On the 24th of May, 1831, Mr. Sparks, who was then at work on his life of Gouveneur Morris, again wrote to Madison.
"Boston, May 24, 1831.
"In touching on the Convention, I shall state the matter relating to Mr. Pinckney's draught, as I have heard it from you, and from Mr. Adams as reported to him by Mr. King. Justice and truth seem to me to require this exposition. I shall write to Charleston, and endeavor to have the draught inspected, which was left by Mr. Pinckney. Your explanation, that he probably added particulars as they arose in debate, and at last forgot which was original and what superadded, is the only plausible way of accounting for the mystery, and it may pass for what it is worth. Should anything occur to you, which you may think proper to communicate to me on the subject, I shall be well pleased to receive it."
Madison felt so solicitous about the inquiry in Charleston that on the 21st of June he wrote to Sparks, asking to be informed of the result "as soon as it is ascertained."
But on the 16th of June Sparks had written to Madison the following letter which could not have reached him when he wrote on the 21st.
"Boston, June 16th, 1831.
"I have procured from the Department of State a copy of the letter from Mr. Charles Pinckney to Mr. Adams, when he sent his draught for publication. This letter is so conclusive on the subject that I do not think it necessary to make any further inquiry. It is evident, that the draught, which he forwarded, was a compilation made at the time from loose sketches and notes. The letter should have been printed in connexion with the draught. I imagine Mr. Pinckney expected it. He does not pretend that this draught was absolutely the one he handed into the Convention. He only 'believes' it was the one, but is not certain.
"Should you have leisure, I beg you will favor me with your views of this letter. It touches upon several matters respecting the history and progress of the Convention. Do these accord with your recollection? I would not weary or trouble you, but when you recollect that there is no other fountain to which I can go for information, I trust you will pardon my importunity."
When Sparks wrote his hasty letter of June 16th he was evidently writing under two misapprehensions. The first was that he supposed the question involved was whether the draught on file was an exact copy of the lost original; the second was that its verity depended entirely on Pinckney's accompanying letter. To his inquiry what did Madison think of that letter, Madison made no reply.