ed dictatorial language; as it is of all other questions
the best calculated to arouse the feelings of State pride, and
State rights, and that natural love of unrestrained liberty and
independence which is common to our countrymen, and especially to
our frontier settlers, who of all men in the world have the
strongest jealousy of authority and aversion to restraint.

I wish, my friend, you would use your influence to prevail on the
newspaper writers to let this question alone for the present. If
they are sincere in their opposition to the further extension of
Slavery, they will not prematurely urge it, when they are assured
that by so doing they can do no good, but much harm.

I shall go to St. Louis in a day or two, when I hope to have the
pleasure of seeing and congratulating your brother on his late
marriage, and becoming acquainted with his lady. This has been
the most cool and agreeable, and by far the most healthful summer
I have ever seen in this country. The spring was too wet and we
were apprehensive of an unfavorable season both for health and
vegetation, but we have been most agreeably disappointed. My
health was never better. I beg you to present my kind regards to
Mrs. B., and to Mr. Craig, and to be assured of my sincere
regard.

EDWARD COLES.

NICHOLAS BIDDLE, ESQ.,
President of the Bank of the U. S.--Philadelphia.

P. S.--Could you or Mr. Vaux furnish me with an assessment of
lands in the different counties of Pennsylvania? I want to show
that lands are higher in price in free than slave States.

GOVERNOR COLES TO ROBERTS VAUX

VANDALIA, ILLINOIS, December 11, 1823.

_Esteemed Friend_:--I received some time since your letter of the
11th of Oct., and by the last mail yours of the 4th ulto. An
unusual press of public business prevented my sooner
acknowledging the former, and will now prevent my making as long
an answer to the two as I desire. For the last four weeks there
has been a great crowd of persons here, attending the Circuit and
Supreme Court of the State, and the U. S. and District Court and
the sale at auction for taxes of about 7,000 tracts of land,
belonging to non-resident proprietors. This has necessarily given
me much to do; b