refer to a subject interesting alike to himself as President of the United States, and the country. "You know,

Colonel McKenney," replied this good man, "that any subject that concerns our country cannot be otherwise than interesting to me." Then, sir, I continued, have you so far made up your mind as to the citizen you are about to nominate for Post-Master General, as to preclude any reference to the subject? "I have," he answered, "thought of nominating Richard Anderson, of Kentucky, for that place." Is your determination final? "No-it is not-if I can hear any good reason for changing it.”

I proceeded to state, that I hoped he would not consider anything I might say as being unfriendly to Mr. Anderson-for I was sure he possessed every qualification for the place except one, and that was an exception over which he had no control, nor had any body else. What is that? inquired the President, with much earnestness. His health is too feeble for the toils which any man must endure who assumes to bring order out of that department, and so re-organize it, and administer it, as to make it what it ought to be-an instrument of good to the people at large, for whose convenience it had been created. Mr. Anderson, I proceeded to say, cannot live a year; he is now in such feeble health as to justify that opinion; to call him to the discharge of such heavy duties as must devolve upon him, in the General Post-Office, would, should he attempt their execution, hasten his transit to the grave; if he should not, for lack of health, be able to attend to the duties of the station, then it had just as well remain as it is.

A pause for a moment ensued-when the President looked at me, saying "Colonel McKenney, I am very glad you have called"-when, at the moment, the servant announced dinner. He asked me to accompany him, after which we would resume our conversation. I decli

L

led ving company to dine with me that day—when he aled be servant, directing him to tell Mrs. Monroe not o wait for um. The conversation was continued for an

bur onger, when I left him.

Ce ext lay, when crossing Rock Creek bridge, which separties Washington from Georgetown, on my way home, i net feorge Hav, Esq., son-in-law of Mr. Monroe, on is van horse. He spoke, saying, he was glad to meet - mai een riding about all the morning, lookA Wan, and had not found him. "I will my search Ma vai ou see him, to say the object of 4. Ture's instance, to tell him that his name es norung sent into the Senate as Postservar und that it is Mr. Monroe's wish, that EBOLA DI you is First Assistant Post-Master Genwe were to dine that evening at Foxall's,

mau æver 30 him the message..

1 su u Fonds I found Mr. M'Lean was there, 520 noe the office, I announced to him what

charged me to make known to him. The

Jce to myself was responded to with

Can was confirmed, of course, and Mr. rared spent the discharge of the duties of his Some weeks went round, when he referred

nat de President desired I should stand www hused—saying he could not feel free Na Ja neundera without cause; that Mr. Bradley BN CNA RN efficient, although he had found the great disorder, &c.; that he would, on the konca, should any delinquency happen, make the

respected his feelings and his principles, 14, nos 1 aand; he would find Mr. Bradley all he could an that from that moment, to think no more of

me in relation to the appointment. He was put at ease, and we parted friends.

The same organization that had given such efficiency to the War Department, introduced into it, for the first time, by Mr. Calhoun, was adopted by Mr. M'Lean for the government of the Post-Office Department. It proved no less operative. The entire plan consisted in dividing the business into appropriate parts, and assigning a bureau to each branch, with an officer at the head of each, who was held responsible for the right and prompt management of the duties assigned to him; all the bureaux connecting into one common centre, whose supervisory and controlling power was in the head. If ever there was perfection carried into any branch of the public service, it was that which Mr. Calhoun carried into the War Department; and it was the same admirable organization which made the War Department the most effective and most popular branch of the government. And it was the same system. that imparted such efficiency to the General Post-Office. And yet neither would have produced the popular results that distinguished both, if each had not been governed by heads that comprehended, and knew how to give direction to both. The War Department was a literal chaos when Mr. Calhoun took it in hand; and so was the General PostOffice, when Mr. M'Lean succeeded to its management. Both rose out of this chaos into order, and harmony, and usefulness.

I have recorded this anecdote, if it may be called one, for the purpose of showing how personal predilections were made to give way, in Mr. Monroe, to the higher claims of public utility. Mr. Anderson was his choice, but Mr. M'Lean was the better qualified man to advance the public interests as Post-Master General, when, of course, all that was personal gave way, and the “general welfare” alone was consulted.

A time came, at last, when Mr. M'Lean was considered

a stumbling block in the way of party. The "reward" and "punishment" system was to take the place of qualification, patriotism, and experience. Personal rewards, and not the public good, had now become the practice of the government. The friends of General Jackson were now to be "rewarded," and those who were not" of his party," were to be "punished." But how, it may be asked, could this system affect Mr. M'Lean? Was he not favorable to the elevation of General Jackson? The general impression was, that he favored the result. Then why was he moved upon? Because, I answer, he declined to make the General Post-Office an instrument of party; and to become an executioner, and chop off heads as he might be commanded. To the question asked of a member of the Hickory club in Washington-What are you going to do with Mr. M'Lean? the answer was, "D-n him, we'll bench him." The alternative left for Mr. M'Lean, was to quit with an appointment as judge; or quit without any thing. Nor would the office of judge have been tendered to him, if his popularity had not forbade his expulsion. So, at least, it was understood at Washington. The judgeship was not, at that time, what best suited Mr. M'Lean. He had been long out of the practice of law, as member of Congress and commissioner of the General Land Office. But the same industry, sustained by moral rectitude, and strong natural talents, enabled him, in a few years, to occupy a respectable position on the bench of the Supreme Court, and now to rank with its most able and honored members.

Mr. Barry succeeded Judge M'Lean. There was one act, at least, of this functionary, that gave great notoriety to his official character as Post-Master General. It was the issuing of an order through the heads of the departments, which was distributed among the several bureaux, by order of the secretaries, directing that no letters, from and after its date, should be sealed with wax, but with

wafers only; wax, it being alleged, adding so much to the weight of the mails!

When I saw this order, I took it with me to Mr. Secretary Eaton, and asked if it was intended to apply to the correspondence of the Indian department. "Why not?" he inquired. Because, I answered, much of that correspondence has to traverse the wilderness, and portions of it to be swam with over rivers, tied to the heads of Indians; and in various other ways to be exposed to the weather, and to the rough usage of a border circulation. "I suppose," he answered, "the Post-Master General knows his own business best; conform to the order."

I was curious to know how much weight the mails were relieved of by this change, and ascertained it to amount to something less than five pounds, daily! there being an average of about a pound and a quarter of wax used in each of the four departments-State, Treasury, War, Navy, and in the office of the Attorney General. There was much speculation at the time, as to the real object of this order. Nobody believed then, and nobody will believe now, that it was what it was avowed to be.