legislaters right in tu. Some say they are split so bad, they can't mend 'em again, but I hope they can though; I shall tell you all about how 'twas done, in a day or two. I've been expecting a letter from you, or some of the folks, sometime. As I've got pretty short of money, I wish you would send 'em in the Daily Courier, so I shant have to pay the postage.

Your hearty cousin,

JACK DOWNING.

LETTER VII.

In which affairs take a more favourable turn.

Portland, Feb. 3, 1830.

COUSIN EPHRAIM, I thought I would jest write you another little postscript to my letter that I was going to send you in a day or tu, and let you know that the legislaters want split so bad as some folks tho't for. They've got 'em both mended agin, so that they set 'em agoing to day afore noon. But in the arternoon, that legislater they call the Sinnet, got stuck, and in trying to make it go, it rather seemed to crack a little; so they stopt short till to-morrow. Its been jostled about so, and got so

weak an' rickety, some are afraid it will give out yet, or

split in tu agin.

JACK DOWNING.

LETTER VIII.

In which Mrs Downing urges her son to come home.

Downingville, Feb. 6, 1830.

such a blow Last Sunday

MY DEAR SON, Its a good while since I writ a letter, and I almost forget how; but you stay down there to Portland so long, I kind of want to say something to you. I have been churning this morning, and my hand shakes so I cant hardly hold my pen still. And then I am afraid the news I've got to tell, will be to you, it makes me feel sort of narvous. the schoolmaster and Jemima Parsons had their names stuck up together in the meeting-house porch. - Now I hope you wont take on, my dear Jack; for if I was you, I should be glad to get rid of her so. I guess she's rather slack, if the truth was known: for I went in there one day, and she'd jest done washing the floor; and I declare, it looked as grey as if she'd got the water out of a mud puddle. And then she went to making pies without washing her hands, or shifting her apron. They made me stop to supper, but I never touched Jemima's pies. There's Dolly Spaulding, I'm sure she's likelier looking than Jemime Parsons, if 'twant for that habit she's got of looking two ways at once. If she's making a soup, one eye is always in the pot, if t'other does look up chimney. She's as good a cook as ever was born, and neat as wax-work. Sally Kean was to our house spinning linen t'other day, because I burnt my hand