A mass-meeting is not a deliberative body; it always acts under the feeling of impulse or passions, and meets for predetermined purposes, one of which in this case, as appears in the articles of the newspapers calling the meeting, was to denounce and show its scorn for anything and everything connected with the South Improvement Company. Hence it required no prophet to tell beforehand in what spirit my telegrams to you would be listened to. You ask me to go to Franklin to consult my true friends. I will most gladly meet you and your friends at any place favourable to calm investigation and deliberation, and therefore outside of the atmosphere of excitement by which you are surrounded, say at Albany or New York. I can well understand that, however, the excited people of your region may misjudge, they have no other purpose than to promote the public interest, and knowing that you deservedly enjoy their confidence, I am strongly convinced that a free and frank interchange of views at the conference suggested would result in satisfying you and the people that there exists no cause for regarding us as enemies. I therefore hope you will name an early day for the meeting. P. H. WATSON. * * * * * Mr. Gilfillan. I would like to suggest a question that would throw a little light upon this subject, and which I know Mr. Watson will be entirely satisfied to answer. I wish the chairman would ask if the objects of the South Improvement Company, in connection with railroads, were presented to the public through any statement in writing or by telegraph to the public, explaining the objects. _The Chairman._—I am coming to that, but first I want to know of the witness, whether he received any replies to these despatches? _A._ Yes, sir, to one of them. _Q._ Have you a copy of that? _A._ I have not, but I have stated the purport of the answer. To the first I did not receive any answer; there was not time to receive any, and I did not expect it. I sent the second shortly after, and the answer was to the first and second together. To the third I received no telegraphic answer. _Q._ You say you have no copy of these answers you received? _A._ I have not. I gave the purport of the answer I received at the last meeting. _Q._ Were there any other letters or statements published by your authority to the public or to parties in interest among the producers? _A._ These were not published by my authority. _Q._ Was there any other matter published by your authority, giving explanation to the people? _A._ I made similar statements to a great many of the producers. _Q._ I mean documentary evidence; was there anything published over your signature? _A._ Oh, I did not publish any document at all; I did not publish this. _Q._ Did you authorise it?