(Private) Philada: Septr. l6, 1829 My dear Sir

I received yesterday your favor of the 13^th instant, & thank you for its suggestions, which are, I am sure dictated by great kindness. But I cannot go to Washington at present. I find here a state of things which I really think I had no reason to anticipate. No man, not the noisiest partizan in the country has taken more pains to make the financial operations of the administration useful to the country & creditable to themselves. And what is the return. Constant abuse of the Bank from the press which is the official organ of that Administration — during my absence the Secretary at War makes a most extraordinary notation of its rights— and now I have on my table an official communication of the views of the Administration as to the manner in which the Bank ought to choose & remove its Officers. For the two first I care nothing, except so far as they may indicate the disposition to condemn & to encroach, but the last cannot be passed without notice. It is regarded generally by the Board as showing a determination to injure the independence of the Bank, on a point where it is peculiarly sensitive as well from duty as from honor, & accordingly they think that it should be resisted at all hazards. And so it shall be. I have sent today to the Secretary their unanimous views on the subject, in which none of the members concur more heartily than the friends of the Administration.

I regret all this exceedingly. You know my indifference to Party & how well disposed I was to act cordially with the present Administration — & particularly with your new Secretary. But having done my duty to them, I will not give way an inch in what concerns the independence of the Bank, to please all the Administrations past, present or future.

The bigots of the last reproached me with nothing for them — the bigots of the present will be annoyed that the Bank will not support them. Be it so, I care nothing for either class of partizans & mean to disregard both.

The Portsmouth affair I found after an examination of six days, to be a very small intrigue to supplant an honest & excellent officer, who was of course continued in his place.

Having by my official letter of to day, satisfied my sense of duty by rejecting all interference in the concerns of the Bank, I have no further feeling on the occasion, & shall in any event take care that as far as I am concerned the relations of the Bank with the Treasury shall be as kindly as heretofore.