After  the  removal  of  the  garrison  to  the  stronger  and  safer
position  of  Fort  Sumter,  I  called  upon  him  again  to  represent,
from  my  knowledge  of  the  people  and  the  circumstances  of  the
case,  how  productive  the  movement  would  be  of  discontent,  and
how  likely  to  lead  to  collision.  One  of  the  vexed  questions  of
the  day  was,  by  what  authority  the  collector  of  the  port  should
be  appointed,  and  the  rumor  was,  that  instructions  had  been
given  to  the  commanding  officer  at  Fort  Sumter  not  to  allow
vessels  to  pass,  unless  under  clearance  from  the  United  States
collector.  It  was  easy  to  understand  that,  if  a  vessel  were  fired
upon  under  such  circumstances,  it  would  be  accepted  as  the
beginning  of  hostilities  —  a  result  which  both  he  and  I  de-
sired to  avert,  as  the  greatest  calamity  that  could  be  foreseen
or  imagined.  My  opinion  was,  that  the  wisest  and  best  course
would  be  to  withdraw  the  garrison  altogether  from  the  harbor
of  Charleston.
The  President's  objection  to  this  was,  that  it  was  his  boun-
den  duty  to  preserve  and  protect  the  property  of  the  United
States.  To  this  I  replied,  with  all  the  earnestness  the  occa-
sion demanded,  that  I  would  pledge  my  life  that,  if  an  inventory
were  taken  of  all  the  stores  and  munitions  in  the  fort,  and  an
ordnance-sergeant  with  a  few  men  left  in  charge  of  them,  they
would  not  be  disturbed.  As  a  further  guarantee,  I  offered  to
obtain  from  the  Governor  of  South  Carolina  full  assurance  that,
in  case  any  marauders  or  lawless  combination  of  persons  should
attempt  to  seize  or  disturb  the  property,  he  would  send  from
the  citadel  of  Charleston  an  adequate  guard  to  protect  it  and  to
secure  its  keepers  against  molestation.
