OF RUFUS KING 41301 COMPRISING HIS LETTERS, PRIVATE AND OFFICIAL HIS PUBLIC DOCUMENTS AND HIS SPEECHES EDITED BY HIS GRANDSON CHARLES R. KING, M.D., LL.D. (TRIN.) FELLOW OF THE COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS, PHILADELPHIA, AND VOLUME VI. 1816-1827 NEW YORK G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS The Knickerbocker Bress PREFACE. The necessity of bringing the remaining papers relative to the life and work of Mr. King within this volume involved much difficulty of selection, and therefore this has been met by giving here such letters and statements as would throw light upon the times during his latter years and upon his connection with them. In this way the opinions he expressed relative to the many important questions which were before the country, and in the discussion and settlement of which he took a leading part, are fairly represented. The speeches he delivered in the Senate on the Navigation Laws the Missouri question, the Sales of the Public Lands, the Caucus System of selecting a President, all of which involved most careful consideration and treatment, and others on important matters, will be found either in the body of the work or, as corrected by himself, in the Appendix. As to the material, most of the letters were collected many years ago by his son, Dr. Charles King; others have come into the possession of the editor, who has endeavored to exercise care in seeking information from other sources, in many cases from friends who have kindly furnished valuable matter in response to his inquiries, for which he is most thankful, and in others from published works, which have been carefully examined. The object in view has been to show Mr. King in his daily life, and to present him as an able, wise and honest statesman, a true lover of his country, and a faithful guardian of her institutions, to the establishment of which he so largely contributed. The Editor desires to thank the publishers for their assistance and courtesy in preparing these volumes, as shown in their neat and appropriate appearance, similar to that in which they have published the correspondence of the statesmen contemporary with Mr. King. ANDALUSIA, PA., December, 1899. C. R. K. |