Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

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., '