"I will not withdraw the nomination," was his answer. The next morning the nomination was taken up, and negatived by all the Senators, except two. Every circumstance here stated was related to me immediately, by one or more of the Senators who were present. I certainly had expressed my opinion to not more than half a dozen Senators, all federalists; and not to one who was in the "Opposition." The presumption is therefore conclusive, that many voted from their information concerning Col. Smith, independently of any communication from me. When I come to another transaction, after the new army was disbanded, it will appear that I had not made an erroneous estimate of his character.

In letter No. XXXVIII of the "Correspondence," Mr. Adams says, "It is true that Pickering, at the in"stigation of Hamilton, as I suppose, who was jealous "of Smith as a favourite of Washington, and a bet"ter officer than himself, excited a faction against "him, and to my knowledge propagated many scanda"lous falsehoods concerning him, and got him nega"tived, though Washington had recommended him to "me." Every reader must smile at Mr. Adams's fond conceit, that Alexander Hamilton was jealous of Col. Smith, as a favourite of Washington, and a better officer than himself! If there were the semblance of truth in this ridiculous assertion, it would be obvious to ask, Why then did not Washington name Smith to be inspector and major general, instead of Hamilton; and put the latter with the other two gentlemen, who were proposed as candidates for the office of adjutant general; especially as Smith had served under Steuben, in the inspector's department? But as to Hamilton's "instigation" in the case, the fact is, that about noon, on the day of the nomination of Smith, I expressed my opinion of him to some of the Senators, and the next morning it was negatived; and Hamilton, utterly ignorant of the matter, was in New-York. Mr. Adams refrains from charging'me with fabricating "scandalous falsehoods" concerning Smith; but says I propa

gated them. All that I said of him (excepting in regard to his talents, of which I did not think very highly, and I expressed what I thought) I had derived from a very credible source, several years before; and on that information gave my opinion to some Senators. It related to a private trust of magnitude, in which Col. Smith was so unfaithful, that it appeared to me unsafe to commit the confidential office of adjutant general to his hands. I was not unaware of the hazard I ran in speaking to Senators, in this case; and perfectly remember remarking to some one of them, that what I had said to him and others, would probably, by some means, come to the President's ears, and cause my removal from office; but adding "I have done only what I thought to be my duty, and am willing to abide the consequences.

Near the close of the year 1798, General Washington came to Philadelphia, to meet Generals Hamilton and Pinckney (Knox had refused to serve, because he was not appointed the first major general) to consult on the organization of the army. Col. Smith was a candidate for the command of the regiment to be raised in the State of New-York; but Washington and the major generals received information so unfavourable to Smith's character, in point of integrity, that they did not recommend him. Unwilling however to reject him peremptorily, General Washington addressed a letter to the Secretary of War, in which is the following passage: "As well myself as the two generals "whose aid I have had in the nomination, have been "afflicted with the information, well or ill founded, that "he stands charged, in the opinion of his fellow-citi66 zens, with very serious instances of private miscon"duct, [instances which affect directly his integrity as 66 a man. The instances alleged are various, but there "is one which has come forward in a shape which did "not permit us to refuse it our attention. It respects "an attempt knowingly to pledge property to Major "Burrows, by way of security, which was before con"veyed to Mr. William Constable, without giving no

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"tice of the circumstances, and with the aggravation "that Major Burrows had become the creditor of Col. Smith, through friendship, to an amount which has "proved entirely ruinous to him.] While the impossibility of disregarding this information forbad the "selection of Col. Smith absolutely; yet, the possibil"ity, that it might admit of some fair explanation, dis"suaded from a conclusion against him. As it will be "in your power to obtain further light on this subject, it has appeared advisable to leave this matter "in the undetermined form in which it is presented, "and to assign the reason for it. You are at perfect "liberty to communicate this letter to the President. "Candour is particularly due to him in such case. "is my wish to give him every proof of frankness, re"spect and esteem." This letter is dated at Philadel phia, December 13, 1798. On the 17th, Mr. M‘Henry, the secretary of war, wrote a very kind letter to Col. Smith, and enclosed a copy of General Washing ton's, for the purpose of obtaining the explanation of the transaction referred to. Smith, on the 20th, answered in a very long explanatory letter; which, no doubt, was perfectly satisfactory to his father-in-law, President Adams, who was never disposed to believe any thing adverse to the character and interest of any of his family. Col. Smith was nominated to the Senate, and the nomination received their assent. Col. Smith's explanation, however, differed widely from that of Major Burrows, whom, profiting of his generous friendship, he had reduced from a genteel competency to absolute beggary;— to a condition still worse; for, after selling his whole estate, to fulfil his pecuniary engagements for Smith, he was yet left involved, on the same account, and at the mercy of his creditors, whose forbearance, only, saved him from a jail.

The mission to France in 1799, suddenly instituted by President Adams, striking the public mind like a shock of electricity-soon paralyzed the increased and increasing energies of the nation, animated with the brilliant actions of our infant navy; and there being a

prospect that a treaty of peace would be the result, the new little army was disbanded, in the summer of 1800. Col. Smith being again without employment, the President appointed him surveyor of the district of New-York, and inspector of the revenue for the ports within the same. But this appointment being made in the recess of the Senate, it was necessary to nominate him to that body, on their assembling in November 1800, at the city of Washington. This nomination (as usual when objections or doubts concerning the candidate exist) was referred to a committee, of which the late Gouverneur Morris was chairman.* This nomination of an officer of the customs pertaining to the treasury department, the committee, of course, applied there for information. The secretary answered, that he possessed no information respecting this nomination of Col. Smith. The committee, however, received recommendations, under respectable names, in favour of Col. Smith; besides letters from the collector and naval officer, certifying Col. Smith's diligence in his new office. It should be remembered, that Smith was then standing on his good behaviour: his continuance in office depended on the approbation of the Senate, upon a nomination to be made to that body. Other papers were delivered to the committee by the Secretary of the Senate, which, as he informed them, had been entrusted to him for that purpose by the President of the United States. One of the latter purported to be a copy of a letter of December 13, 1798, from General Washington to the secretary of war, of which I have just given an extract. But all that part of the extract which I have included between brackets was omitted; that is, all that related to Major Bur

rows.

Col. Smith's name being thus again brought before the Senate, when nominated to be surveyor of the customs for the district of New-York; and gentlemen re

* It is proper for me to remind the reader, that I had been removed by Mr. Adams in the preceding month of May; but the facts I am going to state rest on authentic documents, copies of which are now before me.

collecting objections made two years before, which prevented Washington, with his two generals, decidedly recommending Smith for a military commission; the nomination was committed, as already mentioned. The committee received and collected, in the course of two months, a mass of information, which, some time in February 1801 (when the session of Congress and Mr. Adams's presidency were near expiring) they reported in gross to the Senate. The whole, in my copy, occupies eighty-six pages of large letter paper. The impression left on my mind, from the information I received of the transaction, from one or more of the Senators, is, that the papers were not read in the Senate; unless, perhaps, by some individuals, who would toil through them in the few remaining busy days of the session; and, under these circumstances, the nomination was approved, with only eight negatives, among whom was Gouverneur Morris, chairman of the committee, and perfectly possessed of all the evidence in the case; and no one will question his discernment or impartiality in judging. There are other distinguished names, among the negatives, of gentlemen still living.

But I have not done with these documents. The copy of General Washington's letter, relative to Smith, and which was communicated by President Adams, by the hands of Secretary Otis, to the Senate, was, as above remarked, essentially mutilated, and on the specific point which required explanation, the case of Major Burrows.

Together with the mutilated copy of General Washington's letter, President Adams sent to the Senate what purported to be a copy of Col. Smith's explanatory letter, before mentioned; but so mutilated as to be reduced from eight pages to less than four, according to the copies of both in my hands; every part respecting Burrows being omitted. But, besides the mutilations in both of these singular copies, there were a few interpolations; some to amend the style, and others to give a fairer aspect to Smith's explanations. By whom these alterations and amendments were made,