Jacob Thompson

The Memphis (Tenn.) Appcal prints a letter from Jaoob ïhompson, Buohanau's Secretary of the Interior, iu which he denies somo recent statements made by the Hon. Thomas L. Glingmnn, of North Carolina, and tvs : " Having sniil this mricn abont this motst remarkablerevelation, I feel bonnd, in the yindieation of the truth of hintory, aud in justice to thememory of theChief Magistrale who held tho rcius ot' Goy: erument in the most fcrying crisis in the history of the Government, to explain ome of tho faets oonnacted with my mission to North Carolina. Some time in the month of I Vn -uiber, 1860, whenl was Sccretiiry of tho Interior, the Govemor of Mississippi sent me a letter requesting me to act as a Commissiouer of that State to the State of North Carolina, and urge her to co-operate with Míssíbsippi in measures for the proteotiou and maintenance of Southern rights. This appointment wan uuwxppoted, aud took me by surprise. T w;s known aa a Oooperationist, nnd w;is opposed to Repárate State, aotiou. I beliovi-d that all the Southern States eonld fiaVe ;i perfect uuderstauding with cach other, and, when the time cunte for niovenient il' inovcmcut muat be made- thcy shóuld all act togethof md situultaueously. At that' time Mï. Bitehanauhad Himt to Oongreaa liis very able message, in which lie li;id denounccd secession is a heresy, uuconBtitutional and unauthorized. I dilïered l'rom tlie message iu tliis : Tliat, -while I admitted the eonstitution did not provide for this remedy for tlie States, yet eauh had retaiued the right, from wliich tin y had iii'vor jjarted, to withdraw lor eauMethe powerstliey luul conf erred upoa the (jfnei'ul Ouvtrnment, and ïsmnio the ftill èxercise of them. Bilt, as I held, no canee wonld jitstify secession which was not sufiicient to justii'y revolulioñ; and thero was n't, md could not be, during lui adninistratiou of Mr. Buelianan, any justifying cause of secession, and, as our difference was a mere abstraot one, I could with propriety hold my place iu the Cabinet. Wlteu tite Goveiüor's letter was receiyed, and I had drtormined it was rily duty'to acceut the appointment, I sought and obtaiaed a private interview with the President, and told Iiim 1 wished a leave of absence to vieit the Legialature of North Carolina. At ,Brst he tried to dissnade me from goiug,' but, as I persisted, he insi8ted upon knowing wliat I proposed to do. I u'ibosomed myself to him, with the utmost fraukness. I told him that an Qxcitilig Callvass was going on iu Blissiasippi on tho subject of secession ; that I was opposed to any hasty aud hurried action on the part of the State, but he knew that my conviction was that I owed my primary allegianoo to my State, and whatever destiny she chose miit uecessarily be my destiny ; as yet there was no existing cause which would justify secessiou; nnd, if the States of the South could and would co-operato and appoint a future day for a united movemeut, and this was known to the whole country, and we could avoid a conflict of arms and bloodshod, Congress, which was then in session, oould, and probably would, in the meautime, próvido some compromiso which would remove from the Southern rnind any apprehension of an invasión of their rights of property. I could hurry up North Carolina ; she thereby would aoquire an influence to hold back Miesitsippi and the Guli' States. To this end I would visit the State. All the iulluencepoBsibleshould be exerfed to induce the States to have a full and eandid ■ tuidersUmcling of the rights of Southern men in their slaveproperty. Unless that was reached, I íoresaw tliat a disruption of tlxe Union was inevitable If the President prel'erred, Iwould at once resiguov h.nl y - jiiBtutr Ke desired.Lo tnts l;e iranlily replied that, while lie feared I would be subject o misconstruction, yet he would not say he wished me to resign. And with that leave of absence I visited North Carolina."