rests with that party to effect a settlement of existing sectional difficulties andleft it to take the initiative in measures of adjustment at the same time expressing our readiness to co-operate in any just and reasonable compromise and pledged the Democracy of New York to resist any measures of coercion whether under cover of the enforcement of the laws or otherwise against the seceding States.

Really the only good that the convention could have done was to take a firm and decided attitude against coercion, embodying in a resolution upon that subject the sentiments embraced in the paper submitted by the sensible Mr. Johnson and in the eloquent and manly speeches of Tremain and Thayer. And that was the spirit of the convention; but I saw from the beginning that thewhole thing was gotten up by a few individuals for some purpose of their own. This was plainly manifested by Governor Seymour's speech on Thursday. It was also indicated by Mr. Ludlow's haste to move the appointment of a committee on resolutions and the resistance which was made to the enlargment of that committee so as to embody more fully the sense of the convention. Then the resolutions printed on slips showed that the committee was averse to giving expression to the predominant feeling of the convention - opposition to coercion - and Mr. Johnson, Chancellor Walworth or some other good and true man not on the committee must have forced the committee in the morning under fear of the consequences of presenting to the convention such a lame and impotent abortion as the report as originally prepared would have been to accept the second resolution, the only redeeming feature in the whole series. And the resistance which was made by the committee in convention to any amendments showed how the whole thing was being managed.

And the proceedings as published in The Atlas and Argus are unfair and supress material circumstances. I myself made a motion to strike out of the fifth resolution all relating to the Crittenden proposition and gave my reasons therefor. The same pressure as in other cases of proposed amendments was brought to bear to get rid of this and to induce me to withdraw it, but I stood firm and insisted upon a vote. But in the proceedings published in the Atlas and Argus this is entirely suppressed and my constituents and I stand impliedly committeed to this more of settling matters when we are opposed to this plan of taling the sense of the people upon the subject of adjustment, deeming a national convention the only means of bringing about a satisfactory and permanent adjustment.

You now have my reason for declining to comply with your application for a contribution.

Yours, truly,

J. R. FLANDERS.

[Numbers 3.]

MALONE, May 6, 1861.

[Mr. T. S. MEARS.]

MY DEAR FRIEND: I received by due course of mail your frank and friendly letter of the 3rd instant. I thank you for its expression of friendship and personal kindness and most cordially and sincerely reciprocate them. I like your method of dealing with the subject to which your letter relates by appealing directly to me for information concerning my position in the present crisis in our public affairs and saying to me what you have to say of me in case you are not misinformed in regard to my views.

And now, my dear friend, I owe it to the spirit of candor and frankness exhibited by you to answer with equal candor and frankness.