Hetty is very kind & attentive & has been all I could desire since Mrs. Fahnestock is still here. you left. With my affectionate regards to Mrs. Roosevelt and my best respects to the Judge, I remain yours affectionately, JAMES BUCHANAN. MISS LANE. P. S.-Judge Black, as Dr. Nevin informs me, went to Washington on Monday last. I shall be prepared, I think, before the meeting of Congress without his aid. TO MR. CAPEN.' WHEATLAND, near LANCASTER, 21 Nov: 1861. MY DEAR SIR/ I have received your favor of the 11th Instant, & am much obliged to you for the suggestions which it contains. There needs no collection of unpublished documents to vindicate my administration. The misfortune is that in the general excitement no person regards the documents that have been published. I am invulnerable at every point. The charge that Floyd stole arms & sent them to the South is as current as though it had not been put down by a Report of the Military Committee of the House in February last. I send you a copy. From this you will observe that the Southern States got less than their proportion of arms for the year 1860, & that three of them, Louisiana, Mississippi, & Kentucky, did not receive their quota simply because they did not ask for them. (Table No. 2.) It is probable that Floyd may have intended to furnish the South with a number of our columbiads & 32 pounders under pretence of arming the forts at Ship Island & Galveston; but you will perceive that he was frustrated in this attempt as soon 1 1 Buchanan Papers, Historical Society of Pennsylvania. as the fact was made known to me from Pittsburg. Our cannon were all retained at Pittsburg, & those proposed to be sent from that place have done good service against the rebels. I presume that the old condemned muskets, one fifth of which were ordered to be sent by Floyd to the Southern arsenals. in the year 1859, cannot be made the subject of a charge. This order was given long before the nomination of Mr. Lincoln. The testimony of Col: Craig & Captain Maynadier shows how fair & regular was the transaction. I have had a thought of preparing an editorial article on this subject & sending it to Mr. Green for publication; but did not know whether this would be agreeable to him. The Secretary of War, who ought to have known better, & your wandering orator's remarks introductory to Mr. Holt's speech shall be a subject of denunciation to him personally at our first meeting. Nobody, I believe, has ever charged me with having been accessory to the alleged plundering of arms by Floyd; but they have denounced me for want of vigilance in not discovering & preventing it, instead of commending me for having done this very thing. I hope you will send me a copy of your letter to Peter Cooper as soon as it shall be published. I was happy to hear from Mr. Appleton, though indirectly. I enclose you a proclamation, rather out of date, but not the less valuable, I trust, for having been sent out on the very day John Cochrane proclaimed the infamous and cowardly scheme of arming slaves against their masters. I believe every State north of South Carolina and Mississippi may be reclaimed by a just and enlightened policy. The abolitionists will make a powerful effort to drag the country into the emancipation of slaves. But I am confident they will fail. Fortunately this project cannot be separated from the support of Fremont, and it will for that reason, I think, be condemned by the friends of the administration. The Herald said my proclamation was inspired by the President. I do not yet know whether he approves it. It was put forth without consulting any one. I knew I was right; and when this conviction is strong, I never consult friends, for fear they may differ with me. It has been a source of great gratification to me to hear, as I have frequently from Mr. Magraw, of your improved health. That you may live to see this unhappy contest ended, and good fellowship restored again, is the sincere wish of, dear sir, yours very respectfully and truly, JOHN A. DIX. MY DEAR HARRIET/ TO MISS LANE.1 WHEATLAND, 2 Dec: 1861. I have received your letters of the 20th & 30th ultimo, & in compliance with the request in the latter return you Judge Black's opinion. I have heard nothing from him since his call on the way to York after parting from you at the Continental. I re I hope you are enjoying yourself. Indeed this cannot fail to be the case with such a charming lady as Mrs. Roosevelt. We get along very comfortably & pleasantly at Wheatland. ceived a letter yesterday from Annie Buchanan, offering to pay me a visit; but I advised her to defer it until after your return. Indeed this would be no place for her at present. I wish you, however, to remain at New York just as long as you find it agreeable. I am glad to learn that Judge Nelson believes that Captain Wilkes can be sustained by public law in the seizure of Mason & Slidell. I place great reliance upon his judgment; but at the 1 Buchanan Papers, private collection; Curtis's Buchanan, II. 569. first we shall probably receive a terrific broadside from the English Journals.1 The more I saw of the Misses Johnston, I liked them the better. They are fine women. I often see the Nevins & am glad of it. I dine to-day at Harry Magraw's. The dinner is given to Bishop Wood. With my kindest regards to the Judge & Mrs. Roosevelt, I remain Yours affectionately, MISS LANE. JAMES BUCHANAN. P. S. Should you see Mrs. Gwin, remember me to her with great kindness. MY DEAR SIR: TO MR KING.2 WHEATLAND, December 10, 1861. I have received a package directed in your well-known hand; and upon opening it discover a letter directed to Miss Lane, which I shall forward to her, with a beautiful pair of slippers and fan; the former, I presume, for myself. Miss Lane has been in New York since early in November, and I know not when she will return. Presuming that the slippers are a New Year's gift from Miss King to myself, I desire to express my grateful thanks to her for this token of her regard. Present to her my kindest wishes for her health, prosperity, and happiness. I wish I had something to write to you about which might interest you; but my life glides on so smoothly that I should 66 1In a previous letter to Miss Lane of Nov. 21, relating almost wholly to purely personal matters, Mr. Buchanan said: 'The exploit of Captain Wilkes is destined to give us much trouble. John Bull will roar at what he will esteem the violation of his flag." "Curtis's Buchanan, II. 569. scarcely know how time passes, were it not for the terrible condition of the country. I never expected to see the day when the Federal Government would assume the power of issuing a paper currency, much less of making it a legal tender. With my kindest regards to Mrs. and Miss King, I remain HON. HORATIO KING. P. S. heard from any member of my late cabinet. JAMES BUCHANAN. Your letter of the 18th November is the last I have I have kind friends at Washington, however, who occasionally give me the news. I was glad to see that Judge Black had been appointed reporter to the Supreme Court. The position is respectable, though a descent. . . MY DEAR SIR: TO MR. COBDEN.' WHEATLAND, near LANCASTER, PENN., I ought long since to have answered your letter of September; but a protracted illness, from which, thank God! I have some time since recovered, has left me far behind with my correspondence. It is my sincere desire always to cherish the intimacy which commenced between us in better and happier days. I deeply regret that the feelings of friendship between the people of the two countries are not what they were when we parted at Washington more than two years ago. The public journals on both sides of the water have contributed much to produce this result. Still the masses on our side are far from being hostile to the English people, whilst they entertain a very high regard for Queen Victoria. I trust that the seizure of Messrs. Mason and Slidell on 'Curtis's Buchanan, II. 570. |