Newspaper Page Text
ng upon this determination, I have necewa*
rily pursued a course, which a refusal to an
swer your inquiry, might seen* to indicate an
unwillingness to avow. Such an* inference
would be unjust as it regards myself, and de
lusive in relation to the public. Although
therefore I have the most unaffected reluc
tance to enter upon such a subject, and cer
tainly do not acquiesce in your right to de-r
m ind it, it seems to me that you have by
making the inquiry, imposed upon me the ob
ligation to do so, from a just consideration of
what I owe to myself and to the public. I
ha e then to slate to you, that up to tlw time of
your marriage, I had not heard the rumors,
w ch have since in various forms,been present,
ed to the public, and wes ignorant of Mrs. Ea
toTsrliUon to the society of this place. I
accep- i your invitation to be present at your
vv. iaing, therefore, with no distrust of the
propriety of my doing so ; other than that
which resulted from my own situation at that
period. You are no doubt aware how much
that event, and your subsequent introduction
into the Cabinet, made these rumors the sub
ject of conversation I could not longer con
tinue in ignorance of that which was publicly
and generally spoken of, and it consequently
became necessary for ine, embarrassed as the
question was, by the official relation in which
we stood to each other, to determine upon my
future, conduct. In doing this,’it did not
seepi to me to be necessary, to decide upon
the truth or falsehood of the statements which
were made. It was sufficient to ascertain
the general sense of tbe community of which
I had recently become a member; and having
dope so, to conform to it. In the winter of
18110, aa I presume is known to von, I was
tiled upon bv a gentleman, who represented
himself as acting, and who I doubt not did
n'i, under authority of the President, to ex-
press with precise reference to this subject
the regret which he felt at the want of harmo
ny, or of social intercourse among the mem
bers of his Cabinet, and to announce his de
termination at any rate to have it. Messrs.
Ingham and Branch were present at this in
terview. The fact was distinctly stated that
they andmyself had successively given very
largo parties to which Mrs. Eaton had not
been invited. We were then told that on
such occasions at least the President would
expect in future a social intercourse between
our respective families. There were various
other suggestions made during this conver
sation, hut the recapitulation of them is not
rendered necessary by your inquiry. I an
swered to this communication for myself, that
I would not permit the President, nor any
other individual to regulate the social inter.;
course of myself or family—and that if such a
requisition was perserved in, 1 would retire
from the official situation which I held. In
the interview to which I was invited by the
President some few days afterwards, I frank
ly expressed to him my views on this sub
ject, and he disclaimed any disposition to
press such a requisition. 1 am not aware
that any other occasion hs occurred in which
the question of am .intercourse between your
family and mine has been presented to me or
to my family.
I am, very respi ctfully,
Sir, your oh’t serv’t.
JOHN MACPHERSON BERRIEN.
To J. 11. Eaton, Esq.
Moni>av Moht.tng, S o’clock.
Sir: I have received your note of 18th
inst. It may become necessary for me to of
fer something in reply. For the present 1
have engagements which prevent me from
doing more than to acknowcdgc that it has
fct ea received.
Very respectfully,
J. H. EATON.
Mr. Berrien.
20th June, 1631.
JnE 22d, 1631. j
Sib : I have not had leisure to reply to your
letter of the 18th until to-day. it. involved
matte r which it behoved me to give a full and
calm consideration to. That has been given.
1 felt indisposed to believe that these at
tacks of Gen. Green cauld-be authorized by
you, or were made under your sanction.—
Your declaration is evidence of the correct
ness of what I was before impressed with. I
take occasion, therefore, with pleasure to uc--,
knowledge the frankness with which you
have disavowed an agency hi this nefarious
fousmess.
Respectfully, your most obedient,
J. 1L EATON.
J. M. Berrien, Esq.
Washington, 23d June, 1831.
Sir : Your note or yesterday was received
m the course of the day. I was too much *in
disposed, however, to Teply to it at the mo
ment, and do so now merely to prevent ntis
-conce;*ion.
In your note of thelTfh inst. you called up
on mo to sanction or disavow the statement
Contained in a publication in the Telegraph of
that date. I could not recognize your right
to moke this demand, but for the reasons
mentioned in uiy reply,l thought it was proper
to state to you what I had .done, in relation to
this matter. To do this was the only object
of that note.
You are quite right, however, in believing
that I had no agency in procuring the publi
cation of the statement referred to. And ad-
verting to the spirit of your last note, I have
no hesitation™ thus confirming the conviction
which you have expressed.
I am, respectfully,
JN. MACPHERSON BERRIEN.
To J. 11. Eaton, Esq.
•Shortly after this, I received a letter from I
Col. Johnson, which, with tny reply, I feel j
myself bound now togivo to the public. I|
Jiavc anxiously desired to delay this until I
could receive CoL Johnson’s answer. Per
haps 1 have waited long enough ; for my re
ply, according to the memorandum which 1
have-of it, was dated on the ttic 7th inst. But
it is act this circumstance which has deter
mined me. Col. Johnson lw furnished to
the editor of the Globe a statement full or oth
<ywi.se, of what between Messrs,
thaueji and Ingham Miri myself, and himself,
on tbe occasion so often referred to. Extracts
Ci m dViig tenement are used to do me inju.
Lot*. This is dune, to he eqrc, without the
THE MACON ADVERTISER, AND AGRICULTURAL* AND MERCANTILE INTELLIGENCER.
authority of Col. Johnson, but he has furnish
ed the means which are thus improperly used,
and I have no alternative but to give the cor
lespondencc, or submit to continued misrep
resentation. I publish Col. Johnson’s letter,
as an act of justice to him, that the public
may be in full possession of his statement. — i
My reply follows ; and after this the letter j
and statement of Mr. Ingham, to whom, as I
well as to Mr. Branch, I forwarded a copy of
Col. Johnson’s letter. From Mr. Branch, I
have received no reply—owing as I suppose,
to his absence from home.
Colonel R. -If. Johnson to Messrs. Berrien and
Ingham.
Great Crossing, 30th June, 1831.
Gentlemen —The Telegraph has alluded to
some communication made to you by a mem
ber of Congress, authorized by the President
—the substance of which is, that the Presi
dent wished to coerce asocial intercourse be
tween your families and Mrs. Eaton. I see
the Globe denies it. I have thought it barely
possible that the allusion could be made to
me, because if I had ever communicated such
an idea, I should have done the most palpable,
gross, and wanton injustice to the President;
for he disclaimed, on all occasions, any right,
or desire, or intention, to regulate the private
or social intercourse of his Cabinet. The
President had been induced to believe that a
j part of his Cabinet had entered into a deep
laid scheme to ffrive Major Eaton from his
Cabinet, and of this he complained. I did
not believe it, and, as the mutual friend of all
concerned, I proposed that I should have the
opportunity to converse with that portion of
bis Cabinet before he had an interview with
them, and he acquiesced—and the interview
which I had with you, resulted, as I under
stood, in a better understanding, and in fact
I considered it a reconciliation. Whatever
came from me, upon the subject of a social
intercourse, was the suggestions of my solid
tude to restore harmony among friends. My
object was peace and friendship. I have nev
er considered myself at liberty tosay any thing
about this interview except to a discreet and
confidential friend. I certainly should not
think any of tbe parties justified in represent
ing for publication in newspapers, what any
of the other parties said, w ithout submitting
such a statement for mutual examination ; for
the plain reason that such conversations are
so easily misunderstood. I may well remem
ber what I have said myself, but may not so
easily represent w hat you have said, or intend
ed to say. I have not myself soeu the neces
sity or propriety of any allusion in newspa
pers to our interview, which was among inti
mate and bosom friends, where the conversa
tion was free and unreserved, and for the ob
ject of peace and friendship. But if any
should consider it necessary, then tbe great
object should be, to state the conversation
correctly ; for there can be no motive to mis
understand the facts.—For fear that allusion
should have been made to myself, as the
member of Congress, and believing it barely
possible that 1 may have been misunderstood
on the particular point alluded to, I have felt
it my duty, and due to that perfect friendship
which has ever existed between us, to make
known these views, that the proper correction
may be made, as a misunderstanding, without
the necessity of any formal publication from
either-of us, and without even a disclosure as
to what member of Congress allusion was
made.
Sincerely and truly your friend,
RICHARD AI. JOHNSON.
Messrs. Ingham & Berrien,
City of Washington :
The absence of Governor Branch has been
the only cause why this letter was not also
addressed to him.
Mr. Berrien to Col. Johnson.
Washington, 7th July, 1831.
Dear Sir —Yours of the 30th ult. address
ed jointly to Mr. Ingham and myself has been
duly received. I have noted your view of the
occurrence to which it refers, with a perfect
disposition to meet you in the spirit of frank
ness and of good feeling, which is expressed
in your letter. It is an evidence of my reluc
tance to engage in controversy., that I have
alistained from going before the public, not
withstanding the multijdiod misrepresenta
tions with w hich the newspapers arc teeming.
I still desire to avoid this necessity—but as
circumstances beyond my centrol.inay render
it indispensable, I acquiesce with the less re
luctance, in'thc interchange of recolltStions
which you propose. „
1 am to speak of what occurred at the in
terview which took place between you, Alcssrs.
Brunch and Ingham, and myself, at my house.
You had, as 1 afterwards understood, hekl
previous conversation on the same subject
with one or both of those gentlemen, but I
was perfectly unprepared for tbe interview,
until the moment when you announced its
object at my house. The impression made
by your annunciation was such as riot to be
easily effaced from my memory. You began
by expressing the friendly regard which you
felt for those gentlemen, myself, and by stat
ing that this was the motive for your inter
ference. You told us that an impression had
been matin iqion the mind ©f the President
that a combination existed hetween Messrs.
Ingham & Branch, A myself, to exclude Mrs.
Eaton from the society of Washington—that
he was excited by this representation, consid
ering it as an attempt to wound him through
■Major Eaton—that the President had seen
with paiu the want of harmony among the
members ol his Cabinet—that he was deter
mined to have harmony, and that bio deter-
nrination would be announced to us in the
course-of the week. You added that you
had in the meantime sought this interview
with the apjuobation of the President, from
motives of regard for all parties. You men
tioned, as circumstances which had contri
buted to produce this impression on the mind
■of tbe President, that Messrs. Branch and
Ingham, and myself, had successively given
large parties to which Mrs. Eaton had not
been invited—and while you disclaimed any
disposition on his part to require en intimnqp
between onr families and that of Maj. Eaton,
you added,that he would in future expect that
at least on such occasions as that to which v ou
had referred, (that is to say, when l arge or
general jKirtien were given,) that Airs. Eaton
should by invited, i replied to you that npt liav-
ing been previously advised of the intentions
to hold this interview— fravingbad no confer
ence with the other gentlemen, I must be
considered solely resjionsible for what I was
about to say. I then observed that I would
not permit the President or any other man to
regulate the social intercourse of myself or
family—and that if such a requisition was
perseverd in, I would retire from office. You
expressod vour regret at the terms of this
answer —and I remarked that it was indiffer
ent to ine in what terms it was conveyed,
provided tbe substance was retained—but that
from this I would not depart. I understood
you to disclaim any intention on the part of
the President to require an intimate inter
course between the families of Messrs.
Branch aud Ingham, and myself, and that of
Major Eaton, but to express with equal clear
ness his expectation that when we gave large
or general parties Mrs. Eaton should be in
vited—and it was my purfio.se to deny alto
gether his right to interfere in this matter.
The replies of the other gentlemen were, ac
cording to my recollection, substantially the
same—but I shall enclose copies of your let
ter to them, and leave them to speak for them
selves. •
The impression which this conversation
made upon my mind is clear and distinct;
. and it is not probable that it crtuld have been
effaced from iny memory. My own disposi
tion was instantly to resign my office. In
consenting to retain it, I yielded to the opin
ions of those in whose judgment I had confi
ilcsce, and to my sense of what was due to
the interest of Georgia, at that particular
juncture.
My remembrance of this conversation is
moreovor confirmed by a recollection of what
occurred on my subsequent interview with
the President, in which a particular reference
was made to it. When he spoke of a combi
nation between Messrs. Ingham and Branch
and myself to exclude Mrs. Eaton from so
ciety, I claimed, as matter of right, to know
the names of the persons by whom such a
representation iiad been made. , He said the
impression had been derived from the various
rumors which had reached him; spoke of the
parties which had been given by those gen
tlemen and myself, to which Mrs. Eaton had
not been invited—and added that the reports
against her were foul calumnies. I remon
strated against his having adopted an opinion
dishonorable to any member of his Cabinet
on mere rumor, but expressly declined to dis
cuss the question of the truth or falsehood of
the reports to which he had referred, telling
him, that, without undertaking to decide
whether they were true or false, it was my
purpose merely to conform to the general
sense of the community of which I had be
come a member; and that I could not be in
duced to change that determination. The
decision of the President not to pursue this
matter further, I understood at the time to
have been produced oy the representations of
some of his most intimate personal friends.
Such is my understanding of the conversa
tion referred to in your letter. I look to it as
the origin and continuing cause of the de
struction of the party, which has thus lost the
means of doing much good which it might
have effected. But lam not desirous to bruit !
it to the world. If, without imputing to me
the alleged want of harmony in the Cabinet,
my retirement is placed on the ground of the
President’s mere will, so far as I am con
cerned, it is well. Ido not dispute his rijdit
to exercise that as he thinks fit; but, for trie
sake of my children, 1 w ill not submit to the
continued misrepresentations of the public |
journals. The best legacy I have to bequeath
them is.the untarnished reputation of their
father. I can easily conceive, also, that a
state of things may exist, in which a sense of
duty to the public will compel me to speak.
But I hope such an emergency will not arise.
I ought perhaps to arid, that I have already
stated to Major Eaton the substance of this,
so far as it was necessary to answer a call
which he made upon me to avow or disavow
the statement in the Telegraph, that my family
had refused to associate with his. It was not
necessary however, to mention your name,
and it was consequently not mentioned. 1
spoke of the interview as haring been had
with “ a gentleman who represented himself
as acting, and who I doubt not did act under
the authority of the President.” Having
now replied to your letter, I will only add,
that should our recollections differ, I shall re
gret it. But that l have taken great care not
to put down any thing which is not distinctly
impressed up mine.
I am, dear sir, respectfully, vours,
JNO. MACPHERSON BERRIEN..
Hon. R. M. Johnson.
Mr. Inghnm to Col. Johnson.
New Hope, July 13th, 1831.
Dear Sir ■ I have received a copy of your
letter of the 80th ult. to Mr. Berrien and
myself, forwarded by him from Washington,
relating to an allegation made in the newspa
pers, that Gen- Jackson had required, through
a member of Congress, of Alessrs. Branch,
Berrien, and myself, that our families should
associate with Airs. Eaton. I had also noticed
the publication in the Telegraph to which
you refer, and another of the same import in
a New York paper of an earlier date, and
supposing it probable, in the existing state of
tile public mind, that the discussion wwild
takesucli a range as to involve all the parties
to that transaction in the necessity of mak
ing explanations, 1 had commenced the pre
paration of copies of a statement of the con
versation which you have referred to ; as well
that between you and me, as that between
Gen. Jackson and myself on the same subject,
intending, as soon as they could be completed,
to semi one to him and another to yourself.
Upon the receipt of your letter, I immediate
ly wrote you a note, expressing an intention
to wait for the further comparison of our re
collections before I made any determination
as to the disposition of my statement. But
two articles in the Globe of the 11th inst.,
which you have no doubt seen, reached me
before my letter was mailed, and arrested its
progress. These articles, as far as they relate
to this subject, bear on their face the evidence
of having been authorized -y General Jack
son and myself, and leave me no choice as to
the,publication of mv statement. Tim article
which I supposed tq have heen authorized by
| you, shows that you have also taken a riiffcr
j ent view of this matter since your letter to
’me before referred to was written- I could
| not otherwise reconcile your rempnstrance
j against a publication of what you then deem
ed a confidential coi versation, with the au
thority alleged by the Globe to publish your
denial of the statement alluded to ; at least,
I without a previous interchange of recolluc
ttons between all the parties concerned. I
do not, however, concur with you in the opiri
ion that there ever w-as any obligation of se
crecy imposed on me, or those associated with
me, to be implied from the friendly character
of the conversation referred to. The com
munication made to me by you that my con
tinuance in office would depend upon the
consent of my family to visit Mrs. Eaton and
invite her to their large parties, I considered
at the time, though not so intended by you,
as in its nature offensive. It could not,
therefore, earry with it the confidential obli
gation which belongs to the usual intercourse
of friendship. I regarded the proposition as
w ounding to my feelings, and had determined
to resign my office even after you had inform
ed me that Gen. Jackson had changed his
ground, from which I was only dissuaded by
the earnest remonstrances of the friends I
consulted, who urged, among other considera
tions, that although my personal respect for
the President might be impaired, my services
in the Department were for the country, and
w-hile it was faithfully served, I could not be
unfaithful to the Administration. A propo
sition thus disposed of could be regarded as
any thing rather than imposing an obligation
of friendly confidence. But I find an addi
tional reason for publication growing out of
your letter; its apparent disagreement from
my statement, and its admonitory suggestions
could not fail, whenever the whole mattei
shall be brought out, which isinvitable in the
present state of the public mind, to expose
me to the imputation of having shrunk from
doing what duty to my own character, if not
to the country, seemed to demand. I cannot
therefore accord in your desire that no pub
lication shall be made, any more than I can
in the views of the obligation of secrecy
which you have suggested. I would prefer,
however, to accompany the publication with
that of your letter of the 30th ultimo, but not
having received any intimation of your wish
es on that subject, it w ill require some delib
eration to determine what is most proper to
he done in this particular. lean assure you
that this determination will be exelusively
governed by a desire to do what, under all
circumstances, may appear most likely to
meet your own wishes. 1 have now only to
sdd that in making the- statements of those
conversations, I have relied not merely on
the indelible impressions made on my mem
ory, but. on memoranda put on paper at the J
time. I have not the slightest recollection or j
any note of yours having adverted to any
fact or circumstance alleged by General]
Jackson or yourself, as evidence of unkind!
feeling for, mtlch less hostility to, or a cousin-!
racy against Major Eaton on the part of Mr. j
Branch, Mr. Berrien, or myself, or any want j
of harmony in the Cabinet other than tin !
simple and isolated fact, that our families did j
not visit Mrs* Eaton and invite her to their
parties. Nor have I any note or recollection
of any proposition made by you to me indi
vidually, or jointly with the other gentlemen,
as a means of removing the alleged difficul
ties, other than that onr families should visit
Mrs. Eaton, and invite, her to their large par
ties. I cannot but persuade myself that my
statement will call to mind matters which
may have escaped your recollection, anil
satisfy your judgment that, whatever may
have been the nature of your instructions, 1
could not have understood them differently
from what T have.
I have the honor to bo, very respectfully,
your obedient servant.
S. D. INGHAM.
Hon. R. M. Johnson.
Air. Ingh am’s Statement, a. copy of which was
enclosed in his letter to Col Johnson.
On Wednesday, the 27th of January, 1831,
Col. Johnson of Kentucky, waited on me in
the Treasury Department, andaftei some pre
liminary conversation in which he professed
his great regret, that my family, and that of
Ah. Branch and Air. Berrien, did not visit
Mrs. Eaton, he said that it had been a subject
of great excitetnent with the President, who
had come to the determination of having
harmony in his Cabinet by some accommoda
tion of this matter. He, Col. Johnson, was
the friend of us all, and had now come at the
request of the President to see whether any
thing could be done: who thought that when
our Ladies gave parties they ought to invite
Airs. Eaton, and as they had never returned
her call, if they would leave the first card, and
open a formal intercourse in that way, the
President would be satisfied, but unless some
thing was done of this nature, he had rip
doubt, indeed he knew, that the President
was resolved to have harmony, and would
probably remove Air. Branch, Air. Berrien and
myself. I replied to Col. Johnson, that in all
matters of official business, or having any
connection therewith, I considered myself
bound to maintain an open, frank, and harmo
nious intercourse with the gentlemen 1 was
associated with. The president had a right
to expect the exertion of my best faculties,
and the employment of my time, in the pub
lic service. As to the family of Mr. Eaton,
I felt an obligation on me not to say any
thing to aggravate the difficulties which he
labored under, but to observe total silence
and neutrality in relation to the reports about
his wife, and to inculcate the same course as
to my family, and if any other representations
had been made to the President they were
false. Having prescribed to myself this rule,
and always acted upon it, I had done all that
the President had a right to expect. That
the society at Washington was liberally or
ganized; there was but one circle, into
which every person of respectable character
disposed to be social was readily admitted,
without reference to the circumstances of
birth, fortune, or station w hich operated in
many other places. That we had no right to
exert official power to regulate its social in
tercourse. That Mrs. Eaton had never been
received by the society here, and it did not
become us to force her upon it; that my fum
ily had therefore not associated with her, and
they had done so with my approbation, and
that the President ought not, for the sake of
his own character, to interfere in such mat
ters. But if he chose to exert his power to
force my family to visit any body they did not
choose, to visit, he was interfering with that
which belongedto me, and no human power
should regulate tl#- social intercourse of my
family, by means of official or any other pow
er which I could resist. If I could submit
to such control I should be unworthy of my
station, and would despise myself. That it
was eminently due to the character of the
President to have it known that he did not
interfere in such matters, and that the course
we had pursued was preservative of his honor
and political standing. I had taken nay ground
on mature reflection, as to what was due to
my family, to my friends, and to the admin
istration, without "any prejudice against Maj.
Eaton or his wife, and had fully determined
not to change it, whatever ifiight be the con
sequence.
Col. J. sain that he had been requested by
the President to have a conversation with the
Secretary of the Navy and the Attorney
General also; but, from what I had said, he
supposed it would be of no avail. The
President had expressed a hope that our fam
ilies would have been willing to invite Mrs.
Eaton to their large parties, to give the ap
pearance of vn ostensible intercourse, adding
that he was so much excited that he was like
a roaring lion. He had heard that the lady
of a foreign minister had joined in the con
spiracy against Mrs. Eaton, and lie had sworn
that he would send her and her husband home
if he could not put an end to such doing. I
replied, that it could hardly be possible that
the President contemplated such a step.
Col. J. replied, that he certainly did ; and
again remarked that it seemed to he useless
for him to see Mr. Branch and Mr. Berrien.
I told him that each of us had taken our course,
upon our mvn views of propriety, without
concert; and that he ought not to consider
me as answering for any but myself. lie
then proposed that I should meet him at Mr.
Branch’s and invite Mr. Berrien, that even
ing at 7 o’clock ; which ivas agreed to. Col.
.T. came to inyjiouse about 6, and we went
up to Mr. Berrien’s, having first sent for Mr.
Branch. On our way to Air. Berrien’s Col. J.
remarked that the President had informed
him that he would invite Mr. Branch, Mr.
Berrien, and myself, to meet him on the next
Friday, when he. would inform us, in the pres
ence of Dr. Ely, of his determination; and
if ive did not agree to comply with his wishes,
he would expect us to send in our resignations.
Upon our arrival at Mr. Berrien’s, Col. J. re
newed the subject in presence of him aud
Gov. Branch, and repeated substantially,
! though, T thought, rather more qualifiedly,
! what he had said to me. He did not go so
much into detail, nor do I recollect whether
lie mentioned the President’s remarks as to
1 the lady above mentioned and Dr. Ely—those
gentlemen will better recollect. Mr. Branch
and Mr. Berrien replied, as unequivocally as
1 had done, that they would never consent to
have the social relations of their families con
trolled by any power w hatever but their own.
Mr. Branch, Mr. Berrien, and myself, went
tbe same evening to a party at Col. Towsen’s,
where a report was current that we were to be
removed forthwith, of which 1 bad no doubt
at the time. The next morning,Col J. came
to my house, and said that he ought perhaps
to have been more frank last evening, and told
us positively that the Piesident had finally
determined on our removal from office unless,
we agreed at once that our families should
visit Mis. Eaton, and invite her to their large
parties ; and that lie had made up his mind to
designate Mr. Dickens to take chdVge of the
Treasury Department, and Mr. Kendall to
take charge of the Navy Department, and
would find an Attorney General somewhere.
I observed that my course w as fixed, and could
not be changed for all the offices in the Pres
ident’s gift; and it made no more difference
to me than to any other person whom the
President designated to take my place. In
the evening of the same day, Col. J. called
again, and informed me that he had just been
with the President, who had drawn up a pa
per explanatory of what he had intended and
expected of us; that some of his Tennessee
friends had been with him for several hours:
that his passion had subsided, and he had en
tiroly changed his ground : He w ould not in
sist on our families visiting Mrs. Eaton; he
only wished us to assist in putting dowrvfhe
slanders against her; that he believed her
innocent, and he thought our families ought
to do what they could to sustain her, if they
could not visit her; and that ho wished to
see me the next day. Col. J. added that
the President had been exceedingly excited
for several days, but was now perfectly calm
and mild. The next day 1 waited on the
President, and opened the subject by stating
that Col. J&lnson had informed me that he
wished to see me ; to which he assented, and
went into a long argument to show how in
nocent a woman Airs. Eaton was, and how
muc’i she had been persecuted, and mention
od the names of a number of ladies who had
been active in this persecution, and that the
lady of a foreign minister was also one of the
conspirators; adding that lie would send her
and her husband home, and teach him and
his master that the wife of a member of his
Cabinet was not to he thus treated; that Airs.
Eaton was as pure and chaste as Airs. Doncl
son’s infant daughter, but there was a combi
nation here among a number of ladies, not
those of the Heads of Departments to drive
her out of society, and to drive her husband
out of office; but he would be cut into inch
pieces on the rack, before he would suffer
him or his wife to be injured by their vile
calumnies ; that he was resolved to have har
mony in his cabinet, and he wished us to join
in putting down the slanders against Mrs.
Eaton. 1 observed to the President, that I
had never considered it incumbent on me to
investigate the character of Mrs. Eaton ; such
a service did not, in mv judgment, come
wifhin the scope of my duties to the govern
ment ; it belonged to society alone to deter
mine such matters. The power of the admin
istration could not change the opinion of the
community, even if it could be properly used
to control the relations of domestic life in
any case. The society of Washington must
Ibe the best i * , u ‘
ceive. I regretted the difficult! */
Major Eaton labored under, and had J! 111
be my duty not to aggravate them i,
intended at an early day to have had ha
versation with him on the subject, with C ° r
to have our social relation defined
portunity had offered, without volm/'’ 0 !
one, and it had not been done in that
The course I had taken was, however J*
ted with great care, to save his feeiin
much as possible, consistently with wh f !
due to my family; nd the communkv J!
which we w ere associated. I considered ]
charge of my family to be a sacred trust L
longing exclusively to myself, as a rnemf
oi society. The administration had „oi
to do with it, more than with that ot anvotl
individual, and political power could'not*
properly exerted over their social interconJ
and it was important to his reputation
have it understood that he did not im J.
in such matters. That 1 was not await ‘
any want of harmony in the cabinet •
not seen tbe lightest symptom of si?
feeling in its deliberations, and I was pe - !
ly certain that my official conduct had ?
been influenced in the slightest (legreeT
feeling of that nature. I saw no* ro . !
, therefore, for the least change on nu n,!,
this respect. To which the President
ed, in a changed tone, that he had flri mo
entire confidence in mv integrity andcaaa t
in executing the duties of the DeparC
and expreessed his perfect satisfaction, inth,
respect, with my whole conduct; he £
never supposed for a moment that mv ofe
acts had been influenced in the least door!
by any unkind feelings towards Major Eata
and he did not mean to insist on ou'rfamili
visiting Mrs. Eaton : He had been mudm
cited, lor some tune past, by the combinat®
against hei, and he wished us to aid ],j mi|
putting down their slanders, addin* that sk
was excluded from* most of the invitations tn
parties; and when invited, she was insulted
that the lady of a foreign minister before re!
ferred to had insulted her at Baron Krudener ]
party.
I remarked, that some injustice might be
done to that lady on that occasion; although
she might not choose to associate with Mrs.
Eaton, I did not think she intended to insult
her; she might have supposed that there was
some design, not altogether respectful to her
self, in the offer of the attendance tosupp cr
of the Secretary of War, whose wife she did
not visit, instead ol that of the Secretary of
State, which, according to the usual practice
she probably considered herself entitled to.
I was present, and saw most of what had hap.
pened. She evidently thought herself ag
grieved at something, but acted with muciij
dignity on the occasion. I saw no appear,
ance of insult offered to Airs. Eaton. He re
plied that lie had been fully informed, and
knew all about it; and but for certain rea
sons which he mentioned, he would have
sent the foreign Alimster before referred to,
and his wife, home immediately. After some
further conversation on this and other mat
ters, in which 1 considered the President a
having entirely waived the demand mads
through Col. Johnson, that my family mu!
visit Airs. Eaton, as the condition for iny re
maining in office, and in which he express;.!
himself in terms of personal kindness toward
me, I took my leave. He did not show mt,
or read, any paper on the subject.”
The public will now, I think, he at nolm
to determine upon the true state of the fas
ofthiscase. Air. Ingham's very full stall
rnent is taken from notes made at the time,
and which were shewn to me shortly afar
they were made. In repeated conversation
with Air. Branch, our recollections wet
found to concur. The transaction was of i
nature calculated to awaken all my attention
and to impress itself indelibly upon niymeio
ory. I claim no benefit, therefore, from any
supposed imperfection of this faculty, and ex
pect to be believed, because I speak tbe
truth.
In relation to the statement that the pape
drawn up in the hand-writing of the Preside),
was shown to me, the denial of which I mo;
explicitly repeat, if charity is to perform lie
holy office in reconciling these conflicting as
sertions, it is much more easy to believe thai
the memory of the President may have failed
on this occasion. He saw and conversed with
various persons on this subject, and has to
rely upon his memory for the fact of having
shown this paper to diffrrerent individuals.—
Each of these individuals is required to speak
for himself. The nature of the transaction
was such that it could not have escaped the
recollection of either of them.
It was impossible if such a paper had heei
shewn, not to have demanded, and to hae
persevered in the demand to have the nam
of the persons, on whose information the rt
quisition was made. No one would bars
consented to have the eonditions on which he
should continue in office prescribed to him,
on the ground of a combination, the evidence
of which rested on mere rutnor. An inquiry
must have been the consequence, and the
transaction could not only not have been for
gotten by the parties, but would thus have
become known toothers. 1 would not my
self have retained my office a moment alter
such a paper was exhibited to me. I will
not question the intention of the President to
have shewn this paper to me, nor his belief
that he did so ; but that he did not do so, is
certain. Those who know me will not doubt
the sincerity of this declaration, and an im
partial community will, I trust, perceive no
sufficient motive to be deduced, either from
tny character, or the circumstances ofth’-s
transaction, for the belief of intentional mis
representation on my part.
At any rate, I have discharged mv duty,
by hearing this testimony to the truth. '
know to what it subjects me; but I rely upon
the discernment and the integrity of my
countrymen, and, will abide the result.
JOHN MACPHERSON BERRIEN-
Washington, July 22,1831.
TO THF, EDITOR.
Washington, 23d July, 1831.
Sir :In my communication to publm,
which appeared in the National V.telVgencer
of this morning, I mentioned chat I had no l
yet heard from Mr. Rranc';i, to whom I h*J
forwarded a copy of Col. Jfphqson’s jeltci., '