After congratulating you upon the nomination of our great and glorious old chief whose presentation to the country makes all hearts glad except a few who desire office and have but little to expect at his hands,—I must account for my not attending the Convention–2 You know I was appointed a delegate from this District– I had just returned from the east, and learned my young and ardent whig friend Nelsen Edwards who was a substitute was anxious to go on to the convention & knowing that he was for General T, yielded to him, and so informed him by letter,—but by some strange mishap he did not receive my letter in time—both of us were willing to go, both anxious & each thought the other on the way, when a few days before the convention I met Judge Pope and for the first time ascertained that Edwards had not gone on—this will I hope satisfactorily account for our Districts not being represented–3 I am satisfied that in our state Genl[General] T is hundreds, I might say thousands of votes stronger than any other man who could have been presented by the Convention– His nomination has been received with unbounded applause, whilst that of Cass has fallen still-born upon the public–4 Here in the great democratic county of St Clair, there is no enthusiasm, no rejoicing, no demonstration in favour of the "Dough face"–5 You know we have near a thousand democratic majority—Yet a Cass ratification meeting could not be gotten up, all are dissatisfied, all discouraged, and if the same apathy prevails in other quarters our prarie State will gallantly wheel into the Taylor line6 Our friends here many of them been urging me to

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consent to run for Governor—indeed I had to stop the merriment in the Galena District by writing to Baker & Drummond, peremptorily refusing to run—a defeat which I would have regarded as inevitable would have injured the cause of Genl T.—we have not time to organize and canvass the State before the August election, and I think had better not make a stand for Executive officers– I may be a candidate for the senate from St Clair & Monroe, a desperate undertaking I hear you remark, against 1400 democratic majority, and so it is; but if I could not get a 1000 democratic votes out of the 3500 in the District I would think it was living to no purpose, to have been so strong a friend of "The dear people"–7 If I get my bill through the House by the 25^th July I will run,—if not I can not as I shall want to be in Washington next winter to attend to it– I have just recd[received] a letter from Breese in which he informs me it had passed the senate—and now it is in the hands of its friends in the house

I write by this mail to Smith, Richardson, Boulin &^c[etc]– I hope you have not forgotten the strong grounds on which I place the relief—no lawyer can examine the case, and the claim to relief without wondering how there can be any question upon the subject—read the report of the senate committee and get our friends to examine the report and particularly the decision of our Supreme court– I wish you will appear before the committee and urge speedy action upon the bill– If it passes or there is a certain prospect of it—by by the 25^th July Telegraph me on the subject, and I will try as my hand against the old ranger—of course I will pay ^for^ the Telegraphic dispatch—do attend to it—the report was made by Mr Downs 11^th July to accompany bill 146. and states the case fairly—8my respects to Mudd & other friends9