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 them before him but believing the char ac'er oi the administration was at siake, ana nnding Nhat Mir. Shackford would not consent to reduce his bid to what con- ceived to be fair price for the ration. f resolved to bring the subject directly to the notice of Gen. Jackson himself. On my way to the Executive mansion, \ mel MT. Bell of Tennessee, chairman of the committee on Indian Affairs, and eonvers- ed with him upon the subjeer. Iurged him to see the President, and 10 vemon- strate against the contract. He insisted that should do so, and said that if the contract was made with Gen. Houston, as proposed, he would abandon the support of the Indian bill which was then pending in the House.

 

 The contract was not. concluded. Mr. Shackford informed me that after seeing me he reduced his bid; and that he had called several times at the department. and never could get an explanation of tho reason why it was not acted on. I have since understood that a MT. Crowell, (brother of Col. Crowell, agent for the Creek Indians,) Mir. Prentiss, of eflis city. and others, were also bidders. MT. Pren~ tiss informs me that Maj. Eaton himself endeavored to dissuade him from pressing his bid, by saying thathis proposal, which was at nine cents,4Was too low, and that it was not the objecso of the Government to make contract which the contractor could not perform without loss. And yet, Mr. Pren,iss assures me that he was offereAMey thousand dollars for an interest in it, provided bic proposal was accepted. MT. Rrentiss ulso says, that he received proposition from an individual who assumed to be acting for Gen. Hous- ton, to withdraw his bid and take an inter- est in as contract at higher rate which proposition was accompanied by an assur- ance that, by acccding to it, Mir. F. would make more money upon part than upon a whole of the contract. @

 The correctness of the view which entertained of this subject, and the inl- mensity of the fraud involved in tue pro- ceeding. will appear from the fact. that we are informed from an Arkansas paper, that the beef, the principal part ofihe ration, is now furnished at less than four cents per pound. And do not hesitate to aver my unequivocal belief that the Secretary at war, Major Eaton, the agent of she Gov- ernment in making this contract, and Ma jor Wm. B. Lewis, the second Auditor of the Government, who was to pass uponS the accounts, were to participaie in the profits to be derived from tho contemplat- ed fraud. .