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PAPERS OF MIRABEAU BuoNAPAR'l'E LAMAR
my wishes, in both Instances, that the neglect of my private affairs consequent upon my devotion to the public service since- had de- stroyed my estate and that I had determined to devote my most active efforts until I could redeem or partially redeem my losses to commer- cial operations. That if you would confer upon me the consulship at New Orleans I would accept it and if you had no objection Mr. Wood- ward having resigned the office of consul general I should be obliged to you to make me his successor and establish that office at New Orleans you stated that you were willing to any thing for me in your power but that Mr. Bryant would lose his place- I replied Yes-'-. but that Mr. Bryant I believed was a foreigner and was less entitled to such an office than a citizen of the country. You stated that you cared nothing for Bryant and would do any thing in your power for me that I could request I thanked you and mentioned that I should like to get permission to proceed from the boundary line upon which I was then engaged as commissioner of this government to New Orleans and with your permission I would transmit thro' the clerk or some other officer of the commission the Maps journal etc- which might be agreed upon by the U. S Commissioner and myself on the completion of the boundary that without such permission (having been instructed by the Sety of State to make the report in person I should be compelled to make it myself I understood you to acquiesce in the agreement and on the next day I mentioned to my friend & relation Mr Bullock you having consented to give me the appointment' I likewise mentioned to Dr Anson Jones then a senator that my name, would be before the senate for consul or consul general at the next meeting of Congress that it was a station inferior to those I had heretofore filled but tha:t my private interests save only in engaging in active military operations against the enemy and I wished to be as little connected with the politics of the county as possible, that I greatly prefered private life to civic office as my resignations of high offices in the country would evince-during the same evening I applied for the office of consul which was done to ease off my connection with political life, and im- mediately after the foregoing conversation you mentioned to me .your intention to march a force to be commanded by Col Rames to occupy a position near or upon the banks of the Rio Grande,- I stated to you that if you intended offensive operations against the enemy I should volunteer & claim to be received as an officer or private, you replied that you should be governed in your selections in conferring the pri11:- ciple offices which you might bestow by the manner in which gentle- men stood up to you The conversation in a short time after this turned on the then approaching presidential election and you stated that it was understood that those who stood up to you well would support Mr Burnet for the presidency I could but feel astonished at this declara- tion and replied .that you might consider me "Standing" as .you pleased but that I would not support Mr. Burnet. for-the Presidency and men- tioned to you the cause of personal difference with him which was that he had spoken unkindly of my friend Gen Henderson whilst absent on his mission to Europe and that moreover I thought there were several other gentlemen in the nation better qualified in the present crisis of our affairs for chief magistrate. You stated that you did not intend to interfere with the presidential election-· I replied that you would justly affect your fame & reputation if you did I thought I was mis-
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