Sir:

The necessity which occasioned the Act of Congress of the 27th instant, a copy of which I have the honor of enclosing, is sincerely to be lamented and I would wish had been avoided. The experience of inattention to the general good, at this great and important crisis, when the collected Wisdom of the Union is particularly required, is painful indeed and must leave an unfavorable impression. A moment’s reflection, I am convinced, will produce the same sensations in Your Excellency’s breast which I feel on this occasion, and will plead more powerfully for an immediate compliance with the Recommendation of Congress than anything that can be urged by me.