But that my political murder might be made sure, some evil instinct prompted me to hand you this memorial from the grave company of elders composing the board of aldermen of the city of San Francisco, to try your hand upon--a memorial praying that the city's right to the water-lots upon the city front might be established by law of Congress.
I told you this was a dangerous matter to move in.

I told you to write a non-committal letter to the aldermen--an ambiguous letter--a letter that should avoid, as far as possible, all real consideration and discussion of the water-lot question.

If there is any feeling left in you--any shame--surely this letter you wrote, in obedience to that order, ought to evoke it, when its words fall upon your ears: 'WASHINGTON, Nov.

27 'The Honorable Board of Aldermen, etc.
'GENTLEMEN: George Washington, the revered Father of his Country, is dead.

His long and brilliant career is closed, alas! forever.
He was greatly respected in this section of the country, and his untimely decease cast a gloom over the whole community.