Page:A Life of Matthew Fontaine Maury.pdf/138

124 utterly mercenary; they think if I get pay that's everything. . ..

Regulations forbid me to appeal to the public. I have asked the Secretary to allow me, but he won't. G, came to me yesterday with a confidential message from the Secretary that he and the President would use all their influence to have a hydrographic corps established for the Navy, with me at the head of it, backed by G. & M. et Al. .. . Of course I shall heed no overtures until I find out, and have it published, wherefore I am blackballed.

You ask about the feelings of those who are retained on the active list. They are inaugurating a move to make Commander Steward an Admiral, and me a Captain. The plan is to get up a Navy petition. When waited upon yesterday to be advised of this move, my reply was, "I am profoundly sensible of the compliment; but all the sheep-skins that the department could issue could not buy me off from my efforts to wipe out the stain that this mischievous, wicked Board has made." "Of course not," was the reply; "but you don't object to the move?" "No." . . ..

There were members of that Board, I am told, who behaved like hungry wolves and shocked others by the display of savage enmity.

It's a wicked Board to distract my attention from useful work and concentrate it on these miserable controversies, &c.,&c. . ..

It suffices to add that the vindication so persistently demanded was in a short time abundantly attained. During the following winter the action of the Naval Retiring Board was virtually set aside by Congress, and by special Act Maury was reinstated and promoted to the rank of Commander with back pay from the date of his retirement. The letter from the Secretary of the Navy announcing this officially was lost during the Civil War, but Maury's reply thereto is herewith appended:—