se, if it stood wholly to my personal credit. I
asked the officers to allow it to stand in your name as Secretary and
mine as Assistant Secretary, jointly and severally, so as to be drawn
upon the several check of either, and by the survivor in case of the
death of either one. I suggested other arrangements which would have
had the same result, but they said their rules prevented their
agreeing to my requests, that they were conservative and did not like
to introduce anything new into their customs.

On the 15th day of January, 1872, I renewed my request in writing,
after having had several conversations with the officers on the
subject, and received an answer which, with the letter of request, is
hereto annexed.

In this, their most recent communication, they express a willingness
to enter the account in our joint names as I suggested, regarding it,
however, as a "personal account" and requiring that you should "join
in the request and concur in the conditions proposed before either
party can in that case draw upon the account."

As I must now almost daily draw from the account for money with which
to pay bonds, I cannot join your name therein until you have sent me
a written compliance with the conditions which they set forth, because
to do so would shut me out from the account altogether for several
weeks.

Besides, having no instruction from you on the subject, I don't know
that you would care to give written directions as to the deposit. I
know very well that, in case of my sudden decease, you would be glad
enough to find that you could at once avail yourself of the whole
amount of money here on deposit, and so I should have joined your name
as I have stated. Now you can do as you please. I have taken every
possible precaution within my power, and have no fear that the
arrangements are insufficient to protect the Government in any
contingency whatever. With the correspondence which has passed between
the officers of the Bank and myself, and our conversation together, the
account is sufficiently well known to them as a U. S. Government
deposit, and is fully enough stamped with that character, as I intended
it should be, however much they may ignore it now.

But for still greater caution, I made the written declaration of trust
on the very day of the first deposit, signed and sealed by me,
declaring the money and account as belonging to our Government, and not
to me, a copy of which is hereto annexed.